Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 115

Gas prices have come down slightly in Pittsburgh, with a bigger decrease nationally. In Pittsburgh, prices are down 0.9 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.97, according to GasBuddy. That’s 7.5 cents per gallon higher than a month ago, but 11.2 cents per gallon lower than a year...

Well, that “Gatorsburgh” thing is going to keep going. Another alligator, the fourth this year, has been found in the “City of Chompions,” this time in Shaler. The latest was found Friday morning in the parking lot of the Giant Eagle grocery store on Butler Plank Road in Shaler, township...

Dangerous heat will hit Southwestern Pennsylvania on Friday and Saturday. The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory that starts at noon Friday and runs through 8 p.m. Saturday. It’s been seven years since the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh has issued a warning for excessive heat. That was...

A fire was reported in the basement of a home in Wilkins Township early Friday. The fire at 548 Lucia Drive was reported shortly after 4 a.m., an Allegheny County emergency dispatcher said. The fire was brought under control within a half-hour. No injuries were reported....

Hundreds of people lost power Friday morning after a crash on a Churchill Road. A car crashed into a pole and brought down power lines on Beulah Road between Kingsdale Road and Thornberry Drive, the Trib’s news partner, WPXI-TV, reported. The road was initially reported as being closed; traffic was...

A vandal targeted a Butler County high school — and the home front lawn of its principal, police said. According to state police, someone in a side-by-side utility vehicle rammed a fence at Moniteau High School in Cherry Township around 2 a.m. on Tuesday. A side-by-side is a small two-to-six...

Pittsburgh police arrested a man Wednesday after he allegedly threatened people with a knife inside a Shadyside gym. Police responded just after 9:30 p.m. Wednesday to X Shadyside at 5608 Walnut St. in response to a report of a disorderly man. The man was later identified as Daniel Abebe, 56,...

Bids to buy Highlands School District’s former elementary school in Fawn are due by noon July 29, according to an announcement from the district. The district is selling the Highlands Support Center, which the school board voted in May to permanently close. It had previously been a primary center and...

A 38-year-old man was in critical condition after being shot multiple times in North Braddock, according to Allegheny County Police. The shooting near 1529 Electric Ave. was reported to 911 around 11:53 p.m.Wednesday, police said. The man, who had multiple gunshot wounds, was taken to an area hospital. North Braddock...

Dangerously hot temperatures are expected to blanket Southwestern Pennsylvania beginning Friday afternoon as part of a heat wave stretching from the Great Plains to the East Coast. The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat watch for the Pittsburgh region through Saturday evening, meaning a prolonged period of heat and...

About 1.5 million people say they’re going, and another 1.1 million are interested, but how many, if any, will actually show up remains to be seen. A Facebook event called “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us” is organizing people to rush the fabled Nevada Air Force base...

Pittsburgh police responded to a burglary in progress shortly after midnight at the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh on Bigelow Boulevard. Police said key holders to the center alerted police after remotely viewing a man walking through the building on a surveillance camera. Before officers arrived, they were told that the...

A Johnstown man was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital after the truck he was driving rolled in a two-vehicle crash on Route 422 in Butler County on Tuesday afternoon. According to state police, Ryan S. Kimmel, 37, was driving a Freightliner east on Route 422 between the Jefferson Street and...

Two men in their 20s were shot at a residence in Lawrence County around 1 a.m. Wednesday, state police said. The shooting happened at a residence on Bryson Hill Road in Shenango Township. Brian Robert Eisenhuth, 23, died at the scene, police said. The other victim, Ronald L. Lantz Jr.,...

The Pittsburgh region is set to get up to an inch of rain Wednesday followed by hot and muggy weather that could see heat indexes reach and exceed 100 degrees this weekend, a National Weather Service meteorologist said. Isolated and scattered showers crossed the region early Wednesday, meteorologist Jason Frazier...

A missing 10-year-old girl has been located and is safe, according to Pittsburgh police. Police had sought the public’s help in finding India Ford. She had last been seen at about 9 p.m. Tuesday in the 400 block of Rosedale Street....

A power outage affected West Tarentum residents and businesses on Tuesday. The power went out around 8 a.m., according to Councilwoman Lou Ann Homa. The borough expected electrical service to be restored by noon, she said. The borough said on its Facebook page that West Penn Power was doing line...

Editor’s note: Building the Valley tells stories of businesses big and small and the employees who make them special. If you know of any standout employees, bosses or companies with a great story to tell, contact reporter Madasyn Czebiniak at mczebiniak@tribweb.com. A Tarentum business that started in its owner’s home...

The Harrison Commissioners meeting for July has been postponed a week. The board will meet at 7 p.m. July 29. Commissioners meet at the township building on Municipal Drive....

Firefighters from multiple departments were battling a blaze at a Fayette County social hall Tuesday morning. The fire at the Sons of Italy on Rogers Avenue in Connellsville Township was reported shortly before 6 a.m., a Fayette County emergency dispatcher said. The fire was under control by 7 a.m., the...

A man injured in a bicycle crash in Mt. Pleasant early Tuesday morning has been flown to a hospital, a Westmoreland County emergency dispatcher said. The man, who was not identified, was hurt in the 700 block of Armbrust Hecla Road, the dispatcher said. It was not immediately clear if...

A section of Streets Run Road in Baldwin will be closed for a month while crews fix a slide, PennDOT announced Monday. The work is scheduled to start at 7 a.m. Wednesday. Streets Run will be closed to through traffic around-the-clock between Doyle Road and Route 51 through Aug. 17....

A juvenile who police say stole a car after escaping from a Butler County detention center Saturday night remained at large on Monday afternoon, according to authorities. The unidentified juvenile, whose age and gender were not released, is believed to have escaped from The Summit Academy in Summit Township around...