Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 28
Police charge man in death of ‘severely beaten’ woman living under Carnegie bridge
A woman found severely beaten under a bridge in Carnegie died at the scene Sunday, according to Allegheny County Police. County police have charged Joseph Beraducci, 29, of Pittsburgh with one count of criminal homicide in the woman’s death. A judge cited Beraducci being homeless in denying him bail when...
Pittsburgh police locate missing 11-year-old girl
Pittsburgh police asked for the public’s help as they sought an 11-year-old girl who was reported missing after running away from home following an argument. Police said Sunday morning that Kashaie Davisl has been located after being reported missing after running away from home following an argument....
Woman in serious condition after head-on crash on Chartiers Avenue
A woman was in serious condition when she was taken to a hospital from a crash on Chartiers Avenue on Saturday morning, according to Pittsburgh police. Police said two vehicles collided head-on in the 2600 block of Chartiers Avenue, on the border of the city’s Sheraden and Crafton Heights neighborhoods,...
Arnold’s new police chief suspended amid investigation, mayor says
About six months after being named Arnold’s new police chief, Josh Stanga has been placed on administrative leave while he is the subject of an investigation, Mayor Shannon Santucci said Saturday. Santucci said Stanga is the target of an investigation underway by state police and the state Attorney General’s Office...
Memorial motorcycle ride keeps memory of slain New Kensington police officer Brian Shaw alive, funds scholarship
Fran Aller still vividly remembers his dimples. She was among those who’d see Brian Shaw come into the Sheetz in New Kensington during his brief time as a police officer in the city, before he was shot and killed during a traffic stop in November 2017. “He was always smiling,”...
Plum School Board approves finance team for first step of $30M borrowing for building project
The Plum School District has flexibility as it begins a three-step process to borrow $30 million for a building project. The school board last week authorized district administration to work with financial advisers, bond counsel, an underwriter and the district’s solicitor to prepare for borrowing nearly $10 million for the...
New Kensington police identify, arrest suspect in gas station robbery
A man accused of robbing a New Kensington gas station early Wednesday was quickly identified and arrested thanks to an anonymous tip. Police had sought the public’s help in identifying a man who, armed with a knife, robbed the Sunoco station on Tarentum Bridge Road at Caldwell Avenue around 4:30...
Investigation into Plum house explosion could take years, officials sayVideo
It could take years to determine a cause of the deadly house explosion in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood, officials said Tuesday. “These can be very, very lengthy investigative processes,” said Matthew Brown, chief of Allegheny County’s Department of Emergency Services. “The key is to actually, definitively, get to what the...
Plum schools seek $9.9M loan for $30M renovation and expansion project
The Plum School Board on Tuesday will consider borrowing the first one-third of the money needed for a roughly $30 million building project. During its meeting Tuesday, the board is expected to hear a presentation from the district’s financial advisors, PFM Financial Advisors, before voting on proceeding with borrowing nearly...
Still no answers: 1 year later, Plum community still awaits a cause for fatal Rustic Ridge house explosion
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Plum community to observe Rustic Ridge anniversary 1 year later with no answers
As a Plum community pauses to remember those who died in a fatal house explosion a year ago, questions about the cause remain unresolved, and a mayor is demanding answers. Six residents of the Rustic Ridge neighborhood died as a result of the massive Aug. 12 explosion, which sent shock...
Retirement has Plum School District searching for new assistant superintendent
One of Plum School District’s two assistant superintendents is retiring, so the district is looking for a replacement. Denise Sedlacek will retire on Nov. 1, Superintendent Rick Walsh said. Sedlacek, a resident of Allegheny Township, started her education career in 1984 and has been in administration since 1991. She came...
62nd Street Bridge ramp to close for gas line replacement
The 62nd Street Bridge ramp to South Main Street in Etna will be closed on Saturday, PennDOT announced Friday. The ramp from the bridge, southbound Route 8, will be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. while a natural gas company crew replaces a gas line, according to PennDOT. Traffic...
