Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 32

The national average price of gasoline has dropped for four straight weeks to its lowest level since January, Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at price-tracking service GasBuddy, said Monday. “Every state has again seen average gasoline prices drop in the last week, and it remains very possible the...

New Kensington residents sang together before breaking bread together as the holiday season got underway in the city Friday night. Christie Sabulsky came to the lighting of the city’s Christmas tree for the first time with her children, Brayden, 9, and Brooklyn, 6. “I like when the community gets together,”...

Pittsburgh police say a man who died after being found unconscious in a downtown alley had been assaulted with a BB gun. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as Christopher Gaylor, 50. He died at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital. According to police, officers and medics went to Coffey...

The blade of a snowplow was quite a different canvas for Leechburg High School senior Jasa Oliver to work on. “I usually do traditional paper and pencil or digital art on my computer,” said Oliver, 18, of Gilpin. “It was very different, especially the proportion, the size and the curve...

Two-year-old Olivia Sikina calls Santa “Ho-Ho,” but her father wasn’t sure how she was going to react to seeing him. “We’ll see if she screams or cries. She seemed very excited at the house,” said Rick Sikina of Plum. “Last year, it didn’t go very well. I think she’s starting...

Alle-Kiski Valley residents interested in winning a decorated Christmas tree, wreath or menorah have a chance to do that while also helping the youngest victims of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Two Christmas trees, a wreath and a menorah are up for raffle at Allegheny Valley Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore in...

The Christmas season starts this weekend in New Kensington. Festivities begin Friday evening with the lighting of the city’s Christmas tree, followed by Mayor Tom Guzzo’s annual free dinner. The city’s Christmas parade will be held downtown Saturday morning, followed by free horse and carriage rides on Fifth Avenue. “This...

A car found abandoned after being wrecked in New Kensington on Friday morning had been stolen from its owner’s driveway the night before, police Chief Bob Deringer said this week. Deringer said the car, a Dodge Charger, was stolen in New Kensington sometime after 7 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. It...

Despite falling gas prices nationwide, Pennsylvania finds itself in the company of West Coast states with the highest average prices in the nation. Pennsylvania’s statewide average on Monday was about $3.97 per gallon, about 42 cents higher than the national average and higher than all surrounding states, according to AAA....

Plum’s annual “Christmas at Plum Creek” is moving this year, but Santa will know where to find it and all the boys and girls eager to tell him what’s on their lists. The event, in its sixth year, will be the first to be held at the borough’s new building...

In talking about the life of William “Bill” Tingle III, “Where do we start?” is not just a saying. His daughter, Susan Krumpe, asked that question herself as she remembered her father Friday. Bill Tingle was a soldier, a scientist, an inventor, a sailboat racer, a snow skier, a chess...

New Kensington police are investigating after a stolen car was found abandoned early Friday after being crashed along Freeport Road. The crash was reported shortly after 6 a.m. in the 2300 block of Freeport Road, across from Mary Queen of Apostles School, fire Chief Ed Saliba Jr. said. A Dodge...

Plum is not increasing real estate taxes, but would draw down its reserves by about 42% under the proposed budget for 2023. The entire proposed budget for all borough funds is about $23 million, Finance Director Michael Whitico said. That’s an increase of $3.42 million — or about 17.5% —...

A bus has been added for the second Shop Small Crawl in New Kensington to help shoppers get to the 50 businesses that will participate in the event on Small Business Saturday, which is Nov. 26 this year. The crawl first was held in 2021 to highlight the city’s growing...

Republican state Rep. Carrie Lewis DelRosso wasn’t going to run against veteran Democratic state Rep. Tony DeLuca. Part of that, she says, was a matter of respect between one Italian American and another after redistricting took her home in Oakmont out of her 33rd House District and put it in...

Colleen Clark-Sulava hasn’t been one to spend retirement in a rocking chair. She has been volunteering at Knead Community Cafe in New Kensington since its opening in 2017. “As much for me as anything, I wanted to feel I was doing something important,” she said. “I want my life in...

Amy and Jim Beninati raised their twins, Carly and Nathaniel, to value education. “We always thought it was important to do museums and science centers,” Amy Beninati said. “Play activities revolved around learning experiences in a fun way. They always enjoyed it, too. They seemed to have an affinity for...

The Pittsburgh area was treated to what a National Weather Service meteorologist called “snow globe snow” on Tuesday. “It’s very pretty. But, luckily, our ground is warm, so we’re not seeing it accumulate to the point it would cause any problems,” meteorologist Myranda Fullerton said. How true that was appeared...

After increasing the prior week, the national average price of gasoline posted a modest decline last week, with prices dropping in a majority of states, according to price-tracking service GasBuddy. The national average fell 2.6 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.76 on Monday, GasBuddy reported. That’s 14.3...

Despite rising costs, New Kensington is expecting to hold the line on property taxes next year. City Council preliminary approved a $9.2 million budget for 2023 that keeps the city’s property tax rate unchanged at 32.03 mills. The city would spend almost 9% more than its $8.5 million budget for...

An episode of a PBS series focusing on revitalization efforts in New Kensington is “a tremendous postcard for the city,” Mayor Tom Guzzo said. The episode of “Start Up” featuring Mike Malcanas and his Olde Towne Overhaul debuted at Voodoo Brewing New Kensington Pub on Friday evening. “Anyone who watches...

A 73-year-old man died Wednesday evening after a crash in Upper Burrell. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as Joseph Demichele of Penn Township. The two-vehicle crash on Milligantown Road, between Stoney Hill Road and Rustic Lane, was reported just before 5:15 p.m. According to Upper Burrell...

State Rep. Summer Lee defeated Plum Councilman Mike Doyle on Tuesday night in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District and is poised to become the state’s first Black woman in Congress. With 97% of the district’s precincts reporting results just before midnight, the Democrat Lee had collected 55.5% of the votes counted...

The gymnasium at H.D. Berkey Elementary School in Arnold was buzzing with activity Monday as the school’s first and second grade students were learning the basics of programming with the help of “bees.” After two weeks of working with them, the school’s nearly 300 students broke up into teams to...

The New Kensington-Arnold School District will be taking a less punitive, more helpful approach to students caught violating its tobacco and vaping policy for the first time. The school board recently approved an update to the tobacco policy in the student handbook. For a first offense, students will receive three...