Volume 27 No. 10 October 2011
Garden Theater Block seeks historical status By Kelsey Shea
Photo by Kelsey Shea The Garden Theater Block currently sits vacant on W. North Avenue near Allegheny General Hospital.
Saint Nicholas Church will remain standing for now By Kelsey Shea For the time being, the empty and historic Saint Nicholas church building in Troy Hill will remain standing along Route 28. Last month, the Pittsburgh Historic Review Commission denied current building owners St. Nicholas Parish, now located in Millvale, a demolition permit to tear down their old building in Troy Hill due to the church’s historic status. The decision will next go to the city planning commission and then to city council. The parish is now looking at other options for the site, which include appealing the commission’s decision or selling the old church to The Northside Leadership Conference, who would turn the
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building into an immigrant museum. “We’ve had an initial chat, and we covered a wide range of issues. We’re in agreement on many of them,” said NSLC Executive Director Mark Fatla. “There’s a whole plan for the redevelopment of the property as an immigrant museum.” The plans for the museum can be found on the NSLC’s website. “I believe that the best thing we could do right now, would be to demolish it. But I’m not against selling it either,” said Rev. Dan Whalen, of St. Nicholas Church, who noted that the empty building is a financial drain on the church each
See Saint Nicholas, page 10
-News briefs 4 STORIES, COLUMNS, -Allen Place 5 FEATURES & MORE -Free music lessons 9
Garden Theater Block owners, The Urban Redevelopment Authority, and developers, Zukin Realty, are applying to have the prominent Northside block included in the Mexican War Streets Historical District. Zukin applied to the National Parks Service to include the West North Avenue block in the historic district. The expansion of the district would make a significant tax credit available to Zukin. Zukin’s registration form states “As the buildings overwhelmingly had the same use from the time that they were designed to the time that they were vacated, the overall defining forms and architectural characteristics remain intact through the boundary increase.” If Zukin receives the nomination for historical status, it will require specific materials be used and the character of the interior and exterior of the building to be preserved throughout the renovation. However, if a building is included in the Mexican War Streets’ Historic District, the developer can take advantage of a 20 percent federal historic tax credit. Sarah Quinn, the preservation planner with the City of Pittsburgh’s Historic Review Commission, said that applying for historical status is a fairly common practice in the city of Pittsburgh because many of the buildings are
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older, and the tax credit is beneficial. “A national historic nomination is only as good as the person who writes it,” said Quinn, who noted that companies like Zukin hire consultants with a lot of experience to write the nominations. Logan Ferguson, the senior associate at Powers & Co., who prepared Zukin’s application, said that the process of applying for the nomination from start to finish can take up to a year. The Mexican War Streets Historic District boundary increase registration form was prepared by the Philadelphia-based consulting firm, Powers & Co. , in June. Zukin has already filed the registration form, which is in a 60day review period. It will go to a national board for approval on October 4. If approved, the development company must then apply for the tax credit, which Quinn said is an entirely separate process. Though they are making the initial steps, Zukin said they cannot file for the tax credit until they have specific building and renovation plans for the tenants. He was unable to say how many tenants he has secured. Vice president of The Mexican War Streets Society, Dave McMunn, said that when the society initially planned the historic expansion in 1972, it included the Garden Theater Block. At the time, McMunn said
See Garden Theater, page 10
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THE NORTHSIDE CHRONICLE 922 Middle St. • Pittsburgh, PA 15212
October 2011
Community Meetings To have your community meeting included, email editor@thenorthsidechronicle.com Allegheny West Civic Council 2nd Tuesday, monthly, 7:30 p.m. Calvary United Methodist Church 412.323.8884
Manchester Citizens Corporation Quarterly meetings, call for times MCC Center, 1319 Allegheny Ave. 412.323.1743
Brighton Heights Citizens Federation 2nd Thursday, bi-monthly, 7 p.m. Morrow Elementary School 412.734.0233
Manchester Public Safety Meeting Quarterly meetings, call for times Northside Leadership Conference 412.323.1743
Managing Editor Kelsey Shea E-mail: editor@thenorthsidechronicle.com
Brightwood Civic Group 3rd Tuesday, bi-monthly, 7 p.m. Pressley Ridge, 2611 Stayton St. 412.732.8152
Northside Rotary Club Every Friday, noon Cardello Building, 2nd Floor
Advertising Manager Kaitlin Balmert E-mail: advertising@thenorthsidechronicle.com
Brightwood Community Emergency Response Shelter 3rd Thursday, monthly, 6 p.m. 3219 Central Ave.
www.thenorthsidechronicle.com Phone 412-321-3919 • Fax 412-321-1447 Mail Subscriptions are available at a rate of $30 per year.
