Tuesday, March 8, 2016

If you report gunshots and nobody else did, did it really happen?

This is the BS that Jan Seybold is getting every time she reports gunshots.

Who do you call when you can’t call the police?

Jan is in the heart of Mt. Lebanon and can hear gunshots in every direction. She has been told that it may be a transformer or a loose manhole cover. But every time she calls, she is treated like she is imagining things. 

Is this how Mt. Lebanon is handling the shooting? I sent my third email to Tony Denicola, but second request, asking what type of bait is being used and the method that it is being distributed. According to the all-knowing Susan Morgans, the baiting has concluded. See the article in today's The Almanac. Details for Mt. Lebanon sharpshooting limited for safety reasons More details limited for safety reasons? Are they afraid that we're going to try to pour some melted butter on the corn and try to eat it? Light a match to it to see if it makes popcorn?  

Susan continues with “Basically, it’s a safety consideration,” Susan Morgans, municipal spokeswoman, said. “We don’t want people gathering anywhere near where the hunt is taking place.” If they don't want people gathering anywhere near where the hunt is taking place, then close the golf course. Make McNeilly and Robb Hollow "No Trespassing." Wait. They can't because they are public property. Now our town is turned upside down for four or six private properties! I know that one of them is Greg Perri's property again. 

I am spending most of my days sleeping now. Sleeping at night. Sleeping in the day. My phone is off the hook more than it is on the hook. 

Tonight is another commission discussion session and another commission meeting. They are meeting in executive session to discuss Twin Hills and my case.

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Shooting began last Thursday

PA Wildlife Conservation Officer Douglas E. Bergman called a resident this morning, after she contacted the PA Game Commission out of frustration with the Mt. Lebanon Police. The Mt. Lebanon resident had been reporting sounds of gunshots to MLPD and was continually being told that she was the only one who reported gunshots. She was even told that it may be a transformer or a loose manhole cover that makes a sound when a car drives over it.

Bergman is listed on special use permit here. http://mtlebanon.org/DocumentCenter/View/11354 I found his contact information here.  http://www.peoplebyname.com/people/Bergman/Douglas/Sutersville/PA 

Mt. Lebanon Police have been telling residents that DeNicola is using silencers. However, Bergman said that they are using "High powered supersonic rifles" which are hard to silence. We were told that bullshit ten years ago, when they were killing deer next to my house. It was VERY loud.

Bergman said that they have been shooting every night, that the "high powered ammunition" they are using is only muffled slightly by the silencers, and that he has been getting calls every night about shots being fired. He told the resident that the police are probably tired of getting calls and are telling people no one else is calling. He said that they (killers) have to call him every day before anyone shoots and they have been calling him every day.

Shooting started last Thursday (February 24, 2016) and will continue "until they reach their goal."

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Open season for busy bodies again UPDATED

The PG's John Hayes published the Office of Open Records' Final Determination of my Right To Know appeal, the second one that was granted my way. Mt. Lebanon required to disclose deer hunt records Now busy bodies and Republicans are under attack in the comment section. Only "busy bodies" want to know where the hunting is taking place. Ironically, I don't remember the last time I voted for a Republican whose name wasn't "Elaine Gillen." Aaaannnd, five Democrats voted for the archery program.

John Hayes just emailed me at 5:00 and asked if I was interested in doing an interview with him. Here is what I wrote back:

This is the second OOR appeal that they granted. Only 20% of OOR appeals are granted. 

I thought I would have seen you at Amy Castor's hearing. At the bottom of page 5 of the OOR's Final Determination which you posted, Mt. Lebanon referenced Amy Castor's charges. Blaise convicted Amy of two charges with fines totaling $1100. Judge Nauhaus dropped one charge and reduced her fine to one dollar.

Mt. Lebanon is taking me to court on April 11. Want to donate to my legal expenses?  https://www.gofundme.com/thefightforthertk

Can't wait to see what kind of a spin he puts on that one.

Update March 3, 2016 11:35 PM I'm noticing that the PG is deleting the personal attacks tonight.

