Miller Out, Fraasch In

The 2011 election season has begun with two announcements regarding the Mt. Lebanon Commission.

Dan Miller, the current 5th Ward Commissioner, recently announced that he will not seek re-election after serving 1 term.

Kelly Fraasch, president of Parent Resource Network, and wife of former School Board Director James Fraasch, has declared her candidacy for the 5th Ward Commissioner position on the Democratic ticket via the following email:

Dear Friends:

After thoughtful consideration, I have decided to run for the Ward 5 Commission seat.

Dan Miller has been a wonderful advocate and served our Ward and Mt Lebanon with the utmost integrity. His service has inspired me to want to work for my neighbors and fellow community members to ensure our voices are counted. While his shoes will be extremely tough to fill, I believe I have the leadership and ability to be a strong commissioner for those in my ward and in Mt Lebanon.

Kelly

Mondesi's House: The Next Superman Could be Yinzer Joe Manganiello

Joe Manganiello, best known for his roles as "Flash Thompson" in the Spiderman movies and "Alcide Herveaux" on HBO's True Blood, is apparently on the short list to potentially take over as Superman in the character's next feature film, which will be produced by Christopher Nolan (Inception, The Dark Knight).

Normally I don't post about movie rumors on the site, but this is noteworthy from the standpoint that Manganiello is from Mt. Lebanon and graduated from Mt. Lebo back in 1995, where he played varsity football and was the captain of his basketball and volleyball teams.

Read the full article:

• mondesishouse.blogspot.com/2011/01/next-superman-could-be-yinzer-joe.html (Mondesi's House)

The Almanac: Nappi goes the distance

John Nappi goes the distance. Always has. He is afterall a champion 500-yard freestyler. Recently though he has added speed and versatility to the mix and that has made the Mt. Lebanon senior unstoppable in swimming these days.

While he won his signature swim, at the 2009 WPIAL championships, Nappi tossed in a gold medal, too, in the 200 individual medley, an event that features all four stroke disciplines. In addition to lowering his time by six seconds, Nappi also finaled at the PIAA championships last March and ranked in the Top 40 in the country.

Read the full article:

• www.thealmanac.net/alm/sportstory10/01-26-2011-John-Nappi-w-pix (The Almanac)

Trib: Competing communities are really talkin' trash

Ten South Hills communities are competing to find out which one can recycle the most in 2011.

Pleasant Hills, South Park, Jefferson Hills, Baldwin borough, Brentwood, Peters, Scott, Mt. Lebanon, Dormont and Upper St. Clair are asking residents to intensify their recycling efforts to earn recognition for their hometowns.

But the real intention of the program goes beyond bragging rights.

"Not only is it the right thing to do; it's an opportunity to take a lot of the materials out of the landfills and make sure they are used again," said Tom Kelley, director of the Mt. Lebanon Department of Public Works.

Read the full article:

• www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_719931.html (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

P-G: Vote nears on school renovation in Mt. Lebanon

The Mt. Lebanon Commission is expected to vote by March 8 on the school district's conditional use requests and on final land development approval for the $113.2 million high school renovation.

Two public hearings held this week moved the project another step closer to a vote by the municipality's five-member commission.

Read the full article:

• www.post-gazette.com/pg/11027/1120844-55.stm (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Trib: Vote on Mt. Lebanon school project restricted to zoning issues

Mt. Lebanon residents who wanted to make last night's public hearing on the proposed high school renovations into an argument over the project's cost and merits were told that the municipal commissioners couldn't consider such things without exposing themselves to a lawsuit.

Since the proposed school renovation -- capped at $113.27 million -- is in an area zoned for residential use, the commissioners have to grant it a "conditional use" for the project to move forward.

Read the full article:

• www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_719706.html (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

Trib: Mt. Lebanon regains winning form

In her first three seasons, Mt. Lebanon guard Anna Kestler experienced just six losses.

Through the first 14 games of her senior season, the two-time defending state champion Blue Devils have five defeats.

"We're not used to having as many losses as we have," Kestler said.

The Blue Devils aren't quite used to being as young as they are, either. Kestler is one of three seniors on the roster, and the team has three new starters this winter.

Read the full article:

• www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/highschool/s_719690.html (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

Trib: Turnovers help Mt. Lebanon boys clobber Chartiers Valley

Mt. Lebanon's Evan Eaton and Luke Hagy were dangerous with or without the ball.

"Turnovers give us momentum," said Eaton, who helped force more than a dozen in Tuesday night's 55-34 victory over Chartiers Valley at Mt. Lebanon. "We just feed off that momentum."

Eaton scored 17 points, including 11 in the first half when Mt. Lebanon built a double-digit lead. Hagy added 11.

