Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 75
New Kensington-Arnold teachers union plans rally as contract talks continue
New Kensington-Arnold School District teachers who have been without a contract for 181 days are planning to rally before Tuesday evening’s school board meeting, the Pennsylvania State Education Association said Monday. The rally is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at Valley High School in New Kensington. The school board...
New Kensington’s ‘Lost Dreams Awakening’ part of national Black History Month event
A New Kensington substance use recovery organization is participating in a national virtual block party Monday celebrating Black History Month. The free event from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Lost Dreams Awakening will include food, music and dance, said Laurie Johnson-Wade, a co-founding director of the organization that specializes...
New Kensington’s Leslie Reimer retiring from 42-year career as Episcopal priest
When the Rev. Leslie Reimer began the journey of her life, it was toward a destination that was, at the time, unreachable for a woman. After growing up in an Episcopal Church family in New Kensington’s Mt. Vernon neighborhood and graduating from Valley High School in 1970, Reimer went to...
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to hit Americans in wallet at gas pump, analyst says
Americans soon will be paying for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the gas pump, a petroleum industry analyst said Thursday. The wholesale price of gasoline already has increased, and stations soon will be passing that on to customers, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for price tracking service...
New Kensington closes downtown parking garage following structural evaluation
Concerns over the condition of New Kensington’s downtown parking garage have prompted the city to close it. The city last year hired a structural engineer to assess the condition of the Kensington Plaza Garage on Fourth Avenue at Seventh Street. Dedicated in December 1979, the garage has seen usage fall...
‘Hamilton’ performer inspires, energizes, educates Valley High drama studentsVideo
Breathing is something most people do without thinking about it. But for a performer on stage, breathing correctly is paramount. Drama students who gathered at Valley High School in New Kensington learned that lesson directly from a professional Wednesday morning. Nikisha Williams, a member of the “Hamilton” touring company now...
International forces costing American drivers $375M more every day on gas, analyst says
Americans are spending about $375 million more on gasoline every day compared to a year ago, as prices continue to rise in the Pittsburgh area and across the nation, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. While there are concerns about how Russia’s actions in Ukraine could...
Police: 15-year-old girl hurt after running into car on West Seventh Avenue in Tarentum
A 15-year-old girl was flown to a hospital from Tarentum on Monday after police say she ran into the side of a car on West Seventh Avenue. The driver, a man from Tarentum, remained at the scene and is not facing any charges because he did not commit any violation,...
Highland Hose firefighter injured in Tarentum fire expected to recover fully; aid sought for families
A Tarentum volunteer firefighter is expected to make a full recovery after his feet became trapped on an aerial ladder while he and others were battling a fire at a duplex Monday. Richard Schuller, 22, was trapped near the far end of the ladder as it was extended from an...
Fire destroys duplex in Tarentum; firefighter injuredVideo
Two families lost their homes to fire in Tarentum on Monday, and a volunteer firefighter responding to the blaze was injured. The fire that destroyed a duplex at 205-207 W. 11th Ave. was reported to 911 shortly before noon. It sent a thick plume of smoke into the air that...
‘Hamilton’ performer to conduct class with Valley High School drama club
A member of the touring company that will be performing the musical “Hamilton” at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh is scheduled to speak Wednesday to students at Valley High School in New Kensington. Nikisha Williams, a singer and actress, will conduct a class with students in the New Kensington-Arnold school’s...
Lower Burrell Marine tells the story of his life while he still can
Hal Shaffer is ready to die. “I’ve had so much pain and suffering in my life, I’m ready to go,” Shaffer, 74, said from the hospital bed in the living room of his Lower Burrell home with his wife, Dee, beside him. A Marine Corps veteran who survived a grenade...
Valley High School students learn to ski at Boyce Park ahead of Seven Springs trip
Feeling free is what Patty Mallough has found she enjoys most about skiing. “It’s like you have no problems,” said Mallough, 18, of Arnold. A senior at Valley High School in New Kensington, Mallough has been among 30 to 40 students from the New Kensington- Arnold school who have been learning...
