Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 146
Tarentum wage increases follow pay freezes for some
Some Tarentum employees are getting pay raises in 2019 after having their pay frozen last year. The salaries hikes are included in the borough’s $3.58 million 2019 general fund budget. There was no increase in property taxes, which remain at 5.48 mills. The borough’s public works, water plant and office...
Power restored in New Brighton after car knocks down utility pole
Power was restored to hundreds of homes in New Brighton after a car crash caused an outage Sunday night. At least 600 Duquesne Light customers were without power after a car crashed into a pole around 10 p.m. on Penn Avenue, Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV reported. Police told the station...
State police investigating pattern of thefts from construction sites
State police are investigating an ongoing pattern of thefts from construction sites in the New Stanton and Mt. Pleasant area. Troopers said they responded Thursday to a report of tools having been stolen from a construction site on Mt. Pleasant Connel Road in East Huntingdon, where someone broke into a...
As oil prices rise, lowest gas prices may be in rearview mirror
With oil prices back over $50 per barrel, gas prices may soon bottom out and start to move higher, said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “While it doesn’t seem that prices will rise very far, it looks more and more like the lowest price of the year...
Man who assaulted woman on Greyhound bus arrested after fleeing halfway house
A man convicted of sexually assaulting a woman sleeping on a Greyhound bus in August was arrested Thursday night after leaving a halfway house nearly a week ago, according to the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office. Justin Dahlheimer, 23, of Sioux City, Iowa, was convicted on Dec. 20 of indecent assault...
Heights Plaza receiver reports early progress righting ‘sinking ship’
A receiver appointed to take over operation of the Heights Plaza shopping center in Harrison reports making early progress “to right the sinking ship.” An Allegheny County judge in October named Pretium Property Management of White Plains, N.Y., as receiver of the distressed shopping center, also known as Harrison Town...
Allegheny County Police charge man in Plum shooting
A 21-year-old man has been charged in connection with a shooting Thursday in Plum. Malik Hawkins, no address given, was arrested without incident, Allegheny County Police said Friday. He was being held in the Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh without bail on charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, burglary, weapons...
Cops: Man breaks into ex-girlfriend’s home, takes possessions, including cat
A 20-year-old Herminie man was stalking his ex-girlfriend, broke into her Hempfield home and took several of her possessions — including her cat, state police allege. Shane Matthew Morrison Jr. is charged with burglary, theft, receiving stolen property and harassment. His bond was set at $50,000, unsecured. According to information...
Tarentum water valve installation finishes early
The installation of new water valves in Tarentum has been finished early. The work, initially expected to take two weeks, was completed on Thursday, Borough Manager Michael Nestico said. Residents were warned on Jan. 3 that the work could cause brief water outages. Nine new valves were installed as part...
4 Tarentum Council seats to be up for election this year
Four seats on Tarentum Council will be up for election this year instead of the usual three. The extra race comes about because of the resignation of 3rd Ward Councilwoman Rhonda Dzugan. The six remaining council members accepted her resignation Thursday. In her resignation email Tuesday, Dzugan cited family matters...
Florida man not hurt after rolling over flatbed tractor-trailer on Route 28 in Harrison
A truck driver from Florida was not hurt after rolling over his flatbed tractor-trailer on Route 28 in Harrison early Thursday afternoon. The crash was reported shortly after 12:30 p.m. It happened on the southbound side of the highway just past the curved bridge over Saxonburg Road past Exit 16...
Blizzard adds tribute to Stan Lee in World of Warcraft
Stan Lee is getting a tribute in Stormwind. As reported by the fan site “WoWHead,” games company Blizzard is adding a tribute to the late comics legend in its massively multiplayer online role-playing game, “World of Warcraft.” Lee died in November. He was 95. According to WoWHead, Bas Schouten found...
