Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 74
New Kensington’s Community Clothes Closet marks 10 years of helping those in need
Thirteen years ago, Christina Discello started an effort in New Kensington to help people in need get clothes to wear for job interviews. It lasted three years. “We realized that’s not what people needed,” she said. It was everyday clothing that people in the city needed. Discello changed focus and,...
Thiel College walk for UPMC Children’s Hospital returning through Alle-Kiski Valley
A Thiel College fraternity’s two-day, 100-mile walk benefiting the Free Care Fund at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh is back this year and will make its way through the Alle-Kiski Valley. Current members and alumni of Phi Theta Phi will start the walk from the campus in Greenville, Mercer County,...
Mayor’s dinner, parade mark start of holiday season in New Kensington
New Kensington will celebrate the holiday season with events during the first two weekends in December, starting with the return of Mayor Tom Guzzo’s community dinner and the city’s holiday parade. The dinner and parade were canceled last year because of the covid pandemic. The free buffet dinner will be...
‘It’s a magical mailbox’: Christmas decoration becomes conduit for letters to Santa in Arnold
Christmas is Joe Lebert’s favorite holiday, but decorating for it isn’t much fun at his rural home in Fawn, where few will see it. His mom’s house on Rankin Street in Arnold, across from H.D. Berkey Elementary School, was a better place. For a while, he put a Christmas tree...
Arnold native opening Deadstock & Dandies in New Kensington, buying and selling shoes with style
Denzel Carter didn’t want to spend his life in a cubicle. It was even worse when the 30-year-old from Arnold figured out how much of his time, money and life he lost commuting to a job — and working for someone else. The covid pandemic, and being furloughed, helped Carter...
Valley High grad follows mother’s footsteps to teaching career, and her classroom
Three students had three words to describe Valley High School English teacher Rachael Link. “Energetic” was the word senior Rachel Schrock used. “You can hear her down the hallway teaching her class,” said Schrock, 18. The word that came to 16-year-old Elisabeth Ervin’s mind was “inspiring.” “She gets kids to...
Plum School District’s fundraising for Make-A-Wish nearing $1M mark as telethon returns
Plum Senior High School’s long-running telethon benefiting Make-A-Wish is back, and the fundraising campaign is closing in on a major milestone. If this year’s $42,000 goal is reached, the district will have raised $1 million for the nonprofit that grants wishes to children with critical illnesses. “Everyone wants to reach...
3 new members to join New Kensington-Arnold School Board
Two teachers who work at other schools and a chemist who works at her brother’s pizza shop are slated to join the New Kensington-Arnold School Board in December. Jane Graham, Nick DiCarolis and Sarah Yurga all were unopposed in the Nov. 2 election. The trio will join the nine-member school...
Teen struck, killed by pickup in Duquesne identified
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office on Friday identified the man who died Wednesday morning after being hit by a pickup in Duquesne. Deveon Franklin, 18, of Duquesne, died at a hospital at 7:40 a.m. Wednesday, following the incident around 6 a.m. in the 100 block of Kennywood Boulevard. The...
Threat prompts Woodland Hills to take high school classes virtual
Woodland Hills High School students participated in classes virtually Friday because of a threat made against the school, according to a message from its principal. In a Facebook post Friday morning, Principal Shelly Manns said that officials on Thursday night received a screenshot of an individual who had made a...
Police say juvenile took himself to hospital after being shot in Glassport
A male juvenile was in stable condition after being shot Thursday night in Glassport, Allegheny County Police said. Police said they received a report of shots being fired in the 700 block of Oak Way around 9 p.m. First responders found spent casings and other evidence of a shooting in...
Missing, at-risk Armstrong County man found safe
A missing 82-year-old man from Armstrong County has been found and is safe, according to Pennsylvania State Police. Previously, state police said Fred Fair went missing on Thursday from Cowansville, about 5 miles north of Worthington. He was considered at-risk, and state police issued an advisory on Friday. Before he...
