Yard Sign Update

It looks as though I will have to place another yard sign order. I am not complaining! I know that we are in this till the end of January, so between the word getting out and the increase of vandalism reports, I better do it soon. Your donation includes free replacements of stolen signs. :)

I do have a favor to ask of the sign supporters. I encourage you to send an email to the Commission that states you have either just posted a sign or have a sign on your property and that the Commission doesn't know your opinion, so a survey should be done of the community. The Commission needs an assessment and it is so easy to do.

Breaking News: Lakemont man arrested for child pornography

https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/Media_and_Resources/Press_Releases/Press_Release/?pid=2086

Allegheny County man arrested in child pornography investigation

9/10/2015

HARRISBURG — Agents from the Office of Attorney General's Child Predator Section this week arrested an Allegheny County man charged with distributing and possessing child pornography.

Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane said the arrest is part of an ongoing effort by her office to target the online sharing, downloading and distribution of child pornography.  

According to the criminal complaint, Brian A. Bruder, 42, 1150 Lakemont Drive, Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, used a computer to download and share sexually graphic images of children.

Agents from the Child Predator Section and the Mt. Lebanon Police Department executed a search warrant at Bruder’s residence on Wednesday and seized an external hard drive and laptop computer. A preliminary review of the devices by agents from the Office of Attorney General's Computer Forensics Unit revealed several files indicative of child pornography.

Bruder was placed under arrest and charged with two counts of distribution of child pornography, 18 counts of possession of child pornography and one count of criminal use of a communication facility. A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 17.

Attorney General Kane thanked the Mt. Lebanon Police Department for assisting with Bruder’s arrest.

Bruder will be prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Jessel A. Costa III of the Office of Attorney General's Child Predator Section.

Reporting Child Predators

Suspected child predators can be reported to the Office of Attorney General by calling the Child Predator Hotline at 1-800-385-1044. Individuals who suspect an online predator or child sexual abuse can also send an anonymous tip to the office by texting PAKIDS + YOUR TIP to 847411.

(A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty.)

Brian A. Bruder

Submit a caption

Thanks to the comment posted by Anonymous on September 8, 2015 at 10:11 PM on New Locations of Parks: Great picture here: https://twitter.com/beauwtae/status/641432066089971712

I laughed and laughed at the picture. How about submitting a caption?

New locations of parks UPDATED

Twin Hills Park is back in. Someone contact the Scott Commissioners! Scott Commissioners have been alerted.

Also included are the Golf Course, McNeilly, the Conservation District, Robb Hollow and Public Works.

In the parks, hunting will be Monday through Friday. Allegedly, there will be police officers doing the archery in the parks. 

There are 18 private properties, with six are ready to go.  It isn't six properties. It is six neighborhoods. John Bendel promised to alert the school district of the 18 areas. He didn't know for sure if there were any commercial properties. He believes they are all residential properties. Bendel also promised to post No Hunting signs in the rest of the parks.

Commissioner Fraasch held up a Bow Hunting notice.

The archery was approved. The commissioners authorized MTL officials to issue a RFP for deer culling services utilizing sharpshooters to reduce deer-vehicular accidents, property damage, and nuisance complaints involving white-tailed deer. I knew it wasn't just about car accidents. It is about gardens and lame deer sightings. Because of these new elements, Commissioner Fraasch added Agenda Item 19, asking for a survey to be done so that residents could weigh in. It was voted down, 1-4. 

Regarding sterilization, Coleen Vuono and Steve Silverman voted against starting the process of submitting a proposal to HSUS and the Dietrich W. Botstiber Foundation. The commissioners are taking a risk by starting the lethal methods of deer management, even though that was one of the stipulations made by the Foundation - to take all lethal methods off the table. We are not the only community competing for this. We would have been number 1 on the list. By the way, Coleen Vuono is an evil person. Steve Silverman is a coward. A young woman was crying after the meeting and wanted to speak with Steve Silverman. He ran out of the room and slammed the door behind him. He ducked out and went down the steps to come out on the lower level of parking garage. Yes, Steve, that was me in front of the Municipal Building calling down to you and saying "Run, Steve. Run."

Yard signs are available. Archery will start on September 19 in six neighborhoods. We do not know where those neighborhoods are.

Update September 9, 2015 8:58 AM I sent this email was sent to the commissioners on September 9, 2015 at 3:50 AM. 

Commissioner Vuono,

I noticed that you were not in Executive Session with the rest of the commissioners. Why weren't you representing Ward 3? I also noticed that you have not attended the last two Traffic Board meetings of which you are commission liaison. Why is that? Please read the quote from Keith MCGill concerning Lyme Disease. It is in the June 22 meeting information and is also documented on the municipal website.

Commissioner Silverman,

You sure left in a hurry after the commission meeting. A constituent was in tears and wanted to speak with you. Slamming the door behind you and ducking out the back was cowardly. Shame on you.

