Act 34 Hearing Transcript Now Available

The transcript of the February 22, 2010 Act 34 Hearing is now available online and can be viewed at www.mtlsd.org/highschoolrenovation/stuff/mlsdact34hearing.pdf

Developer Scraps Mt. Lebanon Condo Plan

Developers have withdrawn a $42.8 million plan for upscale condominiums at Bower Hill Road and Washington Road in Mt. Lebanon, municipal planner Keith McGill said.

"We received a letter dated March 22, 2010, from Zamagias Properties, indicating that they were actually withdrawing the approved project for the site, and really just indicating that they would be re-applying to the municipality at some point in the future for a different project at the site," he said. "But they have not given us any details as to what that project would be or any further information."

David Martens, the chief operating officer for Zamagias, said the company is working on alternatives but declined to go into further detail.

Read more: www.postgazette.com/pg/10089/1046727-100.stm

Read more: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_673992.html

Mt. Lebanon Claims Second Consecutive Title

Now, Mt. Lebanon can breathe.

The state's top-ranked Class AAAA girls' basketball team all season long, Mt. Lebanon won its second consecutive PIAA championship, beating Archbishop Ryan, 70-43, Friday night at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Junior guard Madison Cable scored a career-high 30 points to give the Blue Devils their second state title in school history.

Coach Dori Oldaker said the feeling was "surreal" but said the path to the championship was tough.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10086/1046128-361.stm

A Student's View On School Project

NOTE: The following is a letter to the editor written by Steve Metz, a junior at Mt. Lebanon High School

The debate over the Mt. Lebanon High School renovation project has raged for several months, and the entire project has been in existence for several years, but not once has anyone ever asked my opinion.

As a student at Mt. Lebanon High School, I am offended. The school board's opinion that facilities at the school are detrimental to our learning reveal the elitist opinion of the school board attempting to tell me and other students the best environment for us to learn in without even asking our opinions.

There are obvious concerns about the asbestos in the building, but these concerns have existed for more than a decade. Why didn't the school board ameliorate this situation when it first arose? Instead, they let students and teachers be exposed to asbestos on a daily basis while they debate the importance of a several million dollar skywalk.

Is the building cold sometimes? Sure, but unlike certain members of the community, I am willing to make sacrifices so taxes don't have to increase.

Even though the school board hasn't asked my opinion, here it is: I'll put my jacket on if you get the asbestos out of the building without spending $135 million and raising taxes.

Stop advocating the importance of a several million dollar skywalk while surrounding communities can barely afford computers.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10084/1045413-55.stm

The Cost Of Digging Out Of The Snow

Ross has applied for $201,152 in reimbursement for the extra costs of cleaning up after February's snowstorms. But manager Wayne Rogers has only a general idea of how much the cleanup actually cost the township. "It took a week to clean up," Mr. Rogers said. "Information is still coming in. We had subcontractors out there doing stuff; some of them haven't even submitted the bills yet."

Penn Hills manager Mohammed Rayan is in a similar situation. His municipality applied for $156,747 in reimbursement but spent an undetermined amount more. "We're still looking at data," Mr. Rayan said. "The cleanup continued the entire week, and then some."

The problem those two officials - and others throughout the region - face in seeking disaster relief is that the Federal Emergency Management Agency requires towns to submit snow storm costs only from one 48-hour period. So despite having two storms dump nearly three feet of snow over a six-day period, managers could submit costs only from a single 48-hour time frame.

"We had two contractors in to help haul snow away, but they didn't come in until after the 48-hour period," Mt. Lebanon's Steve Feller said. "We also had one that helped remove trees."

Mr. Feller could have chosen a 48-hour period that included those contractors' costs, but he said that since the first storm happened on a weekend - Feb. 5-6 - the overtime costs for municipal crews made that the most costly two-day stretch. The municipality submitted $117,729 in costs for potential reimbursement.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10084/1045313-55.stm

Group Seeks To Cap Cost Of Renovation At Mt. Lebanon Schools

A group that calls itself Concerned Citizens of Mt. Lebanon is circulating petitions among residents to urge the Mt. Lebanon school board to set a $75 million cap on the planned $113.3 million high school renovation project.

Charlotte Stephenson of Mt. Lebanon is a member of the group of about 30 who have started an online petition, mailed out postcards, placed an advertisement in a weekly newspaper and are going door to door to collect signatures on the petitions.