Update March 4, 2016 1:00 AM State agency still believes Mt. Lebanon deer cull emails are public records Deleting personal attacks in the Trib - not so much. 

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Jaywalkers, Mt. Lebanon has a ticket for you

Jaywalkers, Mt. Lebanon has a ticket for you.


Highlights from yesterday's hearing

I was reminded of some of the priceless moments from yesterday's hearing. Aside from the stress factor, it was quite entertaining at times. I wish more than six of us were able to attend to watch the craziness.

Please understand that I am not a lawyer, so I may not be using the correct terminology. The judge introduced the case and mentioned that Amy was charged an $800 fine for harassment. By his reaction, whether it was rolling his eyes or saying something like wow, Judge Nauhaus made it clear that $800 was excessive. Judge Nauhaus allowed the assistant district attorney to begin. The ADA started to talk about the archery program in Mt. Lebanon. The judge interrupted her by saying in so many words, why are you telling us this? Everyone in the city of Pittsburgh could read about it in the Post Gazette every day. The judge let her continue. When she mentioned White Buffalo, the judge mocked the name.

During his testimony, the ADA questioned the PA Game Commissioner about harvesting the deer. The Hon. Judge Nauhaus cut them off at the knees while rolling his eyes and asked, "What do you mean by 'harvesting?' Do you mean killing? Then just say it. All these euphemisms are silly."

Nauhaus asked the PAGC a hypothetical question. "Let's say, I was a resident in Mt. Lebanon." Then he rolled his eyes and made a snide remark about never wanting to live here.

The room had pretty much cleared out by the time Amy's case was heard. As I mentioned before, it was standing room only. The judge suggested that those who were still standing could probably find a seat. One of Mt. Lebanon's finest, continued to stand on the side of the room with his arms folded, looking really tough with his sunglasses on his forehead. Remember, the room had been filled with city cops, as well as cops from all over. A couple of the Pittsburgh cops, who were sitting on the sidelines awaiting their turns, were laughing out loud at Judge Nauhaus’ comments about White Buffalo and Mt. Lebanon. Pittsburgh cops must think our police force is a joke.

It was comforting and frightening at the same time, knowing that we're not the crazy ones here. We are being govern by a bunch of idiots.

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Castor Hearing UPDATED



Just returned from Amy Castor's hearing. The judge had 64 cases to hear this morning. Amy's was one of the last ones since there was testimony to be heard. 

Here it is in a nutshell. The harassment case was thrown out. Mt. Lebanon had no testimony. It was all hearsay. Hunter Aaron Gander was not there. The Game Commission didn't see anything. The police didn't see anything. They had no testimony.

Trespassing - the judge said that this is a tempest in a teapot. He found Amy guilty of trespassing and fined her ONE DOLLAR. In other words it was such a small thing, but Mt. Lebanon made such a big deal about it. Greg and Emily Perri testified. The game commission testified. One of three police officers testified. The judge said that the only testimony that he could go on was from the Perri's, since the police and the game commission officer had nothing.

Sunday, February 28, 2016

I hate to be lied to

Over the past couple days, I have been having an email exchange with Dr. Tony DeNicola. the man who has a doctorate in bait. Below is a continuation of the email exchange that I had shared in my last post.

From: Anthony DeNicola <tony.denicola@whitebuffaloinc.org>
To: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
Cc: kmcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>; alauth <alauth@mtlebanon.org>
Sent: Sun, Feb 28, 2016 7:53 am
Subject: Re: Bait

Elaine,

No problem at all.  I am still assessing how well our mechanical feeders are working at timing deer arrival times with some different baits.  We are trying to get the deer to come predictably after dark, so that is very difficult.

I will give it another week or so.  We still have plenty of time before the permit expires at the end of March.



Tony

On Sunday, February 28, 2016, egillen476@aol.com <egillen476@aol.com> wrote:
Tony,



"They also like peanut butter, apples, syrup, and pretty much anything else you would feed a five year old according to other posts. Good luck with the kool-aid. I'm sticking with corn."

