Student crowds Downtown discussed

Student crowds Downtown discussed She said Pittsburgh's Downtown should still be perceived as 'one of the safest urban centers in the country,' and will be helped further in summer by the partnership's hiring of 'ambassadors' who will walk the streets and serve as extra eyes and ears for police.

I think it is sorta silly to hire ambassadors. We should hire crossing-guards.

I think it is sorta silly to put more and more kids onto PAT buses when we should have some service for school buses to and from neighborhoods to our high schools.

I think it is dangerous to close Schenley High School -- in Oakland. I don't like the idea of moving Schenley HS to the east end into Reisenstein Middle School's building. That would put Westinghouse, Peabody and Schenley all into an area that is too close to each other -- and -- someone else has said it would be "a hornets nest."

Building a guys only campus and a girls only campus is another trend that should be examined in Pittsburgh.

The other cheap and obvious solution, should violence become more and more of an issue for the high school kids is to go to a 'uniform' policy. The uniforms are not 'fool proof' of course, and there is some downside to that move, but, it can help and everything needs to be on the table.

Finally, the kids are not going downtown to play basketball or use recreational facilities. That's for sure as there are no decent facilities for them to gather in productive ways downtown.

Until recently, there used to be a swim pool at the Salvation Army -- closed. There used to be a swim pool at the YWCA -- closed. The gym spaces are for the more up-scale corporate clients in town.

What do we have for our kids to shoot at or to shoot for -- other than themselves? That is the nagging questions I want to ask and fix. I want to attack the problems from the other end of the spectrum, from a holistic approach. We need to challenge and coach our teens.

Seniors vote. Seniors have been not only at the top of the priority list -- but the only thing on the priority list. That mentality has lasted far too long.

We have a generation of kids having babies. We need to give new focus to parenting and support areas such as pre-schools and day cares and playgrounds where coaching occurs.

Just 150 words needed to answer this question

What specific policy initiatives will you implement to improve campus
life, the quality of life in Oakland (South Oakland in particular) and make the city more student friendly?

* Deadline for submission: Monday 2/27/06 @ 5 pm.

This question begs for a few wise guy answers, for blog submissions. Suggestions welcomed.

chill, wait, double fallback, could, should,

Those words don't sound like the words of hockey.

Penguins will wait out slots process - PittsburghLIVE.com The county and city continue to discuss an alternate plan, O'Connor said. They could release details by late March.
'We all want the same thing,' he said. 'We want the Penguins to stay here, and we want a multipurpose arena.'
Onorato's spokesman Kevin Evanto called the Plan B a 'double fallback position.'
'If we lose the team because there's not an alternate plan, then people are going to come unglued because of that,' he said.
Evanto encouraged Penguins supporters to lobby the other casino applicants to include money for an arena in their plans.

What became of grinding it out? Pass, shoot, block, counter-attack. Change lines. Do it again. There is political football -- why not political hockey. A hockey game in the political relm is desired instead of our politicians, dear sports franchises and upstart casino bidders playing a game of chicken with eventual lawyering on the sidelines.

Going somewhere? Vote anyway

Allegheny County Elections Division Announces Absentee Ballot App lication Deadline for March 14 Special Election - 2/22/2006

PITTSBURGH - The Allegheny County Elections Division today announced that County residents who need an absentee ballot for the upcoming March 14 Special Election to fill the vacancy in Pittsburgh City Council District 3 must apply before 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7.

Absentee ballots are available to registered voters who will be absent from their municipality on March 14, or to those who cannot reach the polls because of an illness or physical disability.

Absentee ballot applications may be requested through the mail or in person at the Allegheny County Elections Division, 601 County Office Building, 542 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Eligible voters may also obtain an application by calling 412-350-4520 or by visiting www.dos.state.pa.us.

Registered voters are encouraged to request their absentee ballot application as soon as possible. Applications must be completed and returned to the Elections Division no later than 5:00 p.m. on March 7. An absentee ballot will then be mailed to the applicant.

The voted absentee ballot must be returned to the Elections Division no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 10.