They plan to submit the petitions to the school district for inclusion with the documentation that will be sent to the Pennsylvania Department of Education regarding the planned project.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10084/1045386-55.stm

Bridal Shop Set To Move To Dormont

With its gold and black marquee and displays of wedding gowns, Anne Gregory for the Bride has been a prominent landmark on Mt. Lebanon's Washington Road for the past 12 years.

But next month, owner Greg Cherico will move his bridal shop a mile north on Route 19 to take residence in Dormont's old municipal building, at 2975 West Liberty Ave.

He said he is anxious, but also excited, for the move, which should happen in mid-April.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10084/1045410-55.stm

Please Pardon The Dust

Please accept our apologies for the changes with the blog right now. We have not changed the design in over 4 years, so we figured it was time to improve it -- especially for the fact that the pictures were no longer up to date (RIP Mojo's). As you can see, however, the changeover has been slightly bumpy.

Thanks for your patience and your continued readership!

Mt. Lebanon Beats Central Dauphin, 58-40

Facing another talented team featuring one of the nation's best players was nothing new to Mt. Lebanon.

Heading to Penn State for another state championship game won't be, either.

Madison Cable scored 17 points as the defending champion Blue Devils used a strong finish to break open a close game and defeat Central Dauphin, 58-40, Tuesday in a PIAA Class AAAA semifinal at Hollidaysburg.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10083/1045151-361.stm

Mt. Lebanon Supports Teen Dating Violence Bill

A resolution was passed by the Mt. Lebanon Commission to support the passage of the Demi Brae Cuccia House Bill 2026 which requires middle and high schools to teach students about teen dating violence in their health classes.

"It's important to get these kids when they're young and learn for themselves what a healthy relationship is versus a non-healthy relationship," Dr. Gary Cuccia, Demi's father, said.

Read more: www.kdka.com/school/Demi.Cuccia.bill.2.1581523.html

New Street Signs?

Like a lot of people, I took a walk around town yesterday to enjoy the beautiful weather we've been having. Part of my walk took me down Washington Road and when I got to the intersection with Beadling Road, I saw the following sign:



It's the same color as all of the other signs, but the font is different and much bigger. Is this the first of many brand new signs, or just a one off to replace the old one there?

Mt. Lebanon Student Wins Spelling Bee

After a final competition that lasted more than three hours and had 19 rounds, 14-year-old Anna Wadhwani, an eighth-grader at Thomas Jefferson Middle School, won first place in the 60th annual Western Pennsylvania Spelling Bee.

Anna's winning words -- the last speller standing must spell two consecutive words correctly -- were conjunctivitis, and, fittingly, logomachy: a dispute over or about words.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/100791044479-455.stm

Mt. Lebanon A Head Above Baldwin, 56-42

Mt. Lebanon coach Dori Oldaker compared her team's recent dominance of Baldwin to a coin toss, saying that it's only matter of time before the Highlanders come out on the winning side.

"It's like flipping a coin 20 times," Oldaker said. "Sooner or later it will come up heads." For the Blue Devils, though, tails still rules.

Mt. Lebanon defeated Section 4 rival Baldwin for the eighth consecutive time in two seasons Friday, using a strong second half to defeat the Highlanders, 56-42, in a PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinal at Chartiers Valley.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10079/1044397-361.stm

High School Project Is Filled With Distortions

NOTE: The following article is a letter to the editor written by Dirk Taylor who has served on the school board's Design Advisory Committee and Community Advisory Committee.

There is a major debate underway in Mt. Lebanon over the proposed high school renovation. Throughout the debate, the school board has maintained that the current plan was developed through a "transparent process." I agree that it's transparent, as I can see through it like the Emperor's New Clothes. Unfortunately, most folks don't have enough practical construction experience and detailed knowledge of the high school to recognize the level of distortion and deception that has been used by the school board and project architects to fool the public into believing that their $113 million total reconstruction plan makes more sense than a well-designed renovation.

Read more: www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/03-17-2010-letter-ML-Taylor

North Allegheny Beats Mt. Lebanon

This one will send shock waves around the state. While at North Allegheny, it might go in the books as the biggest win in school history.