We were told that you started baiting over a month ago. I'm am trying not to sound snarky,  but sincerely, I would think you would have some idea as to what bait has worked and what mechanism you are using to distribute it by now. Do you have an estimate as to when you will have it sorted out? This week? Next week?

Respectfully,

Elaine Gillen



-----Original Message-----
From: Anthony DeNicola <tony.denicola@whitebuffaloinc.org>
To: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
Cc: kmcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>; alauth <alauth@mtebanon.org>; alauth <alauth@mtlebanon.org>
Sent: Sat, Feb 27, 2016 5:59 pm
Subject: Re: Bait

We are still sorting out the best method.  Once we have better data I will let you know.

Tony

On Saturday, February 27, 2016, egillen476@aol.com <egillen476@aol.com> wrote:
Yes, thank you for your response, Tony. I can understand that bait is a regional thing. From what I've learned at commission meetings, Mt. Lebanon deer are not picky eaters. So what did you end up using here? Also, what method of distributing the bait are you using?
Thanks in advance for your clarification.


I had originally made a mistake typing Aaron's email, so I have added his correct (I hope!) email address. Sorry about that, Aaron.

Elaine Gillen


-----Original Message-----
From: Anthony DeNicola <tony.denicola@whitebuffaloinc.org>
To: Keith Mcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>
Cc: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>; alauth <alauth@mtebanon.org>
Sent: Fri, Feb 26, 2016 8:01 pm
Subject: Re: Bait

Keith,

Baiting is more of an art than a science.  We use a multitude of options depending on what the local deer seem to prefer most, what is available, and relative cost.  It can be apples, deer feed, corn, alpha pellets, etc.  We place bait out at each location where we are active, primarily on private properties throughout the municipality typically several weeks in advance of getting started whether it is for capture purposes or for lethal management programs.

I hope this helps,

Tony


Anthony J. DeNicola Ph.D.  | President |  White Buffalo Inc.
M: (860) 790-0224  |  tony.denicola@whitebuffaloinc.org

IT IS ALL BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!!

I have photos of the baiting being done at the golf course and at McNeilly - which wasn't to be part of the public areas.

Access to the golf course is from Arch Street in Castle Shannon.


Piles of corn in golf course

Piles of corn in the golf course

Woods below the golf course


Access to McNeilly is right by the creek behind the golf course. Go up the driveway on McNeilly.

Piles of corn in McNeilly

Piles of corn in McNeilly

Tuffs of fur, no blood at McNeilly

Piles of corn in McNeilly
If a Lebo Citizens reader can get the GPS coordinates, it would be helpful. There was no evidence of tree stands or trail cameras.


This is Tony's high tech system of baiting. No mechanical feeders. What a bullshitter. I always told my kids that if they did something bad, that's one thing. But to lie to my face made it worse. I hate to be lied to.

Friday, February 26, 2016

Everything is a secret. UPDATED

A few minutes ago, I emailed Keith McGill for the third time, asking what kind of bait and what method is being used to distribute the bait. I heard back from Keith immediately and here is his response.

From: Keith Mcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>
To: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
Cc: alauth <alauth@mtlebanon.org>; Anthony DeNicola <tony.denicola@whitebuffaloinc.org>
Sent: Fri, Feb 26, 2016 2:35 pm
Subject: Re: Bait

Good afternoon Elaine,
Aaron did provide a response and indicated that someone from White Buffalo would be a better source to provide a response. I am copying Tony DeNicola on this response. I'm sure Tony can provide a response.
Keith



This morning, a Lebo Citizens reader shared this email exchange with me after asking if Mt. Lebanon is going to post private properties or at least give us a way to find out if shooting will be on safewalking routes (i.e., could we call and ask the police about a particular route).

On Fri, Feb 26, 2016 at 9:55 AM, Keith Mcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org> wrote:
Good morning,
The municipality will not be identifying the specific two week time frame during which the sharpshooting will be occurring. As the agency responsible for public safety the Police Department has met with the individuals who will be conducting the activity and reviewed all sites (Public and Private) and will be in daily contact during the time when all activity is taking place.

