Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 64
Valley High graduate turns to classmate for cover art for debut novel
Opening a chiropractic office right after the covid pandemic started was terrible timing for Erik Beck, but it gave him time to write that book he always wanted to. “Here at the office, where it was pretty much having hours at a time uninterrupted to think, it ended up being...
Closed garage cancels New Kensington fireworks; display planned at AK Valley Park
There will be a professional fireworks display for Independence Day in New Kensington this year, but it won’t be put on by the city. The city will not be launching fireworks because the usual location, the Kensington Plaza Garage on Fourth Avenue, is closed and can’t be used, City Clerk...
Pine gears up for annual Community Day
All the things everyone loves are set to return for Pine’s Community Day. That means food, music, fun and, of course, fireworks. This marks the 32nd year for the event, which was missed in 2020 because of the covid pandemic. Joni Patsko, director of parks and recreation, has organized them...
Dedication set for bench in memory of New Kensington girl killed in 1979
The long-delayed dedication of a bench in memory of a New Kensington girl murdered more than 40 years ago is set for the first weekend in July. Relatives of Tiffany Renee Miller, including some from out of state, are expected to be among those attending the ceremony at 5 p.m....
New Kensington’s Peoples Library to develop courtyard in memory of Jane Glenn
New Kensington civic leader Jane Glenn is set to be remembered at the library that meant so much to her. Peoples Library will revamp the garden space behind the library into “The Jane Glenn Courtyard,” library Director David Hrivnak said. A banner announcing the future name and the library’s intentions...
Pennsylvania average gas price dips below $5
The average price for a gallon of gasoline has dipped back below $5 in Pennsylvania, according to AAA. The state’s average fell from $5 on Thursday to $4.98 on Friday, AAA reported. The average has come down 6 cents per gallon in the past week. The average cost has been...
Free seminar in New Kensington to cover firearm safety, responsible gun ownership
The basics of firearm safety and shooting fundamentals will be covered in a free seminar Sunday in New Kensington. “We want to make sure the people that are interested in protecting themselves, their family and their loved ones have the opportunity to have good training under their belts,” said Aaron...
Police: Obstructed stop sign contributes to Fawn crash that injures 1
An obstructed stop sign contributed to a two-vehicle crash in Fawn on Monday, according to township police Chief Tim Mayberry. The crash at Route 908 and Lardintown Road was reported about 3:45 p.m., according to Allegheny County 911. Mayberry said a pickup traveling north on Lardintown toward Route 908 collided...
Gas prices coming down but remain above $5 in Pennsylvania
The national average gas price has dipped below $5 per gallon, but not yet in Pennsylvania, according to GasBuddy and AAA. After peaking at about $5.02 on Thursday, the national average was $4.98 on Monday, according to AAA. The agency shows Pennsylvania’s average reaching $5.07 on June 12, but remaining...
Arnold food truck event returning for 1st full year
A food truck event held once in Arnold late last year is coming back this month, with monthly dates scheduled through October. The first of five Arnold community events will be held from 3 to 9 p.m. June 26 in a lot at 1701 Fifth Ave. Future dates — all...
50 years ago, Hurricane Agnes left indelible mark
Floods came with living in Freeport. “You just knew it was inevitable,” said Jim Scott, who grew up in a house on First Street with Buffalo Creek at one end and the Allegheny River at the other. “If you lived there, you took the chance of having to deal with...
New Kensington native’s new doughnut shop gives customers chance to customize treats
One’s imagination is the menu at a new doughnut shop in New Kensington. Customers of Lasko’s Little O’s can pick a glaze, choose toppings and select a drizzle to create a doughnut that maybe even Homer Simpson couldn’t dream up. “We’re like a Subway for doughnuts,” owner Mikey Lasko Sr....
Police: Man held woman hostage at gunpoint in New Kensington apartment
A man is accused of holding a woman hostage at gunpoint over two days this week in New Kensington. New Kensington police charged Drayvawn Lamont Smith, 24, described as homeless, with unlawful restraint, strangulation and simple assault. He was arraigned Thursday afternoon and is being held in the Westmoreland County...
