Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 46
New Kensington awards $349K contract for Fifth Avenue sidewalk repairs
Work to repair and replace broken and lifted sidewalks in downtown New Kensington will start in the second or third week of July, the city’s engineer said. At a special meeting last Friday, June 30, city council voted 4-0 to award a contract of just over $349,000 for the Fifth...
‘Orange’ air quality alert issued, sensitive groups warned
An air quality alert has been issued for Southwestern Pennsylvania on Wednesday. The state Department of Environmental Protection issued a “code orange” alert covering Armstrong, Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties that will be in effect until 4 p.m. An orange alert means that air pollution concentrations in...
Drivers line up to get Sheetz $1.776 Independence Day gas deal
Drivers pounced on the chance to get gas at a steep discount on the Fourth of July, waiting in long lines at Sheetz convenience stores to fill up at just $1.776 per gallon. The Altoona-based convenience store announced Monday it would sell gasoline at that price to commemorate the year...
Dollar Tree preparing to open new store in New Kensington
A new Dollar Tree in New Kensington will open in late July, a company spokesperson said. The store is in Riverview Plaza on Tarentum Bridge Road, in the space previously occupied by Altmeyer’s. A specific opening date was not provided. Altmeyer’s filed for bankruptcy in July 2022 and ran a...
New Kensington police arrest woman, hand children over to father facing sex charges
After New Kensington police arrested a woman on charges of endangering her two children, officers turned the 3-year-old and 1-year-old over to their father, who is charged with rape and accused of performing sex acts in front of the children. New Kensington police Chief Bob Deringer said his department was...
Sheetz celebrating Independence Day with gas priced at $1.776
Anyone who knows what year the Declaration of Independence was signed also will know the price of gasoline at Sheetz on Tuesday. The Altoona-based convenience store chain announced Monday that it will reduce its gas prices to $1.776 per gallon to celebrate Independence Day. The promotion will start at 12:01...
New Texas Road reopens in Plum after slide repair; Leechburg Road set to close
One Plum road that was closed while a slide was fixed has reopened, while another is set to close for the same reason. New Texas Road reopened to traffic Monday, PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said. It had been closed between Old Leechburg Road and Rosemary Hill Drive since May 30...
Faces of the Valley: Plum father, son seek to make connections, share love of reading with Little Free Library
Like many children, 9-year-old Everett Yon likes to share and seeks to connect. Everett wanted to meet people in Plum’s Regency Park neighborhood, where he has lived with his father, Nicholas Yon, since 2018. He also wanted to share his love of reading. His idea to operate an apple cider...
New Kensington police seeking Ohio man in double attempted homicide
An arrest warrant has been issued for an Ohio man who New Kensington police say shot at two people last Sunday. City police charged Iven Cashua Miller Jr., 36, of Cleveland with two counts of attempted criminal homicide, two counts of attempted aggravated assault, one count of person not to...
Billboard company that won in Tarentum now challenging East Deer to put up 4 electronic signs
A Butler company that won a four-year legal battle to place an electronic billboard at the Tarentum Bridge has launched a similar claim in neighboring East Deer. America First Enterprises, which does business as Oliver Outdoor, wants to put up four billboards in three locations that would be visible to...
Foundation pays mortgage on home of fallen Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire
A foundation created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks announced Thursday that it paid off the mortgage on the home of Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire, who was killed in the line of duty early this year. The mortgage on the Brackenridge home McIntire shared with his wife, Ashley, and their...
Slide repair to close Leechburg Road in Plum into mid-August
PennDOT plans to close another Plum road to repair a slide, a spokesman confirmed Thursday. Leechburg Road will be fully closed between New Texas and Unity Center roads from July 5 through mid-August, spokesman Steve Cowan said. Traffic on the road has been restricted since June 9, when a temporary...
New Kensington considering updated regulations, new fees for restaurants, food trucks
New Kensington is revamping fees paid by restaurants and food trucks in an effort to emphasize food safety. City council is considering an ordinance that would bring the city into compliance with the state’s food laws, health officer Patrick McGuire said. “It makes the licensing and enforcement in compliance with...