 The goal of the MLPD’s involvement in site inspections and operational oversight is to maximize public safety for our community during any deer management initiatives. As stated by Chief Lauth during a public meeting he is confident that all public safety issues have and will continue to be addressed.


Keith

To which the Lebo Citizens reader responded with:

to Keith, Kelly, Commission, Aaron
Wow. So we won't know which days to worry about, nor will we have any way to find out if guns are being shot along our kids' safewalking routes. 

I'm disappointed and honestly a little surprised given that I did think the Municipality was trying to be responsive to safety-concerns of residents, especially regarding student walkers.

This response is neither.

Update February 26, 2016 8:57 PM Another secret "revealed." Baiting deer is an art, not a science. Throw everything you can at them. They'll eat something. Here is a non-answer answer from Tony himself.

Keith,

Baiting is more of an art than a science.  We use a multitude of options depending on what the local deer seem to prefer most, what is available, and relative cost.  It can be apples, deer feed, corn, alpha pellets, etc.  We place bait out at each location where we are active, primarily on private properties throughout the municipality typically several weeks in advance of getting started whether it is for capture purposes or for lethal management programs.

I hope this helps,

Tony


Anthony J. DeNicola Ph.D.  | President |  White Buffalo Inc.
M: (860) 790-0224  |  tony.denicola@whitebuffaloinc.org

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Keep It Coming

The only fair reporting by local newspapers covering Mt. Lebanon is The Almanac. Harry Funk has never missed a commission meeting that I am aware of. His coverage of Mt. Lebanon includes photos, linked documents, as well as videos online. According to the card tucked inside a recent issue, The Almanac has been producing, printing and delivering a weekly newspaper free of charge since 1965.

To continue free home delivery, you must take action. Just do one of the following:

  1. Fill out the postage-paid reply card that was in your newspaper and mail it back to The Almanac.
  2. Log on to www.thealmanac.net/keepitcoming and fill out the short form.
When I began typing this post, a LeboALERT popped in my mail box.

This is an important notice from LeboALERT. 
March issue of Mt. Lebanon Magazine is online now: www.lebomag.com. Stories on zoning variances, Martha's Run, Opera at Markham, high school compositing.

It is not clear to me what "compositing" means. Is it a new class for writing compositions? Is it about composting? Or is it a new word meaning how to recycle compositions? I am glad to see that our tax dollars are at work.

Please support The Almanac.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

I won the second appeal. McNeilly is back in. Final - Final Archery Report UPDATED 2X

No surprise, but the Office of Open Records granted my SECOND RTK appeal today. The second appeal is identical to the first appeal, just different dates. They cited Gillen v Municipality of Mt. Lebanon in their final determination.

McNeilly Park is back in the shooting plan. Two pickup trucks were spotted at the entrance to McNeilly Park today, a white pickup truck with PA plates and a grayish pickup truck with out of state plates. There is only a sliver of land that is outside of the 1000' Federal Gun Free School Zone. Clearly, they are shooting there for the numbers, not to reduce deer/vehicular accidents by 50% in five years.

Last night, Jody Jodi Joe D. Maddock gave a final report via telephone. As reported in The Almanac, Mt. Lebanon posted his final report here on the municipal website.

High-percentage female harvest cited as success in Mt. Lebanon archery hunt

Sharpshooting for Mt. Lebanon deer cull could begin this week
I love what "Southside Slopes" wrote in his/her comment: "Sharpshooters killing wildlife. Police arresting jaywalkers. Taxes sky high. Plot for a new apocalyptic movie? Nah. Just Mt. Lebanon circa 2016."

Update February 24, 2016 6:38 PM  Office of Open Records sides with Mt. Lebanon resident

Update February 24, 2016 6:54 PM It looks like Tony DiNicola made a boo-boo on the final Final Report. Plus, no info on the bait or in which QUADRANT the deer were killed. Here is the correspondence I had with Keith McGill.

