Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 54
4% price increase effective Sunday at Pennsylvania liquor stores
The prices of more than 3,500 of the most popular items at state liquor stores will increase by 4% Sunday, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board announced. In a statement, the LCB cited 40-year record-high inflation as the reason for price hikes. “These increases will allow the PLCB to generate revenues...
New Ken-Arnold pledges to keep next school year’s taxes within state-imposed inflation limit of 6.1%
The New Kensington-Arnold School Board has committed to not increasing the district’s property taxes for the 2023-24 school year by more than its state-imposed inflation limit. New Kensington-Arnold’s limit for the 2023-24 school year is 6.1%, up from 5% for this school year. It’s the highest limit the district has...
State Sen. Pittman opens new district office in New Kensington
State Sen. Joe Pittman opened a new district office Thursday in New Kensington. The office is in Suite 102 at the Burrell Business Center, 2400 Leechburg Road. The new office is a result of redistricting, which saw New Kensington changed from the state Senate’s 45th District, represented by Democrat Jim...
Police name Tarentum man as suspect in robbery of New Kensington bank
A suspect has been named in the Dec. 30 robbery of the First National Bank on Tarentum Bridge Road in New Kensington. New Kensington police and the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office have an arrest warrant for Anthony Burda, 37, of Tarentum. Burda is charged with robbery, terroristic threats and...
Plum Borough manager says firefighters were never without insurance coverage
Plum’s volunteer firefighters were never without insurance protecting them if they were hurt answering a call, the borough’s manager said Wednesday. Borough Manager Michael Thomas said the borough was late in paying a bill for the annual workers’ compensation insurance covering its four fire departments, but the coverage remained in...
Retired police chiefs recall Justin McIntire as exemplary man
Jamie Bock’s earliest memories of Justin McIntire are of him as a boy, running around and playing on Third Avenue in Brackenridge where he grew up. McIntire was 8 years old when he was given an “unofficial” role in Bock’s wedding to his wife, Jennifer, on April 27, 1985. He...
Lapse in insurance coverage knocks Plum fire departments out of service for hours before being restored
Plum’s four volunteer fire departments were out of service for about six hours Tuesday because of a lapse in insurance coverage. The Holiday Park, Logans Ferry, Renton and Unity departments went out of service at 2 p.m., according to Holiday Park Chief Jim Sims and Unity Vice President Morgan McIlrath....
Groups propose community park, garden in downtown New Kensington
Westmoreland Community Action and Wesley Family Services are proposing to build a community park and garden in downtown New Kensington. As proposed, the park and garden would be on what currently are vacant lots along the northern side of 10th Street between Cherry and Spruce alleys, with Third Avenue running...
Gasoline prices continue to rise, but increases could slow on weak demand
Average gasoline prices are on the rise in the Pittsburgh area and across the state and nation, but there is hope those increases could slow down, an analyst said. “Last week, the rise in gasoline prices continued, still due to previous refinery outages caused by the cold weather the week...
Arnold No. 1 fire department accusing former chief with misuse of funds
Arnold No. 1 fire department is examining its finances after removing its chief and accusing him of misuse of funds, the department’s president said Friday. Brian Gouza was removed as chief effective Dec. 26 and is no longer a member of the fire department, President Al Colelli said. Gouza has...
Plum Council to act on plans for new Sheetz
Plum Council is expected to vote Monday on plans for a new Sheetz on Golden Mile Highway. The convenience store and gas station would be built along Presque Isle Drive at what is today Presque Isle Plaza. A Kings restaurant in the plaza closed in September. The building that housed...
Another Dollar General store could be on the way in Plum
Dollar General is considering opening a third store in Plum. The store would be built on vacant land along Saltsburg Road at Clements Road. The borough’s Zoning Hearing Board was scheduled to hold a hearing relating to parking spaces at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the municipal center, 2000 Old Mine...
Cold weather, refinery issues push national gas prices higher; Pa. largely unchanged
Average gasoline prices in the Pittsburgh area and across Pennsylvania are unchanged or slightly down in the last week, while the national average has seen an increase, according to AAA and price-tracking service GasBuddy. “For the first time in two months, the nation’s average price of gasoline rose sharply last...
