Bar battle on South Side

Bar battle on South Side: "Already target of a lawsuit, the city's bar density ordinance faces a new challenge

Pool passes available for Allegheny County parks

Pool passes available for Allegheny County parks: "The Allegheny County Parks Department this afternoon announced that family, individual and senior pool passes are now available for purchase at the Boyce, North, Settler's Cabin and South park administration offices.

Running Mates starts a new blog: My 4 Hour Marathon

My 4 Hour Marathon: "So, I just completed the Pittsburgh Marathon...and was very disappointed with my result!

Go, Mike, Go!

Run Forrest Run!

Obama and Education

In particular, the Obama administration wants to fix middle schools and high schools, focusing on "dropout factories" where two in five kids don't make it to graduation.

This is not the priority for Pittsburgh Public Schools.

The Rightsized Plan had a focus on elementary schools, with one exception, Schenley High School. Schenley was spared the axe then, by the way.

The 'drop out factories' in Pittsburgh have not been getting any attention.

Schenley High School closed, but it was not a drop out factory. Kids from Schenley classes were going to Stanford, for instance.

What is to happen with Oliver, Westhinghouse, Peabody and Langley? The silence has lasted for years.

South Vo Tech closed, but kids were in school at South -- finishing.

Election night parties!

Where are the political parties? Please post in comments. I'll try to confirm and put them in this posting. FWIW, a party mention does not mean an endorsement.

For example:

Luke Ravenstahl, and supporters gather for his election Night Party at the Hofbrauhaus in the South Side Works from 9:00 PM - 11:30 PM.

Pointers welcome in comments............ please. I don't get out much and it is a Tuesday night!

---

Friends and supporters of Sharene Shealey, PPS board member candidate, are invited to join Sharene and the campaign staff at the Evergreen Cafe, 7330 Penn Avenue, for an election night gathering as the polls close at 8 PM on Tuesday, May 19.

Turning corner in life as a two-time "L" now

I'm a "Libertarian." That's known as "L" number 1.

And, I'm, "L," in Roman Numerals.

PITTSBURGH, PA -- May 16, 2009 -- Mark Rauterkus, L, age L, embraces the "L" words: Loving, lucky, lean, and lively.

How frustration builds with a school district

There has been a bit of buzz about the recent fight at Oliver High School. Some footage made it to the web, I guess. So, I dust off my concerns and re-ask on some pressing points.

Oliver is a school without a plan, sadly. Here is one chunk of plans for discussion. The suggestions have been made before. My cooling off period on this matter is passed. Nancy is one of the top administrators for the district of Pgh Public Schools. She helps to launch the new initiatives.

Kodman, Nancy R to Mark

Mark,

There are many good ideas and recommendations from people in the PPS Community that come to central office. Written proposals may be submitted to the District for review through the Superintendent's Office. You may wish to do that with your 13th year option idea and other recommendations that you proposed in your email.

There is a chair and an administrative designee for every Board Committee. The chair and the designee work collaboratively to finalize the agenda. Topics for consideration arise through input from Board members as well as input from staff. Agenda items align with the Board goals and the academic focus and priorities of the District.

I checked into your question about the "new policy where the speakers get a post-card of thanks and a hint of a message as to the topic" following speaking at PPS Public Hearings as you mentioned that you spoke on the topic of 13th grade as an optional choice for students/families in Pittsburgh. I contacted the Public Hearing Office and was informed that a postcard was sent out to you at a 108 S. 12th Street address on February 17, 2009.

Nancy

Okay, sounds good -- but -- the answers she give don't match the questions given. I don't want a form letter reply. I went to the school board meeting and gave public testimony. I didn't get the curtosy reply post card, by the way. I didn't get the questions any attention.

Meanwhile, a new public process with hand-picked participants is brewing about Peabody High School's long term fate. This is in the wake of the prior committee's work that was done while sworn to secrecy in the fall of 08.

I was very happyt to get a voice mail message from Nancy to confirm that I was NOT invited to the hand-picked group to ponder the fate of Peabody.