California-Kirkbride Blockwatch 3rd Thursday, monthly, 7 p.m. 1601 Brighton Rd., 3rd floor California-Kirkbride Neighbors 2nd Thursday, monthly, 7 p.m. 1601 Brighton Rd., 3rd floor 412.758.3898 Central Northside Neighborhood Council
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DISCLAIMER: The viewpoints and opinions of the writers and contributors that appear in The Northside Chronicle do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints, opinions, beliefs or positions of The Northside Chronicle’s publishers, editors, staff and/or affiliates. The Northside Chronicle is not affiliated with any formal political, social, religious, educational or philosophical organization or party of any kind. The materials comprising The Northside Chronicle are provided by various organizations, community groups, advertisers, entities, writers and contributors and are provided as a service to the readers of The Northside Chronicle on an “as-is” basis for informational purposes only. The Northside Chronicle assumes no responsibility for any copyright infringement, errors or omissions in these materials and expressly disclaims any representations or warranties, express or implied, including, without limitation, any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose regarding the correctness, accuracy, completeness, timeliness and reliability of the information provided. The Northside Chronicle is not responsible for damages of any kind arising out of use, reference to, or reliance upon such information. Reference herein to any commercial product, process or service does not constitute or imply endorsement or favoring by The Northside Chronicle. © The Northside Chronicle 2011
2nd Monday, monthly, 7 p.m. Allegheny Traditional Academy 412.231.7742
Charles Street Area Council 1st Monday, monthly, call for times Pittsburgh Project, 2801 N. Charles St. 412.321.5567 Community Alliance of Spring Garden/ East Deutschtown 2nd Tuesday, monthly, 6:30 p.m. Fuhrer Building of St. Michael’s Church 412.977.1979 Deutschtown New Hope Council 3rd Thursday, monthly, 6:30 p.m. Community Center, 623 Suismon St. East Allegheny Community Council 2nd Tuesday, monthly, 7 p.m. Bistro Annex 412.321.1204 Ex-offender Aftercare Support Group Saturdays, 4-5:30 p.m. Allegheny Center Alliance Church 801 Union Place Fineview Citizens Council 3rd Wednesday, monthly, 6:30 p.m. Reformed Presbyterian Home Pennsylvania Ave. 412.231.0330 Mexican War Streets Society 3rd Tuesday, monthly, 7 p.m. AUU Church, Resaca Pl. and North Ave. 412.323.9030
Northside Coalition for Fair Housing Board 2nd Monday, monthly, 6:30 p.m. 1821 Brighton Rd. 412.321.5527 Northside Coalition for Fair Housing Membership Monthly, call for times 1821 Brighton Rd. 412.321.5521 Northside Leadership Conference Call for times 4 Allegheny Center, Suite 601 412.330.2559 North Side Lions Club 2nd and 4th Tuesday, monthly, noon Max’s Allegheny Tavern North Side Public Safety Council 1st Thursday, monthly, 5:30 p.m. Northside Leadership Conference 412.330.2559 Observatory Hill, Inc. 3rd Wednesday, monthly, 7 p.m. Byzantine Seminary, 3605 Perrysville Ave. 412.231.2887 Perry Hilltop Citizens’ Council 4th Monday, monthly, 7:30 p.m. Angel’s Place, 2605 Norwood St. 412.321.4632 The Promise Group Every other Tuesday, 6 p.m. Western Pa. Humane Society 412.321.1019 Troy Hill Citizens Council Sept. 15, Dec. 15 North Catholic High School 412-321-2852 Spring Hill Civic League Sept. 12, Oct. 3 and Nov. 1 Spring Hill Elementary School contact@shcl.org Summer Hill Citizens Committee 3rd Tuesday, monthly, 6:30 p.m. WPXI Television Station community room
October 2011
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Judo fighting takes NSide teen to South Africa by Manushka Gracia-Desgage While extra-curricular sports usually take high school students to different schools and local tournaments, judo fighting has taken Northside teen Devante Tiller around the world. This past July, 18-year-old Tiller won the gold medal at the USA Judo Junior Olympic National Championships in Irving, Texas. He is next headed to South Africa in November to compete for the International Judo Federation Junior World Championships. Although it’s been a rough and rugged road for Tiller, his hard work and dedication culminated in a monumental step towards his dream of competing in the Olympics. “It was a special moment for me [to win] because that was my third time going. The first time I went 0-2, and the second tim, I came in
third, just missing my chance to get on the junior world team,” explained Tiller. “So for me to win and finally make it on the junior world team was just like the old saying ‘The
third time’s the charm’”. Growing up, Tiller was faced with criminal alternatives and activities that were detrimental to his success; Tiller had to learn the
Photo courtesy AYD Devante Tiller at the Liberty Bell Judo Tournament in Philadephia this past spring, where he won a gold medal in the junior division.
importance of making the right decisions at an early age. “There was a lot of trouble to get into, like fighting just for fun or stealing from stores,” said Tiller. ,However, he is thankful for the influence of his family, specifically his mother, who helped him stay out of trouble and focus on what’s important. He is equally as appreciative and indebted to the Allegheny Youth Development program for steering him in the right direction. AYD is an afterschool organization that helps at-risk youth through self-control programs and improving academic performance. “I found out about AYD when I was in eighth grade, and that was one of the best things to ever happen to me. Before AYD, my grades in middle school were below
See Tiller, page 16
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October 2011
News Briefs Mural adds some color to Observatory Hill
A mural depicting little-known history of Perry High School was unveiled Saturday, September 17, in Observatory Hill. The mural was sponsored by Moving the Lives of Kids Murals, a program that involves youth in art by creating murals in public spaces. The mural is painted on the side of Mr. Bill’s Tap and Grill on Perrysville Road on the side of the building that directly faces Perry High School. “What we do is partner professional artists with youth to create public art,” said Joy Taylor, MLK Murals operations director and artist, who noted the positive impact that projects like these have on kids and communities. MLK has created over 200 murals in the city of Pittsburgh, though Taylor believes this is the first in the Northside. Perry High School student and Brighton Heights resident John Grguras was one of the several young people involved in the project. He worked mostly building scaffolding at the site. “It’s fun,” he said. The mural depicts The Battle of Lake Erie, the final battle of The War of 1812. Though the battle was not fought in Pittsburgh, Perry High School was named after The Battle of Lake Erie’s commander, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. The mural was unveiled for the 198th anniversary of the battle. Taylor said incorporating the history of the high school’s names was important to Bill Schmidt, owner of Mr. Bill’s Tap & Grill, who offered MLK Murals the space. “It was really important to him to give back to the community,” she said.
