Munhall

By Mary Niederberger
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A Steel Valley school director has agreed to pay $10,313 in restitution for votes he took to award supplemental contracts to his brother, according to a consent agreement negotiated by the Pennsylvania Ethics Commission.

According to the agreement, school Director Edward McCallister of West Homestead was to make the payment in restitution for votes he took to appoint his brother Shawn McCallister to various extra duty positions within the school district and votes he took to approve payments to his brother for those positions.

The agreement was reached on Dec. 4 to Edward McCallister on Dec. 19. After a 30-day blackout period during which Edward McCallister could have asked for reconsideration, the document became public last week, said John Contino, the commission’s executive director.

Mr. Contino said Edward McCallister already has made his first payment of $5,000, which will be followed by a dozen smaller monthly payments. Edward McCallister could not be reached for comment.

[ Full story available at: http://www.postgazette.com/pg/09026/944593-100.stm ]

By Jason Cato
Tribune-Review

A federal judge on Friday declined to dismiss a lawsuit against Homestead and West Homestead police officers accused of beating and illegally arresting two men during the Steelers’ last Super Bowl appearance.

Joseph Ducar and Jeffrey Hruska claim they were assaulted and unlawfully arrested by officers who responded to calls of people blocking the street and setting off fireworks outside Duke’s Upper Deck Cafe in Homestead during halftime of Super Bowl XL in February 2006. Ducar owns the bar.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge David S. Cercone clears the way for both boroughs and several officers to face a civil trial on charges of excessive force and unlawful search and seizure.

[ Full story available at: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_608606.html ]

Public Works Changes Traffic Pattern Due To Construction

The Allegheny County Public Works Department is changing the traffic pattern near the Rankin bridge because of construction.

The Rankin bridge underpass is now closed, so all traffic heading toward Homestead is being re-routed through a signal intersection and that’s adding big delays.

This is all necessary so contractors can replace the Rankin bridge in sections.

[ Full story available at: http://www.wpxi.com/news/18415405/detail.html ]

By Michael Divittorio
Daily News Staff Writer

“Bill was always Bill.”

That’s how Munhall council President Bernie Shields began his comments about the late William Davis after a moment of silence at Wednesday night’s council meeting.

Davis, who served for 25 years on Munhall council, died Monday.

“Two months ago he was here,” Shields said. “He told me about something that was on his mind. On the way out the door, he wasn’t feeling real well but he grabbed me by the hand. Sometimes he called me Bernie, sometimes he called me Barney. He gave me the nicest compliment.”

“Bill’s been around longer than I have, or as long as (Mayor Raymond Bodnar),” Councilman John Tichon said. “We came to be good friends … we exchanged pleasantries. We’d have spirited debates on issues that we weren’t always in agreement on.

“One thing about Bill is when the discussion was over, we were still friends. We respected each other’s position, and we continued to be friends.”

[ Full story available at: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20224048&BRD=1282&PAG=461&dept_id=182121&rfi=6 ]

Families come in all shapes and sizes, face numerous challenges and, in the end, sometimes the people who love you the most don’t share any DNA.

Those were the sentiments expressed by some students in the Steel Valley School District in the essays they wrote for a contest sponsored by Green’s Funeral Home in Munhall, “What Family Means to Me.”

One student winner was chosen from each of the district’s four schools, Barrett and Park elementaries and the middle and high schools. Winners had their essays read at a recent school board meeting.

The younger students received $50 Barnes & Noble gift cards, while Ashley Wolford received a $100 check and the chance to have her essay entered into a national competition sponsored by Aurora Casket Co.

When senior Ashley, 17, — who was the winner from the high school — heard about the contest she knew it was her opportunity to pay tribute to her stepmother, Gina Wolford.

“The first thing that came to my mind was that I wanted to tell her how much she means to me,” Ashley said.

[ Full story available at: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08353/935734-55.stm ]