Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 36
New Kensington officer injured, suspect Tased twice in warrant arrest
Police had to twice use a Taser on an Arnold man as officers struggled to arrest him in December, according to court records released this week. At least one police officer was injured. The incident began after New Kensington Officer Tyler Balla saw Anthony Marsalis Howell, 36, of Arnold walking...
New Sheetz expected to open on Plum’s Golden Mile Highway in May
A new Sheetz under construction in Plum is tentatively scheduled to open in May, a spokesman for the Altoona-based convenience store chain said. When the new convenience store and gas station on Golden Mile Highway at Presque Isle Drive opens, the existing smaller store nearby at Pine Valley Drive will...
Donations to Plum school lunch debt take small bites out of a big problem
An anonymous member of the Plum School District community recently gave the district $500 to cover student lunch debt at Holiday Park Intermediate School. While generous and appreciated, the donation took only a small bite out of what is routinely a big problem. The district is carrying more than $45,000...
Harbor Freight, Starbucks approved as latest additions to booming New Kensington corridor
Plans for more development along New Kensington’s Tarentum Bridge Road commercial district have been approved. City council on Monday unanimously approved three resolutions related to the construction of a Harbor Freight tools store and a Starbucks cafe in Riverview Plaza. Their construction follows a new Aldi grocery store, which opened...
New Kensington man accused of assaulting officer in city holding cell
A New Kensington police officer had to threaten to use a Taser on a man who fought with officers inside a city cell, police said in court records. The incident happened after officers went to a Fifth Avenue business Friday night in response to a report of an intoxicated man...
Plum’s combined water-sewer bills increase about $14 per month
Monthly bills increased about $14 for Plum residents with municipal water and sewage service, starting in February. Residents were informed about the 17% increase on their January bills. It’s the latest bill to increase for borough residents. Council in December approved a nearly 40% increase in property taxes with the...
In brief: Plum, Oakmont area events, week of Feb. 5, 2024
Plum AARP meeting to showcase Zoomobile Plum AARP will have its monthly meeting at noon Feb. 13 in Unity Community Church. The program will feature the Zoomobile, which will bring four or five small animals for the group to meet and learn about. Plum AARP, a social and service group, features...
Restaurant at New Kensington Quality Inn reopens as Leo’s Roadhouse
It has been about a decade since the restaurant inside New Kensington’s Quality Inn shut down. Dan Leo is hoping to bring it back as he opens Leo’s Roadhouse with the help of Chef Lenny Verosky. Together, they face the challenge of bringing people through the hotel’s doors not for...
New Kensington gun store reopens; owners hope stolen guns will be recovered
The damage to Roy Berg’s New Kensington gun shop is largely fixed, and authorities say they’ve arrested the men who broke in. But the thing Berg wants most hasn’t happened yet — 22 of the guns stolen from RC Firearms on Jan. 22 remain missing and, Berg worries, may be...
Plum School District expands police force, hires retired borough officer
Plum School District is expanding its police force by adding a longtime borough officer who retired last year. The school board approved hiring Mike DeMarco, 51, of Monroeville. He will be paid $28 per hour. His start date had not been determined as of Thursday. His hiring increases the district’s...
Multimillion-dollar power line project needed to make up for closure of Springdale power plant
The shutdown of the coal-fired power plant in Springdale is forcing Duquesne Light to spend between $12 million and $17 million to reconfigure a transmission line in Plum. When GenOn’s Cheswick Generating Station stopped producing electricity in 2022, it reduced the amount of power being generated locally and created a...
McKees Rocks man accused of firing shots in New Kensington
A McKees Rocks man is accused of assaulting a woman in New Kensington two days after, police say, he fired shots in the city. Kisheem Malik Alberto Husband, 23, admitted to firing two shots on Haser Drive on Jan. 24, New Kensington police said in a criminal complaint. Although police...
2 suspects charged in burglary of New Kensington gun store
Federal authorities have charged two men in connection with the burglary of a New Kensington gun store last week. Steyn Sarduy, 18, no address available, confessed to the break-in, according to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Authorities identified the second suspect as Michael Guin, 26, who...
