Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 116
$125K state grant to help Arnold bring back city administrator post
Arnold is bringing back the position of city administrator two years after it eliminated the post to have a clerk oversee day-to-day operations, and the state will pick up some of the costs for at least three years. “We need to have someone who can be more focused and given...
Arnold fills vacant council seat, opening up seat on redevelopment authority
Filling a vacancy on Arnold Council created another opening in the city. Council chose Adam Zweig to fill an empty council seat created when former Councilman Joseph Bia was elected mayor in November. After being chosen, Zweig resigned as chairman of the city’s Redevelopment Authority. Solicitor David Regoli said Zweig...
Highlands organizations lobbying Port Authority for increased transit service
The head of the nonprofit Building Block of Natrona is lobbying for increased transit service that she said would provide residents of several Highlands communities with greater access to fresh food. “Along the Allegheny River it’s mostly economically disadvantaged families with no access to transportation and no access to fresh...
Flu-associated deaths increase to 24, state health officials report
The number of flu-related deaths in Pennsylvania has nearly doubled in the past week, according to data released Tuesday by the state Department of Health. The department reported there had been 24 flu-associated deaths this flu season through Saturday, up from 13 as of Jan. 4. As of this point...
Tarentum replaces streetlight at Lock Street and East 10th Avenue
A key Tarentum intersection that had been dark since a crash in November is again illuminated at night. Borough crews Monday replaced the streetlight at Lock Street and East 10th Avenue, Borough Manager Michael Nestico said. A light that had been there was knocked out Nov. 25 when a tractor-trailer...
Grant-funded programs to benefit Highlands students’ computer learning, vision care
Highlands School District will use one grant to improve computer science education, while another grant-funded program is aimed at improving students’ eyesight. The district has been awarded a $35,000 Smart Grant from the state to improve its elementary and middle school computer science programs, with a focus on increasing participation...
Cooling U.S.-Iran tensions bring lower oil, gas prices, analyst says
Gasoline prices fell in Pittsburgh and across the nation in the past week as oil prices fell along with tensions between the U.S. and Iran, according to price tracking service GasBuddy. “With Iran and the United States de-escalating rising tensions last week, oil prices plummeted back under $60 per barrel,...
Tarentum’s Perriello Produce shutting down retail business
If customers of his Tarentum produce store were a little short, Paul Perriello would tell them to catch him later. If kids came in hungry, he’d give them hoagies and milk and send them on their way. “That’s what a small businessman does: He takes care of the town,” Perriello...
Walmart offering flu shots at Western Pa. wellness clinics
Walmart announced Friday that low-cost flu shots will be available at wellness clinics in its stores on Saturday. The “Walmart Wellness Day” will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at all Walmart stores in Western Pennsylvania. The cash price for shots will start around $39, spokesman Keegan Gibson...
Construction set to start in spring on Harrison senior living development
Construction on a $10 million senior independent living facility in Harrison will start by May, the project’s developer said. Harrison’s planning commission gave final approval for the development plans for Riverview Senior Living at the former Highlands School District administration building on 11th Avenue. Work will take about 14 months...
Person under 50 among new Pennsylvania flu deaths, health department reports
Pennsylvania’s influenza epidemic claimed four more lives in the past week, including the first fatal case of the season involving a person younger than 50, according to data released Tuesday by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The number of laboratory-confirmed cases and flu-related hospitalizations surged over the past week, data...
Tarentum stays with Waste Management for at least 1 more year; rates unchanged
Tarentum is sticking with Waste Management as its garbage hauler for 2020 but will keep looking for a new one, borough Manager Michael Nestico said. The one-year contract council accepted with Waste Management keeps the borough’s cost unchanged at about $165 per ton. Tarentum opted not to increase residents’ $22...
Tarentum Council keeps Snyder to fill vacant seat, changes officers, meetings
A Tarentum business owner first appointed to Tarentum Council nearly a year ago has been appointed again. Council chose Brian Snyder to again fill a vacant council seat representing the borough’s 3rd Ward. He replaces Carrie Fox, who resigned the ward seat after winning both it and the one at-large...
