Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 117
2 more Pa. deaths reported as flu cases continue to increase
The past week saw another sharp increase in confirmed influenza cases across Pennsylvania and two additional flu-associated deaths, according to data released Tuesday by the state Health Department. As of the week ending Dec. 28, a total of 17,349 laboratory-confirmed flu cases have been reported this season. That’s up 56%...
Property tax hike needed to maintain services, New Kensington officials say
A property tax increase is needed for New Kensington to maintain its services, officials said as council unanimously approved the city’s 2020 budget and tax rate Monday. Police protection is among those services. The city hired five new officers this year, which accounts for much of the 3% increase in...
Gas prices move higher, ending 7 weeks of drops
A seven-week streak of falling gasoline prices ended as prices rose nationally and in the Pittsburgh area over the past week, according to price-tracking service GasBuddy. The national average price of gasoline is up 1.6 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.57, according to GasBuddy. That’s 2 cents...
Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls increasing for 12th straight year
Motorists using the Pennsylvania Turnpike will pay more in tolls starting Jan. 5, marking the 12th straight year the Turnpike Commission has raised prices to help it cover state-mandated payments to PennDOT. The commission said tolls are going up 6% next year, but they’re actually increasing more because the commission...
Demolition project intended to spur sale of former victims shelter in TarentumVideo
A Tarentum domestic violence shelter hopes that tearing down one of its buildings will help it sell another. The dilapidation of a building that once housed the Alle-Kiski Area HOPE Center’s offices at 415 E. Sixth Ave. has hindered the center’s efforts to sell its former shelter building next to...
Highlands asks federal court to throw out former principal’s lawsuit
Highlands School District asked a federal court Monday to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a former principal claiming the district and its superintendent retaliated against her for taking unpaid leave and dating a former teacher. In a 29-page filing in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania,...
Tarentum to solicit garbage haulers after Waste Management price increase
Tarentum will be looking for prices from other garbage haulers after Waste Management proposed increasing the rate it charges the borough, according to borough Manager Michael Nestico. “We want to see what options we have here,” he said. “Council was initially hopeful to keep Waste Management. They like the service...
Officials: Flu continues to slam Western Pennsylvania
State health officials are concerned about the growing number of confirmed flu cases in Allegheny County and all of Western Pennsylvania, a spokeswoman said Tuesday. Western Pennsylvania is the hardest hit region of the state so far this season, which began Sept. 29, spokeswoman Brittany Lauffer said. Laboratory-confirmed flu cases...
East Deer residents facing higher water bills after Tarentum increases bulk cost
East Deer residents will pay more for water after Tarentum increased what it charges the township for bulk water, but exactly how much more is not yet known. East Deer buys water from Tarentum, then distributes it to its customers. East Deer Commissioner Tony Taliani said the township will not...
Here’s how to track Santa on Christmas Eve
Christmas has begun, and Santa Claus has started making his trip around the world. And just like you can track where that jogging outfit you bought on Amazon for Aunt Gladys is, you can track the jolly old elf. The North American Aerospace Defense Command — commonly known by its...
Police: Burglars caught on video taking large safe from Beaver County business
State police said they are searching for two people who stole a large safe from a Beaver County business earlier this month. The suspects were captured on a surveillance camera loading the safe into the bed of a pickup, according to state police. Police said the theft happened at Parsons...
New Kensington Council schedules special meeting to adopt budget, tax increase
New Kensington Council has scheduled a special meeting to adopt the city’s 2020 budget, which includes a proposed property tax increase. Council will meet at 5 p.m. Dec. 30 in council chambers at city hall, 301 11th St. Council earlier this month approved an $8.1 million preliminary budget that would...
Winning $1.28M lottery ticket sold at Penn Hills store
A winning lottery ticket worth $1.28 million was sold at a Shop ‘N Save store in Penn Hills, the Pennsylvania Lottery announced Monday. The Match 6 lotto ticket matched all six numbers in Sunday’s drawing — 5, 9, 21, 22, 23, and 37 — to win the jackpot. The $2...
Gas prices expected to end year on downward path, analyst says
The national average price of gasoline has seen its seventh weekly decline, falling to a new low since March, according to price tracking service GasBuddy. While average prices in the Pittsburgh area and nationally are lower than they were a month ago, both are notably higher than a year ago....
Week in review: Trump impeachment, diocese mergers, Pryor falloutVideo
It was a historic week in national news as Democrats in the U.S. House voted to impeach President Trump on charges of abusing the power of his office and obstructing Congress, prompting protests across the nation and in the Pittsburgh area. Other news included a woman charged with stabbing a...
Valley High School volleyball tournament benefits Salvation Army food pantry
Valley High School students served up nearly 3,000 cans of food Friday as part of the school’s seventh annual Christmas Classic Volleyball Tournament. “That’s amazing,” Salvation Army Capt. Phillip Davies said of the students’ efforts. “The need is so great at this time of the year. Our inventory of emergency...
Parents of premature baby killed in Warren County crash
A GoFundMe campaign has raised almost $14,000 to help the four children of a couple killed in a car crash in Warren County. Stephen Charles Rothrauff, 39, and his fiancee, Jessica Lee Camp, 32, of Mead Township, had four children, including a premature baby born just five days before they...
Mon Wharf remains closed as cold prevents flood cleanup
Pittsburgh commuters who use the Mon Wharf will have to find another place to park Friday. The wharf will remain closed Friday, the Pittsburgh parking authority announced. The wharf flooded after heavy rain that fell over the Monongahela and Cheat river basins earlier this week. “Although the river has receded...
Highlands superintendent schedules more ‘Coffee Talks’ with parents
Highlands School District parents will get more opportunities to talk with the district’s superintendent and administrators in January. Superintendent Monique Mawhinney has scheduled a second round of “Coffee Talks” that will be held in the evening. The first series of meetings had been held in the mornings in late September...
Mother, 2 young children rescued from Parks house fire
A mother and her two young children were rescued from their burning home early Thursday morning in Armstrong County. The fire in the 1600 block of Dime Road in Parks was reported shortly before 5:30 a.m. Firefighters from seven departments battled temperatures in the low teens to put out the...
Allegheny County sees 66% increase in flu cases over past week
The Pittsburgh area continues to lead the state in confirmed flu cases, with a large increase in Allegheny County in the past week. There were more than 6,900 confirmed influenza cases statewide as of the week ending Dec. 14, according to the state Department of Health. That is a 57%...
Police: Woman shot on Pittsburgh-Penn Hills border in critical condition
A woman was in critical condition after being shot along the border of Penn Hills and Pittsburgh on Tuesday night. Officers from both municipalities responded around 9:15 p.m. to a report that a woman had been shot multiple times in the 200 block of Eastgate Drive in Penn Hills, according...
Police: Butler County couple stole more than $340K from employer
State police say a Clinton Township husband and wife stole more than $340,000 from their former employer over two years. Adam Joshua Lesseski, 35, and Kara Lynn Lesseski, 37, took the money from Concrete Coring in Jefferson Township between January 2017 and last March , police said. Adam Lesseski was...
New Kensington residents won’t pay more with new garbage hauler
New Kensington will switch garbage haulers in 2020, but residents won’t pay more for trash collection. City council awarded the contract to County Hauling, a division of Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill of Rostraver. The company will replace Waste Management, which has been the city’s hauler for several years. The cost to...
Police: Baby OK after being found on Brighton Heights porch
A baby was in good health after being found on a porch in Pittsburgh’s Brighton Heights neighborhood early Tuesday morning. According to police, officers went to a residence in the 1900 block of Termon Avenue around 12:30 a.m. A woman told officers she heard knocking on her door for several...