$25M, 2-year preservation project on New Kensington Bridge to start in spring
A two-year, roughly $25 million project to preserve the nearly century-old New Kensington Bridge is scheduled to start in the spring. While drivers will encounter some traffic restrictions in 2023, the biggest inconvenience won’t come until the summer of 2024, when the bridge is scheduled to be closed for six...
Brackenridge man accused of assaulting Butler County teen, sharing nude images of her
A Brackenridge man who worked as a security guard is accused of sexually assaulting a high school girl in Butler County and distributing nude and sexually explicit images of her. Jackson Township police first charged Matthew Alan Cowan, 24, of Pacific Avenue in October in connection with the assault they...
New owner of Fat Cat’s Subs looks to build on Harmar shop’s solid foundation
Michelene Saliba sees a bit of chemistry in cooking food. “A lot of it is chemistry,” she said. “It’s following a recipe. You can experiment with it and create new things. I like sharing my food with people.” Saliba, 25, of East Deer has a full menu to experiment with...
Flooding not expected as Allegheny River ice thaws
Flooding is not anticipated along the Allegheny River as ice that formed during the recent record-setting cold snap begins to melt, a National Weather Service meteorologist said Tuesday. After setting a record low of 5 degrees below zero Friday, the high Wednesday is forecast to rise into the 40s, meteorologist...
Allegheny County Police make arrest in Mt. Oliver homicide
Allegheny County Police announced an arrest Monday in the shooting death of a man in Mt. Oliver in August. Daleron Newman, 22, of Pittsburgh, is charged with criminal homicide in the Aug. 30 shooting death of Timothy Coates, 20, at Dawes and Frederick streets in the borough, county police said....
Pittsburgh-area drivers facing higher gas prices than other parts of state, nation
Despite average gas prices falling across the state and nation, drivers in the Pittsburgh area aren’t seeing as much relief at the pump. The national average Monday was $3.10 per gallon, according to AAA. That’s down 4 cents from a week ago and about 46 cents from a month ago....
Lower Burrell Legion Riders double as ‘family’ for Christmas dinner guests
Pierogis apparently aren’t a thing out west. Or, at least, they weren’t for Roberta MacKnight, who moved to Lower Burrell from New Mexico in June. MacKnight got her first taste of the Polish delicacy at a Christmas dinner hosted Sunday by the Legion Riders at Lower Burrell American Legion Post...
Broken water line forces evacuation of North Versailles apartment building
Tenants who were forced out of their North Versailles apartment building on Christmas Day because of a water main break that shutoff the building’s electricity were hoping Monday to be able to get into their residences to get needed items even while their building remained inhabitable. Several residents living in...
PennDOT reopens Parkway North HOV lanes
The Parkway North high-occupancy vehicle lanes in Ross and Pittsburgh have reopened to traffic, PennDOT announced Saturday afternoon. The Interstate 279 HOV lanes have reopened to traffic in the outbound, or northbound, direction. The lanes were closed beginning Thursday night because of the winter storm. Drivers can check road conditions...
State police cite 16 for underage drinking in Seven Springs parking lots
State police cited more than a dozen people for underage drinking and other alcohol-related offenses in parking lot areas at Seven Springs Ski Resort. Officers from the state police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement conducted a minor patrol in Seven Springs between Dec. 14 and 17. A total of 16...
$50K winning New Year’s Millionaire Raffle ticket sold in Mt. Lebanon
One of two New Year’s Millionaire Raffle tickets worth $50,000 each was sold in Mt. Lebanon, the Pennsylvania Lottery announced. The prizes are part of the sixth weekly drawing in the raffle, which features eight weekly drawings that each award two prizes of $50,000 leading up to the major Jan....
Cause of fire that destroyed Tarentum garage, damaged neighboring house on Christmas Eve under investigation
The Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating a blaze that destroyed a garage and damaged a neighboring home in Tarentum on Saturday morning. Summit Hose Chief Josh Fox said the fire behind a home in the 200 block of West Ninth Avenue, along Sefts Way, in West Tarentum was...
