the almanac A P R I L 27, 2025
SOUTH HILLS COMMUNITY NEWS
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Mt. Lebanon sophomore wins election sticker contest
UPPER ST. CLAIR DELIVERS TECH HELP TO SENIOR CITIZENS PAGE A6
By Paul Paterra Staff writer
ppaterra@observer-reporter.com
Molly Bozick sports her Yinzer spirit with pride, and soon, Allegheny County voters will do the same. The sophomore at Mt. Lebanon High School entered a contest to create a sticker to be distributed at Allegheny County polling places and ended up winning with her “I Voted N’at” design. The sticker will be used in Allegheny County elections through 2026. “It’s really great. … I didn’t really expect anything to come out of it,” Bozick said. Bozick said her entrance in the contest started during her winter break. “I was listening to Spotify and this ad kept coming up that was calling all Allegheny County high schoolers,” she recalled. “I didn’t really have anything going on, so I decided to do it. I sent it in the next day and didn’t think too much of it.” Bozick’s design features a red, white and blue border at the top, circling the words “I Voted.” In the center is the downtown Pittsburgh skyline with the bottom border featuring the black and gold colors of the city’s professional sports teams surrounding the saying “N’at” in bright gold. N’at is Pittsburghese for “and that,” serving as a verbal equivalent to et cetera. “I wanted to create something that was still representative of traditional ‘I voted’ stickers,” Bozick said. “But I also wanted to be unique to Allegheny County and Pittsburgh.” She considered several ideas as she developed her sticker, such as the city’s bridges, the inclines, Heinz and pickles. “I landed on N’at because it’s good and it can go with ‘I voted’ nicely,” Bozick explained. Allegheny County’s first-ever “I Voted” sticker contest received more than 13,000 votes. In January, more than three dozen submissions were narrowed to 10 finalists. Bozick’s entry received 2,410 votes to win the competition. Bozick, 15, is not old enough to vote, so she will not be going to the polls to receive one of her stickers, but her parents are looking forward to getting one. At Mt. Lebanon, Bozick is a member of the field hockey and forensics teams, as well as Model UN. Allegheny County held the contest to drum up interest in this year’s election. “Everyone knows that voter turnout was very high last year, as it typically is in presi-
UPPER ST. CLAIR, CHARTIERS VALLEY LEAD LIST OF ALMANAC BASKETBALL STARS PAGE B1
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF MOLLY BOZICK
ABOVE: Molly Bozick on the day she was presented a proclamation from Allegheny County Council with Councilman Dan Grysbek. RIGHT: Stickers with the winning design
dential election years,” said Sara Innamorato, board of election chair and county executive. “But our elections division administers elections two times a year, every year, and in those odd number years we have important local races for municipal and judicial offices on the ballot that are often overlooked by voters. We launched this new sticker design contest to engage folks in an election year when turnout typically drops significantly.” Bozick said voting is an important right and was happy to win a contest dealing with elections. “It’s a good way to connect to your city and the place you live,” she said. “It actually does have an impact. It is important to vote. Even little elections have a big impact in your life. Local elections have more of a foreseeable impact on your daily life, and I feel a lot of people overlook that kind of stuff and focus on national stuff.”
FOUR BETHEL PARK SENIORS RECEIVE SERVICE ACADEMY APPOINTMENTS PAGE B3 What’s happening, B3 Classifieds, B4-6
Farmers markets opening in May By Eleanor Bailey Almanac Sports Editor ebailey@thealmanac.net PHOTOS: JON ANDREASSI/OBSERVER-REPORTER
The dozens of firefighters and first responders on hand for the April 21 event stood for a group photo with Gov. Josh Shapiro after the press conference.
Shapiro pushes budget proposals for firefighters in Mt. Lebanon By Jon Andreassi Staff writer
jandreassi@observer-reporter.com
Gov. Josh Shapiro visited Mt. Lebanon Fire Department last week to press lawmakers in Harrisburg to approve his budget, which includes $30 million in grants for fire companies across Pennsylvania. Top of mind for Shapiro and other speakers at the April 21 event was the recent arson at the governor’s mansion. Investigators claim 38-year-old Cody Balmer set fire to Shapiro’s residence the morning Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks at Mt. Lebanon Fire Departof April 13. Balmer faces ment about his proposed budget. Behind him are Cecil multiple charges, including Township Fire Chief and Emergency Management Coorattempted homicide. dinator Ted Wolford, and North Strabane Fire Department SEE SHAPIRO PAGE A2 Assistant Chief Rich Yosi.
April showers don’t just bring May flowers. They also yield an abundance of farmers markets. May 1 marks the official start of the season as the Upper St. Clair-Bethel Park Rotary Breakfast Club Farmer’s Market opens. Hours are 4 to 7 p.m. Thursdays. The market is operated in the parking lot adjacent to Westminster Presbyterian Church at 2040 Washington Road. According to Bill Findle, the USC-BP market is attractive because of its variety and venue. A Rotary Club member for 14 years, he has helped organize the market for the past several years. “We have a great variety of vendors and our location is accessible to everyone,” said Findle, who resides in Upper St. Clair. “We get a lot of traffic, and it’s a very busy market.” Additionally, featured entertainment and community booths make the market special. As often as possible, Findle says, the USC-BP market offers musical acts and live bands that feature high school students or adult groups. The Rotary Club also reserves a booth for community service, school organizations or municipal operations such as the fire department, police or EMS. “As long as there is room, we give these groups a booth for free. The nonprofits can
Jim Allen serves up kettle corn at the Upper St. Clair-Bethel Park Rotary Breakfast Club’s farmers market, which opens May 1 in the parking lot adjacent to Westminster Presbyterian Church at 2040 Washington Road.
tell their story and the general public can learn something new. It’s a nice opportunity to get to know the community groups and for people to get to know them. It’s not just about buying food.” This year, the USC-BP Rotary Club’s farmer’s market features eight new vendors. SEE MARKETS PAGE A2