< Previous%Locally SourcedLocally Sourced The 911th Airlift Wing in Moon Township has a new commander. Col. John F. Robinson took the reins of the 911th during an assumption of command ceremony Nov. 2. Robinson previously served as the commander of the 445th Operations Group at Wright- Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Now, he will lead the 911th into a new era as it converts its mission capabilities from the C-130 Hercules aircraft to the C-17 Globemaster III. During remarks, Robinson spoke of the positive experience he had at Wright-Patterson and said he is humbled by the opportunity to lead the 911th. “Thank you to the 911th Airlift Wing and Pittsburgh for the warm welcome to the area,” said Robinson. “I look forward to serving with you in the coming years.” Maj. Gen. Randall A. Ogden, 4th Air Force commander, presided over the ceremony in front of an audience of nearly 900 invited guests, including members of the 911th Steel Airmen family and community leaders. “John comes with an incredible background, close to 7,000 hours in the C-17,” said Ogden. “I don’t think you’ll find too many people who know this airplane better.” Ogden boasted about many of Robinson’s accomplishments, both as a pilot and a leader, and said that he will be a great asset to the 911th Airlift Wing. The conversion from the base’s old C-130 aircraft to new C-17s has progressed quickly, but there is still much work needed in order to complete its mission expansion from tactical to strategic airlift capabilities. “In order to grow, you’ve got to be uncomfortable,” said Robinson, speaking of the challenges ahead. Mistakes will be made, he said, and failure is an inevitable part of life. He said that no matter what comes, the 911th and its airmen who belong to that team will continue their journey. “Failure is not fatal and success is not final,” Robinson said, referencing a famous quote as he recounted not only the achievements, but also the disappointments of his career. He encouraged others to persevere and not give up the fight, whatever their mission may be. Col. Robinson assumes command of 911th STORIES SUBMITTED ABOVE: Col. John F. Robinson, 911th Airlift Wing commander, addresses airmen and guests during his assumption of command ceremony at Moon Area Middle School in November. WA Athletic Hall of Fame accepting nominations The West Allegheny Athletic Hall of Fame is still accepting nominations for its 2020 induction class until Feb. 28. Inductees into this year’s class will be honored at the hall of fame’s annual induction banquet May 16 at 6 p.m. at the SNPJ Lodge 106 Imperial Room. Funds raised both from the banquet and the West Allegheny Athletic Hall of Fame’s various fundraising efforts throughout the year help support West Allegheny athletic programs. To nominate an athlete, coach, contributor or team for induction, visit westahalloffame.org. Nominations can be made by either filling out the digital submission form or by downloading and mailing in the application. Tickets for this year’s induction banquet can be purchased at the North Fayette Community Center, the Oakdale Borough office or the Findlay Township Municipal Building. 10 • Allegheny West Magazine • February/March 2020 Clinton UP launching new preschool Clinton United Presbyterian Church in Clinton will be opening a new preschool this fall with a Christian-based curriculum. Class hours run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for 4 year olds and 9 a.m. to noon for 3 year olds. The 3-year-old class will take place Tuesday and Thursday and the 4-year-old class will be Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Students attending the school will also be able to utilize extended hours from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. As well, the school will be offering an afterschool program for elementary students attending Wilson and Donaldson elementary schools. The church is currently a bus stop for the district. See below for more information. Imagine your website working as hard for your business as you do. 412.205.8998 | DDSWebDesign.com Websites that get results. Designed in Pittsburgh Contact us for a free website analysis. Affordable Custom Designs Responsive Sites | Content Management SEO | E-commerce | Hosting | Maintenance February/March 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 11Perspectives Perspectives 5 It was an early June day in 1971 when I was going to end it all. Dad died in 1960 when I was but a boy of 11, and 11 years later, here I sat at his grave, giving up. In May 1971, I finished up my second tour of duty in Vietnam with the Green Berets, 5th Special Forces Group. I was 22 then, going on 60. This is not a story of Vietnam so much but how my dad rescued me from thoughts of suicide. Stay with me, as this story has a happy ending. I was fresh home from the war – my war, as I had experienced man’s inhumanity to man up close and personal. I joined the military in 1968, gung-ho to save the world from communism. I was an innocent, a person whose life was pretty simple up to those Vietnam days. Post-Vietnam, I returned to my small-town life in upstate New York a changed person. I was hardened by the things that I saw and things that I did and things that kept me awake at night. I wanted to be a kid again and have the experiences of the jungle sucked from my brain. I felt like my insides were trying to run away from my body. Anxiety, and what is now better known at PTSD, gave me panic attacks. I had disturbing thoughts, feelings and nightmares. Before Vietnam, I was all over the God thing. I believed in all the stories of the Bible and all the wonders of Jesus that the nuns and priests told us as Catholic school kids. For me, I attended Catholic school my entire life, so I was on board with God and heaven and hell and purgatory, venial