Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 2
North Hills School Board reorganizes following November election
The North Hills School Board welcomed one new and three returning members when it reorganized on Tuesday, Dec. 2. Newcomer Anthony Hall was one of four Democrats elected to the board in November. Returning to the nine-member board are Sandra Kozer, Mike Santucci and Allison Mathis. Elizabeth Nease left the...
Virtual meeting set to review plans for bridge replacement on Anderson Road in Shaler
A virtual meeting is scheduled to discuss an upcoming project to replace a bridge carrying Anderson Road over Wible Run in Shaler. The bridge is located between White Tail Lane and Wible Run Road. An average of about 2,600 vehicles cross it every day, said Brent Wasko, spokesman for the...
Jacks Run Road bridge over I-279 in Ross expected to remain closed until fall 2027
North Hills-area motorists will have to find other ways around a closed bridge over Interstate 279 in Ross for about another two years, according to the Allegheny County Department of Public Works. The department closed Jacks Run Road Bridge No. 3 in July after inspectors found corroded steel in a...
Missouri teen driving stolen pickup arrested after chase with state police in Washington County
A Missouri teen driving a stolen pickup hit a truck and backed into a state police vehicle while trying to flee a traffic stop in Washington County on Tuesday, according to state police. State police said Kemari Kerney Flowers, 19, of Saint Peters, Mo. was arrested and would be charged...
West View mourning death of council vice president
West View Councilwoman M. Kimberly Steele died on Wednesday, Nov. 26, following a 10-month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 72. During her tenure on borough council, Steele had been president and was most recently vice president. She also had served on the West View Water Authority’s board of directors....
Washington police arrest 1 of 3 teen suspects in robbery, shooting at convenience store
Police in the city of Washington on Monday charged a 17-year-old as an adult in connection with a Sunday night robbery and shooting at a convenience store. Police allege that Julian Asbury, of Washington, was one of three armed teens who tried to rob the Washington Food Mart in the...
Man fatally shot by police on Parkway North was suspect in shooting of teen in Butler
A man who died after being shot by police on the Parkway North Saturday night was a suspect in a shooting in Butler Friday, according to Butler police Chief Bob O’Neill. In a statement released Monday, O’Neill identified the man as Devin Russell, 20, of Butler. According to O’Neill’s statement,...
Ross budget cuts fail to make dent in projected 8% property tax increase
Ross officials have continued to work on the township’s 2026 budget but have not found enough cuts to make a dent in a proposed 8% property tax increase. At a commissioners meeting Nov. 17, finance director Dan Berty told commissioners that while they found spending that could be cut, they...
West View manager proposes 24% property tax increase with 2026 budget
A nearly 24% property tax increase is included in West View’s proposed budget for 2026. In his budget report, borough Manager Bruce Fromlak says the 1.5 mill increase “is recommended to preserve fiscal stability and provide the resources necessary to maintain operations, meet contractual obligations and invest in future capital...
Etna mourning death of councilman, seeks resident to fill Second Ward seat
Candidates are being sought to replace Etna Councilman Edward V. Burke, 65, who died on Monday, Nov. 10. “We are extremely saddened by this loss, as Ed was kind and a hardworking volunteer on everything Etna, who always had a kind word for everyone,” the borough said Nov. 19. A...
Time capsule from 1990 opened at Highcliff Elementary School in Ross, 10 years after intended date
Students at North Hills’ Highcliff Elementary in Ross stumbled upon a time capsule in their school, a decade after it was planned to be opened. The capsule, created by students and staff in 1990, was found while the stage was being prepared for the Drama Club’s production of “Cinderella …...
No property tax increase planned in Hampton’s $19.75 million proposed budget for 2026
Hampton’s property tax rate would remain unchanged under the township’s proposed 2026 budget. The total tax rate would stay at 2.9241 mills. The owner of a property at Hampton’s median value of $175,000 would continue to pay about $512 annually. The tax rate consists of three parts — 1.979 mills...
2026 Etna budget holds line on property taxes, but garbage cost increasing
No property tax increase is included with Etna’s proposed 2026 budget, but residents will be paying more for garbage collection. The borough’s tax rate would remain at 9.5 mills. The owner of a property at Etna’s median value of $58,450 would continue to pay about $555 per year. “Council worked...
