The Union Aid Society is grateful to the Quaker Valley community for generously supporting the Thanksgiving and the Christmas Food and Gift programs. Due to the continuing downturn in the economy, families new to need participated this year. The very successful gift card distribution made it possible for your neighbors to purchase items needed for holiday meals and presents for their children. We also want to thank those local merchants and organizations (Starbucks, Crazy Mocha, The Ultimate Pastry Shop, Safran’s, Sewickley Public Library and the Sewickley YMCA), who displayed the trees and…

As one who has supported the election campaigns of D. Raja in thepast, posted a lawn sign on his behalf, and talked up his candidaciesto many friends and acquaintances, it is with utter disgust that I note the negative television ad he is currently airing against his opponent in the State Senate race, Democrat Matt Smith.   This disgraceful promotion is particularly outrageous, given that the Raja candidacy was subjected to the slimy, smarmy Mark Mustio campaign in the primary election. For the Raja campaign to take a page out of the same dishonorable playbook is to insult and patronize every…

Hey, Taxpayer, While you were out trying to avoid heatstroke this summer, your state government actually did something. The Pennsylvania Legislature passed another one of those pesky budgets determining exactly what your taxes have bought you this year.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t mind paying taxes if I get a good return on my investment. And what better investment than our children, our future? I’m speaking, of course, about public education. So was this a good return? Let’s see:GOOD NEWSPA. BUDGET PASSED HIGHER THAN GOVERNOR WANTED: Last year, the Legislature cut $818 million from …

I am writing this letter to express outrage at the behavior of the QV school board president Jack Norris at last week’s meeting. The action to purchase almost half the properties on our street in order to destroy them for a parking lot has turned our neighborhood upside down. At this meeting the school board voted to have a $25,000 traffic study done, and at the same time voted to purchase the second home. I asked the question "why not wait until the traffic study is complete before purchasing the second home?" Mr. Norris replied very rudely “we already discussed this,” and screamed something…

I have witnessed the loading and unloading of students for 30 years, including the daily turnarounds in my driveway, without incident. Statistics don’t lie. For 87 years, twice a day, every day, students have been dropped off and picked up by parents without a single accident. This crossing at Beaver Street during rush hour may be the safest place on the planet. Statistics and logical thinking prove it extremely unlikely that there will ever be an accident. We have congestion. This does not mean that we have a safety problem. Congestion slows down traffic and makes it less likely that …

I would like to comment on a paid advertisement from the QV School Superintendent Joseph Clapper that was published in the Sewickley Herald last week. First of all, I would like to say I hope the QV taxpayers didn’t pay for this advertisement. Dr. Clapper stated the reason for his paid ad was to clarify information that was inaccurate or misleading. What is inaccurate is his statement that “Quaker Valley Administrators have had multiple communications and meetings with Leetsdale officials over the past decade.” I have been a member of Leetsdale Borough Council for most of the past 25 years …

Since we only learned recently of the Quaker Valley School Board's plan to take three of the homes in our neighborhood for a parking lot and student drop-off, we have been trying to work with the school to resolve the problem. Some people have suggested the parents take their students to the VFW in Leetsdale to drop them off because it's easy access in and out of their parking lot. We have contacted the Leetsdale VFW and they would very much like to work with the community on this problem and people are welcome to use their parking on Beaver Street. As far as more parking spaces for events, …

Is anyone really considering the legal ramifications of interfering in the absolutely legal sale of private property? If one feels that such properties are worth designating as historical landmarks then I would suggest that potential future prospects be addressed. However, regardless of the courtesies or degree of community influence of petitioners, any presumption that they are endowed with a more cultivated perception of culture and comprehension of historic significance that affirms their right to redefine the rights of private property ownership and transfer is as condescending as it is …

[Quaker Valley School Board Bullies Residents and Waste Taxpayer Money Again!] A group of residents who live in the 700 block of Beaver Street were surprised when they first learned on Feb. 28 of a sneak attack planned by the school board to ruin their quiet neighborhood by tearing down houses and replacing them with a parking lot. This caused the residents to ban together and take their plea and concerns to the school board. Residents complained about never being told about the plan, 80- and 90-year-old residents being forced out by the threat of eminent domain, or agree to a low offer, …

A panel handpicked by Gov. Tom Corbett issued a report last August that recommended the state raise $2.7 billion in new revenue to help finance our woefully underfunded mass transit systems and repair our aging roads and bridges.  Since that time, the legislature has waited for the governor to lead on this issue and say which suggestions he would accept from the Transportation Funding Advisory Commission. After all, he has the power of a veto, and no bill will advance without the backing of the governor. We're continuing to wait, and we are seeing the consequences of the governor sitting on …

I write to express my profound disappointment over the strategy and tactics you have employed to advance your proposed land development.   As you are all well aware, in August, 2011, Sewickley Borough Council passed an amended zoning ordinance. Among the many changes was to designate "places of worship" and "places of assembly" as permitted conditional uses in the R-1 and R-1A zoning districts - the residential districts in the borough. I think the planning commission and council were reacting to concerns that arose from the use of Osborne Elementary School by Northway Christian Church last …

Patch reader James R. Kester shared with us a letter he plans to send tolocal officials, including U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair; Rep. Jason Altmire, D-McCandless; and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. In it, he suggests his ideas for local military realignment.  Gentleman,  Please refer to the above subject regarding federal military budget proposal by the President, Feb. 13, 2012.  I would suggest the following consolidation strategy based on several factors, including cost savings, personnel requirements, economic apportionment, glide path requirements and, above all, …

“Almost.” It’s a scary word sometimes. Like when you put freshly brewed coffee too close to the edge and it ALMOST spills over ...Like  when you’re running late to work, gun that yellow light and ALMOST get clipped by an oncoming minivan ...Like when your tiny toddler teeters at the top of the steps and ALMOST tumbles down ...At times like these, ALMOST is both a terror and a relief. That’s how all of Pennsylvania feels now that our state legislators ALMOST passed a bill to enact school vouchers and expand charter schools.We feel sick that it ALMOST happened, yet relieved that in the end …

“Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind."  -- Proverbs 11:29  The T.E.A.C.H. organization would like to express its outrage at Republican House members for passing a state budget proposal that still cuts over $1 billion from education across the commonwealth. All Democrats and two Philadelphia Republicans voted against the measure. Republicans had been hoping for a unanimous vote among their party. They didn’t get it. This just goes to show how difficult it is for anyone to support this twisted budget. We visited, called, and wrote as many local Republican representatives as…