the almanac S e p t e m b e r 29, 2024
SOUTH HILLS COMMUNITY NEWS
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‘Shale revolution’
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A look back at 20 years of gas drilling in the region Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of stories reflecting on 20 years of gas drilling in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
By Rick Shrum
For the Observer-Reporter rshrum@observer-reporter.com
Mount Pleasant Township is among the most appropriately named municipalities in Southwestern Pennsylvania. It is pleasant, to be sure, a friendly, bucolic town of about 3,300 residents nestled in its gently rolling hills. Shane Maga has lived there comfortably for a long while. Yet, when asked to reflect back nearly two decades, he recounted a time of discomfort and uncertainty over the anticipated arrival of a little-known entity. “People were scared out of their wits about fracking,” said Maga, chairman of the township supervisors. “No one really knew how things would work out, but we tried to make the best of it.” Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, dates to the 1860s in the United States. But in the eastern part of the country, that process did not have a significant impact in the extraction of oil and natural gas from shale and other rock formations until near the turn of the 21st century. In the early 2000s, it appeared the county, and the township, which were sitting atop the expansive Marcellus Shale formation, were destined to become familiar with fracking. “We started to see benefits and advantages,” Maga said. Fame would be among Mount Pleasant’s benefits. In early October 2004, high on a hill off Sabo Road, Range Resources Corp. successfully fracked a well on the Renz farm.
PAUL PATERRA/OBSERVER-REPORTER
Three Bethel Park students are looking to raise mental health awareness for their peers with a suicide prevention club. From left are Max Lemessurier, Jackson Friday and Lily Yester.
BP trio works to raise mental health awareness By Paul Paterra Staff writer
ppaterra@observer-reporter.com
In this 2011 file photo, a gas well worker with Universal Well Services uncouples equipSEE SHALE PAGE A2 ment used in the fracking process at a site in German Township, Fayette County.
Three Bethel Park High School students know firsthand the pressures their classmates face and the toll it can take on mental health. In response, seniors Jackson Friday and Max Lemessurier, along with sophomore Lily Yester, have formed a suicide prevention club. The club stems from the efforts of a Next Gen Board of High School Students created at the Spencer Family YMCA in Bethel Park. One of its members, recent Upper St. Club graduate Ben Seminov, was touched by a youth hockey player suicide, leading to the efforts of the Bethel Park students. “We’re trying to get the word out about mental
awareness, mental health in young athletes,” Friday said. “We’re just trying to get the word out and build on that. The statistics we’ve seen are pretty bad with young athletes. It takes a toll on them with their academics and athletics and everything else that goes with it.” According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the third leading cause of death among student athletes ages 15 to 24, trailing only accidents and homicide. A study authored by researchers from the University of Washington, The University of Wisconsin at Madison and Oregon Health and Science University said suicide rates among college athletes have doubled during the last two SEE TRIO PAGE A2
SF teacher chosen for 2024 Peace Teachers Program By Paul Paterra Staff writer
ppaterra@observer-reporter.com
A South Fayette High School teacher is one of 26 educators in the country to be accepted to the 2024 Peace Teachers Program of the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP). Dr. Felix Yerace, in his 20th year with the district, was the lone Pennsylvanian selected to join this year’s cohort of Peace Teachers. “This is a very prestigious organization, and knowing that I’m the only educator from Pennsylvania, it’s an honor,” he said. “Anytime I do something, it makes me a better educator and it’s something that I can apply with my students and my colleagues as well.”
USIP was established by Congress in 1984 as an independent institution devoted to the nonviolent prevention and mitigation of deadly conflict abroad. “The idea for the USIP actually came from George Washington,” Yerace said. “When George Washington was president he felt there needed to be an institute of war and an institute of peace. The institute of war was West Point. The institute of peace actually took another couple of hundred years and was signed into law by President (Ronald) Reagan.” The Peace Teachers Program is a virtual professional development opportunity for SEE PEACE PAGE A2
THE PEACE TEACHERS PROGRAM IS A VIRTUAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS COMMITTED TO EDUCATING YOUTH ON INTERNATIONAL PEACE. PITTSBURGH Bicycle ride honors fallen Mt. Lebanon FBI agent PAGE A2 What’s happening, B3
COURTESY OF THE SOUTH FAYETTE SCHOOL DISTRICT
Dr. Felix Yerace oversees student activities in recognition of the recent United Nations International Day of Peace.
SPORTS Bethel Park’s Fisher takes third place in WPIAL singles PAGE B1 Real estate transactions, A6
SIGHTS & SOUNDS Walking trails provide healthy income source PAGE B3 Classifieds, B4-6