Good evening Elaine,
I spoke to Tony and he indicated that the omission of the Conservation District from the final archery report was an oversight on his part and he apologized for the error.
The final reports from 2006-2008 were provided by USDA. The municipality currently tracks deer/vehicular collisions by location. This information is useful in determining where to post deer crossing signs. I'm not sure what the statistical correlation would be between where deer have been removed and deer/vehicular collisions given the municipality's open deer population and typical range that a doe or especially a buck will travel. In my email response to you on February 4th I wrote:


Good afternoon Elaine,
The information posted to the website today for the archery program represents the final deer removal numbers for the program. There will be another a final report that includes additional information related to the program. Since we have not yet received the report I am unable to provide you the specifics as to what that other information will be.

I did not indicate that the report would include locations. The report as posted is final. I will add a note regarding the use of the Conservation District.
As to the type of bait being used or the method being used to place the bait, this is an operational issue and as such Chief Lauth or Deputy Chief Gallagher may be a better resource to provide a response.
Keith 

On Wed, Feb 24, 2016 at 4:45 PM, egillen476@aol.com <egillen476@aol.com> wrote:


Hi Keith,

Thank you for posting Jody Maddock's final Final Report on the municipal website. http://mtlebanon.org/DocumentCenter/View/13897


There are a few issues that I would like to bring to your attention. I do not see the Conservation District listed for the archery program. At Election Day, I spoke with Temp Smith (Steve M., you may have been standing there at the time) where as of Election Day, they killed sixteen deer from the Conservation District behind his house. Temp lives onWhite Oak Circle. He said that the archer was courteous and even asked him if he wanted any meat. Temp's only complaint was that at one point the coyotes had gotten to the deer before the archer had a chance to get it. You will have to check with him directly on that. My point here is that the Conservation District was not mentioned at the meeting or in the final Final Report.


Second, in the first two years of deer killing (2006-2008) the summaries included where the deer were killed. The first year was rather specific. The second year, the deer killings were plotted by quadrants. In order to track the deer/car collisions, it is necessary to know the number of deer killed from which areas. Keith, you had stated that the information would be in the final Final Report. The records from the previous years are still available on the municipal website. Would you please get that information from White Buffalo and have them or the municipality plot which areas the 104 deer were killed being consistent with past years?


Finally, what kind of bait is being used for the "sharpshooting?" What is the method used for spreading the bait?


Thanks in advance, Keith.


Elaine Gillen


Monday, February 22, 2016

Jaywalking Ordinance Passed Unanimously UPDATED

The TV cameras were at the commission meeting tonight. Three people spoke against the jaywalking ordinance. It didn't matter. The commissioners' minds were made up. Fines up to $300 for anyone caught jaywalking. I guess we now have a walking tax.


Nabbed a crosswalk DRIVER violator on video - Sunday, February 21, 2016

Speaking of walking, Jody Jodi Joe D. spoke via telephone to the commissioners tonight concerning the "successful"archery program. Approximately 2% of the wounded deer got away. Kelly asked where they went and Jody said they just got away. Jody was proud of the fact that the number that got away was only 2%. Usually, it is around 5%. For future archery programs, Jody would like to see hunting over bait. There are some counties that permit that. He wants archers who aren't police officers to kill deer in our parks. Twin Hills should have been allowed. Mt. Lebanon is a private property owner of Twin Hills. They could have gotten lots of deer there. Jody wants White Buffalo killers (archery and guns) to be able to ask people for ID, who are walking through the public property during killing. If they don't have id, then the cops are called. They could be poachers or people interfering with a hunt.

Update February 23, 2016 1:25 PM Mt. Lebanon Commissioners Approve Jaywalking Ordinance

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Proposed Amendment to the Pedestrian Ordinance UPDATED!!!

On Monday, February 22, 2016, Chief Lauth will be providing an overview and clarification of the proposed amendment to the pedestrian ordinance.

I sent an email to the municipality and school district noting the discrepancy concerning the number of pedestrians hit in November 2014. I surmised that the kids will be blamed for getting their numbers wrong. I included a link to an article in The Devils Advocate.

