Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 107
60 more Pennsylvania liquor stores resuming in-store public access
Sixty more Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores in counties in Pennsylvania’s yellow phase of covid-19 mitigation will resume limited in-store public access on Friday, the state Liquor Control Board announced Thursday. When that happens, a total of 349 stores in 56 counties will be allowing limited in-store public access....
New Kensington-Arnold School Board proposes tax increase, warns of bleak financial future
New Kensington-Arnold School Board approved a $37.9 million proposed budget Tuesday that includes a 3-mill increase in property taxes. The board went back and forth before the vote on whether to propose an increase of 2 or 3 mills, but opted for the higher increase to provide the cash-strapped district...
Medical examiner identifies man found in Monongahela River
A man found dead in the Monongahela River on Sunday has been identified. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the man as Kenneth Subotich, 55, of Munhall. According to the medical examiner, Subotich was found at mile marker 5.5 of the river. Crews from Baldwin and the Pittsburgh Bureau of...
Gas prices continue to rise as easing covid-19 restrictions spark demand
The average price of gasoline rose in the Pittsburgh area and across the nation on higher demand as states relax covid-19 restrictions. “As long as covid-19 cases continue to drop over time … I suspect it is only a matter of time before (the national) average price hits the $2...
New Ken-Arnold honoring graduates with photos, parade, virtual ceremony
The New Kensington-Arnold School District has announced its graduation plans for the Class of 2020, altered by the covid-19 pandemic. The district started delivering caps and gowns to its seniors at their homes on Friday morning, according to a letter to seniors and parents from Principal Patrick Nee Jr. The...
Community rallies to support victims of Lower Burrell apartment building fire
As a Lower Burrell apartment building was burning Thursday, Laura Edwards was already thinking about helping the people who were losing their homes. She organized a relief effort at Lower Burrell Volunteer Fire Department No. 3 on Saturday and was overwhelmed by the community’s response. The large fire department garage...
Police: Summit Twp. man jailed after pointing rifle at Butler state troopers
State police said troopers took cover behind their cruiser Friday when a Butler County man allegedly pointed a rifle at them. State police said in a press release that Butler patrol units went to Bonniebrook Road in Summit Township shortly before 2 p.m. because of a dispute between neighbors. Troopers...
‘Wandering Minstrels of Arnold’ planned in place of canceled park concert
The streets of Arnold will be alive with the sounds of music on the last Sunday of May. Mayor Joseph Bia II said he came up with the idea for the “Wandering Minstrels of Arnold” after learning that the annual Rockin’ Roosevelt concert had been canceled this year because of...
Detectives: 2 teens opened fire on New Kensington undercover officers
Two men are accused of firing nearly a dozen shots at three New Kensington police officers who were following them in February. Westmoreland County Detectives said Ezra Michael Grant, 19, of Greensburg, and J’Lamar Jeremiah Washington, 18, of Duquesne, face three counts each of attempted homicide, assault of a law...
Proposed New Kensington-Arnold budget has $1.2M deficit, 2.3% tax hike
New Kensington-Arnold’s proposed budget for the 2020-21 school year now includes a 2-mill property tax increase, but some board members are asking if it should be higher. Such a tax hike amounts to 2.3%. The school board discussed the budget during a virtual finance committee meeting Tuesday. It is scheduled...
Police charge 3rd person in murder of Armstrong County man in Arnold alley last June
A third person has been charged in the murder of an Armstrong County man in a drug deal gone bad in Arnold last year, police Chief Eric Doutt said Wednesday. Santyna Marie Bennett, 26, of Arnold is or was the girlfriend of Allen Duwayne Herring, 33, of Braddock, who is...
Elderly couple carried out of their Arnold house as fire rips through vacant house next door
Paramedics carried an elderly couple out of their Arnold home when it was threatened by fire Tuesday. Firefighters stopped the fire from spreading from the empty house it started at, and no one was hurt, officials said. Todd Hutchison said he called 911 to report the fire in the 1300...
