The Powder of Attraction! UPDATED

Could this be what is all around Twin Hills Park?




The following photos are from the Twin Hills Park area. Is this fair? The last photo shows the attractant on the curb! 

Update December 30, 2016 9:23 AM I sent these photos to the commissioners and manager. Here is Keith McGill's reply. 

Our 2017 Commission President UPDATED 3X

Pay no attention to the posted agenda for Tuesday's organizational meeting on the municipal website. The agenda is from last year. Kelly Fraasch will not be sworn in as president. Meet our new president.

President-elect David Brumfield

The Organizational Meeting begins at 8 PM on Tuesday, January 3, 2017.

Update December 30, 2016 7:22 PM The agenda listed under the weekly calendar is still incorrect; however, the correct agenda for Tuesday's meeting is posted under Agendas & Minutes. Steve Silverman is going to be vice-president. It looks like the ice rink project will have to be rebid. Perhaps the Sports Advisory Board should do some more fundraising. President-Elect Brumfield should bring that up at his next SAB meeting.

Update January 2, 2017 9:18 AM We're paying for a millage increase to fund the ice rink PLUS taking money from unassigned funds to replace revenue lost during the closure of the rink.

Update January 5, 2017 1:10 PM President-elect Donald Trump caught wind of President Dave Brumfield's presidential makeover and changed his iconic hairstyle for the inauguration. Sorry Dave.

I'm in the Washington Post

'Volunteer archers'

No mention of our densely populated community of 33,000 people packed in six square miles.
No mention that we have no idea where the killing is taking place, so that we could protect ourselves and our pets.
No mention that we are a walking community. No school buses here.

I wish Santa left me money under the tree to pursue this. It is madness.

Behind the Bubble - New Feature Coming To Lebo Citizens

Behind the Bubble – New Feature Coming to Lebo Citizens

by Jason Margolis

I am pleased to announce a new monthly feature coming to Lebo Citizens: Behind the Bubble.  

Through news and feature stories, this series will look take a journalistic stance towards one of the most fascinating, and often divisive, places to live in Western Pennsylvania.  Additionally, it will do so in a spirit of inquisitiveness, not partisanship.  I will be writing one story a month for one year beginning January 2017.

Behind the Bubble will ask questions and seek insight about what lies behind the surface just below, and beyond, the bubble’s rim.  Just below the bubble are the people, histories, aspirations, fears, and relationships that move Mt. Lebanon.  Just beyond the bubble’s rim is the bigger world that Mt. Lebanon models, eschews, interacts with, and turns away from.  Through more closely examining these cultures, Behind the Bubble will seek to expand the understandings of both the people within and outside this community.

On a personal note … When I was asked to contribute to Lebo Citizens, I initially declined.  First, I am busy parenting three young children.  Second, I have a demanding and intense job as a professor and department chair at Duquesne University.  

However, ultimately I saw this as an opportunity to return my roots as an English teacher and journalist in New York City.  There, I wrote articles for community newspapers, taught journalism, and was the faculty advisor to the student newspaper.  I remember how journalism – real journalism – could be a light in the darkness.  Journalism asks why and how, when others won’t even touch the what.

Unfortunately, here in Mt. Lebanon and beyond, real journalism is in some serious trouble.  While we wouldn’t expect anything other than gloss from municipal publications like Mt. Lebanon Magazine, many of our local papers have fallen short of asking these important questions.  This is not a phenomenon unique to Western Pennsylvania, as newspapers are shuttering their doors everywhere, or keeping only a safe, skeletal staff that supports on-line advertising.

The new real journalism is on line, in a flat world, though to get there you have to sift through a sea of “fake news.”  In creating and maintaining Lebo Citizens, Ms. Elaine Gillen – say what you will about the messenger’s manner – has turned over rocks for insight.  Anyone interested in learning more about journalism in today’s world should read through these pages carefully.  

I am honored to join Lebo Citizens for one year to contribute to this mission of real journalism within and beyond Mt. Lebanon – just below and beyond the bubble’s rim.  

Behind the Bubble - New Feature Coming to Lebo Citizens

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Festivus...PLUS New Holiday Video

I'm taking a much needed break, so Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Festivus and Happy New Year!

I saw Straight No Chaser a couple of weeks ago. These guys are great!





Update December 20, 2016 6:31 PM So much for taking that break. A few folks sent me several versions of this new video and asked me to post it. Fox Business channel (Fios 617) interviewed the creator of this video thirty minutes ago.

Courtesy of Richard Gideon:

Here's a suggestion for your "Christmas Video" posts from my favorite On-Line comedian: REMY!

Short bio: "Remy Munasifi (born June 16, 1980) is an Arab-American stand-up comedian,[2] parody musician and video artist who became anInternet celebrity after his production of comedic sketches based on Arabs under the name "GoRemy" on YouTube. His videos have gained over 89 million views as of March 2016." (Wikipedia)

Discussions continue on ‘SMART’ trash collection in Mt. Lebanon | The Almanac UPDATED 2X

A guest blogger who wishes to remain anonymous asked me to post this. If you have a post you would like me to share, email me at EGillen476@aol.com. 

