Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 22
Woman taken to hospital after being hit by car on Harrison’s Freeport Road
A 64-year-old woman was conscious and talking with paramedics Monday afternoon after being hit by a car on Freeport Road in Harrison, according to township police. The woman, who was not identified, was hit at the intersection with California Avenue, near Sheetz and CVS, around 4:35 p.m., police said. She...
Plum homeowner accused of trying to blow up his house with natural gas is jailed
A Plum man accused of trying to blow up his own home in a natural gas explosion in November is being held in the Allegheny County Jail. Neil Andrew Yetsko, 39, was arraigned Friday night by Braddock District Judge Scott H. Schricker, according to court records. Plum police charged Yetsko...
Artists hope to expand New Kensington downtown alley art project
Artists hope to get to work on a second block of downtown New Kensington’s Ivy Alley next year. More than $23,000 in grant funding has been obtained to continue the Art in the Alley project between 10th and Ninth streets, said Michelle Thom, president of the New Ken Downtown Partnership....
Kia, Hyundai vehicles targeted by thieves in New Kensington’s Mount Vernon area
A New Kensington restaurant owner whose car was stolen from in front of her home said she worries about what the theft says not only about her neighborhood but the entire city. Jillian Ludwiczak, who owns Jillian’s Restaurant with her husband, Phillip Call, said her 2014 Kia Optima was taken...
Arnold woman proposing transitional housing program for women
An Arnold woman says she’s following the hand of God, and her sister’s dream, as she works to establish a home for women in need. Amanda Wheeler is seeking approval from the city to open The Battle Life, a transitional housing program, on Fourth Avenue. The home would accommodate up...
School district telethons raise more than $200K for charities
Telethons at three Pittsburgh-area school districts raised more than $200,000 for charities this Christmas season. Make-A-Wish was the beneficiary of Plum School District’s long-running telethon and a newer one organized by Penn-Trafford. Penn-Trafford raised about $67,400, while Plum collected about $53,700, according to their teacher organizers. Fox Chapel raised $90,228...
Year-in-review: Alle-Kiski Valley residents among victims at Trump rally assassination attempt
As 2024 draws to a close, Alle-Kiski Valley area residents may be looking forward to the uncertainty of the year to come while reflecting on what has passed. And while the region always has its mix of news — big and small, widespread and personal — it found itself thrust,...
2 guns among possessions stolen from New Kensington vehicles in overnight hits
At least two handguns are among items stolen from vehicles recently in New Kensington. The thefts have the city’s police department advising residents to secure their vehicles and their valuables. Residents of the area across Seventh Street from New Kensington’s Mount Vernon neighborhood said they believe three males are involved,...
Plum School Board approves tax increase limit; advances building project, electric bus purchase
Plum School Board members say they will limit any potential tax increase next year while moving forward with a building project and the purchase of electric buses. The board this week voted unanimously to keep a property tax increase for the 2025-26 school year to within its state-imposed inflation limit...
Arnold mother, daughter buy building, open discount store to serve community
As a lifelong resident of Arnold, Heather Irene Houser says she knows what people in the city want and need. She also knows that the stores that met those needs when she was growing up are long gone from the city. And not everyone is able to get to the...
Fire at Plum church started by candle, ruled accidental
One person was taken to a hospital with smoke inhalation from a fire Sunday night at a church in Plum, a spokeswoman for the Allegheny County Department of Emergency Services said Monday. The fire at St. Januarius on Renton Road was reported around 9:15 p.m. Investigators believe the fire was...
Plum School District awarded $300K from state DEP toward electric school buses
The Plum School District got a little more help in its quest to transition part of its fleet from traditional to electric school buses. The state Department of Environmental Protection announced the district was awarded $300,000 to buy three electric school buses. The money is part of more than $2.55...
New Kensington’s Feisty Goblin gaming store taking in Retrograde video game shop
A New Kensington gaming store is getting plugged in — at least a little bit. When table-top gaming shop The Feisty Goblin opens in its new and larger storefront in January, it will include Retrograde Gaming and Collectibles, a video game and collectibles store previously in Monroeville. Retrograde will add...