Property tax unchanged, electric cost up in Tarentum 2019 spending plan
Property taxes aren’t going up in Tarentum in this year despite nearly $1 million in increased spending. Council approved the borough’s $3.58 million 2019 general fund budget. That’s up about 32 percent from the $2.71 million 2018 general fund budget. The property tax rate remains at 5.48 mills. The owner...
Highlands Middle School could host proposed rain garden
Ground at Highlands Middle School has been selected as the site of a “green infrastructure” project in Harrison. If permitted by the school district, the proposed rain garden would be built this year, said Jeff Bergman, director of community forestry with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. The garden is part of...
Tarentum Council considering renaming community garden for Pastor Greg Blythe
Tarentum Council is considering renaming the borough’s community garden. The existing Friendship Garden, from which people are free to take whatever fruits and vegetables they want or need, could be renamed to honor Pastor Greg Blythe. Blythe, pastor of Abundant Joy Fellowship, was one of the founders of the garden,...
Candidates sought to fill Tarentum Council vacancy
Tarentum Council is looking to fill an empty seat. In an email Tuesday afternoon, Councilwoman Rhonda Dzugan informed the borough she would be resigning from the seven-member council because she is unable to fulfill her duties. Council will vote to accept her resignation during its meeting starting at 6 p.m....
Harrison commissioners approve new contract with public works employees
Harrison commissioners on Monday unanimously approved a new contract with the union representing the township’s public works employees. The three-year agreement is retroactive to Jan. 1 and runs through Dec. 31, 2021. Commissioners voted at a special meeting held Monday afternoon. About 10 employees are represented by Local 238 of...
Falling gas prices expected to end in February, analyst says
Despite rallying oil prices and a “brief hiccup” that saw the nation’s average gas price rise for two days last week, the overall trend remains in favor of lower gas prices, said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “The window for cheap gas prices continues to close, however,...
Tarentum working to fix garbage collection problems
Tarentum officials say they are working to fix problems with garbage collection in the borough. On its Facebook page, the borough on Monday said it knows there have been a number of missed pick-ups in recent weeks. “The holiday collection schedule, in conjunction with staffing changes at Waste Management have...
For Orthodox Christians, Christmas Day is a solemn, religious observance
For Homer Kline, there’s a meaningful advantage to observing Christmas on Jan. 7 instead of Dec. 25. “The 7th is strictly religion,” said Kline, 85, of Murrysville, a member of Holy Virgin Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Arnold since he was married there in 1954. “It’s easier to concentrate on the birth of...
1 hospitalized after ATV accident near Fawn, Harrison border
One man was taken to Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison on Sunday afternoon after an ATV accident. The accident was reported to Allegheny County 911 shortly after 1:30 p.m., a dispatcher said. It happened near the southbound Route 28 exit at Natrona Heights (Exit 15), near the border of Fawn...
Columbia Gas opening warming centers after shutting off service in Donora
Columbia Gas announced Saturday evening that it was shutting off natural gas service to about 1,700 customers in Donora, Washington County. “The shutdown of service and the steps we are taking are out of an abundance of caution,” the company said in an announcement. “There is no threat to our...
Aldi recalls potato chips due to potential undeclared milk allergen
Aldi is recalling potato chips from stores in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York and Ohio because they were mislabeled, the company announced. Aldi and Olde York Potato Chips voluntarily recalled 96 cases of “Clancy’s Wavy Potato Chips” as a precautionary measure due to the potential presence of milk. “This product...
Driver killed, passenger injured in Beaver County crash
A driver was killed and a passenger was hurt in a car crash in Beaver County early Saturday morning. The one-vehicle crash happened on Pine Grove Road in Brighton Township, the Trib’s news partner, WPXI-TV, reported, citing police sources. A nearby resident found the car around 6:30 a.m. The driver...
4 people, 8 pets safe after Troy Hill house fire
Four people and eight pets are safe after a house fire in Pittsburgh’s Troy Hill neighborhood Saturday morning. According to the Department of Public Safety, firefighters, police, paramedics and animal care and control officers responded to the fire in a two-story duplex in the 1800 block of Lowrie Street at...
