Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 116
Gasoline prices fall on sagging oil prices, low demand
Sagging oil prices have opened the door for a notable drop in U.S. gasoline prices, industry analyst Patrick DeHaan of GasBuddy said. “The Midwest has been the largest beneficiary of seasonal effects thus far with prices in several areas there declining upwards of 10-to-15 cents per gallon,” he said. “The...
Highlands to lose $260K in yearly revenue after Heights Plaza assessment drops
An assessment appeal that slashed nearly $11 million from the value of the Heights Plaza shopping center will cost the Highlands School District $260,000 in revenue each year, according to district Business Manager Lori Byron. The total value of four parcels making up the plaza dropped from $17.3 million to...
State Sen. Lindsey Williams opening district office in Harrison
State Sen. Lindsey Williams will be opening an office in Harrison. The new district office will open sometime this spring in the Heights Plaza. “Currently, we have a signed lease, and there is some work being done to update the space,” said her spokeswoman, Becky Boyle. “Bringing a full-service office...
Trials postponed for teens accused of damaging West Deer parks
Summary trials for three 19-year-olds accused of damaging several West Deer sports fields by doing donuts on them in a pickup in November have been postponed until March. Township police charged Ethan Adamiak, Devin Andrew Colucci and Dalton James Shoop with criminal mischief in December, about a month after the...
Arnold girl, 6, aims to sell 4K boxes of Girl Scout CookiesVideo
Stella VanWhy is one determined Daisy. The 6-year-old Arnold girl told her troop co-leader she was going to sell 2,020 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies so she could pay for Girl Scout camp this summer, said Alicia Phillips, Stella’s mom. “That’s what I want to do most, because I love...
Free and low-cost cat spay, neuter clinics scheduled in Tarentum
A dozen free and low-cost spay and neuter clinics will be held for feral and pet cats in Tarentum from now through June. The Homeless Cat Management Team holds the clinics at 207 Allegheny St. Pre-registration is required and walk-ins are not permitted. Free clinics for feral cats only are...
$125K state grant to help Arnold bring back city administrator post
Arnold is bringing back the position of city administrator two years after it eliminated the post to have a clerk oversee day-to-day operations, and the state will pick up some of the costs for at least three years. “We need to have someone who can be more focused and given...
Arnold fills vacant council seat, opening up seat on redevelopment authority
Filling a vacancy on Arnold Council created another opening in the city. Council chose Adam Zweig to fill an empty council seat created when former Councilman Joseph Bia was elected mayor in November. After being chosen, Zweig resigned as chairman of the city’s Redevelopment Authority. Solicitor David Regoli said Zweig...
Highlands organizations lobbying Port Authority for increased transit service
The head of the nonprofit Building Block of Natrona is lobbying for increased transit service that she said would provide residents of several Highlands communities with greater access to fresh food. “Along the Allegheny River it’s mostly economically disadvantaged families with no access to transportation and no access to fresh...
Flu-associated deaths increase to 24, state health officials report
The number of flu-related deaths in Pennsylvania has nearly doubled in the past week, according to data released Tuesday by the state Department of Health. The department reported there had been 24 flu-associated deaths this flu season through Saturday, up from 13 as of Jan. 4. As of this point...
Tarentum replaces streetlight at Lock Street and East 10th Avenue
A key Tarentum intersection that had been dark since a crash in November is again illuminated at night. Borough crews Monday replaced the streetlight at Lock Street and East 10th Avenue, Borough Manager Michael Nestico said. A light that had been there was knocked out Nov. 25 when a tractor-trailer...
Grant-funded programs to benefit Highlands students’ computer learning, vision care
Highlands School District will use one grant to improve computer science education, while another grant-funded program is aimed at improving students’ eyesight. The district has been awarded a $35,000 Smart Grant from the state to improve its elementary and middle school computer science programs, with a focus on increasing participation...
Cooling U.S.-Iran tensions bring lower oil, gas prices, analyst says
Gasoline prices fell in Pittsburgh and across the nation in the past week as oil prices fell along with tensions between the U.S. and Iran, according to price tracking service GasBuddy. “With Iran and the United States de-escalating rising tensions last week, oil prices plummeted back under $60 per barrel,...