sins and mortal sins, and what life was supposed to be about. Except life away from the good ol’ U.S. of A. did not fit the mold. So, the day came when I was going to stop running from the ghosts that haunted me every day. I decided to go to St. Bonaventure Cemetery in Olean, New York, and tell Dad I was done with it all. Life, as I could see it at that time, was too much. I just wanted the pain to stop. I found his grave and sat with my guitar. And I talked to him. I poured out my pain and sorrow and fears and dread. I prayed that if there was a God, that it was time to prove it because I did not want to live anymore. Miraculously, a peace came over me. It was almost like a movie flashing through my brain. All the good memories, the pre-war memories, flooded my body and took away my thoughts of suicide. Dad was there and he saved me. Dad and God. Maybe Dad was God and God was Dad. All I know is that having a place to go where I knew my dad was gave me physical, mental and emotional strength to look for the good in life. I have always been grateful that Mom laid him to rest at a cemetery as it offered a place for me to go to, and to contemplate life. I truly believe that everyone should have that same feeling of being able to visit those people that were important to them in life. I don’t get back to New York much lately, but it gives me peace just to know that Dad is there when I need him. Even today, many miles away from his grave, I can transport my being to his gravesite and hear him and God whisper of the glories of life and the afterlife. And what is that worth in silver and gold? The day my dad saved my life BY DANIEL MORAN What’s new at Robinson’s Run Cemetery Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the October 2019 issue of American Cemetery & Cremation, published by Kates- Boylston Publications, and is being shared with permission. Visit www.americancemetery.com to subscribe. It is being reprinted here at the request of Alan Amoroso, board president, Robinson’s Run Cemetery. VFD members honored This past summer, volunteer members of the McDonald VFD placed markers and flags for its deceased volunteer firefighters both at Robinson’s Run Cemetery and at other cemeteries across the area. The effort entailed researching the resting places of every deceased volunteer firefighter who had served with the department since its inception in 1893. Volunteers then set out to the cemeteries where each was interred and placed both a marker and flag at their grave sites. The effort was headed by firefighter Bob Wasek, Sr. New security cameras installed Last year, Robinson’s Run Cemetery, installed a new security system on its grounds. The system consists of five cameras that monitor both of the cemetery’s entrances, its grounds and the cemetery’s recently constructed columbarium, 24 hours per day. The cameras provide an added layer of security and are intended to give family members of those interred there additional peace of mind. New trees planted Over the past few years, Robinson’s Run Cemetery has lost a number of trees due to strong storms and disease. Recently, the cemetery received a donation of 15 trees to help replace the ones that it had lost. Three trees were donated by family members of loved ones interred at the cemetery. The other dozen were donated and planted through an effort by Jason Gao of Boy Scout Troop 1392 for his Eagle Scout project. Flags for veterans Robinson’s Run Cemetery has no shortage of patriots interred on its grounds. The cemetery, which has some graves dating back to the 1700s, has veterans from just about every major conflict in American history, including the Revolutionary War. Each spring, right around Memorial Day, members of Girl Scout Troop 52540 and Boy Scout Troop 1392 span out across the cemetery to place flags at each veteran’s gravesite. In all, the troops place between 300 and 400 flags at the cemetery. They are again preparing to place flags this coming Memorial Day. Robinson’s Run Cemetery is a nonprofit, non-denominational cemetery located in South Fayette Township just outside of Oakdale and McDonald. For more information, visit www.RobinsonsRunCemetery.org and see the page at right. Jason Gao planted a dozen trees at the cemetery for his Eagle Scout project. Members of the McDonald VFD placed these markers this past summer. CONTENT SUBMITTED 12 • Allegheny West Magazine • February/March 2020y > Learning Curves Learning Curves BY MICHELE P. CONTI Michele P. Conti is an estate planning and elder law attorney. Conti attended Allegheny College in Meadville, Oxford University and Duquesne University School of Law. She received her LL.M. in taxation from Villanova University. She can be reached at (724) 784- 0239 or michele@contilawpgh.com. Do you have a power of attorney in place? What happens if you don’t and the day arrives when you are unable to make a decision for yourself? Typically, your medical and financial durable powers of attorney specify who is authorized to act in your stead and to make decisions for you. If you do not have a current power of attorney, or if your documents cannot be located, then your loved ones may have to seek guardianship from the local Orphans’ Court. Appointment of a guardian for an adult age 18 or older requires a court hearing in which the court must determine whether you can receive and evaluate information effectively. The court will also determine whether your ability to communicate decisions is impaired to such a significant extent that you are either partially or totally unable to manage your financial affairs or meet essential requirements for physical health and safety. Guardianship should not be taken lightly. To be deemed incapacitated equates to being unable to manage your own affairs. What if your loved ones do not agree as to who should be