Read the full article:

• www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/highschool/s_719863.html (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

P-G: Budget Planning Begins

Mt. Lebanon school board unanimously approved a resolution Monday directing Superintendent Timothy Steinhauer to prepare a final budget for 2011-12 with a millage increase that does not exceed 1.4 percent of the current year's rate of 26.63, or 0.37 mills, district spokeswoman Cissy Bowman said.

The resolution comes a year after the board passed a 10.5 percent property tax increase due to increased pension responsibilities and a bond issued for the planned $113.2 million high school.

Also Monday, finance director Janice Klein said the Moody's rating agency recently gave the school district an Aa1 credit rating. The rating reflects that the agency believes the district's financial obligations, including the $69 million bond issued last year for the high school project, are of high quality and subject to very low credit risk

Read the full article:

• www.post-gazette.com/pg/11020/1119366-55.stm (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

P-G: A newsmaker you should know: Mt. Lebanon's newest school director

As they considered 12 applications for the vacant school director seat this month, the eight members of the Mt. Lebanon school board seemed to agree on what they were looking for in a new director.

With a $113.2 million high school renovation planned and the annual budget process about to begin, the school directors wanted someone who had followed the board closely and could get up to speed quickly with new and ongoing business.

Read the full article:

• www.post-gazette.com/pg/11020/1119181-55.stm (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

P-G: Game's creators say hackers aid online cheating

Two Mt. Lebanon computer experts who have altered the balance of power in an imaginary world called Evony are now the subject of a lawsuit that could bring online empire-building to a federal courtroom.

New York City-based Evony LLC and Regan Mercantile, which created and ran the copyrighted game Evony, said in a complaint filed Tuesday that Philip and Jimmy Holland, of Xandium Studios, have corrupted their world using tip maps, programs called bots, and even an alternative universe that snatches players.

Read the full article:

• www.post-gazette.com/pg/11020/1119276-55.stm (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

The Almanac: 1,000-point mark latest success for Lebo's Lang

Although an avid Steelers' football fan, not to mention a Michigan State recruit, Paul Lang missed Pittsburgh's come-from-behind victory, 31-24, over the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL playoffs because the Mt. Lebanon senior helped the Blue Devils defeat Canon-McMillan, 61-41, this past Saturday in high school basketball.

"It was okay," Lang said, "because I feel like when I watch them play, I jinx them."

Lang is neither a jinx to the Steelers nor any athletic team for that matter, particularly those clubs for which he competes.

Read the full article:

• www.thealmanac.net/alm/sportstory10/01-19-2011-Paul-Lang-w-pix (The Almanac)

Trib: Mt. Lebanon man arrested for murder in abortion case

Authorities this morning arrested a Mt. Lebanon man on murder charges, saying he helped a Philadelphia abortion doctor kill babies.

Detectives from the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office arrested Steven Massof, 48, at his home, said Mike Manko, spokesman for the office. Massof faces 12 charges including two counts of murder.

Read the full article:

• www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_718893.html (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)


• Mt. Lebanon man accused in Philly abortion clinic murders (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

P-G: Upper St. Clair upends Mt. Lebanon

Upper St. Clair took a three-game losing streak into the home gym of a team it had not beaten in nearly three years Tuesday night.

But as the Panthers proved, you never quite know what will happen in a rivalry game.

Dakota Conwell knocked down five 3-pointers among his 17 points and visiting Upper St. Clair rallied from five points down after three quarters to upset WPIAL Class AAAA No. 3 Mt. Lebanon, 54-51, in Section 4.

Read the full article:

• www.post-gazette.com/pg/11019/1118936-361.stm (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Trib: Mt. Lebanon board chief pushes for commission collaboration

The president of the Mt. Lebanon Board of School Directors wants more regular meetings with the municipal commissioners, but was met with some indifference this week and calls for those meetings to be more open to the public.

School board President Josephine Posti wants to hold quarterly meetings of a "joint steering committee," consisting of commission and school board leaders, to discuss issues where the two bodies can work together.

Read the full article:

• www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_717864.html (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

P-G: No big tax rate increase foreseen in Mt. Lebanon

Mt. Lebanon School District taxpayers can probably expect a small -- or no -- property tax rate increase for the next school year.

The district should be able to keep its tax rate increase for 2011-12 within the 0.37-mill maximum allowed by the Act 1 index, finance director Janice Klein told the school board Monday night.

That is her recommendation after initial budget planning for the coming school year.

Read the full article:

• www.post-gazette.com/pg/11013/1117485-55.stm (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Trib: Input sought on Mt. Lebanon school renovation

Commissioners will hold a public hearing later this month on the $113 million project to renovate the high school.

In order for the proposed project to move forward, commissioners must grant two exemptions to the zoning rules -- to renovate and reconstruct the school in an area zoned residential; and a waiver of on-site parking requirements because of an agreement to share a municipal-owned parking lot just off school property.

