Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 52
Consol Energy planning to build pipeline through Plum to carry mine water to Allegheny River
Consol Energy is preparing to build a nearly 4-mile pipeline to carry treated water from the former Renton Mine through Plum to the Allegheny River. According to Consol, the Renton Mine water treatment facility on Old Mine Road has been in operation for more than 30 years. It prevents an...
Agents bust large-scale fentanyl ring in Alle-Kiski Valley
A more than yearlong investigation by the state Attorney General’s Office and the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force has disrupted a large-scale fentanyl trafficking organization in the Alle-Kiski Valley. In court paperwork filed Friday, agents said they made controlled buys of fentanyl between January and March 2022 in Arnold, New...
Woman jailed after police chase that ended in crash on New Kensington Bridge
A woman is in the Allegheny County Jail after being involved in a police chase that ended in a crash Thursday morning on the New Kensington Bridge. On Friday, state police said troopers tried to stop Jasmine Christine Jackson, 34, of Arnold on Freeport Road in East Deer. Jackson was...
New Kensington police say ‘bored’ teen stole Jeep from city dealership
New Kensington police say a Wilkins Township man admitted to stealing a Jeep from a used car dealership in the city because he was bored. In court paperwork, police say David Eugene George II, 18, admitted breaking into Wheel Deal Auto Sales on Industrial Boulevard on Feb. 3. They say...
New Kensington planners recommend proposed community park, garden
A proposal to build a community park and garden in downtown New Kensington will go to city council for consideration. Westmoreland Community Action and Wesley Family Services have proposed building the park and garden on vacant lots along 10th Street, with Third Avenue running between them. The city owns the...
70s temps set weather record in February
February isn’t over yet, but it’s already made weather history for Southwestern Pennsylvania. The high temperature reached a record-tying 70 degrees at Pittsburgh International Airport in Moon Township on Thursday, National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Frazier said. It was the third time this month that the high has reached 70...
Plum cop charged with DUI after found sleeping in running pickup, police say
A Plum patrolman was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after another Plum officer found him asleep behind the wheel of a running vehicle, police said. Ryan E. Schneiderlochner, 51, of Plum is scheduled for a preliminary hearing April 26 on the charge filed Jan. 24, according to...
Plum house a total loss after suspected electrical fire
No one was hurt in a fire Tuesday that destroyed a house in Plum. The fire at 435 Millers Lane was reported at 4:40 p.m., according to an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher. Tim Townsend and his fiancee, Christine Biros, own the one-story home and live there with his adult son,...
Mary Queen of Apostles, Kiski Area get shares of $8M state grants for school safety
Kiski Area School District and Mary Queen of Apostles Catholic School are among 166 schools or districts across Pennsylvania getting shares of more than $8 million in state grants to improve school safety. Mary Queen of Apostles received two grants totaling nearly $100,000 for use at its two schools in...
Gas prices edge lower in Pittsburgh, across Pa. while national average unchanged
While gas prices in some states moved higher in the past week, Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh area are among those where prices came down slightly. According to AAA, the statewide average price of a gallon of gas Monday was about $3.69. That’s about 4 cents less than last week, about...
Arnold approves selling Fourth Avenue lots to dumpster rental business
The owner of a dumpster rental company plans to start construction on a new home for his business in Arnold by the fall. Joe Cene, owner of Triple P Disposal, hopes the work along Fourth Avenue can start sooner than that. “I’m going to do all I can to get...
Plum awards contract for $1M road paving program, mostly for Holiday Park and Logans Ferry Heights
Plum’s Holiday Park and Logans Ferry Heights neighborhoods will be the main beneficiaries of road work in the borough this year. Of nearly a dozen roads that will be resurfaced, seven are in Holiday Park. Eighteen that will be tarred and chipped are all in Logans Ferry Heights. Borough council...
Plum Council approves first 35 houses of Patriot Estates plan; a total of 158 in the works
Plum Council has attached a few conditions to its approval of the first phase of a three-phase, 158-home housing development. Council voted 6-0 to give final approval to the 35-house first phase of Patriot Estates, a development that would cover about 140 acres off Davidson Road. Council’s approval followed a...
Faces of the Valley: New Kensington-Arnold’s beloved ‘Ms. Isaac’ brings out the best in students
Fifth grade teacher Samantha Isaac takes advantage of her classroom being at something of a crossroads inside Roy A. Hunt Elementary School in Arnold. Isaac is often outside her door, extending her influence beyond the students in her room. “She’s out in the hallway talking with students, giving them fist...
Truancy can carry legal penalties, affect the ability to get a job
Frank J. Pallone Jr. has had many truancy cases come before him during his 24 years as a district judge in New Kensington. In those hearings, Pallone said he takes the time to learn what is going on in homes that caused a child to miss school and rack up...
Arnold Council delays vote on roofing company request to lease lots for storage
Arnold Council has delayed voting on a roofing company’s request to lease city-owned land for outdoor storage. Liberty Roofing Center wants to lease the vacant lots at 1501-1507 Fourth Ave. As proposed, the rent would be $400 per month, or $4,800 per year, with a five-year minimum. What would be...
New Kensington police officer dragged by car while attempting to arrest wanted woman
A New Kensington police officer was dragged by a vehicle Thursday when he attempted to arrest a woman he knew had an outstanding warrant against her. The incident began about 5 p.m. at the Sunoco gas station on Tarentum Bridge Road, according to court records. A pursuit — first by...
Social Security moving office from New Kensington to Harrison’s Heights Plaza
The Social Security Administration office that has been in New Kensington for nearly 40 years will be moving to Harrison, a government spokesman said. The U.S. General Services Administration signed a new lease for the office to be at Heights Plaza in Natrona Heights, spokesman Will Powell said. The office...
New Kensington Council halts Tarentum contractor from buying abandoned house
New Kensington officials said they were doing a Tarentum contractor a favor by not allowing him to buy a long-vacant house in the city from Westmoreland County’s unsold repository. Council voted unanimously last month to not consent to the sale of 304 Charles Ave. to Bryaunt Williams, owner of One...
Block funding to cover repairs of broken, lifted sidewalks along Fifth Avenue in New Kensington
Word that New Kensington plans to fix broken and lifted sidewalks through the heart of the city’s downtown this year is welcome news to residents and property owners. Repairs to the sidewalks on both sides of Fifth Avenue, between Seventh and 11th streets, are expected to be complete in July,...
New Kensington Pub Crawl expanding into Arnold, Lower Burrell
A pub crawl that started in New Kensington last year is expanding for its second run. Seven bars are participating in the second annual Pre-St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl from noon to 5 p.m. March 4. The 2022 event drew hundreds decked out in as much green as possible. This...
New Kensington-Arnold pursuing serving line, restroom improvement projects
Officials in the New Kensington-Arnold School District are pursuing improvement projects at two of the district’s schools. The school board voted to explore replacing the meal serving line at H.D. Berkey Elementary in Arnold and renovating restrooms at Valley Junior-Senior High School in New Kensington. H.D. Berkey houses first and...
Holiday Park VFD opens registration for 5th annual Fire Camp & Junior Fire Academy in Plum
The Holiday Park Volunteer Fire Department will hold its fifth annual Fire Camp & Junior Fire Academy this summer. Registration for the camp, held from June 19-23, opened Feb. 13 and closes May 15. The camp is limited to 32 participants. The weeklong camp is for youth ages 14 to...
Former Valley dean of students, an anti-violence crusader, organizes healing event for community
When he was a dean of students in the New Kensington-Arnold School District, Henry “Hank” Commodore handled discipline. If he was still in education today, Commodore would make love and kindness part of the curriculum for all students. “We’re all family. All of us are family. We need to be...
Seasonal increase nearing as gas prices continue to fall
Gas prices continued to fall over the past week, but a seasonal increase is not far away. According to AAA, the national average Monday was about $3.42 per gallon. That’s about 5 cents less than a week ago but 13 cents more than a month ago. Price-tracking service GasBuddy says...