Commissioner Bendel,

Thank you for adding No Hunting signs to the remaining parks. I wish you had allotted more time for HSUS. I think Susan Morgans spoke as long as HSUS. I want to thank you, along with Commissioners Brumfield and Fraasch for keeping an open mind toward sterilization. I hope you haven't jeopardized our chances to work with the Foundation and HSUS by beginning yet another lethal program. 

Finally, you really don't have any idea of what the majority of people think about deer. None of us do. It is unfortunate that you don't want to find out.

And yes, I'm still awake. There are others like me, who cannot sleep because of your decision to use arrows and bullets in our densely populated municipality.

Elaine Gillen

Update September 11, 2015 4:55 PM False alarm. I drove over to Lindendale and took this picture that is just below Lindendale and Glaids. It is not a tree stand. I also drove around Public Works and didn't see any tree stands. However, I didn't go all the way down to the end.

Immediate Action Is Needed

Lebo Citzens reader, Kimberly Schevtchuk submitted the following document which includes the specifics on the archery program, safety concerns, a section which briefly summarizes alternatives, (sterilization and speed enforcement), and the Commission's failure of due diligence to protect public safety. The last two pages include action information and Commission contact information.

Please attend tonight's extremely critical Commission meeting at 8:00 PM and share your thoughts (in five minutes or less) during Citizen Comments. Yard signs are still available. I will bring a few signs to the meeting tonight.

For our lawyers

From my July 30, 2015 Right To Know:

Anthony DeNicola's White Buffalo Proposal 

Jody Maddock's role

Clarification Both screened and unscreened archers

Use of bait

Planning presentation to recruit landowners

Hunters Sharing the Harvest

Deer population Estimates: Money Not Well Spent

Conflict of Interest Use science based information.

Email from Lebo Deer - limiting sponsored Lebo Deer speakers to five residents and identifying a core member

I did scan and post other items from the Right To Know in my previous post,  4 Public Properties Identified

The best news I have heard in a long time.

Finally! Sterilization, a non-lethal method of deer management will be discussed at Tuesday's Commission Discussion Session. On the agenda:

Wouldn't it be wonderful if our commissioners abandoned the plan to kill deer in our densely populated community and opted for a non-lethal sterilization plan instead? I am hoping that funding will come through too. According to the Commission Meeting Agenda, the Humane Society of the United States sterilization program will be totally funded, thanks to the Dietrich W. Botstiber Foundation (DWBF), IF Mt. Lebanon agrees to take all lethal methods off the table. I am cautiously optimistic that a majority of the commissioners will agree to it. Here is the problem though. The agenda for the regular commission is arranged in such a way that the commissioners will vote first for the archery program, then the "sharpshooting" plan, and finally will vote on the sterilization plan. It is the last item on the agenda.

So here's the plan. Please attend Tuesday's commission meeting and express your support for a non-lethal plan to manage our deer.

4 Public Properties Identified

Through my latest Right To Know, I found the list of public properties that are being considered. The four are:

Robb Hollow Park
Golf Course
Bird Park
McNeilly Park

Public properties and maps

This will give parents nightmares. From Steve Felle's September 4, 2015 Administrative report:

Update September 4, 2015 12:35 PM Highlights from the following link of documents include:

With four public properties and ten - fifteen "quality" private properties, White Buffalo would be fortunate to "harvest" 100 deer.

Deer are smart and will avoid public land that is being hunted, so expect fairly rapid diminishing return. Extend the hunting season as long as possible and have as much private property as possible.

If Mt. Lebanon wants to set aside some money to support meat processing costs, it is typically about $70 per deer.

An archery program is difficult to sustain over time and typically has a honeymoon period of 2-3 years.

The density of the homes is problematic, so Jody Maddock wants to be conservative in any estimate.

And from Steve Feller:

"Several emails were not produced that dealt with persons volunteering to donate their time or property to the program either as an archer or property owner. These were not produced under two exceptions:

(1) The Act at Section 708(b)(1) provides as follows:
     (1) A record the disclosure of which:
           ***

(ii) would be reasonably likely to result in a substantial and demonstrable risk of physical harm to or the personal security of an individual.

(2) The Act at Section 708(b)(13) provides as follows: 

         (13) Records that would disclose the identity of an individual who lawfully makes a donation to an agency unless the donation is intended for or restricted to providing remuneration or personal tangible benefit to a named public official or employee of the agency, including lists of potential donors compiled by an agency to pursue donations, donor profile information or personal identifying information relating to a donor."

Would someone like to translate that for me? Is that saying that the people who want to open their yards to killing and put our adults, children, and pets at risk want protection? Isn't that a bit ironic?

By calling the private properties "Donations," the identity of the landowner is protected.  Wow. They have it all figured out.

Police dressed as archers dressed as golfers?

This is getting more ludicrous by the day. I heard that "someone" suggested having our police department pose as hunters while sitting in tree stands. They wouldn't be hunting, but would be on a stakeout for yahoos and poachers during our five months of killing deer. Jody Maddock had told us at the June 22 meeting that he has had archers dress like golfers on golf courses, to blend in more. My question is would our police be dressed as archers dressed as golfers?  Comedy writers need to come to Mt. Lebanon for inspiration.

