Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 15
In brief: Happenings in the North Hills area
1 arrested, 13 cited in task force’s DUI detail The North Hills DUI Task Force recently conducted a stationary DUI detail May 9 in conjunction with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration Checkpoint Strike Force. The sobriety checkpoint was held May 9 in McCandless. A total of 837 vehicles passed...
In brief: Happenings in the Shaler Journal area
Community invited to free kindness event The Shaler Area School District will present the fourth annual 143 Day of Kindness event from 5:30 to 8 p.m. May 22 at Shaler Area Elementary School, 700 Scott Ave. Doors will open at 5:15 p.m. for the free community event. Free shuttle transportation...
Pet owners who used services of funeral director accused of mishandling remains gather for support
Rick and Terri Wagner traveled Sunday from their New Kensington home to Derry Township in search of closure. Their beloved spanador, Bailey, a mix of a cocker spaniel and a Labrador, was one of the thousands of pets authorities say Patrick Vereb mishandled through his cremation business, Eternity Pet Memorial....
Man found shot in each leg in Duquesne, police say
A man is in stable condition after being shot twice in Duquesne on Saturday, Allegheny County Police said. Allegheny County 911 was notified of shots fired in the 1100 block of Cherry Alley shortly after noon, county police said. First responders found a man had suffered a gunshot wound to...
Allegheny Valley residents take advantage of chance to get firearm carry permits closer to home
Lee Anne Pennington had a license to carry a firearm when she lived in Butler County, but let it expire. It’s been about four years since she moved to Springdale, but it wasn’t until Saturday that Pennington got a new permit. She took advantage of the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office...
Helmets, tune-ups provided to children at annual Shaler bicycle rodeo
Heads were protected and bikes were perfected during an annual bike rodeo Saturday, May 17, in Shaler . Children were fitted for and received free helmets during the rodeo in Kiwanis Park, where a half-dozen mechanics were also on hand to tend to maintenance needs. Kids also had a chance...
Shaler commissioners formalize agreement between Mt. Alvernia developer, residents
The dispute between residents of a Shaler neighborhood and a Pittsburgh-based developer came to a civil and uneventful resolution this month. Commissioners on May 13 unanimously approved an ordinance that includes the agreement reached between the Hawthorne Neighborhood Association and Q Development, which is working on a $100 million redevelopment...
ABC Transit celebrating end of school year with free community event in Shaler
ABC Transit will celebrate the end of the school year by asking folks to swing on by its Shaler terminal in June. The transportation and school bus company will host a free event for the community and their staff that they’re calling “Crash My Party” from noon to 4 p.m....
Pine-Richland moving forward with no property tax increase over superintendent’s warnings
With the support of the majority of the school board, the Pine-Richland School District is moving forward with a 2025-26 budget with no property tax increase despite the superintendent urging that an increase is necessary. The board voted 6-3 at its May 12 meeting to approve the proposed $115.6 million...
North Allegheny owes A.W. Beattie $700K after discovery of enrollment count error
The North Allegheny School District owes the A.W. Beattie Career Center nearly $700,000 after the discovery of a clerical error that resulted in the district not paying its proper share for over four years to the vocational and technical education school in McCandless. That happened because the number of North...
Shaler Area’s young marathon runners tackle the challenge of a triathlon
With the Pittsburgh Kids Marathon in their rearview mirrors, some Shaler Area Elementary students are gearing up for their next challenge. The students, under the training of fourth grade reading teacher and coach Kelly Himes, are preparing to participate in Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh’s youth triathlon July 19...
Matt Graf Golf Outing marks 10th year; dinner tickets still available
The annual Matt Graf Golf Outing will be held June 6 at Pittsburgh North Golf Club in Richland. While golfer participation was sold out, tickets for the dinner catered by Walnut Grill are still available and can be bought online at hm3independencefund.org. The dinner is scheduled for 6:30 to 10...
Shaler approves hiring 7 police officers
Of seven new police officers Shaler approved hiring in April, three were currently attending police academies while four had yet to start training, police Chief Sean Frank said. But because of competition between agencies, it’s something the township has to do, the chief says. “If you don’t offer employment, they’re...
