Bernardo Katz Moves To Brazil

Do you rent from Bernardo Katz? Have you been wondering why your phone calls haven't been returned? Here's your answer -- he has moved to Brazil! I know a few Blog-Lebo readers currently rent from him or have rented from him in the past, so now you know why you haven't heard back from him!

Link: www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2008/03/31/story4.html

Link 2: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_560152.html (Updated 4/2/08)

"Every 15 Minutes" Teaser

A teaser for the film "Every 15 Minutes" put together by students from Mt. Lebanon High School has been released on YouTube. If the teaser is any indication of the final product, it's going to be a very good film.

Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEqlsKDkZMg

Obama Comes to Mt. Lebanon?

A friend (who will remain unnamed) asked me yesterday whether I know of office space in Mt. Lebanon that might be available as an in-kind donation to the Obama for America campaign. Apparently, Mt. Lebanon is Obama territory, or at least the campaign thinks that it could be.

I don't have any suggestions regarding office space. Do you?

Updated Wed. April 2: My informal understanding is that the Obama campaign will be opening an office shortly in the vacant storefront that is next door to the Municipal Building.

School Board President Says Trim Staff To Cut Budget Significantly

The first half of the Mt. Lebanon school board's Monday budget meeting focused on what school directors termed "nickel and dime" cuts to reduce the 1.53-mill tax hike in the proposed preliminary budget.

The proposed cuts, suggested by department heads and administrators, included such measures as reducing purchases of sheet music and textbooks, photocopying elementary math work sheets rather than giving each child a color copy and forgoing preventative maintenance on microscopes.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/08087/868183-55.stm

The Belle of Baristas

Here's a Good Morning eye-opener. Can you say java? Can you say Joe? How 'bout "she sells seashells by the seashore?" OK, we're talking a good morning here, and the South Hills' own nationally noted barista, one Belle Battista, above, will help us out.

On Feb. 15-17, Belle Battista the barista -- we're not making this up -- won the 2008 Mid-Atlantic Regional Barista Championships held in Washington, D.C. To do so, the 26-year-old Mt. Lebanon woman she beat 27 competitors in a 15-minute performance during which she was judged on the technical, quality and sensory aspects of preparing and serving espresso beverages.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/08087/868395-55.stm

Controversy Over Mailings Keeps Board Battle Alive

Fighting continues over the Mt. Lebanon school board election four months ago.

Five residents -- including a former PTA leader who chaired one board member's campaign committee -- this month asked a Common Pleas judge to order an audit of the Save Mt. Lebanon School Committee. The political action committee chaired by William Schmeltzer sent out two mass mailings and put up signs at polling places in November seeking the ouster of three school board incumbents.

Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/today/s_559147.html

Anonymous Postings Are STILL Not Allowed

We received a comment from someone this morning stating "I'm glad to see you're allowing anonymous postings again". I'm not quite sure why someone thinks that, but Mike and I have definitely NOT started allowing this again.

Unfortunately, I had to decline this new comment because it was posted as "anonymous". As you can see, we've had some great discussion in the "Does Lebo Spend Too Much on Schools?" posting, but none of those comments have been anonymous -- so I'm not quite sure what this morning's commenter was referring to.

Thanks again to everyone that visits our site on a daily/weekly basis. We appreciate you reading our blog, but please make sure to put your name on all comments submitted.

The One and Only Wayno

Wayno appears, at first, as self-portrait. The Pittsburgh artist and illustrator’s sharpened features seem born of the same era as the iconic characters he draws: His “mild-mannered reporter’s” slicked-back hair, and diabolical Jack Nicholson eyebrows. It raises questions of nature and nurture, chickens and eggs – is it possible that Wayno (one name only, please) was predestined at birth to draw and paint these characters? That, rather than a twisting double-helix, his DNA is a 2-D animation cell?

But, despite an apparent single-mindedness, at 51, Mt. Lebanon resident Wayno has managed to live more than his allotted hep-cat’s nine artistic lives. From homemade zines and “mini-comics” in the early 1980s, the Pittsburgh artist found success both in underground comic books and as an illustrator whose client list ranges from pop-music reissue giants Rhino Records to the illustrator’s deb ball – the New Yorker.

Link: www.popcitymedia.com/features/wayno0312.aspx

Link 2: www.wayno.com

Views Mixed On Tax Matters

When Elaine Labalme and her husband decided to move out of San Francisco and find a better area to raise their son, Mt. Lebanon's apparent excellence enticed them to move across the country and settle down.

They even made a scouting trip before making their decision to tour the schools and get a feel for the community.

"Mt. Lebanon offered so much; the quality of the staff, they were so engaged, their eyes were bright, they were interested and happy with their job, and they were so committed to these kids. We're not wealthy people...I would not hesitate to pay more money to get my son the education he deserves," said Labalme.

