Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 122
New Kensington firefighters pay visit to Martin Elementary SchoolVideo
Two fire trucks and an ambulance were parked outside Martin Elementary School in New Kensington on Friday morning, but there wasn’t any emergency. Volunteer firefighters visited the school to talk about fire safety with the school’s kindergarten and pre-kindergarten students and, of course, to show them their trucks. Assistant fire...
Ohio man killed in Beaver County crash
A man from Ohio died in a two-vehicle, head-on crash in Beaver County on Thursday, state police said. The crash happened around 4:30 p.m. on Lincoln Highway north of Langham Drive in Greene Township, according to state police. Melissa J. Brubaker, 36, of Chester, W. Va., had been driving too...
Surgeon from Pittsburgh among 8 arrested in Texas online child predator sting
A surgeon from Pittsburgh was among eight people arrested in a crackdown of suspected online sexual predators targeting children. Shawn Paul Robinson, 38, a resident of Galveston, was working as a surgeon at the University of Texas Medical Branch, according to a new release from Harris County Constable Harry Rosen....
Sheriff’s deputies find stolen gun, $25K in fake money after South Side crash
Allegheny County Sheriff’s deputies arrested an Oakland man and seized drugs, guns and more than $25,000 in fake money following a crash with another vehicle on the South Side. Deputies patrolling the South Side heard the crash at 10th and East Carson streets around 10:15 p.m. Tuesday. According to the...
Pittsburgh zoo’s clouded leopard cub has a new mate
There’s a new couple at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. JD, a young clouded leopard, has been brought in as a partner for Rukai, the zoo announced. Rukai was born March 14 at the zoo. She is named for a Taiwanese tribe that believes clouded leopards protect them. Kansas,...
Police, family seek public’s help solving 2016 Homewood homicide
Pittsburgh police and the family of a Homewood man shot and killed three years ago are asking the public for help in solving his homicide. Raekwon Epps, 20, was found shot multiple times in the 800 block of Brushton Avenue in Homewood, where police were called just after 4 a.m....
Police: Woman left 2 kids alone in car after running out of gas
Police charged a Beaver County woman with endangering her two children after they said she left them alone in a car after running out of gas. Rochester police charged Valerie M. Fullum, 29, of New Brighton with two counts of endangering the welfare of children on Oct. 3, according to...
Police: Man found shot dead inside Penn Hills home
A 35-year-old man was found shot to death in a Penn Hills home Wednesday, according to Allegheny County Police. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the victim as Aaron Evans. Penn Hills officers went to the home in the 7200 block of Lawton Street around 6:15 p.m. for a reported...
Registration required for Harrison recycling collection event
Advance registration is required for a recycling collection event coming up in Harrison. The “Too Toxic to Trash” event will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 26 at the municipal building, 1 Municipal Drive. The event is open to anyone — not just Harrison residents — who...
Highlands graduate continuing ‘Holiday 365’ toy drive
A 2019 Highlands High School graduate is continuing a toy drive she started while a student in the district. Marissa Callender is organizing her “Holiday 365” toy drive for a third consecutive year. Callender, 18, is a freshman at Allegheny College in Meadville, where she is studying biochemistry. She plans...
Asbestos testing delays prompt New Kensington to adjust demolition plans
New Kensington is focusing on tearing down residential buildings this year because asbestos testing on a couple of commercial properties is taking longer than expected, according to city officials. The commercial properties removed from this year’s demolition list include the former Funzi’s Cafe at 1301 Taylor Ave. and the former...
Dense fog could slow morning commute; advisory issued
An advisory for dense fog is in effect until 10 a.m. Tuesday. The dense fog could result in visibility being reduced to a quarter-mile or less in many areas, according to the National Weather Service in Moon. The fog is widespread across the entire region, including most of southwestern Pennsylvania...
Billboard company, Tarentum at odds over sign sought near Tarentum Bridge
A company that wants to put a billboard at Tarentum’s end of the Tarentum Bridge is arguing in court that the borough’s zoning ordinance does not allow them anywhere in the borough. The borough says this isn’t true, claiming where billboards are permitted is clearly identified despite errors in its...
