Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 93
Visiting therapist coerced woman into sex, New Kensington police allege
A visiting therapist twice took a woman to a New Kensington hotel where he coerced her into having sex, city police allege. William Francis Denney, 62, of North Huntingdon was arraigned Thursday on charges of institutional sexual assault and criminal coercion. He was released on an unsecured $25,000 bond. Denney’s...
Fire damage cleanup keeps some Parnassus Manor residents out of apartments for 2nd night
More than a dozen residents of Parnassus Manor in New Kensington who were put out of their apartments by a fire Wednesday will be able to return Friday afternoon, a representative of the Westmoreland County Housing Authority said Thursday. The 15 affected residents live on the second floor of the...
Arnold police claim city man armed with arsenal threatened to kill officers
Arnold police said they heard the distinct sound of a bullet being loaded into the chamber of an AR-15 rifle when they went into a home near their station after hearing a woman screaming. In a criminal complaint, police said James Earl Huckbaa threatened to kill officers if they didn’t...
New Kensington-Arnold looks to avoid ‘significant’ tax increase in preliminary budget
The New Kensington-Arnold School District is going forward with a preliminary 2021-22 budget carrying a 6.8% property tax increase despite Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget proposal that boost funding for public schools. Wolf released his budget proposal Tuesday. It contains nearly $2 billion extra for schools — a more than 20%...
New Kensington garbage hauler promises to work with city following alleged thefts by employees
Following reports of thefts by its employees, New Kensington says the city’s garbage hauler has promised to improve communication with the city and keep it aware of its trucks’ whereabouts. Representatives of city council met with County Hauling last week to discuss performance issues and resident complaints. “It was a...
Arnold police accuse woman of stabbing man in the back with steak knife
A 36-year-old Arnold woman is accused of stabbing her boyfriend in the back with a steak knife when he tried to leave her apartment last month. Arnold police charged Ch-nelle Elaine Ross with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, child endangerment and drug offenses in connection with the Jan. 19 incident. Ross...
I-79 South reopens after truck crash
Southbound lanes of Interstate 79 reopened Sunday night after a crash closed part of the road in the North Hills for several hours, according to PennDOT. Crews closed the highway around 8:30 p.m. at Mt. Nebo Road, exit 68, because of a truck crash, PennDOT spokeswoman Yasmeen Manyisha said. The...
Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski, founder of Gateway Rehab, dies from covid at 90
Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, an international authority on addiction who founded Gateway Rehabilitation Center, died from covid-19 Sunday in Israel, according to several reports. Dr. Twerski, 90, had been hospitalized after contracting covid last week, The Yeshiva World reported. Twerski founded Gateway, a drug and alcohol treatment center in Center...
Keystone Oaks cancels classes as teachers give strike notice
Teachers in the Keystone Oaks School District will go on strike starting Monday, prompting the district to cancel classes for all students, the district announced. The district said the school board and the Keystone Oaks Education Association were unable to agree on a new contract in talks over the past...
Officials ID woman killed in double fatal Route 28 wrong-way crash
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner has identified one of two people killed in a wrong-way crash on Route 28 near Pittsburgh’s North Side Saturday morning. Kapinga Madeleine Mulumba, 45, of Pittsburgh was a passenger in one of the two vehicles in the crash that was reported just after 7:15 a.m....
Training series to honor 4 Hilltop Hose firefighters killed in line of duty 30 years agoVideo
Four Harrison volunteer firefighters were properly equipped, trained and working by the book when they responded to a fire at a Brackenridge business 30 years ago this year. Despite all those things and valiant efforts to save them, Hilltop Hose Lt. Rick Frantz, Chaplain Frank Veri Jr. and firefighters David...
Owner of New Kensington auto glass shop has plans for used car lot
The owner of a New Kensington auto glass business has plans to open a small used car lot. But first, Roy Berg will need special permission from the city. “I’ve always messed with cars. I work on them all day long,” said Berg, of Upper Burrell. “I thought, why not...
Don ‘Pappy’ Boulton was a 2nd dad to players he coached, devoted to family and wife
The covid-19 pandemic separated Donald “Pappy” Boulton from his wife for nearly a year, breaking his heart before claiming his life. An Oakmont native, Boulton, 85, will be remembered across the Alle-Kiski Valley primarily as a football coach who led and motivated young men on the gridiron. In college, he...
