M agazine West Allegheny Edition Volume 22, Issue 128 October/November 2020 FREE Direct Mail Community Publication Allegheny West Serving Findlay, North Fayette, Oakdale, Sturgeon and McDonald in the West Allegheny School District One of 4 editions serving 17 airport area communities www.awmagazine.com West Allegheny School District Official Newsletter Inside Page 39 Community shows support for Withrow family Chief O’Donnell retires Findlay volunteers race to lend comfort Indians offense rolls under QB Miller Educators pen children’s book on difficult subject Three area siblings retire from lifelong airline careers Local VFDs adapt to COVIDIn critical moments, excellence matters THE REGION’S ONLY HOSPITAL WITH 16 STRAIGHT As IN PATIENT SAFETY NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED The Leapfrog Group, a national, independent, patient safety watchdog, awarded St. Clair special recognition for the 16th consecutive period, making St. Clair the region’s only hospital to earn an ‘A’ grade for patient safety for 8 years running. The grades rate how well hospitals protect patients from preventable harm, like infections, falls, and medical errors. To learn more about our Hospital Safety Score, or St. Clair’s performance as a national leader in quality and patient satisfaction, please visit stclair.org. 1000 BOWER HILL ROAD | MT. LEBANON, PENNSYLVANIA 15243 | 412.942.4000 | STCLAIR.ORGOctober/November 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 3Now in Our 22 nd Year Proudly Serving the Airport Area P. O. Box 220, McDonald, PA 15057 Phone: 724.673.3161 E-Mail: info@awmagazine.com www.awmagazine.com PUBLISHER AND EDITOR Doug Hughey WRITERS Jill Bordo Jocelyn Grecko Pat Jennette GRAPHIC DESIGN Sarah Kizina WEBMASTER www.ddswebdesign.com CONTRIBUTORS Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber of Commerce, Findlay Township, North Fayette Township Oakdale Borough, McDonald Borough, West Allegheny School District, Western Allegheny Community Library, Erma Dodd, Barb Kleyman FOUNDING PUBLISHER Pat Jennette WE PROUDLY SPONSOR AND SUPPORT: A variety of community, school, and nonprofit organizations in our coverage areas of Cornell, Moon, Montour, and West Allegheny. We are committed to recycling our used and leftover products. We encourage our readers to be responsible and dispose of this magazine when finished enjoying it. Consider passing it along to someone else, or placing it in your neighborhood recycling bins. Thank you in advance for doing your part for our earth. Hughey Publications, LLC also publishes the Moon Edition of Allegheny West Magazine, the Montour Edition of Allegheny West Magazine, and the Cornell Edition of Allegheny West Magazine. Allegheny West Magazine MEMBER @AlleghenyWest “GOOD NEWS ALWAYS, MAILED & DELIVERED FREE, EVERY TIME” Allegheny West Magazine - West Allegheny Edition, is an all positive, good news publication mailed free into the homes and businesses of the West Allegheny School District communities of Findlay, North Fayette, Oakdale, Sturgeon, and McDonald to connect communities, promote people, heighten awareness about the richness of the airport region, and build pride in the western suburbs of Allegheny County. Melinda Snyder, Alexis Zacchera, Cross Bates and Jake Eberhardt pull a hose off a fire truck at the North Fayette VFD station in Hankey Farms. Read more about how the department and others in the area are adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic in the story starting on page 32. PHOTO BY DOUG HUGHEY Dear Readers, Thank you for picking up our October West Allegheny edition of Allegheny West Magazine. I hope this message again finds you well and safe. For most of us, the past six months haven’t been easy. These unprecedented circumstances in which we continue to find ourselves have affected so many of us in so many different ways. As such, COVID-19 once again plays a prominent role in our coverage this month. As a good news magazine, however, we’re also looking at the positive ways in which people are responding to the pandemic. The successes, acts of kindness and selflessness of local people highlighted in this edition say much about the character and makeup of the communities we serve. On page 24, Will Gladden writes about how the Indians football team is adjusting to the unusual circumstances of the current season. After finding their footing, the team is now thriving under first-year head coach David Schoppe and it has gotten a shot in the arm from a resurgent offense led by quarterback Gavin Miller. Read more on page 24. Then, on page 32, we take a look at how local VFDs are adjusting to the pandemic. Like all first responders, the pandemic has put VFD members at greater risk. Read about how departments are adjusting to both the health and economic threats posed by COVID-19 in this month’s story. On page 18, we’re bringing you a profile of a local crocheting group that has found a unique way of lending comfort to those who could use it most. Though their efforts have been complicated by COVID, they’re pressing ahead with an ambitious goal. For the better part of four decades, Mark O’Donnell served the North Fayette community as a member of the township’s police department. Earlier this year, he retired from his position as chief. We talk with him and his successor in our story on page 16, where we also highlight some of the many ways both officers have served the North Fayette community. From the Publisher 4 • Allegheny West Magazine • October/November 2020West Allegheny Edition ~ October/November 2020 Volume 22, No. 128 Locally Sourced Around Your Town Chamberlink Western Allegheny Comm. Lib. Legislative Update Your Schools Penned by Erma On the Horizon 8 10 26 29 34 36 44 45 { } Contents - - - - - - - - 12 16 18 24 28 30 32 39 Columns - - - - - - - - A scarecrow sits in a field with pumpkins at Janoski’s Farm in Clinton. The farm is hosting its family-friendly Pumpkinland festival every weekend through October. Pumpkinland features a pumpkin patch, hayrides, a corn maze, pony rides, a petting zoo and more. Visit janoskis.com/upcoming for more. PHOTO BY DOUG HUGHEY ABOUT THE COVER Doug Hughey, Publisher/Editor Allegheny West Magazine-West Allegheny Edition is published in February, April, June, August, October, and December, six issues a year, Hughey Publications, LLC, P. O. Box 220, McDonald, PA 15057. Mailed and distributed free