Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 114

Highlands School District’s new superintendent formally resigned from her previous post with the district. Monique Mawhinney started as the district’s assistant superintendent in April 2018. She became substitute superintendent in place of former Superintendent Michael Bjalobok, who went on medical leave July 2 last year and retired on April 1....

Harrison commissioners are going to try to get by on one meeting per month instead of two. Commissioners President Bill Heasley said he is recommending the five-member board cancel its agenda meetings through August to see how it works. Those meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month....

Highlands School Board has postponed choosing a busing company from two bidders for the district’s transportation contract, while facing immense pressure to keep its long-time provider. The school board appeared set to vote Monday on approving a five-year agreement with ABC Transit. It would replace WL Roenigk, which Highlands has...

For the third time since January, a Highlands School District employee has been suspended without pay. The school board on Monday approved a statement of charges against the employee, who was placed on unpaid leave. The board did not identify the employee at its meeting Monday. The person was identified...

Going to the prom can cost a lot, and staff members at Highlands High School are seeking help make it more affordable for their students in need. Volunteers are being sought to do hair, makeup and nails for girls on the day of the prom, May 10. Not to leave...

Allegheny Valley Hospital is among seven Allegheny Health Network hospitals and affiliated institutes recognized by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association’s Blue Distinction Specialty Care program. Allegheny Valley earned a “Blue Distinction Center-Plus” designation for knee and hip replacement. The hospital was recognized for its efficiency in delivering care in...

Gas prices have topped $3 per gallon in the Pittsburgh area, and the nation is likely to be there soon, too. In Pittsburgh, the average price is $3.05 per gallon, up 12.5 cents from last week, according to GasBuddy. That’s 29.6 cents per gallon higher than a month ago, and...

Homeowners have insurance, and so should renters, says Dave Buono, a consumer liaison for the Pennsylvania Insurance Department. Renters need to know that their landlord or property owner’s insurance won’t cover their belongings in situations such as a fire, leaving them to pay to replace everything that is lost. Most...

Helping to save a New Kensington woman from her burning home may have reignited Wayne Erb’s interest in being a volunteer firefighter. Erb, 53, has been a member of New Kensington No. 4’s fire hall since 1987. But because of work and family, he hasn’t been responding to fires for...

For at least two of the survivors of a fire that destroyed a house in New Kensington about a week ago the experience, sadly, was deja vu. One lost a brother in a fire three decades ago. Another lost a home to a fire about 10 years ago. Kaylene Keener...

Tarentum electric crews were working Friday afternoon to find the cause of a power outage affecting several parts of the borough, according to borough Manager Michael Nestico. Nestico provided an update on the situation shortly before 4 p.m. He had been made aware of the outage around 1:30 p.m. Tarentum...

Allegheny Valley Hospital has been recognized for its care of stroke patients. The Harrison hospital earned an advanced certification for primary stroke centers from The Joint Commission, the hospital announced Friday. This is the first time the hospital has received the certification, Allegheny Health Network spokeswoman Stephanie Waite said. Founded...

East Deer will borrow $100,000 from Allegheny County to pay for its share of grants for several projects. More than half the money — $53,000 — will pay for East Deer’s share of relocating a waterline last year to accommodate the Rapid Bridge Replacement project on Freeport Road over Crawford...

Residents in Brackenridge, Harrison and Tarentum will be taking to their communities’ streets in coming weeks to clean up trash. Earth Day events are planned for Saturday, April 27, in Brackenridge and Harrison, and on the following weekend, Saturday, May 4, in Tarentum. All three are registered with the Great...

Navigating child service systems will be the focus of an upcoming mental health conference in Pittsburgh. Allegheny Family Network is presenting “Parents Moving Forward Together” from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 10 at the Pittsburgh Marriott City Center, 112 Washington Place, Downtown. The conference is open to any family...

Monday might not be fun day, but it’s the best day of the week in most states to save money at the gas pump. Drivers may be looking to save any way they can. Average gasoline prices are up 50 cents per gallon since January, with many metro areas across...

Harrison residents can learn more about a rain garden being built soon at Highlands Middle School and plans for a future, larger project on Burtner Road at a public meeting next week. The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and Merritt Chase, a landscape architecture firm, will display plans and designs for the...

Highlands School District, previously chastised by state officials for not seeking bids for busing, is weighing two proposals for transportation services. The district has proposals from its current and longtime provider, WL Roenigk, and ABC Transit, district business Manager Lori Byron said. Byron would not provide costs put forward in...

Highlands elementary students who aren’t up to speed in reading and math may be invited to take part in a summer school program. If approved by the school board, the district would be able to take up to 120 students in kindergarten through fourth grade, district curriculum coordinator Cathy Russo...

Tarentum police arrested a man Sunday who is accused of pulling a knife on another customer at the Praha Hotel who, police said, responded by drawing a gun. The incident happened shortly before 6 p.m. Sunday at the bar at Corbet Street and East Fourth Avenue. In a criminal complaint,...

Gasoline prices are continuing to rise in Pittsburgh and across the nation. “The national average gas price has now risen for two months straight, tacking on a total of 50 cents per gallon in the last 90 days, which will cost Americans nearly $200 million more at the pump today...

Two men were hurt Sunday in a one-vehicle crash on Little Deer Creek Road in West Deer that knocked out power in the area. Power had been restored to the more than 300 affected customers in West Deer, Frazer and Fawn, according to West Penn Power. According to West Deer...

A man driving a motorcycle died in a single-vehicle crash in Unity on Saturday afternoon. The crash in the area of 240 St. Vincent Drive, near Saint Vincent College, was reported shortly after 4:30 p.m., according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher. The person who reported the crash saw it...

A Boy Scout pointed out a big worm in the freshly placed compost, and Widgie Carson picked it up. “They’re not like a snake,” she said to a few Scouts she was giving tiny red beets to plant. “They won’t hurt you.” The Scouts, members of Troop 180, and Carson,...

A Duquesne police officer crashed his marked patrol car into a Port Authority bus while chasing a speeder Saturday afternoon, the department said. The crash happened shortly before 12:30 p.m. at Duquesne Boulevard and Grant Avenue. The officer involved, who was not identified, was not hurt but was taken to...