North Allegheny pulled off the upset Wednesday night, knocking off Mt. Lebanon, 52-48, in a PIAA Class AAAA second-round game at Baldwin.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043813-361.stm

Mt. Lebanon Takes Down Erie Strong Vincent

Madison Cable knew the scorers' table was approaching, but the Mt. Lebanon junior decided she couldn't slow her pursuit of a bouncing basketball. Over the table she went, landing in the lap of the clock operator.

Cable could have stopped. Her Blue Devils were already well on their way to building a double-digit first-quarter lead during Tuesday night's second-round, 69-36 victory over Erie Strong Vincent in the PIAA Class AAAA girls basketball playoffs at Kennedy Catholic.

Read more: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/highschool/s_672050.html

Mt. Lebanon Schools Board To Vote On Alcohol Policy

NOTE: This article is from last Thursday, March 11.

The Mt. Lebanon school board may vote Monday on an alcohol policy to address
violations that are not school-related.

The school board has been discussing the district's alcohol and drug policies over the past few months after police issued drinking citations to about 40 Mt. Lebanon High School students at two separate parties during October.

The district has a policy to address school-related alcohol violations, but not one for non-school-related offenses.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10070/1041767-55.stm

School Board President: Zoning Hearing Board’s Decision is “Incorrect”

At the opening of last night’s regular meeting of the Mt. Lebanon School Board, Mr. Ed Kubit, Board President, discussed the School District’s being denied the zoning variances it needed for the High School Project. “We are disappointed with the decision of the Zoning Hearing Board,” he said.

There are two ways, he explained, that School District’s new design for the high school fails to meet zoning requirements: it exceeds the allowed lot-coverage percentage and lacks sufficient parking. He argued, however, that the new design does improve on the existing facility in both of these regards, and that this improvement should be enough: “It is the school district’s position that it is entitled to the approval of these two non-conformities as a matter of right because in each instance that element of the design actually makes the property more conforming than it is right now.”

The new design improves lot coverage by 0.2 percent and adds 3 parking spaces (of the additional 26 required by code).

The next step, he suggested, may be court: “We feel that the Zoning Hearing Board’s decision is incorrect. We are currently reviewing all of our opinions to determine a course of action that is in the best interests of our students and the community. One possible option is an appeal to the Court of Common Pleas.”

Read more:

• Transcript of Mr. Kubit’s report (MLAO)

Zoning Rulings Stall Mt. Lebanon High Renovations

The Mt. Lebanon School District's $113.3 million renovation of its high school has effectively been halted, after the municipality's zoning board denied two variances the school district had requested.

School board president Ed Kubit said at last night's school board meeting that he was "disappointed" in the outcome of Thursday's hearing.

Read more: www.postgazette.com/pg/10075/1043224-100.stm

Real Lebo Blog is Back, But Read-Only

I am pleased to report that the Mt. Lebanon blog Real Lebo is back in business!

The bloggers there went silent about a week ago, after they reported receiving threatening comments. Now that they are back, they have announced that they will no longer be accepting comments from readers:

What's really happening in Mt. Lebanon is that the signal-to-noise ratio is way out of whack, which is why we'll no longer be accepting comments at Real Lebo...

Welcome back, Real Lebo.

Mt. Lebanon Toes The Line In Victory

Like a poised and experienced tournament team, Mt. Lebanon beat McKeesport from the free-throw line to take its first step toward a PIAA title.

The WPIAL champion Blue Devils made 22 of 29 foul shots and defeated McKeesport, 59-41, in a state Class AAAA first-round playoff game Saturday at Baldwin.

Paul Lang scored nine of his 17 points and Evan Pierce six of 12 on foul shots. When it counted most, the Blue Devils (26-1) made 12 of 17 in the fourth quarter to pull away from the Tigers (16-8) and set a second-round date Wednesday with North Allegheny.

Read more: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/highschool/s_671604.html

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10073/1042729-361.stm

Google, Rollier's Click For Online Business

When Brett Satterfield started building a website for his family's business, he turned to Google search for help finding how-to sites and instructions.

Soon he became so successful -- and his narrative so pitch-perfect -- that Google turned to him for help.

Mr. Satterfield took the 88-year-old Rollier's Hardware store in Mt. Lebanon online, and the storied retailer on Washington Road found itself competing with big-box operations.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10073/1042746-96.stm

Mt. Lebanon Pulls Off Upset Of Plum

The Plum hockey team entered Thursday feeling it should have been awarded a bye and automatically advanced in the PIHL Penguin Cup playoffs.