Secretary of Education visits the Northside
Pittsburgh Public Schools caught some national attention last month when U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan visited King PreK-8 in The Northside on August 31. Pittsburgh was Duncan’s first stop on his annual “Education and the Economy Back-to-School Bus Tour.” It was also his first visit to the city.
While at King, Duncan praised Pittsburgh Public Schools for their teacher evaluation program, union flexibility and Pittsburgh Promise Program, according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “There has been tremendous progress made in Pittsburgh,” said Duncan. In addition to praising Pittsburgh Public Schools, Duncan also addressed this year’s state budget cuts that withdrew $1 billion from public schools across the state. “Budgets reflect our values. Anytime we chose not to invest in education we are in challenging times,” said Duncan.
Townhouses to be built on Jacksonia Street
The 100 block of Jacksonia Street in the Central Northside will see six new townhouses with the help of the Central Northside Neighborhood Council and the Urban Redevelopment Authority. The Jacksonia townhouses will be the first phase of a series of the revitalization or constructions of 50 homes in the Central Northside on Jacksonia, Alpine, Carrington, Arch and Sampsonia streets. The CNNC expects construction to begin in the spring and estimates the project will cost $1.8 million, and the two and three-bedroom houses will sell for around $200,000 each. The URA contributed $75,000 to acquire the properties that had been vacant lots for many years, and the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County awarded the CNNC an additional $200,000 grant. The announcement came just weeks after the CNNC announced that the Federal Street townhouses, a project they began in 2006, had all been filled. The CNNC and URA hope to repeat their success on Jacksonia Street. Central Northside Neighborhood Council President Chris D’Addario noted that the council was encouraged not only by the sale of the Federal Street townhouses, but by Central Northside real estate sales in general. “In the Central Northside we’ve seen a solid housing market, and it’s encouraging,” said D’Addario.
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Nonprofit moves intoNorthside school building By Kelsey Shea
After sitting unused for nearly five years, the former Chatham School building reopened its doors this summer as a new nonprofit community center – Allen Place. Northside resident and former nurse, Jerry Allen, bought the building in February of 2010 and began its transformation into Allen Place Community Services, Inc. – a local non-profit that plans to offer health and education services to the Northside community. After nearly two years of renovation, Allen Place held a ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday, August 30, with representatives from Pittsburgh Public Schools, the Northside Leadership Conference and City Council President Darlene Harris in attendance. It officially opened its doors to the public Saturday, September 3, with a dedication ceremony and free health screenings. Allen Place’s mission statement states that “Allen Place Inc. is deeply committed to our mission
Photo courtesy Howard Underwood Owner Jerry Allen and City Council President Darlene Harris cut the ribbon at the grand opening of Allen Place on August 30. of providing health and wellness community.” In the time Allen Place has spent programs to Pittsburgh’s Northside senior residents and for the social, in the building, owner Jerry Allen emotional and educational needs of says she has already seen positive changes in the neighborhood. children and youth by encouraging the healthy development of family “We came into the neighborhood relationships and enhancing the and found out that people had been cultural awareness in the broader killed there. While we were cleaning
the building, we saw 9-year olds running up to cars,” said Allen. “We didn’t see any of that this summer.” When Observatory Hill’s Chatham Elementary School closed its doors in 2005, the three-story school sat at the end of Bonvue Street for three years, empty and unused. In that time, the building became a center for drug activities, loitering and a block away, Cheryl L. Wilds, 47, was killed in violent crossfire in 2008. Pittsburgh Public School District put the building up for sale, and Jerry Allen bought the building for $40,000 in February of 2010. After the initial sale of the building, some Observatory Hill residents expressed concern and were displeased about the sale. “The biggest problem we had was that the school board never gave neighborhood groups any notice,” said Observatory Hill Inc. Vice President Walt Nalducci. “We’ve had our go around on this thing, but we’re hopeful that it’s a successful
See School Building, page 8
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October 2011
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The Northside Chronicle
Affordable, local dental services come to NCHC By Kelsey Shea
The Northside Christian Health Center expanded its services this summer to offer affordable and comprehensive dental services. On June 1, NCHC opened a dental clinic in the basement of its Deutschtown facility on Middle Street that was open three days a week. “This has been a long, long, long time in the works,” said NCHC Executive Director Floyd Cephas. NCHC offers health services to the Northside and other surrounding communities and gives patients alternative payment options that private clinics do not. Patients without dental or health insurance are given the option to pay a co pay for services that is based on their annual income. As of September 1, the clinic is open five days a week and has a fulltime dental assistant and dentist. The overall cost of installing the additional offices was about $150,000. NCHC dentist Dr. Lucia Corvato worked in private practice for 15 years before joining NCHC. “It has been, first of all, an eye opening experience,” said Corvato
who was surprised by the amount of working class families driving in from the suburbs to NCHC because they had insufficient dental insurance or none at all. “It’s nice to be a part of what I see as the reform of the healthcare system,” she said and noted that oral health was crucial to daily activities such as speaking and eating. Previously, doctors at the healthcare center had to refer patients elsewhere for dental problems, but the dental clinic now allows the center to offer more comprehensive care. “It’s been documented that good dental health is directly related to overall health,” said Cephas. NCHC is also planning to bring Allegheny County Health Department’s Women, Infants, Children care program to the third floor of its faculty. They expect to serve over 2,000 children once the center is open. They are currently waiting for WIC to sign the lease. “We want to show the community we love them and how much we respect them by giving them a facility they deserve,” Cephas said.