Are people getting the message yet? Probably not!!!

"Baram asked commissioners to not use the $20,000 in the 2016 budget to “engage the community for the input needed to customize a possible program,” with the hope of spending it in 2017 for educational purposes."

NOT ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY FOR INPUT-- of course not! Better to use the $20,000 for indoctrination.

Discussions continue on ‘SMART’ trash collection in Mt. Lebanon

Then there is this from your blog:

"Mr. Meduho,
To continue to expend staff time to provide a response to numbers that are subject to change is an inefficient and fiscally irresponsible use of taxpayer funds, therefore there will be no further response to these requests."

In other words... they'll tell us what they want us to know when they're good and ready and not before.

Coupled with your RTK case and it's obvious who works for who.

Update December 15, 2016 2:39 PM Receipt for commissioners' pre-meeting meal. $119.50 for Lebo Subs.

Update December 16, 2016 6:58 AM The comment from Not Too Smart at 6:15 AM got me thinking about snow removal. This idea could save the municipality millions too. Will we get a tax decrease for saving Mt. Lebanon millions? Yeah, like that will happen. A reduction in services while our taxes increase is how our commissioners think. Our SMART commissioners will vote for it!

Santa baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight

An earlier comment suggested I contact the ACLU concerning my Commonwealth Court affirmation.

If you are still interested in pursuing this case, I would suggest that you give Vic Walczak, the legal director of PA's ACLU, a call. I think he lives in Upper St. Clair, and see if he would be willing to take this case to the Pa Supreme Court. 

Thanks for all of your efforts to identify these hunting and shooting locations so that residents can warn their children to stay out of harms way, and try to protect the safety of their family and pets.

December 12, 2016 at 11:10 PM

I contacted the ACLU and received this reply:

From: Info <Info@aclupa.org>
To: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
Sent: Wed, Dec 14, 2016 8:59 am

 Thank you for contacting the ACLU with your question.  Unfortunately, the ACLU does not currently have a confidential system by which to process email complaints, or the resources to answer general questions about the law. 

 

The ACLU is a privately funded organization relying heavily on the services of volunteer attorneys.  We seek to preserve and extend certain constitutional principles, most of which are found in the Bill of Rights.  We are not a general provider of legal services.

 

We generally take only those cases in which the facts are not in substantial dispute and, more importantly, in which there is a significant civil liberties issue.  We give priority to cases where our participation can benefit a large class of people or lead to a positive change in the law.  Scarce resources are an unfortunate constraint, preventing us from taking many meritorious civil liberties cases.  As a result, we must be very selective in choosing which issues to address.

 

To obtain an answer to your question or other legal advice, we advise you to contact a private attorney or other legal services provider.   If you believe that your rights have been violated, you can complete and submit an online complaint form on our website at http://www.aclupa.org/our-work/legal/fileacomplaint/electronic-complaint-form , or you may fill out and mail in a general complaint form, which is available athttp://www.aclupa.org/downloads/intakequestionnaire.pdf More information about the types of cases we take is available at http://www.aclupa.org/legal/fileacomplaint.htm.

 

 

Info

ACLU of Pennsylvania

PO Box 60173

Philadelphia, Pa 19102

p: 215-592-1513

www.aclupa.org

Taking this case to the State Supreme Court is very expensive. I still haven't recovered from the first round at the Court of Common Pleas, thanks to our commissioners who appealed the PA Office of Open Records Final Determinations. My gofundme was helpful (thanks again to all who contributed) but left me with quite a legal bill. Unless Santa leaves me a check under the tree, I don't see how I can continue to pursue this. We don't have the right to know where or when arrows are flying or bullets are discharged in our densely populated community. I'm arranging a bus trip to Rolliers to meet with John in the paint department, so that he may advise us on soothing colors to paint our basements.*

Thanks, Kristen Linfante, for the sage advice.

*In case there are readers who do not recognize sarcasm, there is no bus trip to Rolliers.

Did they or didn't they?

The commissioners were suppose to approve a tax increase last night, but unless you went to the meeting, there is no way of knowing until you wait for the video of the meeting.

I sent this email to our commissioners:

Commissioners,

If you voted to raise our taxes last night, how about a LeboAlert telling us about the tax increase? There is no mention of a tax increase on the municipal website. The School District updates their website right after their meeting. The only mention of the commission meeting on Facebook is a photo of Kelly Fraasch and the junior commissioner. 

Elaine Gillen

Here is what is on mtl Magazine's Facebook page:

This is how Keith McGill responds to Nick Meduho's questions about his recommended budget.

Mr. Meduho,

This email will serve as a response to all of your emails related to the Manager's 2017 recommended budget. Until the Commission approves/adopts the budget in December the budget is a draft document and as such the numbers are subject to change. To continue to expend staff time to provide a response to numbers that are subject to change is an inefficient and fiscally irresponsible use of taxpayer funds, therefore there will be no further response to these requests. 

