Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 3
4 people shot, 1 fatally, at Parks Township bar
Four people were shot, one fatally, at a bar in Armstrong County early Sunday morning, according to state police. Police responded to the shooting at Niki’s Quick Six in Parks Township shortly after 1 a.m. According to state police, Jessica Lynn Hilliard, 34, of Apollo was found dead at the...
Duquesne University names student union in honor of outgoing president Ken Gormley, wifeVideo
A bobblehead and an engraved clock were not all the gifts to be bestowed upon outgoing Duquesne University President Ken Gormley. While Gormley thought he might be getting “one of those nice Duquesne chairs” for his office in his new post as university chancellor, he and his wife were instead...
Boy dies in hit-and-run crash in Beaver County
A Monaca man is accused of driving under the influence in a deadly hit-and-run involving a boy in Beaver County on Friday evening. Rochester Borough police charged Thomas Earl Cole, 53, of Monaca with homicide by vehicle while DUI, accidents involving death or personal injury and DUI, according to court...
Man dies after being stabbed in Pittsburgh’s Glen Hazel neighborhood
A Glen Hazel man died after being stabbed in his neighborhood Friday, Pittsburgh police said. Officers from Zone 4 responded around 10:30 a.m. to the 900 block of Roselle Court for reports of a domestic altercation followed by a stabbing. Officers found a man with a stab wound to the...
Overnight closures of Parkway North in Ross expected for demolition of Jacks Run Bridge
A section of Parkway North (Interstate 279) in Ross will be closed overnight up to 40 times while a bridge over the highway is being demolished. The work on Jacks Run Road Bridge No. 3 is expected to start in late April and finish in October, Ross Manager Jessica Crawshaw...
9/11 survivor Stanley Praimnath shares message of faith, grace at Shaler Area High SchoolVideo
About a year after widespread power failures canceled his appearance, a survivor of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center made good on his promise to speak at Shaler Area High School on Monday. Stanley Praimnath, 69, of Long Island, N.Y., was one of only 18 people who were...
Block party helps people discover ‘underappreciated treasure’ of the Maxo Vanka murals in Millvale church
While heads are often bowed in prayer inside churches, many were looking up in awe at a Millvale church on Sunday. For some, St. Nicholas Church was something like a man-made geode, its unassuming yellow brick walls containing a colorful treasure within. The treasure inside the 125-year-old Croatian church perched...
Death of 2-year-old Pleasant Hills girl ruled a homicide
The death of a 2-year-old girl in Pleasant Hills last week has been ruled a homicide, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office said Saturday. According to the medical examiner, Sarah Darji was found unresponsive at home in the 100 block of McClellan Drive on April 7. She was taken to...
With or without heels, men walk in Greensburg to raise awareness about gender-based violence
It didn’t take a mile to discover that walking in heels can be painful. Just putting them on was enough. “It hurts so bad,” said Brandt Sandstrom, 16, a Greensburg Salem sophomore. He was among members of the school’s football team participating Saturday in the Blackburn Center’s 15th annual Walk...
8 people shot, 2 fatally, in 3 shootings in Pittsburgh and Braddock
Police in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County say eight people were shot, two fatally, in at least three separate incidents in Saturday’s early hours. Braddock The first shooting, in Braddock, was reported just after 2 a.m. That was followed by a shooting just before 2:30 a.m. in Pittsburgh’s Bedford Dwellings neighborhood...
Pitt track and field athletes put on training clinic for Shaler Area’s Kids of Steel
Shaler Area Elementary School students preparing for the Pittsburgh Kids Marathon got some tips from members of the University of Pittsburgh track and field team. The Pitt students and their coaches put on a Track 101 clinic April 15 around the elementary school’s track. There were stations where kids could...
Boys & Girls Club clubhouses offer a variety of unique experiences to children in Shaler area
As a working mom married to a working dad, Maggie Giel-Bovaird of Shaler knows it takes a village to raise kids these days. When they were looking for an after school program close to where their son, Bryce, was going to school, there couldn’t be anything closer than the Boys...
Millvale accepts bank’s terms for $2M in loans approved by county judge
Millvale Council has accepted a bank’s terms for loans totaling $2 million, which the borough is taking out after a county judge approved its emergency request in February. Council voted 5-0 on April 14 to approve two loan commitment letters from First National Bank. Council members Katie Dembowski and Al...
