Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 131
Highlands hires new assistant superintendent from Wilkinsburg
Highlands School District has a new assistant superintendent. The school board hired Cathleen Cubelic, who has been an assistant superintendent in the Wilkinsburg School District since May 2017. She was hired with a starting salary of $126,000 under a three-year agreement. When she will start at Highlands is not yet...
Billboard company calls Tarentum zoning ‘unconstitutional’
Tarentum’s zoning ordinance is unconstitutional because it does not allow billboards anywhere in the borough, a company argued in appealing the borough’s denial of its proposal to put one up beside the Tarentum Bridge. America First Enterprises, doing business as Oliver Outdoor, is asking an Allegheny County judge to vacate...
Tarentum considering 16% increase in part-time police pay
Tarentum is considering a 16% increase in the hourly rate it pays part-time police officers. It would increase the pay from $15.50 per hour to $18, according to borough manager Michael Nestico. Nestico said the borough needs to increase what it pays part-time officers because other municipalities are paying more,...
Police say Latrobe man left 2 dogs in hot car at movie theater
State police plan to charge a Latrobe man after he allegedly left two dogs inside a car in hot weather on Sunday. Police said the incident happened around 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the AMC movie theater at the Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield, where the man left two medium-size, mixed-breed dogs...
Tarentum needs plan for Riverview Memorial Park, manager says
Choosing the color of shade-providing sails at Tarentum’s spray park seems like a minor issue. But Borough Manager Michael Nestico said the problem is indicative of a larger one at Tarentum’s Riverview Memorial Park: there is no overall plan to guide decisions at the park along the Allegheny River. The...
Tarentum to check for asbestos in buildings eyed for demolition
Tarentum plans to hire a contractor to test more than two dozen buildings for asbestos. The 28 buildings are among the 33 now on the borough’s demolition list. Three companies submitted bids for the work. The lowest bid of $11,175 came from Corwin Inspections, borough Manager Michael Nestico said. Having...
Highlands to sell former Fawn elementary school
Highlands School District is looking to sell its former elementary school in Fawn. The school board approved soliciting sealed bids for the Highlands Support Center property at 5591 Ridge Road. The district set $500,000 as the lowest acceptable bid, which was based on an appraisal of the property, according to...
Smoke from Canadian wildfires to reach Western Pennsylvania
Smoke from wildfires in western Canada was expected to reach Western Pennsylvania on Monday afternoon and hang around for a day or two, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Myranda Fullerton. The smoke showed up on weather radar over Michigan on Sunday. If you look across Michigan, you won't see...
At-home collection of household hazardous waste offered in Tarentum
Tarentum residents are able to have a variety of household hazardous waste collected from their homes. The “At Your Door” collection program is offered as part of the borough’s garbage contract with Waste Management. The service is available year-round. Residents who arrange for a pickup will be sent a collection...
Pittsburgh gas prices edge lower despite Iran, supply concerns
Gas prices fell slightly in the Pittsburgh region but rose nationally for the second straight week as oil prices pushed higher on concerns about Iran, OPEC extending production cuts and recent drawdowns in U.S. oil inventories, according to an industry analyst. “Look for another week of gradual increases in gasoline...
Canonsburg man, 77, dies in North Strabane crash
A 77-year-old Canonsburg man died after a crash in North Strabane Township on Sunday afternoon, according to the Washington County Coroner’s Office. According to the coroner, Robert C. Boyd was traveling on Route 519 in North Strabane when he lost control of his vehicle around 1:30 p.m. His vehicle hit...
New Kensington fireworks ‘a go’ for tonight
Fireworks are set to fill the skies over New Kensington on Sunday night. The 20th annual New Kensington Fireworks Festival was held on Fourth Avenue on Saturday despite the day’s rain and storms, but the fireworks display to cap it off was canceled because rain got into the show’s equipment,...