Some of the lingering elements where I would like feedback from district administration:

What about the 13th grade option?

Let's have a meeting so I can deliver to you this concept and you can then schedule me for a presentation to the board's education sub-committee.

Next, I'd like some feedback from you as to these points in a blog post from April 3, 2009.

http://rauterkus.blogspot.com/2009/04/pittsburgh-peabody.html

To save you the click:

PURE Reform: Proposed options for future uses of Peabody HS: "Proposed options for future uses of Peabody HS"

#1 I think PPS wants 150 IB kids per class, for a total of 600 students (grades 6-12).

#2 I think that we can fit in 50 extra seats for a 13th Grade Option as well. So, round that to 650.

#3 The traditional Frick school (grades 6, 7 and 8) would need to stay at Rise&Shine Middle School. This should be part of the counter plans. What about middle school for IB track? Missing element must be proposed.

#4 Idea: Put 600 at IB Jr. High (Reiz), 200 in each grade (6, 7 and 8). Figure at the leap to HS, 20 kids go each to CAPA & Dice and some to other HSs and even CTE.

#5 By all means, the IB Middle School is NECESSARY to making the IB High -- work. Would 600 in that building be okay with the economics?

#6 Furthermore, the CTE students in certain grades would be able to have half-days at school and half-days at other sites / jobs, etc. The student load with half days could be greater on the CTE side? I know that the kids at South Vo Tech often were out of the building but still in 'school time' as they were on the job.

#7 I don't like the CISCO option for Peabody into the future. It is a dead / close source technology. It is too much like that offered at computers at Brashear and the Sci Tech too.

#8 All our efforts in networks and tech should be with an open-source approach. Perhaps a computer programming / languages model -- to rely upon the thrust of writing and languages (foreign, PERL, JAVA, etc.) would fit.

I reserve judgment if the idea of a mixed IB / CTE school at Peabody makes the most sense. It is a worthy investigation, for sure.

The boutique option of only IB is something that Mark Roosevelt wanted, I dare guess. That isn't a priority of mine.

#9 How about an IB Jr. Sr High School with one or two CTE options -- such as Robotics and Open Source Programming. Don't get all overboard on new programs that would fill the CTE menu and eat up a lot of space.

#10 I think we should still demand a FULL CTE school to be built. State of the art, etc. Wonderful for the trades. That would be, I dare say, in a new site.

#11 I would like to see single gender, city-wide magnets for public high schools put onto the table. These could also include smaller single gender middle schools too. Perhaps there is a push for 6-12 schools. It might be present as an option.

#12 Put a boys high school at Westinghouse and a girls high school at Reizenstein. Or, do it the other way around. Or, flip the gender at the schools every three or four or five years. The other option would be to use OLIVER HS for one gender and Westinghouse for the other. Put 75 kids in each grade, 6, 7, an 8. Put 100 or more in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12.

+ The single gender option would be cheap to implement.

+ The single gender option would sink or soar on its own merits. If they get a good program and good teachers, more will want to go there.

+ The single gender public option could and should compete for students with Oakland Catholic and Central Catholic.

Smile

Michael did well in the meet today.

I posted this to my Facebook page earlier today. Might as well re-post here too.

Mark Rauterkus You fumbled. And the fumble was costly and horrid. But, what to do next -- give a pep talk?
What about scholastic swimming? What about club swimming? What about summer swimming? What about age group swimming? What about recreational swimming leagues? The NCAA poved to be without spines. Now, show some courage and get into the grassroots swim movement as all is not lost -- yet.

We don't need body suits anywhere else.

Go into the ivory tower -- and lick the wounds. Or, get out into the rest of the sport and show more courage and conviction there. And, don't give up the college sport either. Amend. Re-tool. Re-work the rules. What should they be? What specific things should have been done differently?Editorial: The Year of the Suits
Source: http://collegeswimming.com/news/2009/may/15/editorial-year-suits/

Feeling smart?

