Category: default || By jt3y

Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Mon-Yough Valley, and all the barges in the river. Let's go to press!

Flash! Dateline, Mexico City, where we learn that the end has finally come for one of Fayette County's most notorious natives:

A fugitive child molester from Fayette County who violated a court order by trying to organize trips for youth choirs has died in Mexico.

John Shallenberger, 87, of Connellsville, had been wanted by Pennsylvania authorities since 1996, when he placed an advertisement in an alumni magazine, seeking young people to join him in Mexico where he claimed to be serving as a Christian missionary. ...

Shallenberger, a former choir director in Connellsville, was convicted in 1975 and 1985 of sexually abusing young boys during choir trips. He was ordered to stop organizing choir tours and recruiting children to sing on those tours. (Steve Twedt, Post-Gazette)

They're going to need to rent mourners, I suspect. I hope Mr. Shallenberger liked the weather in Mexico, 'cause it's plenty hotter where he's headed.

Flash! Dateline, Elizabeth Township, where a local district justice isn't getting any points for his efficiency:

After declaring that he was "not spending the day here," a district judge allegedly told defendants awaiting some 30 traffic hearings that they were all not guilty and ordered them to leave.

"What are you, a bunch of morons?" District Judge Ernest Marraccini asked the defendants when they balked at his order, according to a misconduct complaint filed yesterday by the state Judicial Conduct Board. (Jim McKinnon, Post-Gazette)

In the interest of full disclosure, I've met Judge Marraccini, and found him to be professional. If this happened, I also can understand why the police officers were perturbed.

Let me just say, however, that if I had a traffic citation and the judge told me I wasn't guilty and I could go, I wouldn't "balk." I'd leave so fast that I'd get another traffic ticket on the way out of the parking lot.

Flash! Dateline, Elizabeth Township, where students at the middle school had an unusual visitor:

Elizabeth Forward Middle School students didn't get to meet Bill Cosby, but they got the next best thing.

To help celebrate Black History Month, the students sat down Thursday afternoon to listen to a presentation by Gregory Gibson Kenney, an actor and historical impersonator. Through the educational performance company EDUCATE Us Productions, Kenney takes on the roles of black historical figures. (Celanie Polanick, Daily News)

I happen to be a big fan of The Cos, but given his current legal problems, one might question the timing of this visit. I mean, what did Mr. Kenney do for an encore? The mind reels.

Flash! Dateline, Our Fair City, where they're singin' "how high's the water, mama?" out on Long Run Road:

When there's a heavy rain in McKeesport, there's a traffic jam on Route 48 as workers from Tom Clark Chevrolet drive the new and used cars to higher ground. They learned about the potential for flooding in their car lots in June 1996 and they aren't going to make the same mistake twice.

The city has been trying to get through a flood control project to stop the flooding of Long Run Creek, which caused the problems for the Chevrolet dealership. (Ann Belser, Post-Gazette)

I'll bet watching the employees at Tom Clark jockey cars around during a thunderstorm is significantly more interesting than this year's Pittsburgh Auto Show. And it's free.

Flash! Dateline, Our Fair City, which earned a dubious honor from the publishers of the Pittsburgh Business Times:

Every major city in the state ranks among the top quarter nationally for economic stress factors such as poverty, older housing and unemployment, according to research results released last week by American City Business Journals ...

Leading the way in hardship locally among smaller towns was McKeesport, which, out of 2,886 cities nationwide in that category, ranked 100th. (Dan Reynolds, Pittsburgh Business Times)

I hope American City Business Journals didn't spend too much working on that survey, because anyone could have told them that most of the communities in the Mon Valley are "stressed." Now, does anyone want to offer any solid suggestions about how we can unstress them? Maybe if we seed the water lines with Paxil?

Flash! Dateline, Irwin, where a friend in need is a friend, indeed:

Irwin volunteer firefighters were still buzzing Sunday afternoon about an unsolicited $5,000 donation they received from the Penns Woods Civic Association when an alarm sounded signaling a fire at Irwin Manor, a senior citizens high-rise.

Only their newly refurbished ladder truck was equipped to fight the blaze in a sixth-floor apartment of the seven-story building. ...

"Irwin fire department is grateful for the donation. It is an unexpected neighborly gesture that is deeply appreciated," said (deputy chief Shawn) Stitely. "After all, the Norwin community always has been about neighbors helping neighboring in time of need." (Norm Vargo, Post-Gazette)

No smarty-pants comment here, just admiration for the folks over at Penns Woods Civic Association --- which isn't even in Irwin, it's in North Huntingdon Township. Bless 'em for doing something so unselfish.