Read the full article:

• www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_717766.html (Pittsburgh Tribune Review)

P-G: Issues sometimes can cross the line along town borders

In some parts of the U.S., talking about life on the border conjures images of drug cartels, illegal immigration and passport-only admission.

In the Pittsburgh region, life on the border - as in living at the borderline between municipalities - is more about being caught in the middle.

Marilyn Walsh lives in Pittsburgh's Brookline neighborhood. But if she tosses a stone up the hill across the street from her house on Dorchester Avenue, it would land in Mt. Lebanon.

Read the full article:

• www.post-gazette.com/pg/11013/1117356-55.stm (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

P-G: Lebo uses tough 'D' to stay hot

The defending WPIAL Class AAAA champions are showing no signs of a post-title letdown.

Mt. Lebanon graduated top-scorer Evan Pierce and big man Deion Turman from last season's team. Pierce recently enrolled at Augustana College, a Division II school in South Dakota, and Turman is on scholarship at Robert Morris.

But the Blue Devils have not slowed down.

Read the full article:

• www.post-gazette.com/pg/11013/1117376-361.stm (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Trib: Newsmaker: Sean Daniels

Mt. Lebanon Fire Department Lieutenant Sean Daniels has been highlighted this week as a newsmaker in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Read the full article:

• http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_717918.html (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

P-G: Denis Theatre Foundation names executive director

The Denis Theatre Foundation named Valerie Golik, the former executive director of The Pittsburgh Philharmonic, as its new executive director today.

She replaces board member Jennifer Smokelin, who has served as interim director since the fall.

"We are delighted that Valerie is joining the Denis Theatre Foundation," Ms. Smokelin said in a news release. "She brings with her an excellent background in arts management, programming, and a strong track record in fundraising and planning."

Read the full article:

• www.post-gazette.com/pg/11012/1117528-100.stm (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

School board selects Larry Lebowitz to fill Fraasch’s vacant seat

At last night’s discussion meeting, the school board selected Larry Lebowitz to fill the seat left vacant by James Fraasch’s recent resignation from the school board. Lebowitz, an attorney, will begin serving immediately.

If you wish to learn more about Mr. Lebowitz’s thoughts on education and the school board, the recording of his interview for the seat makes a good introduction. You can listen to the recording, thanks to LeboCitizens.com, by fast-forwarding to the 41-minute mark of this audio recording of the 4 January 2011 interviews.

Read more:

• Mt. Lebanon school board fills vacancy with attorney (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
• Lebowitz named to vacant Mt. Lebanon school board seat (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• And the winner is... (LeboCitizens.com)

P-G: No new trial for Mt. Lebanon teen in hammer attack

An Allegheny County juvenile court judge today said that a Mt. Lebanon teen who was adjudicated delinquent for attacking his ex-girlfriend with a hammer three years ago should not receive a new trial.

An attorney for Robertino DeAngelis filed a motion for a new trial arguing ineffective assistance of counsel during the trial phase of the case before Judge Kim Berkeley Clark.

Read the full article:

• www.postgazette.com/pg/11010/1116968-100.stm (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

NHL: Bartkowski May Make NHL Debut in Hometown

As if getting called up to play his first game in the National Hockey League wasn’t exhilarating enough, Pittsburgh native Matt Bartkowski may get his first taste of the professional ranks in his hometown.

“I don’t think there’s a better situation for me right now,” the Bruins defenseman said following Boston’s morning skate on Monday. “(Playing my) first game in my hometown is awesome.”

Bartkowski got recalled on an emergency basis from Boston’s top minor-league affiliate, the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League, on Sunday night after Boston placed defenseman Mark Stuart on injured reserve.

“I was excited,” he said of getting the call from Bruins assistant GM Don Sweeney that he would be joining the team in Pittsburgh. “I called my mom, called my parents, it was one of the happiest moments of my life. Being able to play in Pittsburgh, it’s a special game.”

Bartkowski graduated from Mt. Lebanon High School in 2006, captaining the school’s hockey team his senior year. He led the undefeated Blue Devils to the 2006 Pennsylvania Cup state championship.

Read the full article:

• penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=548998 (NHL.com)

Caring.com: Village Concept Comes to Area

Mt. Lebanon Village is the first of its kind in Southwestern Pennsylvania, but Ann Bateman is hoping the concept will take off in this area as it has in the rest of the country. The Village idea, which started with Beacon Hill Village in Boston, is designed to help older residents stay in their homes and remain independent through support by volunteers in the community.

The support can range from providing transportation to doctor appointments or Village-sponsored activities, running errands, connecting residents with services, such as plumbers or electricians, or helping members find home healthcare after surgery. “If there’s something one of our members needs, they can call us and we will absolutely try to help them find it,” says Bateman, program director.