Stowe police wound suspect in shooting near Sto-Rox High School
A Stowe Township police officer fired his gun at a man who had been driving a car that may have been involved in a shooting near Sto-Rox High School Monday afternoon, Allegheny County Police said. Police said the man was grazed by the bullet and taken into custody. After being...
Oil prices rise on risk of Iranian retaliation for U.S. airstrike that killed general
There is a “distinct possibility” that escalating tensions between the United States and Iran may impact gasoline prices, a market analyst said. Whether that happens depends on if Iran retaliates for the airstrike that killed a top Iranian general, and if that retaliation targets oil infrastructure, said Patrick DeHaan, head...
Hulton Road fully reopens after months of landslide repair in Penn Hills
A section of Hulton Road along the border of Plum and Penn Hills that had been closed since July reopened Monday, PennDOT spokeswoman Yasmeen Manyisha said. Hulton Road had been closed for slide repair between Iowa Street and Michael Drive since July 1. A landslide in that area occurred in...
Plum businessman hooks investor on ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’
He got a deal. Plum’s Joe Altieri appeared on the ABC show “Shark Tank” on Sunday night, seeking an investment for his Murrysville window screen company, FlexScreen. After making his pitch and fielding questions from the show’s five “shark” investors, Altieri, 43, considered offers from Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner and...
Agreement restores WTAE to DirecTV customers
DirecTV subscribers in the Pittsburgh area will once again be able to view ABC affiliate WTAE-TV. In a joint statement Sunday, Hearst Television, parent company of WTAE, and AT&T, which owns DirecTV, announced they had entered into a new, multi-year retransmission agreement to provide Hearst-owned local broadcast stations to customers...
Neighbors rally around Allegheny Township couple after house fire
An online fundraising effort to help an Allegheny Township couple whose home was destroyed by fire Friday was approaching a $10,000 goal. By Sunday afternoon, the GoFundMe campaign to benefit Jason and Marissa Femc had raised $9,500 from more than 180 donors. The Femcs, who are newlyweds, lost all their...
Fight breaks out at Iran anti-war protest in Pittsburgh
An anti-war protest in Pittsburgh was peaceful on Saturday until a fight broke out. More than 100 people were taking part in the protest at Schenely Plaza in Oakland, the Trib’s news partner, WPXI-TV, reported. The protest started around 12:30 p.m. and was over by 2 p.m., a Pittsburgh police...
Soup for toddlers sold online recalled due to undeclared allergens, USDA says
A Massachusetts business is recalling about 200 pounds of lentil and beef soup for toddlers shipped to Pennsylvania and four other states and Washington, D.C., the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced. Kettle Cuisine Midco is recalling the ready-to-eat product because of misbranding and undeclared allergens, the department’s Food Safety and...
Mt. Pleasant Township vacant house fire ruled arson
A fire that damaged a vacant Mt. Pleasant Township home Friday night was intentionally set, according to state police. The fire at 513 Pine St. was reported shortly before 8:30 p.m. A state police fire marshal who investigated the fire found it had started at multiple points in the basement...
Police: Summit Academy student suffers injuries in 6-on-1 assault
Six students at a Butler County rehabilitation school were arrested after allegedly assaulting another student, according to state police. State police said the incident happened around 2:45 p.m. Thursday at Summit Academy on Herman Road in Summit Township. Summit Academy is a private residential school for at-risk youths between the...
WPXI restored to Verizon Fios customers; WTAE still off for DirecTV subscribers
An agreement has restored one Pittsburgh television station to customers of Verizon’s Fios service while a dispute continues to keep another off for DirecTV subscribers. Verizon announced to its customers Saturday night that it was able to reach an agreement with Cox Media Group that allows it to restore is...
Most recently called KeyBank Pavilion, Western Pa. concert venue is now S&T Bank Music Park
A Washington County concert venue known as much for its traffic snarls as well as its music acts will take on another new name as it enters its 30th year. S&T Bank announced Saturday that it is the new name sponsor for the Live Nation outdoor amphitheater near Burgettstown, formerly...