DNA leads to charges, arrest in 1989 kidnapping, rape case in Reserve
A DNA match has resulted in an Aliquippa man being charged in connection with a kidnapping and rape of a woman reported to Reserve police more than 37 years ago. Allegheny County Police charged Lewis Vearnon, 65, on Tuesday with rape, aggravated assault, kidnapping, sexual assault and indecent assault. Vearnon...
Finding love at 13,500 feet: Shaler couple meets, builds relationship through skydivingVideo
Justin Mastermonico was just looking for someone to fall with him. But he found someone who fell for him, too. It was 2020. The world was shut down because of the covid-19 pandemic. Sitting at home and doing nothing, Mastermonico put a post on his Facebook page saying he had...
Shaler unveils advanced AEDs available for public use in township’s 10 parksVideo
Highly advanced devices that are very simple to use to save lives are now available to the public throughout Shaler. The township partnered with Shaler Hampton EMS to place a dozen automated external defibrillators in 10 parks. “One day, one of these devices will be used, and when it is...
German educators begin weeklong tour of Pa. public schools at North Hills High School
A group of German educators began a weeklong tour of public schools across Pennsylvania at North Hills High School in Ross on April 13. The seven-member group, which included teachers, principals and administrators, were also visiting North Allegheny that day and expected to visit Penn Trafford the next before making...
3 Sharps Hill volunteer firefighters recognized for 50 years of service in Shaler
For young boys growing up in the Sharps Hill neighborhood of Shaler in the 1970s, the fire hall was the place to be. Brothers Chris and Mike Cavlovich and their friend, Rick Hilinski, all grew up not far from the station. “We were always up there,” Mike said. “The fire...
Pittsburgh region flirting with record highs, lows later this week
A warm week is ahead for the Pittsburgh region, with chances for breaking records for high temperatures and warmest low temperatures. High temperatures are expected to increase from 74 degrees on Monday to 84 degrees by Saturday, National Weather Service meteorologist Colton Milcarek said. Temperatures are expected to be 20...
New map details features for NFL Draft on North Shore, Point State Park
A new detailed map shows where various features will be set up for the NFL draft around Acrisure Stadium on the North Shore and at Point State Park. The map is available on the NFL One Pass app, which is needed for free entry for the draft, April 23-25. The...
Love of music celebrated at 20th annual Three Rivers Community Band FestivalVideo
A new band assembled, rehearsed, performed and disbanded within hours Saturday — all for the love of community music. The 2026 Festival Band, made up of more than 100 musicians from 62 musical groups from around the region, was the lead performance for the 20th annual Three Rivers Community Band...
Restored semi from ‘Knight Rider’ to travel from Butler to Philadelphia area for unveilingVideo
The black T-top with the swooshing red light in its nose and a sometimes-snarky AI wasn’t the only vehicle featured on the 1980s television series “Knight Rider.” A black tractor-trailer with a long-nose cab, marked with gold trim and a knight chess piece, was prominently featured as the mobile unit...
Natural gas pipeline upgrade will impact parts of Fall Run Park in Shaler
A Peoples Gas pipeline upgrade will touch parts of Shaler’s Fall Run Park and may lead to certain areas of the park being restricted, according to the utility company and township. Work on the project was expected to start April 6, Peoples Gas spokesman Nick Paradise said. A completion date...
West View district judge dismisses 3 of 6 charges against Ross man accused of gun traffickingVideo
Half of the charges against a Ross man accused of gun trafficking were thrown out at his preliminary hearing Wednesday, April 8. However, Benjamin Ford, 43, was held for trial on the remaining three charges and will stay in the Allegheny County Jail without bond after West View District Judge...
Shaler officials, residents, groups rallying to save Mt. Royal bus lines from elimination
Shaler officials are joining residents and community organizations calling on Pittsburgh Regional Transit to not eliminate two bus routes serving the township’s Mt. Royal Boulevard corridor. As part of PRT’s proposed Bus Line Refresh, the Route 2 Mt. Royal north of Etna and the P13 Mt. Royal Flyer would be...
