Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 47
Couple escapes Lower Burrell home heavily damaged in blaze
A Lower Burrell man who ran into his neighbors’ burning home Sunday says he found them “calm” inside. Randy Bargerstock said the backyard of his Rodgers Drive home borders the backyard of Charles and Susan Allias’ home on Jefferson Drive, which is located a good distance behind Glen’s Custard on...
Plum’s annual SummerFest scheduled for Larry Mills Park
Food, games and carnival rides are among the attractions at Plum’s SummerFest. The annual event will be held Thursday through Saturday, June 24, at Larry Mills Park, a 32-acre park on Fontana Drive off O’Block Road in the borough’s Holiday Park neighborhood. A free shuttle service from nearby Amplify Church,...
Strawberry shortcakes served with scoops of ice cream, history at Harrison’s Burtner House
Robert Woods Sr. says he learns something new every time he visits the Burtner House in Harrison. His latest lesson involved a coffin. The historic stone farmhouse, completed in July 1821, sits just off Route 28 and was saved from being demolished for the highway in the early 1970s. Woods...
Authorities respond to reported drowning at Creek Falls in South Huntingdon
Multiple dive and water rescue teams were responding to a reported drowning Saturday evening in South Huntingdon, a Westmoreland County emergency dispatcher said. The drowning at Creek Falls on Jacobs Creek was reported around 5:45 p.m., the dispatcher said. Limited information was available as of 8 p.m. A dispatcher said...
Work to restrict Tarentum Bridge traffic
Traffic will be restricted on the Tarentum Bridge Tuesday through Thursday, PennDOT announced. Single-lane restrictions will happen in each direction on the bridge over the Allegheny River between Tarentum and New Kensington from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday. Crews...
Arnold approves decertifying 117-year-old No. 1 fire department
A roomful of Arnold residents appeared to go through many of the seven stages of grief before the city’s council voted Tuesday to decertify the older of its two volunteer fire departments. Residents were in shock and angry that council was considering decertifying the 117-year-old Citizens Volunteer Fire Company No....
11 employers expected to attend PA CareerLink job fair in New Kensington
There will be a job fair Thursday in New Kensington with nearly a dozen employers looking to hire. The job fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at PA CareerLink Alle-Kiski, at 1150 Fifth Ave. Registration is suggested but not required. Those planning to attend can register...
Slide restricts traffic on Plum road used as detour during New Texas slide repair
A slide has restricted traffic on a Plum road that is part of a detour for another road that’s closed while crews repair a slide. PennDOT crews placed a temporary traffic signal on Leechburg Road near Elicker Road on Friday, PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said. “A slide has developed on...
Departing Plum superintendent brought pride back to district, school board president says
Superintendent Brendan Hyland is leaving the Plum School District better than he found it, according to the district’s school board president. The board is expected to accept Hyland’s resignation, effective June 30, at its meeting Tuesday night, a day after North Allegheny board members voted 6-3 to hire him as...
Arnold Council to consider decertifying 1 of 2 fire departments
Arnold Council may vote Tuesday to decertify one of the city’s two volunteer fire departments. A vote to decertify the No. 1 fire department will be on the council’s agenda, said Councilman George Hawdon, who is in charge of public safety. Hawdon declined to discuss details of the matter ahead...
Arnold woman accused of fatally shooting dog she recently adopted
An Arnold woman is accused of shooting and killing her dog on Sunday. Arnold police charged Susan Mullenax, 49, of Alcoa Drive with a felony count of aggravated cruelty to animals. She was arraigned Sunday and released from the Westmoreland County jail after a professional bondsman posted her $25,000 bail,...
Pennsylvania average gas price down 28% from record high set 1 year ago
One year ago today, drivers in Pennsylvania were paying about $1.42 per gallon more for gas than they are now. On June 12, 2022, Pennsylvania recorded what remains its highest average price for regular unleaded gasoline — $5.07 per gallon, according to AAA. Today, the statewide average is $3.65, about...