Parts of former Sheetz in Plum demolished; property for lease
While work is underway at the site of a former Sheetz on Plum’s Golden Mile Highway, the future of the property is unclear. Crews were seen this week dismantling and removing the last pieces of the canopy of the shuttered convenience store and gas station. Sheetz closed the location at...
Plum man, 61, accused of sexually assaulting 14-year-old girl he met outside a borough bar
A 61-year-old Plum man is accused of taking two underage teen girls he met outside a bar to his home and giving them marijuana before having sex with one of them. Plum police say John Dale Vorous admitted to taking the girls, ages 14 and 15, to his Francis Road...
Plum set to begin 2024-25 school year with larger senior, junior classes
Plum’s Class of 2025 is one of two large “bubbles” making its way through the school district. The senior class for the 2024-25 school year numbers 316 students, assistant Superintendent Ashley Boyers said. The junior class behind them is even larger, at 325. Typical class sizes for the district are...
New Kensington Mexican restaurant owner hopes liquor license will bring more diners
The owner of a Mexican restaurant in downtown New Kensington hopes margaritas, beer and cocktails will attract more diners. Without any questions or concerns, city council approved Jose Tecuanhuehue’s request to transfer a liquor license into the city for his restaurant, Taqueria El Pastorcito, at 929 Fourth Ave. The license...
New Kensington-Arnold awards final contract for pedestrian bridges at Valley High
The end is in sight for reconstruction of pedestrian bridges at Valley High School. The New Kensington-Arnold School Board awarded the final contract for the replacement of the bridges as they also consider the rebuilding and possible relocation of a veterans memorial there. The school board Tuesday unanimously approved paying...
Plum officials seek bids for demolition of former borough building
Plum officials are seeking bids for the demolition of the former borough building as they work on plans for redevelopment of the site. Plum moved its administrative and police offices out of the building on New Texas Road in late 2022 to its new municipal center on Mike Thomas Way,...
Roads in New Kensington neighborhood, downtown set to be resurfaced
Roads in a New Kensington neighborhood and the city’s downtown are expected to be resurfaced this year. City council on Monday awarded a contact of about $107,500 to A. Liberoni of Plum to pave two roads in the Mount Vernon area — Center Avenue from the bridge over Little Pucketa...
Hail heralds storm front across Western Pa. region, flash flood warnings issuedVideo
The National Weather Service Pittsburgh received a number of hail reports as a line of strong storms moved through the region Tuesday afternoon. The hail the storms produced lasted about 15 to 20 minutes, with hail measuring 1 to 2 inches in some places. Most reports were coming from northern...
Arnold resident convicted of cocaine trafficking sentenced to 11 years in prison
An Arnold resident, one of 57 people charged last year as part of a four-year, nationwide investigation, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for trafficking cocaine. Senior U.S. District Judge Kim R. Gibson imposed the sentence Thursday on Milton Paschal, 44. His jail term on convictions of conspiracy to...
Allegheny Township supervisor, 2 former officials face charges over toy drive money
A disagreement in Allegheny Township over who should control a pool of money raised to buy Christmas presents for children now is in a district judge’s office. Charges were filed Thursday against an Allegheny Township supervisor, a former supervisor and the township’s former manager apparently over $10,000 that was transferred...
Holiday Park fire department preparing to host 1st Citizens Fire Academy
Plum’s Holiday Park Volunteer Fire Department will host its first Citizens Fire Academy for adults beginning in September. The nine-week program, offered free of charge, will run from 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays from Sept. 18 to Nov. 13 at the fire station at 415 Old Abers Creek Road. Anyone...
Student-turned-teacher brings ‘Safety Town’ back to New Kensington
Thirty years ago, when she was 5, Lauren Lanzino learned safety lessons she never forgot. Now, the student has become the teacher, with Lanzino bringing Safety Town back to New Kensington after an 11-year absence. “Everybody I know that has ever done this program loved this program,” Lanzino, 35, of...