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October 2011
Allen Place moves into old Chatham School building From School Building, page 5
September NSC Blog Highlights For full stories go to www.thenorthsidechronicle.com/blog The Northside Chronicle Blog is updated daily with photos, event previews, interviews, videos and more. Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog, find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
-Weekly News Roundup -Weekly Events Listings -September 13- Munchkin Mondays at the Science Center -September 19- Heroes and Villains Exhibit at The Warhol.
program,” he said emphasizing that the community supports Allen Place. Allen said she also received complaints about the low price of $40,000, for the building and property which Allegheny County assessed the total land and building value to be $1,026,200. Pittsburgh Public Schools said that there were no other offers made on the building and selling it would alleviate the annual operating cost of $55,000. They also noted that assment costs are not always related to offers. “There were people saying ‘You got the building for nothing,’” said Allen. “You can go back and find records of people who paid $1 for school buildings, but we paid a whole lot more than that,” said Allen. She noted that Allen Place Inc. also put an additional $300,000 into renovating the former school building, and they have seen a significant decrease in crime since putting cameras on the roof. In the past two years, in addition to physical renovations, Allen has also worked in the community to find the ways that Allen Place could best serve the Northside. While conducting a community survey in 2009, Allen talked to a few of the kids on loitering outside of the building. A few of the girls told her they wanted ballet classes, and Allen asked if they had done ballet before. “They told me ‘No, but we’ve seen it on TV,” she said. Allen Place will focus on health
and wellness education and offer free aerobics classes in collaboration with CCAC as well as a variety of other programs in quilting, scrapbooking, horticulture, line dancing and after school tutoring programs. Allen also said she hopes to have an adult daycare in the building by January. The building will also serve as the new location of Holy Family Learning Institute, an alternative school for troubled kids. The new location in Observatory Hill is closer for the students who live in the Holy Family’s residential homes in Brighton Heights and Perrysville than their former location on Ohio River Boulevard. “We’re very pleased,” said Dr. Pam Kovacs, Holy Family executive director for learning. “The fact that it’s in the community is great.” Kovacs also said she is very pleased with the facilities and that even the building inspectors were impressed with how well maintained the school was. Holy Family’s school year started along with Pittsburgh Public Schools last month, and Kovac said the new location is working out very well. Their 65 current students have the entire second floor of the building, several classrooms on the third floor, a library, a computer lab and a gymnasium. For a complete list of services and activities offered at Allen Place, go to www.allenplacecommunity.org.
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BRiX offers affordable wine list to the NSide By Elaine Short
The people who brought Pittsburgh Toast! Kitchen and Wine Bar have opened a new wine bar in Allegheny West. Co-owners Paul Tebbets and Chet Garland teamed up with managing partner and wine director Mike McCoy to create BRiX WoodFired Wine Bar at 900 Western Ave. Tebbets said the reason he and his partner endeavored a second wine bar is simple. “We love food, we love wine, and we like to spread it around as much as possible,” he said. BRiX opened on August 23 and offers an authentic wine-tasting experience serving a variation of portion sizes. Guests can taste up to 60 selections of wine from a 2-ounce “taster,” a 4-ounce “shortie,” an 8-ounce portion in a decanter or a bottle. The menu features a friendly explanation of wines, providing not only the standard label of type, vineyard and year, but also the wine’s reminiscent tastes, such as honey, ripe fruit or vanilla. BRiX is named after the scale used to indirectly measure the
sweetness of wine grapes. Although Toast! and BRiX have a lot in common, Tebbets said BRiX differs from his and Garland’s first venture. With its first-come, firstserve seating, “it’s a more casual atmosphere,” said Tebbets. “Menu items never exceed $19.” “We’re kind of tired of people over charging for wine, and we wanted people to experience the true wine bar feel. It’s offered in other cities and not in Pittsburgh other than Toast. Not until now,” said Tebbets. Tebbets said the Northside had a practical appeal for BRiX’s location. “It’s a walkable community that’s easily accessible from north, south, east and west.” The geographical location was not the only reason these wine enthusiasts opened shop on Western Avenue. “We love the neighborhood, we love the way it’s grown,” Tebbets said, citing the Northside’s “tight sense of community” as another reason to bring one of Pittsburgh’s few wine bars to the neighborhood.
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October 2011
St. Nicholas Church seeks alternaties to demolition From Saint Nicholas, page 1
month. He said the diocese lawyers are currently working to file for a certificate of economic hardship to obtain the permit to demolish the building. If the building is demolished, Saint Nicholas hopes to sell the land to PennDOT, who would widen a narrow stretch of Route 28 that the church is currently obstructing. The problem is that St. Nicholas Church is on a slippery slope, both
literally and financially. The parish is now located in Millvale, where they only have around 225 regular parishioners and not enough money to maintain two historical buildings. The Northside building has cost the church $370,000 since 2004 when it closed, and Father Whalen estimates that currently 20 to 25 percent of offertory funds go into maintaining the old church. “We just don’t have the money,”
said Father Whalen, who noted that their Millvale location was on the national and city register of historic places and is the home of the parish’s famous murals. “The church in Millvale is worth saving, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” said Father Whalen. The hill that the church sits on, which was once the site of a sincegone Croatian community, is also a possible problem. When St. Nicholas first considered selling the Northside church, the engineer they hired told them the hill was collapsing onto the church and could threaten the building. “As responsible citizens, we couldn’t just sit on that,” Father Whalen said. “We have to do something to alleviate that problem.… God forbid something happen.” Father Whalen said the church simply does not have the money to fix the hillside. When the NSLC began talks with the church about buying the building, they also hired an engineer who refuted the severity of the hillside problem.
