Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 69
New Kensington preparing to tackle cost of replacing fire department’s aging aerial ladder truck
The New Kensington fire department hoped to have its aerial ladder truck back in service by the end of last week, fire Chief Ed Saliba Jr. said Wednesday. After that, the job became figuring out how the city will pay the anticipated $1.5 million to replace the 24-year-old vehicle. “We...
Weather service issues tornado watch for 4 southwestern Pennsylvania counties
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch covering Allegheny, Beaver, Greene and Washington counties that is scheduled to be in effect until 10 p.m. Wednesday. Strong storms are moving quickly across Ohio and are expected to arrive in Pennsylvania over the next two to three hours, meteorologist Shannon...
New Kensington Digital Foundry gets federal ‘Smart Manufacturing Innovation Center’ designation
The U.S. Department of Energy has named Penn State New Kensington’s Digital Foundry as a Smart Manufacturing Innovation Center — one of only seven in the nation. The designation of the facility, which is under construction on Fifth Avenue in downtown New Kensington, as an “SMIC” was made in partnership...
Longtime Arnold firefighter, No. 2 Chief Keith Dziobak dies
The Alle-Kiski Valley firefighting community is mourning the death of longtime Arnold firefighter and officer Keith Dziobak. Dziobak died Tuesday night. A cause of death was not immediately known. He was 57. A firefighter with Arnold No. 2 since he was 17 years old in 1982, Dziobak was in his...
New Kensington’s largest building, formerly Citizens Bank, to be sold at online auction
The downtown New Kensington building that until a few months ago housed a Citizens Bank branch is slated to be sold in an online auction in April. A $200,000 starting bid was placed on the six-story building on Ninth Street at Fifth Avenue. The auction through Ten-X will run from...
Woman rescued after jumping from New Kensington Bridge
A woman was rescued from the Allegheny River after jumping from the New Kensington Bridge on Friday morning. The incident was reported shortly before 10 a.m., a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher said. The woman was sedated when she was taken from the scene by ambulance, according to officials at the...
Restaurant Ramble & Spring Fling to spotlight downtown New Kensington eateries
New Kensington is going to ramble into spring with an all-new fling. Tickets are being sold through Sunday for the first Restaurant Ramble & Spring Fling, scheduled for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 26. It will spotlight nearly a dozen restaurants on Fourth and Fifth avenues in downtown New...
Building the Valley: SoCal Mexicali Grill takes time to get it right in New Kensington
Sean Watson and Jeff Cieslewicz didn’t want to serve any taco, burrito or quesadilla before its time. That’s why instead of opening SoCal Mexicali Grill in November like they had planned, it didn’t open until mid-February. Watson blames himself, because he wanted to get the design of the new restaurant...
Therapy dogs helping New Kensington-Arnold students practice reading
Therapy dogs are helping New Kensington-Arnold elementary students overcome emotional and academic issues exacerbated by the covid pandemic. First and second grade students at H.D. Berkey Elementary School were the first to take part in a program new to their school in which they read to dogs. “It went extremely...
Penn Hills man’s Ukrainian family has history of resisting Russian invasions
Bohdan Czmola’s family has a history of opposing the Russians. A son of Ukrainian immigrants, Czmola, 70, of Penn Hills said his grandfather, Ivan Czmola, was one of three founders of Plast, a Ukrainian scouting organization for boys in 1911. When Ukraine declared independence from Russia in 1918, Czmola’s grandfather...
New Kensington-Arnold looking for monitors to help with substitute shortage
New Kensington-Arnold School District is seeking classroom monitors to help with a shortage of substitute teachers, Superintendent Chris Sefcheck said. Gov. Tom Wolf signed Act 91 into law in December to address the staffing shortage. Under the pilot program, monitors are allowed to oversee classrooms but not allowed to instruct...
Pine, Richland among 80 communities recognized as Banner Communities
Although he’s been on the job as Pine’s manager for less than a year, Jason Krastas sees the commitment the township’s supervisors have to ensuring Pine is a place people are proud to call home. That’s reflected, he said, in Pine being among 80 municipalities and municipal authorities recognized as...