Police: Loaded gun, ammunition found in woman’s bag at Pittsburgh airport checkpoint
A loaded .380-caliber gun was found in a woman’s duffle bag at Pittsburgh International Airport on Thursday morning, Allegheny County Police said. Federal Transportation Security Administration officers found it in an X-ray machine around 5:20 a.m. at the main security checkpoint and alerted county police. The TSA said the black...
Businesses across New Ken getting in on ‘Shop Small Crawl’ for Small Business Saturday
Small Business Saturday is going to be big in New Kensington. More than 40 businesses, from downtown to Parnassus, are expected to participate in the first New Ken Shop Small Crawl on Nov. 27, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. “We want...
Pittsburgh police warn of catalytic converter thefts in multiple areas
Pittsburgh police are warning the public about a recent string of catalytic converter thefts from vehicles. Police said four catalytic converters have been taken from vehicles over the past three weeks in the Friendship, Bloomfield and Garfield neighborhoods. Other similar thefts or attempted thefts have been reported throughout the city...
1 killed, 3 hurt in head-on crash on I-79 in Butler County
One person was killed and three others were injured Wednesday in a head-on crash on Interstate 79 in Butler County, state police said. The crash happened shortly before 5 p.m. on the highway in Muddy Creek Township. State police said James E. Dapper, 58, of Zelienople, was driving a pickup...
Pittsburgh area getting last warm day before rain, colder temps move in
Anyone who enjoys warm, dry days better get out Wednesday and enjoy it, for it will be here but a day. The high temperature is expected to rise into the mid-60s this afternoon, with a high of 67 expected in the Pittsburgh area, National Weather Service meteorologist Lee Hendricks said....
1 killed, another critically hurt after hit by vehicle in Duquesne
One man was killed and a second was critically hurt after they were hit by a pickup in Duquesne Wednesday morning. According to Allegheny County Police, the collision at Duquesne and Hoffman boulevards was reported shortly after 6 a.m. The men, whose ages were not released, were taken to unidentified...
Robbers assault Greenfield pizza shop worker, flee with cash register
A pizza shop in Pittsburgh’s Greenfield neighborhood was robbed early Wednesday morning, according to police. The robbery at Vocelli Pizza in the 4200 block of Murray Avenue was reported around 2:30 a.m. According to police, a man was locking up the business when two men approached from behind and forced...
Truck driver flees police stop on Pa. Turnpike, crashes in Ohio
The driver of a tractor-trailer reported driving erratically on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and accused of fleeing from a traffic stop was apprehended after crashing in Ohio Monday, according to state police. State police charged Ricardo Andres Kostyk, 30, of Clearwater, Fla., with a felony count of fleeing or attempting to...
Brackenridge woman accused of hitting man with car with 1-year-old inside
A Brackenridge woman is accused of hitting a man with a car on the side of Route 28, then fleeing with her 1-year-old son in her car. State police charged Shakeira Ladaisa Hardin, 25, with felony counts of aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child and misdemeanor charges...
Death ruled a homicide at scene of East Hills shooting
The death of a 20-year-old man shot in Pittsburgh’s East Hills Tuesday has been ruled a homicide. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as Michael Smith, who died at the scene at 2300 Wilner Drive and East Hills Drive. According to police, officers responded to alerts of...
Citizens Bank closing New Kensington branch as previously announced
Citizens Bank is making good on its previously announced intention to close its branch in downtown New Kensington on Wednesday, a bank spokesman said. Citizens said in August it would close the office at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Ninth Street on Wednesday. “The branch is still slated to...
Longtime Arnold hair salon owner opens women’s clothing boutique in New Kensington
A pair of ventilation fans blowing out the aroma of chocolate used to draw people into a storefront on New Kensington’s Fifth Avenue. That’s when Herman’s Nuts and Chocolates was located there. Today, it’s women’s clothing from brands known in Los Angeles and New York that are bringing people through...
Man accused of indecent exposure in Richland Target parking lot
A Zelienople man is accused of exposing himself in a Target parking lot in Richland Township. Northern Regional police on Monday charged Kevin Lee Clark, 28, with indecent exposure and disorderly conduct stemming from an incident at 550 Grandview Crossing Drive on Oct. 28. In a criminal complaint against Clark,...