Vehicle crash, wind cause power problems in Plum
Two separate power outages affected schools and residents in Plum on Thursday morning. A “wind-related” outage caused equipment issues that impacted Plum Middle and Holiday Park Intermediate schools, Duquesne Light spokesperson Alyssa Battaglia said. The schools share a campus off Presque Isle Drive in the borough’s Holiday Park neighborhood. The...
Boyce Park slopes set to open for skiing, snowboarding
The slopes at Boyce Park will open Friday for the 2024-25 season, Allegheny County announced Thursday. The slopes, a 20-minute drive from Downtown Pittsburgh, will be open for skiing and snowboarding. The opening of the snow tubing area has been delayed. The lodge is located at 901 Centerview Drive in...
2025 ‘critical’ for Arnold’s finances as council approves budget with no tax increase
After a shaky start to the year, Arnold’s city manager is hopeful for a better financial picture in 2025. “Next year is going to be critical to see where we are financially,” Manager Mario Bellavia said. “It was precarious early in the year. We can make next year a really...
Plum School District aims for $1.2M lifetime goal with annual Make-A-Wish telethon
More than 80 guests, including local celebrities, news media, professional athletes and district administrators, will be featured in the Plum School District’s annual telethon benefiting Make-A-Wish. The nine-hour telethon will run from 6:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20. It will be livestreamed on the district’s website, pbsd.net. The...
New Kensington Bridge reopens to trucks, pedestrians as work nears end
Trucks and pedestrians are again able to cross the New Kensington Bridge. A detour that was in place for trucks was removed Friday, and the sidewalk on the bridge spanning the Allegheny River between East Deer and New Kensington is open, PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said. But that doesn’t mean...
Plum mulls paying stipend to volunteer firefighters to boost daylight staffing
Plum firefighters could get paid for some of their time under a proposal being considered by the borough. Council is discussing a plan from the borough’s four fire chiefs to begin paying volunteer firefighters a stipend to boost daytime staffing. As proposed, the daylight coverage program would see four firefighters...
New Kensington police accuse Pittsburgh man of sexually assaulting 14-year-old girl
New Kensington police have charged a man from Pittsburgh’s Sheraden neighborhood with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. Jeffrey Shaquille Shipman, 30, was charged Wednesday with felony counts of statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and corruption of minors. He had not been arraigned on the charges...
Plum ministry proposes 2nd church on property
A Plum ministry says it’s running out space and wants to build a second church on its property. In an application to the borough, Jubilee International Ministry says it has outgrown its 125-seat, 4,220-square-foot church on Center-New Texas Road, across from O’Block Elementary School. It’s proposing an additional 6,100-square-foot, single-story...
Plum homeowner accused of trying to blow up his house with natural gas
A Plum man’s apparent change of heart might have saved the borough from another house explosion, according to court documents. Neil Andrew Yetsko, 39, is charged with risking a catastrophe by creating a natural gas leak in his home then leaving town with two candles burning inside the home, police...
Condition of New Kensington-Arnold schools feeds need for comprehensive plan
The New Kensington-Arnold School District has potentially millions of dollars’ worth of maintenance and repairs needed at its buildings but no plan, yet, on how to get the work done. Officials want to devise a five-year plan for buildings and grounds. It could include projects ranging from remodeling a loading...
Arnold man impaired by alcohol, marijuana in crash that seriously hurt 2 in New Kensington, police say
An Arnold man had a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit and tested positive for marijuana after a crash in New Kensington in which two people in another vehicle were seriously hurt, according to New Kensington police. Police charged Brett Matthew Hedeen, 32, on Thursday with felony aggravated...
Plum School District expects to keep property tax increase within state inflation limit
Plum School District will be able to balance its 2025-26 budget without raising property taxes beyond its state-imposed limit of 5.3%, according to the district’s business manager. School districts across Pennsylvania are required by Jan. 30 to declare that they won’t raise taxes beyond their state limit or else make...