to residents and businesses in Findlay, North Fayette, Oakdale, Sturgeon, a portion of McDonald, and adjacent areas. Extra copies available at municipal offices, schools, libraries, stores, advertisers, hotels, and businesses. Available by mail subscription for $15 annually. Story ideas welcomed. Community events and announcements from non-profit groups must be received by the 15th of the month prior to publishing date. Announcements are limited to 30 words and must include a contact phone number. Reproduction of any artwork, photographs, or copy prepared by Allegheny West Magazine is strictly prohibited without written consent of Hughey Publications, LLC. Copyright 1999-2020 Allegheny West Magazine. All rights reserved. Views and opinions expressed by contributors and/or advertisers are the responsibility of the contributors and not those of the publisher of Allegheny West Magazine. Be sure to also read a unique story about three area siblings who recently retired from American Airlines after a combined 137 years with the company on page 30. Then, on page 12, check out our coverage of a community event that lent support to a local police officer and his family who have been impacted by cancer. Get caught up on the latest happenings at West Allegheny on page 39 in this month’s WA Today and an update from your local representatives on page 34. Look for our next edition in December, when we’ll be bringing you our special holiday edition. Until then, I hope you will continue to stay safe and healthy. October/November 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 5 Community shows support for Withrow family Chief O’Donnell retires Findlay volunteers race to lend comfort Indians offense rolls under QB Miller Educators pen children’s book on difficult subject Three area siblings retire from lifelong airline careers Local VFDs adapt to COVID WA Today Heritage Valley Health Heritage Valley Health Heritage Valley Health System welcomes Ear, Nose and Throat specialist, Giuseppe V. Staltari, MD to the medical staff at the Beaver, Kennedy Township and Sewickley hospitals. Dr. Staltari is part of ENT and Allergy Specialists of Western PA where he joins Stephen M. Froman, MD, FACS, FAAOA, Michael A. Orsini, MD, FACS, Mary Kendall Rago, MD, FACS, FAAOA and Mariann C. McElwain, MD, PhD. Dr. Staltari received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and completed his residency in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at UPMC in Pittsburgh. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Academy of Otolaryngology and the American Medical Association. Dr. Staltari is accepting new patients at offices in Cranberry Township, Kennedy Township and Robinson Township. To schedule an appointment, please call 412.741.2122. Heritage Valley welcomes ENT Specialist Giuseppe Staltari, MD Giuseppe Staltari, MD 6 • Allegheny West Magazine • October/November 2020Heritage Valley Health Heritage Valley Health October/November 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 7%Locally SourcedLocally Sourced Local resident makes magazine cover Imperial resident Italia Trigona was chosen to be on the cover of The Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh’s annual publication, Amazing Kids. Italia, age 6, is autistic and has a severe speech delay. She has been working hard with therapists at The Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh’s Bridgeville campus to develop dexterity, coordination, sensory processing, expressive language and more. According to an article published about Italia in the publication, she started physical therapy when she was 16 months old. Since age 2, she’s been receiving speech therapy and now has a vocabulary of single words. She has also started speaking two-word sentences. Like many children her age, she’s affectionate and enjoys sports, pretending and painting. Italia is the daughter of Matt and Jenny Trigona of Imperial. Imperial-based children’s author Lauren Scapellato recently released the third installment in her book series “Cam Kablam.” The series’ titular character is a hyperactive 10-year-old with superhuman strength and absolutely no attention span. Cam lives in a city that was built on top of a giant crack leading down into the center of the earth. When disgusting, rampaging monsters from the earth’s core come to town with big plans to take over, Cam has to learn to think fast and use every tool she’s got to defeat Mega Bite and the rest of the monsters and save everyone in Blurg Burg from destruction. “Writing for 7-, 8- and 9-year-olds is perfect for me because I’m often about as quirky and zany as they are, so we get along well,” says Scapellato. “I have no children of my own so my characters are my children.” Scapellato writes under the pen name Liz & Lefty because, “I think if a book is going to be silly then it should start with a silly author, not a serious one who sits back in her armchair and tells a tale she isn’t a part of,” she says. All three books in the “Cam Kablam” series are available for download and on paperback at Amazon.com. North Fayette Community Center reopens Local author releases children’s series CONTENT SUBMITTED The North Fayette Community Center has reopened to members. Lauren Scapellato The North Fayette Community Center reopened to members in September after closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Members are now permitted to utilize the center’s facilities, but must sign a COVID-19 waiver, have their temperature checked and wear a mask while in the building. Masks are not required while exercising. Though some fitness classes have resumed, formal sports programming is still not being offered. However, the walking track, basketball court, locker rooms and fitness equipment areas are open. Occupancy remains at 25 people per active zone. As a result of the community center having been closed, memberships have been extended an additional three months. For fitness class schedules, hours of operation and more, visit www.north-fayette.com or call (724) 307-3725. Italia Trigona of Imperial is on the cover of this year’s Amazing Kids. PHOTO COURTESY THE CHILDREN’S INSTITUTE OF PITTSBURGH 8 • Allegheny West Magazine • October/November 2020Express knows jobs. Get to know Express. Oces 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! October/November 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 9Next >