P-G: Hundreds rally to beat cancer in Mt. Lebanon

Hundreds of people turned out Sunday night for the second annual "Knock Out Cancer!" event at the Galleria in Mt. Lebanon, including one famous housewife from Orange County, Calif.

"This is very much a big deal for me," said Gretchen Rossi, one of the stars of Bravo TV's reality show "The Real Housewives of Orange County," which recently began filming its eighth season. "This is a cause that's very near and dear to my heart."

Read the full article:

• www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-south/hundreds-rally-to-beat-cancer-in-mt-lebanon-661729 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

P-G: Mt. Lebanon toy store on the ball with latest craze: kendama

Cup and ball was a popular game played in early America and in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries. These days a Japanese form of the game called kendama is drawing young players away from video games, computers and television with its challenging hand and eye coordination routines.

Made up of a wooden handle (ken) and ball (tama) connected by a string, the kendama allows players to juggle the ball into one of three cups on the handle, spear the ball with a spike at the end of the grip or balance the ball next to the spike with creative maneuvers.

Read the full article:

• www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-south/mt-lebanon-toy-store-on-the-ball-with-latest-craze-kendama-635299 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Bomb Threat Forces Evacuation Of Galleria In Mt. Lebanon

The Galleria in Mt. Lebanon was evacuated briefly Friday afternoon as officers investigated a bomb threat.

Mt. Lebanon police said somebody called the Learning Express, a toy store, and said there was a bomb in the bathroom at around 2:55 p.m. Galleria personnel then evacuated the mall

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10191/1071931-55.stm

Galleria Movie Theater Will Remain Open

As they say in the movies, "It's alive!"

The Carmike theater in the Galleria mall in Mt. Lebanon is not going to close June 17 as previously announced. The theater came to terms with the landlord and will live to mark its 21st anniversary.

In mid-May, Carmike confirmed the theater was closing due to dwindling business but that may have been only part of the reason or a negotiating tactic. Dale Hurst, director of marketing for Carmike in Columbus, Ga., yesterday confirmed the theater will remain open.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10158/1063834-60.stm

Mt. Lebanon's Galleria Mall Theater To Close June 17

The Carmike theater in the Galleria mall in Mt. Lebanon will close in mid-June, 21 years almost to the day after opening with legitimate boasts of being "the crown jewel of cinemas in the Tri-State."

The theater, which welcomed its first paying customers on June 16, 1989, will go dark June 17. No word yet on what will occupy its sprawling space on the upper level.

Read more: www.postgazette.com/pg/10132/1057762-60.stm

Mt. Lebanon Restaurant Damaged By Fire

A fire at Bravo! Cucina Italiana in Mt. Lebanon was quickly extinguished early this morning with damage primarily confined to the kitchen and the roof above it.

Mt. Lebanon Fire Department Lt. Loren Hughes said the call was received at 3:30 a.m. for the blaze at the restaurant located in the Galleria mall at 1500 Washington Road.

Link: www.postgazette.com/pg/09255/997632-100.stm

Are Malls A Dying Breed?

The Galleria of Mt. Lebanon was mentioned in an article in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette regarding the state of malls across the nation and in the greater Pittsburgh area. They also did a profile of the Galleria itself.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/09053/950837-85.stm (main article)

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/09053/950659-28.stm: (profile of The Galleria)

New Toy Store May Fill Void For Shoppers

Willem Gokemeijer, of Mt. Lebanon, celebrated turning 8 last month by inviting friends for a birthday party, which, like most kids' parties, included cake and games. But his parents, Pamela and Nils, noticed something unusual: Willem had no wrapped gifts to tear open; all of his presents were gift cards.

One of the reasons Willem received so many gift cards may be the dearth of toy stores in the South Hills. Recent years have seen the closing of a Toys R Us in Bethel Park, which is now Babies R Us, and, more recently, the closing of a specialty toy store, Gram and Gramps, in Upper St. Clair.

Amy and David Bahm, of Mt. Lebanon, are banking on the demand for a retail toy store here with the opening of Learning Express in the Galleria in Mt. Lebanon. The store is one of 130 independently owned Learning Express stores across the country. Learning Express also has a franchise in Cranberry.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/08178/892571-55.stm

Galleria Agrees To Assessment Increase, Lowers Millage Increase for 2008-2009 Budget

An agreement with the Galleria shopping mall on an assessment increase will allow the Mt. Lebanon school board to lower its projected millage increase in the 2008-09 budget from .59 mills to .25 mills.

The change in assessment covers two prior years and the coming year and resulted in about $700,000 in additional revenue for the district, said Finance Director Jan Klein.

The budget will be presented for a final vote by the board on Monday. If adopted, it will mean a tax hike of about $56 on a home assessed at $225,000.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/08136/881805-55.stm

Coming Soon: Learning Express Toy Store

Mt. Lebanon resident and MLHS graduate David Bahm and his wife Amy will be opening a Learning Express Toy Store in the Galleria mall in June of this year. Their store will be located on the 2nd level next to Mitchell's Fish Market and across from Panera Bread.

I have not heard of this store before, but found the following information from their web site:

Learning Express Inc., is a specialty toy store franchise, with more than 100 locations across the country. As the leader of the specialty toy and children's gift category, we provide a fun and friendly shopping environment, with a knowledgeable sales staff that provides expert advice to parents looking for that perfect toy.

At Learning Express, we pride ourselves on the quality and uniqueness of our toy selection. We carefully select each product to ensure shelves are stocked with unique and innovative products that encourage learning through play, including games and puzzles, developmental toys, arts and crafts kits, science and nature products, construction toys, books, dolls, plush and other unique items exclusive to Learning Express and specialty toy retailers.

As far as I know, this will also be the first toy store in Mt. Lebanon (If I'm wrong and there has been one before, please correct me!)

Good luck to David and Amy in their new business venture!

Link: www.learningexpress.com