Man found shot dead in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville
A 31-year-old man was found shot to death in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood on Friday morning, according to Pittsburgh police. The victim, Alec Gary Wilbur, was pronounced dead around 7:20 a.m. Friday in the 200 block of McKinley Street, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said. Police said they found Wilbur...
Beaver County dog euthanized after being found tied up outside in heat
A dog in Beaver County was cooked from the inside after being left out in the heat Wednesday without shade or water, according to a report from Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. The full-grown husky was euthanized because of heat stroke. Its owner, Di Xiao, 29, of Baden is charged with...
Storm risk coming ahead of break from hot, muggy weather
Some relief from the recent hot and muggy weather is coming, but getting there could a bumpy road for some parts of the Pittsburgh region. On Wednesday, temperatures reached 92 degrees at Pittsburgh International Airport, where official records are recorded. That fell 4 degrees short of the record high of...
Police detain man seen running from McKees Rocks house fire
A man was detained by police after he was seen running from a house fire in McKees Rocks Wednesday night, Allegheny County Police said. Police did not identify the man, or say if he was placed under arrest or charged with any crimes. According to police, a domestic disturbance at...
Heat advisory issued for Southwestern Pennsylvania counties
The National Weather Service has issued an advisory for excessive heat in Southwestern Pennsylvania on Wednesday. Counties covered by the advisory include all of Armstrong, Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Greene and Washington counties, most of Westmoreland County with the exception of the eastern ridges, and the western half of Fayette County....
‘Knight Rider’ tractor, trailer reunited in Butler CountyVideo
Many cars were used to portray KITT, the Knight Industries Two Thousand, on the television series “Knight Rider.” Joe Huth of Butler County co-owns one of five that still exist. But there was only one trailer used over the four seasons of the 1980s show as the Foundation for Law...
Police say man pointed gun at people, fired shot in Pittsburgh’s Crawford-Roberts
Pittsburgh police arrested a man late Sunday after responding to a report of a man pointing a gun at people at a gas station in the Crawford-Roberts neighborhood. Kevin Tyrone Bennett, 50, of Spartanburg, S.C., was charged Monday with discharging a firearm and tampering with evidence in connection with the...
Severe weather mostly misses Pittsburgh; high temperatures on the way
A threat of severe weather with hurricane-force winds is over for the Pittsburgh area, a National Weather Service meteorologist said early Tuesday. No watches or warnings are active for Southwestern Pennsylvania, meteorologist Jason Frazier said. One line of thunderstorms fizzled out as it moved into Washington and Greene counties, but...
Man found shot dead in Penn Hills
A man was shot and killed in Penn Hills early Tuesday. Allegheny County Police said the shooting was reported in the 200 block of Crescent Pines Drive around 1:50 a.m. First responders found a man suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The...
Arnold’s Simpson Reinforcing in the bones of many Pittsburgh landmarks
Just about everyone in the Pittsburgh area has seen the work of Bob Simpson’s company, without ever seeing it. And they’ve walked through it, sat in it and driven on it, probably without knowing it. Simpson’s business, Simpson Reinforcing in Arnold, made the steel reinforcing bars, or rebar, that’s in...
Gasoline demand remains strong despite record-high prices, analysts say
Americans are proving resilient to record high gas prices, and there isn’t much clear-cut relief in sight, an industry analyst said. The imbalance between supply and demand likely will continue for most of the summer and could worsen with a major hurricane or refinery snag, Patrick De Haan, head of...
1 dead, 1 injured in Manchester shooting
One person was killed and another was critically wounded in a shooting in Pittsburgh’s Manchester neighborhood Sunday night, police said. Police said officers responded around 9 p.m. to an alert of 12 rounds fired in the 1300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue. Officers found an unconscious man on the 1300 block...