Then watch this and be cured.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/arthur_benjamin_does_mathemagic.html

Yoni Gottesman -- a wake up call for summer!

Perhaps the worst video you'll ever see.

Yoni Gottesman: "In the summer of 2005, Yoni Gottesman's parents took him to a summer camp. It was supposed to be a fun and exciting experience. It was promised to be a safe experience. Instead, on his first day at camp, little Yoni drowned. In the summer of 2005, Yoni Gottesman's parents took him to a summer camp. It was supposed to be a fun and exciting experience. It was promised to be a safe experience. Instead, on his first day at camp, little Yoni drowned. In the summer of 2005, Yoni Gottesman's parents took him to a summer camp. It was supposed to be a fun and exciting experience. It was promised to be a safe experience. Instead, on his first day at camp, little Yoni drowned.

Don't let this happen!

Mike Lamb's reply

I saw on the web that Michael Lamb made an endorsement or two. Because I don't always have full faith in everything I read on the web, I asked him what's up and if he was making personal endorsements.

Mike's reply to me via his personal email:

I'm not sure what you're looking for but in this election cycle I am serving as Co-Chair of the Committee to Elect Mike Marmo Judge. In my area I am supporting Georgia Blotzer for Council. Also, my friend Anthony Coghill is running in District 4 and I am for him.

Thanks for your interest.

Michael Lamb

Frankly, I'm very glad to see the city controller getting into the fray of politics.

I was so sad in the past when former city controller, now judge, Tom Flaherty, did NOTHING to help oust Tom Murphy from the mayor's office.

It sounds as if Mr. Lamb isn't making any endorsement for the mayor's race. Oh well. It is great to know he is putting some skin in the game in other matters.

Routine Maintenance does not need to take 3 every year. Oliver Bath House request is denied.

A few weeks ago, Mayor candidate, Patrick Dowd, was on 11th and East Carson, just one block from my home in the Historic South Side. He was putting the price tag on the garbage can and talking about waste. Okay. Whatever. I wasn't that excited.

Waste to me also means, "lost opportunities." That's classic Pittsburgh waste. That's what I've come to hate as much as anything.

Doing nothing is wasteful.

The bible parable says it is a sin to put a candle under a basket. If you have a talent, and bury it in the backyard, you've done wrong. You all know the story and get this message.

Not calling 9-1-1 when you see a crime is not as bad as doing the crime, but it is wrong as well.

When Patrick Dowd was in the South Side to talk about waste, I wanted him to talk about what can't be seen as well. He did say that the high costs and self-promotion implied with the price tag on the garbage can is just the 'tip of the iceberg.' I'm hungry for a mayor and a city that gets to the deeper stuff right now.

From hockey hell

The South Side, in this hockey crazy time, has a closed indoor ice rink. This has been a long-standing talking point of mine as it represents so much of the folly that we face on many different fronts. The South Side ice rink (Neville Rink) was once a home ice for practices to the Pittsburgh Penguins. And, the NHL All-Stars once came to town and held a practice skate there.

From playground - usa

The rink was run to the ground in its last years of operation without the due oversight from the city. I complained about that when Gene was our councilman and the chair of the Citiparks Committee. The terms of the contract were constantly broken and without enforcement from the city. Enforcement is another big concept typically.

The rink has been a dark hole in the center of the neighborhood.

We pushed for community partnerships at meetings. We pushed for a RFP by the city. And, we even got the city planning folks to let a Request for Proposals. Pat Ford kicked me out of a meeting at 200 Ross Street to talk about the community process there.

From hockey hell

The Hockey Hell story took another turn as the RFPs were all rejected. The facility would have been re-opened at no cost to the city, with private money. And the city couldn't deal.

From hockey hell

When I ran for city council, we talked about the closed indoor ice rink, the only indoor ice rink in the city other than Mellon Arena about 50 times in community forums and meetings. It was always a point of discussion. One of the other candidates wanted to turn it into a Public Works garage. Another candidate wanted it to be the home for the Zone 3 Police Station.

