Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 60
Fire damages Vandergrift duplex; no one hurt
Fire caused moderate damage Sunday afternoon to half of a duplex in Vandergrift, a borough fire chief said. No people or pets were hurt in the fire in the 100 block of McKinley Avenue, said Randy Dunmire, chief of Vandergrift No. 1. McKinley is an alley between Grant and Washington...
Man expected to survive gunshot wound in Munhall
A man is expected to survive after being shot early Sunday in Munhall, according to Allegheny County Police. County police said a possible shooting in the 4000 block of Center Avenue was reported to 911 about 2:17 a.m. First responders found the man with a gunshot wound to a leg....
University of Pittsburgh police assist in investigation of off-campus sex assault
Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh police are investigating an off-campus sex assault, according to a crime alert from the university. According to the notice, university police assisted city police with the investigation in the 200 block of North Dithridge Street. The incident happened between midnight and 1 a.m. Saturday. A...
September by the River brings out visitors, residents in Freeport
Away from the sound of music and the scent of funnel cake in Freeport’s Riverside Park, Ariel Cypher was working on her chalk art on Fifth Street Saturday afternoon. Cypher of Harrison was among participants in the chalk art celebration that is part of this year’s annual September by the...
Mother, friends launch search for missing Tarentum area woman
Friends and family of a Tarentum area woman who has been missing for three weeks went out looking for her Saturday. Tonya Lynn Sadecky, 43, was last seen in the area of Ninth Avenue and Morgan Street in Brackenridge on Aug. 28, according to police. She has not been seen...
Former Arnold police officer, chief takes over ‘The Tomb’ outreach ministry
Shannon Santucci served her hometown of Arnold as a police officer for 11 years and made history as the city’s first female police chief. She resigned from the department as a sergeant in 2018, having been chief from June 2015 to January 2016. “I miss patrolling,” Santucci said. “I miss...
Foundation partners with brand consultant in nonprofit Arnold school effort
A foundation working to raise $7 million to open a nonprofit middle school in Arnold has retained a national brand consulting agency. The Teach from DeHart Foundation on Friday announced a partnership with Beck & Stone in New York City. Matt DeHart, a South Carolina educator, founded the academy he...
Arnold approves use of building for pallet recycling business
A New Kensington couple has been given permission to move their wood pallet recycling business into a building in Arnold. The city’s zoning hearing board, following a hearing Wednesday, Aug. 31 approved a special exception and variance for Brennan and Mariah Brooks-Boyd to use the building at 1508-10 Third Ave....
Police arrest 2 after seizing $22K in meth at New Kensington home
Authorities said they seized methamphetamine worth more than $22,000 and arrested two people when they carried out a search warrant Wednesday on a Seventh Street Extension home in New Kensington. Jason A. Wood, 51, and Tara Sue Gamble, 39, face felony and misdemeanor drug charges. They were arraigned Thursday, and...
Electrical fire damages Vandergrift family’s home
A Vandergrift family of six is out of their home after it was damaged by fire Thursday. The fire at 429 Walnut St., a two-story house at the corner of Walnut and Irving streets, was reported about 4:30 p.m., a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher said. Firefighters from several volunteer companies...
New Kensington OKs art project for part of downtown alley
An organizer of a new art project in downtown New Kensington says it promises to draw tourists to the city. City Council has unanimously approved the “Art in the Alley” project for Ivy Alley, from 10th Street north to the municipal parking lot. The alley runs between Fourth and Fifth...
Lower Burrell woman accused of fleeing police in rental car taken from Arnold
A Lower Burrell woman is accused of speeding through Arnold and New Kensington, nearly hitting a woman pushing a stroller and, after crashing, jumping into a good Samaritan’s vehicle and telling him to drive away. Arnold police said Nicole Patricia Smith, 26, of Fairview Road admitted fleeing in a rental...
