Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 30
Plum School District settles discrimination claim with job applicant for $5K
The Plum School District will revise its application process as part of an agreement settling a discrimination allegation. The district agreed to pay Eile Demkee $5,000 to resolve Demkee’s claims. That amount, inclusive of attorney’s fees and costs, will be paid by the district and/or its insurance carrier. The district...
New Kensington-Arnold officials promise repairs to dilapidated veterans memorial
As they’ve gotten older, Michele Eckman and her husband, Richard, don’t travel back to the Alle-Kiski Valley from their home outside of Dallas as often as they used to. So when they came to the area in June, they made a point of stopping by Valley High School in Richard’s...
Foundation working to raise $3M-$5M to open private middle school in Arnold in 2025
A former South Carolina educator says he remains on track to open a new school in Arnold in just over a year. Matt DeHart, founder of the Teach from DeHart Foundation, plans to open Teach from DeHart Academy, a middle school, for the 2025-26 school year. It will be housed...
Strike averted at Kittanning nursing home after workers approve new contract
Employees of a Kittanning nursing home approved a new contract Thursday, averting a strike that was scheduled to start Friday, their union announced . SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania said workers at Armstrong Rehabilitation & Nursing Center voted in favor of ratifying a new three-year contract that includes improvements to wages and...
New Kensington man accused of murder says he’s the son of Donald Trump, husband of Michelle Obama
A New Kensington man accused of killing his former roommate claimed Donald Trump is his father and Michelle Obama is his wife during a local court appearance Thursday. What Nico Harris said during his appearance before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. will become part of the court record and...
Plum seniors donate to Make-A-Wish to paint parking spaces
Some of Plum’s incoming seniors are reserving their parking spaces in colorful and creative ways. After paying $75 to park for the 2024-25 school year, 60 seniors paid $30 more to paint their spots, with the proceeds benefitting Make-A-Wish, said Rick Berrott, a television production teacher and co-sponsor of the...
Plum School Board approves additional services toward $30M building project
The Plum School District will pay an engineering firm about $42,000 for services related to a looming $30 million building project. A renovation and addition is in the works for O’Block Elementary School, accounting for most of the spending, while the district’s middle school would undergo some renovations. At a...
Plum Council members Majernik, Schlauch attend Republican National Convention
Two members of Plum Council attended the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last week, where Donald Trump officially became the party’s nominee for president for a third time with a new vice president candidate in Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance. Councilman Dave Majernik was a delegate for a fourth time and...
Man shot twice in arm on Smithfield Street in downtown Pittsburgh
A man was shot twice in the arm in downtown Pittsburgh on Tuesday, according to city police. The man was shot on Smithfield Street between Fourth and Forbes avenues, police said. The man was taken to a hospital in stable condition. Police said their investigation was in its early stages...
New Kensington police accuse man of assaulting 2 women
A New Kensington man is facing felony aggravated assault charges after, police say, he hit one woman with a flashlight and put a knife to the neck of another. City police filed charges Sunday against Samuel Nathan Brown, 54. Officers responded to the incident in the 500 block of Fourth...
Friends of David Dutch, Marine veteran injured at Trump rally, pray for his recovery
The mood inside the Lower Burrell American Legion post changed in a heartbeat Sunday morning. That’s when word reached them that one of their own, Marine veteran David Dutch, 57, had been seriously injured at the Trump rally Saturday in Butler County, where the former president and Republican nominee survived...
Building the Valley: Plum woman’s shop brings string art, tie-dye to New Kensington
Creating recognizable portraits of people with one continuous piece of black cotton thread 12 football fields long is “intense,” Kim Denne says. Running that piece of thread back and forth between 240 nails around the perimeter of a 24-inch diameter circle to bring out images of people like Ben Roethlisberger,...
Lower Burrell man facing 10th DUI charge after being stopped twice in New Kensington
A Lower Burrell man is facing his 10th DUI charge, getting numbers nine and 10 within two months of each other in New Kensington. New Kensington police charged Bruno F. Nobilese, 57, with felony driving under the influence on May 15 and July 11. In the second case, he also...
