Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 119
80-foot fall, vandalism at Western Pa. parks top week’s headlinesVideo
Two parks in the Western Pennsylvania area made the news this week, both for the wrong reasons, while endings were announced for a private school in the North Hills, double coupons at Giant Eagle and security at Pittsburgh International Airport. Woman falls at McConnells Mill Jocie Van Kirk, a 21-year-old...
Police: App, cameras, social media help nab Hempfield purse thief
Police used a cellphone app, surveillance footage and social media to find and charge an accused purse thief in Westmoreland County. According to state police, a man was captured on surveillance footage taking a purse from an 81-year-old Jeannette woman’s shopping cart while she was preoccupied at a Giant Eagle...
Student killed in WVU apartment complex shooting; 2 charged
A West Virginia University student was killed in a shooting early Friday morning at a university-run apartment complex near the campus, officials said. Eric James Smith, a sophomore from Clementon, N.J., was identified as the victim in the shooting, which happened around 4 a.m. at the College Park Apartments. Officials...
Crash near Freeport Area High School prompts districtwide delay
All schools in the Freeport Area School District operated on a two-hour delay Thursday following a crash that closed part of Route 356 for just more than an hour. A two-vehicle crash happened shortly before 6 a.m. on Route 356 at Cole Road in Buffalo Township, according to a Butler...
Duquesne Light restores power in eastern Pittsburgh neighborhoods
Duquesne Light crews have gotten a handle on power outages that were plaguing customers in three Pittsburgh neighborhoods Thursday morning, according to a company spokeswoman. The outages came at the same time the region saw colder temperatures than recent days, along with swift wind and some snow. Outages were reported...
Pennsylvania reports 1st child flu-related death of season
Pennsylvania health officials have reported the first pediatric flu death in the state this season — one of a dozen new flu deaths in the past week. Deaths were recorded for the week ending Feb. 22 in each of the four age groups reported by the state health department. That...
Lottery ticket worth $1.2 million sold in Beaver County
A Pennsylvania Lottery fast play ticket worth more than $1.2 million was sold in Beaver County, the lottery announced Wednesday. The progressive top-prize winning ticket, worth $1,219,802, for the lottery’s “Extreme Green” game was sold at Darlington Beer Distribution on Old Darlington Road in Darlington on Tuesday. The retailer gets...
Snow returns to parts of Western Pennsylvania on Wednesday night
A stretch of mild weather will come to an end Wednesday night and snow will return, according to the National Weather Service. Rain is expected to become widespread this afternoon and change over to snow after 8 p.m. as it gets colder, meteorologist Myranda Fullerton said. Through early Thursday morning,...
East Deer couple, children escape house fire unhurtVideo
A couple and their children escaped unhurt from a fire at their East Deer home early Wednesday. The fire at 510 West Ninth Ave.was reported shortly before 3:30 a.m. Crews cleared the scene about two hours later. East Deer fire Chief Jack Bailie Jr. said the husband and wife were...
East Hills shooting leaves man in critical condition
A man was in critical condition after being shot in Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood late Wednesday night, according to city police. Officers responded to an alert of shots fired in the 8400 block of Frankstown Road just before midnight. The ShotSpotter system detected more than 30 shots being fired, police...
Harrison looks to replace trees at World War II memorial, plant others elsewhere
Harrison officials want to plant more than three dozen trees in the township, including a spruce that would serve as the community’s Christmas tree. Commissioners are applying for another round of trees through the TreeVitalize program, which has helped the township plant about 150 trees in recent years, according to...
Injury reported in Allegheny Township crash
At least one person was hurt in a single-vehicle crash in Allegheny Township early Tuesday, according to township police and Westmoreland County 911. The crash happened shortly before 2 a.m. in the 4000 block of Garvers Ferry Road, authorities said. At least one person was taken to a hospital by...
