Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 81
New Kensington police investigating bathroom bullying incident at Valley High School
New Kensington police are investigating a bullying incident in which garbage was dropped on at least one student in a bathroom at Valley High School. Students found to have been involved could face discipline ranging from detention to expulsion depending on the severity and their own disciplinary history, Superintendent Chris...
Plethora of fitness programs set at Hampton Community Center
Zumba, tai chi and yoga are among the classes that will be offered at the Hampton Community Center beginning in mid-November. They will join popular activities that include pickleball, badminton and volleyball that are available to Hampton residents and non-residents, said Melanie Martino, coordinator of special events and marketing. And...
Political newcomer ousts longtime supervisor in Allegheny Township
A political newcomer appeared to be successful in his campaign to replace a longtime supervisor in Allegheny Township. According to unofficial election results Tuesday night and with all precincts reporting, Republican James Morabito had 56% of the vote, defeating incumbent Supervisor Kathy Starr, who had about 44%. This is the...
New Kensington gives preliminary approval to 2022 budget with no property tax hike
The property tax rate will not be going up in New Kensington next year. City Council on Monday approved an $8.47 million preliminary budget for 2022 that keeps the tax rate at 32.03 mills. The city would spend almost 4% more than its $8.16 million budget for this year. City Clerk...
Building the Valley: Neighboring New Kensington bakeries work to succeed together
One makes donuts, the other doesn’t. One makes custom cakes, the other not as much. But the characteristic that most separates two recently opened New Kensington bakeries is that one, Sweet Alchemy Bake Shop, is all-vegan, while the other, Lynette’s M.A.D. Custom Cakes, is not. Lynette McCandrew opened her bakery...
Retired Allegheny Valley Habitat for Humanity director remembered as ‘a force of nature’
Diane Belitskus oversaw the construction of 20 homes over 16 years as the first director of Allegheny Valley Habitat for Humanity from 1997 to 2013. Bryan Heyl’s home in Arnold, completed in December 2011, was one of them. He met Belitskus in 2009, the same year he started working at...
Arnold native hopes to bring neighbors out, together with food truck event
Jamie Cutler wants to bring Arnold residents together and figures a food truck rally is a great way to do that. “I wanted something good for the community, especially since we’ve been down because of the pandemic,” said Cutler, 45, an Arnold native. “I want to get people out and...
New Ken-Arnold hoping to combat bathroom vandalism with electronic hall pass
Vandalism in bathrooms and the inability to have cameras in those spaces is leading New Kensington-Arnold School District to try a new method to catch those responsible. The district will start using an electronic hall pass system at Valley Junior-Senior High School, which then could work its way into other...
Tickets nearly sold out for dinner, comedy show benefiting New Kensington’s Knead Cafe
Tickets for a dinner and comedy show in downtown New Kensington are nearly sold out — and that’s no joke. The Nov. 12 event, with musical comedian Mark Eddie headlining, will benefit Knead Community Cafe and will be held in its banquet room. Only about 25 of 250 tickets were...
New Kensington boy, 16, remembered as ‘sweetest, kindest soul’
Isaiah Parks was too good of a person to go unnoticed. “He was honestly the sweetest, kindest soul ever,” said Jenelle Cole, a life skills teacher at Valley High School in New Kensington, who had been Isaiah’s teacher for four years. “He could be grumpy, but he just always made...
Harrison neighbors, former co-workers vie for 2nd Ward commissioner seat
Harrison neighbors Jamie Nee and Jeffrey “JR” Reynolds learned they were running for the same township commissioner’s seat when they ran into each other turning in paperwork at the county elections office. They had worked together for years at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison, where Nee still works as director...
Police: Text messages lead to baseball bat attack, shooting in Arnold
One man’s attempt to assault another man with a baseball bat backfired when the other man pulled out a gun and shot him three times, according to Arnold police. Arnold police this week charged both men they say were involved in the incident that happened shortly before midnight on Sept....
