Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 2
Ross recognizes 2025 police officer of the year, leadership award recipients
A one-time school custodian who became a police officer has been recognized as the 2025 officer of the year in Ross. Officer Jason Pokorny earned the award “for modeling what the ideal Ross police officer should be,” Ross police Chief Cristyn Zett said. “Officer Pokorny’s enthusiasm and positive attitude are...
Fast play Pennsylvania Lottery ticket worth more than $555.9K sold in Shaler
A fast play ticket worth more than $555,900 was sold in Shaler, the Pennsylvania Lottery announced Monday, March 2. The progressive top prize-winning ticket worth $555,970 for the lottery’s Money Power Progressive game was sold Feb. 28 at the Shop ’n Save along Babcock Boulevard. The store will receive a...
Man who climbed to top of Gulf Tower in Downtown Pittsburgh caught after returning to get hoodie, police say
A Beaver County man who recorded himself atop the Gulf Tower in Downtown Pittsburgh returned the next day to get a hoodie he left behind, according to police. Pittsburgh police charged Austin Gene Seik, 27, of Frankfort Springs and Mariah Lynn Barnes, 33, of Munhall on Friday with felony counts...
SUV flees after hitting man on sidewalk on border of Mt. Washington, Beltzhoover
A man was in critical condition after being hit by a vehicle that fled early Sunday morning in the area of Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington and Beltzhoover neighborhoods, according to Pittsburgh police. Officers from Zone 3 responded to the incident at West Warrington and Boggs avenues around 1:45 a.m. Officers found...
Woman dies in 3-vehicle crash on Liberty Bridge
A three-vehicle crash on the Liberty Bridge early Sunday morning killed a passenger in one of the cars. According to Pittsburgh Police, officers responded to the crash just before 1 a.m. One of the three vehicles was engulfed in flames with three people pinned inside, police said. Officers put out...
Beloved Millvale French baker, Jean-Marc Chatellier, closes shop after more than 30 years
People from Millvale and beyond marked the end of an era in the borough Saturday when Jean-Marc Chatellier and his wife, Sandy, opened the doors of his French bakery to the public for the last time. After large buys contributed to them quickly selling out on their penultimate day Friday...
Pittsburgh police charge woman with aggravated assault in stabbing
Pittsburgh police have charged a woman with aggravated assault after responding to a stabbing in Arlington Heights Friday morning. Mikalia Robinson, 29, of Arlington Heights was arraigned Friday night and released from the Allegheny County Jail after posting a $5,000 bond, according to court records. According to police, officers responded...
Warm, sunny day draws large crowd to 5th annual Saxonburg Winter Festival
That it didn’t look or feel much like winter Saturday was a boon for the fifth annual Saxonburg Winter Festival. Brilliantly sunny skies and temperatures in the 60s helped draw the best crowd The Little Shops of Saxonburg had yet for its food and vendor fair, said Nancy Alberth-Johnston. Owner...
2 firefighters hurt, resident rescued through window in Millvale apartment building fire
Two Millvale firefighters were hurt and a resident was rescued through a window in a fire late Tuesday, Feb. 24, that caused significant damage to an apartment building on Grant Avenue. The fire at Millvilla at the point of Grant and Stanton avenues was reported around 10:30 p.m., Millvale fire...
Jean-Marc Chatellier retiring, closing eponymous French bakery in Millvale
It’s last call for croissants in Millvale this weekend. After more than 30 years, Jean-Marc Chatellier is retiring and closing his pastry shop on North Avenue. “It’s time to go,” said Chatellier, 64, the son of a bread baker from the village of Couffé in western France. “It’s the new...
Annual Girl Scout cookie sales set to begin at The Block Northway in Ross
Weekend sales of Girl Scout cookies will begin Saturday, Feb. 28, at The Block Northway on McKnight Road in Ross. The West Perry and North Rolling Hills service units of Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania will be at The Block Northway outside near Marshalls. Cookie sales will be held from 11...
Ross resident pleads guilty in federal court to child sexual exploitation charges
A Ross man accused of sexually exploiting children pled guilty in federal court, U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti announced Tuesday. Ralph Talerico, 45, pled guilty to three counts before Chief U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon. According to Rivetti’s office, Talerico, from June through July 2023, produced videos of two children engaged...