From Mark Rauterkus & Running Mates ponder current events

Today, the ice rink is a great example of city waste. It is in a park with a padlock. The rink is closed, and so too is the entire PARK. The whole lower park is locked.

From hockey hell

Next up, the Oliver Bath House.

The only indoor swim pool operated by Citiparks is also on the South Side, just one block from where Patrick Dowd talked about the $1,010 garbage cans. The city had 31 outdoor pools, but only one that it owns and operates that is indoors, hence with year-round capabilities.

But, the Oliver Bath House is closed once the outdoor pools open. It is closed for most of June, all of July and all of August. It won't open until after Labor Day in September.

In my professional opinion, and I'm a Certified Pool Operator, a Certified Aquatic Manager and a swim coach and pool manager from 1976 -- there is not need to have the pool closed for so long for routine maintenance.

This is the way things have been for the past 10 years or so. The pool always closes. It is the way they do things.

In the summer of 2009, the area elementary school, Pittsburgh Phillips K-5, is making plans for summer school. Phillips will be a regional site, so kids from other schools (Whittier and Knoxville) will also blend in to get academic help for 19 days in the summer. The summer enrichment program ends July 17.

It would be great to get a group of students in summer school to have a good experiences with fitness, swimming and aquatic sports as part of their summer school afternoons. This becomes a public health concern as well.

The following letter was delivered.

---

April 24, 2009
Pittsburgh Phillips K-5

Dear Mayor Ravenstahl,

As the principal of Pittsburgh Phillips, K-5, I want to express our desire to inquire about the possibilities of utilizing the pool at the Oliver Bath House for
our Summer School students. Our school enjoys an extensive partnership with Citiparks and its recreational leaders that has lasted many years. We have talked about the possibility of adding a swimming component to this year's summer school schedule. Since the daily time frame is short, the only option that would be logistically possible for us is the Oliver Bath House. We could walk from Phillips to the Oliver Bath House each day, saving money and time on buses.

We have met and discussed this option with the folks from Citiparks but our effort to secure permission to use the pool has been unsuccessful. I am wondering if there is a possibility that you could assist our efforts to secure this enrichment experience for our children.

Summer school lasts from June 22, 2009 -- July 17, 2009. We would like to have access to the pool from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM during that time.

Mark Rauterkus, a Phillips parent, certified lifeguard and swim coach with Phillips Elementary, is helping on this project. We will also supply whatever additional lifeguard(s) are necessary to comply with regulations.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
Rodney Necciai, Principal

---

From hockey hell

Mayor Ravenstahl's policy boss, Gabe M, had a full briefing on this matter. Luke had plenty of time to look like a hero at career day in the school. Furthermore, I talked in a casual way with a few members of Pittsburgh City Council on this matter, including Patrick Dowd. His office now gets to see this blog posting.

We need city and school cooperation. That is something Patrick Dowd could deliver as he was on the School Board and he was the chair of the Urban Youth and Recreation Committee as a member of city council.

We need to deploy our facilities so we can do good works. I was there when the Dem Party Leader, Mayor Tom Murphy, closed the Rec Centers and all of the swim pools.

The routine maintenance for the Oliver Bath House can happen after July 17, 2009.

Finally, this request isn't for my kids. My youngest is about to finish at Phillips. They are in older grades. And, this request is for kids invited to summer school by being in an academic realm of 'below basic.'

---

Update: Within an hour, on May 14, I got this message from the Dowd campaign:

Unfortunately, Patrick's schedule is jam-packed through election day so
we're not going to be able to do an event for this. I would recommend contacting
Councilman Kraus if you can.

Best,

Eric Parrie

Bruce Kraus and his staff are very aware of the swim pool's closing to the school children and denied request to the principal. But, this is a MAYOR"s decision.

This statement, one that I love, is printed within the Dowd for Mayor campiagn literature that arrived at our house yesterday in the mail. It sounds great.

3) Expand opportunities for children. On the School board I led the charge to cut waste and put resources into classrooms. And it's working. As Mayor, I'll continue cutting waste to free up resources for education and after-school programs that get kids off the streets and into constructive activities.

