Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 31
New Kensington Council rejects liquor license for Valero gas station
New Kensington Council, citing concerns about crime, denied a liquor license transfer to a city gas station and convenience store. Council unanimously denied a license for the Valero at Seventh Street and Constitution Boulevard. It would have been transferred there from Guy’s Tavern in Avonmore. Council began a public hearing...
$47.6M New Kensington-Arnold School District budget approved with 1.5% tax increase
Property owners in the New Kensington-Arnold School District will see a 1.5% property tax increase in their school tax bill. The school board Tuesday approved the district’s $47.6 million budget for the 2024-25 school year that includes the tax hike. The district’s property tax rate will increase from 97.64 mills...
New Kensington Council declares 6 houses unsafe, orders demolitions
Four dilapidated houses in one New Kensington neighborhood are among the latest six the city is working to tear down. Three of the four houses are on Ross Avenue at 717, 1100 and 1150. The fourth is nearby at 1330 Forest Ave. All four are in the area above the...
Harrison woman tells police man was trying to kill her with corkscrew, box cutter
Police officers say they found blood throughout a Harrison apartment where a woman said a man was trying to kill her Monday night. Officers heard a woman crying and screaming when they arrived at the apartment in the 1200 block of Argonne Drive shortly after 8 p.m., according to a...
1 arrested as protesters draw police response on Pitt campus
Protesters gathered and chanted in support of Palestine on Sunday evening at the Cathedral of Learning in Oakland. Police from several agencies including the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, city of Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania State Police were at the scene. Two demonstrations in Oakland converged on the cathedral’s lawn,...
‘Rockin’ Roosevelt’ benefit concert marks the start of summer at Arnold’s Roosevelt Park
New Ken-Arnold Social in the Park got the summer season underway Sunday with its annual “Rockin’ Roosevelt” benefit concert at Arnold’s Roosevelt Park. A lineup of 11 bands were scheduled to perform, each for half-hour sets from noon to 8 p.m. With the bands all donating their time, proceeds from...
Springdale Township church hosts annual creation of sawdust carpets for Feast of Corpus Christi
A damp parking lot made for a good canvas Sunday morning at a Springdale Township church. Our Lady of Victory on Low Grade Road again hosted Guardian Angels Parish’s annual Feast of Corpus Christi celebration, which included the creation of colorful sawdust carpets. It previously was held at Holy Martyrs...
2 killed, 7 hurt in shooting at Penn Hills hookah bar
Two people were killed and seven others injured in a shooting at a hookah bar in Penn Hills early Sunday morning, according to Allegheny County Police. The shooting in the 3500 block of Laketon Road, near Frankstown Road, was reported to 911 shortly before 3 a.m. First responders found a...
‘We’re all happy he’s back’: Fans gather in Pittsburgh for Kenny Chesney concert
The sun had not been up for long Saturday before members of “No Shoes Nation” began gathering on Pittsburgh’s North Shore for Kenny Chesney’s “Sun Goes Down” tour that night at Acrisure Stadium. They came by land and by sea, from near and from far — with and without tickets...
Rustic Ridge family that lost home to explosion awaits completion of new house
As Rick and Beth Napoleon planned their new house in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood, they knew it had to be different. “With every decision, we’re pretty much trying to do the complete opposite of the last house,” Rick Napoleon said. “Every decision is the opposite. We want something new, different...
New Kensington, Arnold ‘Slow Roll’ bicycle event returns June 4
A weekly bicycle ride through Arnold and New Kensington is expanding as it returns for its second season in June. The New Ken-Arnold Slow Roll will be held every Tuesday beginning June 4 and running into October, organizer Neil Walker said. Participants will gather about 6 p.m. at the ball...
Explosives found in belongings of Pittsburgh man accused of vandalizing synagogue
Nearly three dozen completed explosive devices and materials used to make explosives were found in the possessions of a Pittsburgh man who is accused of inscribing a hate symbol on the doors of a synagogue last month, Pittsburgh police say. Police charged William Edwin Murray, 33, April 10 with ethnic...
