Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 61
Lower Burrell woman accused of fleeing police in rental car taken from Arnold
A Lower Burrell woman is accused of speeding through Arnold and New Kensington, nearly hitting a woman pushing a stroller and, after crashing, jumping into a good Samaritan’s vehicle and telling him to drive away. Arnold police said Nicole Patricia Smith, 26, of Fairview Road admitted fleeing in a rental...
Decline in gas prices continuing into Labor Day weekend, price tracking service says
Going into the Labor Day weekend, which many mark as the traditional end of summer, gasoline prices are expected to be the lowest since March 3 and 20% less than July 4, price tracking service GasBuddy said. According to GasBuddy, prices this holiday weekend will continue to fall slightly from...
The Corner’s Opportunity Accelerator helps small-business owners in Alle-Kiski Valley
When Nicole Porterfield-Miller opens her breakfast restaurant, Cafe Nikki P, in New Kensington, it will be the realization of a dream. It started with a hobby making fruit and vegetable trays that she turned into a side business. “I never thought I could open a restaurant. I didn’t think that...
Early reopening possible for Logans Ferry Road as slide work progresses
Logans Ferry Road in Plum may reopen to traffic earlier than expected, a PennDOT spokesman said Monday. The heavily traveled road between Entrance Drive and Columbia Road near New Kensington has been closed since Aug. 2 while a contractor works to repair a landslide. The closure has forced the more...
27 bands scheduled to play annual Band Blast at New Kensington’s Memorial Park
More than two dozen bands are scheduled to perform for the annual Band Blast at Memorial Park in New Kensington this year. The lineup consists of 11 bands performing on the main stage and 16 acoustic acts on the second stage. “This is the biggest lineup we’ve ever had for...
Gas prices fall for 11th week; some Pa. counties reach $4 mark
Average gas prices in a few Northeastern Pennsylvania counties have fallen to or just below $4 per gallon as the streak of dropping gas prices marks its 11th week. The average price in Pennsylvania is now about $4.14, down 8 cents from last week and 35 cents from a month...
New Kensington church damaged by tornado in 2020 to reopen
Parishioners of a New Kensington church damaged by a tornado more than two years ago are slated to return to it for worship in November. The Rev. Larry J. Kulick, bishop of the Diocese of Greensburg, announced Friday that he will be at St. Mary of Czestochowa at 1 p.m....
EPA schedules hearing on proposed injection well in Plum
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will hold a public hearing Tuesday in Plum on a proposed commercial disposal injection well in the borough. The hearing is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Plum Community Center, 499 Center New Texas Road. Penneco Environmental Solutions of Delmont is seeking permission...
Nature hike in Pine man’s memory to support cancer survivors group
A 3K nature hike in North Park will be held in memory of a young Pine man who died from cancer a year ago. Christian Cochran was 23 when he died Sept. 1, 2021, a little over a year after he was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer of the...
Gas prices fall for 10th straight week as parts of Pa. near $4 mark
The streak of falling gas prices continued for a 10th straight week despite some areas seeing prices rise slightly last week, an industry analyst said. The average price also continued to fall in Pennsylvania, where some counties are now within a few cents of $4, according to AAA. The national...
Arnold, New Kensington groups band together for Back to School Bash
Several Arnold and New Kensington organizations are banding together to help make sure students are ready to go back to school. A Back to School Bash is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27, at Roosevelt Park in Arnold. Students in the New Kensington-Arnold School District return...
Tri-City Historical Society to open 1st museum in downtown New Kensington
New Kensington’s history is out there, and James Sabulsky wants to bring it all together. Sabulsky, president of the Tri-City Historical Society, hopes having a museum where people can see items from New Kensington’s past will help with gathering more of it. The society, founded in 2019, is opening its...
New Kensington-Arnold working to bring back alumni recognition program
A team is being formed to bring back a program recognizing distinguished graduates of the New Kensington-Arnold School District and its predecessor districts. The team is expected to include area historians, former district administrators and teachers and community leaders, school board member Sarah Yurga said. “Once we form that team,...
