the almanac D E C E M B E R 1, 2024
SOUTH HILLS COMMUNITY NEWS
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ZACH PETROFF/FOR THE OBSERVER-REPORTER
All aboard! Daniel Cocks holds up a miniature tree to show off the detail that went into creating the small world.
JON ANDREASSI/OBSERVER-REPORTER
The train gang’s display at Washington Crown Center.
A Christmas pastime keeps chugging along By Jon Andreassi
“A number of us said, ‘That’s not a bad idea,’” Bodnar said. When it comes time to bring together the group’s railroad, each member has built their own module, which can all be latched together to form a larger model. Bodnar explained that the modules are built to international standards to ensure everyone’s piece of railroad will fit. “We could take our modules to Portugal and hook them up with somebody there,” Bodnar said. Due to the modular nature of the railroad model, Bodnar says the group can build, tear down and relocate the railroad. Information about where the railroad will be appearing throughout the year can be found at shmrrc.org. The most popular stop each year is always the Holiday Market. Bodnar estimates they get 500 to 600 people who stop to see their work.
Staff writer
jandreassi@observer-reporter.com
For many, the sight of a model train racing around the base of a Christmas tree is an indelible holiday memory. As collecting and building model railways has become an increasingly niche hobby, however, it has become a less common sight for younger generations. For several years the South Hills Model Railroad Club has brought some of that magic to the annual Winter Market and Holiday Celebration in uptown Mt. Lebanon. David Bodnar, the club’s treasurer, said the group will set up their display at the Mt. Lebanon municipal building from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. According to Bodnar, the South Hills group formed more than a decade ago when club President Jeff Graybill held a meeting at Mt. Lebanon’s library to discuss forming a group for train hobbyists. Dave Murphy of Scott Township arranges items on the model railroad display.
SEE PASTIME PAGE A2
Cryptic currency Making sense of bitcoin and other digital exchange By Brad Hundt Staff writer
bhundt@observer-reporter.com
The human mind has conquered diseases and blasted men into space, but there are some things that are still tough to wrap your brain around. Nuclear physics. Astrophysics. The intricate workings of artificial intelligence. And, for many people, cryptocurrency. The term cryptocurrency is rushed by us in news reports, along with related terms like bitcoin and blockchain, but unless you are engrossed in the tech world or a libertarian diehard, it can all seem a little baffling. So, what exactly is cryptocurrency?
“It’s ways for people to cooperate to accomplish a goal,” is the way Paul Balzano put it in October at a panel discussion on cryptocurrency sponsored by the Washington County Chamber of Commerce. Balzano, a staff member for the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture and an expert on cryptocurrency, added that it “provides a way for people to cooperate without a bank.” At its most basic, cryptocurrency is a means of exchange untethered from any sort of central authority that determines its value, such as a bank or, in the case of the United States, the Federal Reserve. Bought and sold COURTESY OF ORION STRATEGIES digitally, its value is determined by its Paul Balzano, an expert of cryptousers, of whom there are more than currency, discussed the topic at a 90 million, according to estimates. Washington County Chamber of SEE CURRENCY PAGE A2 Commerce breakfast in October.
BETHEL PARK High school senior earns Girl Scout Gold Award PAGE A5 What’s happening, B3
SPORTS Abbondanza transitions to Bethel Park head coach PAGE B1 Real estate transactions, A6
METROCREATIVE
Bitcoin is the most popular means of digital exchange, and it came into being in the midst of the financial meltdown of 2008.
SIGHTS & SOUNDS Community events kick off holiday season PAGE B3 Classifieds, B4-6