4-month project to close part of Mt. Troy Road Extension in Ross
A portion of Mt. Troy Road Extension in Ross will be closed for about four months for work related to repair of a landslide, the Allegheny County Department of Public Works announced Feb. 23. The 4500 block of Mt. Troy Road Extension will close at 9 a.m. March 9. The...
Tarentum police investigating burglary of borough market
Tarentum police are investigating after a borough market was burglarized late Friday night. The break-in at Horizon Market on East Sixth Avenue happened around midnight, police said. Two people gained entry by smashing through the glass front door. The store was closed at the time, and no one was hurt,...
7-year-old dies after being hit by SUV in Greene County
A 7-year-old boy died after being hit by an SUV in Greene County Saturday afternoon, according to state police. The Greene County coroner identified the boy as Wilson E. Churilla, of Greensboro. The cause and manner of death were pending. According to state police, the incident happened shortly before 4:30...
State police identify suspect in homicide of 69-year-old man in Butler
A 37-year-old man is accused of killing a 69-year-old man in Butler on Saturday. According to state police, Richard Alan Swann II, of Butler, was identified as a suspect after James P. Hoover was found dead. Butler police responded to a report of a dead man at a home in...
Police fatally shoot man armed with knife in Heidelberg
A man was shot and killed by police in Heidelberg after he charged officers armed with a knife and could not be stopped with a Taser, according to Allegheny County Police. According to county police, a person called 911 at midnight Sunday claiming to be armed and threatening to harm...
Vehicle restrictions scheduled on highways, turnpike ahead of expected snow
Ahead of expected snow, PennDOT and the turnpike commission announced Saturday that vehicle restrictions on interstates and the turnpike will begin at 3 p.m. Sunday. Snow is expected across the state starting overnight Saturday into Sunday, with potential rates of three-quarters of an inch to 1 1/2 inches per hour....
East Deer scrap yard fire forces closure of Freeport Road, halt to train traffic
Vehicles and trains alike were not able to travel through East Deer for hours on Saturday because of a scrap yard fire at Pitt Penn Recycling. Freeport Road had to be closed and Norfolk Southern trains stopped because firefighters had to run a hose from a hydrant on the opposite...
Family, friends of Jeannette native, Hempfield grad Jasmine Jones celebrate Olympics bronze medal winVideo
The only thing bigger than the excitement at a South Greensburg restaurant Saturday afternoon was the pride for Jeannette native Jasmine Jones, who will come home as an Olympic medalist. That, and the decibel level from the cheering. Jones, a 2014 Hempfield Area graduate, and her teammate, Kaillie Armbruster Humphries,...
Avid cyclist, litter fighter from Ross honored by Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful as a volunteer of the year
In the eighth decade of his life, Ken Duerig keeps active with two obsessions. One is bicycling. The other is picking up trash. He’s found ways to combine them — picking up trash as he pedals. “I plan my daily rides based on where I think I may find good...
West View names Matthew Holland chief of police
Growing up in Shaler, Matthew Holland was intrigued by the police officers who came to his school and would stop and talk to kids while they were outside playing. That intrigue lead to Holland becoming the first in his family to pursue a career in law enforcement. After 11 years...
West View mayor says borough leaders not interested in cooperating with ICE
While West View officials have not been asked about cooperating with federal immigration authorities, they would not be interested in doing so, Mayor John Henry said. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities across the country and locally have prompted numerous borough residents to raise concerns, he said. “I believe this council...
2 from W.Va. charged with threatening people in Tarentum home with guns during custody exchange
A woman and a man from West Virginia were arrested after the woman pulled a handgun during a child custody exchange in Tarentum on Friday night, according to court records. Tarentum police arrested Alexis Sage Simpkins, 22, of Morgantown, W.Va., and Joseph Erickson, 24, of Fairmont, W.Va., after responding shortly...
Pittsburgh to see winter warm-up reaching 60 degrees in week ahead
After enduring an extended run of bitterly cold weather and a snowfall unlike any seen in years, Pittsburgh-area residents will get to enjoy a winter warmup in the week ahead. The upward trend will peak Friday, when there’s a chance of breaking 60 degrees for the high, National Weather Service...