Though the church closed in 2004, plans to close it had been in the works since 2000, because the Northside’s St. Nicholas church could not financially support itself. The plan was to converge with its sister church in Millvale. Despite the pending closure, several church parishioners applied for the church building to be a registered historic site, against the wishes of the parish in 2001. “The bishop pointedly stated that they did not want it to be designated as a historic site,” said Whalen. Whalen said that since St. Nicholas became a historic site in 2001, the law has since changed and does not allow properties to become historic sites without the owner’s consent. City ordinance number 1101-03 cide A1A7 now states that a religious building cannot be named historic without the owners consent. Another issue addressed is that the next use of the church, if it remains standing, would need to be appropriate from the church’s perspective. “A museum would certainly be an acceptable use,” said Whalen.
Two new updates on the Garden Theater Block Block may be in MWS historic district From Garden Theater, page 1 the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, which makes the determination on the behalf of the National Park Service, excluded this block because it was disconnected from the rest of the district. “I am happy that the issue is being revisited. Truly, the Northside is one entire historic district and should be treated as such, with all the protections and sensitivities in developing historic property(ies),” said McMunn. For more information on The Garden Theater Block’s development, check out www. northsidechronicle.com for continuing coverage.
Plans for a multi-phase redevelopment discussed In addition to applying to be included in the Mexican War Streets Historic District, the URA and Zukin are considering a revised plan for the redevelopment of the Garden Theater Block. The amended proposal for the Garden Theater Block calls for a multi-phase redevelopment of the block, rather than developing the vacant buildings all at once.
In May, the board of directors of the URA accepted a disposition proposal from Allegheny City Development Group, LLC, which is run through Zukin, that proposed the plan adjustments. “Given the difficult current economic environment, the URA is open to an amended proposal for a phased redevelopment of
the so-called Garden Theater Block, whereby several of the buildings could be placed into service by the end of 2012,” said Rob Stephany, executive director of the URA.
“We’re still exploring [the multi-phase plan], but the advantage is that it would allow us to get started on part of project before the rest is finished,” Zukin Realty President Wayne Zukin said.
Zukin said that they plan to start construction on some of the Federal Street properties this month. The original single-phase plan was a factor in hiring Zukin for the project, said Northside Leadership Conference Executive Director Mark Fatla.
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City of Asylum’s 2011 Jazz Poetry Concert
Photo courtesy Renee Rosensteel Sonia Sanchez was one of the many poets to read he work out loud to a full house at City of Asylum’s seventh annual Jazz Poetry Concert
By Kelsey Shea
With bilingual poetry, jazz collaborations and some high flying surprises, City of Asylum hosted its seventh annual Jazz Poetry Concert September 10 on the Northside. Over 600 people attended the concert and filled the New Hazlett Theater, where the it was moved due to a rainy forecast. The concert was originally planned to happen at 500 Sampsonia Way in the Mexican War Streets. “People really had a great response,” said Laura Mustio, administrative assistant at City of Asylum. “A bunch of people even told me that this year’s was our best yet, which is great to hear.” In addition to a lineup of poets, that included Sonia Sanchez, Khet Mar (Burma), Tommi Parkko (Finland), Israel Centeno (Venezuela), Alexandra
Petrova (Russia) and Hind Shoufani (Palestine). The event also featured music from Oliver Lake collaborating with the contemporary jazz trio Tarabay. World-famous acrobats, The Flying Wallendas, were an unannounced surprise for audience members and performed a tight rope act above the stage to a recording of City of Asylum founder Salman Rushdie reading from his novel, “The Ground Beneath Her Feet.” For the first year ever, the concert was broadcast live online for those who couldn’t make it to the Northside for the live show. Any friends, family or fans of the expatriate writers with computers could watch and listen to Pittsburgh’s jazz concert of the year from anywhere in the world, to create an audience as diverse as City of Asylum itself.
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Technology employed in new histories of the Northside By John Canning A forthcoming book from Arcadia publishing that focuses on the history of several Northside neighborhoods hits the markets in early November. Ed and Jim Yanosko, working with the familiar Arcadia template, have researched and authored this new perspective of ordinary Northside folks who lived, worked, played ball, worshiped and grew up in the communities of City View, Spring Hill, Troy Hill and Reserve Township. These two local historians, working with old photos, along with computers, scanners and cell phones, represent a new generation of historians, a far cry from the “ancient” craft of doing history the way many of us were taught. There was a time, not long ago, when history was literally written from massive collections of sources – hand written collections of notebooks and 4x6 note cards. I vividly remember tossing out several shoe boxes filled with 4x6s (all with proper bibliographical notations) from which I wrote a piece of history, long forgotten, and I might say, rather meaningless. It was Studs Terkel who opened the eyes of many of us interested in local history and the history of ordinary folks, of neighborhoods, and of workplaces. My first go round at this was in the mid ’70s. I sent out a group of high school juniors with cassette recorders to gather recollections of life in Woods Run and the role of the Woods Runs settlement house gathered from folks who had lived there in the first half of the 20th century. Then came the wonderful work of Andrew Syka, a resident of Sunnyvale California, who wrote his own remembrances of growing up in Woods Run. Syka wanted to tell his story to his grandchildren. Copies
of his work are in the Allegheny and Woods Run libraries. More recently Larry Berger and Jeff Barron of the Saturday Light Brigade coordinated teams of students in 2009-10 to interview folks who were “born and raised on the Northside.” With the aid of wonderful new technologies excerpts of these “Allegheny Voices” are in printed form at our libraries, and they can be can found in audio format on the following websites: http:// neighborhoodvoices. org/alleghenyvoices and http:// neighborhoodvoices. org/alleghenyvoices-2. Dennis Henderson’s eighth grade students at the Manchester Academic Charter School, working with Ann Canning from the Waynesburg University’s Teaching with Primary Sources program, became young historians in 2008. These students interviewed a number of folks who lived in the Manchester community from the 1920 to the present. The final YouTube versions of their project “Growing Up in Manchester” can be found online at: http://tinyurl. com/3nfeo2a. Just writing these websites is evidence of a whole new language and technology. Gone are the 4x6s! This is an exciting new way of continuing to tell the story of the Northside. On Wednesday, November 2 from 6 to 9 p.m. there will be a book signing event at the Penn Brewery hosted by the Allegheny City Society. Come on down! Have dinner, a pretzel or a beer. Meet the Yanoskos and get your own copy of this new piece of Northside history – “Around Troy Hill, Spring Hill, and Reserve Township”.
