Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 27
Morning Roundup: Pittsburgh firefighters deal with car fires
Here are the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Aug. 27: Pittsburgh firefighters respond to 2 vehicle fires in 3 days Pittsburgh firefighters responded to two vehicle fires that damaged three vehicles over three days, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety. Around 5 a.m. Saturday, two vehicle fires were reported...
Heat prompts Pittsburgh Public Schools to change schedule at 37 facilities without AC
Hot and muggy weather is expected today and Wednesday, prompting some schools in the area to change their schedules. While air temperatures are expected to be in the low-to-mid 90s both days, when combined with the humidity it will feel close to 100 degrees, National Weather Service meteorologist Rich Redmond...
Task force investigating Trump assassination attempt to tour shooting site in Butler
Members of a House task force investigating the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump will tour the shooting site in Butler today. Butler County Rep. Mike Kelly, the Republican chairman of the bipartisan task force, and other members will meet with local officials and tour the site of the...
Morning Roundup: Woman shot in North Braddock; school start delayed for Brentwood middle, high school
Here are the latest news items from this morning, Monday, Aug. 26: Woman shot in North Braddock A woman was shot in North Braddock early Sunday morning, according to Allegheny County Police. In a release issued late Sunday night, police said the shooting in the 900 block of Bell Avenue...
Parents, community remember Natrona girl, 11, killed by vehicle
The Natrona neighborhood’s grief over the death of a hearing-impaired, 11-year-old girl was tinged with anger over the reckless driving they say caused it. Roxanne Alexis Bonnoni died on North Canal Street, just steps from her home, after she was hit by a Jeep Patriot while walking across the road...
Arnold police chief will be paid while on administrative leave
Arnold’s police chief will continue to be paid while on administrative leave, Mayor Shannon Santucci said Tuesday. City Council made that decision with a 4-0 vote Monday, Santucci said. Councilman Phil McKinley was absent. Josh Stanga’s salary was set at $82,000 when council hired him as police chief in February....
Anger over ‘snitching’ caused man to kill woman in Carnegie, police say
A homeless man covered in blood told county police he punched a woman until she stopped moving because he was angry that she was “snitching” on him, police said in a court filing. Allegheny County Police charged Joseph Beraducci, 29, with one count of criminal homicide on Sunday, alleging he...
1-year-old chihuahua dies after being abandoned in New Kensington, police say
A New Kensington woman is accused of abandoning a 1-year-old chihuahua in a cage and then taking its corpse before police could retrieve it. New Kensington police charged Desiree Marcoux, 39, on Thursday with a felony count of aggravated cruelty to animals and a misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals....
Plum School District hosts Meet the Teacher events ahead of start of new school year
Students in the Plum School District got a look inside their schools and a chance to meet their teachers last week before returning to classes on Aug. 21. The district hosted Meet the Teacher events at its schools on Aug. 14 and 15. It replaced the self-guided tours and open...
18-year-old was shot during gun transaction in Ohio Township store parking lot, police say
An 18-year-old man was selling a handgun in the parking lot of a Giant Eagle in Ohio Township earlier this month when he was shot, police say in court records charging two men with homicide, robbery and conspiracy. Bystanders tried to help Jordan Nathan Ross Geiger after he crashed his...
Former KQV news anchor PJ Maloney remembered for relatable, friendly on-air manner
PJ Maloney was a news anchor on Pittsburgh radio station KQV for more than 40 years, from its start as an all-news station in 1975 until its demise in 2017. Dennis Atkinson remained in touch with Maloney after working with him there for eight years, from 1979 to 1987. “As...
Police charge man in death of ‘severely beaten’ woman living under Carnegie bridge
A woman found severely beaten under a bridge in Carnegie died at the scene Sunday, according to Allegheny County Police. County police have charged Joseph Beraducci, 29, of Pittsburgh with one count of criminal homicide in the woman’s death. A judge cited Beraducci being homeless in denying him bail when...
