Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 18

An Arnold man had a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit and tested positive for marijuana after a crash in New Kensington in which two people in another vehicle were seriously hurt, according to New Kensington police. Police charged Brett Matthew Hedeen, 32, on Thursday with felony aggravated...

Plum School District will be able to balance its 2025-26 budget without raising property taxes beyond its state-imposed limit of 5.3%, according to the district’s business manager. School districts across Pennsylvania are required by Jan. 30 to declare that they won’t raise taxes beyond their state limit or else make...

The Plum School Board is expected to advance two multimillion-dollar projects this month. The board will vote to approve the next phase of design work for an addition and renovations at O’Block Elementary School and a purchase order agreement for 25 electric buses during its Dec. 17 meeting. The district...

Plum residents will pay two fees in a new way in 2025. Starting next year, current and delinquent charges for garbage collection and the borough’s flood prevention or stormwater fee will be billed by Keystone Collections, replacing the Plum Borough Municipal Authority. Keystone also collects the borough’s earned income tax....

Garbage that’s overflowing from dumpsters at Valley Royal Court in New Kensington will be removed, according to the city, the hauler for the property and the property manager. On Monday, garbage filled and was piled around the apartment complex’s three dumpsters. Two are near Mt. Calvary Baptist Church on Fourth...

Plum is adding a new event and changing others for 2025. Borough Council recently approved the “BoroHaps” schedule for next year. It consists of 11 events from April through December. A new 1-mile dog walking activity, “Walking and Wagging,” will be held once, on May 17. Participants will register their...

Andrew Presutti has memories from when he was his son’s age of shopping on Black Friday, and this year was making new ones with his 5-year-old, Ryder. The father and son from Buffalo Township were found Friday morning at Macy’s at the Pittsburgh Mills in Frazer, where Ryder was getting...

Property taxes would not change under New Kensington’s proposed $11.4 million budget for 2025. Council approved the spending plan on a 3-0 vote, with members Dante Cicconi and Corey Pistininzi absent. The property tax rate would remain at 32.03 mills. Under the budget, the city would spend about 5.7% more...

Three people were injured in a crash Friday that closed a section of Route 356 in the Piper Road area of Allegheny Township for about an hour Friday afternoon, a Westmoreland County 911 supervisor said. One person was trapped in their vehicle, the dispatcher said. Three people, two from one...

A man with a gunshot wound walked into a Pittsburgh hospital Thursday afternoon after police had received reports of nearly three dozen gunshots being fired in the West Oakland area. Officers went to the area of Ellers Street between Whitridge Street and Passage Way just before 3 p.m. after getting...

What started out as a misunderstanding could turn into Arnold’s newest Christmas event. The free event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Rankin Street near H.D. Berkey Elementary School. Lebert, 45, of Fawn placed a decorative “Santa Mail” mailbox outside the home of his mother, Pam Moses,...

New Kensington’s take on Small Business Saturday, the Shop Small Crawl, features businesses that are brand new and others that are long-standing. The 30 downtown businesses participating in the fourth annual event range from Eazer’s Restaurant, founded in 1918, to Evanly Bakes, opening for its first day. Hailey Sabot and...

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024: Rain for Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh, snow up north A weather system coming in Wednesday night will bring rain to the immediate Pittsburgh region, but close to 20 inches of snow closer to Lake Erie. A...

A New Kensington woman is accused of hitting another woman with her SUV on Monday after arguing in the Giant Eagle parking lot. New Kensington police charged Tyonna Lashay Kirk, 29, with felony counts of aggravated assault, aggravated assault by vehicle and accidents involving death or personal injury. She also...

A man told police he heard his girlfriend call for his help before shooting and critically injuring a man early Friday inside a Strip District club, according to court records. Officers went to Club Pittsburgh in the 1100 block of Penn Avenue shortly after 2 a.m. in response to a...

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024: Paving to restrict, close Route 910 in Harmar Traffic on part of Route 910 in Harmar will be restricted during the day Tuesday ahead of an overnight closure for paving, PennDOT announced. Traffic will be...

Frankie’s Friends Cat Rescue is having a new roof installed Monday on its Fifth Avenue building in downtown New Kensington. Frankie’s Friends provides low-cost spay and neuter services, medical facilities and rescue. It takes in about 500 sick or injured cats each year, rehabilitates them and finds them homes. Those...

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024: Funeral procession to close Pittsburgh roads Roads in Pittsburgh will be closed beginning at 8 a.m. Monday for the funeral procession and Mass for Pittsburgh fire Battalion Chief John P. Walsh. The Mass for Walsh...

A retired New Kensington fire truck was expected to leave the city before sunrise Saturday, beginning the first leg of a journey to its new home in Florida. Steve Vinson, 73, a retired pharmacist, bought the 1980 American LaFrance through an online auction with a bid of $6,800. He flew...

While a collector has taken an old fire truck off New Kensington’s hands, firefighters and officials in Arnold are struggling to replace their 30-year-old engine. Arnold has $225,000 from federal grant funding set aside to buy a new truck, according to Rick Rayburg, the city’s community development director. But a...

After less than two years in business and two expansions already, a tabletop gaming store in downtown New Kensington again needs more space while preparing for a major Star Wars event. The Feisty Goblin, opened in April 2023 by Arnold couple Christine and Jim Radeshak, will move to a new...

A section of Milltown Road in Penn Hills has been restricted to a single, alternating lane because of two slides. The affected part of the road is located between Newfield Drive, not far from Community Market, and Hulton Road, near JD Auto Body. Traffic is being controlled with temporary traffic...

An addition and renovations at two schools are expected to cost the Plum School District nearly $10 million more than officials have said the district can borrow. The total estimated cost of the work is about $39.6 million, representatives of HDG Architects reported this month to the school board. The...

Authorities say they seized nearly 600 stamp bags of fentanyl and seven firearms while carrying out a search warrant early Monday at a home on Leishman Avenue in New Kensington. Robert Micha Whitley, 26, and Destyni Monae Compton, 24, each face several charges for drugs and weapons offenses. Agents from...

An 18-year-old man was found shot dead Sunday afternoon in Glassport Sunday, according to Allegheny County Police. A shooting in the 500 block of Monongahela Avenue was reported to 911 at 2:45 p.m., county police said. First responders found James Macke Jr., of Glassport dead. Witnesses saw a suspect get...