the almanac M A R C H 1, 2026
SOUTH HILLS COMMUNITY NEWS
a thealmanac.net
BIRDS OF A FEATHER A variety of birds recently flocked together at a backyard feeder in Bethel Park. During the winter, birds eat significantly more to generate body heat and survive cold nights. They thrive on high-fat, high-calorie foods like suet, peanuts and sun-
flower seeds because natural food sources like insects and some berries are scarce or buried under snow. They can consume up to 20 times more food in cold weather and lose a large portion of their body fat overnight, making consistent feeding crucial for their
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COURTESY OF JAY LYNCH
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survival. A male cardinal (1) watches from a nearby maple tree as his mate (2) pecks away at a cylinder chock full of seeds. Two American goldfinches (3), one male and one female, gorge themselves on another feeder filled with a mix of sunflower chips and
dried peanuts. Later a downy woodpecker (4) feasts during a brief snow squall. And a northern mockingbird (5) attempts to reach a suet cake while a red-tailed hawk (6) circles overhead after leaving its perch on a silver maple (7).
Retired Pittsburgh Pirates All Star and Upper St. Clair resident Steve Blass is shown with book author Jay Lynch. “Having enjoyed Jay’s stories for years, I can’t wait to revisit them in the book. Jay is USC’s humor historian and we’re lucky to have him,” Blass wrote for the book jacket.
USC man’s humorous stories benefit Casey’s Clubhouse By Jill Thurston
jthurston@observer-reporter.com
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A generation of Upper St. Clair residents are probably familiar with the nostalgic musings of resident Jay Lynch, whose short stories, full of humorous memories, appear quarterly in USC Today Magazine and keep residents chuckling. His more than 50 short essays, published over the last 12 years, reflect his own “coming of age” years and are now available in book form, “The Lighter Side of Upper St. Clair.” All proceeds benefit Casey’s Clubhouse, a local nonprofit giving children with disabilities the opportunity to play baseball. Casey’s Clubhouse was founded by Upper St. Clair resident Sean Casey, former first baseman and Major League Baseball All-Star. Lynch graduated from Upper St. Clair High School in 1971. He and his wife, Katie, have three children, Kevin, Brian and Eric, also USC graduates. “Most of the stories relate to my life in Upper St. Clair as a kid growing up … school teachers, neighbors, fun stuff; kind of ‘Wonder Years’ memories,” said Lynch. For example, take the story from Lynch’s 1971 senior year at Upper St. Clair High School when he was a basketball player, sentenced to the bench for one game due to a case of bad judgment. As Lynch tells it, he was hurrying through the chaos following homeroom to reach his first class. He wore a shirt and necktie, as required of the athletes on a game day, “because you were supposed to reflect the best values of the school and the community,” Lynch said. Spotting his girlfriend at the time, Marty, some 20 feet ahead in the hallway, he waded through the sea of students in “not so good behavior,” he recalls, “I was pushing freshmen out of the way.” Wanting to surprise her, but not certain of the plan, he approached his girlfriend. who was wearing the “dress code” of the times, a sweater and skirt with long, straight hair, from behind and planted a kiss on her neck. “She freaked out, books flying, screeching,” recalls Lynch. To his surprise, “She turned around and it wasn’t Marty. It was my Spanish teacher, Senorita Roberts. She had the same brunette SEE STORIES PAGE A2
Trolley Museum gets USA Today Readers Choice honors By Brad Hundt
bhundt@observer-reporter.com
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Peters council approves scoreboard, traffic signal By Jon Andreassi
jandreassi@observer-reporter.com
Peters Township council approved a more than $425,000 contract for the replacement of a traffic signal. Council voted unanimously Feb. 23 to award the contract to the Prospect-based Bronder Technical Services. The project will involve replacing the traffic signal at the intersection of Route 19 and Gallery Drive. The work will be partially funded by a $219,996.50 grant from the state Department of Transportation. The township will provide a dollar-for-dollar match, as well as an additional $22,589.
Also at Monday’s meeting, council unanimously approved spending $36,365 for a new scoreboard for Joe Maize Field in Peterswood Park. “The current scoreboard no longer functions,” said Township Manager Paul Lauer. Peters Township police Chief Joseph Glover was at the meeting and issued a warning to parents about keeping track of their children’s internet activity in light of a recent arrest made by the department that drew national attention. On Feb. 20, police arrested 18-yearold Zachariah Abraham Meyers on more than 300 felony charges related
LOCATION Symphony of Food event raises money for nonprofits PAGE A6 What’s happening, B4
to a “sextortion” scheme. Meyers is accused of using the identity of a young woman on social media to convince juveniles to send sexual images and videos of themselves. According to court documents, the Peters Township High School senior allegedly extorted some of the victims by threatening to send the material to family if they did not pay $500. Glover said he wanted to use the case as an example to parents that they can never be “too careful or too interested in your child’s online activity.” “Please remain vigilant, and do not simply rely on monitoring applications to keep your child safe,” Glover said.
SPORTS Mt. Lebanon dominates the mats PAGE B1 Classifieds, B5
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Chartiers Township has been named the Best Small-Town Museum in USA Today’s annual 10 Best Readers Choice Awards. It was one of a handful of honors given to museums across the region in the awards. This is the first year the museum was selected for inclusion on the list. Jeanine DeBor, executive director and CEO of the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, explained in a news release, “We are deeply honored to receive this national recognition along with so many other prestigious small-town museums. This distinction acknowledges the importance of transportation history in our country, specifically the important mission of preserving the trolley era. ...” The Shriver House Museum, a restored family home from the mid-1800s in Gettysburg, is the only other small-town museum from Pennsylvania to place in the top 10 in the category. Some other museums that made the list are the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, N.Y., and the Frontier Times Museum in Bandera, Texas. The honorees were chosen by a panel of USA Today editors and industry experts. Two other museums in the Pittsburgh region also SEE TROLLEY PAGE A2
SIGHTS & SOUNDS ‘Chicago‘ comes to Benedum PAGE B4 Real estate transactions, A5