Arnold facing deadline to spend money for fire truck without enough to cover full cost
Arnold will set more money aside to pay for a new fire engine as it faces a deadline to spend some of the money it already has marked for the major purchase. After two public hearings, council voted to mark $50,000 of its about $304,000 federal grant funding for the...
Plum names 2 incoming high school seniors as junior council members
Plum Council will gain a younger perspective when its two newest members join in September. Mercy Newell and Adam Smith, both 17, have been named as junior council members. They will be seniors this fall at Plum High School. Their tenure will run with the school year, from September through...
New Kensington Science Project works on moving to new home in the city
Nicole Roberts is all about giving children from New Kensington and Arnold science and technology experiences so they don’t fall behind peers from wealthier communities. “They can do anything. They need to know they can,” Roberts said this week, while a group of children in third through seventh grades were...
Shuttle to be available while New Kensington Bridge sidewalk is closed through mid-November
A shuttle will be available while the sidewalk on the New Kensington Bridge is closed for the next four months. The sidewalk on the bridge spanning the Allegheny River between New Kensington and East Deer is scheduled to close at 7 a.m. Monday and remain closed through mid-November, PennDOT announced...
Penn Hills man handed over cocaine during Arnold traffic stop, authorities say
A Penn Hills man pulled over for a minor traffic violation Tuesday in Arnold handed over a baggie of cocaine to agents when he got out of his car, which contained additional drugs and a loaded handgun, authorities said in court documents. Agents with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office and...
Open house at Plum’s Renton fire station will show all the ways volunteers can help
There are more ways than being a firefighter for residents to help their local volunteer fire department. Plum’s Renton Volunteer Fire Department hopes to get that message out through an upcoming open house at their station. “Obviously, we need members. We need volunteers, and there’s a lot of different positions...
New Kensington-Arnold School Board discusses approaching Burrell about merging
Challenges faced by the Burrell School District have New Kensington-Arnold’s school directors wondering if the right time has come for the neighboring districts to again consider merging. New Kensington-Arnold School Board member Bob Pallone raised the subject of approaching Burrell officials with the proposal at his board’s meeting Tuesday night....
Police find drugs, $57K after arresting accused drug dealer in New Kensington
A New Kensington man police say was dealing drugs, including cocaine, crack cocaine, fentanyl and marijuana, was arrested Wednesday morning. Tarique Taron Godson, 31, was apprehended after city police and officers with the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force carried out a search warrant at a house in the 400 block...
Arnold man charged in fatal North Braddock vehicle-pedestrian wreck
An Arnold man was driving under the influence of marijuana when he fatally injured a 75-year-old man in North Braddock in November, according to Allegheny County Police. County police charged Tyrell Jimmie Knight, 37, with charges including homicide by vehicle and involuntary manslaughter in the death of Harry Harold King...
New Kensington-Arnold superintendent’s contract extended despite proposal to shorten it
One board member’s effort to shorten a contract extension for New Kensington-Arnold Superintendent Chris Sefcheck failed Tuesday night. The board ultimately voted 8-0 to give Superintendent Chris Sefcheck a new five-year contract that will run from Tuesday through June 30, 2029. It replaces his previous and initial five-year contract that...
Pickleball courts become highlight of improved Renton Park in Plum
On a recent morning in Plum, the pop-pop-pop of pickleball paddles could be heard emanating from Renton Park. The 2.5-acre park tucked away in the borough’s Renton neighborhood has become a destination for residents since the borough invested about $750,000 in improvements, including three courts for the popular game. Barbara...
Security guard accused of homicide in Penn Hills hookah lounge shooting
A security guard is accused of killing one of two people shot at a hookah lounge and cigar bar in Penn Hills a month ago, Allegheny County Police said Monday. Chaz Jackson, 42, of Pittsburgh was charged in connection with the death of 28-year-old Stephanie Stuart. He also was accused...
