Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 125
Burrell High graduates rode out Dorian, ‘made the best of it’
An Alle-Kiski Valley family that relocated to the North Carolina coast weathered Hurricane Dorian without much trouble. Erika Fitch said there wasn’t any damage to her parents’ home in Topsail, about 30 miles north of Wilmington. Fitch, from Upper Burrell, and her fiance, Patrick, from Lower Burrell, both 25, moved...
Harrison to start hydrant flushing Monday
The Harrison Township Water Authority announced that it will start flushing fire hydrants on Monday. The project, which involves flushing 280 hydrants, is expected to take about six weeks to finish, authority general Manager Charles Craig said. Craig said crews will start in the Natrona area and work their way...
Ten Commandments monument dedicated at new home in New KensingtonVideo
A Ten Commandments monument stood outside New Kensington’s Valley High School when Adele Jablonski was a student there decades ago. On Thursday, Jablonski, 64, joined students from Mary Queen of Apostles School, including her 9-year-old granddaughter, Liliana Hadley, at a ceremony dedicating and blessing the monument in front of its...
Familiar faces will staff new First Commonwealth Bank in HarrisonVideo
First Commonwealth Bank will be opening its new office in Harrison on Monday. For customers unsure about the move 2 miles down Freeport Road, a familiar face will be there — Cheryl Rezak. Rezak, 59, has worked at the bank in Heights Plaza shopping center for nearly 40 years. She...
Burrell grads set to ride out Hurricane Dorian in N.C.
Erika Fitch and Patrick Duffey wanted to try something new, so the 2012 graduates of Burrell High School packed up their apartment in Robinson and moved to North Carolina three months ago. Preparing for a hurricane wasn’t the new experience they were looking for, but that’s what they’ve found themselves...
Tarentum considering installing electric vehicle charging station
An electric vehicle charging station could be coming to Tarentum — and using it might be free. Borough officials are considering installing one or more ChargePoint charging stations in the borough parking lot near J.G.’s Tarentum Station Grille. A state reimbursement program would cover most of the installation cost, borough...
Communities asked to extend sanitary authority for $18M loan
The four communities that founded the Upper Allegheny Joint Sanitary Authority are being asked to extend its life so the authority can borrow $18 million. The money would be spent on equipment and infrastructure such as a bigger pump station and lines and a new retention tank to increase the...
Traffic restrictions continuing on East 10th in Tarentum
Work that tied up traffic on East 10th Street in Tarentum on Tuesday will continue Wednesday, borough Manager Michael Nestico said. Borough public works crews on Tuesday were helping a private contractor repair a collapsed manhole and pipe on East 10th near Ormond Street. Nestico said he learned late Tuesday...
Analyst: Hurricane Dorian not expected to impact gas prices
Gas prices have continued to fall locally and across the nation, and they are expected to continue falling with the switch to cheaper winter gasoline and plummeting demand, an industry analyst says. “While a China/U.S. trade deal could undermine the normal seasonal decline in prices that we anticipate, its still...
Hand, fingerprints sought for new sign at Tarentum community garden
The growing season is starting to wind down at Tarentum’s Greg Blythe Friendship Garden, and children and families are being invited to the garden this weekend. In addition to a work day on Saturday, children and families will be able to contribute their finger and handprints for a new, permanent...
Tarentum Recreation Board hosting health fair in park
Helping people live a healthier life is the driving force behind a new health fair in Tarentum. The Tarentum Recreation Board is holding the fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Carl J. Magnetta Jr. Memorial Amphitheater in Riverview Memorial Park. “Health fairs serve a lot of...
2 killed in head-on Penn Hills crash identified
Two people died Sunday in a two-vehicle, head-on crash on Hulton Road in Penn Hills. The crash, in the area of 930 Hulton Road was reported just after 5 p.m., an Allegheny County emergency dispatcher said. According to Penn Hills police Chief Howard Burton, the crash occurred when one of...
