West Homestead

Forgoing sleeping late and staying warm, around 2,000 University of Pittsburgh students awoke early Saturday morning to participate in the university’s inaugural Make-A-Difference Day.

On one of fall’s chilliest mornings, they convened around 8:30 on the lawn of the William Pitt Union in Oakland, where they boarded buses and headed to more than 40 different sites, from West Homestead to North Park to Penn Hills.

Shawn Ahearn, the spokesman for Pitt’s Division of Student Affairs, said he was surprised at the turnout, but very pleased.

“It was pretty special to see the student sacrifice on a Saturday morning,” he said.

Senior Ryan Haddad, a member of the student government board, said the event grew out of a smaller cleanup project in Oakland, where many students already do community service. He said he wanted to get students out of their home turf.

[ Full story available at: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08294/921351-85.stm ]

A former West Homestead police chief was resentenced yesterday in federal court for having a relationship with a 14-year-old.

David Ausburn, 39, received the same 12-year prison term from U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Schwab as he did in April 2006 at his original sentencing.

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered that Mr. Ausburn be given a new sentencing hearing because Judge Schwab did not give enough reasons at the time to justify a prison term of twice the top end of the advisory guideline range.

[ Full story available at: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08284/918977-100.stm ]