Funding deadline causes cancellation of proposed garden, playground in New Kensington
Two organizations will not move forward with plans for a community park and garden along 10th Street in New Kensington. Westmoreland Community Action and Wesley Family Services had proposed building them on vacant city-owned lots on either side of Third Avenue. The city’s planning commission in February had recommended approval of...
Arnold police officer cleared of final charge related to allegation of unlawfully killing deer
An Arnold police officer has been cleared of all charges related to an allegation that he unlawfully killed an antlered deer. Brackenridge District Judge Carolyn S. Bengel dismissed the third and final charge against Jacob A. Pollick, 30, of Murrysville after a hearing Wednesday, according to court records. The Pennsylvania...
New Kensington-Arnold School Board approves 1.6% property tax increase
Property owners in New Kensington and Arnold will see a 1.6% increase in their school district property tax bills. The New Kensington-Arnold School Board approved the district’s $50.42 million budget for the 2023-24 school year Tuesday, along with the tax increase. The property tax rate was increased by 1.5 mills,...
Penn State New Kensington supports proposal for student housing in downtown New Ken
A New Kensington business owner wants to build housing for college students and others on Fifth Avenue. Jake Lydick, owner of Eye-bot Aerial Solutions and Patriot Technology Holdings, has a plan to build residential units in existing buildings at 713, 715 and 717 Fifth Ave. The addresses are among nine...
Building the Valley: Baker savoring sweet success with growing shop in New Kensington
When Jamie Parker took her home-based bakery into a storefront, small felt right. Two years later, with Sweet Alchemy Bake Shop moved into larger quarters in New Kensington and its offerings expanding, Parker looks back and wonders why she didn’t go big from the start. How has she succeeded? “I...
Mother says she saw son killed in New Kensington shooting; bail denied for alleged shooter
Jackee Harris said her son was kind and generous toward the older teen she claims killed her son in an exchange of gunfire in New Kensington. Harris said she was watching from a car nearby when her son, Divine Warner, 16, confronted Dylan Walmsley, 19, along Fourth Avenue on April...
Field fills in but remains incomplete for 6 New Kensington-Arnold School Board seats
The May primary has filled in some, but not all, of the empty ballot spots for the New Kensington-Arnold School Board. Six of the nine board seats are up for election this year — two in each of the district’s three voting regions. But only three people were on the...
National average gas price expected to stay under $4 this summer, analyst says
The national average price of gasoline is likely to spend much of the summer in the range of $3.35 to $3.85 per gallon, an industry analyst said. But Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said it could go higher “if unexpected refinery outages flare up or we...
Faces of the Valley: Young Plum couple rides waves of emotion as infant son battles through immune deficiency disorderVideo
Every parent knows their child is unique. Eric and Kayla Gidel of Plum didn’t know how unique their son, Easton, was until they had to save his life. Born on Feb. 7, 2022, Easton was diagnosed a little more than six months later with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, or HLH, an immune...
Lower gas prices luring Americans to travel, but inflation, high prices give pause
Americans are wanting to travel this summer, lured by lower gas prices, but remain cautious, price-tracking service GasBuddy says. GasBuddy projects that the national average price of gasoline this Memorial Day weekend will be $3.53 per gallon. That’s $1.10 less than it was in 2022. According to GasBuddy’s 2023 summer...
Plum School Board to discuss needs, cost of work at O’Block, middle schools
The Plum School Board will discuss how to pay for work at two of the district’s schools during a meeting in June. The board also will address priorities at Plum Middle and O’Block Elementary schools, separating needs from wants, board President Michael Devine said. “I can tell you off the...
New Kensington-Arnold considering 1.6% tax increase for next school year
Property owners in the New Kensington-Arnold School District may be facing a property tax increase after all. While the school board approved a $48.9 million preliminary 2023-24 budget in May that carried no increase, the board’s finance committee now is recommending a 1.5-mill hike. That would increase the district’s tax...
Vendors sought for Plum’s Monday Market
Vendors are being sought for the Monday Market in Plum. The market will operate from 3 to 6 p.m. Mondays beginning June 5 through Sept. 25. It will be closed Sept. 4 for Labor Day. This year, it will start at Plum Creek Park on New Texas Road, across from...