Arnold to consider proposal for gas station, convenience store on Freeport Road
Arnold Council will consider a proposal for the redevelopment of a former gas station along Freeport Road. Mike Thakkar of Yashvi Oil said he wants to open a gas station and convenience store at 1610 Freeport Road. The property is between Woodberry Road and Warren Avenue. The property and its...
New Kensington-Arnold School District makes face masks optional
Face masks are now optional in the New Kensington-Arnold School District. At a school board meeting Tuesday night, Superintendent Chris Sefcheck said the change was effective immediately. The school board did not have to vote on the change, as it was already outlined in the district’s health and safety plan....
New Kensington teen’s Eagle Scout project benefits homeless veterans
After delivering care packages he had assembled for homeless veterans, Nick Graham had an opportunity to speak with a veteran who had walked in to the offices of the nonprofit Veterans Leadership Program in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. “Seeing how someone who fought for our freedom and fought for our country...
New Kensington-Arnold teachers rally for new contract, threaten strike vote
First grade teacher Mick Dombroski feels like he’s living in the movie “Groundhog Day.” Over and over again, he said, the New Kensington-Arnold School District can’t approve a new contract with its teachers union until after the previous deal has expired. Most districts settle on new contracts before that happens,...
Valley High students, staff roll up sleeves for student-run blood drive
Students and staff at Valley High School stepped up Monday to help meet the need for blood, even if some of them were not able to go through with it. Senior Brooke Alcorn Ferry, 17, said some of her classmates who volunteered to donate during the blood drive she organized...
U.S. gas prices rise on higher oil prices brought on by Russian invasion of Ukraine
An increase in the global price of crude oil brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to higher gasoline prices in the United States, AAA said Monday. The national average for a gallon of gas rose to $3.61. That’s 8 cents more than a week ago, 26 cents...
New Kensington-Arnold teachers union plans rally as contract talks continue
New Kensington-Arnold School District teachers who have been without a contract for 181 days are planning to rally before Tuesday evening’s school board meeting, the Pennsylvania State Education Association said Monday. The rally is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at Valley High School in New Kensington. The school board...
New Kensington’s ‘Lost Dreams Awakening’ part of national Black History Month event
A New Kensington substance use recovery organization is participating in a national virtual block party Monday celebrating Black History Month. The free event from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Lost Dreams Awakening will include food, music and dance, said Laurie Johnson-Wade, a co-founding director of the organization that specializes...
New Kensington’s Leslie Reimer retiring from 42-year career as Episcopal priest
When the Rev. Leslie Reimer began the journey of her life, it was toward a destination that was, at the time, unreachable for a woman. After growing up in an Episcopal Church family in New Kensington’s Mt. Vernon neighborhood and graduating from Valley High School in 1970, Reimer went to...
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to hit Americans in wallet at gas pump, analyst says
Americans soon will be paying for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the gas pump, a petroleum industry analyst said Thursday. The wholesale price of gasoline already has increased, and stations soon will be passing that on to customers, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for price tracking service...
New Kensington closes downtown parking garage following structural evaluation
Concerns over the condition of New Kensington’s downtown parking garage have prompted the city to close it. The city last year hired a structural engineer to assess the condition of the Kensington Plaza Garage on Fourth Avenue at Seventh Street. Dedicated in December 1979, the garage has seen usage fall...
‘Hamilton’ performer inspires, energizes, educates Valley High drama studentsVideo
Breathing is something most people do without thinking about it. But for a performer on stage, breathing correctly is paramount. Drama students who gathered at Valley High School in New Kensington learned that lesson directly from a professional Wednesday morning. Nikisha Williams, a member of the “Hamilton” touring company now...
International forces costing American drivers $375M more every day on gas, analyst says
Americans are spending about $375 million more on gasoline every day compared to a year ago, as prices continue to rise in the Pittsburgh area and across the nation, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. While there are concerns about how Russia’s actions in Ukraine could...
