Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 19
New Kensington’s latest lunch spot is an education in eating
Anyone looking to get into New Kensington’s newest lunch spot is going to need a reservation. The Culinary Corner Cafe at the Northern Westmoreland Career & Technology Center, next to Valley High School, began opening to the public for lunch on Tuesdays this month, with a different food theme weekly....
Vandergrift man with suspended license accused of hitting police car and fleeing
A Vandergrift man led police on a high-speed chase in New Kensington on Sunday after having been told by police not to drive his vehicle and later hitting a police car with it, according to arrest papers filed against him. Police charged Cristian Michael Brown, 25, with offenses including a...
Parents unable to save 2-year-old from Butler County fire
A 2-year-old boy died Saturday morning from a fire in Butler County, according to state police. State police said they were contacted about the fire on Old Route 422 in Clearfield around 8:45 a.m. Alex Umbaugh and Melina Bryner were able to get out of the home, which state police...
Springdale residents clean up, take in changed landscape following completion of power plant demolition
Springdale is different. The power plant that dominated its sky, serving as a landmark and part of its identity, is gone — mostly. A mass of mangled metal an estimated 35 feet high remains, the rubble left after Saturday’s final demolition of the 13-story boiler house at the Cheswick Generating...
Company’s proposed move from New Kensington to Plum includes large office building
A New Kensington company didn’t want to look too far away for a new home where it could bring its operations together. In addition to a proposal to build a storage yard and maintenance facility at 1450 Greensburg Road in Plum, once the location of Golf Oasis, Geo-Solutions also plans...
New Kensington-Arnold’s Project SEED packs 100,000th bag of food for children in need
A child in the New Kensington-Arnold School District received a special bag of food for this weekend. Project SEED, which stands for “Something to Eat Every Day,” marked a milestone Friday, distributing its 100,000th bag of food in the school district. The project combats childhood hunger during the school year...
Arnold police seek man who allegedly attacked 2 men with a gun in separate incidents
An arrest warrant has been issued for a man accused of attacking two men with a gun in Arnold in separate incidents on the same November day. Arnold police filed charges Tuesday in two cases against Roger Moore, 37. Moore is accused of threatening to shoot the victims, saying he...
Vandergrift holds off spike in rental licensing fee, seeks comments on proposal
Vandergrift will hold off on quadrupling the borough’s rental licensing fee after landlords and real estate representatives warned doing so would harm renters and homeowners while potentially costing the borough in legal costs. Council voted unanimously Monday night to table a proposed ordinance that would have increased the annual cost...
Man accused of attacking Arnold landlord after breaking into woman’s apartment
Police responded to an Arnold apartment building Friday night after a city officer heard a man attacking its landlord over the phone, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case. Police charged Joseph Anthony Rodrigue, 20, with felony counts of aggravated assault, burglary and criminal trespass and misdemeanor charges...
Geo-Solutions proposing move from New Kensington to Plum
A New Kensington construction services company specializing in solving problems with soil and groundwater is planning a move to Plum. Geo-Solutions is proposing to develop a storage yard and maintenance facility at 1450 Greensburg Road, once the location of Golf Oasis and near the Plum School District bus garage. Plum...
Monroeville woman stole $21K from 7-Eleven at Turnpike plaza in Plum, police say
A Monroeville woman is accused of stealing nearly $21,000 from a 7-Eleven convenience store on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Plum. State police charged Leigh Ann Wentzel, 49, on Wednesday with a single count of second-degree felony theft. There was an active warrant for her arrest on Thursday, according to Plum...
Arnold councilman champions regionalizing New Kensington, Arnold police forces
If New Kensington and Arnold are able to share a school district, the cities should also be able to share a police department, according to an Arnold councilman. “It’s time,” said Aaron Moore, who was elected to Arnold Council in the 2023 election. He said he received positive feedback to...
Police say man sexually assaulted child in Arnold
Editor’s note: This story was updated on Thursday, March 6, 2025. A manfaces trial after being accused by Arnold police of sexually assaulting a child. James Benitto, 40, was held for court on March 6 on felony charges of aggravated indecent assault of a child, indecent assault of a person...