Mt. Lebanon saw to it that the Mustangs didn't make it past the first round.

Sophomore Jason Hartman scored with 3:32 left in overtime, and the No. 12 seed Blue Devils upset fifth-seeded Plum, 3-2, in a Class AAA first-round game at Valley Sports Complex in New Kensington.

Read more: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/highschool/s_671330.html

Mt. Lebanon's 2 Teams Magnets For Crowds At Palumbo

Some individual star power and some powerful teams can attract a crowd.

The WPIAL basketball championship games Friday and Saturday nights attracted capacity crowds at Duquesne University's Palumbo Center. They were two of the largest crowds the WPIAL has had at Palumbo over the years.

"We were very encouraged by the attendance," said WPIAL executive director Tim O'Malley. "The bottom line is, we probably couldn't fit any more people in there Friday or Saturday night."

NOTE: When the Mt. Lebanon boys' and girls' teams won WPIAL titles Saturday, it marked the 12th time that a school swept the championships in the same school year. The other 11 are: Beaver Falls (1985), Penn Hills (1987), Aliquippa (1987), Aliquippa (1988), Monessen (1995), Blackhawk (1996), Upper St. Clair (1996), Blackhawk (1999), Blackhawk (2000), Moon (2005) and North Catholic (2005).

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10071/1042054-361.stm

School District Was Denied Zoning Variances For High School Renovation

Updated 2010-03-12 22:51 and 2010-03-13 10:51 with additional details.

Last night, at the conclusion of a public hearing that ran from 7:30 to nearly 11 p.m., the Zoning Hearing Board denied the School District’s appeal for the zoning variances needed to support the current plan to renovate the high school. The appeal requested variances for parking and lot-coverage. Both were denied in 3-0 votes. Additionally, in two more 3-0 votes, the Zoning Hearing Board sustained earlier findings of the municipal zoning officer, in effect affirming that the variances were necessary.

A court reporter was present to make a transcript of hearing, and all speakers were sworn in before testifying.

First to proceed was the School District. The District’s testimony was directed by its attorney, Irving S. Firman, of Tucker Arensberg Attorneys. Mr. Firman led Dr. Timothy Steinhauer, School District Superintendent, through an hour-long presentation about the high-school project. This was followed by testimony from Thomas C. Celli, of Celli-Flynn Brennan Architects, the District’s architect for the project. Also representing the School District were a landscape architect, who testified about lot coverage, and a parking consultant, who testified about a parking analysis of the project.

Following the District’s testimony, the three-member Zoning Hearing Board questioned the School District’s representatives. At first, they asked questions to clarify the District’s testimony. Then, they asked more-specific questions, designed to understand the District’s request for variances.

After that exchange, an attorney for the municipality spoke. The municipal solicitor stated that the municipality had reviewed the zoning officer’s previous findings – that, in effect, the School District did not have an existing “matter of right” that would permit the plan to proceed without the requested variances.

Next, a handful of residents offered their testimony to the Zoning Hearing Board. Some residents spoke more than once, returning to present additional testimony as needed throughout the evening. Between speakers, the Zoning Hearing Board asked follow-up questions, allowing for meaningful back-and-forth discussion.

After all parties had made their concerns and positions known, the members of the Zoning Hearing Board held a brief, off-the-record discussion. Then, back on the record, they summarized the School District’s requests, listed the four items up for consideration, and voted:

First, on the request for a lot-coverage variance, the vote was 3-0 to deny the variance.

Second, on the request for a parking variance, the vote was 3-0 to deny the variance.

Third, on the zoning officer’s determination on the necessity of a lot-coverage variance, the vote was 3-0 to sustain the zoning officer’s determination that a variance was required.

Fourth, on the zoning officer’s determination on the necessity of a parking variance, the vote was 3-0 to sustain the zoning officer’s determination that a variance was required.

The decisions rendered, the hearing concluded.

Tough Schedule, Rugged Defense Prepared Mt. Lebanon To Win A WPIAL title

Mt. Lebanon boys' basketball coach Joe David is pleased with his team's unbeaten record against Section 4-AAAA opponents this season, but he believes the 25-1 Blue Devils' prowess against non-section opponents is just as crucial.