Pittsburgh police locate missing 11-year-old girl
Pittsburgh police asked for the public’s help as they sought an 11-year-old girl who was reported missing after running away from home following an argument. Police said Sunday morning that Kashaie Davisl has been located after being reported missing after running away from home following an argument....
Woman in serious condition after head-on crash on Chartiers Avenue
A woman was in serious condition when she was taken to a hospital from a crash on Chartiers Avenue on Saturday morning, according to Pittsburgh police. Police said two vehicles collided head-on in the 2600 block of Chartiers Avenue, on the border of the city’s Sheraden and Crafton Heights neighborhoods,...
Arnold’s new police chief suspended amid investigation, mayor says
About six months after being named Arnold’s new police chief, Josh Stanga has been placed on administrative leave while he is the subject of an investigation, Mayor Shannon Santucci said Saturday. Santucci said Stanga is the target of an investigation underway by state police and the state Attorney General’s Office...
Memorial motorcycle ride keeps memory of slain New Kensington police officer Brian Shaw alive, funds scholarship
Fran Aller still vividly remembers his dimples. She was among those who’d see Brian Shaw come into the Sheetz in New Kensington during his brief time as a police officer in the city, before he was shot and killed during a traffic stop in November 2017. “He was always smiling,”...
Plum School Board approves finance team for first step of $30M borrowing for building project
The Plum School District has flexibility as it begins a three-step process to borrow $30 million for a building project. The school board last week authorized district administration to work with financial advisers, bond counsel, an underwriter and the district’s solicitor to prepare for borrowing nearly $10 million for the...
New Kensington police identify, arrest suspect in gas station robbery
A man accused of robbing a New Kensington gas station early Wednesday was quickly identified and arrested thanks to an anonymous tip. Police had sought the public’s help in identifying a man who, armed with a knife, robbed the Sunoco station on Tarentum Bridge Road at Caldwell Avenue around 4:30...
Investigation into Plum house explosion could take years, officials sayVideo
It could take years to determine a cause of the deadly house explosion in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood, officials said Tuesday. “These can be very, very lengthy investigative processes,” said Matthew Brown, chief of Allegheny County’s Department of Emergency Services. “The key is to actually, definitively, get to what the...
Plum schools seek $9.9M loan for $30M renovation and expansion project
The Plum School Board on Tuesday will consider borrowing the first one-third of the money needed for a roughly $30 million building project. During its meeting Tuesday, the board is expected to hear a presentation from the district’s financial advisors, PFM Financial Advisors, before voting on proceeding with borrowing nearly...
Still no answers: 1 year later, Plum community still awaits a cause for fatal Rustic Ridge house explosion
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Plum community to observe Rustic Ridge anniversary 1 year later with no answers
As a Plum community pauses to remember those who died in a fatal house explosion a year ago, questions about the cause remain unresolved, and a mayor is demanding answers. Six residents of the Rustic Ridge neighborhood died as a result of the massive Aug. 12 explosion, which sent shock...
Retirement has Plum School District searching for new assistant superintendent
One of Plum School District’s two assistant superintendents is retiring, so the district is looking for a replacement. Denise Sedlacek will retire on Nov. 1, Superintendent Rick Walsh said. Sedlacek, a resident of Allegheny Township, started her education career in 1984 and has been in administration since 1991. She came...
62nd Street Bridge ramp to close for gas line replacement
The 62nd Street Bridge ramp to South Main Street in Etna will be closed on Saturday, PennDOT announced Friday. The ramp from the bridge, southbound Route 8, will be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. while a natural gas company crew replaces a gas line, according to PennDOT. Traffic...
Parts of former Sheetz in Plum demolished; property for lease
While work is underway at the site of a former Sheetz on Plum’s Golden Mile Highway, the future of the property is unclear. Crews were seen this week dismantling and removing the last pieces of the canopy of the shuttered convenience store and gas station. Sheetz closed the location at...