Nick's options were to ask his questions last night right before the budget got passed.

So much for direct access to timely, relevant information.

The award-winning Mt. Lebanon Magazine is the only official magazine of Mt. Lebanon municipality, with direct access to timely, relevant information that goes to every home and business in Mt. Lebanon.

PFA against Mt. Lebanon officer dropped

PFA against Mt. Lebanon officer dropped

Eighty-four guns are being returned to Officer James Hughes, after his estranged wife vacated the PFA order. Earlier reports indicated that 120 weapons were being stored in a courthouse vault. The Washington County sheriff's office was unable to store the weapons due to lack of space.

Commissioners, think about this tonight as you raise our taxes.

Commissioners, remember how you blew almost a million dollars on the toxic turf on Cedar Blvd.? Think about this when you raise our taxes tonight.

The latest cancer data from soccer coach Amy Griffin about players who've played on artificial turf. And it's not good. This calls for an epidemiological study by our Federal Government.

CANCERS AMONG SOCCER PLAYERS WHO HAVE PLAYED ON SYNTHETIC TURF AND REPORTED THEIR CANCERS TO AMY GRIFFIN.

Eight months ago, in April of 2016 -- there were 166 soccer players who had gotten cancer -- and 102 of those were goalkeepers.

Now, in December, 2016, there are 186 soccer players who have gotten cancer and 116 of them are goalkeepers. That is 62% of the soccer players who have gotten cancer are the goal keepers, who we know are the most heavily exposed to the synthetic turf. The average age of the soccer players who have gotten cancer is 20-21 years old.

Of the 186 soccer players who have gotten cancer, 48 have Hodgkin's Lymphoma -- 29 of the 48 are Goalkeepers == which is 60 % of the soccer players who got Hodgkin's Lymphoma are goalkeepers;

Of the 186 soccer players who have gotten cancer 26 have non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma -- 13 are Goalkeepers === which is 50% of the soccer players who got non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma are goalkeepers;

Of the 186 soccer players who have gotten cancer 42 Leukemia -- 29 are Goalkeepers == which is 70% of the soccer players who got Leukemia are goalkeepers;

Of the 186 soccer players who have gotten cancer 17 have Sarcomas -- 9 are goalkeepers == which is 53%of the soccer players who got Sarcomas are goalkeepers;

Of the 186 soccer players who have gotten cancer 11 have testicular -- 6 are Goalkeepers == which is 55% of the soccer players who got testicular cancer are goalkeepers;

Of the 186 soccer players who have gotten cancer 9 have Thyroid -- 8 are goalkeepers == which is 89% of the soccer players who got Thyroid cancer are goalkeepers; (1 was a field hockey goalkeeper)

Of the 186 soccer players who have gotten cancer 9 have brain cancer -- 6 are goalkeepers = which is 67% of the soccer players who got brain cancer are goalkeepers;

Of the 186 soccer players who have gotten cancer 3 have lung cancer -- all are goal keepers === which is 100% of the soccer players who got lung cancer are goalkeepers.

There are reported 74 soccer players with either Hodgkin's Lymphoma or non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas while there are 42 soccer players who have gotten Leukemias. In the general population there are usually more Leukemias than lymphomas -- in this instance there are almost double the number of lymphomas to Leukemias.

All in all, there are 116 cases of blood cancers among the 186 who have gotten cancer. That is 62% of the soccer players who have gotten cancer have gotten blood cancers.

Thus far: There are 234 Total Athletes who have played on synthetic turf and have cancer -- and have known to report their cancers to Amy Griffin.

The Municipality is off to the races

The Municipality has posted the FAQ for the 2017 "Sharpshooting" program.

Where and how will culling take place? White Buffalo, Inc. specialists will work on private property donated for the purpose, as well as in designated municipal parks.

The PA Office of Open Records will argue that no property was donated. Instead, access was granted by the private property owners. Unfortunately for residents like us who feel we have the right to know if high powered rifles will be fired in our neighborhoods, two courts have sided with the municipality.

Our incompetent PIO issued the FAQs on December 2,2016 with four broken links, no specific hours of killing listed, continue to use euphemisms for killing, provide no details on the type of bait or how it will be distributed, and no mention that safety zones do not apply to a cull.

As a political subdivision holding a valid deer control permit issued under section 2902 of the Game and Wildlife Code, Safety Zone requirements do not apply to the permitted activity.  Section 2505 (a) of Title 34 specifically addresses this exemption.

Is this one of those situations that R.T. considers as minutiae? UPDATED 3X

Construction worker shocked outside Mt. Lebanon High School  Do we deserve the truth or will this construction worker's electrocution be covered up too?

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Mr. Brian R. McFeeley, Principal-Mt. Lebanon HS" <noreply@mtlsd.net>

Subject: Mt. Lebanon High School CLOSED on Monday, December 12

Date: December 11, 2016 at 4:54:51 PM EST

To:

Reply-To: "Mr. Brian R. McFeeley, Principal-Mt. Lebanon HS" <noreply@mtlsd.net>

Dear Parents and Students:

Mt. Lebanon High School will be CLOSED for all students and staff on Monday, December 12, due to a power outage. Please note that all other district schools will be OPEN as normal.

