the almanac J A N U A RY 18, 2026
SOUTH HILLS COMMUNITY NEWS
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NEUMAN SWORN-IN
Won election to statewide appellate court in November By Mike Jones mjones@obeserver-reporter.com
Surrounded by his family, several fellow Washington County judges and other dignitaries, Brandon Neuman told those attending his installation ceremony to become a state Superior Court judge that the most important aspect of the courts is people. “It is truly about the individual (involved) in that case,” Neuman said. “Every case has a person behind it.” Neuman was sworn-in Jan. 7 at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh and will now take his seat for a 10-year term on the Superior Court, where he and 14 other judges will listen to appellate
cases from across the state. Neuman, a North Strabane Township resident who has served on the Court of Common Pleas since 2018 and was a state legislator before that, is the first judge from Washington County to be elected to an appellate court. He said some thought it was a wild idea running for the statewide seat, but he cruised through an uncontested Democratic primary and then easily defeated Republican challenger Maria Battista and another independent candidate in the November general election. Neuman joked about a possible early campaign slogan, at first asking his election staff if “Let’s Go Brandon!” could be
COURTESY OF JOE PISZCZOR
Newly installed state Superior Court Judge Brandon Neuman addresses the crowd while members of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court listen in the background during his induction ceremony at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh.
Cancer patient encourages donations during National Blood Donor Month By Jon Andreassi
jandreassi@observer-reporter.com
For a Jefferson Hills woman, blood donations have been a life saver since she received a cancer diagnosis in August 2024. Her first and last names are both Rose, and she was working with children with special needs as a paraprofessional at Borland Manor Elementary School in North Strabane Township when a student jumped on her back. She experienced severe pain, and went to the emergency room. That led to Rose being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, which is a cancer of the bone marrow. She has since gone through chemotherapy, a stem cell transplant and has required more than 40 blood and platelet transfusions.
“I was needing transfusions every week,” Rose said. Rose has been working with Vitalant to encourage people to become blood donors. She had donated in the past, but never considered how those donations could help someone in her current situation. “You think of the obvious. Surgeries that didn’t go well, emergency situations. Never did I think about cancer patients,” Rose said. January is National Blood Donor Month. Those who donate blood, platelets or plasma between Jan. 5 and Feb. 8 will be entered to win one of 26 $500 gift cards for Vitalant’s donor rewards store. Maya Santana, communications manager for Vitalant, SEE DONOR PAGE A2
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COURTESY OF JOE PISZCZOR
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra Todd shakes the hand of newly installed state Superior Court Judge Brandon Neuman after he was sworn-in Jan. 7 with his family by his side at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh.
a good line, citing the derogatory phrase some Republicans used for former president Joe Biden that was derived from a misunderstood chant by fans when NASCAR driver Brandon Brown won an Xfinity Series race at Talladega in 2021. “Merchandise was 75% off,” Neuman said, bringing a laugh to the room before turning serious. “Then you get back to basics. What do people expect of a judge?” He said he spent the last few years looking through the “lens” of a judge trying to be impartial and fair to those who came before him in the Washington County Courthouse. Before that, the Democrat said he learned to go beyond party politics while a legislator in the state House for several years, especially during contentious debates with political opponents in the Republican Party. “People will always come first, and the outcome should
always be justice for the people,” Neuman said. Former state representative Pam Snyder, who was a Democratic colleague of Neuman’s in the House, called the judge a “dear friend” and said he was the same behind closed doors as he is out in public. “Brandon is the same person in chambers as he was in the committee room,” Snyder said. “The same person with his family and his friends.” Snyder also lauded his ability to work with others, both in his own caucus and the other party, which she said helped him hone his abilities to listen to all sides while sitting on the bench. “Brandon wasn’t the loudest voice in the room,” Snyder said. “He was the most prepared, the most thoughtful and the most committed. … He didn’t chase the credit. He chased what was right.” Neuman thanked his fellow judges in the Washington
County Courthouse, some of whom attended the installation Wednesday night. He also lauded other public officials and recalled how the experience of working as an intern in then-state representative Tim Solobay’s office in the early 2000s impacted him as a young man. “They taught me what public service is all about. It’s all about people,” Neuman said. “Thank you to my family in Washington County.” He then pivoted to his own family, thanking his wife, Carrie, and their four children for their patience and support throughout the campaign. “I couldn’t have done any of this without you,” he said. While Neuman is the first judge from Washington County to win a seat on an appellate court, he’s not the first to sit on the Superior Court, since former judge Richard DiSalle was appointed to a seat on that appellate court by
then-Gov. Dick Thornburgh in 1980. Before his speech, Neuman was sworn-in by Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra Todd. He will be able to continue living in North Strabane and can have his chambers in Washington County, although the location where he’ll work is still being decided. Neuman’s exit from the Court of Common Pleas bench now leaves two vacant seats in the Washington County Courthouse after former president judge Gary Gilman, who attended the induction ceremony, retired in July. A visiting senior judge will likely help with some court matters, although it’s unclear if Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro will nominate judges to fill the vacancies with approval from the Republican-controlled state Senate.
Keep warm amid rising utility costs By Jon Andreassi
jandreassi@observer-reporter.com
This winter has seen more people seeking assistance with home heating as energy costs continue to climb. The Dollar Energy Fund was founded in Western Pennsylvania and provides grants to those experiencing hardship. Jody Robertson, the director of communications for the nonprofit, said requests have steadily increased over the years, but last year even more so. “We’re seeing definitely a more significant increase than normal,” Robertson said. The program runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30. In 2025, Robertson said the organization helped 20,000 Pennsylvania households compared to 15,000 the year prior. From October to December, 250 Washington County homes received grants, a jump from 77 during the same time
METRO CREATIVE
Regular replacement of furnace filters is one way to heat a home more efficiently.
frame in 2024. In Fayette County, the number jumped from 50 to 200. The Dollar Energy Fund does not typically assist as many Greene County homes, but has given out 29 grants this year compared to four in 2024. “We’ve provided grants to over 6,000 households already. We’re on track to maintain the higher grant amount, if not exceed that,” Robertson said. The National Energy Assis-
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tance Directors’ Association, which represents state governments in securing federal funding, published a report last month that states heating costs are expected to rise 9.2% this winter. According to NEADA, on average households will spend $995 this year to heat their homes, an increase of $84 over 2024. Robertson says Dollar Energy Fund does not ask grant recipients about their specific
situation. She could only speculate as to why there was such a sharp increase in grants this year, but did note that due to the government shutdown, money for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance program (LIHEAP) was delayed. “That could be a contributing factor,” Robertson said. Christine Bell, the director of the Salvation Army in Uniontown, said the LIHEAP delay “definitely” affected how many people were reaching out to their organization for help. “The increase in cost of energy, absolutely. We’ve also seen the LIHEAP delay in funding. That definitely had an effect on things,” Bell said. Bell could not provide exact figures, but said the increase in assistance requests was significant. “There was definitely three or four times as many as we saw last year,” Bell said. SEE COSTS PAGE A2
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