High crude oil price, rising demand boosting Pittsburgh region gas prices
Gasoline prices are increasing in Western Pennsylvania as crude oil stays above $90 per barrel, according to AAA East Central’s gas price report. The average price in Western Pennsylvania this week was about $3.63 per gallon, which is a 3-cent increase from last week. That’s also 82 cents higher than...
New Kensington group offers support for those coping with death
The youngest of Michael DeFalco’s three sons, whose name was Dominic but everybody knew as “Nico,” was 17 when he died in an ATV accident on April 5, 2020. DeFalco, of Allegheny Township, said his wife, Melissa, was never the same without Dominic. When she died just over a year...
Aldi to build new store on Tarentum Bridge Road in New Kensington
Aldi has been confirmed as the grocery store that will be built on the site of a former Kmart on Tarentum Bridge Road in New Kensington. The city’s planning commission approved a land development plan for the project, along with a ModWash car wash, said Tony Males, New Kensington’s engineer...
Arnold hires part-time code enforcement officer, intends to hire a second
Arnold has hired a part-time code enforcement officer and plans to bring on a second, Councilman George Hawdon said. Joel Santoro, a former probation officer in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, started in Arnold recently, according to Hawdon. Arnold’s previous code enforcement officer, Scott Ponteri, had been there three or four...
New Kensington community garden finds new home at Salvation Army
New Kensington’s community garden is set to take root in a new home in the city. The vegetable garden, previously located along Fifth Avenue between Eighth and Ninth streets, is set to be rebuilt and replanted this year on the grounds of the Salvation Army off Industrial Boulevard. The New...
Revamped program aims to teach good behaviors at Hunt Elementary School
A revamped program aimed at teaching and reinforcing good behaviors among students is being rolled out at New Kensington-Arnold’s Roy A. Hunt Elementary School. As part of the program’s debut on Monday, the school’s 620 students will get to cheer on teachers and staff in volleyball games, first with third...
Hope Squad suicide prevention program coming to Valley High School
A youth suicide prevention program new to Valley High School will see students trained to watch for warning signs. The New Kensington-Arnold School District is getting a Hope Squad, a nationwide program founded in Utah and being promoted locally by a West Deer mother whose daughter took her own life...
Cat found in North Huntingdon with zip ties around body recovering at Frankie’s Friends in New Kensington
A cat found with zip ties wrapped around its body is recovering after surgery at Frankie’s Friends Cat Rescue in New Kensington. Dr. Becky Morrow, medical director of Frankie’s Friends, called it a case of animal cruelty. “There’s no good reason to do that,” she said. “At best, it was...
Car wash donation to help New Kensington’s Knead Cafe upgrade kitchen equipment
Free car washes are supporting kitchen upgrades at Knead Community Cafe in New Kensington. Clean Express Auto Wash, a new car wash that opened Dec. 28 off Tarentum Bridge Road, ran a promotion beginning Jan. 14 in which free washes were offered for 10 days in exchange for monetary donations...
Texas native Jane Glenn spearheaded community projects in New Kensington over 60 years
On a Sunday afternoon in March 1958, a Texas woman sitting outside a coffee shop in New Orleans caught the eye of a man from Leechburg. Before too long, she found herself in New Kensington. Jane Glenn arrived in New Kensington newly wedded to that Leechburg man — James Glenn...
New Kensington, other northern Westmoreland towns report delays getting road salt deliveries
Municipalities across northern Westmoreland County are reporting issues with getting timely road salt deliveries from a new supplier under a state contract in which they participate. Officials in New Kensington, Lower Burrell and Vandergrift said they have had issues receiving deliveries from Compass Minerals, the supplier for Westmoreland and other...
Purr-fect ending: Frankie’s Friends shelter cat finds home with Washington Township family in mourning
A feline that called a New Kensington cat rescue home for more than a year found its forever home with a Washington Township family mourning the loss of their first pet. Myla, a female short-haired brown tabby, lived at Frankie’s Friends Cat Rescue for more than a year until her...
