Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 141
Businessman gives $25K to help preserve Tarentum school clock tower
John Greco Jr. sees the Highlands Elementary School clock tower every day as he drives across the Tarentum Bridge on his way to work. The prospect of the prominent landmark not being there moved him to act. Greco and his wife, Sally Greco, of Lower Burrell are giving $25,000 to...
Highlands sets calendar for 2019-20 school year
Students in the Highlands School District will start the 2019-20 school year on Thursday, Aug. 29. The school board on Monday approved the calendar for next school year. The Thanksgiving break will start with a half-day for students on Wednesday, Nov. 27, with no school on Nov. 28 and 29....
Highlands to publish names of tax delinquents
It would be foolish for those who owe back property taxes in the Highlands School District not to pay up or start making payments by April 1. The school board Monday approved publishing the names of property owners who are delinquent in their real estate taxes beginning on April 1....
Highlands makes superintendent’s job permanent
The Highlands School District will have a full-time, permanent superintendent as of April 1. The school board Monday unanimously approved a five-year contract for Monique Mawhinney that will pay her $150,000 in the first year. She will be eligible for 3 percent raises each year, based on her performance review....
Highlands taps Texas firm for security
After rescinding a contract with a security firm over what Highlands School District officials called “disturbing” social media posts, the school board Monday approved a two-year agreement for guard services with a Texas firm. The agreement with Champion National Security started Monday. The company, based in Richardson, Texas, will provide...
Glen Campbell man dies at Lawrence County gas/oil well site
A 60-year-old man died after a large steel pipe fell from a truck and hit him at a gas/oil well site Monday morning in Lawrence County, state police said. According to state police, the accident happened shortly after 11 a.m. at the well site on Mt. Jackson Road in North...
Alle-Kiski fire, ambulance companies get grants from state gaming proceeds
Several Alle-Kiski Valley Area fire departments and ambulance companies are getting money from the Pennsylvania Fire Company and Ambulance Service grant program. The money comes from state gaming proceeds. It can be used to build, repair or renovate a fire company or ambulance service’s primary structure; buy or fix firefighting,...
Gas prices continue climb as refinery issues raise concerns
Gasoline prices have been on the rise for five straight weeks with no signs of slowing down, a petroleum analyst said Monday. “Several perhaps major refinery issues flared up over the weekend, including fires at two facilities that could push wholesale gasoline prices up notably, mainly in the Pacific Northwest...
Tarentum considering buying demolition equipment
Tarentum is considering getting into the building demolition business. Council President Erika Josefoski is suggesting the borough buy its own equipment, such as an excavator. The borough could use the equipment to tear down abandoned and dilapidated buildings instead of hiring a contractor. The borough has a big enough budget...
Tarentum eyes new utility billing systems with part of park grant money
State grant money coming to Tarentum for a dog park may instead be used to update the borough’s outdated utility billing systems. The borough is slated to receive more than $200,000 in Keystone Communities grants. The bulk of it, $191,000, would pay for several repairs, improvements and additions at Riverview...
Tarentum Friendship Garden planning spring cleaning, planting dayVideo
The ground may still be frozen and lightly covered with snow, but organizers behind the Tarentum Friendship Garden have their eyes on spring. The garden, located next to Dreshar Stadium along First Avenue, will enter its fifth season this year. To get ready, the annual spring cleanup and planting day...
Former Tarentum mayor Magnetta to be honored at Riverview Memorial Park
Former Tarentum Mayor Carl Magnetta Jr. will be honored at a memorial service in April. Magnetta, 79, died July 1. He served in public office in his hometown for 30 years, most recently as mayor from 2009 through 2017. The borough’s Recreation Board is planning the service for Saturday, April...
Tarentum fire company planning for annual fireworks display
A Tarentum fire department is making preparations for this year’s fireworks display. Summit Hose is asking the borough to contribute $1,500 toward the community fireworks scheduled for July 3. The borough has donated that amount in past years. The company also is asking for permission to use Dreshar Stadium on...
Tarentum Council considering boat dock fee increase
It could cost more this year to rent boat dock space along the Allegheny River in Tarentum. Council is considering increasing the per-foot cost by $1, from $13 to $14 per foot. For a minimum of 50 feet, that would increase the cost from $650 to $700 for the boating...
Harrison eyes improvements to 9 township alleys, lanes
Nine alleys and lanes in Harrison are on deck to be improved this year. The township is seeking bids for contractors to seal coat or tar-and-chip the roads. Bids, which are due by 4 p.m. March 15, will be publicly opened and read aloud at the office of the township’s...
Allegheny Angler reopens in Tarentum following October fireVideo
A Tarentum bait-and-tackle shop, closed for more than four months after its building was damaged by fire, has reopened just in time for the approach of spring and the start of trout season. Allegheny Angler, located at the end of Second Avenue along Ross Street beside the Tarentum Bridge, reopened...
Effort to fix vandalized Brackenridge veterans memorial continues
The investigation to find who vandalized a Brackenridge veterans memorial in February appears to be stymied as fundraising to restore the memorial continues. The 54-year-old honor roll memorial in Brackenridge Memorial Park was damaged when someone painted parts of it silver. It is believed to have been done on at...
Highlands to start registering children for kindergarten, pre-K
Highlands School District will start registering children for prekindergarten and kindergarten at its upcoming Early Childhood Fair. The fair runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. March 14 at the district’s Early Childhood Center at 1060 Atlantic Ave. in Brackenridge. It will feature crafts, activity tables and refreshments. There also will...
Gas prices continue to rise on summer gas, refinery maintenance, trade deal rumors
Gas prices are continuing to rise in Pittsburgh and across much of the country, with every area now starting the first step in the transition to summer gasoline at the same time refiners are continuing maintenance, an industry analyst said. Rumors of a trade deal between the U.S. and China...
Pedestrian killed when hit by 2 vehicles on Butler County road
A 37-year-old woman was killed when she was hit by two cars on a Butler County road Saturday night, state police said. State police said Jennifer R. Shoaf, of Chicora, died when she was hit in the area of Tipple Lane and Oneida Valley Road in Concord Township around 9...
County police investigating shooting of woman in Clairton
A 60-year-old woman was shot multiple times while answering a knock at the door of her Clairton home early Friday morning, according to Allegheny County Police. Multiple calls were made to 911 around 4:20 a.m. about shots fired in the 600 block of Large Avenue, followed by a report about...
Unity-Trestle Road in Plum reopened
A portion of Unity-Trestle Road in Plum, which had been closed today for waterline work, has reopened. Also known as Unity-Center Road, it had been closed between Universal and Old Leechburg roads. That is in the area where the road passes over the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The road had been expected...
Crews responding to fire at Penn Hills storage business
Crews were responding to a fire at a storage center on Saltsburg Road in Penn Hills Friday morning. The fire at Atlas Self Storage in the 6400 block of Saltsburg, near Stotler Road, was reported just before 6 a.m., according to an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher. As of about 7:30...
Overnight snow blankets Pittsburgh region, but commuters spared headaches
Pittsburgh-area residents who woke up to a fresh blanket of snow today as they prepared for the morning commute were met with some good news. Between 2 and 5 inches of snow fell across the region between Thursday night and early Friday morning, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Jason...
Carnegie Science Center submarine Requin to resume normal hours Saturday
Pittsburgh’s submarine will be open for tours again beginning Saturday. The USS Requin is a Cold War-era sub — launched near the end of World War II — that has been moored in the Ohio River at the Carnegie Science Center since September 1990. The science center closes it to...