Highlands School Board appoints new solicitor as collector of overdue property taxes
Former Highlands School District Solicitor Ira Weiss said his firm wasn’t given a chance to defend its record collecting delinquent property taxes for the district before being ousted from the job. The school board voted 7-1 on Monday to appoint Andrews & Price as delinquent property tax collector, effective Tuesday....
New Kensington seeking bids to resurface Carl Avenue, 3 other streets
New Kensington plans to resurface parts of four city streets this year. The city will mill and resurface the following streets: • Carl Avenue, from Route 366 to Craigdell Road. • Freeport Road, from 7th Street to Short Street. • Short Street, from Freeport Road to Ridge Avenue. • Locust...
Gas prices continue to rise, but are expected to remain lower than they have been in years
Gasoline prices are rising in the Pittsburgh area and across the nation as demand for fuel is increasing with states beginning to reopen their economies and loosen covid-19 restrictions. Warmer weather also is drawing more people outdoors. The price-tracking service GasBuddy said the average gas price in the Pittsburgh area...
Westmoreland County Housing Authority confirms 1st covid-19 case at Parnassus Manor
A resident of Parnassus Manor in New Kensington has tested positive for covid-19, Westmoreland County Housing Authority Executive Director Michael Washowich said Friday. The resident, who is not being identified because of privacy laws, notified the authority Thursday. The authority alerted residents of the high-rise the same day, he said....
Citizens School of Nursing graduates ready to work during covid-19 pandemic
Graduating from nursing school during the covid-19 pandemic made Michelle DeBernardin more certain of her decision to become a nurse. “I’m not afraid to get to work. This is what we prepared for,” she said. “It’s certainly not the ideal situation to walk into as a new nurse, but we...
Police: New Kensington mother left son, 3, in care of abusive boyfriend charged with killing him
A New Kensington 3-year-old who died after suffering alleged abuse at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend had been treated for a broken bone in January, according to a criminal complaint supporting charges against the boy’s mother. Mikel Fettermanwas in cardiac arrest when paramedics found him early March...
Allegheny Family Network resuming free shuttle service in Highlands area
A free shuttle service will resume normal operations in the Highlands area next week. The shuttle, operated by Allegheny Family Network North with W.L. Roenigk Transportation, will resume on Tuesday, the network announced. The shuttle offers 13 stops in Brackenridge, Harrison and Tarentum between about 10 a.m. and 11 a.m....
Relatives parade past loved ones at Brackenridge nursing homeVideo
The covid-19 pandemic has kept families separated from their loved ones at a Brackenridge nursing home for two months, their contact limited to video calls and window visits. That came to an end Wednesday afternoon, when relatives of residents at Platinum Ridge Center for Rehabilitation and Healing took part in...
Police seize drugs, stolen gun after drug sting in Arnold
Three Arnold residents are facing felony drug and other charges after police allege they made a controlled buy of cocaine. The arrests Tuesday resulted in the seizure of unspecified quantities of cocaine and crack cocaine, a stolen gun, and more than $5,000 in cash, police said in court documents. Arrested...
E. coli contamination prompts health alert for frozen beef ravioli made in Pennsylvania
Federal food safety authorities are concerned that some people could have beef ravioli in their freezers that is contaminated with E. Coli. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a public health alert because about 70 pounds of raw beef ravioli produced by P&S Ravioli Co....
Highlands facing $5M deficit in coming fiscal year
Highlands School District plans to use reserve money to cover a nearly $5 million budget deficit projected for the 2020-21 school year. Contributing to the sizable deficit are an anticipated sharp decline in local revenues because of the coronavirus pandemic and a proposed $3 million increase in spending. “It’s not...
New Kensington minister remembered for his concern for people
The Rev. Lovie Scott is being remembered as a man who cared about and inspired people and who worked to help them get jobs. Pastor Lovie L. Scott Jr., of New Kensington, died Friday, May 8, 2020. He was 74. His cause of death was not disclosed. Kevin Bode met...
Tarentum threatens to end longstanding water agreement with neighboring East Deer
Tarentum officials are threatening to pull the plug on a water agreement with neighboring East Deer — 12 years from now. Tarentum Council voted to notify East Deer that it will opt out of the existing agreement, scheduled to expire in 2032, because officials said it is no longer in...
