Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 28
Plum man, 61, accused of sexually assaulting 14-year-old girl he met outside a borough bar
A 61-year-old Plum man is accused of taking two underage teen girls he met outside a bar to his home and giving them marijuana before having sex with one of them. Plum police say John Dale Vorous admitted to taking the girls, ages 14 and 15, to his Francis Road...
Plum set to begin 2024-25 school year with larger senior, junior classes
Plum’s Class of 2025 is one of two large “bubbles” making its way through the school district. The senior class for the 2024-25 school year numbers 316 students, assistant Superintendent Ashley Boyers said. The junior class behind them is even larger, at 325. Typical class sizes for the district are...
New Kensington Mexican restaurant owner hopes liquor license will bring more diners
The owner of a Mexican restaurant in downtown New Kensington hopes margaritas, beer and cocktails will attract more diners. Without any questions or concerns, city council approved Jose Tecuanhuehue’s request to transfer a liquor license into the city for his restaurant, Taqueria El Pastorcito, at 929 Fourth Ave. The license...
New Kensington-Arnold awards final contract for pedestrian bridges at Valley High
The end is in sight for reconstruction of pedestrian bridges at Valley High School. The New Kensington-Arnold School Board awarded the final contract for the replacement of the bridges as they also consider the rebuilding and possible relocation of a veterans memorial there. The school board Tuesday unanimously approved paying...
Plum officials seek bids for demolition of former borough building
Plum officials are seeking bids for the demolition of the former borough building as they work on plans for redevelopment of the site. Plum moved its administrative and police offices out of the building on New Texas Road in late 2022 to its new municipal center on Mike Thomas Way,...
Roads in New Kensington neighborhood, downtown set to be resurfaced
Roads in a New Kensington neighborhood and the city’s downtown are expected to be resurfaced this year. City council on Monday awarded a contact of about $107,500 to A. Liberoni of Plum to pave two roads in the Mount Vernon area — Center Avenue from the bridge over Little Pucketa...
Hail heralds storm front across Western Pa. region, flash flood warnings issuedVideo
The National Weather Service Pittsburgh received a number of hail reports as a line of strong storms moved through the region Tuesday afternoon. The hail the storms produced lasted about 15 to 20 minutes, with hail measuring 1 to 2 inches in some places. Most reports were coming from northern...
Arnold resident convicted of cocaine trafficking sentenced to 11 years in prison
An Arnold resident, one of 57 people charged last year as part of a four-year, nationwide investigation, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for trafficking cocaine. Senior U.S. District Judge Kim R. Gibson imposed the sentence Thursday on Milton Paschal, 44. His jail term on convictions of conspiracy to...
Allegheny Township supervisor, 2 former officials face charges over toy drive money
A disagreement in Allegheny Township over who should control a pool of money raised to buy Christmas presents for children now is in a district judge’s office. Charges were filed Thursday against an Allegheny Township supervisor, a former supervisor and the township’s former manager apparently over $10,000 that was transferred...
Holiday Park fire department preparing to host 1st Citizens Fire Academy
Plum’s Holiday Park Volunteer Fire Department will host its first Citizens Fire Academy for adults beginning in September. The nine-week program, offered free of charge, will run from 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays from Sept. 18 to Nov. 13 at the fire station at 415 Old Abers Creek Road. Anyone...
Student-turned-teacher brings ‘Safety Town’ back to New Kensington
Thirty years ago, when she was 5, Lauren Lanzino learned safety lessons she never forgot. Now, the student has become the teacher, with Lanzino bringing Safety Town back to New Kensington after an 11-year absence. “Everybody I know that has ever done this program loved this program,” Lanzino, 35, of...
Credit card skimmer found at Plum Shop ’n Save after almost a month; 2 men charged
Two men suspected of placing credit card skimmers at grocery stores throughout the Pittsburgh area now are accused of doing the same thing in Plum, where a skimmer was in place at a store for nearly a month. Plum police filed charges Sunday against Thomas Fuchs, 34, and Alexandru Dumitrascu,...