appointed? Oftentimes, a party will contest the guardianship appointment and that leads to additional time and cost. A common misconception is that if someone is cognitively or physically disabled that their next of kin (parent, spouse or child) will automatically become their guardian. Guardianship is not automatic and, without a power of attorney in place, the only way a person can make financial or medical decisions for you is through a formal guardianship proceeding. Rose, a widower with one child, did not have a power of attorney appointing her son as her agent. When the time came and her son needed to act for her, she was suffering from dementia and was unable to sign a power of attorney because she did not have the legal capacity to do so. Both her doctor and financial advisor were unable to provide her son with any information since she had questionable legal capacity and was unable to provide informed consent. Even though there weren’t any additional interested Guardianship vs. POA: Which is better? parties contesting her son acting as her guardian, the court appointed her an attorney. This was done in order to ensure that she, and her interests, were being protected. Rather than be proactive and sign a power of attorney before becoming incapacitated, Rose was forced to face the time and costs associated with guardianship. The process took roughly four months and cost over $5,000, all because she did not have a power of attorney in place. No one knows what the future holds for any of us. Do your family and loved ones a favor. Don’t force them to rely on guardianship when it is so simple and cost-effective to appoint someone to act for you if the day arrives when you are incapacitated. 14 • Allegheny West Magazine • February/March 2020 The Secure Act was signed into law and took effect this past January. If you have an IRA or tax-advantaged company plan, then this piece of legislation, which was recently passed by Congress, most likely affects you. The purpose of the Secure Act, which stands for Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement, is to aid individuals saving for retirement. Statistics abound citing Americans are woefully underprepared for retirement. For many reasons, Americans are not starting to save early enough and, when they do start saving, most are not putting enough aside. In an attempt to improve retirement prospects, the Secure Act has, among other things, sought to change the timing of contributions and distributions. The act took away the age restriction on IRA contributions. Whereas before the Secure Act you couldn’t contribute to an IRA after turning age 70-and-a-half, now you can contribute to an IRA as long as you are working. The Secure Act also pushed back the age at which you are required to distribute funds from an IRA or previous employer’s company plan. Before the act, you had to distribute a required minimum distribution each year starting at age 70-and-a-half. The Secure Act pushed the age back for RMDs to age 72. These changes are meant to allow you to save longer for retirement and delay the taxation of your savings for longer, but the Secure Act isn’t all good. The Secure Act took away the ability to stretch out the tax-deferred nature of your IRA or tax-deferred company plan. This could potentially affect your beneficiaries and create a large tax bill for them upon your passing. Before the Secure Act, the rules allowed for a non-spousal beneficiary, such as your children, to inherit your IRA and gradually take out minimal amounts over their lifetimes. With the Secure Act, those who inherit your IRA are now required to distribute the account in full and pay the taxes associated with the distribution within 10 years. With the passing of the Secure Act, it is time to review and possibly make changes to your retirement and estate plan. Start by reviewing who your beneficiaries are on your IRA and company plans. Work with a financial planner to determine if you need to convert part or all of these assets to a Roth IRA or change which accounts you spend down during retirement and what you intend to earmark for your heirs. Each individual’s situation will warrant different alternatives. Make sure you check in with a financial professional. How retirement and estate planning have changed in 2020 Mia A. Kovacs, CFP®, is a vice president and a financial consultant with Bill Few Associates. She can be reached at (412) 630-6041 or at mkovacs@billfew.com. SUBMITTED BY MIA A. KOVACS, CFP®, BILL FEW ASSOCIATES Mia A. Kovacs February/March 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 1516 • Allegheny West Magazine • February/March 2020lLegislative Update Legislative Update It is an honor and privilege to represent the 37th Senatorial District, which includes North Fayette Township, Findlay Township and Oakdale Borough, as well as the Quaker Valley area, the airport corridor, and the majority of the South Hills. With another year behind us, I wanted to share some of my legislative accomplishments and district activities since being sworn-in as your state Senator in April 2019. I look forward to providing regular updates to Allegheny West Magazine readers, and am excited for a productive year ahead serving the 37th Senatorial District! 