2 Michigan men delivered ‘pounds’ of marijuana to South Side Flats for $60K, police say
Two Michigan men are in the Allegheny County Jail after Pittsburgh police say they delivered “pounds” of marijuana to a South Side Flats home in exchange for more than $60,000. An officer reported seeing Andre Larone Tucker, 48, and Jaylin Malakhi Jackson, 18, both of the St. Louis, Mich., area,...
Morning Roundup: Gunman robs Shadyside Walgreens; Memorial Day forecast looks wet
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, May 24: Shadyside pharmacy robbed at gunpoint No injuries were reported in the armed robbery of a Shadyside pharmacy Thursday night, Pittsburgh police said. Officers responded to the robbery at a Walgreens in the 5900 block of Centre...
Morning Roundup: Firefighter among 3 injured in Washington County house fire
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, May 23: 3 injured in Washington County house fire Three people, including a firefighter, were injured in a fire that destroyed a Washington County house early Thursday morning. The fire broke out around 12:20 a.m. at a house...
Memory of slain police chief sparks project to line Arnold, New Kensington road with flags
When Raymond Laughlin watched the funeral procession for Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire make its way along Freeport Road in New Kensington more than a year ago, it occurred to him that lining the road with American flags would have been a fitting tribute to McIntire. Thus was born the...
Morning Roundup: Severe weather in forecast; Pittsburgh Zoo seeks aid after tornado
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, May 22: Severe weather forecast in Southwestern Pa. Severe weather is possible in Southwestern Pennsylvania this afternoon and evening, according to the National Weather Service. The region, along with parts of northwest West Virginia and eastern Ohio, is...
Gun thefts from cars surge; police urge owners to secure firearms
The rate of guns being stolen from cars has tripled over the past decade, and in many cases the thieves didn’t have to work very hard to get their hands on another person’s weapon, officials say. Often, they’re swiping firearms from unlocked vehicles parked just outside gun owners’ homes. “Such...
Record Memorial Day travel numbers projected
Nearly 44 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home over the Memorial Day travel period, AAA projects. That’s a 4% increase over last year and close to matching the record set in 2005. The Memorial Day holiday travel period is considered the five-day period from Thursday to...
Morning Roundup: 2 teens shot in Stowe; Man shot in Arnold
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, May 21: 2 teens shot in Stowe Two teens were in critical condition after a shooting late Monday night in Stowe, Allegheny County Police said. The shooting in the 800 block of Seventh Street was reported to Allegheny...
84-year-old woman killed, husband injured in Bolivar house fire
An 84-year-old woman died and her husband was injured in a house fire in Bolivar early Tuesday. Bolivar Fire Chief John Speidel said firefighters extinguished a porch fire and found the two victims inside after a report of possible entrapment. The fire in the 800 block of McKinley Street was...
Police charge driver with being drunk, high in Churchill crash that killed passenger
A Wilkinsburg woman was driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana last year when she lost control of her SUV in Churchill and crashed, killing one of three passengers, according to charges filed Friday. Tiffany L. Reese, 45, surrendered Monday morning to Allegheny County sheriff’s deputies at the Pittsburgh...
Milene Mazeroski, wife of Pirates legend Bill Mazeroski, dies
Milene Mazeroski, wife of legendary Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Bill Mazeroski, has died. Milene, 85, died early Sunday morning in Lansdale, Pa., according to the Pirates. Milene was born in Braddock. She was married to Bill, 87, for 64 years. They met while she worked in the Pirates front office...
Morning Roundup: Crash snarls inbound Route 28; Pittsburgh man wins Cleveland Marathon
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, May 20: A rollover crash was slowing traffic on inbound Route 28. The crash happened near the 31st Street Bridge shortly before 5 a.m. By 6 a.m., the crash had been cleared but there was a considerable traffic...
Plum foundation honoring junior firefighter awards scholarship
A foundation created to remember a teen from Plum has awarded its first scholarship to a junior firefighter graduating from the borough’s school district. Jennifer Martinez created The Mark Matesic Memorial Foundation shortly after her 16-year-old son died by suicide in March 2022. Fascinated with trucks, especially firetrucks, since he...