Link: www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/03-26-ML-school-budget

Link 2: www.mtlsd.org/district/budget.asp

Does Lebo Spend Too Much on Schools?

The most recent "Policy Brief" from the conservative free marketeers at the Allegheny Institute suggests just that. In the interest of promoting a healthy community discussion, I've reproduced the entire thing below.

Policy Brief

An electronic publication of
The Allegheny Institute for Public Policy

March 25, 2008
Volume 8, Number 20

Crucial Decision Time Comes To Mt. Lebanon

After holding fairly steady for decades, Census estimates of Mt. Lebanon’s population point to a significant drop since 2000. The 2006 estimate of 30,836 represents a decline of 6.6 percent from the 33,017 figure recorded in 2000. This rate of decrease, if sustained, will lead to very serious consequences for the people, government and school system in this highly regarded Pennsylvania community.

Meanwhile, the school district’s earned income tax receipts (with a constant 0.5 percent tax rate) climbed only 12.9 percent over the seven years 2000 to 2007, a meager 1.7 percent yearly rate and about half the inflation rate over the period—meaning real income has declined. Earned income tax receipts measure the income households generated through salaries and wages earned by employed residents and net income of business owners living in Mt. Lebanon. It does not measure pension and Social Security income. Still, growth in earned income is an excellent indicator of general economic vitality. Thus, the anemic pace of earned income tax collection points to softness in the underpinnings of Mt. Lebanon’s economic well being.

Unfortunately, the municipal government and the school district have not taken into account the declining population and weak earned income growth in their budgeting decisions. This is clearly demonstrated by the fact that non-capital expenditures for the municipality have risen by over 6 percent per year since 2000 while non-capital spending at the schools have climbed by almost 5 percent annually—in both instances several times faster than earned income growth. To support the rapid spending increases, property tax revenues for both the municipality and school district have risen in excess of 6 percent annually since 2000.

For the most part, the jump in real estate tax revenue reflects millage increases necessitated by the slow pace of earned income tax revenues and no growth in Mt. Lebanon’s total assessed property value. Indeed, since 2003 and following the last County reassessment and freeze in assessments, the school district has raised its millage rate by 30 percent or at an average yearly rate of 6.8 percent. Trailing the school district only slightly, the municipality has raised its millage rate 20 percent since 2003. Combined the municipal and school millages now stand at 28.35 mills, up 28 percent from 2003. With the county’s 4.69 mills included, total millage in Mt. Lebanon has reached 33.04 mills or 3.3 percent of assessed value, which in Allegheny County is 100 percent of the County’s estimate of base year (2002) market value.

In that regard, the assessed value of real estate in Mt. Lebanon has failed to increase over the last four years. In fact, the assessed value fell by 4.7 percent from 2006 to 2007, undoubtedly due to appeals.

Evidently, the school board that prepared the 2007-2008 budget completely missed the statistics presented in the previous paragraphs. They project tax revenue receipts will rise a further 17 percent over the next three budget years. With assessed value of real estate not rising and maybe even dropping further, a 17 percent increase in revenues implies hefty millage rate hikes. And this is to occur even though enrollment is projected to slip nearly three percent (148 students) over the next three years and there is a planned matching three percent reduction (14 teachers) in the instructional staff.

According to historical data in its 2007 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the district had 5,659 students in 1998 along with 372 teachers and a pupil to teacher ratio of 15.2. From 1998 to 2005, the teaching staff rose to 431, a 16 percent increase or 59 additional instructors. By 2005 the student enrollment had dipped to 5,505, which, combined with the jump in teaching staff, had lowered the pupil to teacher ratio to 12.8. Assuming that a large part of teacher’s workload (grading tests and papers, evaluating assignments, individualized attention, maintaining discipline, etc.) is proportional to the number of students, the decline in pupil to teacher ratio means the teacher’s classroom workload was reduced by close to 16 percent.

From 2005 to 2007, the student count continued to fall, dropping to 5,436, and the number of instructors was lowered to 424, leaving the pupil to teacher ratio at 12.8. Unfortunately, as measured by one of the key indicators of academic success, Mt. Lebanon—a perennial state leader in test scores—has seen no net improvement in SAT results from 1998 to 2007. In 1998, the district posted an average combined math and reading SAT score of 1152. In 2007, the combined average SAT score was 1141.

In effect, the large rise in current and future personnel expenditures necessitated by the increased teacher count have produced no meaningful improvement in the basic test of academic achievement. Granted, the district was near the top of the state’s public schools in 1998 and is still there. Boosting scores from the already high level is very difficult. But that begs the question: If a 15.2 pupil to teacher ratio was able to accomplish the excellent results of 1998, why was it necessary to engage in a substantial spending increase to get so little in return? Did the kids suddenly become harder to teach? Were teachers suddenly unable to perform as well in the past?