Plum Creek watershed project aims to address flooding, pollution concerns
Conservation officials hope a project to manage stormwater in the uppermost area of the Plum Creek watershed will help reduce downstream flooding and pollution into the creek. The nearly 21-square-mile Plum Creek watershed covers parts of Plum, Penn Hills, Oakmont and Verona, according to the Allegheny County Conservation District. A...
Bloser Mansion sold; will remain restaurant, bed-and-breakfast with new name
New Kensington’s historic Bloser Mansion has a new name but will remain a restaurant and a bed-and-breakfast under new owners. Lost Dreams Awakening, founded in 2014 by the husband and wife team of VonZell Wade and Laurie Johnson-Wade, bought the mansion on Sixth Avenue in the Parnassus section of the...
Junior ROTC programs on solid ground thanks to change in federal law
Krysta Harper’s education wasn’t going well when she was a freshman at Plum High School. “My grades were failing and absolutely miserable,” she said. Now a senior, her grades are up and she’s preparing to graduate, thanks in part, she says, to the school’s Air Force Junior ROTC program. “ROTC...
Morning Roundup: Another pedestrian hit in Pittsburgh; fire damages East Huntington home
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025: Another pedestrian hit in Pittsburgh For the second day in a row, a pedestrian has been hit by a vehicle in Pittsburgh. Police, firefighters and paramedics responded early Friday to a report of a pedestrian...
Tickets available for 4th annual New Kensington Restaurant Ramble
A dozen New Kensington restaurants will participate in the fourth annual Restaurant Ramble in March. The event featuring the city’s downtown eateries will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 22. It is sponsored by Shop Small Shop New Ken, Voodoo Brewing New Kensington Pub and the...
Memories, sympathies shared following the death of Penguins broadcaster Mike LangeVideo
Condolences, sympathies and memories were being shared on social media following the death of Mike Lange, who will forever be remembered as the voice of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Lange died Wednesday. He was 76. “The Penguins organization joins the family, friends and fans of legendary broadcaster Mike Lange as we...
Snow may impact evening commute more than morning, forecasters say
Snowfall Thursday may have a greater impact on the evening commute than in the morning, according to the National Weather Service. Less than an inch of snow is expected through the morning hours, meteorologist Jason Frazier said. As of about 5:30 a.m., snow was seen sticking primarily to side roads....
Not wearing a seat belt leads to New Kensington man’s arrest on 4-year-old warrant
A New Kensington man wanted for breaking into his then ex-girlfriend’s home four years ago was arrested Tuesday after he was seen riding in a vehicle without wearing a seat belt, according to court records. Arnold police charged Robert James Dorsey, 60, with three felony counts of aggravated assault and...
Elderly man suffers hypothermia after spending night in crashed SUV in Lower Burrell
An elderly man was suffering from hypothermia Tuesday morning after spending the night in his crashed SUV in Lower Burrell, a city deputy fire chief said. The man told authorities he had been trapped in his vehicle in a ditch between Hill Crest Country Club and Hillcrest Drive since 5...
Morning Roundup: Subzero windchills cause school delays; shots fired in Shadyside
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025: Subzero windchills prompt school delays Windchills below zero prompted school districts across the Pittsburgh region to delay the start of classes Tuesday. While no snow is expected and sunshine is in the forecast, it’s forecast...
Bellefonte native found second career as history teacher at Valley High in New Kensington
As a father, Ronald Lee Sheetz was fun, but you couldn’t pull anything over on him, according to his daughter, Michelle VanHorn. “I was never given a curfew, but I knew I needed to be home,” she said. “I never wanted to be an embarrassment to my parents because I...
Railing installation to restrict New Kensington bridge traffic
Traffic will be restricted on the New Kensington Bridge next week, PennDOT announced Friday. The two-lane bridge over the Allegheny River between East Deer and New Kensington will be reduced to a single, alternating lane from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, the agency said. Crews will be...