Volunteers sought to plant 54 trees in Harrison
Volunteers are being sought to help plant trees in Harrison on Saturday, Nov. 9. About 75 volunteers will be needed that morning to plant 54 trees, obtained with an award from the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and TreeVitalize, township Commissioner Chuck Dizard said. “Not many communities outside of the city of...
Pittsburgh gas prices fall while national average ticks upward
The average price of gasoline is down in Pittsburgh despite a slight increase in the national average, according to GasBuddy price tracking. Pittsburgh gas prices have fallen 2.3 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.86, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 731 stations. That’s 9.2 cents per gallon...
Steady rain soaks Pittsburgh region
Commuters should watch for standing water on roads as they head to work Monday, National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Leonardi said. It’s been raining steadily since 10 p.m. Sunday night, with three-quarters to 1.5 inches of rain falling across Allegheny County by around 4 a.m., Leonardi said. Moisture from the...
Fire destroys Forward Township home
A man inside a Forward Township house was able to get out when it caught fire early Sunday morning. The fire at 606 Munger Lane was reported around 5:30 a.m. The house was destroyed. Two neighboring homes were damaged, the Trib’s news partner, WPXI-TV, reported. Crews on the scene of...
Police charge South Hills couple after injuries to 2-month-old discovered
Police charged a South Hills couple with endangering the welfare of children after authorities allegedly discovered injuries to their 2-month-old son consistent with child abuse. Scott Township Police charged Michael Charles Koban, 34, and Ashley Koban, 32, on Thursday, a month after they and medics went to their Bower Hill...
Police: Erratic North Side driver found to be shooting victim
A man driving erratically on the North Side on Saturday afternoon had been shot, Pittsburgh police said. According to police, a police detective saw the vehicle on Western Avenue near Galveston Avenue shortly before 3 p.m. The detective pulled the vehicle over. The driver complied and then got out of...
Peoples, Equitable natural gas customers to see rate increases under PUC settlement
State regulators have approved a rate increase for Peoples Natural Gas, but lower than the utility had requested. The settlement with the Public Utility Commission combines the rates of the company’s Peoples and Equitable divisions. Peoples acquired competitor Equitable Gas Co. from EQT Corp. in 2013. Under the settlement, the...
Pittsburgh police arrest, charge 19-year-old in Homewood shooting
Pittsburgh police have made an arrest in a Friday afternoon shooting in Homewood that left a man in critical condition. Police charged Langston Nelms, 19, of Braddock with two counts of attempted homicide, four counts of aggravated assault, carrying a firearm with a license, terroristic threats, reckless endangerment and tampering...
Evans City man on motorcycle dies in Butler County crash
A 44-year-old Evans City man died in a crash in Butler County on Friday morning, state police said. According to state police, the crash happened shortly after 10:30 a.m. on Marburger Road, just south of Watters Station Road in Forward Township. Police said Robert J. Hauserman, 44, was driving a...
‘Boo Fest’ returning to Tarentum’s Riverview Memorial Park
Tarentum’s recreation board revamped the borough’s annual “Boo Fest” last year, and it turned out to be a delight for the hundreds who turned out for the event at Riverview Memorial Park. Instead of kids trick-or-treating from station to station in the park, or in the borough building in years...
Harvest Festival coming up at Harrison’s Burtner House
Homemade soups, an Abraham Lincoln impersonator and alpacas are among the features of the annual Harvest Festival coming up at the Burtner House in Harrison. The one-day festival will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 12 at the nearly 200-year-old stone house just off Exit 15 of Route...
Pittsburgh sets record for warmest low temp, extending growing season
Wednesday morning’s low temperature of 69 degrees was expected to break a 135-year-old record for the highest low temperature ever recorded on an Oct. 2, according to the National Weather Service. National Weather Service meteorologist Lee Hendricks said the temperature was unlikely to dip below the 69 degrees recorded around...