Deeds, on the other hand, give me an empty feeling.

PURE Reform - Parents United for Responsible Educational Reform

The bottom line in a complicated matter:

PURE Reform - Parents United for Responsible Educational Reform: "As a result this question will reveal little about whether there are other options respondents would prefer, given complete information and a wider range of choices.

Yes, the survey results are sure to reveal little.

The survey is a facade. The questions were loaded. The best answers can't come from that cloud of options.

The people of Pittsburgh are sure to prefer the choice that includes sensible, coolaborative leaderships.

Pittsburgh needs an educational vision. It must be articulated. It must be debated openly. It must be tweaked and those adjustments need to be clearly understood and visible.

Mark Roosevelt has failed in unfurling an educational vision. His "for all" part is a joke, as in 'Excellence for All.' Sure, there are spots of vision with the opening of a botique school or two. But, even there, the vision is delivered without the collaboration, debate, and adjustments.

The consultants are here and hard at work so as to put another barrier between administration and the parents / taxpayers. The consultants are here to conduct a fishing outing in a quest for the missing elements of leadership and vision.

Who do I support in the May 09 Mayor's Race?

It was asked at another blog, 'Who do I endorse' for mayor in the closed D party primary. Well, I'm a Libertarian and as such, I do not get a vote in the May primary.

All in all, I love some of the replies of Carmen Robinson and her experience as a lawyer, police officer, and women seem most refreshing. But, I don't see her day-to-day energy out on the trails. Proof.

Patrick Dowd is GREAT on paper, but in practice, he has left me empty most often.

I've encouraged those I've talked to to vote for one of the above -- and I expect my wife will do as such. Plus, I also make mention that there are two others who are running for mayor as Indies. It would be GREAT for this city to have heated election(s) in the fall for city offices.

IMHO, this PRIMARY race for mayor is going to be very, very close. Much closer than the status quo minded assume. City residents are smarter than most seem to think.

Dowd's statement / bewilderment about "NO WORK ORDERS" yesterday for the Public Works Department got him some votes, for sure. And, he earned those votes without his typical fanfare. Sadly, Dowd's style squashes much of his substance in overall effectiveness in moving supporters to his ranks.

The Pittsburgh Comet not able to tape a League of Women Voters candidate event

Shame on the League of Women Voters.

The Pittsburgh Comet I do wish I could show you footage of these remarkable events -- however, the League of Women Voters ruled that I might film the proceedings only if all three candidates agreed to it.

Bram, don't ask. Just do it.

Have you been to jail for justice?

Really, that stinks.

Businesses Balk at Pittsburgh Promise Program

Policy Brief An electronic publication of The Allegheny Institute for Public Policy
May 13, 2009 Volume 9, Number 28

According to a Tribune Review report, the Pittsburgh business community has not warmed to the Pittsburgh Promise program. This is the program that plans to offer college scholarships to virtually all graduates of Pittsburgh’s high schools. So far the Promise fund has garnered only $51,000 from businesses while most of the contributions have come from the usual liberal foundations in the City. Foundations that never miss an opportunity to waste money on will of the wisp, do good efforts, especially if they involve public education.

Apparently, the business community has not been convinced of the efficacy or usefulness of bribing parents to stay in Pittsburgh – or attract parents to the City — as a way to increase enrollment in the miserable failure that is Pittsburgh’s high schools. And little wonder. Years of spending vast amounts of public money as well foundation gifts on enormous numbers of programs with precious little to show in return in terms of academic achievement undoubtedly has created considerable skepticism about whether it is advisable to keep propping up this failure with ever more money.

Whereas liberal foundations have the luxury of frittering away money on hopeless causes, businesses, especially in these difficult times, simply must be more level headed and rational about where they put limited resources. After all, firms in the City are already paying taxes to fund the egregiously expensive Pittsburgh Public School District --currently $20,000 per student annually—which continues to have huge percentages of high school students scoring well below grade level proficiency on statewide exams. Given the poor return on investment on their tax money, why would businesses want to waste more money trying to fix the system?