South Park police issue warning about postal money order scam
While most scams operate online these days, police in South Park Township are warning residents about a scam that’s going around the old-fashioned way — through the mail. Some residents have reported getting a postal money order scam, the police department said in a post Tuesday morning on its Facebook...
Allegheny County to test water at Human Services building for Legionella bacteria
The Allegheny County Health Department will test the water at the county’s Department of Human Services building for Legionella bacteria after an employee tested positive for Legionnaries’ disease. The Department of Human Services is on Smithfield Street in Pittsburgh. In a statement to the Trib’s news partner, WPXI-TV, Allegheny County...
Waterline break prompts early dismissal at Highlands High School
Highlands High School dismissed students early Monday because of a waterline break outside the school. The high school closed at 11 a.m., according to a recorded phone call the district sent out to parents. School and district officials could not be reached for comment and did not respond to requests...
Crash on Route 28 snarls early-morning commute
A crash with multiple vehicles snarled traffic on inbound Route 28 on Monday morning, backing up traffic considerably just before the heart of rush hour. Several vehicles were involved in the crash near the former site of St. Nicholas Church between the 31st Street Bridge and East Ohio Street. The...
Pittsburgh gas prices down as national average starts seasonal rise, analyst says
While the national average price of gasoline has gone up for the second consecutive week, prices are lower in the Pittsburgh area, according to price-tracking service GasBuddy. The national average went up 2.4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.47. In the Pittsburgh area, prices came down by...
Once the cradle of basic industry, the Alle-Kiski Valley diversifies as it looks forward
Kalmar Chevrolet in Gilpin has weathered many changes since Rudy Kalmar, the son of Czechoslovakian immigrants, founded his family’s car dealership selling Hudsons in 1937. It’s been handed down through generations of the family, rolled with changes in the auto industry, and persisted through the changing fates and fortunes of...
Arnold clerk Bellavia named city administrator
Arnold has a new city administrator, but not a new employee. Mario Bellavia, who was hired as city clerk in 2018 — the same year council eliminated the administrator’s position — has been appointed city administrator. Council on Tuesday unanimously approved establishing the authority, powers, duties and responsibilities of the...
Arnold approves ordinance allowing backyard fires — with a permit, under certain rules
Arnold Council has approved an ordinance allowing and regulating burning in the city. Under the ordinance, fires at residences must be in a container no more than 3 feet in diameter and at least 2 feet tall. Containers for fires must be at least 15 feet from structures. Open fires...
Highlands appealing Heights Plaza assessment reduction
Highlands School District is appealing an assessment reduction that slashed nearly $11 million from the value of Heights Plaza in Harrison. If it stands, the change in value of four parcels making up the plaza, from $17.3 million to $6.6 million, would cost the school district $260,000 in revenue each...
Scholarship enables Highlands students to learn from artists around the world
Teresa Emeloff’s classroom at Highlands High School is a factory of creativity. Her art room is adorned from floor to ceiling in the work of her students, including graduates who have left their mark — some quite literally, as handprints on the wall. “I’m super passionate about the arts,” said...
Flu deaths climb to 47 in Pennsylvania this season
The flu contributed to another seven deaths in the past week of a flu season that shows no signs of letting up, according to data the state Department of Health released Tuesday. Through Saturday, 47 flu-associated deaths had been reported this flu season, up from 40 the week before. It’s...
Highlands ‘reflection room’ showing early success, administrators report
An experiment to turn discipline into a learning opportunity is having some early success in the Highlands School District, according to administrators. Samantha Perlik, principal of Highlands Early Childhood Center and former elementary school principal, and middle school Principal Kimberly Price gave a presentation to the school board Monday on...
Pittsburgh gas prices steady as coronavirus fears put ‘choke-hold’ on oil prices, analyst says
While fears over the coronavirus contributed to another drop in the national average price of gasoline, prices in the Pittsburgh area remained unchanged, according to the price-tracking service GasBuddy. Coronavirus fears have put a choke-hold on oil prices, leading to the fourth straight weekly decline in the national average, said...