Aaron Lauth responded with:

Ms. Gillen,

Without actually researching the incidents, it would appear that the statistics provided to the Devil's Advocate were for the 12 month period prior to the article being written, rather than since January 1, 2014. Whether the actual number was 14, 11 or 1, it is the opinion of the Mt. Lebanon Police Department that any incidents involving pedestrians being struck by vehicles is too many. When a vehicle weighing 4,000 to 5,000 lbs strikes a person, it rarely turns out good.

To clarify, pedestrian violations are just a small part of the planned comprehensive pedestrian/bicycle/vehicle safety campaign that we will be introducing over the next few months. Our campaign will be heavily focused on educational messages and enforcement efforts directed toward drivers since we know that they play a significant role in keeping our street safe. As part of the educational initiative, we intend to warn, and possibly cite violators when infractions occur that contribute to unsafe conditions, especially for pedestrians and bicyclists. Since more than half of our pedestrian vs. vehicle crashes are typically the fault of the pedestrian, I believe that we have a responsibility to address these violations as well.

A historical analysis of pedestrian vs. vehicle crashes also tells us that most of these incidents are occurring in our urban/business districts. Therefore, the focus of our educational and enforcement efforts, specifically toward improving pedestrian safety, will be the business districts in our community.

The overall goal of our upcoming campaign will be to encourage everyone to contribute to the overall improved safety of our streets. I am hopeful that you and the readers of your blog will be supportive in assisting us to get this message of improved safety out to the community when our campaign is introduced.


Thanks,

Aaron V. Lauth
Chief of Police
Mt Lebanon Police Department
555 Washington Road
Pittsburgh, PA  15228
(412)343-4015
Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.  Be kind.  Always.

Chief Lauth also shared the media release about the February 13, 2016 pedestrian who was hit in a crosswalk on Washington Road

Statement for Vehicle into Pedestrian Reportable Crash, Ref. # 20160265

On Saturday, 13 February 2016 at 1643 hours, a MLPD officer observed an adult female laying on the ground in the left northbound lane on Washington Road at Academy Avenue. His investigation revealed that at approximately 1642 hours this date, a 25-year-old white female was struck by a vehicle while she was in the crosswalk on Washington Road at Academy Avenue. 

The pedestrian reported that she was in the crosswalk on Washington Road at the intersection with Academy Avenue, traveling from the east (odd side) to west (even side) and had the steady walk signal. The driver, who is a 27-year-old white female, was driving a 2012 black Mazda 3, 4 door sedan at the time of the crash. The driver reported that she was on Academy Avenue with a green traffic signal and then made a left turn onto Washington Road going northbound. The driver then struck the pedestrian in the left northbound lane of Washington Road. The driver stated that while she was making the turn, the “A Post” of her vehicle temporarily blocked her view of the crosswalk and she struck the pedestrian. 

The pedestrian sustained only minor injuries, e.g. complained of pain in her right hip, at the scene. She was subsequently taken to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital by MRTSA paramedics for evaluation. The driver was cited, via summons, with PAVC 3113 (a)(1) - Pedestrian Control Signals, for failing to give the right away to a pedestrian when signals are present. 

Aaron Lauth
Chief of Police 
Mt. Lebanon Police Department 

Update February 22, 2016 9:30 AM John Bendel did not realize that this amended ordinance applies to the entire municipality. Technically, I can get cited for jaywalking when I visit my neighbor across the street and not walk two thirds up the street to the cross walk and then walk back down.

As a follow up to our conversation, I contacted our solicitor and police chief regarding the pedestrian ordinance.
>
> As we discussed, there was some confusion on whether the new provisions in the proposed pedestrian ordinance apply to the business districts only (Beverly and Washington rd.) or to the entire municipality. Our solicitor confirmed that the new provisions as written in the ordinance apply to all signalized intersections in the municipality. I wasn't clear on this point.
>
> Below is an excerpt from the police chief's response to my question on this issue.
>
> "Please also consider that this ordinance is just a small part of the planned comprehensive pedestrian/bicycle/vehicle safety campaign that we will be introducing over the next few months. Since the historical statistics for pedestrian vs. vehicle crashes tell us that most of these incidents are occurring in our urban/business districts, the focus of our educational efforts, specifically toward improving pedestrian safety, will be the business districts in our community. In other words, while the ordinance may address all intersections as is required by the statute, our efforts related to pedestrian safety will be focused in areas where we historically see these types of issues.
>
> Just a reminder that this ordinance is not geared toward preventing jaywalking. Existing laws already allow us to enforce jaywalking in urban districts.
>
> Lastly, our larger campaign will also include educational messages and enforcement efforts directed toward drivers since we know that they play a significant role in keeping our street safe. We will encourage everyone to contribute to the overall improved safety of our streets."
>
> I am sorry for any confusion on this matter.
>
> John

