"The truth no one likes to admit"

mtl - Mt. Lebanon Magazine on Facebook:

"Are your kids having the back to school blues? Sometime the anxiety and stress of starting a new school year can be overwhelming. The Mt. Lebanon School District counselors are at your service to help with adjustments and transitions. You can contact your child's building principal or counseling office with your questions or concerns. If the problem reaches beyond the school setting, Outreach Teen & Family Services is a community based child, teen and family counseling agency that provides professional, confidential counseling to young people ages 5 to 21 and their families. They see clients for a variety of concerns from anger management, family problems and school related issues to depression, anxiety, drug & alcohol and many other issues."

Only comment:

This is a very difficult area to be accepted in unless your well off and or Catholic. I heard this when I first moved here and I laughed it off but I found out it was true. You can find a few people who are really nice however, you just have to look very hard. It's the truth no one likes to admit!

Coincidently, on my Facebook feed, this was the post that followed mtl's Outreach Facebook blurb.

How much of your donated dollar goes to the cause? Do our kids really need Outreach because they have anxiety of starting a new school year? What kind of a community is this where people don't feel welcome? Where kids need Outreach just for starting a new school year? Or where our Public Information Office declined to respond to Jason Margolis' questions: If someone from out of the area were considering moving to MTL, what would you say is MTL’s greatest strength or asset as a community? Why is MTL a good place to move to and live in at this time?

So sad.

Git them varmints

The white deer attractant powder has resurfaced in Twin Hills Park. This is just in time for the deer killing again, which is starting September 16, 2017. Deer Management Archery Program FAQs Unfortunately for the hunter, the hunter assigned to Twin Hills Park can be cited.

Under Pennsylvania law, it generally is unlawful to hunt in or around any area where artificial or natural bait, hay, grain, fruit, nut, salt, chemical, mineral or other food – including their residues – are used or have been used within the past 30 days as an enticement to lure game or wildlife.

It doesn't matter if the hunter placed the deer attractant there.

Hunting over bait is a summary offense punishable by a $150 to $300 fine.
But like many violations of the state’s Game and Wildlife Code, one violation might mean others are present, too, Grohol said.
For instance, if someone hunting illegally through the use of bait kills a deer in that area, he or she not only would be charged with hunting over bait, but for unlawfully taking the deer – a charge punishable by up to an $800 fine and a month in jail, he said. There would also be a minimum $800 replacement cost for the deer, and if the deer was classified a trophy buck, the replacement cost would be $5,000, he said.

If attractant is found, the law requires the area be closed to hunting for 30 days after the bait and all residue is removed. But here in Mt. Lebanon, our manager and commissioners will tell you that they know nothing about the deer killing. That is why they are paying Tony DeNicola $9,000 - so they can say



Last year, I brought it to the attention of our manager, but since I couldn't get a lab report for the unidentified substance, my concerns were ignored, once again.

The State Supreme Court would not hear my case concerning the locations of the private properties. The irony of it all is that thanks to 12:06 AM, we do not have the right to know where the killing will take place.

Will private properties used for hunting be identified? Mt. Lebanon does not have a list of the properties. Property owners contacted White Buffalo directly and donated their properties based on a condition of confidentiality. The Pennsylvania Game Commission regulates all hunting in the state and permits hunting on private property, provided both homeowner and hunters follow Game Commission rules related to permits, safety zones, hours, etc. Game Commission laws supersede local ordinances. Owners are not required to notify the municipality that hunting is taking place on their properties.

 And the best part?

A statement from Commission President David Brumfield:

We have all seen the tragedy in Charlottesville, Virginia.  A tragedy both due to the violence that occurred ending a young life and in showing us the the darkest part of of human nature. The hate-filled message that the rally projected was one that unfortunately we have heard too many times before.  The ongoing coverage of these events has focused on how we respond to those who believe skin color, religious belief, ethnicity or sexual identity are cause for exclusion and violence.  One would hope that it would go with out saying where reasonable men and women stand on such an issue.  But the foolishness of a few forces us to stand and say what we all should already know to be true.  There is no place in this world for such hate.

Last year our community had a very different rally.  Our State Representative Dan Miller with the help and support of our Municipality and School District brought the community together to champion Unity.  It was a message of love over hate, inclusion over prejudice and understanding over ignorance.  This Commission and Representative Miller want everyone to know that we are still committed to the message of Unity, as we always shall be.  To our residents, neighbors, visitors and friends please know that though there will always be those who spew vile messages of bigotry and hatred, Mt. Lebanon is a place where those messages will be opposed by a community that has chosen Unity over hate.

On Behalf of the Commission, Staff and People of Mt. Lebanon,

David Brumfield, Commission President

You see, he pushed for taking me to court to appeal the PA Office of Open Records Final Determination. He knew full well why I wanted to avoid those areas. Yeah, again thanks to 12:06 AM, now everyone knows why. 

It was a message of love over hate, inclusion over prejudice and understanding over ignorance. 

You know what I say to that? BULLSHIT!

Black History Month and Community Relations Board 2001

So much has changed since the PG published this article sixteen years ago. Black History Month: Mt. Lebanon's past of not selling homes to minorities is highlighted by Muhammad Ali's effort to buy in Virginia Manor

• Laura Pace has a different last name, is now Senior Editor/Online Editor for mtl Magazine, and has fifteen minute workdays.
• Susan Fleming Stroyd has a different last name, and approves Laura's fifteen minute workdays.
• Mt. Lebanon's population in 1970 was 39,356, down 6,000 in 2001, and seems to be flat at 33,477 in 2010.
• "Mt. Lebanon often wears a polished veneer, but even municipal officials do not pretend the environment is perfect." In 2017, municipal officials pretend the environment is perfect. However, the Community Relations Board (CRB) with Susan Morgans as staff liaison, is continuing its diversity efforts from 2001 with Unity Programs in 2017.
• "We really make a special attempt to get more people of color in the magazine," said Susan Fleming Stroyd, editor-in-chief of Mt. Lebanon Magazine. Like this, Susan? to market, to market, to buy a...
• The 2001 article boasts that CRB members were proud of Mt. Lebanon's acceptance of Sanders consent decree homes. Now retired Federal Court Judge Gustave Diamond issued a court order for six Sanders Task Force homes in Mt. Lebanon in 1998, a temporary program to be reevaluated in ten years, and was never reevaluated. At one time, there were eleven Mt. Lebanon tax exempt homes owned by the Allegheny County Housing Authority. I believe there are seven tax exempt Sanders homes remaining, two within 200 feet of Rockwood Park. 
• The CRB held a May 6, 2001 Walk to Celebrate Diversity that included a 2-mile stroll with a theme of "You Belong Here." Now, we're told that if you don't like it here, move.
• "As long as you keep on plugging away, there is going to be some change. I believe in accentuating the positive and it will eventually make its way into the minds of the people." - February 21, 2001

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)

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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