The problem is that now with the pupil to teacher ratio having been lowered it will be forcefully argued the district can never go back to the 1998 student-teacher ratio for fear academic results will plummet. This is a classic spending trap and typical of the decisions that ratchet government spending ever higher.

It is instructive to compare the tax burden of other school districts in the region to those in Mt. Lebanon. This can be done by using the ratio of actual real estate taxes collected by the school district to the market value of property as calculated by the State Tax Equalization Board. The school property tax burden in Mt. Lebanon is 2.58 percent of market value. For Mars Area schools in Butler County the ratio is 1.37 percent, for Seneca Valley in Butler the ratio is 1.47 and for Peters’ schools in Washington County the ratio is 1.7 percent. Bear in mind that Peters students scored at almost the same level of advanced and proficient as Mt. Lebanon on the state’s PSSA tests.

In short, Mt. Lebanon property owners are paying 50 percent more school taxes per dollar of market value than Peters property owners and 88 percent more than Mars Area district property tax payers.

The bottom line to this discussion is that Mt. Lebanon and Mt. Lebanon schools have become unnecessarily and excessively burdensome for the community’s taxpayers. Unless or until the tax burdens are reduced, the outflow of people, the decline in real wage income and slide in school enrollment will almost certainly continue. As that happens, the high tax burden has to be paid by fewer residents and becomes more onerous for those who remain. It is a scenario that just gets worse over the long run.

Absent a major upturn in the economic fortunes of the region and Allegheny County in the near future, which would seem to be a remote possibility at this point, it is absolutely essential that Mt. Lebanon and the school district immediately begin to rein in costs, cut spending and lower tax rates. Time is not a friend of municipal government or school district budget makers.

Jake Haulk, Ph.D., President

Note: Register now for the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference which is being held on April 25th and 26th at the Four Points Sheraton in Harrisburg. This year's keynote speaker is Michelle Malkin with the Honorable Michael Steele kicking off the conference. The conference will include interactive panel presentations on critical policy issues and exhibits by over 30 conservative organizations. Early bird registration rates end on March 31st. For more information and to register, please visit the website at paleadershipconference.org.

Please visit our blog at alleghenyinstitute.org/blog.

If you have enjoyed reading this Policy Brief and would like to send it to a friend, please feel free to forward it to them.

For more information on this and other topics, please visit our website: alleghenyinstitute.org

If you wish to support our efforts please consider becoming a donor to the Allegheny Institute. The Allegheny Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and all contributions are tax deductible. Please mail your contribution to:

The Allegheny Institute
305 Mt. Lebanon Boulevard
Suite 208
Pittsburgh, PA 15234

Thank you for your support.

Deals May Save District As Much As $1 Million

Mt. Lebanon School Board approved agreements which could net the district up to $1 million in revenues.

The agreements still have to be approved by the other taxing bodies and signed by Asbury Heights and the Covenant at South Hills, said school district attorney Tom Peterson.

The agreement with Asbury, United Methodist Services for the Aging, is a payment in lieu of taxes of $375,000 a year. Asbury is a non-profit and technically does not owe property taxes, but the organization agreed to reimburse Mt. Lebanon for some of its services. Asbury is one if not the largest non-profit operating in the municipality.

Link: www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/03-19-ML-school-meeting

Link 2: www.post-gazette.com/pg/08087/868182-55.stm (added Thursday, March 27)

USDA Misses Dead Deer In Mt. Lebanon

When Micah Wolf walked out his front door to head to work March 7, he was saddened to see a dead dear lying in his Lindendale Drive yard. His assumption that the deer had been struck by a passing vehicle changed quickly, when he walked to his car.

"There was a good size pool of blood about half a foot from the house," reported Wolf.

Upon closer examination, it was evident that the deer had been shot in the neck. He called for animal control to remove the deer from the property owned by his parents.

Link: www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/03-19-ML-deer-issue-B

Lebo Shooters Gun Down State Title

After his team captured a WPIAL title last year, George Dietz couldn't wait for the 2008 season for his rifle team at Mt. Lebanon High School. "All along, this had been my dream team," said Dietz, who has served as the shooter's head coach for 10 seasons.

"Because we'd be only losing one shooter, turned out to be two, from that WPIAL championship, I knew this team could do good things. How good?" he asked. "Well, that was the question."

Recently the query was answered. The Blue Devils, this year's district runners-up, defeated rivals Avella and Butler and captured the Pennsylvania title in scholastic rifle.

