Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 119
Repair cost of Highlands Elementary clock tower up $5K
The projected cost to repair the clock tower at Highlands Elementary School in Tarentum has gone up. The school board has approved paying the masonry contractor, Marsa, about $5,150 more on top of the district’s original $60,800 contract. Marsa was hired in August to restore the masonry of the tower,...
Longtime head of Highlands School Board loses bid to retain presidency
Debbie Beale has been a member of the Highlands School Board for nearly a quarter of a century, with half of that spent as its president. But the new school board that was seated on Tuesday ousted Beale from her post as president, and any other leadership position. The board...
Judge sends Tarentum billboard case back to borough’s Zoning Hearing Board
A company denied permission to place a billboard next to the Tarentum Bridge scored a victory Tuesday with an Allegheny County judge ruling that Tarentum’s Zoning Hearing Board must determine whether the borough’s zoning bans billboards. Common Pleas Judge Joseph James issued the single-sentence order in America First Enterprises’ appeal...
Public performance part of Honor Band Festival at Valley High School
Valley High School in New Kensington will host the annual Westmoreland County Senior High Honor Band Festival on Friday. The concert is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium. It is open to the public. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children under 10....
Cope named new president of New Kensington-Arnold School board
As he prepares to retire from his nearly 50-year teaching career, the new president of the New Kensington-Arnold School Board said he wants to be involved in the district’s schools as much as he can. “It’s an honor, it’s a duty, it’s a privilege,” John Cope said shortly after taking...
Average gas prices drop in Pittsburgh, U.S.
Gas prices moved lower in the Pittsburgh area and across the nation in the past week, according to the price-tracking website GasBuddy.com. In the Pittsburgh area, the average price dropped 1.2 cents per gallon to an average of $2.85, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 731 stations. That’s 2.3 cents per...
Black Friday deals lure shoppers into Alle-Kiski Valley stores early, often
Natalie Cale was moving through the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer, two stuffed bags in each hand, with a destination in mind. It was her car, where she planned to drop off her load of gifts before heading back in for more. Cale was finding the deals on this year’s...
Harrison preps tree, plaza for Christmas parade and festival
Organizers of Harrison’s Christmas parade and festival plan to hold the festival under a tent this year to avoid a repeat of last year, when Mother Nature was a Grinch and rained out the festivities. Rain or shine, the parade will begin at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, and is...
Week in review: Pirates’ new manager, Steelers’ new quarterback, John Shumway off radioVideo
This past week saw big changes with Pittsburgh’s sports teams — a new manager for the Pirates and a new starting quarterback for the Steelers. Also: John Shumway stepped down at KDKA Radio and a Mt. Pleasant Area Senior High School, who married his high school sweetheart, lost his battle...
Deer Lakes turkey trot raises money for cystic fibrosis research
Rebecca Dick figured she’d work off some calories before consuming more by taking part in the Deer Lakes Turkey Trot with her father, Robert. “He likes to run, and I like to eat a lot on Thanksgiving,” Dick, of West Deer, said Thursday morning after stretching outside of Deer Lakes...
Alle-Kiski Valley volunteers ensure no one goes hungry, lonely on Thanksgiving
While many are thankful for their own family on Thanksgiving, Madolyn Hyde was thankful for another. Hyde was among those who came to Cross Roads Community Presbyterian Church in Leechburg on Thursday for the free dinner now in its 10th year put on by Jamie Rimmel, members of her family...
Vandergrift brothers’ Turkey Bowl spans 3 generations of family, friends
Between 50 and 60 years ago, three brothers decided to play football in their small Vandergrift backyard on Thanksgiving. Pete Guerrera was 12 or 13; Michael Guerrera was 7; and Anthony Guerrera was 5. Now that they’re in their mid- to late 60s — or early 70s in Pete’s case...
Police: Man stable after being shot twice in East Hills
A man has been upgraded from critical to stable condition after being shot in Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood Wednesday night, according to police. Officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert and 911 calls of dozens of shots fired in the 2300 block of East Hills Drive just before 9:15 p.m. Officers...