The WPIAL champs will try to continue that trend as they head into a first-round PIAA playoff game 5 p.m. Saturday at Baldwin High against McKeesport.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10070/1041612-361.stm

Former Teacher Transforms Kous Kous Cafe In Mt. Lebanon Into A Delicious Destination

Look the wrong way for just a moment and it would be easy to miss Kous Kous Cafe on Washington Road in Mt. Lebanon. The narrow storefront, previously occupied by an outpost of the Enrico Biscotti Company, seems an unlikely location for a restaurant. But Abdel Khila, the owner and chef, wasn't going to let a few small obstacles get in his way.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10070/1041780-242.stm

Lebo Girls Take Care Of Business, Win Title

The WPIAL basketball title games all take place at the A.J. Palumbo Center on the campus of Duquesne University.

With the mind-set the Mt. Lebanon girls brought to the game, you might have thought they were headed to the A.J. Palumbo School of Business Administration instead.

The defending WPIAL and PIAA champions headed to the title game not distracted by the championship game atmosphere but rather focused on one goal, taking care of business.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10070/1041611-361.stm

New Right to Know Law Costly, Mt. Lebanon Schools Say

A year after Pennsylvania's new Right to Know law took effect, Mt. Lebanon School District is facing unexpected costs to comply with an increasing number of requests for e-mail correspondence.

Since Jan. 1, 2009, Mt. Lebanon has had 19 requests for e-mail records and correspondence under the Right to Know law. Thirteen of the requests have been made since December 2009.

Fulfilling requests for e-mail records is a "labor-intensive, complex process" and costs an average of about $2,600 per request, including legal and forensics costs, and not including staff time, technology director Christopher Stengel said.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10070/1041660-55.stm

Mt. Lebanon Photographer Shares Remarkable Lincoln Collection

"Aspects of Lincoln," a current exhibit at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library in Carnegie, offers viewers a look at what may be every known photograph of the late president.

The earliest photo shows a rangy Chicago lawyer. The last one shows the only known image of Abraham Lincoln lying in his coffin in New York City Hall.

Norman Schumm, 78, of Mt. Lebanon spent three weeks printing the 100 black-and-white photos from copy negatives of Lincoln photographs originally made from 1847 to 1865.

Read more: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/lifestyles/s_670235.html

Petition for Less-Expensive High School Is Gaining Ground

The Almanac reports on the growing movement to petition the school board for a less-expensive renovation of the high school:

Mt. Lebanon resident Charlotte Stephenson is not against upgrading the aging high school. She is, however, opposed to the possibility of spending $113 million, the amount the school board set as a cap for the renovation and addition project.

To make hers and similar opinions known and to alert the school board to the fact not everyone is pleased with the scope of the project, a petition is circulating in the municipality urging the board to support a lower cost option to renovate and expand the current high school building.

I noticed petitioners on my street yesterday and the day before, and I don’t exactly live in “core” Mt. Lebanon. If the petitioners are able to visit all the houses on streets like mine, they’re covering a lot of ground.

What will happen if the petitioners gain the support of a large portion of Mt. Lebanon? How do you think the school board will respond?

Read more:

• Petition asks Mt. Lebanon to lower costs on school (The Almanac)

Suit Says Mt. Lebanon Girl Suffered Severe Brain Damage

The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether the parents of a Mt. Lebanon teen can continue a 15-year legal battle against a drug manufacturer for health problems they say a vaccine caused.

Robalee and Russell Bruesewitz say Wyeth Inc., now a subsidiary of Pfizer Inc., kept a dangerous but profitable version of a diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus vaccine on the market for years.

Read more: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_670704.html

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10068/1041241-455.stm

Mt. Lebanon Bloggers Report Being Threatened

Yesterday, the bloggers at Real Lebo reported that they had received threats and may stop blogging:

Some sad news to report: the torrent of expletive-filled comments that we’ve been receiving on this blog for many weeks now ... have turned to more serious threats.... Thanks to those who have offered their support and encouragement. We’ll see you around.

This is indeed sad news. The cornerstone of any community is its conversation. When part of that conversation is silenced, through threats or other means, the entire community loses something vital.

I have urged the folks at Real Lebo to involve the police. If there are bullies in our midst, they deserve to be held accountable for their behavior. As a community, we must not tolerate threats to our freedom to speak with each other openly and honestly.

