Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 61

It can’t be said there’s a bat in their belfry, since Voodoo Brewery in New Kensington doesn’t have a belfry. But there is a dragon on the second floor. It’s red, with yellow eyes, fangs and claws and a tail snaking down the stairs. The Red Dragon Lounge was created...

Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Louis Lipps Jr. was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after city police say he crashed a pickup into a parked trailer Saturday night on his street in Mt. Washington. Police said Lipps, 59, had trouble speaking and standing at the crash scene...

Condolences were coming from police, firefighters and medics across the Pittsburgh airport area Sunday in response to the news that a Robinson police officer had died. Robinson police announced the death of Sgt. Scott “Scotty” Patton on the department’s Facebook page. His age and cause of death were not given....

Volunteers are needed to help with cleaning up a parklet next week in downtown New Kensington. Located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Eighth Street, the small park was given the name “Corner Courtyard” when the community came together to create it in September 2017. Now mostly a patch...

Word that there were food trucks in Arnold was enough to get Joanne Huybrecht to cross the river from Indiana Township on Saturday. In the Pittsburgh area, that’s saying a lot. Huybrecht, her daughter, Kathy Myers, and her great granddaughter, Kathleen Marutiak, 8, all came to Fifth Avenue on Saturday...

A man was in critical condition after being shot in Munhall on Saturday. According to Allegheny County Police, the shooting in the 600 block of East 13th Avenue was reported shortly before 4:30 p.m. First responders found the man suffering from a gunshot wound to the stomach. He was taken...

A man accused of killing the mother of his unborn child told another woman he was leaving her to see a friend’s new puppy the night he carried out the pre-planned murder, police say in court paperwork. Allegheny County Police say Isaac Christopher Smith, 25, of McKeesport shot 26-year-old Karli...

Penn State will use a $1.5 million federal grant to create workforce education and retaining programs targeting Southwestern Pennsylvania, the university announced Wednesday. The university’s New Kensington campus, located in Upper Burrell, and its Digital Foundry, under construction in downtown New Kensington, will lead the project. It will be known...

New Kensington police are investigating a bullying incident in which garbage was dropped on at least one student in a bathroom at Valley High School. Students found to have been involved could face discipline ranging from detention to expulsion depending on the severity and their own disciplinary history, Superintendent Chris...

Zumba, tai chi and yoga are among the classes that will be offered at the Hampton Community Center beginning in mid-November. They will join popular activities that include pickleball, badminton and volleyball that are available to Hampton residents and non-residents, said Melanie Martino, coordinator of special events and marketing. And...

A political newcomer appeared to be successful in his campaign to replace a longtime supervisor in Allegheny Township. According to unofficial election results Tuesday night and with all precincts reporting, Republican James Morabito had 56% of the vote, defeating incumbent Supervisor Kathy Starr, who had about 44%. This is the...

The property tax rate will not be going up in New Kensington next year. City Council on Monday approved an $8.47 million preliminary budget for 2022 that keeps the tax rate at 32.03 mills. The city would spend almost 4% more than its $8.16 million budget for this year. City Clerk...

One makes donuts, the other doesn’t. One makes custom cakes, the other not as much. But the characteristic that most separates two recently opened New Kensington bakeries is that one, Sweet Alchemy Bake Shop, is all-vegan, while the other, Lynette’s M.A.D. Custom Cakes, is not. Lynette McCandrew opened her bakery...

Diane Belitskus oversaw the construction of 20 homes over 16 years as the first director of Allegheny Valley Habitat for Humanity from 1997 to 2013. Bryan Heyl’s home in Arnold, completed in December 2011, was one of them. He met Belitskus in 2009, the same year he started working at...

Jamie Cutler wants to bring Arnold residents together and figures a food truck rally is a great way to do that. “I wanted something good for the community, especially since we’ve been down because of the pandemic,” said Cutler, 45, an Arnold native. “I want to get people out and...

Vandalism in bathrooms and the inability to have cameras in those spaces is leading New Kensington-Arnold School District to try a new method to catch those responsible. The district will start using an electronic hall pass system at Valley Junior-Senior High School, which then could work its way into other...

Tickets for a dinner and comedy show in downtown New Kensington are nearly sold out ­— and that’s no joke. The Nov. 12 event, with musical comedian Mark Eddie headlining, will benefit Knead Community Cafe and will be held in its banquet room. Only about 25 of 250 tickets were...

Isaiah Parks was too good of a person to go unnoticed. “He was honestly the sweetest, kindest soul ever,” said Jenelle Cole, a life skills teacher at Valley High School in New Kensington, who had been Isaiah’s teacher for four years. “He could be grumpy, but he just always made...

Harrison neighbors Jamie Nee and Jeffrey “JR” Reynolds learned they were running for the same township commissioner’s seat when they ran into each other turning in paperwork at the county elections office. They had worked together for years at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison, where Nee still works as director...

One man’s attempt to assault another man with a baseball bat backfired when the other man pulled out a gun and shot him three times, according to Arnold police. Arnold police this week charged both men they say were involved in the incident that happened shortly before midnight on Sept....

A candidate’s late withdrawal from the race for Springdale Council means more seats are up for election than there are people to fill them. Six of council’s seven seats will be on the Nov. 2 ballot, but there are effectively only five candidates. Toni Robbins, 56, said she is dropping...

Covid vaccine booster shots are available in New Kensington for those who are eligible to receive them. Community Health Clinic, at 943 Fourth Ave., began giving booster shots Monday, clinic executive Director Raji Jayakrishnan said. The clinic has boosters for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s vaccines. Pfizer boosters are not...

Squatters and wildlife in a dozen rundown New Kensington houses may need to find new places to live within a matter of months. City Council, sitting as the Board of Health on Monday, ruled 12 properties to be detrimental to the health, safety and general welfare of the community and...

An online fundraising effort for a New Kensington volunteer firefighter battling cancer has exceeded its goal, and a public event is in the works. Chris Ploski, 59, was recently diagnosed with stage 4 small cell lung cancer that spread to the pituitary gland in his brain. Although he works as...

Two principals are replacing one at a New Kensington-Arnold elementary school. Tyler Roberto will join Todd Kutchak as co-principals of Roy A. Hunt Elementary around Nov. 1, Superintendent Chris Sefcheck said. They are replacing Thomas Rocchi, who retired this year after 60 years in education. Kutchak, 50, an assistant principal...