Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 102
$5M digital innovation lab to be built on site of New Kensington community garden
A community garden once heralded as among the first efforts to revitalize New Kensington’s downtown will make way for a building that will bring digital tools to the area’s businesses, industries, entrepreneurs and students. Construction of the $5 million digital innovation lab is expected to start this fall at the...
Highlands considering 1-day delay to start of school year, loaner laptop rules spelled out
Highlands School District is considering a one-day delay to the start of the school year, resulting in all students beginning remotely. The school board is expected to vote on a revised 2020-21 school calendar at its meeting on Monday, Aug. 17. During a board meeting Monday, Superintendent Monique Mawhinney said...
Food distribution scheduled at Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer
A drive-up food distribution will be held Tuesday at the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer. The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank is holding the event in partnership with the Allegheny Valley Association of Churches from 5 to 7 p.m. Almost 500 households received food at the first distribution in July,...
Tarentum considering memorials in Riverview Memorial Park as band shell renovation begins
Renovation work on the band shell in Tarentum’s Riverview Memorial Park was scheduled to start Saturday, borough manager Michael Nestico said. Council is waiting for that work to be finished before considering a request for a memorial to a local musician there or an idea for another memorial to many...
New Kensington working to resurface road through Memorial ParkVideo
New Kensington plans to use nearly $75,000 in grant money to pay for resurfacing the bumpy and broken road in Memorial Park. The work could be done before the end of the year, said Sarah Snider, executive director of the city’s Redevelopment Authority, which manages grant funding for the city....
Former New Ken-Arnold superintendent kept on as ‘consultant,’ gets a year’s pay in severance agreement
John Pallone’s tenure as superintendent of New Kensington-Arnold School District ended July 31, but for the next four months he’ll collect twice as much money from the district as he did when he was district chief. A severance agreement approved as part of his resignation guarantees him a full-year’s salary,...
New Kensington officials want local control over use of fireworks
New Kensington will urge its state representatives to repeal the law that legalized fireworks in Pennsylvania. In a resolution city council approved Monday, the city said it will make the request “since calls for more local control over the usage of commercial fireworks has been largely ignored by the Pennsylvania...
Tarentum increases fine for excessive police calls to at least $300
Tarentum has increased by at least six times a penalty imposed on residents who have excessive calls for police and other emergency and public safety services. The ordinance council approved Tuesday replaces a 14-year-old ordinance, which had imposed a $50 “surtax” for each police response in excess of three every...
Roof project at New Kensington-Arnold elementary school more than doubles in size, cost
A project to replace part of the leaking roof at Roy A. Hunt Elementary has more than doubled in size and cost to include all of the school’s roof. New Kensington-Arnold School Board member Steven Sorch, who voted against the project’s enlargement, said he had no idea how the district...
2 men die in head-on Mercer County motorcycle crash
Two men in their 20s died Sunday in a head-on crash involving two motorcycles in Mercer County, according to state police. State police identified the deceased as Garrett J. Arnold, 22, of Greenville, and Cage C. Shook, 22, of Hadley. The crash happened around 1:45 a.m. on County Line Road...
Repaving Richmond Street tops Arnold’s plans for $300K in grant money
Arnold is proposing to spend nearly half of a federal grant to pay for resurfacing Richmond Street. City residents will get a chance to comment on that, and other proposed uses for the more than $300,000 grant, during a public hearing scheduled for 7 p.m. Aug. 11 at the public...
Retiring Natrona Heights letter carrier lauded for dependability, cheerfulnessVideo
As he puts a cancel stamp on a nearly 40-year career as a letter carrier with the U.S. Postal Service, one of Kevin Griffith’s concerns going into retirement is about putting on weight. Walking 25,000 steps a day has had its benefits. “I loved getting paid for getting exercise,” Griffith...
Highlands settles former teacher’s federal lawsuit for $150K
A former Highlands elementary teacher will get $105,000 as part of an agreement settling his federal lawsuit alleging the district had violated his rights. The Highlands School Board approved the settlement with Jason Smith on June 22. The district released details of the settlement Friday in response to a Right-to-Know...