A question came up about Twin Hills. Who do we call if we see tree stands in Twin Hills? Here is the answer. Call 911. Describe the location of the tree stand to the dispatcher. They will determine whether to dispatch a Scott Township officer or Mt. Lebanon officer.

After the last meeting, Commissioner Dave Brumfield told a few residents that Mt. Lebanon doesn't  have the manpower to control speeders, but they can do something about the deer. Here we go again, putting Mt. Lebanon's finest on deer patrol.

False Alarm at the High School Today

From: Mt. Lebanon High School < noreply@mtlsd.net>
Date: Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Subject: False Fire Alarm Today at High School

Dear Parent/Guardian:

I wanted to make you aware that we had a false fire alarm at the high school today during period 5 which is also one of our three lunch periods for students. The Mt. Lebanon Fire Department responded to the alarm per regular protocol. The alarm was due to steam in the dishwashing room in the cafeteria area. The steam was generated from normal operations. We are working with the fire department regarding this issue.

The building was quickly and safely evacuated as students and staff followed all evacuation procedures as planned. Within a few minutes following the evacuation, students were permitted to return to their classes or lunch.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Brian R. McFeeley
Principal

How did Jan Klein pull this off?

http://www.mtlsd.org/district/hr/stuff/agreement_mlsd%20and%20jan%20klein.pdf

Best Opinion Piece Ever

Deer responsible for Mt. Lebanon road work

Any keen Almanac reader will guess why every road in Mt. Lebanon is being mended at the moment. It’s all the fault of the roaming hordes of deer. Deprived of their usual feeding grounds when the township decided to replace all the grass in Mt. Lebanon with artificial turf, they have taken to eating the roads.

Michael Murtough
Upper St. Clair

I'm definitely living in the wrong place.

It is no secret that I love to sew. In fact, I teach sewing on Castle Shannon Blvd. Today, Gloria Horn was so excited to see me because she was ordering the quilt panels featured in the latest Jenny Doan video. [Jenny Doan is a famous quilter and has many videos on YouTube.]


Only in Mt. Lebanon, deer are considered evil. Dangerous. One man wrote in to the PG, calling them rodents with hooves. Three weeks tomorrow, the killing starts for five months. These quilt panels may be all the deer that are left. September 8, Coleen Vuono wants to spend close to $90,000 to hire Bubba with a gun to wipe out the remaining deer in January.

Scott Twp. Commissioners Reiterate - No Hunting in Twin Hills

Scott commissioners reiterated Tuesday that they have not changed their opposition to deer culling in Twin Hills Park. http://www.post-gazette.com/news/environment/2015/08/28/Scott-says-no-to-Mt-Lebanon-deer-culling-in-Twin-Hills-Park/stories/201508280096

On the home page of www.lebocitizens.com, is a nine minute audio clip of that meeting. Attorney Barbara Sollenberger did an excellent job. Thank you, Barbara!

Mt. Lebanon Commissioners should take note that Scott Township has no time clock. Ms. Sollenberger spoke for nine minutes and was treated with respect. In addition, a non-resident is permitted to speak at Scott Township meetings. Oh my!

It's a go!

From the municipal website:

Deer Management Update (August 25, 2015)White Buffalo Inc, the wildlife management firm hired to screen, train and manage archers who will conduct a bow hunt this fall, has concluded recruiting hunters. The archers, who will hunt up to 12 hours a week, were required to show experience through harvest verification and will need to have a Bow Hunter Education Certification before they can begin. Applicants who made an inquiry to White Buffalo by July 28 will be sent an application.

White Buffalo Inc. has enough properties [public or private?] in the pipeline to proceed with the hunt.  At this point they are only considering properties with a minimum of one acre, or properties that are near ravines, power lines, or other areas with at least 1/2 acre of woods or heavy vegetation. Informational meetings were held in the commission chamber of the municipal building Saturday, August 15, at 10 a.m. and Monday, August 17, at 7 p.m. View the presentation here. Residents also may contact White Buffalo directly by emailingmtlebodeer@whitebuffaloinc.org (please add to your address book to avoid responses going to spam) or applying online at http://www.whitebuffaloinc.org/#!contact/c1z0x. Please type "Mt. Lebanon Archery Program" in the subject line of the online form and complete the rest of the information requested. Properties in dense residential areas with few trees will not be suitable for the program. Please do not contact Mt. Lebanon Municipality directly. 

White Buffalo representatives plan to attend the September 8 commission discussion meeting at 6:30 to describe the final program, including the backgrounds of the manager and hunters, the number of public and private properties to be used and the safety procedures that will be required. Click here to review the contract detailing the June 30, 2015 deer management proposal.

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Now would be a good time to get your signs displayed, if you haven't already. Need a sign? Email me at EGillen476@aol.com