Hoops update

Westinghouse Bulldogs Girls basketball, Overall Record: 22-3, Section Record: 15-1, hosts Schenley's squad tonight, Friday, at 6:30 pm.

In the boys city league....

Schenley powers way to final - PittsburghLIVE.com Schenley advances to the City League championship game next Thursday night at Mellon Arena to face Allderdice, which beat Peabody, 63-43. It will be the Spartans' third trip in a row to the championship game. Last year, they beat the Bears in the title game, and two years ago, they lost the crown to Perry.

U.S. wins first curling medal

Another excuse to drive around town beeping your car horn is here! Curling rocks!

SI.com - 2006 Winter Olympics - U.S. wins first curling medal - Friday February 24, 2006 10:06AM U.S. wins first curling medal

Did you get a peek at the Curling Calendar?

The Curling News Blog They even got a photo of the streaker on the blog.

Libertarian Party Convention in State College, next weekend

The 2006 Libertarian Party of PA Convention gathers in State College, March 4 and 5, 2006

Statewide Candidate Selection and Speakers from PA Clean Sweep, Commonwealth Foundation and PA State Legislature

The Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania (LPPA) released PR and details on the agenda for its 2006 convention in State College. Pennsylvania.

At the convention, the party will nominate its 2006 candidates for statewide office.

This year’s convention is also filled with prominent speakers including Russ Diamond, founder and chair of Operation PA Clean Sweep, Matthew Brouillette, president of the Commonwealth Foundation, and the Honorable Kerry Benninghoff PA House, District 171 (Centre and Mifflin Counties.)

Convention organizer, Barry Dively, said, "I am very excited about the upcoming convention. Our opening reception on Friday evening (March 3rd) provides a fun opportunity for people who care about liberty to gather and share ideas. Our business meetings provide a great way for attendees to contribute to the direction of the LPPA and to learn more about being active in the political process. And this year’s speakers are emerging players in Pennsylvania politics."

Banquet speaker, Russ Diamond, was a key voice in bringing about the repeal of the legislature's massive and unconstitutional pay raise. His organization is working to restore responsible government to the citizens of Pennsylvania.

Matthew Brouilette leads a free-market think tank, the Commonwealth Foundation. The foundation is well known for publishing the Liberty Index which informs Pennsylvanians how well (or how poorly) members of the state legislature and governor’s office defend our liberty.

Kerry Benninghoff is a five term member of the PA state House who has been a strong voice against additional government spending and against tax increases. He serves on the Professional Licensure, Finance and Health and Human Services committees, and chairs the Subcommittee on Human Services.

Members of the Pennsylvania Ballot Access Commission will be attending to conduct a panel discussion on the Voters’ Choice Act as will members of Toastmasters International to conduct a meeting.

David Jahn, Chair of the party, added, "I invite all who are interested in restoring common sense, economic freedom and social tolerance in Pennsylvania to join us in State College." Additional information about the convention can be found at www.lppa.org.

The Libertarian Party is the third largest political party in the United States with more than 600 officials serving in office throughout the nation. Visit www.lp.org for more information on the party.

Expectations especially high for Beijing in '08

SI.com - Olympics - Expectations especially high for Beijing in '08 - Wednesday February 22, 2006 11:41PM: "Even before they're over, the Winter Games in Turin are being overshadowed by Beijing, with expectations soaring that the 2008 Summer Olympics will be like none other.
Beijing Games organizers can be found at venues all over Turin, videotaping security procedures and working in ticketing offices, methodically adjusting the playbook for 2008."

Candidate meeting update - 30th ward

I gave a talk at Knoxville Block Watch - and talked in part about the girls high school basketball game. I gave the game score, 71 to 31, and someone spoke up saying -- it was 71 to 30-something-else. I said, "Where you there?"

Carrick HS is just over the hill from where we were presenting. So, I wasn't certain if a parent of a player or uncle might have been at both events. It was just a remark from the sidelines.