2019 Year In Review Improving the Coordination of Veterans’ Services In October, the Pennsylvania State Senate unanimously passed SR 170, legislation I introduced to improve the coordination of services for Pennsylvania’s over 800,000 veterans. SR 170, with strong bipartisan co-sponsorship from 22 Democrats, 15 Republicans and 1 Independent, directs the Joint State Government Commission to establish a task force to study the coordination of the nearly 6,000 veteran service entities in the Commonwealth, including federal, state, local, not-for-profit and private programs. As noted in a 2014 Needs Assessment, lack of programs and benefits for veterans is not the issue, but rather awareness of and access to those benefits. The task force will conduct a comprehensive review and analysis of the programs and procedures in Pennsylvania regarding the coordination of veterans’ services and will issue a report with findings and recommendations to the Senate. With these recommendations, the legislature and state can take informed actions to better accommodate connecting veterans to the benefits that are available and that they have earned. Incentivizing Innovative Recruitment & Retention This legislation would create a new grant program available to fire and EMS departments that think outside the box in their recruitment and retention efforts. An example is already in place at the Peters Township Fire Department, where they provide a “work from home at the station” workspace to allow volunteers to work remotely. Supporting Fire Departments First responders, a critical element of public safety in every Pennsylvania community, are facing a crisis of recruitment and retention. In the 1970s, Pennsylvania had more than 300,000 active volunteer firefighters. Today, there are about 38,000. In response to this ongoing crisis, I have used direct input from fire service personnel to craft a legislative package that will help them as they work to keep us safe. In addition to introducing legislation that benefits fire and EMS departments, I have also supported their annual grant applications to the Office of the State Fire Commissioner to help them maintain top-notch facilities, procure equipment, maintain training and readiness, and remain financially stable. I am proud to report the following grant awards to local departments: • Imperial Volunteer Fire Department Fire Department Grant - $13,426.46 • Oakdale Hose Company, Fire Department Grant - $12,467.96 • Valley Ambulance Authority EMS Grant - $9,192. Improving Fire Department Management Training Under this bill, management training would initially be recommended and eventually required for at least one member of fire department leadership. Additional grant funding would be available to assist departments with leadership training. The training would include legal and fiduciary guidelines, best practices to create efficiency of operations, human resources management, and working with public and elected officials. State Sen. Pam Iovino represents Pennsylvania’s 37th Senatorial District. Her Robinson office is located at 5996 Steubenville Pike. She can be reached at (412) 788-2967. Visit her online at www.senatoriovino.com. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. BY STATE SEN. PAM IOVINO ABOVE: State Sen. Pam Iovino presents Huck Gamble with a Senate Citation congratulating and thanking him for his retirement following 50 years of service to Oakdale. During that time, Gamble served on borough council and in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. BELOW: Iovino is pictured with Congressman Conor Lamb and Kenny Krisovenski in front of Krisovenski’s Eagle Scout project – the refurbished Findlay Township War Memorial, presented at the Findlay Fair in the Woodlands parade. Read and share stories from Allegheny West Magazine! Current and back issues can be read at AWMagazine.com. Copy the URL from individual pages and then share via email and on social media. February/March 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 17lLegislative Update Legislative Update BY PA REPRESENTATIVE VALERIE GAYDOS By the first few weeks of the new year, my House colleagues and I had already put forth several legislative initiatives intended to help make Pennsylvania a better place to live, work and play. In the months ahead, the legislative priorities that we will be tackling during this session can be best described as extensions of our efforts from last year. These measures include assisting our first responders, helping businesses to thrive, improving public safety, reforming the criminal justice system and improving government, just to name a few. So far this year, I have introduced two measures that are intended to reduce the size of the Legislature and help provide affordable health care for small businesses. This spring, we will also host educational and informative events that will help residents of the 44th District stay up to date on the latest developments in state government. A top priority of mine has been listening to constituents and keeping lines of communication open so your voices can be heard. In that spirit, I’d like to share with you details on two key initiatives I am spearheading this session. Reducing the size of the Legislature With 50 senators and 203 House members, our state Legislature is the largest full-time lawmaking body in the country. Cost-wise, it is the second-most expensive state Legislature, behind only California’s general assembly. My bill would cut the size of the state legislature by roughly a quarter, down to 151 members. There is objectively no reason why the House of Representatives must have exactly 203 members. As my colleague Rep. Jerry Knowles (who has himself advocated previously for legislation to enact a smaller state government) notes, the final number of seats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the result of a map-drawing error made after the 1968 Constitutional Convention. When the final map was drawn, the drafters of the map realized that they had miscounted the number of districts and wound up with 203. Because they did not want to draft another map, the number has remained at 203 ever since. By reducing the size of the Legislature, we can provide cost- savings to taxpayers in the amount of $15 million every year. Additionally, shrinking the Legislature would streamline the legislative process and make it easier for