Link: www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/03-12-Lebo-rifle

Lebo Ladies Lose Bid For State Title

Though Mt. Lebanon failed to make history, losing its bid for the school's first-ever state championship in girls basketball; the Blue Devils found consolation in a 28-4 season that ended in a 56-49 defeat to Central Dauphin (28-7) in the PIAA Class AAAA title game.

"We talked about making history," said Lebo coach Dori Oldaker. "But this team gave us a lot of memories; great memories.

"We thank these kids for taking us on this ride. I can't explain how proud I am of these girls and the journey they have made."

Link: www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/03-19-lebo-girls-w-PIXS

Lebo Residents Seek Audit Of Local PAC

The race for seats on the Mt. Lebanon school board was settled on Nov. 6 when four new school directors were elected, one incumbent was re-elected and two incumbents were tossed from their seats.

But it appears reverberations from that campaign are being felt in the community.

Two weeks ago, five Mt. Lebanon residents filed a petition in Common Pleas Court seeking a court-ordered audit of a political action committee that was responsible for mailing controversial postcards just before Election Day, urging the ousting of incumbents running in the race.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/08080/866438-55.stm

Outreach Teen's Calypso Carnival

The Mt. Lebanon-based counseling service, Outreach Teen and Family Services Inc., will be host to its annual gala fund-raiser, Calypso Carnival, from 7 to 11:30 p.m. April 5 at the Pittsburgh Golf Club, 5280 Northumberland St. Black tie optional. Entertainment will be provided by disc jockey Kelli Burns. Cost is $125 per ticket ($50 tax deductible). Proceeds will benefit the agency, whose mission is to helps empower teens and support families by providing affordable and accessible counseling services to teens. For more information, call 412-561-5405.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/08080/866337-55.stm

DUI Watch This Weekend

From the Tribune-Review:

The Mt. Lebanon Area DUI Task Force will conduct roving patrols today through Sunday, looking for motorists who are intoxicated or under the influence of narcotics.

The task force includes police from Baldwin Township, Bridgeville, Castle Shannon, South Fayette, Green Tree, Mt. Lebanon and Scott.

The Future of the Mt. Lebanon Library

Here's something to spice up your Mt. Lebanon weekend. I'm reproducing an email that I received this afternoon regarding the Mt. Lebanon library. The email is self-explanatory. I do not know enough about the underlying question to have an opinion on the specific question that it raises, but that is precisely the point: Those who do have more information can debate the point here. The Library is a special resource for Mt. Lebanon residents. Like other key resources, it should be front and center in public conversations about the future of Mt. Lebanon.

As to the value of libraries generally in the 21st century, there should be no doubt: Despite the amazing resources of the Internet, libraries and librarians are more important to communities and culture than they ever have been. Cutting budgets, cutting staff, cutting operations, cutting programs -- all of these are short-sighted responses to the myth that information is already "out there" for anyone to find online, and they dis-serve citizens of every generation. (Read more at this post.)

Below is an email sent by Anne Kemerer. As a former Trustee of the Library I completely agree with Anne's statements and concerns. Mr. Humphreys is not a friend of our public library, and his appointment to the Board of Trustees would be yet another step in the municipality's attempt to control this public treasure. Please call the commissioners who voted in favor of this appointment and tell them that you strongly disagree with this action. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Anne or me. My home # is 412-341-4463 and my office # is 412-922-9090. This is urgent. If you love your library please make the call.

Joe Wertheim
former President
Mt. Lebanon Public Library Board of Trustees

Dear library friends:
I learned this morning that David Humphreys has been appointed to one of the open positions on the Library Board. This is a very, very bad thing for the Mt. Lebanon Public LIbrary, as Mr. Humphreys had indicated time and again that he believe that the library is mismanaged, that money is being spent frivolously, the the library offers too many programs, etc. Mr. Humphreys has consistently treated Cynthia Richey and the Library Board of Trustees with disdain and disrespect during budget meetings, and was the main proponent in appointing Marcia Taylor to the Board two years ago to help "rein in costs".

Some of the facts are:
- Since 2000, circulation has risen by an average of 4.8% per year while our municipal budget allocation has only risen by 2.4% per year.
- The library has not spent more than it was budgeted in at least the last 8 years.

This position was clearly given to Mr. Humphreys as a political favor - the democrats on the commission voted against him and the republicans voted for - since he is hugely inappropriate as a candidate.

HE IS NOT A FRIEND TO OUR LIBRARY!!! He wants to cut costs, cut services, cut staff, and cut "amenities", like computers and programs.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!

This appointment was made last night, but does not become official until the installation in three weeks. CALL OR EMAIL YOUR COMMISSIONER (or all the commissioners who voted for Mr. Humphreys) NOW with your objection to this appointment!!!

