Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 16
Severe weather threat prompts delay in rededication of North Hills’ Guadagnino Field
The North Hills School District has delayed the rededication of Guadagnino Field because of the threat of severe weather this evening, the district announced. A ceremony rededicating the newly renovated multiuse turf field in honor of longtime teacher and coach Gaetano “Guy” Guadagnino has been rescheduled from tonight to the...
Hampton reviewing $66.5 million 2025-26 budget with 4% property tax increase
The Hampton School Board is considering a balanced $66.5 million budget for the 2025-26 school year that includes a 4% property tax increase. It’s the highest increase the school district is allowed under its state-imposed inflation limit. If approved, it would increase the annual school property tax bill for a...
In brief: Happenings from the North Allegheny area
Information session planned on EcoVillage The Rachel Carson EcoVillage is hosting a free in-person information session from 3 to 4 p.m. May 4 at the Kearns Spirituality Center, 9000 Babcock Blvd., McCandless. Construction currently is underway on the Rachel Carson EcoVillage at Providence Heights. The program will open with live...
2 men, unborn child die in 3-vehicle crash in Indiana County
Two men and a woman’s unborn child died in a three-vehicle crash in Indiana County Saturday, state police said on Sunday. The crash on Warren Road in Center Township happened shortly before 3 p.m. Saturday. State police said Daniel L. Ryan, 57, of Indiana and Nathan S. Blystone, 34, of...
Fire destroys trailer outside Fawn church; cause under investigation
A storage trailer outside of Harvest Baptist Church in Fawn was destroyed by fire Sunday afternoon. The Allegheny County Fire Marshal will investigate the cause of the fire, which was not immediately known, Harrison Hills fire Chief Jules Beer said. No injuries were reported. The fire at the church atop...
Local agencies for domestic-abuse survivors benefit from 5K run and event at Pittsburgh Brewing
When Maria Briney needed help, the Alle-Kiski Area HOPE Center was there for her. On Sunday, Briney, a survivor of domestic violence, was there to help the HOPE Center and two other organizations that together serve abuse victims in Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler and Westmoreland counties. “Working for them actually saved...
Shooting victim dropped off at hospital while police investigate shots fired in Hill District
A man with multiple gunshot wounds was dropped off at a hospital as Pittsburgh police were investigating a shots fired call in the Hill District early Saturday morning, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety. Officers went to the 2400 block of Webster Avenue around 2 a.m. for reports of 10 shots...
Young police supporter Kaley Bastine raises money for firefighters
Dedicated Alle-Kiski Valley police supporter Kaley Bastine branched out to help those on the thin red line Saturday. The 12-year-old behind “Kaley’s Kops & Heroes,” with the help of her family, hosted a fundraiser benefiting Tarentum’s Highland Hose volunteer fire company Saturday at the American Legion in Brackenridge. It was...
Friends remember Allegheny Township couple killed in Clarion County crash
An Allegheny Township couple are being fondly remembered after the shocking news of their death in a crash in Clarion County Thursday. Rob and Cheryl Zanotto “were always together,” said Edna McCutcheon, of Bell Township. McCutcheon didn’t know Rob Zanotto when they graduated from Kiski Area High School in 1971,...
Ross approves reopening of Short Line Hollow trail
The Short Line Hollow trail in Ross has been reopened for limited public access. Ross commissioners voted on Monday to grant access to the Red Trail following its cleanup by community volunteers. “We’re all satisfied that it was cleaned up enough,” Commissioners President Dan DeMarco said. “They did a lot...
Ross pursues adding sharpshooters to archers to control deer population
Ross officials want to add sharpshooters to archery hunters to improve its efforts at controlling the deer population in the township. Commissioners on Monday authorized Suburban Whitetail Management to begin the process of a deer cull program in Ross. “It’s more or less nuisance control,” said Luke Leonard of McCandless,...
Police pursuit of vehicle stolen from Butler County ends with crash in ShalerVideo
A police pursuit of a vehicle stolen in Butler County continued down Route 8 and ended with a crash in Shaler on Wednesday, according to authorities. Shaler officers were alerted to the crash off Eighth Avenue, near Route 8, shortly before 1 p.m., Shaler police Chief Sean Frank said. Officers...