The big news of the night, besides the presence of the City Paper photographer, was the appearance of the 30-year-old Republican -- his first event in public. He mentioned support to avoid TIFs, as M.B. and I generally do, but didn't know -- or miss-spoke -- on the actual meaning of the TIF word. TIF stands for, "Tax Incremental Finance."

Yes, we need to end TIFs. We need to end tax-breaks for corporations. TIFs are a way to have the super rich get richer and the poor get poorer. TIFs make for bad policy. TIFs are not fair. TIFs are confusing and come without an open accounting of their progress and performance.

I've campaigned in the past that TIF laws in Harrisburg should be changed. Futhermore, and most important, we need to elect people who are AGAINST ALL TIFs. The city, under Murphy's rule, and with his fellow Dems, has gone overboard on TIFs.

When TIFs are used, they become a "BRIBE" to get a business to open up here. Often after the tax break fades, so too does the company. They close. Rather, we want sustainable business development.

When TIFs are used, the hurt all the honest business operations who need to compete with the business that gets to pay less in taxes. So, when Lazarus had a TIF and didn't have to pay much in taxes, an established clothing store, perhaps that sold mens' suits, had to compete against Lazarus. The market place gets poison with the TIF as then you need to give a tax-break to be 'fair' to the other store owner too. That can't work.

So, the one's without a TIF vote with their feet -- they leave. They close. And, the one's we want to move to the area to open -- won't. They see how things work here and go elsewhere.

When US Airways went down the tubes and the message was sent out from the US Senators and others in the top elected offices that there would be NO MORE GIVE-A-Ways to US Airways (no new hangars, no new rebates, etc.) -- then Southwest had an opening to move here.

US Airways had LOCKED up all the gates at Pittsburgh's airport. As another firm would start up service -- US Airways would undercut them. As a result, all passengers from Pittsburgh paid more. The lack of competition hurt us.

Playing favorites is a bad way to govern.

Knocked off ballot in Ohio -- for Congress

See the comments for another story about a Careless Congress Critter Want-a-Be.

School kids in China -- wearing uniforms and taking their bikes to school.

State Senator Jim Ferlo was in City Council Chambers today, with a deligation of people from Tiawan. The ambassador and I had a brief chat. He said that I'd been to two of the three Chinas. He's right.

I hope they have a fruitful experience in Pittsburgh.

A+ Schools Brown Bag

I went to the Regional Enterprise Tower to a brown-bag discussion led by A+ Schools as they are rolling out their school report that sums up many academic performance results in a nice book, school by school.

I got my copy of the report last night at a meeting hosted at Pgh Public Schools. It is a nice tool.

Again, my first bit of critical advice is to not pit the city schools against each other. Rather, a family that is going to move out of the city because of schools wants to know how Pgh Public School stack up against suburban schools.

Case in point: The I.B. program at USC just got canned. I.B. = International Baccalaureate program. USC = Upper St. Clair (not St. Clair Village). Pittsburgh has a great I.B. program at Schenley High School.

Presently we're not fighting for the I.B. program, we're fighting for the entire Schenley H.S. experience and location.

People in suburban areas, and I know a lot of them, are green with envy with the way we handle our 'gifted education.' So, the Gifted Center is moving -- to Ridge on the North Side. We might be breaking something that is working.

The move to Ridge is going to be a one-year program. That has to be adjusted right away.

The other strong suit for the city in terms of educational offerings is the magnet program and the languages that are taught at many schools starting in kindergarden. That's wonderful and we're far ahead of most other school districts.

But one of the short-falls of the nice book by A+ Schools is that there are few other markers in the entire book that compare and contrast the academic performance of city kids against that of the kids in the state and suburban districts.

People at one school shouldn't be trying to be as good as another city school -- when the real prize is to be the best in the region -- or the best in the world.

Bob O'Connor agrees.... put the city kids into the WPIAL

A long-standing proposal of mine got the attention of Mayor Bob O'Connor today. He was giving an interview to KDKA about the shootings among our youth in downtown yesterday and at Westinghouse in the morning yesterday too.

Bob went into the school and attended a girls basketball game. I told him the final score and said that we should get our kids into the WPIAL.

He said, "You're right."