members to reach consensus with one another on issues that matter to the people of the Commonwealth. A smaller lawmaking body would lead to better discussion and clearer debate. In order to take effect, this legislation would require an amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution. That means that it would need to pass through both the House and Senate in two consecutive legislative sessions. Following that, it would appear as a question on the next general election ballot, ultimately leaving the decision up to you, the voters. This legislation faces several hurdles but I remain optimistic that this can be done. Pennsylvanians deserve to have a say in how they are represented and I have been overwhelmed by the support this measure has received from the community and my fellow lawmakers, both past and present. I look forward to providing further updates as this bill moves through the Legislature. Providing affordable health care for small businesses This past summer, I invited my colleagues in the Commerce Committee to visit the 44th District and to meet with several businesses in the Greater Pittsburgh region. In so doing, we had the opportunity to speak with many small businesses about the difficulties they face when it comes to offering the kind of insurance that their employees deserve. In light of these conversations, I was proud to introduce a bill designed to assist small businesses with providing additional opportunities for health care benefits to their employees. Specifically, this legislation will provide a mechanism for employers to join together to offer quality health insurance as a benefit for their employees, some for the first time. When small businesses group together, they can spread out the risk across the group and negotiate for discounted health insurance coverage in the same way that large businesses currently purchase health benefits on the group insurance market. This will provide a decrease in costs for small businesses and put the employer in a competitive position to maintain and attract a talented workforce. Save the date for my upcoming events • Telephone Town Hall: Tuesday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. Information about how to participate is available at www.RepGaydos.com. • My office will partner with the Sewickley YMCA for a Family Fun Day on Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. It is a pleasure to serve you. My office is always available to assist you with state-related questions or concerns that you may have. Please do not hesitate to reach out to my office by calling (412) 262-3780. State Rep. Valerie Gaydos represents Pennsylvania’s 44th District. Her office is located at 1009 Beaver Grade Road in Moon Township. Subscribe to her emails at www.repgaydos.com and follow her on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/RepGaydos. Working for Western PA: Legislative Spotlight Express knows jobs. Get to know Express. O ces in Robinson & Monaca 412.494.2000 ExpressPros.com Full-time and part-time opportunities in a variety of positions: Administrative, Professional, Industrial, Skilled Labor, Skilled Trades, and Skilled Professional No Fees! 18 • Allegheny West Magazine • February/March 2020N Your Schools Your Schools STORIES AND PHOTOS SUBMITTED Officer Phil visits Robinson Township Christian School On Jan. 8, Robinson Township Christian School students in grades K through four welcomed Officer Phil to the school. The Officer Phil Safety Program is a national initiative geared toward spreading awareness to school-aged children about important safety issues. The school’s youngest learners gathered in the fellowship hall and soaked up lessons on stranger danger, bullying, car safety and more. Through the use of puppets, tricks and jokes, the program kept children well engaged and encouraged student interaction. The feedback from students was overwhelmingly positive. “The puppets were hilarious. I might be a police officer, too,” said kindergarten student Slade Bombardier. Slade’s mother, Kara, said that she was thrilled that her son learned these vital safety lessons in school. “We stress the importance of these things at home but it’s always nice when a third party comes in and makes these things super fun and easy to learn,” she said. OLSH announces significant increase in financial aid resources Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School recently disclosed a significant expansion of its financial aid program in order to assure that an OLSH education is accessible to all who desire it. According to Cheryl Karashin, OLSH vice president for advancement, “Our new Assuring Access to an OLSH Education Program will demonstrate our commitment to meeting families where they are in terms of their finances and eliminating barriers to the enrollment of their children at our school.” The school continues to maintain one of the lowest Catholic high school tuition rates in the region and has established many new scholarships in recent years. With a growing number of current and prospective families earning under $50,000 per year, administrators realized that OLSH’s existing financial aid program was not enough. Under the terms of the new program, families with the greatest levels of demonstrated financial need may receive financial aid packages from the school for up to 75 percent of the total tuition cost. Families with students entering grades nine through 12 who are interested in learning more can visit www.olsh.org or schedule a visit by calling (412) 262-3300. To be considered for financial aid during the 2020-2021 school year, an application must be completed in full by March 16. The financial aid application opens Jan. 31. Officer Phil visits Robinson Township Christian School. February/March 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 19Next >