Joe and I wish our neighbors at Real Lebo all the best and hope that they will keep their blog going. On their right to speak, we support them in every way.

Read more:

• Chilled Speech (Suburbia Calling)

Updated 2010-03-08 15:04 to add Read More section and link to Suburbia Calling’s post. —Tom

Mt. Lebanon Runner Wins At Indoor Championships

Mt. Lebanon's Rad Gunzenhauser won the boys' 3,000-meter run at the Pennsylvania Track & Field Coaches Association indoor championships at Penn State's multi-sports facility. He covered the distance in 8 minutes, 38.01 seconds and was one of two winners from the WPIAL. The other was Hempfield's Rachel Serafin, who won the girls' shot put with a throw of 47 feet, 33/4 inches. Penn Hills' Richard Rouse was second in the boys' triple jump with a leap of 48-1 and the Penn Hills girls' 1,600 relay team was second in 3:54.74.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10066/1040985-364.stm

Mt. Lebanon Girls Beat Baldwin For WPIAL Title

The Mt. Lebanon girls' basketball team beat Baldwin, 59-43, tonight in the WPIAL Class AAAA championship game at the Palumbo Center. It was the Blue Devils' second consecutive championship.

Mt. Lebanon junior Madison Cable scored 21 points to lead Mt. Lebanon and was 6 for 11 from the field.

The Blue Devils shot 55.3 percent from the field while limiting the Highlanders to 33 percent.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10065/1040933-100.stm

Read more: Mt. Lebanon girls defend their championship (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - with video)

Read more: Blue Devils do what everyone expected, ready to take run at PIAA championship (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Mt. Lebanon Boys Beat Gateway For WPIAL Title

The Mt. Lebanon boys' basketball team won the WPIAL Class AAAA boys' basketball championship tonight, beating Gateway, 57-51 at the Palumbo Center.

Evan Pierce scored 21 points, all in the second half, and Luke Hagy scored four points and made two steals in the final minute to seal the top-seeded Blue Devils' championship, their second under coach Joe David.

The boys' win completes a Mt. Lebanon sweep on the night. The Blue Devils' girls' team beat Baldwin for its second consecutive championship.

Read more: www.postgazette.com/pg/10065/1040947-100.stm

Read more: Pierce's second half was solid gold as Blue Devils take title (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Read more: Mt. Lebo's able to cut Gateway down to size (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - with video)

Mt. Lebanon Focuses On Retaining Its Class AAAA Title Against A Familiar Opponent

No WPIAL Class AAAA girls' basketball team has ever won back-to-back PIAA championships, and Mt. Lebanon, the top-ranked team in the state, is in prime position to change that statistic.

The Blue Devils last lost to a Pennsylvania opponent in the 2008 PIAA championship game and have not lost to a WPIAL opponent since Peters Township beat them in the 2008 WPIAL semifinals.

Read more:

Mt. Lebanon Medical Director And Staff Spend Decade Helping Haiti

Dr. Dayle Griffin, medical director of pediatrics at St. Clair Hospital in Mt. Lebanon, took her first trip to poverty-stricken Haiti 11 years ago. She said she's seen vast improvements over the past decade, although the Jan. 12 earthquake was a major setback.

"We're putting a drop of water into the same bucket and eventually we're going to accumulate something that's meaningful," she said.

Read more: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_669871.html?feed=51

Mt. Lebanon Bedevils USC Once Again

Editor's Note: As a Mt. Lebanon High School graduate, I love the title of this article!

The latest and biggest of this season's three games between Mt. Lebanon and Upper St. Clair ended up just like the first two.

Paul Lang scored a game-high 16 points and Evan Pierce had 12, leading No. 1 seed Mt. Lebanon to a 51-42 victory over No. 12 seed Upper St. Clair in a Class AAAA semifinal Wednesday night at Baldwin.

Not only did the top-seeded Blue Devils (24-1) earn a third straight win over the Section 4 rival Panthers, but they also advanced to Saturday's WPIAL championship game against No. 6 Gateway, a 65-56 winner over No. 2 North Allegheny.

Read more: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_669987.html

Mt. Lebanon Community Gets Loud In The Blogosphere

Forget gossip over the back fence: These days in Mt. Lebanon, community bloggers are the town criers.

