Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 137
Dr. Phil apologizes to Slippery Rock, says didn’t know it was real
Phil McGraw, best known as “Dr. Phil,” apologized to Slippery Rock University after slighting the university in comments he made about the college admissions scandal. McGraw said he didn’t know Slippery Rock University existed and thought he was making up the name. “Please accept my apology for referring to ‘Slippery...
Gas prices continue climb in Pittsburgh, across the nation
Gasoline prices are continuing to rise in the Pittsburgh area and across the nation. Pittsburgh prices are up 5.8 cents per gallon in the past week, to an average of $3.10, according to GasBuddy. That’s 32.6 cents per gallon more than a month ago, and 4.6 cents per gallon more...
Highlands pays $31K settlement to former teacher
The Highlands School District is paying a former teacher more than $30,000 as part of a settlement and release agreement. The school district released the agreement with Andrew B. Kotyk on Thursday. The school board had approved it in March. The school district refused to release the agreement when it...
Community Library of Allegheny Valley looking for new ‘friends’Video
The Community Library of Allegheny Valley is looking for a new generation of volunteers. For more than 20 years, the Friends of the Community Library of Allegheny Valley have helped support the library through events, activities and fundraisers. They’ve been its face, its advocates — its champions. But the nonprofit...
Allegheny Valley Hospital seeks lobby volunteers
Allegheny Valley Hospital is looking for volunteers to join the hospital’s lobby escort team. According to the hospital, lobby escorts greet outpatients and visitors and help them find their destination in the hospital. “This position offers significant opportunity to work directly with patients and their families,” the hospital said. Openings...
First Commonwealth announces closing, opening dates in Harrison
First Commonwealth Bank will be closing its existing bank in Harrison and opening a new location nearby in September, the bank has told customers in a letter. According to the letter, the bank’s existing location in Heights Plaza will permanently close at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 6. The new...
Walmart holding spring wellness event at Pittsburgh-area stores
Walmart will be offering free health screenings at all of its stores in southwestern Pennsylvania on Saturday. The screenings will be available between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., the company announced. Services and information that will be offered include: • Free total cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose and body mass...
3 Highlands teachers receive grants from school retiree group
Three Highlands teachers have received grants from the Pennsylvania Association of School Retirees. High school Spanish teacher Laura Proano and Kevin Mason, a fifth-grade teacher at the middle school, are sharing a $750 educational support grant from the association. Jody Shumaker, a second-grade teacher at Highlands Elementary School, received a...
Highlands Elementary school to showcase technology
The technology that Highlands elementary students use for learning will be on display during an upcoming event. Highlands Elementary School and Remake Learning will host a “Technology Showcase” on the evening of Thursday, May 9. It will run from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria at the school...
School bus company owner cautions that switching carriers can be tricky
Price shouldn’t be the only consideration in choosing a school bus company, but price was why Mark D. Schmitt didn’t make an offer to the Highlands School District. Schmitt owns Monark Student Transportation in Richland and has been in the business his entire life. He considered submitting a proposal to...
Highlands searching for new assistant superintendent
The Highlands School District is looking for a new assistant superintendent. The position became vacant when the school board named Monique Mawhinney to replace Michael Bjalobok as superintendent beginning April 1. Mawhinney started as the district’s assistant superintendent in April 2018. The district had not had an assistant superintendent since...
Bridge replacement to close Harrison road for 3 months
Part of Pleasantville Road in Harrison will be closed for three months while a bridge is being replaced, PennDOT announced Wednesday. The work to replace the bridge over Little Bull Creek between Burtner Road and Keystone Street is scheduled to start at 7 a.m. on Monday. Pleasantville Road will be...
Vote to replace Roenigk bus company at Highlands comes up short
The Highlands School Board came up one vote short Tuesday in a move to replace the district’s longstanding bus company, W.L. Roenigk, with a competitor, ABC Transit. The board held a special meeting at the high school Tuesday after a vote to award the five-year contract to ABC Transit was...
West Mifflin police seek help finding 2 missing teen girls
West Mifflin police are asking for the public’s help finding two missing teen girls. Someone last had contact with Brianna Shumard, 17, on Feb. 24, police said. She is described as having dark or multi-colored hair, and weighing 130 pounds. Bailey Reagan, 15, was last seen between 2 a.m. and...
Harrison commissioners OK removing roads from projects
Harrison may not be able to repair all the roads it planned to this year. The township sought bids to resurface 18 roads and to seal and coat nine alleys and lanes. The two contracts came in at $481,500, nearly $80,000 more than the township budgeted, according to township Engineer...
Volunteers sought for Harrison war memorial committee
Anyone interested in helping restore Harrison’s crumbling Honor Roll war memorial is asked to attend an upcoming meeting. A committee is being formed to address the condition of the memorial, prominently located at the intersection of Freeport and Springhill roads. The meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 2...
Harrison to tend to grass at historic Burtner House
Harrison commissioners agreed to help the volunteers struggling to operate the township’s historic Burtner House. With fewer than 10 active members, the Burtner House Restoration Society said earlier this year it was becoming impossible for it to maintain the home and that the group was in danger of shutting down....
End of Iran waivers could cause gas prices to go higher, analyst says
Pittsburgh gas prices have fallen 1.2 cents per gallon in the past week to $3.04 per gallon, according to GasBuddy. Gas prices in Pittsburgh are 27.7 cents per gallon higher than a month ago, and are 8.5 cents per gallon higher than a year ago. According to GasBuddy, Pittsburgh prices...
Easter Bunny to skydive into Harrison Easter egg hunt
The Easter Bunny is set to skydive Saturday into an egg hunt at Golden Rams Stadium. Generations House of Worship will host its sixth annual Easter Egg Hunt and Celebration from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the stadium and Highlands Middle School, 1350 Broadview Boulevard in Harrison. The Easter...
Allegheny Valley Hospital plans week-long celebration of 110th anniversary
Allegheny Valley Hospital has a week of events planned to celebrate its 110th anniversary. The events will be held the week of May 6 at the hospital in Harrison. Festivities will include a community night with kids’ activities and a big-band concert, a Stork Club recognition for people who were...
Springdale Township approval finalizes police merger with Cheswick
Springdale Township commissioners have approved merging the township’s police department with Cheswick’s, effectively ensuring the creation of the new Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department. Cheswick Council gave its OK to the proposed merger earlier this month. Township commissioners voted 4-0, with one abstention, to create the new, merged department with...
Summit firefighters reschedule boot drive that funds Tarentum fireworks
Summit Hose has rescheduled Saturday’s “boot drive” fundraiser that helps pay for Tarentum’s Fourth of July fireworks display. The boot drive now will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 4 at the Tarentum end of the Tarentum Bridge. Chief Joshua Fox said the drive was rescheduled because...
Highlands seeking bids for Tarentum clock tower restoration
Highlands School District is seeking bids for the restoration of the clock tower on its elementary school in Tarentum. The district decided to repair the clock tower at Highlands Elementary after learning that removing it would cost more than fixing it, according to district officials. The prospect of removing the...
Highlands School District’s closed meetings ignore state transparency laws, expert says
The Highlands School Board is skirting Pennsylvania’s transparency laws and violating the district’s own policies by holding private committee meetings where important matters are discussed behind closed doors, according to a legal expert and a review of district policies and practices. At a public meeting Monday, board member Judy Wisner,...
Harrison residents learn about rain garden projects, tree benefitsVideo
There is a plan to speed up construction of two rain gardens in Harrison that are designed to help control stormwater runoff. They were unveiled Wednesday at a meeting at the municipal building. The first and smaller of the two will be built this year on the grounds of Highlands...
