Archive for February 26th, 2009

By Moriah Balingit
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Munhall Police Chief Patrick Campbell said he was sickened when one of his officers, Michael Curtin, was charged last year with soliciting teenage girls online for sex and offering them money to allow him to suck their toes.

So he said he was disappointed when Mr. Curtin, who was fired by the borough a year ago when allegations arose, received only five years probation under a plea agreement when he was sentenced two weeks ago. The probation terms forbid Mr. Curtin from using computers or texting on his cell phone.

He said earlier this week that he planned to write a letter to the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office expressing his disagreement with the way the case was handled.

“With the severity of what the charges were and the fact that he was placed in a position of trust and authority in this town, I think it would be appropriate to see some jail time out of that,” he said.

[ Full story available at: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09057/951716-55.stm ]

By Mary Niederberger
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Move over Ty Pennington. You’re about to get some competition from students at Steel Valley High School who are planning their own Mon Valley version of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

About 100 students — members of The Future Is Mine and the Environmental Club and some of the high school’s vo-tech students — plan to spend May 1 and possibly May 2 making outside improvements to 15 homes within the school district’s boundaries.

The work will include such activities as cutting grass, planting flowers and grass, mulching, pulling weeds, painting and building ramps.

The event is part of Pittsburgh Cares Hands on Pittsburgh project, which will involve more than 2,000 youth and adult volunteers working throughout the region on volunteer projects.

But instead of being assigned to one of the more than 100 service projects sponsored by Pittsburgh Cares, the Steel Valley students decided to create their own project that benefits residents of the district, said Ryan Dunmire, a business education teacher at Steel Valley High School who is the sponsor of The Future is Mine.

[ Full story available at: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09057/951715-55.stm ]