A decision regarding the status of afterschool activities for Monday, December 12, will be made during the day on Monday. Please check the district website and your email for updates regarding afterschool activities.

Sincerely,

Brian R. McFeeley

Principal 

Comment from Appellate court says Mt. Lebanon deer cull participants can remain private:

Rand Tobias 1 day ago, Post-Gazette
Ms. Gillen,
You have many admirable qualities. You are relentless! You are passionate! If I ran a nonprofit I would hire you in an instant. And although you may want to highlight your civic minded altruism to the readers here, I would encourage you to take a dispassionate look at your own words over the past several years on your blog. Your tone is divisive, you encourage name calling, and I would argue that you while you call a lot of attention to yourself and your causes, you effect little change. And I believe this is because much of what you and your readers contribute to the public conversation is mean spirited. As far as the pg not covering the minutiae of Mt. Lebanon civic life, we are not the center of the universe. Please, reflect on your part in the divisiveness you are highlighting. It isn't healthy. You could do a tremendous amount of good if you redirected more of your energies to a worthier cause than the real time critiques of small town leaders who, whether you believe it are not, are not part of some big cabal to torture animals. Sometimes the universe tells us we are on the wrong track; Hopefully this court decision provides you with similar insight. Best regards and happy holidays!

Sorry, still learning what is to be covered up and to which worthier causes I am to redirect my energies, Rand Tobias.

Update December 12, 2016 8:07 AM Electrical accident injures worker, cancels Monday classes at Mt. Lebanon High

Update December 12, 2016 6:20 PM 

From: "Mr. Brian R. McFeeley - Principal, Mt. Lebanon HS" <noreply@mtlsd.net>

Subject: Update: High School in Session on Tuesday, December 13

Date: December 12, 2016 at 3:54:52 PM EST

To: 

Reply-To: "Mr. Brian R. McFeeley - Principal, Mt. Lebanon HS" <noreply@mtlsd.net>

Dear Parents and Students:

Power has been restored to Mt. Lebanon High School. The high school will be in session on Tuesday, December 13, at the regularly scheduled time.

All evening activities scheduled for this evening, December 12, will take place as scheduled.

Related to the power outage yesterday, a construction worker was injured while working on the site. Although we do not have any official word yet, we do not believe his injuries were life threatening. We wish the injured worker a speedy recovery.

Sincerely,

Brian R. McFeeley

Principal

Update December 12, 2016 10:47 PM Construction worker burned in electrical accident at Mt. Lebanon High School

Goliath won UPDATED

The deer haters and killers will be happy to hear...

O R D E R AND NOW, this 9th day of December, 2016, the decisions of May 23, 2016 of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas in the above-captioned matters are AFFIRMED.

Saving everyone from eleven pages of legalese, here it is - short and sweet:

What these means is that residents and visitors are not permitted to know where weapons are being fired in Mt. Lebanon, commissioners can wash their hands of any responsibility because it involves private individuals and not "government actors," and police officers like Officer James Hughes, who had an arsenal of 120 weapons too large to store in the Washington County Sheriff's Office and has a temporary PFA against him, can remain anonymous because he, if he was an archer, was donating his time to kill deer. We do not have the right to know where killing is taking place. We don't have the right to know who the killers are.

Mt. Lebanon police officers are exempt from any media reports, it appears. Had Officer Hughes been on some other police force, it would have been all over the news.

To appeal this decision, I would need to go to the State Supreme Court, IF the Supreme Court would hear the case. Small detail here - I don't have the funds. Mt. Lebanon commissioners won. They used our tax dollars to contract out the dirty work. Think about that when the commissioners vote to increase our taxes on Tuesday.

I tried my best to force the Municipality of Mt. Lebanon to be more transparent and make our neighborhoods safer, but their loyalty remains with the ten archers and twelve private property owners who "donated" to this deer killing program. The hell with the rest of us.

Update December 9, 2016 4:00 PM The Post-Gazette wasted no time publishing this.
Appellate court says Mt. Lebanon deer cull participants can remain private Still waiting for them to spill the beans about the Mt. Lebanon police officer, a member of the Dormont-Mt. Lebanon Sportsmen's Club and had his arsenal of 120 weapons confiscated by Washington County Sheriff's Office. We will never know if he was/is one of the archers.

Mt. Lebanon Police Officer Defendant in PFA Case UPDATED 2X

Oh. My. God.

Judge denies police officer, defendant in PFA case, use of duty firearm

Update December 7, 2016 9:17 PM An email from the Chief of Police:

From: Aaron Lauth <alauth@mtlebanon.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 7, 2016 10:04 PM
To: Concerned Resident
Cc: commission@mtlebanon.org
Subject: Re: Officer Hughes

Concerned Resident,

Protection From Abuse (PFA) orders are a very important civil process granted by the courts in cases of domestic violence and abuse.  MLPD recommends and handles these orders regularly, so we are extremely familiar with their significance in protecting victims of violence in domestic situations.  

