the almanac M A R C H 31, 2024
SOUTH HILLS COMMUNITY NEWS
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PT unified bocce team wins state tournament in 1st season By Jon Andreassi Staff writer
jandreassi@observer-reporter.com
Peters Township School District’s unified bocce team finished its inaugural season with victory last week. The team won the PIAA state championship tournament March 21 in Hershey. Head Coach Mark Seckar, a math teacher at Peters Township High School, said each member of the five-person squad played their part in the COURTESY OF PETERS TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT three tournament matches. The Peters Township School District’s unified bocce team won the PIAA championship “All of them threw equally tournament in Hershey March 21. well. They all contributed.
Our athletes had some of the biggest throws of the whole competition. There were a lot of nerves, for sure,” Seckar said. Seckar added that they won a “close game” against Northern York County School District to claim first place. The unified sports leagues are sponsored by the Pennsylvania branch of the Special Olympics, and aim to help special needs students participate in athletics. The two athletes on the Peters Township team are Wyatt Johnston and Parker Mamula, who are both
juniors. Also on the team are partner students Reston Lehman, sophomore; Sophia Ellison, senior; and Mark Ripepi, sophomore. Seckar coaches the team with assistant Brian Farrell, a health and physical education teacher at the high school. According to Seckar, the path to Hershey was not easy. They started with eight players, which whittled down to five by the end of the season. He added that Mamula had difficulty stepping up when it was his turn to throw a bocce ball. SEE BOCCE PAGE A2
A low stress election
Ornate baskets filled with lambshaped butter, Paska bread, meats, cheeses and other sweet and savory treats decorate the front of Saint Sebastian Parish in Belle Vernon, before the traditional Easter basket blessing.
Most incumbents running unopposed in April 23 primary By Brad Hundt Staff writer
bhundt@observer-reporter.com
Ash Wednesday, which culminates in joyful celebration on Easter Sunday. During the Lenten season many restrict or abstain from meat, oils and other foods, like chocolate or butter. “What is in the basket and what is being blessed is supper, to be the first meal of Easter. From Good Friday until after the Easter vigil, Catholics are supposed to be fasting,” said the Rev. Anthony Klimko, pastor at Roman Catholic Churches of Southern Fayette. “We’re breaking that fast and partaking in all of these wonderful foods.” All the wonderful foods include Easter basket staples like butter, often shaped like a lamb, to symbolize the richness of salvation, and ham or other meats to represent the joy of Christ’s resurrection. Sausage links represent the chains of death broken by Jesus’s sacrifice and resurrection,
The April 23 primary election is, for the most part, going to be a pretty sleepy occasion for many South Hills residents. The two major parties have already chosen their presidential nominees, both parties have all but formally picked their U.S. Senate candidates, and all the state-level incumbents are running unopposed in the primary. In 2022, state Rep. Natalie Stuck of the 40th Legislative District, had both a Republican opponent in Stuck the primary election and a Democratic opponent in the fall. This time, she has neither. Stuck recently changed her last name on the ballot to her married name from Mihalek. Her district includes Peters Township in Washington County, and parts of Upper St. Clair and Bethel Park. Stuck was first elected in 2018. It will also be a stress-free election season for Dan Miller, the representative of the 42nd Legislative District. No Democrat is running against him in the primary election and no Republican has declared their candidacy for the seat. Mt. Lebanon, Dormont, Castle Shannon, Baldwin Township and portions of Upper St. Clair are all in Miller’s district. He has been a state representative since
SEE BASKET PAGE A2
SEE PRIMARY PAGE A5
COURTESY OF CLIFF GORSKI
Celebration of faith Local churches continue Easter basket blessing tradition By Katherine Mansfield Staff writer
mansfield@observer-reporter.com
On Saturday afternoon, dozens of parishioners holding elaborate baskets filled with sweet and savory goodies gathered inside St. Francis of Assisi Church in Finleyville for the traditional Easter basket blessing service. “The blessing of Easter baskets goes back to at least the Middle Ages,” said the Rev. Robert “Father Bob” Miller, who serves at St. John the XXIII Parish, which includes St. Francis, St. Isaac Jogues Church in Jefferson Hills and St. Benedict the Abbot Church in McMurray. “Immigrants from Eastern Europe, particularly Poland, brought that tradition to this country.” The tradition is rich in culture and symbolism. Christians, especially Catholics, begin a 40-day period of fasting on
COURTESY OF VERONICA KOCHINSKI
Veronica Kochinski and her family smile by their baskets after the Easter basket blessing at St. Mary’s in Windber. Kochinski, of McMurray, spends days preparing the baskets, including making homemade paska bread and kolachky.
Peters Twp. man accused of stealing $120K from Fayette Co. business By Jon Andreassi Staff writer
jandreassi@observer-reporter.com
A Peters Township man is in jail on charges that he stole more than $120,000 from a Fayette County business, and then attempted to extort the owner out of even more money when they discovered the fraud.
Jonathan Michael Deal, 38, was charged March 25 by state police with 373 felony charges of theft by unlawful taking. He faces additional felonies of attempted extortion and unlawful use of a computer. According to the criminal complaint, in November 2022, William Shaffer Sr.
CANONSBURG WOMEN of Southwestern PA hosts annual fundraiser PAGE A2 What’s happening, B3
and his son, William Shaffer Jr., owners of Shaffer’s Fabricating in North Union Township, reported the stolen funds to state police. Court records state that the Shaffers hired Deal in September 2021 to act as the company’s corporate controller and chief financial officer (CFO).
Despite a verbal agreement that he would start at $50,000 per year, Deal is accused of paying himself a $78,000 salary. He then is accused of manipulating the company’s books to make it seem like he was making less. In October 2022, police said Deal listed his salary as
SPORTS Bethel Park expects success on the diamond despite new look PAGE B1 Real estate transactions, A6
$75,000 on an application to receive a $370,500 loan from Rocket Mortgage, which was used to purchase property at 129 Sheffield Lane. Court records list the residence as Deal’s permanent address. Investigators also found that while applying for this
loan, Deal sent an email to Rocket Mortgage posing as Shaffer Sr. to provide confirmation of employment. Shaffer Sr. confirmed to police he did not draft or send the email, and the phone number in the email signature belonged to Deal. SEE STEALING PAGE A2
SIGHTS & SOUNDS Band merges music with the visual arts PAGE B3 Classifieds, B4-6