Brian C. Rittmeyer stories

A Plum man will face trial on charges of sexually assaulting one of two girls he took to his home after encountering them outside a borough bar in June. John Dale Vorous, 61, was shackled and wearing prison garb when he waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday before...

New Kensington’s only volunteer firefighter to die in the line of duty has been gone longer than he lived, but he has not been forgotten. Eric Lee Mangieri was 25 years old when he became trapped in a burning house on Freeport Road on Aug. 7, 1995. A memorial to...

Four people face charges after state, county and local police investigated what they say was a drug dealing ring in New Kensington involving a member of the Pagans motorcycle gang. The investigation on Friday targeted Bill Robert Rana, 44, who police say was staying in an apartment at Valley Royal...

Police are looking for an Arnold man after they say he stabbed a man Thursday night in New Kensington. New Kensington police charged Isiah Jumaane Hampton, 28, with two counts of aggravated assault, three counts of recklessly endangering another person, simple assault and disorderly conduct. Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison...

A no-questions-asked pantry that has been serving the Arnold community for two years has found a new home in the city. The Speed Family Blessing Box & Pantry will be located to Real Life Church on Freeport Road at Drey Street by Nov. 1, founder and CEO Chelsey Speed said...

An illegal parking call in Arnold netted a Pittsburgh man wanted on local and federal warrants and a supply of heroin, crystal meth, cocaine and marijuana Thursday, police say. Arnold police charged Tyriese Leon Green Saunders, 25, with felony counts of prohibited possession of a firearm, carrying a firearm without...

An arrest warrant has been issued for a Monroeville man who police say beat a man with a pistol Wednesday at a hotel in Plum. Plum police charged Timothy Eden Bell, 30, on Thursday with two counts of felony aggravated assault. According to a criminal complaint, officers responded to the...

The New Kensington-Arnold School District kicked off three days of homecoming activities with a parade and festival Thursday evening. The events came the day after the district shut down Valley High School, which Superintendent Chris Sefcheck said was prompted out of concerns after school-age students were involved in discharging a...

When firefighters need help, they turn to what they call “mutual aid” from nearby surrounding communities. The reach of that mutual aid is expanding on a national scale, as fire departments from Western Pennsylvania and beyond are rallying to support their counterparts in flood-ravaged North Carolina. Crews from Kittanning, Buffalo...

There was an increased police presence planned at Valley High School when students returned Thursday after the New Kensington school was closed following a shooting in the city involving high school-age juveniles. In a letter to families, New Kensington-Arnold Superintendent Chris Sefcheck said he decided to close the high school...

No one was hurt in a fire that damaged a Harrison home Monday afternoon. The fire in a single family house at 2209 Adams St. was reported shortly before 4:30 p.m. According to Citizens Hose Assistant Fire Chief Sean O’Connor, a woman went to the half bathroom on the first...

A shots fired incident in New Kensington on Tuesday afternoon has prompted the New Kensington-Arnold School District to close Valley High School on Wednesday. The district announced the cancellation of high school classes only Tuesday night. There was no public discussion and it had not been mentioned at a school...

Firefighters from Western Pennsylvania and beyond are rallying to help their counterparts in flood-ravaged North Carolina. A donated 53-foot trailer is expected to be set up in New Kensington this week to accept donations from fire departments that will go to a staging area outside Asheville, a city in western...

A woman suffered significant injuries to her face after another woman hit her with a liquor bottle in a New Kensington park, according to city police. New Kensington police charged Rita Marie Woody, 33, of New Kensington with a single first-degree felony count of aggravated assault for the attack they...

Arnold’s suspended police chief will have to wait another month for a hearing on charges against him stemming from a state sting operation. New Kensington District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. is recusing himself from the case against Josh Stanga, 41, of Arnold, who authorities say failed a test of...

Some Plum residents see the businesses along Route 22 in Murrysville and wonder why they can’t have some of them in the borough. When 11-year-old Ethan Nesbit saw the “Flags over Murrysville” display, he didn’t just have the same question, he did something about it. Calling his idea “Patriotic in...

Arnold’s suspended police chief will no longer be paid as he faces theft and other charges stemming from a sting against him staged by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office and state police. City council decided unanimously to change Josh Stanga’s leave from paid to unpaid, Mayor Shannon Santucci said Friday....

At a spot in New Kensington’s Ivy Alley, there are three little birds standing on a shelf, holding umbrellas and wearing brightly colored galoshes. While Karenda Wilson has her own artwork on display, she said the birds are one of the “quirky things” she likes about the city’s Art in...

A New Kensington police officer suffered a severe wrist sprain causing him to miss three days of work after he and two other officers ended up in fights with an Oklahoma man they had been called to check on. According to court records, a sergeant and an officer went to...

The roads outside the YMCA in New Kensington got a lot more colorful on Wednesday. Sarah Snider, a member of the Valley Points Family YMCA board, and Draven Pointer, a Better Block architectural designer from Dallas, were among volunteers and members of Dallas-based Better Block Foundation who began painting the...

A congressional task force investigating the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a Butler County rally in July wants to be briefed on the thwarted apparent attempt Sunday at a golf course in Florida. In a letter dated Tuesday, the Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald...

An Italian restaurant has said “Arrivederci!” to Tarentum. More specifically, Al Colelli said he decided to move his new restaurant, Totaro’s, from Tarentum to Arnold before it ever opened. Originally, Colelli was planning to open his restaurant in a space on East Sixth Avenue. Colelli now plans to open Totaro’s...

A skimming device found at a New Kensington grocery store this week is the only one the city’s police are aware of, a detective said Friday. Golden Dawn owners Gene Tommasi and Jim Faccenda said Thursday a skimming device was found Wednesday attached to the pinpad in one of their...

Fox Chapel police are urging residents to be vigilant after a home was burglarized this week. A house on South Drive was burglarized around 8 p.m. Wednesday, police Chief Michael Stevens said Friday. According to a notice to residents, two burglars forced their way into an unoccupied home. Stevens deferred...

Blighted buildings, poor lighting at night and a history of crime make an area of New Kensington near Valley Points Family YMCA unpleasant to visit. Unkempt sidewalks, problems with traffic and unclear crosswalks make walking there challenging, a survey of residents conducted this summer found. And yet, residents say they...