2 women seriously hurt when tree falls, crushes car on Washington Boulevard
Two women were seriously hurt Sunday when a tree fell and crushed their car on Washington Boulevard. A Pittsburgh police officer was driving by when he saw the tree topple down from the hillside and onto the car just before 5 p.m. in the 1400 block of Washington Boulevard. The...
Police: North Versailles Walmart shooter drew weapon after being jumped from behind
A Penn Hills woman had been attacked by two other women before opening fire in a North Versailles Walmart on Friday night, according to a criminal complaint against her. Rojanai Germaine Alston, 22, fired at both of her assailants and hit one of them twice, in the hand and left...
Route 30 reopens in Ligonier Township after flooding
A flooded stretch of Route 30 in Ligonier Township has reopened, a county emergency dispatcher said. The road had been closed in both directions between Ruthies Diner, at 1850 Route 30, to Laughlintown in Ligonier Township. The road was closed around 5:30 p.m. It reopened about an hour later....
Pittsburgh police seek help identifying man in burglary, sex assault
Pittsburgh police asked for the public’s help with a burglary and sexual assault investigation on Sunday. The department released images of a black male they seek to identify in connection with an alleged burglary and sexual assault in Oakland. Anyone with information is asked to call the Pittsburgh Police Sex...
20-year-old killed in Greene County crash
A 20-year-old man died after a crash in Greene County early Sunday morning, according to the county coroner’s office. He was identified as Landen L. Watters, of Cumberland Township. According to the coroner, Watters’ death was the result of a single-vehicle crash around 1:30 a.m. in the 600 block of...
Volunteers sought to work at Tarentum community garden
Some helping hands are needed at Tarentum’s community garden. The rain and warm weather has lead organizers to plan a “Garden Party” from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday at Tarentum’s Greg Blythe Friendship Garden. They plan to weed, plant, mulch and pick. “We have been fortunate that folks have...
Rain can’t dampen spirits at New Kensington Fireworks Festival
Erika Plunkett remembers watching fireworks with her mother, Kathie Males, on her grandfather’s house boat. “It was always very near and dear to my mom’s heart,” Plunkett said. For many years, Males brought fireworks to all of New Kensington, until she died in 2014. Now, her daughter has taken over,...
Flooding follows storms, heavy rain in Westmoreland, Allegheny counties
Flooding followed heavy rain across parts of Allegheny and Westmoreland counties after storms moved through the region Saturday afternoon. The National Weather Service warned of the storm around 4 p.m. It contained heavy rain, frequent lightning and wind gusts up to 60 mph. Rainfall amounts of up to an inch...
3 hurt in 3-vehicle Allegheny Township crash
One person was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital and two others also were hurt in a three-vehicle crash Saturday in Allegheny Township. The crash happened around 10:45 a.m. at the intersection of routes 56 and 356. According to township police Sgt. Dan Uncapher, Daniel Hoffman, 50, of Vandergrift was taken...
Western Pa. families sought to host exchange students
Western Pennsylvania families are being sought to host international exchange students in the upcoming school year. A total of 36 students from a dozen countries are expected to arrive in early August for the coming school year, said Kathy Harenski, the AFS Intercultural Programs liaison coordinator for Western Pennsylvania. They...
Fire destroys North Fayette house
A North Fayette house was destroyed by fire Friday morning. The fire in the 300 block of Bateman Road was reported shortly before 5:30 a.m., an Allegheny County emergency dispatcher said. Crews cleared the scene just before 6 a.m. The fire burned through the roof. Photos courtesy of Dave Bee....
Highlands seeks new bids for clock tower restoration
Highlands School District is again seeking bids to restore the clock tower at the district’s elementary school in Tarentum. The school board rejected the two bids the district received in May for the masonry restoration at Highlands Elementary School, and approved re-bidding the project. A third bid had been rejected...
50 years of neighborhood memories at Leechburg block partyVideo
Carol Meyer was a young mother 50 years ago. She’s a grandmother today. A constant over the last half-century — for her, her family and her Leechburg neighbors — has been the annual Fourth of July block party her family and four other families started in 1969. It’s been held...