In case you are not familiar with the process for obtaining a Protection From Abuse (PFA) order in Pennsylvania, please allow me to explain.  One party, who alleges that they are a victim of domestic violence, may appear in front of a judge in order to voice their allegation of abuse and/or fear for their safety.  Based on the account of this single party, without the opposing party being heard, the judge must render a decision whether or not to grant the PFA order.  Rightfully so, judges usually err on the side of caution and grant the court order to help protect the victim.  These orders are initially temporary and usually last for approximately one to two weeks until a hearing can be scheduled in front of the judge.  At this hearing, both parties have the opportunity to voice their side of the story, call witnesses, present evidence, etc.  At the conclusion of the hearing, and after listening to both sides, the judge will decide if the PFA should be extended, amended or vacated completely.

Also an important component of PFA orders is their requirement to surrender firearms for the duration of the order.  This is crucial to protecting victims from further abuse or possible death.  Firearms are handed over and secured until the results of the hearing are known.

Accordingly, Cpl. Hughes is not scheduled to work the streets until after he has had his opportunity to have his case heard by the judge.  We (MLPD) will await the results of the PFA hearing, scheduled for next week, before he will be allowed to work in uniform for the MLPD.  It is also important that we allow for due process to occur and provide him his opportunity to have his day in court.

It should also be noted that MLPD was in contact with the Pennsylvania State Police about this alleged incident.  The independent State Police investigation has concluded and did not recommend any criminal charges against Cpl. Hughes in this incident.

Thanks,

Aaron V. Lauth

Chief of Police

Mt Lebanon Police Department

555 Washington Road

Pittsburgh, PA  15228

(412)343-4015

alauth@mtlebanon.org

www.mtlebanonpd.org

 

FBI NA Session #264

Update December 9, 2016 11:12 AM The Almanac has nothing about Officer Hughes. Why is that? Only about SMART formerly known as PAYT. I also found that Officer Hughes became a member of the Dormont-Mt. Lebanon Sportsmen's Club in October 2002. That is about as close to finding out if he was an approved archer to kill in our public parks.

A Rally for Unity! UPDATED December 19, 2016

A Rally for Unity!

Details:

As you may have heard, there has been several identity-based or hate-related incidents recently in and around our community. These actions have marred our town in the public eye and have made people feel less safe, less welcome, and in one case, led to a person being physically assaulted. These incidents need to be condemned for what they are- completely at odds with the shared values of inclusion and acceptance that so many of us cherish here in Mt. Lebanon.

Accordingly we are very proud to host a Rally for Unity designed to bring our community together on Sunday, December 18th at 4:30pm at the Mt. Lebanon Rec Center plaza. 

We are very excited that this burgeoning effort has already drawn the support of the Mt. Lebanon School District and the Municipality, as well as several local religious institutions, elected officials, and concerned citizens from across our area. It is our hope that on the 18th we will have many local residents and families present, as well as representatives from every local organization that helps make up the fabric of our community. While everyone is welcome, please keep in mind that this is not a political event. Party labels and attacks on individual leaders will only dilute our message.

Quite simply, we believe it is important to reaffirm that bigotry and hate in any form have no home here. 

More information about our program will be coming soon, but please feel free to share this event. Additionally, if any local group or organization would like to be listed as a partner, please be sure to contact Rep. Miller's office at 412-343-3870 ASAP.

Update December 9, 2016 5:17 PM An open letter to State Rep. Dan Miller.

From:	egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
To:	repmiller <repmiller@pahouse.net>
Cc:	commission <commission@mtlebanon.org>
Subject:	Unity Rally
Date:	Fri, Dec 9, 2016 5:10 pm
Attachments:	1020CD16_12-9-16 Commonwealth Decision.pdf (326K)

---

Hi Dan,

I wanted to let you know that I will not be attending your Unity Rally, but want to thank you for organizing this rally. It would be hypocritical of me to attend knowing that the hateful commissioners, who thrive on divisive issues, will be in attendance. 

I have attached the Commonwealth Court affirmation to this email. The commissioners spent our tax dollars and hired Tony DeNicola so that they can wash their hands of any responsibility to their actions. In my mind, I do not see how permitting bloodshed in our community is anywhere close to promoting unity in Mt. Lebanon. Just read the haters' comments in the PG about my case. It is really sad.

Good luck and I hope that your good intentions have a positive effect on Mt. Lebanon.

Elaine Gillen

Update December 19, 2016 10:00 AM The P-G reported that yesterday's Unity Rally DID bring up the Election, which went against Dan Miller's number one rule. Crowd gathers in Mt. Lebanon to praise inclusion

School Board Reorganization meeting

Last night, the school board directors reorganized and selected Mary Birks as the new president of the Mt. Lebanon School Board.

Mary had a heated first meeting. Parents were up in arms about the recent racist incidents at our schools, and wanted specifics. One parent used the N-word when describing what was taking place and Mary freaked out. I wonder if MTLSD will edit that out when airing the meeting.