I'm ready to make this happen in the first weeks of joining city council.

Say what???? Some readers might not understand what I'm ranting about. Let me explain.

The city schools have a city league. They play against each other day-in-and-day-out. The game yesterday was Westinghouse vs. Carrick, for example, 71-31, final score. That's no fun. Nobody wins.

We have an "iron-curtin" of sorts that rings the city so that the city kids play against city school competition -- and the suburban kids play against other suburban schools. The suburban schools, by and large, are part of the WPIAL (Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League).

Some pre-season, exhibition, post-season, tournament games happen between schools from the city to those from around the region. But, those competitions don't happen as they should, day-to-day.

We need to get our kids to compete in the global marketplace but can't even get them to compete with Shaler Area, Baldwin or Keystone Oaks.

To rally the citizens for the sake of the schools and performance in academics -- we need to hold a rally and celebrate competition from the outside.

Pittsburgh League of Young Voters Education Fund Presents a date on Monday night at 8:30 pm

The District 3 Pittsburgh City Council Candidates Forum

Monday 2/27/06: 8:30 pm

Kurtzman Room, Main Floor University of Pittsburgh’s William Pitt Union

* On March 14th, an election will be held to fill the vacant seat on City Council that represents Central Oakland, South Oakland and parts of the South Side.

* Students make up almost 25% of the 30,000 residents in City Council District 3; your issues deserve to be heard in City Hall.

* Come and meet the 8 candidates who are running to represent YOU on Pittsburgh City Council.

* Find out where the candidates stand on issues such as nightlife, culture, diversity and job/intern opportunities for students.

* Live DJ: Enjoy the sounds of Omar-Abdul (Phonograffiti) on the wheels of steel.

* FREE FOOD: provided by the Pittsburgh League of Young Voters Education Fund.

* For more information contact: The Pittsburgh League of Young Voters Education Fund at 412-728-2197 or pittsburgh@indyvoter.org

This project is supported by the following organizations: The Sprout Fund, The Pitt College Democrats, Just Harvest, Pennsylvania Hip-Hop Political Convention, Everybody Vote, Pittsburgh VIE, Progress Pittsburgh and The Pittsburgh League of Young Voters Education Fund.

"This project supported in part by a Seed Award from The Sprout Fund.”

What to shoot for???

Great to see Bob O'Connor at a high school girls basketball game

The mayor went to a high school girls basketball game. That's great. I've been to a lot of high school sports events -- this year and in the past.

He saw a quarter final game. Just as today, the USA Hockey team plays Finland for a quarter final. There are eight teams in the mix.

The score.... 71 to 37.

Ask yourself why do the kids shoot at each other -- as they have hardly a thing to shoot for in the sporting life within the city league.

Tue., Dec. 6 Greensburg C.C. L 46 - 42 (good game - vs. WPIAL team)
Fri., Dec. 9 at Schenley W 41 - 34
Tue., Dec. 13 Brashear W 48 - 21 POINT PROVEN!
Fri., Dec. 16 Allderdice W 59 - 56 good game!
Sat., Dec. 17 at Clairton W 68 - 42 WPIAL game
Tue., Dec. 20 at Langley W 58 - 31
Fri., Dec. 23 Carrick W 58 - 28
Westinghouse Tournament
Tue., Dec. 27 Peabody W 56 - 30
Westinghouse Tournament
Wed., Dec. 28 Brashear W 59 - 33
Tue., Jan. 3 at Peabody W 62 - 33
Fri., Jan. 6 Oliver W 63 - 24
Tue., Jan. 10 Perry L 47 - 43
Fri., Jan. 13 Clairton W 65 - 30
Tue., Jan. 17 Schenley W 60 - 29
Thu., Jan. 19 Vincentian W 52 - 35
Fri., Jan. 20 at Brashear W 70 - 35
Tue., Jan. 24 at Perry W 49 - 44
Mon., Jan. 30 at Duquesne W 54 - 51
Fri., Feb. 3 at Allderdice W 48 - 40
Tue., Feb. 7 Langley W 54 - 10
Fri., Feb. 10 at Carrick W 55 - 11
Sat., Feb. 11 at Wilkinsburg L 55 - 50
Tue., Feb. 14 Peabody W 66 - 42
Thu., Feb. 16 at Oliver W 62 - 13
City League - Quarterfinals
Tue., Feb. 21 Carrick W 71 - 37

The city league is at the root of the problems as to what we need to fix. I'll fix this.