Shaler Area School Board approves plan to move grades, starting process to close elementary school
The Shaler Area School Board voted Wednesday, Nov. 19, to begin a process that will lead to the closing of the district’s elementary school. The board voted 8-0 to submit a reconfiguration plan to the state Department of Education to create four elementary schools to house kindergarten through fifth grade,...
Shaler Hampton EMS gets grant to help replace problematic ambulance
A state grant will help Shaler Hampton EMS replace a problematic ambulance that had broken down six times in less than two weeks, its chief said. The Commonwealth Financing Authority awarded a $213,041 grant to the ambulance authority that serves Shaler, Hampton and Etna. The grant comes from the Gaming...
Shaler parks study recommends $17 million community center in Kiwanis Park
A study of Shaler’s parks has recommended construction of a smaller community center in Kiwanis Park that would cost about $17 million. The plan, prepared by OHM Advisors, is expected to guide future parks and recreation investment and operations in the township for the next decade. In addition to studying...
Millvale’s Small Business Saturday event offers chance to discover ‘eclectic’ businesses
Since American Express started Small Business Saturday in 2010, Black Friday has typically been associated with hitting the malls and big-box retailers for after-Thanksgiving deals, while that Saturday is the day to support local businesses. But for Alec Munson, owner of B-Sides Vintage in Millvale since 2020, Black Friday had...
Ross Manager Ronald Borczyk, a West Deer resident, announces retirement
After nearly 30 years as an elected and appointed local government official, Ronald Borczyk is calling it a career. Borczyk, 67, will retire Jan. 9 from his current position as manager of Ross, Commissioner Dan DeMarco announced during the commissioners meeting on Monday, Nov. 17. “We’re gonna miss you, Ron,”...
No property tax increase included in Shaler’s proposed $17.4 million budget for 2026
Shaler property owners have not seen a township tax increase since 2020, and that trend is expected to continue for 2026. No property tax increase is included with Shaler’s proposed $17.4 million 2026 spending plan. The tax rate would remain at 3.49 mills. The last increase, from 2.49 mills to...
Man found shot on Pittsburgh’s Webster Avenue dies at hospital
A man died after being found shot in a street Sunday evening in Pittsburgh’s Middle Hill neighborhood, near Bedford Dwellings, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety. Police responded after a report of shots fired in the 2400 block of Webster Avenue was received shortly after 6 p.m. The man, found down...
Pitt students lose their hair in St. Baldrick’s fundraiser for childhood cancer research
If Allie Voss liked running her fingers through her boyfriend’s hair, she’s gonna be out of luck for a while. Her guy is Marko Rudek, 19, a 2024 Penn-Trafford graduate who’s now a sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh. He was among those who got their hair buzzed Sunday in...
Police seek surveillance video after KKK flyers found in Tarentum, Brackenridge; more found at IUP
A Brackenridge woman leapt into action after finding racist flyers in front of her home and up and down her street Saturday morning. Morgan Huey, 25, said she discovered the flyers with Ku Klux Klan messaging around 8:30 a.m. upon returning to her home in the 900 block of Ninth...
Veterans, their spouses & families honored at breakfasts in New Kensington, Harrison
Veterans, their spouses and families were honored Saturday with breakfasts in New Kensington and Harrison. Volunteers at Aluminum City Terrace served breakfast to veterans and their spouses at the housing complex originally built to house Alcoa workers during World War II. It’s been at least eight years since the last...
Former UPMC doctor accused of traveling to Florida to meet child for sex
A former UPMC doctor is one of six men accused of traveling to Florida to meet who they believed were 14-year-old girls for sex. Mohamed Kamal Mesregah, 38, of Egypt was most recently an orthopaedic foot and ankle clinical fellow at the University of Pittsburgh and previously was a pediatric...
Man found shot dead in Clairton
Police say a man was found shot dead behind a house in Clairton early Saturday morning. A report of shots fired in the parking lot of the Village Inn in the 800 block of Miller Avenue was made to 911 at 11:55 p.m. Friday, according to Allegheny County Police. First...