Here is the unedited audio. December 5, 2016 Reorganization Meeting

The 100-Yard Deception

For years, Fieldturf made millions of dollars selling faulty fields to taxpayers across the US knowing they might fall apart.

To find out which schools in Pittsburgh (and there are quite a few) got burned, find potentially faulty artificial turf fields in your neighborhood here. 

Read The 100-Yard Deception: A 6-month investigation into FieldTurf

Must read UPDATED

This was in the "Must Read" section of the PG over the weekend.

Mt. Lebanon police probing racist, anti-Semitic graffiti at schools and football field

Someone sent me a link to this local blog, covering this topic. Mt. Lebanon resident Dr. Anthony Moretti is the Director of the Center for Innovative Teaching and Directed Engaged Learning at Robert Morris University, where he also is an Associate Professor in the School of Communications and Information Systems.

An ugly three weeks for the Mt. Lebanon School District

Update December 5, 2016 7:15 PM From the Middle School Principals today:

From: Mellon Middle School <noreply@mtlsd.net>
Sent: Monday, December 5, 2016
To: Middle School Parents
Subject: Message to Parents

Middle School Families,

We are writing to follow up on the recent email you received from our Superintendent. Please know that a safe school is our number one priority. Establishing an inclusive and welcoming environment is essential to that priority. We feel very strongly that the recent incidents at our middle schools are not reflective of our students, faculty, or staff.

We have taken several steps to address the recent incidents that are contrary to our inclusive and welcoming culture. As principals, we met with our respective faculties to review these issues and reinforce our expectations for reporting and responding. We also reported details of the incidents to the Mt. Lebanon Police Department, PTA leaders, and local religious leaders. Our local Rabbis have been reliable partners as we formulated plans to take appropriate further steps.

Our programs, designed to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment, begin early in a child’s educational career and occur on a regular basis. This includes our middle school anti-bullying program known more commonly as “Tuesday Talk” that is grounded in the research-based tenets of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. Themes that are discussed annually in our “Tuesday Talk” program include: respect, acceptance, empathy, and appreciation of diversity.  

Our most recent “Tuesday Talk” focused on two essential questions - 1) How do we make other people feel welcome in our classrooms and school? and 2) How do we improve upon the inclusive community so all students feel valued? It was a productive conversation that affirmed our positive beliefs about our students. Our work on this topic will continue.   

As parents, you can support our efforts by continuing to have conversations with your child(ren) around the theme of helping others to feel welcome and valued.  If you learn of inappropriate, discriminatory, or intimidating behavior occurring in our schools, please contact a teacher, counselor, or ourselves.  We will immediately investigate and appropriately address any concerns.  

We continue to believe we have caring students and exemplary schools.

As always, our doors are open to you. If you have further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,

Kelly Szesterniak                    Christopher Wolfson

Principal - JMS                        Principal - MMS

Game Commission: Semi-automatic weapons next year for PA woodlands and Lebo

Pennsylvania will be the 49th state to permit semi-automatic weapons during deer hunting season next year. Governor Wolf signed the legislation last month.       http://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/11538937-74/automatic-semi-board

The board will decide which types of game can be hunted with a semi-automatic rifle, any limits on ammunition and when the rules will go into effect. 

Commission spokesman Travis Lau said the board has its first quarterly meeting in January and could formally approve new rules as early as April. The board will meet Monday in a workshop-style session. 

“We do expect them to begin the discussion on semi-automatic rifles for any hunting or all hunting,” Lau said.

This change could be helpful to older or disabled hunters.

State Rep. Eli Evankovich, R-Murrysville, said the change can be beneficial to hunters who are older, disabled or have difficulty manually reloading. 

“I think we should be adult enough to allow people to do that,” he said. 

Additionally, air- and gas-powered rifles are permitted for hunting as part of the amendment. Semi-automatic shotguns for hunting certain species are permitted in designated areas of five counties in the state, including a portion of Allegheny County.

Don't you all feel better that our governor signed this legislation?  People who have trouble with vision or mobility will benefit and be able to participate in killing deer in Mt. Lebanon next year. Thanks Mt. Lebanon Commissioners.

More hate in Lebo UPDATED

Jefferson Middle School track

Photo from Facebook

Now I know why Timmy checked the blog SEVEN times today. Time for another letter for parents, Tim?

Update November 29, 2016 7:22 PM I understand that another email was sent out to parents today at 4:30 PM.

From: Dr. Timothy Steinhauer [mailto:noreply@mtlsd.net]
Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2016 4:30 PM
To: Parents
Subject: Message to Parents

To All Members of the Mt. Lebanon School Community,

The Mt. Lebanon School District prides itself on being an inclusive and accepting school community. We value that our schools include students and families from many different backgrounds. Our faculty, staff and administration are dedicated to fostering learning for all students in a respectful and safe environment.  We are aware and have responded to several incidents, in and around our schools, that are in conflict with these ideals.