Man hit, killed by train on Pittsburgh’s South Side
A 19-year-old man was struck and killed by a train on Pittsburgh’s South Side Saturday morning. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the man as Lucas Philip Traverse, of Chalfont. According to city police, the incident on South Fourth Street at Color Park was reported just before 10:45 a.m. Officers...
New Kensington faces deadline on grant funding for demolitions
New Kensington has a May deadline to get half of the 10 houses on its current demolition list torn down, according to city Clerk Dennis Scarpiniti. New Kensington’s redevelopment authority is now seeking bids for the demolition of 10 dilapidated residential properties across the city. The city is using federal...
Highlands closes high school in response to ‘significant’ covid outbreak
Highlands School District said Wednesday it is closing its high school for the rest of the week because of an outbreak of covid-19 cases. The announcement comes about a week after students were brought back to buildings under the district’s hybrid schedule Jan. 19, after moving all students to remote...
Volunteer committee to continue efforts to improve, preserve Harrison Honor Roll memorial
The volunteer committee that has overseen the renovation of Harrison’s World War II memorial will continue working this year to improve the site. The Harrison Commissioners have authorized the Honor Roll Restoration Committee to continue its fundraising efforts. The memorial, at Freeport and Springhill roads, was rededicated Oct. 29 after...
Allegheny Township man accused of attacking nursing assistant at Allegheny Valley Hospital
An Allegheny Township man is accused of choking a nursing assistant at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison. Alexander Paul Demarco, 27, was arrested Monday on charges filed by Highmark Health Police in the alleged attack in the hospital’s behavioral health unit Jan. 16, according to court records. Demarco did not...
DNA evidence results in more charges against New Kensington man suspected in 2 shootings, 1 deadly
New Kensington police said DNA test results led them to file additional gun and drug charges against a city man accused of fatally shooting an Arnold man last January and firing shots at four people the month before that. The new charges against Letresse Tareke Williams, 30, stem from his...
New Kensington approves liquor license transfer for Crossbar Grill
New Kensington Council has approved the transfer of a liquor license into the city for a recently opened restaurant on Craigdell Road. The license for Crossbar Grill is coming into New Kensington from Murrysville. It was unanimously approved by council after a public hearing, but the state Liquor Control Board...
Construction started at senior apartment building using former Highlands schoolVideo
Work has started on a $10 million, 30-unit senior independent living apartment building incorporating the former Highlands School District administration building in Harrison. Earthwork is underway at what will be Riverview Senior Living on 11th Avenue. The building had been Riverview Elementary before housing district administration. The project includes gutting...
Highlands surveying parents about in-person half-days for kindergarten students
The Highlands School District has narrowed a proposal to bring elementary students back into schools to only kindergarten, district spokeswoman Jennifer Goldberg said. The district is conducting a survey of parents of kindergarten students asking if they are in favor of having their children attend half-days, four-days-a-week. The district wants...
Man who redeveloped former Tarentum church gets some relief after tax bill soared $13K
Phillip Rhodes has become accustomed to dealing with problems such as a leaking roof, cracked sidewalks and chipping paint at The Clement in Tarentum. But seeing the property’s annual tax bill soar by nearly $13,000 after its assessed value spiked nearly 700% was a shock for which he was not...
Tarentum Station Grille owner eyes reopening ahead of Valentine’s Day weekend
After scrapping earlier plans to reopen, John Greco says that his Tarentum restaurant will be open for Valentine’s Day weekend “come hell or high water.” Greco plans to reopen JG’s Tarentum Station Grille on Feb. 10, the Wednesday before Valentine’s Day. The restaurant, in a historic former train station in...
Man suffers smoke inhalation in Harrison house fire
One person was hurt in a fire that seriously damaged a house in Harrison early Friday morning, Hilltop Hose fire Chief Mike Krzeminski said. The fire in the attic of a large, two-and-a-half story house with a commercial addition at 1421 Freeport Road was reported shortly after 1:30 a.m. A...