Appeals court sends Plum injection well plan back to zoning board for review
Plans to add another injection well in Plum will go back to the borough’s zoning hearing board. The zoning board in January of 2022 voted to approve the addition of a second injection well at Penneco Environmental Solutions’ existing facility on 69 acres on Old Leechburg Road because, the board...
Burglarized New Kensington gun store plans to reopen as investigation continues
A New Kensington gun store burglarized last week will reopen Saturday with enhanced security measures. Roy Berg, who runs RC Firearms on Freeport Street with his son, Cole, said they will be having a “big sale” to mark the reopening along with a somewhat early celebration of their first year...
Steeper gas price increases expected in mid-February, analyst says
While a combination of factors are pushing up the price of oil and the national average price of gasoline, steeper increases are on the horizon, an industry analyst says. The national average rose 4.5 cents per gallon in the past week to $3.07, according to price-tracking service GasBuddy. Despite that,...
Former New Kensington Rite Aid on market for $2.5M
The owner of a shuttered Rite Aid in New Kensington is looking to find a new tenant for the building or sell it for $2.5 million. The building’s private owner will take whichever offer is most attractive, said Ian Dupre, an adviser with SVN Three Rivers Commercial Advisors. The lease...
Plum retirement community reaches tax deal with school district, borough and county
Plum’s largest taxpayer has reached a tentative deal that would end assessment appeals and an application by the nonprofit retirement community to be declared tax exempt on 60 acres it owns in the borough, officials said. In the first year of the eight-year deal, Plum’s Longwood at Oakmont would pay...
Longwood at Oakmont nurse accused of forging morphine prescription by state Attorney General’s Office
A woman who worked as a registered nurse at Longwood at Oakmont in Plum is accused of forging another nurse’s signature on a prescription for morphine cream. The state Attorney General’s Office charged Kimberly C. Graves, 58, of Penn Hills with a felony count of prohibited acts and misdemeanor charges...
In brief: Plum, Oakmont area events, week of Jan. 29, 2024
Oakmont gets grant toward previously purchased EV pickup Oakmont Councilwoman Jamie Leonardi shared that the borough recently received a $7,500 Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant through the Department of Environmental Protection. The grant comes after the borough had purchased a 2022 Ford 150 Lightning light-duty electric truck in May. During a...
2 others charged in traffic stop that resulted in assault on New Kensington police officer
Two other people involved in a traffic stop during which a New Kensington police officer was hurt have been charged. Lanai Rashawn Thrower, 25, of New Kensington arrived at the scene of the Jan. 13 traffic stop on Freeport Road and Elizabeth Street, according to police. She has been arraigned...
Firearm stolen from New Kensington gun store found during arrest of 4 in Homestead
One of about two dozen guns stolen from a New Kensington gun store was recovered when four young men were arrested Wednesday in Homestead, according to court records. All four men arrested were illegally carrying loaded 9 mm handguns, Homestead police said in criminal complaints. Only one of the guns...
Arrests reported in New Kensington gun store smash and grab
Federal investigators say they’ve arrested four men who may be connected to the theft of about two dozen firearms from a New Kensington gun shop. TribLive news partner WTAE first reported the suspects in the burglary were taken into custody Wednesday after police stopped an Audi at the intersection of...
New Kensington shooting investigated; suspects in custody
Traffic was stalled briefly on the New Kensington Bridge Wednesday afternoon while police stopped a vehicle suspected of being involved in a shooting in the morning. According to Westmoreland 911, a shooting was reported around 10:30 a.m. along Haser Drive in the city at a Westmoreland County Housing Authority apartment...
5 teacher retirements among personnel moves at Plum School District
Five teachers are among several staff members leaving employment with the Plum School District. Retiring as of June 5 are high school teachers Rochelle Dunn, Doran Check and Amy Picard. Also retiring are O’Block Elementary teacher Martha Freese and Rich Bernardi, a teacher at the middle school. Two administrative assistants...