Plum School District adopts new alert system to reduce emergency response time
When Plum School District students return to classes this fall, teachers and staff will be equipped with a new alert system intended to reduce response time in an emergency. Plum will be the first district in Pennsylvania to use the Centegix CrisisAlert system, Assistant Superintendent Ashley Boyers said. It will...
Tido’s Corner in New Kensington to feature local musical, comedic talents
Every hurdle, every obstacle and every challenge only drove Toriano Wilson to keep going. After many delays and more time than he thought, Wilson, who goes by “Tido,” is just about ready to open Tido’s Corner, an entertainment venue, in his hometown of New Kensington. Located in the former Kafa...
Plum School District settles discrimination claim with job applicant for $5K
The Plum School District will revise its application process as part of an agreement settling a discrimination allegation. The district agreed to pay Eile Demkee $5,000 to resolve Demkee’s claims. That amount, inclusive of attorney’s fees and costs, will be paid by the district and/or its insurance carrier. The district...
New Kensington-Arnold officials promise repairs to dilapidated veterans memorial
As they’ve gotten older, Michele Eckman and her husband, Richard, don’t travel back to the Alle-Kiski Valley from their home outside of Dallas as often as they used to. So when they came to the area in June, they made a point of stopping by Valley High School in Richard’s...
Foundation working to raise $3M-$5M to open private middle school in Arnold in 2025
A former South Carolina educator says he remains on track to open a new school in Arnold in just over a year. Matt DeHart, founder of the Teach from DeHart Foundation, plans to open Teach from DeHart Academy, a middle school, for the 2025-26 school year. It will be housed...
Strike averted at Kittanning nursing home after workers approve new contract
Employees of a Kittanning nursing home approved a new contract Thursday, averting a strike that was scheduled to start Friday, their union announced . SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania said workers at Armstrong Rehabilitation & Nursing Center voted in favor of ratifying a new three-year contract that includes improvements to wages and...
New Kensington man accused of murder says he’s the son of Donald Trump, husband of Michelle Obama
A New Kensington man accused of killing his former roommate claimed Donald Trump is his father and Michelle Obama is his wife during a local court appearance Thursday. What Nico Harris said during his appearance before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. will become part of the court record and...
Plum seniors donate to Make-A-Wish to paint parking spaces
Some of Plum’s incoming seniors are reserving their parking spaces in colorful and creative ways. After paying $75 to park for the 2024-25 school year, 60 seniors paid $30 more to paint their spots, with the proceeds benefitting Make-A-Wish, said Rick Berrott, a television production teacher and co-sponsor of the...
Plum School Board approves additional services toward $30M building project
The Plum School District will pay an engineering firm about $42,000 for services related to a looming $30 million building project. A renovation and addition is in the works for O’Block Elementary School, accounting for most of the spending, while the district’s middle school would undergo some renovations. At a...
Plum Council members Majernik, Schlauch attend Republican National Convention
Two members of Plum Council attended the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last week, where Donald Trump officially became the party’s nominee for president for a third time with a new vice president candidate in Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance. Councilman Dave Majernik was a delegate for a fourth time and...
Man shot twice in arm on Smithfield Street in downtown Pittsburgh
A man was shot twice in the arm in downtown Pittsburgh on Tuesday, according to city police. The man was shot on Smithfield Street between Fourth and Forbes avenues, police said. The man was taken to a hospital in stable condition. Police said their investigation was in its early stages...
New Kensington police accuse man of assaulting 2 women
A New Kensington man is facing felony aggravated assault charges after, police say, he hit one woman with a flashlight and put a knife to the neck of another. City police filed charges Sunday against Samuel Nathan Brown, 54. Officers responded to the incident in the 500 block of Fourth...
Friends of David Dutch, Marine veteran injured at Trump rally, pray for his recovery
The mood inside the Lower Burrell American Legion post changed in a heartbeat Sunday morning. That’s when word reached them that one of their own, Marine veteran David Dutch, 57, had been seriously injured at the Trump rally Saturday in Butler County, where the former president and Republican nominee survived...