Nominally, a major goal of the Promise plan is to stop the slide in enrollment and begin to turn it around. Enrollment has fallen precipitously in recent years and is forecast to continue dropping. The question businesses must ask is “How does pouring more money into trying to prop up this expensive, poorly performing system benefit y company?”

Firms need a sufficiently well educated and skilled workforce that can help their business thrive and succeed. If they donate some of their limited resources to the Promise program, they may eventually benefit if some the recipients get degrees in disciplines they can use. However, this is a high risk strategy with a low probability of paying off for the firm. Instead, corporations are more likely to spend money on education programs for current employees through either tuition reimbursement programs at area colleges or through training and certification rograms. These two options provide a more direct payoff with a much lower downside risk than does contributing scarce dollars to the Pittsburgh Promise.

Moreover, companies already have high quality alternatives available for helping students get a good education. For example, they can donate to the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese’s Extra Mile Foundation, which provides scholarship aid to needy
children so they can attend one of the Diocese’s Extra Mile Schools in the City.
Companies can also participate in the State’s Education Improvement Tax Credit,
a program that provides a 75 percent tax credit for donations to a non-profit
scholarship or educational improvement organization. The percentage increases to
90 if the business makes the same donation for two consecutive years. The tax
credit is limited to $300,000 annually per firm. Still, the program is very popular as indicated by the fact that the state’s legislatively established annual limit for the program is completely met each year. Indeed, there are calls to expand the current annual tax credit limit.

In short, there are far better places to invest than the Pittsburgh Promise for companies wishing to allocate funds for the purpose of improving education in the region.

If the Mayor wants to attract corporate and business money for educating Pittsburgh’s children, here’s an idea he should try. Establish a scholarship program that will allow City parents to choose an alternative school for their children—be it religious or private. Then see how that plan fares in raising money compared to the Promise plan. It might even lure some of the more sensible members of the foundation community away to support a program for Pittsburgh’s students who would like a choice other than the public schools but cannot afford it.

To be blunt, why would a rational parent opt to keep a child in a failing school district for nine or ten years, robbing them of chance at a good education, if real alternatives to the public schools were available and affordable? Protecting the public school system as it is—and is likely to remain given the powerful groups who are in charge—is a fool’s errand.

And here is the best part of a scholarship funded choice plan. Competition from such a program could force City schools to improve or fade away altogether. That has happened in Milwaukee where public school performance has improved in the years since the voucher program was introduced there. This is a clear win-win situation that businesses should support whole heartedly.

Jake Haulk, Ph.D., President Frank Gamrat, Ph.D., Sr. Research Assoc.

Please visit our blog at alleghenyinstitute.org/blog.
If you have enjoyed reading this Policy Brief and would like to send it to a friend, please feel free to forward it to them.

For more information on this and other topics, please visit our web site: alleghenyinstitute.org

If you wish to support our efforts please consider becoming a donor to the Allegheny Institute. The Allegheny Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and all contributions are tax deductible. Please mail your contribution to:

The Allegheny Institute
305 Mt. Lebanon Boulevard
Suite 208
Pittsburgh, PA 15234

Thank you for your support.

Is the mayor corrupt? Absolutely says Patrick Dowd on KDKA Radio

KDKA Radio's Marty Griffin is a friend of Luke Ravenstahl and Dan Onorato. So, he hated to hear and baited the question to challenger Patrick Dowd.

My instant message to Griffin, who said he has heard no rumblings in law enformcement realms of 'corruption' on the part of the Mayor follows:

If the mayor's office was clean -- then do you think the state would have TWO sets of OVERSIGHT Authorities in town watching every move of the city officials?

Proof of corruption on Grant Street is in Act 47 and ICA.

Another bit of PROOF of corruption is the hush money paid, still to this day, to Pat Ford, with a contract that does NOT permit statements from him nor the mayor.