There was a game in past years when LANGLEY scored but 4 points in a girls HS playoff game.

Nobody wins then.

The 1,000 foot zone.... sounds like the line around a casino too

There is going to be a clear line at a certain distance around our casino too. I'm not yet sure of the distance -- but it will be dramatic. There are lines like those around the casinos in Atlantic City.

On one side, things are very elegant. On the the other -- the pawn shops can begin.

One one side, the private security enforcement works. On the other -- who knows.

This "favorite here" -- vs. -- "unfavorite there" is what is at the core of what I do NOT like. Liberty has to wash over everything with the same light. To thrive, we can't have these division lines here and there.

We need to favor 'no favorites.' One size fits all. Everyone wins when it all works.

Westinghouse Tragedy Spotlights O'Connor's Safety Plan

The irony of this is not good. They form a "safety partnership" and three kids get shot its first week. The shooting downtown wasn't within the 1,000 foot zone.

ThePittsburghChannel.com - News - Westinghouse Tragedy Spotlights O'Connor's Safety Plan PITTSBURGH -- Tuesday morning's tragedy appears to be providing some momentum for Mayor Bob O'Connor's Safety Zone Partnership plan that he announced last week. O'Connor wants a comprehensive plan for creating 1,000-foot safety Zones around all city schools.

I think it is bad public policy to be dumping our kids downtown to get bus transfers. I think the kids in the schools need to be on school buses more than on public PAT buses. I've talked about this before.

The bus routes and the flow of traffic in Pittsburgh is NOT like that in Philly. In a flat mega city like Philly, the kids can better use the buses to get to where they need to go.

In Pittsburgh, we've got some High Schools, and even Middle Schools, that are put in far-flung corners -- such as Brashier. You can't walk along Rt. 51 to get to Brashier. Buses don't really go along that stretch of Rt. 51 to pass by Brashier.

We do have a school that sits at a big junction of many buses -- on South Side -- and that school is up for sale. That is wrong. South Vo Tech sits at a good location for a school building. We need to keep those locations in public control for valued uses -- like for our kids.

The School District should NOT sell off South Vo Tech High School. Not now.

I'm very happy that the kids who are causing some of these problems are getting caught. The kids in the school at Perry last week with a gun got nabbed -- right away -- perfect actions by the school security folks.

Great to see the police swarm and then catch the kids running around by Gateway Center. A citizen saw the one ditch a gun -- he spoke up and that's what we need. Great.

Let's hope that the shooters outside of Westinghouse in the morning violence get caught.

I'm less worried about a 1,000 foot radius -- and do worry about the holistic plan for the entire city and an entire generation (or two) of young people. But, you need to put a line in the sand somewhere.

... We need dogs in our schools to check for drugs and guns," said O'Connor. Dogs are okay at checking for bombs, right. Are they any good finding a hand gun? Dogs might do a good service in the lunch rooms too -- to pick up spilled food from the floor.

Dogs.... I've got a better idea. I think we should have a school or department that is geared to the bio-sciences. The students in that department, say all the juniors, should train from a puppy a work-dog. That would be a valuable life and educational lesson. There are many types of working dogs: assist dogs, etc.

Here is another major need -- and it has been something I've said HUNDREDS of times. We need to re-hire crossing guards. The city used to have crossing guards. The crossing guards are few and far between. The crossing guards were often closer to schools, as well as bus stops. The crossing guards were city employees with a badge and reported to the police chain of command.

The past mayor fired all the crossing guards.

The burden of paying for the crossing guards went upon the schools. That was wrong. I want the schools to pay for teachers, reading coaches, text books --- not public safety.

