Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 42
Catholic leaders hope new program encourages families to start, continue religious education
The principal of a New Kensington Catholic elementary school hopes an effort to keep children in religious education after eighth grade will make others more inclined to start one. The Diocese of Greensburg announced a joint program with the Diocese of Pittsburgh called “Building a Bridge,” intended to connect grade-school...
Plum renews contracts with assistant superintendent, chief financial officer
The Plum School Board has renewed contracts for two district administrators. The new contracts for Assistant Superintendent Denise Sedlacek and Ryan Manzer, chief financial officer, began Tuesday. Sedlacek’s three-year agreement runs through June 30, 2026, while Manzer’s five-year agreement is through June 30, 2028. Each of their salaries were set...
Wesley Family Services to offer wellness programs at new center in New Kensington
Programs open to the general public are expected to be offered starting in November at a new wellness center at Wesley Family Services’ Pioneer Apartments in New Kensington. Those programs could take the form of blood pressure screenings and vaccine clinics, financial workshops, meditation classes and yoga sessions, said Heather...
Pennsylvania residents getting health insurance through Medicaid have to reapply, state secretary says
An important deadline is looming for millions of Pennsylvania residents who get health insurance through Medicaid that, if missed, could result in losing coverage. But even if residents find themselves no longer eligible for Medicaid, there is another way to keep coverage. Dr. Val Arkoosh, secretary of the state Department...
Arnold residents will get a chance to comment on manager’s firing after the fact
Arnold residents will get an opportunity to comment on last week’s firing of the city’s manager, but they’ll have to wait until next month. The firing of Mario Bellavia will be on the agenda for council’s regular meeting Oct. 10, Solicitor Jaclyn Shaw said. But Melissa Melewsky, media law counsel...
Plum to begin taking orders for new military banner program
Plum is rolling out a revamped program through which borough residents can honor family and friends who have served in the military. The new military banner program will launch Oct. 2 on the borough’s website at plumboro.com. The borough is partnering with CHi Signs & Designs of Penn Hills. The...
Plum School District pays $30K to settle teacher grievances over use of paid leave during sabbaticals
The Plum School District agreed to pay just over $30,000 to settle grievances over sick leave days involving three teachers. The school board approved the settlement with the Plum Borough Education Association, the district’s teachers union, on Sept. 12 . After a representative initially said the agreement would not be...
New Kensington accepts bid for road paving, approves more alley murals
Two blocks of a downtown New Kensington street are expected to be resurfaced by the end of the year. City council accepted an $86,300 bid from Tresco Paving to resurface Third Avenue between Ninth and 11th streets. Tresco submitted the lowest of six bids, the highest of which was $127,400,...
6 Alle-Kiski Valley communities working on joint plan to combat blight
Six Alle-Kiski Valley communities will be taking part in a regional property conditions assessment and blight mitigation plan. The municipalities — Arnold, New Kensington, Allegheny Township, East Vandergrift, Vandergrift and West Leechburg — are among the eight members of the Alle-Kiski Intergovernmental Council, formed in 2021 and through which they...
Misunderstanding leads to large search for 2 missing boys in Harrison
A large search for two missing boys in Harrison and surrounding areas Friday afternoon was started by a misunderstanding of what day of the week it was. Harrison police Chief Brian Turack said his department responded to Argonne Drive shortly before 2 p.m. for a report of two missing children....
Questions surround firing of Arnold city manager as council prepares to interview replacement
Questions surround the firing of Arnold City Manager Mario Bellavia, which happened only about a week after residents publicly applauded him for his work on behalf of the city. Details surrounding Bellavia’s termination, including how it happened, when and why, were unclear Friday. Bellavia did not return phone calls. An...
Freeport Road underpass reopens at New Kensington Bridge, PennDOT announces
Northbound Freeport Road under the New Kensington Bridge in East Deer has reopened to traffic, PennDOT announced Friday. The single lane traveling under the bridge closed July 17 to allow crews to work on the bridge. While the underpass was closed, traffic flow was reconfigured to have vehicles heading toward...