Rest assured that the administration, fully supported by the Board of School Directors, has zero tolerance for this type of behavior.  As is the standard of practice, the administration will immediately investigate any incident that is inappropriate, discriminatory, or intimidating in nature that occurs on school grounds. Any response will be educational, and as appropriate, disciplinary. 

   

We appreciate your support in our efforts to advance inclusive schools where each and every child thrives. Please continue to notify your child’s teacher or principal if you are made aware of any issue that may create a non-inclusionary atmosphere. If you wish to discuss these issues further, please contact your school counselor, principal, or superintendent.

Everyone is welcomed and valued in the Mt. Lebanon School District.
 

Timothy J. Steinhauer, Ed.D.                                          Lawrence M. Lebowitz
Superintendent of Schools                                              President, Board of School Directors

"I will never vote for sharpshooting."

Dave Brumfield said this for years. Dave Brumfield is a goddam liar. The vote was 4:1 in favor of "sharpshooting" with Kelly Fraasch being the only one who voted against it.

Babs Logan and other gardeners spoke during citizen comments, thanking the commissioners for their efforts. The garden loving, deer haters urged commissioners that this program must be continued for at least three years, since the Cornell prophet, who never stepped foot into Mt. Lebanon or knew how large it was, had advised commissioners.

Another $83,477 will be spent to wipe out the deer population or kill up to 100 deer, whichever comes first.

As I wrote previously:

• Tony DeNicola finished earlier than expected this past March. He couldn't find any more deer.  
• Mt. Lebanon went to the Court of Common Pleas over the privilege of killing deer in Twin Hills Park, a 25 acre property owned by Mt. Lebanon which is situated in Scott Township. Mt. Lebanon won, but there were restrictions including the use of sharpshooting in Twin Hills. Either Mt. Lebanon honors that agreement, or Mt. Lebanon goes back to court for the use of high powered rifles in Twin Hills.
• Archers have killed half as many deer this year, even with the additional 25 acres in Twin Hills.
• The archery program concludes on January 28, 2017.
• The commissioners will not have an official count of kills until February.
• Either there are bogus accident reports being filed with MLPD, or we have sloppy bookkeeping. The numbers don't add up. Increased reported collisions vs. lower accidents vs. fewer dead deer pick ups. 
• We do not know what type of bait or system that White Buffalo will use to distribute the bait. I was told that Tony's bait is proprietary. Evidently, Tony owns the patent on corn and apples. I thought God held that patent. Allegheny County Health Department is ready to fine Mt. Lebanon since ground feeding is not permitted.

This is what to expect:

Tony DeNicola and Mt. Lebanon are entering a contract to bait-and-shoot deer with high powered rifles on Mt. Lebanon's public property under a special permit from the Pa Game Commission (PGC) that supersedes all state game hunting regulations and safety zones. All safety zone requirements will be suspended under this permit. Residents can request that DeNicola bait-and-shoot deer on their property w/o meeting any PGC safety zone requirements. The rifles and ammunition typically used in suburban deer shooting programs is the .223 caliber rifle with 55 grain ammunition, which has a maximum range of 2.3 miles.

When Mt. Lebanon was shooting right next to my home in Rockwood Park, putting my family, children, and pets at lethal risk, there was nothing I could do to stop them. Little did I know that they were violating a Federal law by shooting on public property so close to Foster Elementary School. 

If you want to protect your family, you will have to stay in your homes and move in to your basement. This is when I was told by Kristen Linfante to pay a visit to John in Rollier's paint department to pick out a soothing color for my basement. 

Mt. Lebanon will not notify you that shooting will be taking place right next to your home because your neighbors are "donating" their properties. Allegedly, Mt. Lebanon will not even know where these properties are located because of the covenant between DeNicola and your neighbors. Our commissioners will be putting Mt. Lebanon residents at lethal risk of harm in our own homes. 

Dave, you could have kept your word since there was a majority without your vote. But no. 2017 is going to be the worst year ever with you as president of the commission. God help us all.

Somewhere in Virginia Manor

Today at 3:50 PM - Look Out Lebo! UPDATED

Most of the sidewalks are closed at this most dangerous intersection of Cedar and Cochran Roads. Pedestrians are forced to walk in the street. Where is the crossing guard?

Look Out Lebo!

Update November 28, 2016 8:10 PM We have crazy drivers here. From MLPD's Twitter feed:

Mt. Lebanon Police ‏@MtLebanonPolice  1h1 hour ago

Beverly @ Overlook = Looks worse than it is. Despite the roll over, no one was injured. Roadway should be open by 1930. Please avoid area.

Who is going to enforce this?

Pennsylvania’s 12-day firearms deer hunting season begins tomorrow, November 28th. Since the Mt. Lebanon commissioners have turned Mt. Lebanon into municipal approved game lands, I wrote to the commissioners with my concerns. I wanted to know if there would be any firearms hunting in Mt. Lebanon or Twin Hills Park.