Brian C. Rittmeyer: Penn State branch campuses provide more than memories
There’s a beaver plushie on my nightstand, and a glass bottle of Coke from 1990 in my living room. What do these two unusual — and one, advisably undrinkable — things have in common? Penn State branch campuses. More importantly, for me, the memories attached to them. And now that...
Run of good weather continues for Plum Chamber’s annual Touch-A-Truck
The Plum Chamber of Commerce’s streak of beautiful weather for its Touch-A-Truck event remains unbroken. The chamber hosted its fourth Touch-A-Truck on the campus of Plum Middle School and Holiday Park Intermediate School under sunny, blue skies and comfortable temperatures Saturday. Around 1,000 people were estimated to have attended, said...
The Wall That Heals, a Vietnam Veterans Memorial replica, in region for Memorial Day
A three-quarter replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., will make its only appearance in the Pittsburgh area this year in Shaler. The Wall That Heals and a mobile education center will be at Shaler Area High School over the Memorial Day weekend, May 22-26, as the cornerstone...
Proposed North Hills School District 2025-26 budget carries no property tax increase
Property owners in the North Hills School District would not pay any more in property taxes under the district’s proposed $100.12 million budget for the 2025-26 school year. The school board unanimously approved the proposed spending plan on May 1. The board will take a final vote on the budget...
Induction cooktops available to borrow from Millvale Tool Library
Induction cooktops are very different from “grandma’s coils,” and a couple are available to try from the Millvale Community Library. PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center donated two lightweight, portable induction cooktops to the Millvale Tool Library in April as part of Earth Week 2025. “Induction cooking is a better choice...
In brief: Happenings from the North Allegheny area
Members sought for 175th anniversary committee McCandless is looking for residents and business owners to join its 175th anniversary committee. The town, which was chartered in 1851, is gearing up to mark the milestone in 2026. This year, officials want to put together a committee of 10 residents to help...
GAMA Sports Training holds open house for new $3.5M facility in Plum
GAMA Sports Training’s new home in Plum is “absolutely everything that this area needed,” says Gabrielle Fischetti. “It’s a big space that is going to create a lot of good athletes,” said Fischetti, 24, of Murrysville, a partner in GAMA Sports with her father, Joe Fischetti, and retired NFL football...
2 teens critically hurt in Butler County crash
Two teens were flown to Pittsburgh hospitals after a single-vehicle crash in Butler County Sunday, according to state police. According to state police, the crash happened around 7 a.m. on West Sunbury Road near Aggas Road in Center Township. State police said the vehicle, a pickup, went off the road...
Mother and child killed in crash on I-70 in Washington County identified
The woman and her child who died Sunday afternoon after being thrown from their car in a crash on Interstate 70 in Washington County have been identified. Abdul-Salami Touray, 4, of Columbus, Ohio, was a rear-seat passenger and one of three occupants of a vehicle that crashed around 1 p.m....
2 charged in fight that injured Pittsburgh officer in South Side
Two men are facing charges after a Pittsburgh police officer suffered a facial injury after responding to a fight on East Carson Street early Sunday morning. Officers responded to the reported fight in the 1500 block of East Carson in the South Side Flats around 2:15 a.m. Arriving officers saw...
Dispute over loose dog in Greensburg escalated to fight among neighbors, police say
A Greensburg man is accused of assaulting another man and smacking a girl over an aggressive, loose dog, according to the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s office. Linwood Eley II, 46, was charged by Greensburg police on Friday with misdemeanor counts of terroristic threats, simple assault and resisting arrest and summary...
Opera star, retired Pirates pitcher to headline fundraising gala for Pittsburgh Youth Chorus
An internationally renowned opera star and a retired Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher will headline the Pittsburgh Youth Chorus’ first gala-style fundraiser in June. Marianne Cornetti, a Winfield native who is one of the leading Verdi mezzo-sopranos of her generation, and Steven Brault, a multitalented vocalist and former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher-turned baseball...