Police: Woman says juveniles shot at her after she confronted them for targeting Mt. Washington cars
Pittsburgh police detained two juveniles early Thursday morning after a woman reported one of them fired a gun at her on Mt. Washington. According to police, officers went to a convenience store on Bailey Avenue just before 12:20 a.m. for a report of a person who was shot at in...
Closed stretch of Nadine Road reopens earlier than expected in Penn Hills
A section of Nadine Road in Penn Hills that has been closed since a collapse in July has reopened to traffic, Allegheny County Public Works announced Wednesday. Nadine between Allegheny River Boulevard and Lincoln Road closed on July 12 after storms caused a retaining wall to fall over and part...
Hempfield residents evacuated after crash damages natural gas line
About 20 residents in a Hempfield neighborhood were evacuated from their homes late Tuesday night as a precaution after a natural gas line was damaged during a car crash. The crash happened after 11 p.m. in the area of Swede Hill Road and Brownfield Drive, the Trib’s news partner, WPXI-TV,...
Crash causes outage, delayed start for Highlands ElementaryVideo
Highlands School District issued a two-hour delay for its elementary school in Tarentum on Tuesday. According to the district, a crash late Monday evening caused a power outage. Power was to be restored by mid-morning Tuesday. The delay affected only elementary students and staff. HIGHLANDS ELEMENTARY FAMILIES: Due to an...
National Weather Service issues wind advisory for Pittsburgh region
The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for most of the area beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday and continuing into Thursday morning. The wind is expected to start picking up in the mid-to-late morning Wednesday and continue through the afternoon, meteorologist Bill Modzelewski said. Sustained winds of 15...
Medical examiner: Monroeville woman died of brain injury 4 days after crash
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner determined the cause of the unexpected death of a 41-year-old Monroeville woman four days after a crash this month. Nicole Hilla died from a hypoxia brain injury, the medical examiner’s office said. She died at Forbes Hospital on Nov. 8 while being treated for injuries...
Rush bassist Geddy Lee to autograph book in Homestead
Rush frontman Geddy Lee is set to return to Pittsburgh, but he’ll be performing with a pen instead of a bass. Pittsburgh — Homestead, to be precise — is among three East Coast locations recently announced where Lee will be signing copies of his “Big Beautiful Book of Bass” —...
Rite Aid gives former pharmacy building to Tarentum church
Cathy Blythe was driving past the shuttered Rite Aid on Corbet Street in Tarentum when, she says, God spoke to her. He told her to call the real estate agent selling the building. Blythe took over as pastor of Abundant Joy Fellowship in Tarentum after her husband, Greg Blythe, died...
Pittsburgh gas prices rise as national average falls
Gasoline prices in the Pittsburgh area rose over the past week despite falling nationally, according to the price-tracking website GasBuddy.com. In the Pittsburgh area, gas prices went up 7.1 cents per gallon over the past week to an average of $2.86 per gallon, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 731 stations....
Police: 2 shot, killed in Wilkinsburg by passenger in their car
Allegheny County police believe a man and a woman were shot to death Sunday night in Wilkinsburg by a passenger their car. Police found Elarrah Nichole Findley, 18, of Pittsburgh lying in the road in the 700 block of Midland Street after multiple 911 calls were received shortly after 9...
Witness in New Kensington cop killer’s case transferred amid safety concerns
A key witness in the trial of convicted New Kensington cop killer Rahmael Holt has been transferred out of the Westmoreland County Prison, the District Attorney’s Office said Friday . Assistant District Attorney Jim Lazar said Tavon Harper is being held in Washington County “for his protection.” Harper, 29, was...
Court battle begins in Tarentum billboard case
An Allegheny County judge heard arguments Thursday in a case where a billboard company is fighting for the right to place a sign near the Tarentum Bridge. Staff for Common Pleas Judge Joseph James said he will render a decision in the case within a week. America First Enterprises, doing...