Poem by Geri Ann called "Mark" for my 50th birthday

Mark

You are the bedroom at the back of the house, the heaps of junk
and Rum Rum cars that exploded from a little sectioned box
tipping out of the corner of your closet.

You are the back yard, shouting out to Chicky and Colin catching balls,
knees and elbows spinning out to grab the next fly.
And that large patch of dirt where grass didn't have time to grow.
That warm dirt, softer than the powder
sprinkled on Vanilla Angel donuts after orchestra on Sundays.

You are Rose Avenue, up for a neighborhood game of Release,
defining back yards and boundaries between telephone poles
convincing Mom and Dad to let us stay out,
even after the street lights came on.
You are those hiding places, under Rhododendrons
where no one is ever found.

You are a chipped tooth, the word "Leftovers!" called before dinner,
and the pounding floor boards under the weight
of acrobats and wrestling matches, even with Mom.

You are canon balls, Fireballs, and Crazy Relay Day when the whole team
swam like dolphins, and windmills, and upside down butterflies.
You are the one who'd still try to win, no matter how ridiculous.

You are the Pennsylvania mountains. And the arm that grabbed me
to say "Look down!" before I jumped over a fifty foot drop.
You are also the bus ride in D.C. and the finger that pointed
to someone asleep on some steps, bundled up in a homeless coat
who said, "Look at everything. And keep looking.
We'll never be here again."

You are all the letters, countless as the stars,
missing from your spelling words. And all the pages
from all the books you printed. You are the monster press
spewing out paper to bind in your South Side basement.
And all the boxes and all the piles of books ready to ship out.

You are the South Side, the shops, the horns, the Beehive, the neighbors,
and Mabel's store across the street filled
with stale Clark bars and ketchup.
You are the rooftops and fireworks every summer.
A ricochet off high rises and burst of sparks
glittering down the Monongahela.

You are the last quarter I had. The one I used to call you
from the Greyhound Station to pick me up in the middle of the night
home from an interview when I didn't get the job.
You didn't say anything. You are the "It doesn't matter"
in situations like that, because you're my brother.

You are the son who bravely trumpets forth and carries our family name,
Rauterkus.
No matter how hard it is to pronounce,
no matter that it's all stripes and checkers,
or that it comes clumsy with trips and blinks.
You wear it like the Thunderbolt,
the oldest wooden roller coaster
climbing the highest hill in Kennywood.

You are the speed on the way down,
as everything inside lifts up into your ribcage
and through your rumbling, airborne heart, midflight.

---

My little sister, Geri Ann McLaughlin, wrote the poem when asked by my wife for a suprise 50th birthday party with some friends and family at Kennywood.

Officially, I turn 50 on May 16th, Saturday. That day includes a swim meet in Monroeville's JCC (the boys are in that) and a wedding. Great fun.

Invite to PPS Facilities Planning Sessions

Like this matters.

Invite details.

Churn looks like this -- not progress

"In the mid 90s, the building underwent a $1.5 million renovation to become Pittsburghs only International Youth Hostel. After experiencing a downturn in international travel following 9/11 the hostel was closed on October 31, 2003.

Can we turn the old police station into a Youth Hostel?

How about if we turn South Vo Tech into a Youth Hostel?

What about Fifth Avenue High School into a Youth Hostel?

What about Gladstone?

Perhaps not the entire building, but a part of it.

The weenies that ran the old Youth Hostel ran it into the ground. That $1.5M investment was lost and it is more than sad.

The second floor of the facility houses one of three state-of-the-art fitness rooms for use by not only Zone 3 officers, but all City police officers. The other two are on the Northside and in Highland Park. Because the fitness room is on the second floor, Nautilus equipment is used instead of free weights. The floor has been reinforced and covered with a special surface to soften the surface and help deaden the sound. The fitness facility is available 24-hours for officers on all shifts.

So we have nice workout areas for the police -- but can't get either the South Side Bath House -- a swim pool already paid for and operational to open so that the kids in summer school have a place to workout in the afternoons. Nor can we get Warrington Rec Center's pool to open.