Crossing guards work the streets, make cars go slower, become hired eyes and ears on all sorts of matters.

Crossing guards are affordable. But, they are also more, much, much more, than a volunteer.

As a city council member -- I'll work to retore and enhance the program for crossing-guards.

Even when the crisis with the guns end -- crossing-guards have a long-term benefit. More people get run down with autos than anything else. The cars are part of the real problems in life. Traffic accidents are a big threat.

A crossing guards can have a car towed that is illegal in an intersection. A crossing-guards can be the eyes and ears -- getting the drug dealing motor home yanked out of the lot next to the school. The crossing guards should be able to write a speeding ticket. The crossing guards can be with radios.

The crossing guards can make things much safer -- without being in riot gear.

Planners approve expansion at Squirrel Hill school

Planners approve expansion at Squirrel Hill school city planning commission decided yesterday to endorse a proposed expansion of Colfax Elementary School rather than wait for results of a traffic study.

The property values of living in a school district with bad schools is way worse than living near a school with an expanded gym.

We need to cut red-tape. When the public speaks, as it did, and with the jam now before the school district, we've got to move.

In terms of the school plans, we always need to be thinking again -- but -- with 'red tape' -- INMSHO (in my not so humble opinion) we (as a city) need to put the 'pedal to the medal and go straight ahead.'

I'm happy to see a K-8 school really house in one building a full range of K-8 students. I'm happy to know of a K-8 plan that evolves into a K-8 by growing the students too.

Editorial: Hold OPEN Primaries

The only fair way would be to hold open primaries South Pittsburgh Reporter

Okay. We are getting some chatter about how we pick our elected officials. Splendid.

The local paper ran a letter to the editor about our election law and the special election process. Click to see the contents.

However, the article has a few technical elements that are not really right on the mark. There are plenty of ways to hold better elections than what we have now. There isn't ONLY one way.

Plus, with a special election, the OPEN PRIMARY would not work. The endorsement was the primary, so to speak. And, because some were able to gather signatures to enter the ballot as a memeber of a political body, while still being a member of a political party -- we have what is very near to an open primary anyway.

Instant run-off elections would be way better than what we have now.

For the record, I'm a member of a political party. I'm a Libertarian. I'll be listed as the third one on the election day ballot. Mark Rauterkus, Libertarian, goes after the Republican and before the Green.

Generally, I like to find real-world solutions to problems and this one was put forth from a friend who is a Democratic Committee Member. He suggested that those who go before the Dem Party Committee to seek an endorsement from the Dem Committee who don't get the endorsement should be banned for the next five years from ever going back to the committee for anything else.

Really, what we've got now is a party problem. The problems are folks who claim to be one thing but are really just being two things at the same time. So, this new, proposed Dem rule, far from me to introduce it, by the way, would raise the stakes so if one does NOT get the Dem endorsement and runs anyway -- they'd not win again. So, real Dem candidates would need to be and stay in the Dem party.

Pat S and Eileen C both ran for the seat -- and then had the grace to get out. Same too with Ed J. Meanwhile, Matt and Mike ran for the seat and had the grace to get out of the Dem party too -- before the endorsement. Nothing wrong there either.

I'd like the Dem party to be more strict with its housekeeping as it would make the alternative party choices more viable. When you can be this one day and then be something else the next day -- while still being that the day prior too -- its double trouble for the voters and confusion sets in.

Clear rules help. Rules within the party and within the election generally.

Let's talk democracy and how to fix it. Ever hear or proportional voting? Ranked voting works wonders too. If there are eight choices, rank candidates 1, 2, 3, and so on.

Now we are in a race where people are voting for the anti-whatever -- and that gets to be really, really goofy when eight are in the race.

The lesser of two evils is still evil.

In a big field, with one vote, you got to choose who you want and you got to hope and understand that there are many others out there that think the same way you do.

Everyone wins when Liberty wins. Everyone understands that. And, everyone who has been a kid is sure to vote for me too. So, (wink, wink), I think I'm the most viable. So, if you're not happy with the way things have been and want to put up a vote that is more anti-establishement than the others, vote for me again.