Here are the contacts (from the municipal web site) of the ones who voted for Mr. Humphreys:

Ward 1: Raja: draja@mtlebanon.org 412-341-7252
Ward 3: Joe DeIuliis: jdeiuliis@mtlebanon.org 412-670-2584
Ward 4: Dale Colby: dcolby@mtlebanon.org 412-341-9473

This is an important appointment. In combination with Marcia Taylor, who is already sitting on the board as a watchdog, David Humphreys will work to cut, cut, cut, making our library no more than a book distribution center, not the thriving intellectual hub that it is now.

Thank you for any help you can provide!

Sincerely,
Anne Kemerer

Video Rental Store To Close On Route 19

It almost sounds like a sad, alternative ending to one of the feel-good movies that line the shelves of the store. Maybe a 'Hoosiers' where the little guys don't win at the end.

Mike Freeman, who has owned and operated the independent video rental store Entertainment Tonight off Route 19 in Mt. Lebanon for 23 years, is closing shop at the end of the month.

Mr. Freeman, 47, said he fought first the big national chains like Blockbuster and more recently technology for as long as he could, but he's seen the handwriting on the wall for some time now.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/08073/864654-55.stm

Mt. Lebanon Counting On Babe

She inherited the nickname "Big Babe" last season when her little sister, Jessica, joined the team.

But Mt. Lebanon senior guard Jackie Babe has been doing big things for the Blue Devils since her sophomore season when she was the sixth man on the WPIAL runner-up team.

Now, Mt. Lebanon (28-3) will need Babe to live up to her name at 6 tonight in the PIAA Class AAAA championship game against Central Dauphin (27-7) at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center if the Blue Devils want to bring home their first state title.

Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/highschool/s_557184.html

County DA Claims Campaign Form Filings 'Administrative' Issue

A spokesman from Allegheny County District Attorney's office said Mt. Lebanon School Board President Mark Hart was included in a list of elected officials identified by the Allegheny County Elections Board as having incomplete files regarding their 2005 campaigns.

"Yes, we got the letter, but often these are administrative issues and we generally don't prosecute them," said Mike Manko from District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr.'s office. "We haven't had time to look at the letter or investigate it."

Link: www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/03-12-ML-hart-article-B

School Board OKs Stop-Gap Roof Fix

Mt. Lebanon School Board is considering repairs to the roof of the high school's "B building." This area of the school is the first section of the school if driving up Cochran Road and was constructed in the late 1920s.

This particular section of roof was included in the 2006-2007 capital projects list as needing replaced at a cost of $160,000. Due to the uncertainty surrounding the future of the high school, however, the project was not approved.

Link: www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/03-12-ML-new-roof-B

Society Close To Having An Area History Center

Mt. Lebanon is close to having a new headquarters for its historical society. The group has successfully negotiated a sublease in a building owned by the Mt. Lebanon Parking Authority (MLPA). All that's left, is for the MLPA to sign off on the agreement and the historical society can move in, said president Margaret Jackson.

The historical society has agreed to sublease several rooms at 794 Washington Road. Space in the building is also leased by South Hills Area Council of Governments (SHACOG).

Jackson said the historical society was also able to attain a $5,000 state grant with the help of Rep. Matt Smith (D-Mt. Lebanon).

Link: www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/03-12-ML-historical-society-B

Development Around T Stations Will Spur Economy, Officials Say

Underground parking. More than 10,000 square feet of pedestrian-friendly retail space. A 100-suite hotel. Planners say these are the building blocks of development around Port Authority's T station in Mt. Lebanon.

"It's a way to use public transit ... to catalyze private development," said state Rep. Matt Smith, D-Mt. Lebanon. Erik Wittmann isn't so certain. The Mt. Lebanon man worries developers are focusing on big-box development instead of boutique shops, which he thinks better fit the community's suburban character.

"Mt. Lebanon has to stop trying to compete with downtown Pittsburgh," said Wittmann, 62, a disaster consultant who chairs Shady Drive East Taxpayers Association.

Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/southwest/s_556877.html

Link 2: www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/03-12-ML-TRID-plan-B

Local Schools, Business Team Up On Environmentally Friendly Venture

Note: The author of this article incorrectly states that Keystone Oaks High School is in Castle Shannon. It is actually located in Mt. Lebanon.

It's not a dog that's eating the homework at Keystone Oaks. It's a big new green-and-yellow paper gobbler.

Students and others are stuffing the recycling bin outside the high school in Castle Shannon with all the discarded classroom paper they can get -- along with old newspapers, magazines, catalogs and miscellaneous waste paper gathered in the community.

