Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 26
Skimming device at Golden Dawn is only one found recently in New Kensington, police say
A skimming device found at a New Kensington grocery store this week is the only one the city’s police are aware of, a detective said Friday. Golden Dawn owners Gene Tommasi and Jim Faccenda said Thursday a skimming device was found Wednesday attached to the pinpad in one of their...
Fox Chapel residents put on alert after burglary of home
Fox Chapel police are urging residents to be vigilant after a home was burglarized this week. A house on South Drive was burglarized around 8 p.m. Wednesday, police Chief Michael Stevens said Friday. According to a notice to residents, two burglars forced their way into an unoccupied home. Stevens deferred...
Party to help generate ideas for use of vacant New Kensington lot
Blighted buildings, poor lighting at night and a history of crime make an area of New Kensington near Valley Points Family YMCA unpleasant to visit. Unkempt sidewalks, problems with traffic and unclear crosswalks make walking there challenging, a survey of residents conducted this summer found. And yet, residents say they...
Plum graduate’s internship takes her to the United Nations
A Plum School District graduate’s internship has taken her to the United Nations. Charlotte Jones, a member of the Class of 2021, is studying political science and international relations and diplomacy at Long Island University Honors College in Brooklyn. She plans to pursue a doctorate and is considering a career...
Skimming device found in checkout lane at New Kensington Golden Dawn
A skimming device was found in a checkout lane at the Golden Dawn grocery store in New Kensington on Wednesday, the store’s owners confirmed Thursday. The store has five checkout lanes. The skimmer was found on register 2, co-owner Gene Tommasi said. They believe the device — which can capture...
Plum municipal authority will color code fire hydrants to delineate flow rates
Firefighters in Plum soon will know how much water a hydrant can provide just by looking at it. At the request of the borough and its volunteer fire departments, the Plum Borough Municipal Authority will color code the roughly 600 fire hydrants in the borough. That work is tentatively expected...
Plum School District gets $1.9M grant, eyes borrowing for work at 2 schools
As grant money comes in to help offset some of the cost, the Plum School Board will vote this month to authorize borrowing nearly $10 million toward an anticipated $30 million building project. If approved by the board at its Sept. 24 meeting, the district’s financial advisors would have the...
Road work on tap, fire station roofs to be replaced in New Kensington
State and federal grants are paying for more improvements in New Kensington. New Kensington City Council on Monday awarded a contract of just under $96,900 to Derry Construction to resurface Fifth Avenue between Seventh and 11th streets. The company had submitted the lowest of seven bids, city engineer Tony Males...
Death of Arnold 6-month-old under investigation
Authorities are investigating after a 6-month-old girl died early Tuesday in Arnold. Mayor Shannon Santucci confirmed that police responded to a report of a nonresponsive child shortly after 3:30 a.m. at a home in the 2000 block of Kenneth Avenue. Rob Haus, the officer-in-charge of the Arnold police department, could...
Improvements at 2 Plum intersections will take money from another project
Covering the cost of improvements to two Plum intersections will require the borough to take money from another road project. Plum received a $307,000 state grant for the work at Hulton and Coxcomb Hill roads, near a Sheetz and across from Oakmont Country Club, and on Coxcomb Hill at Rampart...
Unfounded bomb threat prompted New Kensington-Arnold delay
A bomb threat prompted the New Kensington-Arnold School District to delay the start of classes Friday morning, according to information provided by the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office. The unfounded threat targeted Valley High School, spokeswoman Melanie Jones said. The district sent a message to families shortly before 10 p.m....
Plum should have more than enough money for old borough building demolition, bids show
Plum is expecting its old borough building to be torn down by the end of the year as it continues to work on redevelopment plans for the site. The borough received six bids for the demolition, which were opened Thursday. Council may award a contract during its meeting Monday. Bids...
Work restricting traffic on Route 910 bridge in West Deer
Traffic will be restricted on part of Route 910 in West Deer through early October, PennDOT announced Wednesday. The restrictions on the Route 910 (Gibsonia Road) bridge over Deer Creek were scheduled to begin Wednesday. Traffic will be restricted to a single, alternating lane on the recently replaced bridge between...