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October 2011
Ay According to the rules of pedestrian safety, there are three different situations during your walk in which you should “stop, look and listen” – at an intersection, a crosswalk and an edge. I was drawn to this rule recently as I was going through my walk in life meeting intersections, crossroads and edges, in which I recognized that if I was not careful and remember to “stop, look and listen,” I could misstep and find myself in an unsafe or unhealthy situation. Unsafe or unhealthy doesn’t always mean some sort of danger that might cause a physical harm, but might mean being misled by the appearance that all is well and possibly causing spiritual or mental damage. I had to take a moment and acknowledge the intersections, crossroads and edges in my life and “stop, look and listen.”
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The Healing Space by Ayeshah A. Bulls
‘Stop, Look, Listen’ Stop means to cease, to interrupt, to cut off or to intercept. Every once in a while we must cease running, interrupt conversations, cut off relationships and intercept some things; to just stop and take a moment to observe our surroundings. Our environments, people, relationships, and affiliations; all that are around us that impact our walk in life. Are your surroundings safe or conducive to your growth? Look means to
“Let’s not
make any hasty decisions.”
-John Bulls, my husband
turn one’s eyes toward something or in some direction in order to “see”. An even better definition is to use one’s sight or vision in seeking, searching, examining, or watching. Once you stop and observe your immediate surroundings, what do you actually “see?” Seek, search, examine and watch these influences with a critical eye. At times the most difficult part of seeing something or someone with fresh eyes is accepting the reality of “what it is” and not “what we would like it to be.” Listen means to give attention with the
ear; attend closely for the purpose of hearing. When is the last time you turned your phone, television or music off for the purpose of hearing what your spirit, mind and heart has to say to you? Periodically, it is healthy to shut off the external influences in our lives and listen to what life and the self has to share. The person on the other end of the line, reality TV or popular music cannot give you the answers to the questions of your heart. If anything, these things often create more confusion inside of you. This autumn season, before you step out into the next intersection, crosswalk or edge in your life, take a moment to stop, look and listen. Every now and then, go beyond and deeper than your roles, titles, responsibilities, familial and societal expectations to be sure that your next move is safe and beneficial to your life.
October 2011
The Northside Chronicle
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The Northside Chronicle
October 2011
NSide Judo Champion From Tiller, page 9 average, and I was always in and out of the principal’s office. But after I started judo, they had an academic assistance program that really helped me get on track and focus on my education.” Tiller graduated from Oliver High School in June and was accepted to Penn State University. With his chase of the junior world title, the school granted him an enrollment deferral. He plans to pursue his education, but he also wants to see how far his judo talents can take him. Tiller trains three to four times a week and spends time as a junior instructor, helping with the younger kids and their Judo trainin, at a local middle school. Tiller is training arduously for his next milestone in South Africa. He has started by training with two-time Olympic bronze medalist,
Jimmy Pedro, and several members of the 2011 senior world Judo team. The training will continue with trips to Canada and Belgium to participate in several competitions. “My training is a fun but challenging path to becoming a world champion because there is never a practice where we take it easy. We are constantly pushing ourselves to be better than we were the days before.” Judo has aided Tiller in ways that supersede mere martial arts. It has helped him learn self-control, self-discipline, focus and hard work. It has become a way of life for him. “If you believe in mind, body and spirit, then you take that onto the mat. Through hard work, your dreams can come true. He’s starting to realize that,” said his coach Rick Brown.
October 2011
The Northside Chronicle
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From the office of State Rep. Adam Ravenstahl
School-time safety reminder The school year is under way, and I’m asking you to keep an eye out for students walking to school and to adhere to state laws regarding stopped school buses. Remember, police are watching. About 500 drivers were cited in early September as part of a Pittsburgh police crackdown on speeding in school zones. Officers also cited 12 people for passing stopped school buses while their flashers were blinking. Violating Pennsylvania’s school bus stopping law carries a $250 fine, five points on a driving record and a 60-day license suspension. If you need to refresh yourself on the rules regarding stopped school buses, please visit www. drivesafepa.org, click on the traffic safety information center tab and then click on school bus safety on the left side of the page.
Also, please watch for students in school zones and slow down – the posted limit is 15 miles per hour when required. Speeding violations carry a fine and three points on your driver’s record. And when possible, give yourself extra time to get to where you are going so you can stay calm behind the wheel and pay attention for children heading off to school. Finally, please hang up and drive. Don’t let your cell phone distract you from keeping your eyes on the road. Distracted driving caused by motorists using a cell phone has cost too many lives and caused too many injuries across Pennsylvania. That’s why I am a co-sponsor of H.B. 189 that would ban the use of electronic wireless communications devices while driving in Pennsylvania.