Hearing Updates

Castor Appeal

Amy Castor is the Massachusetts resident who decided to walk on the path at the end of Thornwood in early October and ended up getting slapped with an $1100 fine from Blaise Laratonda for not deleting photos of police officers, dead deer, and Aaron Gander's truck.

Amy Castor’s appeal will be heard on Tuesday, March 1, at 8:15 AM, in courtroom number 21, on the eighth floor of the City County Building on Grant Street. Senior Judge Lester Nauhaus will preside over the hearing. Amy will be represented by ACLU appointed lawyer, Jon Pushinsky.

I am sure that Amy would appreciate it if Lebo Citizens readers attended the hearing. Thanks for your support.

"Gillen Litigation" as listed on several Executive Session Agendas

Tuesday's Executive Session is listed as "Legal Advice." http://www.mtlebanon.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2572

Here is the update on my case. I had appealed a second Right To Know, similar to the first which is being fought in Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, but the date is from July 31, 2015 - November 25, 2015. The Office of Open Records expects to issue a final determination in my second case next week. Attorneys from both sides agree that this does not leave enough time for them to consolidate the two matters in time for the hearing/argument now scheduled with Judge O'Brien for next Friday, 2/26/16. Therefore, the attorneys have requested that it be rescheduled for the next available date. This could mean a month from now. I will keep everyone posted here.

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Warning: Crosswalks May Be Dangerous To Your Health UPDATED 2X

Thanks to a tenacious Mt. Lebanon resident, here is the official Crash Breakdown 2013-2015  report from our police chief.

The report includes bicycle crashes, deer/car collisions, hit and runs, and pedestrians hit within and out of crosswalks. The number in parentheses is pedestrians hit within crosswalks. It appears that jaywalking is much safer in Mt. Lebanon.


From: Aaron Lauth <alauth@mtlebanon.org>
Date: Mon, Feb 15, 2016 at 12:44 PM
Subject: Re: Collision Rates in Mt. Lebanon
To: Mt. Lebanon Resident
Cc: Keith Mcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>

Mt. Lebanon Resident,

Please see the attached document for the statistical information that you requested.  Please note that we do not separately account for "single vehicle collisions", however the most appropriate statistical category related to these types of collisions would be hit & run crashes as shown on the spreadsheet. 

Please let me know if you have any questions related to this information.

Thanks,

Aaron V. Lauth
Chief of Police
Mt Lebanon Police Department
555 Washington Road
Pittsburgh, PA  15228



On Wed, Feb 10, 2016 at 2:41 PM, A Mt. Lebanon Resident wrote:

Municipal Manager McGill,
To make certain that my request is clear:
Mt. Lebanon asserts that we have seen a sharp rise in the number of deer/vehicle collisions over the past three years.  I am asking for the most recent three-year data (2013; 2014; and 2015) reflecting the occurrences of:
     deer/vehicle collisions
     pedestrian/vehicle collisions
     pedestrian in crosswalk/vehicle collisions
     bicycle/vehicle collisions
     vehicle/vehicle collisions
     single vehicle collisions
     and any other motor vehicle collisions for which records are kept.
I am confident that such statistics are kept as a matter of course and look forward to your response.
Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Update February 19, 2016 7:35 PM From Chief Lauth:

Your interpretation of the Pedestrian / Vehicle crash numbers is correct. These numbers should be interpreted as follows:

2013: 12 total, 5 of which were in crosswalks
2014: 11 total, 7 of which were in crosswalks
2015: 10 total, 7 of which were in crosswalks

**********

2013 42% of the pedestrians hit by cars were hit in a crosswalk
2014 64% of the pedestrians hit by cars were hit in a crosswalk
2015 70% of the pedestrians hit by cars were hit in a crosswalk

Update February 20, 2016 5:35 AM Another pedestrian was hit in a cross walk on February 13, 2016 at 4:43 PM. Mt. Lebanon Police Weekly Press Report Thursday, February 11, 2016 through Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

"Euthanized deer will not reproduce."