Springdale Council candidate drops out, remains on ballot in complex election
A candidate’s late withdrawal from the race for Springdale Council means more seats are up for election than there are people to fill them. Six of council’s seven seats will be on the Nov. 2 ballot, but there are effectively only five candidates. Toni Robbins, 56, said she is dropping...
Community Health Clinic offering covid vaccine booster shots in New Kensington
Covid vaccine booster shots are available in New Kensington for those who are eligible to receive them. Community Health Clinic, at 943 Fourth Ave., began giving booster shots Monday, clinic executive Director Raji Jayakrishnan said. The clinic has boosters for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s vaccines. Pfizer boosters are not...
New Kensington declares 12 houses unsafe, orders demolitions
Squatters and wildlife in a dozen rundown New Kensington houses may need to find new places to live within a matter of months. City Council, sitting as the Board of Health on Monday, ruled 12 properties to be detrimental to the health, safety and general welfare of the community and...
Fundraising effort for New Ken firefighter exceeds goal, public event in works
An online fundraising effort for a New Kensington volunteer firefighter battling cancer has exceeded its goal, and a public event is in the works. Chris Ploski, 59, was recently diagnosed with stage 4 small cell lung cancer that spread to the pituitary gland in his brain. Although he works as...
New Kensington-Arnold hires co-principals to oversee Hunt Elementary
Two principals are replacing one at a New Kensington-Arnold elementary school. Tyler Roberto will join Todd Kutchak as co-principals of Roy A. Hunt Elementary around Nov. 1, Superintendent Chris Sefcheck said. They are replacing Thomas Rocchi, who retired this year after 60 years in education. Kutchak, 50, an assistant principal...
Animal Protectors plans Halloween events inside, outside New Kensington shelter Saturday
A New Kensington animal shelter is decked out for Halloween and has festivities planned Saturday afternoon and evening. The event, beginning at noon and culminating in an outdoor showing of the horror classic “Night of the Living Dead” is something new for Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley and the first...
New Kensington rallying around volunteer firefighter stricken with cancer
A New Kensington volunteer firefighter accustomed to helping others is appreciative that his community is rallying to his aid now that he is in need. Chris Ploski, 59, is a firefighter with the city’s No. 2 engine company in Parnassus. He was diagnosed in late September with stage 4 small...
New Kensington mother of 4 grateful family was not home when car crashed into house
Renata Diaz calls the living room of her New Kensington home her “bright place.” But Diaz was grateful that she and her four young children — ranging from her newborn daughter to her 10-year-old son — weren’t there Monday morning. On Tuesday, Diaz said that because her 3-year-old daughter wanted...
Contract for bridge repair at Valley High School awarded
The New Kensington-Arnold School Board has accepted a $358,000 bid to repair one of four bridges that cross over Little Pucketa Creek at Valley High School. The bid from Caliber Contracting Services of Edgewood was the only one received for work on the main entrance bridge. The bid was opened...
New Kensington businesses look to bright future as year’s last ‘Fridays on Fifth’ approaches
The last of the first Fridays on Fifth is coming this week in New Kensington, and business owners are hoping to keep the city’s momentum going through the winter until the monthly events return next year. Held on the fourth Friday of the month, the first Fridays on Fifth was...
Cold front could bring severe weather — strong winds, hail
There’s a chance for severe weather in the Pittsburgh area Friday as temperatures fall to seasonal norms, according to the National Weather Service. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop throughout the day as a cold front approaches, and a few storms could become severe in the afternoon and...
Ross Hollow Road segment closing for bridge work in Plum
Part of Ross Hollow Road in Plum will be closed for four days because of work on a bridge on Stotler Road, Allegheny County Public Works announced Thursday. Ross Hollow is scheduled to be closed between Harris Road and Rustic Ridge Drive at 5 p.m. Oct. 22. The closure is...
No one hurt in fire on houseboat docked at North Shore
No one was hurt in a fire on a houseboat docked at the North Shore on the Allegheny River Thursday morning, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety. According to officials, a river rescue crew member reporting to work saw smoke coming from the boat, docked near Mazeroski Way and PNC Park,...
