Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 45

Plum resident William Sexton will be happy to see the rundown shell of a house that stands practically in his back yard torn down. Sexton said the house, riddled with broken windows, on Siple Street near the turnpike has been an eyesore for several years. “People go in and out...

The Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office has released the scene of an explosion that destroyed a Plum family’s home just over five months ago, which will allow it to be cleaned up. Chief Matt Brown, the county’s fire marshal and chief of emergency services, provided a brief update Tuesday on...

Eric Gartley’s journey into the volunteer fire service started on his back porch in Arnold about 24 years ago. There, with his then-infant son, Gartley watched as volunteer firefighters from Arnold Volunteer Engine Company No. 2 responded to a stove fire at a house off Woodmont Avenue. He decided he...

A New Kensington man is being held in the Westmoreland County jail after a fight with another man Saturday. Police charged Shawntre Malik Scott, 24, with a felony count of robbery and misdemeanor counts of simple assault and terroristic threats. Police said they have identified the other man involved in...

While the streak of declining gas prices came to an end nationally, average prices in Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh area are continuing to fall. AAA is reporting the national average at $3.73. That’s about 5 cents per gallon higher than a week ago, but 14 cents less than a month...

An Arnold man faces a felony firearms charge after a tip was received about two wanted men being at a house on Victoria Avenue, police said. William Jermain Rodgers, 25, is being held in the Westmoreland County jail after being unable to post a $50,000 bond following his Sept. 14...

New Kensington residents from East Ken Manor and beyond gathered in front of 9-year-old Azuree Charles’ home to remember him Thursday, a day after his parents were charged in connection with his death in May. Some, including children, held signs saying “Justice has been served,” “Fly high,” and “I miss...

Friday has come early for drivers who use Logans Ferry Road in Plum. “Logans Ferry Road has reopened to traffic,” PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said Thursday afternoon. Logans Ferry had been closed between Entrance Drive and Columbia Road, near New Kensington, since Aug. 2 while crews from Plum Contracting worked...

Evidence markers show where nearly a dozen bullets struck the Seventh Street side of The Corner, Penn State’s entrepreneurial center in downtown New Kensington last Friday. Damage included a shattered window, marked by one of the the markers still on the building Thursday. New Kensington police did not respond to...

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner on Tuesday released a cause and manner of death for a woman whose body was found in the Allegheny River in Downtown Pittsburgh in June. Julie Anne Keddie, 38, of Shadyside, died June 15 from an accidental drowning, the medical examiner’s office said. Keddie had...

For many, if not most, the masks are off and the covid pandemic is in the rearview mirror. But an average of 10 people are dying from covid in Pennsylvania each day, and about 1,150 residents are hospitalized with the virus, according to state health data. The state Department of...

Patricia J. Rossi — an artist, musician, piano teacher and more — had a philosophy of education. “My belief is that every child should have the opportunity to recognize and develop his interests and native abilities in the best possible environment,” she wrote in 1992. “A well-balanced education includes the...

A man released from custody on a $500,000 bond for drug and weapons charges in North Carolina was arrested at a house in Arnold where, police said, they found cocaine and a pistol. Alvinn Davonn Twine, 32, was arrested after officers from the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force and agents...

A New Kensington woman is facing child endangerment charges after, police say, she changed the locks to her home, locking out her teenage daughter and son. Police filed two counts of endangering the welfare of children against Shayla Marie Covington, 35, of Leishman Avenue on Sept. 14. She is scheduled...

Thousands of drivers who regularly use Logans Ferry Road in Plum have another reason to look forward to Friday. The stretch of Logans Ferry between Entrance Drive and Columbia Road, near New Kensington, which has been closed since Aug. 2, is anticipated to reopen Friday, PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said...

A New Kensington police dog was used to apprehend a woman police say fled from an officer in Parnassus and sped through a neighborhood yard sale in Mt. Vernon on Friday afternoon. Alyssa Nicole Depanicis, 32, was arraigned Saturday on several felony charges including fleeing, escape and resisting arrest, misdemeanor...

With gasoline prices falling for a 14th consecutive week, the drop in the national average has surpassed the record decline of 2018 and is now the longest downward streak since 2015, an industry analyst said Monday. According to AAA, the national average is now about $3.68, down 4 cents from...

Fire caused moderate damage Sunday afternoon to half of a duplex in Vandergrift, a borough fire chief said. No people or pets were hurt in the fire in the 100 block of McKinley Avenue, said Randy Dunmire, chief of Vandergrift No. 1. McKinley is an alley between Grant and Washington...

A man is expected to survive after being shot early Sunday in Munhall, according to Allegheny County Police. County police said a possible shooting in the 4000 block of Center Avenue was reported to 911 about 2:17 a.m. First responders found the man with a gunshot wound to a leg....

Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh police are investigating an off-campus sex assault, according to a crime alert from the university. According to the notice, university police assisted city police with the investigation in the 200 block of North Dithridge Street. The incident happened between midnight and 1 a.m. Saturday. A...

Away from the sound of music and the scent of funnel cake in Freeport’s Riverside Park, Ariel Cypher was working on her chalk art on Fifth Street Saturday afternoon. Cypher of Harrison was among participants in the chalk art celebration that is part of this year’s annual September by the...

Friends and family of a Tarentum area woman who has been missing for three weeks went out looking for her Saturday. Tonya Lynn Sadecky, 43, was last seen in the area of Ninth Avenue and Morgan Street in Brackenridge on Aug. 28, according to police. She has not been seen...

Shannon Santucci served her hometown of Arnold as a police officer for 11 years and made history as the city’s first female police chief. She resigned from the department as a sergeant in 2018, having been chief from June 2015 to January 2016. “I miss patrolling,” Santucci said. “I miss...

A foundation working to raise $7 million to open a nonprofit middle school in Arnold has retained a national brand consulting agency. The Teach from DeHart Foundation on Friday announced a partnership with Beck & Stone in New York City. Matt DeHart, a South Carolina educator, founded the academy he...

A New Kensington couple has been given permission to move their wood pallet recycling business into a building in Arnold. The city’s zoning hearing board, following a hearing Wednesday, Aug. 31 approved a special exception and variance for Brennan and Mariah Brooks-Boyd to use the building at 1508-10 Third Ave....