Severance agreement for New Ken-Arnold superintendent approved sight unseen
New Kensington-Arnold School Board approved a severance agreement with the district’s departing superintendent without having a finished document in writing, according to several members of the school board. During a meeting Tuesday where the board accepted John Pallone’s resignation effective Friday, board member John DeAntonio asked when the board would...
Highlands approves return plan; parents asked to complete surveys
The Highlands School District will use a hybrid approach with students learning both in school and remotely when the upcoming school year starts Aug. 27. Under the plan, approved by the school board this week, students will be divided into two groups, with one attending classes in person on Mondays...
Fundraiser scheduled for family of 2-year-old New Kensington drowning victim
A fundraiser for the family of a 2-year-old New Kensington boy who drowned is planned for this weekend in the city. The event includes a silent auction, Chinese auction and yard sale, said Nicole Contreras, a friend and co-worker of Dominique Kemp, mother of Cassius Alexander Saulsgiver. Saulsgiver died July...
Public comments could lead to ‘minor changes’ to Springhill Road project in Harrison
Allegheny County received more than 100 comments about a project to create a shared pedestrian and bicycle lane on Springhill Road in Harrison. The path would be between North Canal Street and McWilliams Drive. Springhill Road, now four lanes up and down the hill, would be reduced to three lanes,...
John Pallone announces resignation as New Kensington-Arnold School District superintendent
New Kensington-Arnold Superintendent John Pallone announced Tuesday that he is resigning from his post with the school district. Pallone said he is stepping down effective at midnight Friday. In a statement, Pallone said he has no “strong desire” to leave but “circumstances have made it clear that this decision is...
Allegheny County Police investigating death of 2-year-old New Kensington boy found in Harrison pool
Allegheny County Police are investigating after a 2-year-old boy died four days after being found in a swimming pool in Harrison. The boy, Cassius Alexander Saulsgiver of New Kensington, died July 20, less than a month before his third birthday. The incident happened July 16 at a home in the...
New Kensington-Arnold School Board votes to bring students back to school — but many may learn from home
The New Kensington-Arnold School District will attempt to bring all students back to school this fall, but nearly half of parents might choose remote learning. The district will require all students and staff to wear face masks or shields in schools and on buses, according to the district’s return plan....
Drivers need not worry about ‘big jumps’ in gas prices for now, analyst says
Gas prices are stuck in neutral, with oil prices not rising despite a small rebound in demand for fuel, an industry analyst said. A small rise in gasoline demand last week appears likely to continue into this week, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “The recovery...
Injury leads to early retirement for 23-year New Kensington police officer Anthony Grillo
Anthony Grillo knew as a boy that he wanted to be a police officer, and that’s what he became. “I’ve been in uniform my whole life,” said Grillo, 49, a native of Lower Burrell. “I just knew what I wanted to do in life.” Grillo is retiring from law enforcement...
Hearing for Fawn police officer fighting for his job cut short
A hearing for a Fawn police officer fighting for his job was cut short Monday over concerns a township supervisor participating by telephone could not hear. Complicating matters was that, because of covid-19, the hearing was held outdoors with participants wearing face masks and physically distanced. Keith Lazaron II, 35,...
Wolf sides with transparency in allowing Right-to-Know bill to become law
Saying he was “erring on the side of transparency,” Gov. Tom Wolf allowed legislation requiring his administration to process Right-to-Know Law requests during emergency declarations to become law without his signature. Wolf previously said he would veto the legislation. Unanimously approved in both chambers, House Bill 2463 requires all agencies...
Nursing home operator using Lower Burrell site to care for covid-19 positive patients
A Lower Burrell nursing home is being used by its parent company to house and treat covid-19 patients. In a statement issued Sunday, Guardian Elder Care confirmed it is using Belair Healthcare & Rehabilitation on Little Drive as a dedicated covid-19 recovery unit. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health,...