From: Keith Mcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>
To: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
Cc: Commission <commission@mtlebanon.org>; Aaron Lauth <alauth@mtlebanon.org>
Sent: Sun, Nov 27, 2016 5:15 pm
Subject: Re: Deer hunting season

Good evening Elaine,

Mt. Lebanon has not given anyone permission to hunt deer using firearms on any municipally owned property.

Keith
--
Keith McGill, AICP
Municipal Manager
412-343-3684
kmcgill@mtlebanon.org

****** 

On Nov 27, 2016 5:41 PM, "egillen476@aol.com" <egillen476@aol.com> wrote:

Thanks for your response, Keith. Is it conceivable that firearms could be used on private Mt. Lebanon property? What restrictions are in place to protect residents during PA's 12-day firearms deer hunting season?

Elaine

******

From: Keith Mcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>
To: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
Cc: Aaron Lauth <alauth@mtlebanon.org>; commission <commission@mtlebanon.org>
Sent: Sun, Nov 27, 2016 8:07 pm
Subject: Re: Deer hunting season

Elaine,

Anyone hunting on private property in Mt Lebanon would need the permission of the property owner and would need to follow the rules and regulations of the PA Game Commission.

Keith

******

From: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
To: kmcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>
Cc: alauth <alauth@mtlebanon.org>; commission <commission@mtlebanon.org>
Sent: Sun, Nov 27, 2016 9:15 pm
Subject: Re: Deer hunting season

Thanks, Keith. It is a shame that our spineless commissioners hide and make you do the dirty work. What exactly are we getting for their monthly stipends? They enact resolutions that cannot be enforced. They don't answer emails. They avoid answering questions at meetings by asking the citizen to email their questions to the commission. Then you are tasked with answering. What a great gig.

2017 will be even worse with Dave Brumfield badgering residents during their five minutes of comments. Thanks to the commissioners, I had the opportunity to witness how Commonwealth Court judges operate. The Commonwealth Court President had a kitchen timer and ignored the beeper if they had questions and/or would permit both sides to continue their arguments if they were in the middle of a thought. It was very civilized. No interruptions like our power hungry, ego-inflated commissioners handle citizen comments. Unless you are pro-kill. Then there is more leniency.

The commissioners will be approving more deer killing tomorrow night. That means that out of 24 months, there will be approximately 14 months of lethal weapons in Mt. Lebanon by March 2017. The white tail deer is our state animal. We will ALWAYS have deer. 

Thanks, Commissioners, for turning Mt. Lebanon into municipal approved game lands.

Elaine Gillen

One year later...

Facebook reminded me of this "memory" from one year ago.

State orders Mt. Lebanon to provide locations of deer hunt

On Tuesday, the state Office of Open Records granted Ms. Gillen’s request for all communications to and from the municipal government concerning the controlled archery hunt. The information is to be released within 30 days. 

A Mt. Lebanon spokeswoman said the municipality had received the request but would not issue a statement until commissioners and staff could meet next week. The next commissioners meeting is scheduled for Dec. 8, but Susan Morgans said the Right-to-Know request will probably be discussed sooner.

Susan Morgans leaked the commissioners' decision to the PG, that they decided to take it to the Court of Common Pleas. I read about it in the newspaper.

The commissioners, of course, voted to take this to the Court of Common Pleas. From there, it went to Commonwealth Court. Knowing our commissioners, it will probably go all the way to the Sate Supreme Court, if they will hear it.

The Bubble - SNL

Just like here!

The hate is spreading to our children UPDATED

I have no details yet. Our super Super is preparing a statement which will be sent home to parents.

"Friends, the hate is spreading to our children. We must stop this. This swastika was found in the mulch at an elementary school playground in Mt. Lebanon, the community we live in and my children attend school in. At a middle school, also in Mt Lebanon, some students started a "Kill All Jews" club. This happens to be a community where many Jewish families reside. I am sickened that this is happening in 2016. Please share. The schools have told us nothing. We need to come together as a community and challenge this type of behavior."

Update November 23, 2016 4:29 PM Letter sent to Parents:

From: Timothy J. Steinhauer, Ed.D. <noreply@mtlsd.net>
Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2016 2:25 PM
To: Parents
Subject: Recent Incident

 

Dear Parents,

This morning we were made aware that an image of a swastika had been created on the playground of Washington Elementary School on October 12, 2016. It was drawn into the mulch and was not permanent. On that day the image was photographed and has since been circulated on social media.

After an immediate and thorough investigation, the sixth grade student responsible for creating this image admitted responsibility to the Mellon Middle School administration. The Mt. Lebanon Police Department was notified and other appropriate actions will ensue.

Have no doubt that we are committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment for all of our students. We have and will continue to act swiftly to address any issues that are offensive in accordance with our long-standing history, policies, and practices of nondiscrimination. There is zero-tolerance of discriminatory behavior in our schools.

Please continue to notify your child’s teacher or principal if you are made aware of any issue that may create a non-inclusionary atmosphere. Likewise, if you have concerns about your child’s reaction to this incident or wish to discuss further, please contact your school counselor, principal, or me.

Respectfully,

Timothy J. Steinhauer, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools