Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 95
Valley Points YMCA closes Allegheny Valley branch after positive covid case
Valley Points Family YMCA announced that its Allegheny Valley branch in Harrison will be closed through Sunday because of a covid-19 case. The organization made the announcement on its Facebook page late Thursday night. In the post, the YMCA said it was notified Thursday evening of a positive covid-19 case,...
ATI to invest up to $85M in Vandergrift facility, phase out production of standard stainless steel
ATI said Wednesday it will phase out production of standard stainless steel sheet products and end finishing operations at its Brackenridge plant in Harrison as it shifts its focus to specialty rolled products. While finishing operations will end at the massive Brackenridge works, the $1.1 billion Hot Rolling & Processing...
New Kensington shot-and-a-beer bar transformed into foodie havenVideo
Three self-described foodies have created a new dining and drinking experience in New Kensington. Friends and business partners Dante Cicconi, Corey Pistininzi and Sean Watson have opened botL, which Watson describes as “a restaurant with a bar.” The menu features 19 wines and 14 beers. Pistininzi makes a signature Old-Fashioned...
Day-long snow total tops forecast, falls shy of record
The Pittsburgh area got a bit more snow than had been expected on Tuesday, but no records were broken, according to the National Weather Service. Nearly 7 inches, 6.8 to be precise, was measured at the National Weather Service office in Moon, where the official reading is taken, meteorologist Mike...
Tarentum Night Market organizers cancel December event, citing covid stay-home advisory
Organizers of the Tarentum Night Market have canceled the scheduled December event, citing Allegheny County’s advisory for residents to stay home unless going out for essential reasons because of the covid-19 pandemic. Allegheny County Health Department Director Debra Bogen issued the advisory Nov. 18. The last Night Market, for which...
Josefoski announces resignation from Tarentum Council
Tarentum Councilwoman Erika Josefoski has announced her resignation. Josefoski, 36, is one of two council members representing the borough’s 1st Ward; the other is Lou Ann Homa. The seven-member council has two members from each of three wards plus one at-large member. Josefoski said she has verbally informed the borough...
Snow falling with 3 to 4 inches expected in Pittsburgh area
Snow fell as expected in the Pittsburgh area Tuesday morning, but it did not have much impact on the morning rush hour. “Because the ground temperature is slightly warmer than the air, it doesn’t look like it’s accumulating on the roads,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Shannon Hefferan. “We still...
Retired Alcoa smelter, long displayed at Station Square, moves to New KensingtonVideo
A retired Alcoa aluminum smelting pot that had been displayed at Station Square in Pittsburgh for about 30 years is now part of downtown New Kensington. The smelter, which originated from an Alcoa plant outside of Massena, N.Y., was placed Monday in the beer garden outside Voodoo Brewery on Fifth...
West View Water restoring service after break on Perrymont in McCandless
About 15 homes were without water Monday morning after a line break overnight on Perrymont Road in McCandless, according to the West View Water Authority. What caused the 6-inch line to break was not known, said Chris Meister, assistant distribution superintendent. Crews were working on the line. Unless they run...
New Kensington-Arnold to continue remote instruction into mid-January
New Kensington-Arnold School District will keep its schools closed with its students learning remotely through almost mid-January. The district announced it will continue remote instruction through Jan. 13. Acting Superintendent Jon Banko said students will return to schools on Jan. 14, as long as there is no significant increase in...
Winter weather advisory issued for Pittsburgh region, 2 to 4 inches of snow expected
Between 2 and 4 inches of snow is expected to fall in the Pittsburgh area Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh. A winter weather advisory for the region, including areas of eastern Ohio and northern West Virginia, runs from 1 a.m. Tuesday to 7 a.m. Wednesday. A...
Brackenridge, Harrison, Tarentum to hold public hearings on development plan
Three Alle-Kiski Valley communities that have drafted a plan to guide their collective future have scheduled public hearings for residents to comment on it. Tarentum, Brackenridge and Harrison, in that order, will hold hearings on their proposed joint comprehensive plan in December. The plan, in development for more than a...
Toy drive benefiting New Kensington Salvation Army becomes drive-thru eventVideo
A long-running toy drive benefiting the New Kensington Salvation Army will be done a bit differently this year. Choosing to postpone it because of the covid-19 pandemic wasn’t even considered, said Dr. Lawrence York, a New Kensington chiropractor who has hosted the toy drive since 1999. “We knew — one...
New Kensington man, a convicted felon, accused of possessing shotgun, drugs
New Kensington police said they found guns, ammunition and drugs in a man’s home Monday after responding to a fight allegedly brought about by his girlfriend trying to catch him with another woman. Police said Albert Earl Taylor, 49, is a felon who is not legally permitted to possess firearms....
Highlands moving all students to remote learning
Highlands School District will move all students to full remote instruction beginning Dec. 1 and continuing through Jan. 15, the district announced Monday. All extracurricular activities and sports will be suspended during that time. The announcement comes a week after the district closed its middle school through the Thanksgiving break...
Man accused of robbing New Kensington store, then asking for a job
A 20-year-old man is accused of demanding employees at a New Kensington Family Dollar store fill a bag with money, or give him a job, according to police. Police charged Marcus Tyquan Walker of New Kensington with two felony counts of robbery. He was arraigned before District Judge Frank Pallone...
Tarentum Station Grille delays reopening amid coronavirus surge
The owner of JG’s Tarentum Station Grille said Monday he made the difficult decision to postpone the restaurant’s reopening, which had been set for Dec. 1. The restaurant, in a historic train station in the heart of Tarentum’s business district, has remained closed since March because of the coronavirus pandemic....
Toys for Tots distribution begins in Harrison as program struggles for donationsVideo
A Toys for Tots program serving part of the Alle-Kiski Valley began distributing gifts to needy families Monday, but could use more donations and some help to make sure children have a merry Christmas. More than 630 families have signed up to receive toys from the Allegheny Valley Marine Corps...
Tarentum shooting leaves 18-year-old dead, other teen injured
The sound of gunfire, and her dog barking, woke Yvonne Scarselli in her Tarentum home around midnight Monday morning. What Scarselli heard was a shooting that left an 18-year-old man dead and another, 19, wounded. Scarselli said she heard what sounded like gunfire being exchanged near her home on Conroy...
Allegheny County releases schedule for Springhill Road project in Harrison
A new path for people to walk and bike safely up and down Springhill Road in Harrison is now scheduled to be completed by the end of July, according to the Allegheny County Department of Public Works. Construction on the $1.3 million project is expected to start in March, public...
Tarentum’s Manos Theater reborn as art galleryVideo
As a young artist, Ernesto Camacho Jr. had issues with people not understanding him or his paintings. “Being able to show it in a gallery was kind of tough,” said Camacho, 41, a native of the Philadelphia area who lives in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood. “When I went to a...
Harrison officials, groups work together to install food pantry in NatronaVideo
A new, free community food pantry is available for residents in the Natrona area of Harrison. The pantry, located near the basketball court and concession stand in Natrona Community Park on River Road, is one of two that was the idea of township resident Michele Plocki and built by her...
Highlands junior donating hair to charity receives school’s first ‘Student Spotlight’ award
Highlands High School junior Kevin Gonzales is the first recipient of an award created by the school’s senior class officers to recognize students who go above and beyond what’s expected of them and set good examples. Gonzales, 17, of Brackenridge, was selected for the “Student Spotlight” award because he found...
New Kensington-Arnold considering how to find a new superintendent
New Kensington-Arnold School Board is meeting with consultants as it considers how to go about finding a new superintendent. The district’s most recent superintendent, John Pallone, resigned at the end of July. Jon Banko, previously assistant superintendent, has been serving as the district’s acting superintendent since late August. In a...
New Kensington-Arnold immediately closing schools, cites rise in covid-19
New Kensington-Arnold School District announced Thursday it is immediately closing all district schools because of an increase in local incidents of covid-19 transmission. All students will be moved to fully remote instruction from Friday through next Wednesday, Nov. 25, according to acting Superintendent Jon Banko. The district’s Thanksgiving break runs...