Shaler Area School District to demonstrate new weapons detection system
Families can learn more about a new weapons detection system that will be in use this fall at Shaler Area’s high school and middle school. A demonstration of the OpenGate system will begin at 6 p.m. April 29 at the high school, 381 Wible Run Road. It’s being held a...
Hampton students, community preparing for annual Talbot Thon benefiting pediatric cancer research
The Hampton School District’s annual Talbot Thon fundraiser will be held from 3:30 to 11 p.m. Saturday at Hampton High School. The high school Student Council partners with the Pitt Dance Marathon to organize the event. This year, they hope to raise $30,000 for UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh’s pediatric...
McCandless Township Sanitary Authority celebrates Earth Day, upgrades to Pine Creek treatment facility
Flushing the potty will never be the same for 7-year-old Aria St. Onge. Aria and her dad, Joseph St. Onge of Richland, were among residents, officials and authority members who celebrated Earth Day on April 22 with a tour of McCandless Township Sanitary Authority’s Pine Creek wastewater treatment facility. “She...
Pine-Richland School Board majority, administration differ on increasing property taxes
A majority of the Pine-Richland School Board does not want to consider increasing the district’s property tax rate, despite administrators’ recommendation that they should. Superintendent Brian Miller said the administration is recommending a 2.1% property tax increase. Administrators also have recommended cutting 9.5 positions, including 3.5 teachers, through attrition, as...
Millvale Community Library asking patrons to participate in expansion plans
The Millvale Community Library is preparing to expand. The library, located at 213 Grant Ave., will extend into a connected building at 211 Grant Ave., which is owned by the library and currently home to Abeille Voyante Tea Co. The library is using funding from a 2024 Allegheny Regional Asset...
Etna, Reserve consider combining police forces
Etna and Reserve are considering creating a regional police force, the borough and township announced Monday, April 21. In their announcement, the municipalities said they are at a very preliminary step in the process, which, if approved, would take several years to complete. A regional police force “may be a...
Submissions sought for coloring book to celebrate Shaler’s 125th anniversary
A community coloring book is being put together to help celebrate Shaler’s 125th anniversary. Township residents of all ages are being asked to design pages for the commemorative book. Submissions are due by April 30. To participate, sketch an image on an 8-by-10-inch piece of white paper, using a black...
In brief: Happenings from the North Allegheny area
Shaffer organizing license plate replacement event State Rep. Jeremy Shaffer, R-Pine, is sponsoring a hard-to-read license plate replacement event from 3 to 5 p.m. April 29 at his district office, 5500 Brooktree Road, Pine. If your license plate is blistered, peeling or discolored, you can fill out the required PennDOT...
Vehicle destroyed by fire on Route 28 in Armstrong County, no one hurt
No one was hurt in a vehicle fire Sunday morning on Route 28 in Armstrong County, according to Freeport Fire-EMS. The fire on northbound Route 28 just north of the Buffalo High Level Bridge in South Buffalo was reported around 9:30 a.m., according to Armstrong County 911. Freeport Fire-EMS was...
7-year-old boy struck by SUV in Arnold
A 7-year-old boy was bleeding from his head after being hit by an SUV in Arnold Sunday night, fire Chief Eric Gartley said. The incident happened around 7:30 p.m. on Kenneth Avenue between Moore and Ewing streets, according to Westmoreland County 911. The boy was hit by an SUV. The...
Planter fire damages exterior of Frankie’s Friends in New Kensington
A fire in a planter caused minor damage Sunday to the exterior of a cat rescue in downtown New Kensington. The fire at Frankie’s Friends in the 700 block of Fifth Avenue was reported about 5:20 p.m., a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher said. According to fire Chief Ed Saliba Jr.,...
Authorities searching for pit bull after attack on 2-year-old in Knoxville home
Authorities are searching for a dog that ran from a home in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood after seriously injuring a 2-year-old boy Sunday afternoon. The dog attack in the 200 block of Moore Avenue was reported just after 1:30 p.m. According to police, homeowners called 911 after their dog, a 2-year-old...
19-year-old shot, killed in girlfriend’s Washington County home, coroner says
A 19-year-old man’s death in Washington County on Sunday is being investigated as a homicide, the county coroner’s office said. According to the coroner, Devyon Dennis, of Uniontown, was shot inside his girlfriend’s residence in the Washington Estates mobile home park on Broadmore Drive in Canton. The incident was reported...