1 dead, 3 hurt in 3-vehicle crash on Mosside Boulevard in Monroeville
A woman died after a three-vehicle crash in Monroeville Friday morning, Allegheny County Police said. The crash involving a tractor-trailer with an oversized load, a car and a minivan was reported shortly after 9 a.m. in the 2100 block of Mosside Boulevard. According to county police, the tractor-trailer and car...
New Kensington gas station clerk tells cops man robbed store after threatening to kill her
A man in a relationship with a gas station clerk threatened to kill her before robbing the store while she was working there, according to New Kensington police. Police filed robbery, retail theft and receiving stolen property charges Thursday against Thomas Deandrea Johnson, 30, of Tarentum. A warrant was out...
Morning Roundup: Hot weather again impacting schools; woman dies after Armstrong County crash
Here are the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Aug. 30: Heat impacts Pittsburgh schools, air quality alert issued Heat is again an issue in the Pittsburgh area, where an air quality alert also is in effect. For a second time this week, Pittsburgh Public Schools announced that 37...
Plum considering policy on memorials following pleas from grieving mother
A Plum mother still grieving the death of her son two years ago says a proposed school district policy on memorials is not perfect, but it’s a start. “I do think they are trying,” Jennifer Martinez said. Martinez called for the district to develop a policy after finding none existed...
Bicyclist hit by vehicle on Route 8 in Shaler has died
The bicyclist who was struck by a vehicle Thursday morning before dawn in Shaler has died, according to police. Allegheny County Police announced the man death’s Thursday afternoon. They said his identification will be released by the county medical examiner’s office. According to Allegheny County Police, the collision in the...
Morning roundup: Inspections restrict Tarentum Bridge traffic; reward offered in burning of McKeesport police cars
Here are the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Aug. 29: Traffic restrictions on Tarentum Bridge Traffic will be restricted on the Tarentum Bridge for ramp inspections on Thursday, PennDOT announced. There will be traffic shifts from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the ramps from eastbound Route 366...
‘Like a bomb going off’: Fire rips through RVs at Camping World in Allegheny Township
An early-morning fire damaged or destroyed more than a dozen recreational vehicles Wednesday at Camping World on Route 356 in Allegheny Township. Neighbors reported the fire to Westmoreland County 911 about 4:40 a.m. after explosions roused them from sleep, Allegheny Township police Chief Dan Uncapher said. Rachel Ramsey, who has...
High heat prompts some Western Pa. schools to dismiss early
A number of schools in Western Pennsylvania area will be releasing students early on Wednesday because of the heat. New Kensington-Arnold, Shaler and Freedom all announced early dismissals. New Kensington-Arnold will operate on a two-hour early dismissal schedule. Students will be dismissed from their schools two hours before regular dismissal...
Morning roundup: Fatal fire in North Braddock; police cars burned in McKeesport
Here are the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Aug. 28: Man’s body found after North Braddock fire A man’s body was found after a Tuesday night fire in a North Braddock home, according to Allegheny County police. A duplex in the 1000 block of North Avenue was destroyed...
Harrison man charged with bringing daggers into Allegheny County Courthouse
A Harrison man was arrested when, police say, he tried to take two daggers concealed in a cane into the Allegheny County Courthouse. Allegheny County Sheriffs charged Stephan Michael Ratulowski, 40, with two counts of prohibited offensive weapons and one count of possession of a weapon in a court facility....
Allegheny Township woman loses part of leg in fence hole digging mishap
A 42-year-old woman suffered a leg amputation in an accident that happened while digging holes for a fence Monday evening, Allegheny Township police Chief Dan Uncapher said. Family identified the woman as Trish Watt. The incident in the 1300 block of Route 356 was reported shortly before 6 p.m. According...
Penn Hills woman killed in crash on Route 28 in East Deer
State police say a woman died Tuesday morning after her vehicle crossed over the grass median on Route 28 in East Deer and went airborne before colliding with two oncoming vehicles. Sheena Marie Fitzgerald, 36, of Penn Hills had been driving south at a high speed between the highway’s Tarentum...