"We're helping the environment, making people more aware of a recycling program and making money off it, too," said senior Lisa Roth, 17, of Green Tree, a member of the school's Environmental Club. "It's really a win-win for us."

Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/southwest/s_556878.html

Lebo Lions Club Donates 7K

The Mt. Lebanon Lions Club has donated $7,000 to various charitable organizations as result of last year's summer and fall fund-raisers. Proceeds benefitted organizations such as the Blind & Rehabilitation Services of Pittsburgh, Lions Club International, Leader Dogs, Radio Information Services, Beacon Lodge, and Mt. Lebanon and Scott Township public libraries. The fund-raising events included a farmers market, white cane event, and the sale of trash bags throughout the year. For more information or to join the club, contact Bill Baldwin at bo5304@verizon.net.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/08073/864556-55.stm

Go Lebo Sports

Of course, having just posted a note that's skeptical of college athletics, here I have an item about a local athlete winning national plaudits for her collegiate accomplishments:

Sports Illustrated
March 10, 2008 issue

Faces in the Crowd

Kaitlyn Orstein
Mt. Lebanon, Pa. > Swimming

Orstein, a senior at Washington & Jefferson, won the 200 -yard individual medley, the 100 and the 200 breaststroke, and was part of the winning 200 medley relay at the President's Athletic Conference finals; the five-time Division III champ has 25 career league titles and was named PAC MVP for the fourth time.

Athletic Scholarships Not All They're Cracked Up To Be

A lot of parents of young student-athletes dream of the day when all those early morning practices and weekend tournaments pay off with an athletic scholarship. Mt. Lebanon's vaunted athletic programs are teeming with future college jocks.

What does the world of scholarship athletics really like? Is it realistic to hope that Tiffany's field hockey career will pay her college bills? And if it does, is the payoff worth the investment? Judge for yourself in this insightful series of articles published in the New York Times:

"Expectations Lose to Reality of Sports Scholarships"
"N.A.I.A. Reports Aid Differently"
Average Scholarship Amounts by Sport
"Recruits Clamor for More From Coaches With Less"
"New Rules Threaten Sport's Tryout Process"
"It's Not an Adventure, It's a Job"
"Divvying Scholarship Dollars Can Divide a Team"

Meetings, We Have Meetings

Not one but two event announcements of possible interest to Lebo residents:

First, Tybe Brett advises: The Mt. Lebanon ECAT (Environmental Community Action Team) is gathering again:

Date: Wednesday March 12, 2008
Time: 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Location: 710 Washington Rd. (the Municipal Building opposite Sesame Inn)

Notes: We all know Mt. Lebanon is a great place to live, and we believe that together we can make it even better. The Mt. Lebanon Environmental Community Action Team is a group of concerned Mt. Lebanon-area residents who have joined with the Sierra Club to take action on global warming. On March 12th we will be holding a meeting to inform our community about the Cool Cities program and why we think Mount Lebanon should become a Cool City. We can save tax dollars while saving energy!
Please join us at this very important community meeting.
And bring your IDEAS!

(For more on the Cool Cities initiative, here is the Cool Cities website.)

Second is an event that I've organized. On Thursday, March 20 at the Pitt Law School (that's where I work) my colleague Professor Jessica Litman, Pittsburgh native and copyright law all-star, will give the annual Distinguished Intellectual Property Law lecture on "Copyright Reform." Professor Litman now teaches at the University of Michigan. She has published lots and lots of articles and books about copyright law. These days, she is especially interested in fair use and in personal, private, and noncommercial use. Did you break the law when you burned compilation CDs for your friends as Christmas presents? The answer may surprise you. Librarians, artists, technologists, and book, music, and film lovers of all persuasions may be interested in what she has to say.

The lecture is free and open to the public. (If you're a lawyer, then 1.5 hours of PA CLE credit is available for the bargain price of $25, payable at the door.) It begins at 3 p.m. The law school is at Forbes and Bouquet in Oakland, across the street from the Original Hot Dog Shop. I've posted additional details at Pittsblog.

LeboWatch 1

For all of the access that Mt. Lebanon residents have to their elected officials and related bureaucracies, certain issues don't get addressed -- complaints get ignored, or the problem-solver can't be identified, or issues aren't articulated in sensible ways and therefore fall through the cracks. Maybe these aren't even problems at all.

Blog-Lebo (or at least my email In-Box) is becoming a destination of last resort for these things. People who don't know me send me their problems; can Blog-Lebo help?

Well, no, Blog-Lebo can't help; Joe and I aren't volunteer ombudsmen. But I can throw a note up here from time to time and see if it draws interest or a response from someone who can. I've titled the post "LeboWatch," because this reminds me of "ChronicleWatch," a feature at the San Francisco Chronicle. The newspaper posts items about little things in public life that need to be fixed, and then it measures the days until someone/something responds. How long will that huge pothole go unfilled? and so on. And I've given this LeboWatch a number -- 1 -- because there may be more in the future.