Decline in gas prices continuing into Labor Day weekend, price tracking service says
Going into the Labor Day weekend, which many mark as the traditional end of summer, gasoline prices are expected to be the lowest since March 3 and 20% less than July 4, price tracking service GasBuddy said. According to GasBuddy, prices this holiday weekend will continue to fall slightly from...
The Corner’s Opportunity Accelerator helps small-business owners in Alle-Kiski Valley
When Nicole Porterfield-Miller opens her breakfast restaurant, Cafe Nikki P, in New Kensington, it will be the realization of a dream. It started with a hobby making fruit and vegetable trays that she turned into a side business. “I never thought I could open a restaurant. I didn’t think that...
Early reopening possible for Logans Ferry Road as slide work progresses
Logans Ferry Road in Plum may reopen to traffic earlier than expected, a PennDOT spokesman said Monday. The heavily traveled road between Entrance Drive and Columbia Road near New Kensington has been closed since Aug. 2 while a contractor works to repair a landslide. The closure has forced the more...
27 bands scheduled to play annual Band Blast at New Kensington’s Memorial Park
More than two dozen bands are scheduled to perform for the annual Band Blast at Memorial Park in New Kensington this year. The lineup consists of 11 bands performing on the main stage and 16 acoustic acts on the second stage. “This is the biggest lineup we’ve ever had for...
Gas prices fall for 11th week; some Pa. counties reach $4 mark
Average gas prices in a few Northeastern Pennsylvania counties have fallen to or just below $4 per gallon as the streak of dropping gas prices marks its 11th week. The average price in Pennsylvania is now about $4.14, down 8 cents from last week and 35 cents from a month...
New Kensington church damaged by tornado in 2020 to reopen
Parishioners of a New Kensington church damaged by a tornado more than two years ago are slated to return to it for worship in November. The Rev. Larry J. Kulick, bishop of the Diocese of Greensburg, announced Friday that he will be at St. Mary of Czestochowa at 1 p.m....
EPA schedules hearing on proposed injection well in Plum
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will hold a public hearing Tuesday in Plum on a proposed commercial disposal injection well in the borough. The hearing is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Plum Community Center, 499 Center New Texas Road. Penneco Environmental Solutions of Delmont is seeking permission...
Nature hike in Pine man’s memory to support cancer survivors group
A 3K nature hike in North Park will be held in memory of a young Pine man who died from cancer a year ago. Christian Cochran was 23 when he died Sept. 1, 2021, a little over a year after he was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer of the...
Gas prices fall for 10th straight week as parts of Pa. near $4 mark
The streak of falling gas prices continued for a 10th straight week despite some areas seeing prices rise slightly last week, an industry analyst said. The average price also continued to fall in Pennsylvania, where some counties are now within a few cents of $4, according to AAA. The national...
Arnold, New Kensington groups band together for Back to School Bash
Several Arnold and New Kensington organizations are banding together to help make sure students are ready to go back to school. A Back to School Bash is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27, at Roosevelt Park in Arnold. Students in the New Kensington-Arnold School District return...
Tri-City Historical Society to open 1st museum in downtown New Kensington
New Kensington’s history is out there, and James Sabulsky wants to bring it all together. Sabulsky, president of the Tri-City Historical Society, hopes having a museum where people can see items from New Kensington’s past will help with gathering more of it. The society, founded in 2019, is opening its...
New Kensington-Arnold working to bring back alumni recognition program
A team is being formed to bring back a program recognizing distinguished graduates of the New Kensington-Arnold School District and its predecessor districts. The team is expected to include area historians, former district administrators and teachers and community leaders, school board member Sarah Yurga said. “Once we form that team,...
New 5K grows into fitness festival in downtown New Kensington
An effort to organize a first-time 5K race in downtown New Kensington has grown into what promises to be a multifaceted fitness festival dedicated to health, nutrition and wellness. The NK 5K FitFEST will be Sept. 4. Cullen Maag, owner of BodyWork412 on Fifth Avenue, hopes the festival will educate,...