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Allegheny Center Team Properties LLC to Richard Prescott and Richard Pettifer at 1204 Linden Place for $95,000. Brighton Heights Estate of Florence Burkhart to Michael and Nancy McGrath at 1847 Chellis St. for $72,000. Charles Beck to Jennifer Ferris and Chad Glick at 3559 Gerber Ave. for $155,000. Jeffrey Eich to Ahmed McLaughlin at 3714 Atkins St. for $67,000. Christopher Neith to Rebecca Droke at 123 Cobbler Circle for $134,000. Deutsche Bank National Trust Co. trustee to Jeffrey Worsinger at 1906 Morrell St. for $34,000. Thaddeus Appleton to Steven Oberst at 3849 Brighton Road for $77,000. OSPO Properties Inc. to Matthew Troncale and Liliana Piazza at 1142 Goe Ave. for $136,000. Meghan Stoeckle Mager to Kimberly Wykoff at 1840 Perrott St. for $140,000. Estate of Bettie Bennett to James West III at 3526 McClure Ave. for $58,000. Pittsburgh Property Partn. to Timothy Lang at 2024 Termon Ave. for $128,000. Brightwood HSBC Mortgage Services Inc. to Realty Choice Investments LLC at 3233 Langfitt St. for $26,000. William Stanley Ruff trustee to Erica Stubna at 3334
The Northside Chronicle
Rigel St. for $71,500. Barbara Micklos to Lawanda Randolph at 2903 Breker St. for $63,723. Colin McRoberts to Emmanuel Ugobueze at 3401 Massachusetts Ave. for $45,000. Estate of Cecelia Bednar to Federal National Mortgage Assn. at 1210 Thelma St. for $2,017 by sheriff ’s deed. Seth Reichart to Marvin and Hilary Nelson at 1360 Oakhill St. for $63,000. Rebecca Lee to HSBC Bank USA NA trustee at 1121 Ingham St. for $1,706 by sheriff ’s deed. Central Northside Ryan Vandegrift to Brendan and Ashley Piovesan at 1208 Resaca Place for $282,500. Lagom LLC to Akator Lagom Jv at 525 Jacksonia St. for $1 (state deed transfer stamps indicate a value of $37,674). Estate of Ruth Jeter to Michael and Ann Killian at 1512 Buena Vista St. for $92,000. Anthony Baumert to Kent Allen Lindamood and Karen Lynn Rasmussen at 220 Jacksonia St. for $120,000. Central Northside Neighborhood Council to October Real Estate Holdings LLC at 105 Jacksonia St. for $5,500. Pittsburgh City to Lagom LLC at 525 Jacksonia St. for $15,000. Wilma Adams to Frank Quinn at 1216 Monterey St. for $170,000. Estate of Israel Vell Trueheart to US Bank NA at 400
October 2011
Alpine Ave. for $1,506 by sheriff ’s deed. Todd Meyer to Robert Warner at 1505 Buena Vista St. for $285,000. Deutschtown Edward Shaginaw to Mary Alexaides et al. and Alex Alexaides at 712 Cedar Ave. for $50,000. East Allegheny John Lewis Jr. et al. to Raymond Wappes Jr. and Georgia Wappes at 855 Lovitt Way for $7,000. Fineview Realty Choice Investments LLC to David and Seina Smoshkovitz at 208 Langley Ave. for $48,000. Christopher D’Addario to Christine Grenci at 168 Henderson St. for $72,500. Manchester Federal National Mortgage Assn. to S James Wallace at 1114 Bidwell St. for $85,000. Lex Miller to Nancy Davidson at 1403 Pennsylvania Ave. for $5,000. Lex Miller to Nancy Davidson at 1405 Pennsylvania Ave. for $5,000. Manchester Housing Development LLC to Earl Coleman at 1110 Bidwell St. for $215,000. Pittsburgh City to Jason and Janet Byrd at Warlo St. for $200 (state deed transfer stamps indicate a value of $2,340). Marshall-Shadeland
October 2011
The Northside Chronicle
Adam Ross et al. to Jennifer Caul at 1207 Dickson St. for $250 (state deed transfer stamps indicate a value of $10,146). Sean Monaghan et al. to Aritomo Hirano at 2407 Sorrell St. for $15,000. Scott Fullmer to Baylon Sloan at 1602 Forsythe St. for $18,000. Northview Heights Deutsche Bank National Trust Co. trustee to Kevin Chung at 3414 East St. for $107,000. Pittsburgh City to Ronald and Rita Babash at 3629 Colby St. for $200 (state deed transfer stamps indicate a value of $2,574). Observatory Hill Lynn Alderson Fox to Janet and Brian Escobedo at 3839 Perrysville Ave. for $124,000. Karen Maletic aka Hamilton to Midfirst Bank at 3751 Baytree St. for $3,000 by sheriff ’s deed. Realty Choice Investments LLC to David and Seina Smoshkovitz at 27 Bonvue St. for $55,000. Perry Hilltop Patricia Reid to Jason and Rachel Beatty at 321 Marshall Ave. for $81,000. The Pittsburgh Project Inc. to Gavin and Joanna Deming at 447 Marshall Ave. for $25,000. Pittsburgh City to Reformed Presbyterian Womans Assn. at 2319 Maple Ave. for $3,300. Taras Yatsishin to Gary Niezgoda at 446 Kennedy Ave. for $59,900. HSBC Bank USA NA trustee to ACP 3 LLC at 2919 N. Charles St. for $1 (state deed transfer stamps indicate a value of $2,340). William Oberst to Michael Rizzo and Frederick Allen Byers Jr. at 3131 Perrysville Ave. for $213,400. PNC Mortgage to ECO Engineering Inc. at 311 Elsdon St. for $2,200. Bark Properties to Richard Michael Romine at 513 W. Burgess St. for $10,000. Spring Garden