Here are two LeboWatch items to get us started:

One: "I live on Sleepy Hollow Road. About 5 years ago, the Post Office removed the blue drop boxes on my street at Country Club, and the one on Broadmoor at Crystal. The day after the box on my street was removed, 3 people were standing around the spot with letters to mail looking around very puzzled. These boxes were used everyday by residents. The boxes in other Mt. Lebanon neighborhoods closer to Postal facilities remain. I have written, called and complained in person about these missing boxes. I'd be happy to get a petition for them to be re-installed, but I don't know how to word it or who to send it to. Can you look into this and post something about it on Blog Lebo, to generate more interest?"

Two: Someone who pays closer attention to the School District's budget than I do noticed that one of the programs showcased on the District's website is being dropped from the budget. I don't want to get into the details of whether a given program should be kept or dropped, but it does seem fair to expect that the marketing of the Mt. Lebanon School District rely on programs, facilities, and staff that are actually part of the scholastic enterprise going forward. Mt. Lebanon is, in my opinion, a very good (though far from perfect) public school district. There is no need to oversell it. Those of you who know more details (including explanations) can post them in the comments, using your own names, as always. Or, perhaps, this is a nonissue, and in that case I'm sure that a plausible explanation will be provided.

WashingtonRoad.com Is Down

While searching for the web site for More Than Words this afternoon, I tried to visit www.WashingtonRoad.com -- the web site for the Washington Road business district. Unfortunately, as you will see by clicking on the link, the domain name has expired and is "pending renewal or deletion".

I know that there are a number of Washington Road business owners that read Blog-Lebo. Is this just an oversight or is the association not going to use the name anymore? I tried to find a contact for the web site, but the WHOIS record shows that the domain name registrant is private.

UPDATE (4/16/08): The domain name is now active again and pointing to the Washington Road BPA web site as it did previously.

Building a L.E.E.D. High School

Faithful Blog-Lebo reader Fen Labalme recently had a great post on his blog about why we should consider building a L.E.E.D. certified high school. His posting says that the list is from Rob Papke, Mt. Lebanon Council PTA Environmental Chair, but I'm not sure where Rob published it originally. Interesting read for sure.

Link: http://blog.fen.net/2008/03/07/top-5-reasons-to-build-an-leed-certified-high-school/

Pamela's Coming To Lebo

Pantheon of pancake purveyors Pamela's Diner is coming to the South Hills.

The treasured, locally owned breakfast and lunch haunt, operated for more than 20 years by Gail Klingensmith and Pam Cohen, will open its sixth location on Mount Lebanon's tony Washington Road.

"We are really concentrated on the city side, but we had a lot of customers from the South Hills," Klingensmith said.

Link: www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2008/03/10/story12.html

Updated (3/12/08): See this story (and the accompanying illustration) at Pop City.

Study Shows How Growth May Fit Around T Stations

Dense housing, improved parking and pedestrian-friendly retail shops would sprout around three South Hills T stations under a Transit Revitalization Investment District planning study presented Wednesday night at the Mt. Lebanon Municipal Building.

The study, funded by state grants of $75,000 each to Dormont and Mt. Lebanon, offers potential developers and residents both low- and high-density development concepts.

Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_555773.html

Link 2: www.alleghenyinstitute.org/blog/2008/03/trid-stuck-at-station.php

Teen Hopes To Take Vocabulary To A Higher Level

John Oxenreiter said he finds "useless facts really relevant." But knowing the difference between "adverse" and "averse" (the first applies negatively to things, the second, to people) is the kind of wordplay that could help him earn $40,000 toward a higher education saving plan.

Plus, it would be plain cool to win the National Vocabulary Championship. "I took Latin and Greek and honestly, this just fascinates me. Word origins ... I think I naturally gravitate to something like this."

John, 18, and his family, who live in Mt. Lebanon, are scheduled to leave today for a trip to California. The NVC final isn't until Monday in Los Angeles, but the Oxenreiters are going to make a side trip to Santa Barbara first.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/08066/862710-55.stm

High Court Hears Case of Mt. Lebanon Death Row Inmate

The state Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday on whether to grant a new trial to a man on death row for a racially motivated shooting spree that eventually left six people dead.

Richard Baumhammers, 42, of Mt. Lebanon, who is white, shot his Jewish neighbor, two Indian men, two Asian men and a black man on April 28, 2000. Five died at the scene. A sixth person died last year from pneumonia. He had been left paralyzed from the neck down since the shooting.

Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_555728.html

Special Ed Program in Lebo

Just arrived in the Blog-Lebo in-box:

February 1, 2008, Mt Lebanon - Mt Lebanon’s Special Education Advisory Council plans to host a panel discussion called, “Defining the Systems” on March 26, 2008 from 6:30-8:30pm at the Mt Lebanon High School Library (entrance c-28).

Panel guests include Robert Mallery, Principal at Markham Elementary School; Linda Beebe Teacher at Howe Elementary School; Ann White, Special Education Teacher at Mellon Middle School; Noreen Scholl-Winans, Speech and Language Pathologist; Amy Weingarden, Parent.

This event will begin at 6:30 with a thirty-minute social and then the presentation will begin with the panelists giving a short introductory about what their role is in the special education system. The panel discussion will also allow the opportunity for a “question/answer” segment.

For further information about this event please call (412) 854-0911 or email krfraasch@yahoo.com.

### The Mt. Lebanon Special Education Advisory Council is a collaboration of parents, teachers, administrators, and school board members. Composed of four committees; Communication, Transition, FAQ and Education. We are dedicated to supporting the special education department and the families it serves. We strive to assist special needs students to reach their highest potential. In partnership with the district's mission, we are committed to provide the best education possible for every student.

In the New MTL Magazine

Clearly stung by recent criticism of the amount of money that Mt. Lebanon spends on its public information function, the MTL magazine that arrived today contains a long and compelling defense of how the money is spent. I'll post a link when the piece goes online.

Meanwhile, the essay has a few juicy tidbits:

The magazine has

a circulation of 21,000 [and] is mailed to every household and business in Mt. Lebanon, goes to leaders in business, government and the arts throughout Allegheny County, and is available at neighborhood libraries as well as at coffee shops, health clubs and professional offices.

By comparison, over the last month Blog-Lebo had just over 17,000 pageviews, just over 8,500 visits, and just over 2,900 unique visitors. Blog-Lebo is available online 24 hours per day worldwide. I am told that it may be inaccessible in repressive countries such as China, off-limits for City of Pittsburgh employees, and blocked by the Mt. Lebanon School District.

Moving on, according to the Public Information Officer:

mtl's mission [is] to inform and entertain readers, providing information they need to get involved the municipal decision-making process, encouraging them to take part in community life and engendering pride in the many good things Mt. Lebanon has to offer . . . . That doesn't mean mtl won't cover problems, threats or challenges in the community, but it does mean that when we cover a negative -- a rise in crime, drug and alcohol use among teens or traffic issues, for example, we try to present the subject in a constructive way, focusing not just on the problem but on solutions that are being explored.

That sounds fine. And:

mtl will never purposely embarrass or malign a resident or a valued community institution -- that is simply not our role.

Good -- I was worried for a moment. I'm still looking forward to an mtl story on the many walking paths and stairs that offer shortcuts throughout town, how they serve as important community and neighborhood resources, and what the municipality is doing to explore solutions when conflicts arise -- like this one -- and to encourage public awareness and discussion of the difficult choices that arise when public interest touches private property.

And finally:

Still in the talk stages is the possibility of a municipal blog that would allow residents to express their opinions and talk with each other about emerging issues.

Because if you rely on mtl for your Mt. Lebanon news, you would think that Mt. Lebanon has nothing like that now. Of course it does -- check out Suburbia Calling. And Aldo Coffee's blog. And the Planet Art Blog. And the Mt. Lebanon Library blog. Just to name a few Mt. Lebanon citizen and community blogs that I like.

In truth, of course, the blogosphere, like the universe, has to expand. A new blog is like a new star, whose mass attracts masses nearby. Everyone in town, including me, should welcome an "official" Mt. Lebanon blog. The great thing about blogging is that readers and other bloggers comment and link to you. Blog-Lebo will link to the Mt. Lebanon blog, and comment on it. And the blogger reacts -- take a look at the interactivity over at Commissioner Dan Miller's new blog. That can only be a good thing for the community.

Public Hearing Slated On South Hills Plans

The final public hearing about developing areas around South Hills T stations is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Mt. Lebanon Municipal Building.

An intergovernmental group has been considering long-range plans for development around the Dormont and Mt. Lebanon T stations. The study, paid for by state grants totaling $150,000, is being led by the Allegheny County Department of Economic Development, the Port Authority and the two towns.

Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_555044.html

Another Look at the 20% Legislative Cut

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Brian O'Neill has posted a new article regarding the proposed 20% cut in costs for the Pennsylvania legislature that is being pushed by State Representative Matt Smith (who represents Mt. Lebanon) and State Representative Randy Vulakovich from the north hills.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/08059/861063-155.stm