Tarentum’s Perriello Produce shutting down retail business
If customers of his Tarentum produce store were a little short, Paul Perriello would tell them to catch him later. If kids came in hungry, he’d give them hoagies and milk and send them on their way. “That’s what a small businessman does: He takes care of the town,” Perriello...
Walmart offering flu shots at Western Pa. wellness clinics
Walmart announced Friday that low-cost flu shots will be available at wellness clinics in its stores on Saturday. The “Walmart Wellness Day” will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at all Walmart stores in Western Pennsylvania. The cash price for shots will start around $39, spokesman Keegan Gibson...
Construction set to start in spring on Harrison senior living development
Construction on a $10 million senior independent living facility in Harrison will start by May, the project’s developer said. Harrison’s planning commission gave final approval for the development plans for Riverview Senior Living at the former Highlands School District administration building on 11th Avenue. Work will take about 14 months...
Person under 50 among new Pennsylvania flu deaths, health department reports
Pennsylvania’s influenza epidemic claimed four more lives in the past week, including the first fatal case of the season involving a person younger than 50, according to data released Tuesday by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The number of laboratory-confirmed cases and flu-related hospitalizations surged over the past week, data...
Tarentum stays with Waste Management for at least 1 more year; rates unchanged
Tarentum is sticking with Waste Management as its garbage hauler for 2020 but will keep looking for a new one, borough Manager Michael Nestico said. The one-year contract council accepted with Waste Management keeps the borough’s cost unchanged at about $165 per ton. Tarentum opted not to increase residents’ $22...
Tarentum Council keeps Snyder to fill vacant seat, changes officers, meetings
A Tarentum business owner first appointed to Tarentum Council nearly a year ago has been appointed again. Council chose Brian Snyder to again fill a vacant council seat representing the borough’s 3rd Ward. He replaces Carrie Fox, who resigned the ward seat after winning both it and the one at-large...
Stowe police wound suspect in shooting near Sto-Rox High School
A Stowe Township police officer fired his gun at a man who had been driving a car that may have been involved in a shooting near Sto-Rox High School Monday afternoon, Allegheny County Police said. Police said the man was grazed by the bullet and taken into custody. After being...
Oil prices rise on risk of Iranian retaliation for U.S. airstrike that killed general
There is a “distinct possibility” that escalating tensions between the United States and Iran may impact gasoline prices, a market analyst said. Whether that happens depends on if Iran retaliates for the airstrike that killed a top Iranian general, and if that retaliation targets oil infrastructure, said Patrick DeHaan, head...
Hulton Road fully reopens after months of landslide repair in Penn Hills
A section of Hulton Road along the border of Plum and Penn Hills that had been closed since July reopened Monday, PennDOT spokeswoman Yasmeen Manyisha said. Hulton Road had been closed for slide repair between Iowa Street and Michael Drive since July 1. A landslide in that area occurred in...
Plum businessman hooks investor on ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’
He got a deal. Plum’s Joe Altieri appeared on the ABC show “Shark Tank” on Sunday night, seeking an investment for his Murrysville window screen company, FlexScreen. After making his pitch and fielding questions from the show’s five “shark” investors, Altieri, 43, considered offers from Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner and...
Agreement restores WTAE to DirecTV customers
DirecTV subscribers in the Pittsburgh area will once again be able to view ABC affiliate WTAE-TV. In a joint statement Sunday, Hearst Television, parent company of WTAE, and AT&T, which owns DirecTV, announced they had entered into a new, multi-year retransmission agreement to provide Hearst-owned local broadcast stations to customers...
Neighbors rally around Allegheny Township couple after house fire
An online fundraising effort to help an Allegheny Township couple whose home was destroyed by fire Friday was approaching a $10,000 goal. By Sunday afternoon, the GoFundMe campaign to benefit Jason and Marissa Femc had raised $9,500 from more than 180 donors. The Femcs, who are newlyweds, lost all their...