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Mark Ledbetter to Daniel Passner at 1211 Voskamp St. for $5,500. Anthony Narcisi to Gail Florence at 53 Waterfront Drive for $345,000. Thomas Joseph Mogus to Theodore Motta at 1032 Goehring St. for $29,900. Estate of Catherine Huber Brosi to Mark Monahan at 1720 Harpster St. for $10,100. James DeMar to Daniene Fay Watkins at 1035 Spring Garden Ave. for $10,000. Spring Hill Scott Stegman et al. to Riley and Erin Baker at 2216 Harbor St. for $73,140. Estate of Jeffrey Nelson to Rebecca Gee at 1700 High St. for $21,275. Eileen McCollum to Richard Herzer III at 1904 Zoller St. for $66,950. EH Pooled 311 L.P. to Dynamic Business LLC at 940 S. Side Ave. for $14,900. Pittsburgh City to Alisa Eyerman at 2112 Lappe Lane for $3,900. CPI Housing Fund LLC to ECO Engineering Inc. at 97 Royal St. for $10,300. Leslie Carter to Bank New York trustee at 130 Royal St. for $4,064 by sheriff ’s deed. Troy Hill Housing & Urban Development to H1 Management LLC at 1918 Lowrie St. for $14,700. Bank New York Mellon trustee to Eco Engineering Inc. at 2141 Straubs Lane for $7,200. David Kwiatkowski et al. to Brian Faull at 1515 Hoff St. for $35,000. Pittsburgh City to Joseph Craig at 1940 Lowrie St. for $200 (state deed transfer stamps indicate a value of $1,053). Mary Ann Smith Eggers to Celeste and Machaela Pietrusza at 1422 Lowrie St. for $62,000. Pittsburgh City to Paul Johnson at 1422 Lowrie St. for $1,500. Pittsburgh City to Evan Mirapaul at 1812 Rialto St. for $9,000. Virginia Eagle to Loretta Jelinek and William Cypher at 1300 Truax Way for $10,000. Gail Florence to Melonie Nance and UmaMaheswar Duvvuri at 65 Waterfront Drive for $685,000.
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The Northside Chronicle
October 2011
October 2011
The Northside Chronicle
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The Northside Chronicle
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From the office of State Rep. Chelsa Wagner
Bill to put more officers on the streets In the past several months, our public safety professionals in the City of Pittsburgh have been forced to respond to challenges ranging from historic flooding to the arrival of Batman. Meanwhile, violent crime in some neighborhoods and the general welfare of all of our communities needs greater attention. In an effort to help address this issue, I have reintroduced legislation that would allow retired police officers to voluntarily return to service to complement our active police force. Named the Return to Service Act, this bill would allow retired officers to perform part-time police work while still collecting the pensions they earned during their years of active duty. Currently, state law prohibits this. While the rigors of police work are taxing physically and mentally,
officers who retire in their 50s can still make great contributions with their knowledge and abilities. Retired officers could perform traffic control, community relations and confidential clerical work that cannot be done by civilians among many other potential duties, freeing up active officers to prevent and investigate crime in our neighborhoods. Similar programs in cities around the country have resulted in the return of hundreds of officers. With police departments stretched thin and municipal budgets stretched thinner, our communities need the help retired officers can provide. The well-being of our communities requires that we not forego adequate police protection due to the costs, and I believe my bill offers one solution to help address this concern.
October 2011
October 2011
The Northside Chronicle
The Game Page Last Month’s Puzzle Solutions First published in a U.S. puzzle magazine in 1979, Sudoku caught on in Japan in 1986, and became internationally famous in 2005. The aim of Sudoku is to enter a number from 1 through 9 in each space on a 9×9 grid made up of 3×3 subgrids (called “regions”). Some of the numbers have already been given. You may not use the same number twice in a single row, column, or region of the grid. Completing the puzzle requires patience and logical ability.
Crossword puzzles provided by www. bestcrosswords.com / Used with permission.
Chronicle Crossword Across 1- You ___ mouthful!; 6- Satisfies; 11- Early bird?; 14- Ready ___...; 15- Crazy as ___; 16- Bud’s bud; 17- Not o’er; 18- Buy alternative; 19- PC monitor; 20- Strictly accurate; 22- ___ Irish Rose; 24- Bound; 28- Like icy roads; 29- Deutsch, here; 30- Ice cream substitute; 32- Take ___ from me; 33- Go off-script; 35- Miss; 39- Juror; 40- Help; 41- Hydrox rival; 42- Corm of the taro; 43- Facial expression used by Elvis Presley; 45- Attendee; 46- Senate attendants; 48- Narcotic; 50- Of late occurrence; 53- 15th letter of the Greek alphabet; 54- Pong maker; 55- Land’s end?; 57- Greek X; 58- Sacred song; 60Ascends; 65- Alway; 66- Battery terminal; 67- Weeps; 68- Hit sign; 69- Bring down; 70- Consumed; Down 1- Junior; 2- 100 square meters; 3- Actress Balin; 4- Speck; 5- Greek goddess of wisdom; 6- Cobb, e.g.; 7- Novelist Waugh; 8- Exactly; 9- Aurora’s counterpart; 10- Furtive; 11- 1961 Heston role; 12- Pierced with horns; 13- Courageous; 21- Lawless character; 23- Related by blood; 24- Godly love; 25- Wined and dined; 26- Cooked by frying; 27- Inappropriate; 28- Blubber; 30- Makes like a bird; 31- Travel on; 34- Hamlet, e.g.; 36- Bellowing; 37- Handle; 38- Philosopher Kierkegaard; 43- Cpl.’s superior; 44- Frolic; 47- Beast; 49- Penetrate; 50- Speed contests; 51- Early anesthetic; 52- Capital of Egypt; 53- Western; 55- Pack away; 56- Give up; 59- Lennon’s lady; 61- 401(k) alternative; 62- Join a poker game; 63- Shoebox letters; 64- Nine-digit ID;
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Sudoku