New 5K grows into fitness festival in downtown New Kensington
An effort to organize a first-time 5K race in downtown New Kensington has grown into what promises to be a multifaceted fitness festival dedicated to health, nutrition and wellness. The NK 5K FitFEST will be Sept. 4. Cullen Maag, owner of BodyWork412 on Fifth Avenue, hopes the festival will educate,...
Slide repair work to close part of Thompson Run Road in Penn Hills for 2 weeks
PennDOT is closing part of Thompson Run Road on the border of Penn Hills and Monroeville for two weeks to repair a slide. The road is scheduled to be closed between Old William Penn Highway and Frey Road beginning at 7 a.m. Monday, weather permitting, PennDOT announced Friday. Traffic will...
New Kensington police say man risked burning his own apartment building
New Kensington police say a man told officers he wanted to burn an apartment building he lives in with his family and others. Mark Douglas Daniels Jr., 33, of 740 Seventh St. was arraigned Thursday, Aug. 18 on a felony charge of arson before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr....
1970, ’71 Richland High School graduates enjoy reunion weekend
Members of the 1970 and 1971 Richland High School graduating classes gathered for a combined reunion the weekend of Aug. 12. Festivities included a tour of Richland Elementary that Friday afternoon. The elementary school, which today houses students in kindergarten through third grade, was Richland High School until 1993, when...
Faces of the Valley: Art imitates life for Lower Burrell graphic artist, who got early boost in field from his father
New Kensington native Shane Henderson followed his father’s example into his life as an artist. “He taught me stuff before I was even in high school. I had a nice starting point for taking it professionally,” Henderson said. “I always drew as a kid. He always encouraged that. It was...
After breaking $4 nationally, streak of falling gas prices could end, analyst says
After the national average price of gasoline fell below $4 per gallon late last week, the streak of falling gas prices is at risk of ending this week, an industry analyst said. That’s because wholesale gasoline prices have increased some 40 cents per gallon as oil prices have rebounded, said...
Westmoreland land bank buys first properties in New Kensington, Arnold
The Westmoreland County Land Bank bought its first properties in New Kensington and Arnold since the cities and their school district joined the blight-fighting program. Six residential properties in New Kensington and one in Arnold were among a dozen tax-delinquent properties the land bank bought at a judicial sale on...
Case proceeding against Arnold officer accused of lying about damage to patrol vehicle
An Arnold police officer accused of lying about how his patrol vehicle was damaged waived his right to a hearing Thursday. Ryan Matthew Clark, 32, of Buffalo Township is charged by Westmoreland County detectives with making a false report and tampering with evidence, which are both misdemeanor offenses. “We’re going...
Pine-Richland School District looks forward to a new school year
Students in the Pine-Richland School District will be returning to classrooms next week. The first day of school for students is Thursday, Aug. 25. The district’s enrollment is expected to be about 4,550 students. Safety will be an area of focus across all six district schools, district spokeswoman Erin Hasinger...
New Kensington planners support proposed downtown art project
New Kensington planners recommend approving a proposed project that would decorate a downtown alley and two intersections with artwork. The city’s planning commission voted 3-0 Tuesday in favor of the “Art in the Alley” project for Ivy Alley and the painting of crosswalks on Fifth Avenue at Eighth and 10th...
Pa. average gas price could fall below $4 by late August, analyst says
The national average price of gasoline could go below $4 per gallon as soon as today as prices fall for an eighth straight week, industry analyst Patrick De Haan said. AAA was reporting the national average at $4.06. National gas price-tracking service GasBuddy has it lower, at $4.01. “By the...
6th suspect arrested in New Kensington homicide; 1 remains at large
One of two teens still at large and charged in the shooting death of a man last month in New Kensington was arrested Monday. U.S. marshals apprehended Elijah Rashad Gary, 18, on Ella Street in Wilkinsburg without incident, Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said. Gary is one of seven...