Those haunting words came from the PA Game Commission in their February 5, 2016 letter to Mt. Lebanon.

PA Game Commission Response re: Deer Sterilization Research Project

In a conversation that the PA Game Commission had with our state representative, the PAGC said, if you're going to capture the deer to sterilize them, you might as well kill them. They also told our state rep that it is a waste of money. Dan, not so gently, reminded them that it wasn't their money!

The Botsiber Foundation sent a letter to the Municipality on January 28, 2016 saying, "It's been fun, but we're done."


Close to three weeks later, MTL decided to post the letter and the PA Game Commission response on the website.

As usual, the PG's John Hayes leaked this out yesterday, before it showed up on the MTL website today.  Foundation pulls out of deer sterilization plan in Mt. Lebanon 

Finally, I received a response from someone at the municipal building about LeboALERTs. We don't want to share too much information with MT. Lebanon residents, now do we? I love how I heard nothing from the commissioners, but I did see that Kelly wished Nick a good day. How sweet. 

*****

From: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
To: kfraasch <kfraasch@mtlebanon.org>; nschalles <nschalles@mtlebanon.org>
Cc: commission <commission@mtlebanon.org>; kmcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>
Sent: Wed, Feb 17, 2016 11:25 am
Subject: Re: LeboALERT: Deer culling utilizi...

Yes, Nick. Thank you for responding to my email.

Elaine

-----Original Message-----
From: Kelly Fraasch <kfraasch@mtlebanon.org>
To: Nicholas Schalles <nschalles@mtlebanon.org>
Cc: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>; commission <commission@mtlebanon.org>; Keith Mcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>
Sent: Wed, Feb 17, 2016 11:09 AM
Subject: Re: LeboALERT: Deer culling utilizi...

Thanks Nick for answering the question.

Have a good day!

Sent from Kelly's iPhone, please excuse typos or auto-corrections.  

On Feb 17, 2016, at 10:20 AM, Nicholas Schalles <nschalles@mtlebanon.org> wrote:
yes, we try to limit the character count to 160 characters. This is to allow 1 text message instead of several. Unfortunately some carriers split the texts anyways which is out of our control.

Nick

On Wed, Feb 17, 2016 at 9:54 AM, egillen476@aol.com <egillen476@aol.com> wrote:

Hi Nick,

This is my second request, so I figured I should just email you directly, since the commissioners tend to ignore most of my emails.

Is there a limit to the number of characters (such as Twitter) when sending out LeboALERTS?

Thanks in advance.

Elaine Gillen

-----Original Message-----
From: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
To: commission <commission@mtlebanon.org>
Sent: Tue, Feb 16, 2016 4:55 pm
Subject: Fwd: LeboALERT: Deer culling utilizi...

Commissioners,

Are LeboALERTS limited to so many characters, such as Twitter?

Elaine Gillen

-----Original Message-----
From: LeboALERT <noreply@mtlebanon.org>
To: EGillen476 <EGillen476@aol.com>
Sent: Tue, Feb 16, 2016 4:05 pm
Subject: LeboALERT: Deer culling utilizi...

This is an important notice from LeboALERT.

Deer culling utilizing sharpshooting will be conducted in February and March. Please visit http://www.mtlebanon.org/index.aspx?nid=2114 for more info.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nicholas Schalles
Manager of Information Technology
Mt. Lebanon Municipality
710 Washington Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15228
(412) 440-2049 - Office
(412) 343-3456 - Helpdesk