the almanac A U G U S T 31, 2025
SOUTH HILLS COMMUNITY NEWS
a thealmanac.net
facebook.com/SouthHillsAlmanac
@shillsalmanac
JON ANDREASSI/OBSERVER-REPORTER
A crowd listens to Julian Wolfe speak Thursday at the opening of the Muse branch of the Montour Trail. COURTESY OF DEANNA MARTIN
A bird’s-eye view of Washington Park Pool this summer
Weathering the storm
Public pools ride a wave of summer weather ups and downs By Jill Thurston Staff writer
jthurston@observer-reporter.com
For some area pools, the early rain and cooler temperatures provided a setback to the start of the swim season until summertime heat moved in during late June along with drier weather. June precipitation recorded by the National Weather Service (NWS) at the Pittsburgh International Airport was 5.57 inches compared to 2.5 inches in June 2024, up 3.07 inches over last year. DeAnna Martin, Washington Park director, remembered having some concerns earlier in the season about attendance at the park pool. “June started off and the weather was not great. We opened a little later than we usually do.” But by mid-summer, the numbers at the pool had outpaced 2024, much to her surprise. The same proved true in neighboring Fayette County. “Late May and early June were really rough,” said Joe Pindrock, township supervisor for Franklin Township regarding the Franklin Community Park Pool in Vanderbilt. “When it rains people don’t want to spend the money if there is a chance of having to leave early. The latter half of June was pretty good. It started to dry up and we had some decent weather. Early July was pretty average,” said Pindrock. As the mercury rose in July and August, swimmers came out to take the plunge and cool off. There were about the same number of 88-degree and above days during July through mid-August both years: 19 days in 2024 and 20 days this year, according to AccuWeather data for the Washington area.
JILL THURSTON/OBSERVER-REPORTER
Erika Gatz and 6-month-old son Maverick cool off at Upper St. Clair Recreation SEE POOLS PAGE A2 Center’s outdoor pool.
‘Pandemic babies’ turn 5
Branching out Montour Trail opens new stretch of trail in Muse By Jon Andreassi Staff writer
jandreassi@observer-reporter.com
The Montour Trail spreads out a bit farther now with the official opening of the Muse branch. The Montour Trail Council held a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by local and statewide elected officials Thursday morning to commemorate the new 0.6 mile stretch of trail. “The railroad built a branch railroad down to serve the mine in Muse back in the 1920s,” said Ned Williams, the project manager for the Muse branch, prior to Thursday’s ceremony. “When we purchased the trail through here, we also purchased the Muse branch for a ways. Our strategy had been to develop the mainline first, and then develop branches. The Montour Trail stretches about 47 miles, and including the branches has more than 60 miles of trail. The Muse branch connects to the trail near the 24.3 milepost in Cecil Township, and is easily accessible from the McConnell Trails housing development. The Montour Trail Council has worked with developer NVR since they began work on McConnell Trails more than a decade ago. Williams explained how they helped bring the Muse branch to fruition. “They graded it, roughed it, established some ditches, and then these guys, our volunteer maintenance crew … finished it into what you see now,” Williams said. The Muse branch goes off of the main trail and extends to Burnside Road near its intersection with Dogwood Lane. According to Williams, Montour Trail Council plans to extend the branch another mile into Muse. Julian Wolfe, the president of Montour Trail Council, opened Thursday’s ceremony by recognizing the organization's founders, some of whom were in attendance. “This small band of intrepid, recreational enthusiasts founded and established this trail 36 years ago, and today it still remains all volunteer, a nonprofit organization," Wolfe said. Washington County Commissioner Nick Sherman spoke Thursday about the importance of the trail for the county’s economic development. Sherman described the trail as “great tourism” for the county. SEE MONTOUR PAGE A2
Football Fanatics
Guidance for parents as children head to kindergarten By Karen Mansfield Staff writer
kmansfield@observer-reporter.com
Five years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the oldest of the “pandemic babies” – born in early 2020 – are heading off to kindergarten this month. And while the 3.5 million U.S. children born between March 2020 and 2021 have been more resilient than anybody could have imagined, educators, parents and doctors are anxious to see what impact the pandemic experience will have on young learners as they begin their educational journeys. “These were the children who were born in the time of lockdowns, and therefore were less exposed to interactions with adults and peers,
Students across the South Hills not only recently returned to the classroom, they resumed cheering on their favorite football teams on Friday nights. The 2025 season kicked off with one of the biggest rivalries in the region as Mt. Lebanon hosted Upper St. Clair on Aug. 22. Fans were out in force to cheer on their teams. Pictured are:
Photos: Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
SEE GUIDANCE PAGE A2
UPPER ST. CLAIR Debate team shines at nationals PAGE A3 What’s happening, B3
Ryan Spzara, Jonah Selig, Vince Humberson, Derrick Pechart and Matthew Yates flash the “U” symbol in support of the Panthers as USC posted a 35-14 win against the Blue Devils. Cole Gibbons, who leads the Lebo student section as the Blue Devil, watches as the action on the field takes a negative turn. Lebo fell behind, 35-0, and never recovered.
SPORTS PT’s Shanafelt amped for senior season PAGE B1 Real estate transactions, A6
SIGHTS & SOUNDS Rare lung surgery a lifesaver PAGE B3 Classifieds, B4