Industrial development agencies finalize venture to redevelop New Kensington park
Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp. and the Regional Industrial Development Corp. finalized a joint venture to redevelop the New Kensington Advanced Manufacturing Park. Westmoreland County commissioners and IDC directors Sean Kertes, Doug Chew and Gina Cerilli Thrasher approved the partnership with RIDC, which has agreed to the terms. “We’re extremely...
PennDOT plans daily, 10-hour closures of Campbell Road in West Deer
A West Deer road is scheduled to be closed 10 hours a day, each day, from Tuesday through Friday, PennDOT announced Monday. Weather-permitting, Campbell Road will be closed to traffic from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. between Saxonburg Boulevard and Route 910 while crews are leveling the road and paving....
Retiring New Kensington-Arnold principal to head science foundation’s effort in city
New Kensington native Nicole Roberts is ready to retire from her more than three-decade career in public education — but not from being an educator. Roberts, 54, is retiring effective Sept. 11 as principal of H.D. Berkey Elementary School in Arnold. She will continue working as program director of the...
New Kensington native honored for helping people recover from drug, alcohol addiction
A lifelong New Kensington resident has been recognized for helping people recover from drug and alcohol addiction. Pittsburgh-based Staunton Farm Foundation announced that VonZell Wade received its Albert B. Craig Jr. Award for this year. He was selected from seven nominees. Wade, a licensed professional counselor, co-founded Lost Dreams Awakening...
Plum water authority reports on completed, planned projects and upgrades
Plum Borough Municipal Authority completed three projects totaling $2 million in 2022 and has plans for three more this year that are expected to cost about $1.73 million, according to the authority’s annual drinking water quality report for 2022. In the report, the authority said its drinking water meets federal...
Plum police say 4-year-old told them mother had him hide her ‘medicine,’ heroin, during traffic stop
Police say an East McKeesport woman told her 4-year-old son to hide heroin, which he called mommy’s “medicine,” when Plum police pulled her over for suspicion of driving under the influence. Christine Lynn Kregiel, 33, faces nearly a dozen charges stemming from the traffic stop about 7:30 p.m. Sunday on...
Children enjoy apple story, snacks at New Kensington’s Knead Community Café
A group of children enjoyed apple slices garnished with peanut butter and marshmallows during a field trip Tuesday to Knead Community Café in New Kensington. The children were participating in Peoples Library’s “All About Apples With the Knead Café” field trip. Children’s librarian Victora Lingle read “Ten Red Apples” by...
New Kensington man found with stolen gun, drugs during traffic stop, police say
New Kensington police said they found a man concealing a stolen gun and carrying drugs after stopping him for vehicle violations Sunday. According to a criminal complaint, an officer conducted a traffic stop on Joseph Michael Singer Jr., 35, of New Kensington shortly after midnight. Police said Singer was driving...
New Kensington-Arnold shuffles administrators, principals
Several New Kensington-Arnold School District administrators will be in new jobs starting July 1. The school board approved an administrative realignment plan presented by Superintendent Chris Sefcheck. Under the plan, Assistant Superintendent Jon Banko is becoming principal of Valley High School, taking the job now held by Pat Nee. Nee,...
Air quality alert issued for Pittsburgh region
The state Department of Environmental Protection has issued a code orange air quality alert for the greater Pittsburgh area on Monday. The alert is in effect until 4 p.m. for Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties. The code orange alert means that air pollution concentrations within the...
New Castle motorcyclist killed, teen hurt in crash with SUV
A 49-year-old New Castle man died and a teen was seriously hurt after the motorcycle they were on was hit by an SUV in Lawrence County on Saturday, according to state police. State police identified the man as Travis J. Bintrim. The 14-year-old male passenger was not identified. State police...
Body of Penn Hills man recovered at Creek Falls in South Huntingdon
A 23-year-old man’s body was recovered Sunday morning at Creek Falls on Jacobs Creek in South Huntingdon following a reported drowning on Saturday. The Westmoreland County Coroner’s office identified the man as Deonte Elliot Johns of Sampson Street in Penn Hills. According to the coroner, Johns jumped from a rock...