Commissioners Dan Miller and D. Raja have blogs. So do school members Josephine Posti and James Fraasch. The high school's technology director Christopher Stengel has his own blog, and residents Joe Polk, Tom Moertel, Kristen Linfante and Elaine Labalme also run blogs that discuss community developments and events.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1039995-55.stm

A'Pizza Badamo Focuses On Fresh Flavors, Family Traditions In Mt. Lebanon

The first pizzeria Anthony Badamo ever set foot in is now his own. The twenty-something grew up South Hills, chowing down at the Caruso family's pizzeria on Washington Road in Mt. Lebanon.

Badamo had been planning on opening his own pizza and sandwich shop for some time, but always imagined it in the city--in Lawrenceville, or the Mexican War Streets. But when Caruso's shut down, Badamo knew he couldn't pass up the opportunity to be in the heart of Mt. Lebanon's walkable Uptown business district. Badamo opened A'Pizza Badamo last month in that spot at 656 Washington Rd., not far from his father's salon, Bill Badamo's Hair Styling Studio.

Read more: www.popcitymedia.com/devnews/pizzabadamo030310.aspx

Lower Cost Option Petition Making The Rounds

Many residents have spoken and written to the school board about the excessive costs of the planned high-school renovation. These residents, by and large, feel that their concerns have been dismissed. Now those residents are taking their concerns to the people, where they are finding a receptive audience. Collecting signatures both online and door to door, they hope to send the school board a message that cannot be ignored.

Here is the text of the email that is currently being distributed around town:

Dear Mt. Lebanon Resident,

An on-line petition has been created to gather signatures from our Mt. Lebanon residents in support of a lower cost option than the current plan to spend up to $113 million for the proposed high school renovation.

This is because the latest school district budget forecast dated 2/3/2010 shows a 45.3% increase in our real estate taxes between now and the 2015-2016 school year! Here is the projection as published on the school district’s website. http://www.mtlsd.org/district/budget/stuff/budgetfiveyearforecast10%2011.pdf (Look at the Real Estate Tax line and compare the numbers from 2008-2009 to 2015-2016.)

Most residents in Mt. Lebanon simply cannot afford property tax increases of this magnitude. Many of us are on fixed incomes and others of us have not had pay increases comparable to these anticipated property tax increases. In short, this is the time for a cost effective renovation of the high school, not the current plan which shows no sensitivity to today’s economic realities.

Other concerns that could raise taxes include pending property reassessments, an underfunded state pension fund which has to be replenished, possible municipal tax increases, 2011 state and federal tax increases, and an uncertain teachers’ contract. With so much uncertainty, this is the time for a more conservative approach to our tax dollars consistent with a reasonable renovation for our students.

If a high school renovation at a cost of $113 million concerns you please do the following:

1. Click on the link to the petition website: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/mtlhscost and sign the petition (PASSWORD is “spendwisely”).

2. Send this e-mail on to as many Mt. Lebanon residents who share your concern as possible and encourage them to sign the petition.

Your voice will be heard when the petition is presented to our School Board within the next few weeks. Time is of the essence, so please consider responding quickly!

Sincerely,

Charlotte Stephenson
Concerned Citizens of Mt. Lebanon
mtlsdcosts@gmail.com

Mt. Lebanon Swimmer Sets Speedy Pace

Mt. Lebanon senior Sho Sugimoto was stunned by what he saw at his first swim practice after moving from Japan several years ago.

"Everyone was going so slowly," he said. "In Japan, everyone goes fast, even in practice."

Sugimoto had no trouble adapting to the U.S. style of swimming and won two WPIAL Class AAA championships in the 100-yard freestyle in 2008 and 2009. He is favored to make it three in a row when the WPIAL finals get underway Thursday at Pitt's Trees Pool.

Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/highschool/s_669554.html

Lebo Wrestlers Make It To WPIAL Tournament

From LeboWrestling.com:

Congratulations to the five Lebo grapplers for placing in the Section 5 tournament and earning a spot in the WPIAL tourney next weekend at Canon Mac!

Andy Buttlar (103), Adam Kemerer (130), and Chris Vayo (140) each won their consolation finals match to take 3rd Place while Evan Brem (112) and Jack Hnath (152) took 4th Place.

Read more: www.lebowrestling.com/?p=1362