Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 29
Building the Valley: Plum woman’s shop brings string art, tie-dye to New Kensington
Creating recognizable portraits of people with one continuous piece of black cotton thread 12 football fields long is “intense,” Kim Denne says. Running that piece of thread back and forth between 240 nails around the perimeter of a 24-inch diameter circle to bring out images of people like Ben Roethlisberger,...
Lower Burrell man facing 10th DUI charge after being stopped twice in New Kensington
A Lower Burrell man is facing his 10th DUI charge, getting numbers nine and 10 within two months of each other in New Kensington. New Kensington police charged Bruno F. Nobilese, 57, with felony driving under the influence on May 15 and July 11. In the second case, he also...
Arnold facing deadline to spend money for fire truck without enough to cover full cost
Arnold will set more money aside to pay for a new fire engine as it faces a deadline to spend some of the money it already has marked for the major purchase. After two public hearings, council voted to mark $50,000 of its about $304,000 federal grant funding for the...
Plum names 2 incoming high school seniors as junior council members
Plum Council will gain a younger perspective when its two newest members join in September. Mercy Newell and Adam Smith, both 17, have been named as junior council members. They will be seniors this fall at Plum High School. Their tenure will run with the school year, from September through...
New Kensington Science Project works on moving to new home in the city
Nicole Roberts is all about giving children from New Kensington and Arnold science and technology experiences so they don’t fall behind peers from wealthier communities. “They can do anything. They need to know they can,” Roberts said this week, while a group of children in third through seventh grades were...
Shuttle to be available while New Kensington Bridge sidewalk is closed through mid-November
A shuttle will be available while the sidewalk on the New Kensington Bridge is closed for the next four months. The sidewalk on the bridge spanning the Allegheny River between New Kensington and East Deer is scheduled to close at 7 a.m. Monday and remain closed through mid-November, PennDOT announced...
Penn Hills man handed over cocaine during Arnold traffic stop, authorities say
A Penn Hills man pulled over for a minor traffic violation Tuesday in Arnold handed over a baggie of cocaine to agents when he got out of his car, which contained additional drugs and a loaded handgun, authorities said in court documents. Agents with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office and...
Open house at Plum’s Renton fire station will show all the ways volunteers can help
There are more ways than being a firefighter for residents to help their local volunteer fire department. Plum’s Renton Volunteer Fire Department hopes to get that message out through an upcoming open house at their station. “Obviously, we need members. We need volunteers, and there’s a lot of different positions...
New Kensington-Arnold School Board discusses approaching Burrell about merging
Challenges faced by the Burrell School District have New Kensington-Arnold’s school directors wondering if the right time has come for the neighboring districts to again consider merging. New Kensington-Arnold School Board member Bob Pallone raised the subject of approaching Burrell officials with the proposal at his board’s meeting Tuesday night....
Police find drugs, $57K after arresting accused drug dealer in New Kensington
A New Kensington man police say was dealing drugs, including cocaine, crack cocaine, fentanyl and marijuana, was arrested Wednesday morning. Tarique Taron Godson, 31, was apprehended after city police and officers with the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force carried out a search warrant at a house in the 400 block...
Arnold man charged in fatal North Braddock vehicle-pedestrian wreck
An Arnold man was driving under the influence of marijuana when he fatally injured a 75-year-old man in North Braddock in November, according to Allegheny County Police. County police charged Tyrell Jimmie Knight, 37, with charges including homicide by vehicle and involuntary manslaughter in the death of Harry Harold King...
New Kensington-Arnold superintendent’s contract extended despite proposal to shorten it
One board member’s effort to shorten a contract extension for New Kensington-Arnold Superintendent Chris Sefcheck failed Tuesday night. The board ultimately voted 8-0 to give Superintendent Chris Sefcheck a new five-year contract that will run from Tuesday through June 30, 2029. It replaces his previous and initial five-year contract that...
Pickleball courts become highlight of improved Renton Park in Plum
On a recent morning in Plum, the pop-pop-pop of pickleball paddles could be heard emanating from Renton Park. The 2.5-acre park tucked away in the borough’s Renton neighborhood has become a destination for residents since the borough invested about $750,000 in improvements, including three courts for the popular game. Barbara...
Security guard accused of homicide in Penn Hills hookah lounge shooting
A security guard is accused of killing one of two people shot at a hookah lounge and cigar bar in Penn Hills a month ago, Allegheny County Police said Monday. Chaz Jackson, 42, of Pittsburgh was charged in connection with the death of 28-year-old Stephanie Stuart. He also was accused...
New Kensington-Arnold to consider extending superintendent’s contract
The New Kensington-Arnold School Board will vote Tuesday on extending the employment of Superintendent Chris Sefcheck. Sefcheck’s original five-year contract started July 1, 2021, and runs until June 30, 2026. The new five-year deal would start Tuesday and end on June 30, 2029 — effectively extending his employment by three...
Get your fill of fireworks in and around Pittsburgh before, on and after the Fourth
In addition to Pittsburgh, several municipalities will have fireworks displays before, on, and after the Fourth of July. Wednesday • Tarentum: 10 p.m., Dreshar Stadium, First Avenue • Hampton: 9:30 p.m., township soccer fields • Findlay: 9:45 p.m., Leopold Lake Thursday • Brentwood: 9:30 p.m., Brentwood Park • Butler: Dusk,...
Arnold reopens Roosevelt Park as city officials grapple with how to handle vandalism
While a spate of vandalism prompted Arnold officials to close Roosevelt Park this month, it won’t deter the city from moving forward with plans to improve it, officials say. The park, completely fenced in with gates on Drey and Rankin streets, was closed for about two weeks after teens dumped...
More water line work planned for Plum’s Sardis Road as part of larger list of upgrades
The Plum Borough Municipal Authority will start work later this year on the third phase of replacing water lines on Sardis Road while preparing for the fourth and final phase of the project. The authority last year received a $916,000 grant for the third phase, which will replace an 8-inch...
Tarentum police nab juvenile wanted on McKeesport warrant, recover 4 guns
Police searching for five juveniles Tuesday night in Tarentum apprehended two of them and seized four guns, all of them believed to be stolen, according to borough police. One of the two boys arrested was taken to Allegheny County Jail, where he was being held on a warrant out of...
Plum School Board advances $30M building project at O’Block Elementary, middle school
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that board member Michelle Stepnick’s vote was officially recorded as “yes,” although she said before and after the vote that her intent was to vote “no.” The Plum School Board is taking a next step toward a $30 million building project...
Organizers of Arnold’s ‘Rockin’ Roosevelt,’ New Kensington’s ‘Band Blast’ look to hand off running of events
What started as an effort to get friends off social media and together in the real world birthed a concert series that has run for a decade in Arnold and New Kensington. But with their members moving away and getting older, those who remain of the New Ken/Arnold Social in...
4 New Kensington children found sitting on couch near loaded gun during drug warrant search, police say
Authorities who forced their way into a New Kensington home during a drug investigation Friday morning found four children on a living room couch, and a loaded gun under it. New Kensington police charged Jarrell George Miller, 38, of Haser Drive in East Ken Manor with four felony counts of...
Vandergrift mother, grandparents charged after 2nd child suffers life-threatening dog bite
As a 3-year-old Vandergrift girl was seriously bleeding from a dog bite to her head, her mother said “to get her a Popsicle,” borough police allege in court papers. Vandergrift police charged the girl’s mother, Alexis Keys, 26; and grandparents, Michael Stankiewicz, 62, and Ida Stankiewicz, 68, on Thursday each...
Former North Braddock cop indicted on drug trafficking charges
Editor’s note: This story was changed to remove references to the arrest happening in Plum. Incorrect information was provided by the state police. A former police officer was indicted on drug trafficking charges. Craig William Gibson, 47, of McKeesport, a former North Braddock police officer, is accused of trafficking drugs...
Plum police ask for help identifying man at scene of burglary
Plum police are asking for the public’s help to identify a man seen at the scene of the burglary of a house of worship in May. The burglary at the Imamia Organization of Pittsburgh on Pierson Run Road happened May 21 and was reported to police May 23, police Chief...