Tarentum book publisher plans new chapter after bankruptcyVideo
A Tarentum book and magazine publisher plans to remain in business as it reorganizes under bankruptcy protection. Costello Industries, which does business as Costello Printing and Design and Word Association Publishers, filed a voluntary petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of...
Company battling for Tarentum billboard pursuing signs in Harrison, too
A company fighting in court to put billboards in Tarentum now wants to place two in Harrison. Oliver Development wants to put two signs atop a pole on property along Alter Road, next to Route 28, according to documents the company has filed with the township. The vacant land is...
Emergency repair to restrict East 10th Avenue traffic in Tarentum
Traffic is expected to be restricted on East 10th Avenue in Tarentum for an emergency repair on Tuesday, according to the borough. Traffic is scheduled to be reduced to one lane between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on East 10th near Ormond Street, borough Manager Michael Nestico said. The borough’s...
Alle-Kiski Valley host families sought for 8 exchange students
Host families are needed for foreign exchange students for this school year. According to Kathy Harenski, the AFS liaison coordinator for Western Pennsylvania, the eight students needing families to stay with come from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Japan and China. They are between 15 and 17 years old. They can...
Police: Armed customer robs Subway in Butler County
State police are investigating an armed robbery at a Subway restaurant in Butler County. According to state police, the robbery happened around 8:50 p.m. Wednesday at the shop at 1768 N. Main St. Ext. in Center Township. Police said a man placed an order and then drew a handgun. He...
‘Ghostbusters’ returning to theaters for 35th anniversaryVideo
They’re still the ones ya gonna call. The original 1984 “Ghostbusters” will be returning to movie theaters for its 35th anniversary in October. Tickets for the Fathom Events presentations on Sunday, Oct. 6, and Thursday, Oct. 10 are on sale. In addition to having the classic movie back on the...
Infant twins, triplets sought for Amazon film in Pittsburgh
A Pittsburgh casting company is seeking infant twins or triplets for an Amazon Studios movie filming in the area this fall. Mosser Casting is looking for identical, white, male twins and triplets who will be between 3 and 9 months old by the start of filming on Oct. 23. The...
Harrison’s Kaley Bastine spreading police fundraising efforts to New Kensington
A Harrison girl is branching out in her efforts to support police — even crossing a river. Kaley Bastine, 7, will be selling cupcakes from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sept. 28 at Bird Dog’s Sports Bar & Grill in Harrison to raise money for New Kensington police Officer...
Westmoreland 9/11 monument subject of Tarentum museum program
A group working to dedicate a monument to honor veterans of the war on terrorism 20 years after the 9/11 attacks will be holding an informational program in Tarentum. The Westmoreland County Veterans of the War on Terror will hold the free event at the Alle-Kiski Valley Heritage Museum at...
Harrison awarded 50 more trees for planting campaign
Harrison’s tree-planting campaign is growing, with plans for another 50 to be planted in the township this year. Those trees will bring the number planted in the township since 2016 to 140, according to Harrison Commissioner Chuck Dizard. The latest crop is expected to be planted in early November. The...
Harrison approves spending for war memorial restoration
Harrison commissioners approved spending a little more than $20,000 on a project to repair the township’s World War II Honor Roll memorial. A volunteer committee developed a plan to save the memorial at Freeport and Springhill roads that includes repairing its crumbling structure and replacing its panels of painted-on names...
New Ken-Arnold extends contracts for superintendent, athletic director, business manager
New Kensington-Arnold School District extended its contracts with Superintendent John Pallone and two other administrators. The extensions for Pallone and athletic Director William Colosimo come two years ahead of the end of their current contracts. The extension for Jeff McVey, director of administrative services, is one year early. The three-year...
Mosquito tests positive for West Nile Virus in New Kensington
A mosquito sample from New Kensington tested positive for West Nile virus, the state West Nile Control Program announced Monday. It came from a trap set by the Westmoreland County Conservation District, according to state Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Lauren Fraley. “Additional trapping will be conducted to gather more...