Read the full article:

• pacaregiver.caring.com/articles/village-concept-comes-to-area (Caring.com)

P-G: 13 seek vacant Mt. Lebanon school board post

Members of the Mt. Lebanon school board spent nearly six hours this week conducting interviews to fill the seat left vacant by the resignation last month of school director James Fraasch.

Thirteen people, three women and 10 men, ranging in age from 20 to 69, appeared before the board one at a time on Monday and Tuesday night to interview to complete Mr. Fraasch's term, which expires at the end of the year. One person withdrew her application yesterday, citing personal reasons.

Read the full article:

• www.post-gazette.com/pg/11006/1115832-298.stm (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

P-G: Knotweed not our weed, Mt. Lebanon conservancy

As they walked through Mt. Lebanon's public parks over the last few years, members of the Mt. Lebanon Nature Conservancy started to notice invasive species encroaching on native plants.

Fast-growing vegetation, such as Japanese knotweed, Oriental bittersweet, English ivy and tree-of-heaven, are overwhelming the native plants and damaging Mt. Lebanon's public parks, especially Bird Park, said Ron J. Block, the president of the conservancy.

Read the full article:

• www.post-gazette.com/pg/11006/1115820-55.stm (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

P-G: Dynamic Eye, a Mt. Lebanon startup, develops sunglasses that 'outsmart the sun'

Many tech startups dream of being acquired by Google. Dynamic Eye has its sights on Oakley.

The Mt. Lebanon-based company has spent the past seven years building sunglasses that come with one frame, two lenses -- and an algorithm that can outsmart the sun and identify where glare is strongest.

"We help fight glare like no sunglasses have before," said Chris Mullin, the company's founder and chief executive.

Read the full article:

• www.post-gazette.com/pg/11007/1116114-28.stm (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

P-G: Mt. Lebanon attorney to be Corbett's chief of staff

A year ago, William Ward was helping negotiate a plea deal for a defendant he was representing in a corruption case prosecuted by Attorney General Tom Corbett's office.

Now, Mr. Ward not only is on Mr. Corbett's team, but leading it.

Mr. Corbett, the governor-elect, announced Wednesday that the Pittsburgh attorney will be his chief of staff.

Read the full article:

• www.postgazette.com/pg/11006/1115883-454.stm (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Trib: Tuesday Takes

The following blurb appeared in the Tuesday, January 4, 2011 Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Say what?: Mt. Lebanon is holding out the carrot of public money to help develop space above its primary trolley stop. Here's a better idea: Let some private developer privately develop a different site -- that prime parcel at the corner of Washington and Bower Hill roads that the municipal government has held for far too long with far too many promises of taxpayer assistance to would-be developers.

Read the full article:

• www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/s_716152.html (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

KDKA: Teen In Hammer Attack Ordered To Remain In Detention Center

A Mt. Lebanon teenager found guilty of attacking his ex-girlfriend with a hammer before throwing himself in front of a Port Authority trolley, has been ordered to remain in a juvenile detention center.

Officials with a New Castle detention facility told the family court judge that Robertino DeAngelis should be released because he has fulfilled all of his requirements.

But the judge heard arguments from others claiming that he could still be a danger to the community.

Read the full article:

• pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2011/01/03/teen-in-hammer-attack-ordered-to-remain-in-detention-center/ (KDKA)

The end of analog cable for Mt. Lebanon? (Updated)

Today I received a letter from Comcast, informing me that all of my televisions would need to be digital ready if I wanted to continue receiving my television programming. Since I have the most basic cable subscription available, the implication is that, soon, there will be no analog cable service of any kind in Mt. Lebanon.

To see if this was indeed the case, I called Comcast and spoke with three representatives. None of them gave me the same story.

The first said that, yes, two weeks after the March 31st deadline to order digital equipment, all of the analog channels would be migrated to digital-only service. The second said that only some of the analog channels would be migrated; she thought that the local networks and government-access channels might remain. The third, however, said that the real story was a work in process: there is currently no plan to turn off analog service, and any discussions of moving the basic analog channels to digital-only service were still “in the works.”

So there you have it, straight from Comcast: confusion.

Does anybody know what’s really going on? Is analog cable service going away? If so, when?

Update 2011-01-04 19:35:

Commissioner Dan Miller has an update on the analog-cable situation:

Comcast is going all digital by late March 2010. Subscribers who do not have boxes now will be provided up to 3 boxes (1 digital set-top box and 2 digital adapters) free of charge. Customers can have these boxes sent directly to them. Also no charge for shipping. The conversion will begin in late January and continue through the end of March. For customers who have the most basic level, the stations will be converted in the last step which is scheduled for March 31. So in theory these customers could continue without boxes until then. But after that they will be needed. I have no idea what the lowest level of digital cable will include or what it will cost.