Feds hold Allegheny Valley School District responsible for harassment, assault of disabled student
The Allegheny Valley School District failed to protect a disabled student whose classmates harassed and physically attacked him, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The department’s Office for Civil Rights has announced that it had resolved a disability harassment investigation of the district. The agreement includes requiring the district...
New Kensington-Arnold committee to consider changing how school board is elected
As recently as this year’s primary election, too few people have sought to be elected to the New Kensington-Arnold School Board. In May, only three people were on the ballot for six seats, with Democrats having all three on their ballot and Republicans just one. In the last election in...
Westmoreland 250: 10 things to see in the Arnold, New Kensington areas
(Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This series will appear each week through December. If you have a...
Washington County woman charged with homicide in 1-year-old daughter’s fentanyl death
A Washington County woman has been charged with criminal homicide in the death of her 1-year-old daughter, who authorities say died from fentanyl poisoning. Washington County District Attorney Jason M. Walsh announced charges Tuesday against Lindsey Rae Reho, 32, of North Franklin. In a criminal complaint, state police said medics...
Harrison man accused of setting fire in basement of Natrona house after argument with homeowner
A Harrison man is accused of starting a fire early Sunday in the basement of a home in the township’s Natrona section. Allegheny County Police announced Monday that Eric Knabenshue, 35, has been arrested. He is charged with two felony counts of arson, felony counts of criminal mischief and endangering...
Refinery issues could offset lower prices cheaper winter gas typically brings, analyst says
While one in five states has seen average gasoline prices decline in the past week, an industry analyst says, Pennsylvania is not one of them. According to price-tracking service GasBuddy, the national average increased nearly 5 cents per gallon in the past week to about $3.83. That’s a penny less...
Plum matches $26,000 in county funding for cameras at 3 intersections
Surveillance cameras to be installed at three intersections in Plum will become part of a network police use to help solve crime, a police department spokesman said. Plum Council has approved spending $26,000 for the cameras, matching $26,000 offered by the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office. They will be placed...
Plum man accused of fleeing from police after finding them searching his home
A Plum man is accused of fleeing from police this week after coming home to find officers serving a search warrant at his house. Police charged Mitchell Patrick Stewart, 31, on Wednesday with a misdemeanor count of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer and several summary traffic offenses,...
Man injured in accidental self-inflicted shooting in Arnold, authorities say
A man was injured in an accidental shooting Thursday night in Arnold, according to the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s office. The shooting was reported just before 7:30 p.m. outside in the 1400 block of Constitution Boulevard, said Melanie Jones, a spokeswoman for county DA Nicole Ziccarelli. Jones said a man...
Kiski Township supervisors toss animal regulation proposal amid pet alligator escapes
Regulations governing the keeping of animals in Kiski Township are unchanged, for now. Facing a crush of public criticism and opposition, the township supervisors voted Wednesday to toss out the draft of an ordinance governing everything from pets to farm animals. It specifically would ban crocodilians, including the American alligator....
Leechburg’s Pink Day blossomed from flower sold in support of breast cancer research
More than 100 vendors, selling everything from honey to homemade dog treats, are expected to attend Leechburg’s 12th annual Pink Day on Saturday. It’s the most they’ve ever had for the event, which has raised about $217,000 for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation since the first one in 2011, according...
Plum names new high school, middle school principals
The Plum School Board filled the remaining vacancies in the district’s administrative team created by the departure and advancement of personnel. During a special voting meeting Tuesday, the board approved hiring Patrick Baughman as principal of Plum High School, Stephan Sereda as an assistant high school principal and Adam Szarmach...
New Kensington man dies at scene of Route 28 crash in Fawn
A New Kensington man died at the scene of a crash at the Tarentum interchange on Route 28 early Saturday, according to state police. State police identified the driver as Dominic E. Montemurro, 28. According to state police, the single-vehicle crash happened shortly after 4 a.m. on the southbound Route...
