the almanac M AY 10, 2026
SOUTH HILLS COMMUNITY NEWS
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Night of Giving culminates year of Rotary fundraising
SEVEN RANGES SURVEY CHANGED THE COUNTRY
By Eleanor Bailey ebailey@thealmanac.net
Night of Giving anchors a year-long relay race of fundraising for the Upper St. Clair-Bethel Park Rotary Club. The first leg is the organization’s annual chicken barbecue dinner followed by the counting of the cash and soliciting charitable groups to make contributions culminating in the distribution of funds. “This is like the baton pass, right?” Alisa James said rhetorically. “All the hard work we’ve done and then reinvest and give it back to the community and organizations. “It’s a heartwarming event,” continued the Peters Township resident. “The fact that we reinvest in the community is one of the main reasons why I joined the Rotary. It’s fun to see the fruits of our work.” During Night of Giving
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Joe Higdon from Operation Troop Appreciation addresses the crowd.
COURTESY OF ROSS GALLABRESE
Paul Zuros, executive director of Historic Fort Steuben, points to a map that includes the Seven Ranges of the Northwest Territory that is displayed in the Mike Besch Museum of Surveying. ELEANOR BAILEY
Representatives from 30 nonprofit organizations were awarded grants from the Upper St. Clair-Bethel Park Rotary Club during its annual Night of Giving celebration held recently at Bella Sera in Canonsburg.
held recently at Bella Sera in Canonsburg, the Rotary Club awarded more than $65,000 to 30 grant recipients. From feeding neighbors, to supporting local veterans, to providing haircuts and lights for the homeless, to the Boy Scouts and first responders, the Rotary helped many charitable organizations. “We sell a lot of barbecue dinners to make this happen,” said Debra Hakeem. A Bethel Park resident, Hakeem will assume duties as Rotary secretary on June 3. “The best part is the giveaway,” Hakeem said. “To see the excitement in everybody’s eyes and just to know that their organization will continue to prosper is exciting and wonderful to see.”
The groups and organizations receiving checks from the Rotary Club included: Always B Smiling; Bethel Park High School Caring Closet, Bethel Park Police (traffic division); Bethel-St. Clair Meals on Wheels, Cake4Kids; Camp Soles; Catholic Medical Mission Board; Crop & Kettle; Family Hospice; Familylinks’ Independence Middle School; Junior Achievement of Western Pennsylvania; Keystone Young Cadets; Life Builders; Light in my City; Melting Pot Ministries; Operation Troop Appreciation; South Hills BPOE 2213; Scouting America Troop 366; South Hills Keystone Chorus; South Hills Pet Rescue; St. Winifred Food Pantry; The Asservo Project; The Neighborhood Academy; The
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Christine Jamison (right) from Family Hospice Cortney Hunter addresses the crowd while exaccepts her check from Rotary Club president plaining the mission of Melting Pot Ministries, one Jessica Blake. of the nonprofit organizations awarded grants.
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Leigh Harkreader and Susan Hicks welcome guests.
Nyadire Connection; Upper St. Clair Township police and volunteer fire departments; WPA Police Benevolent Foundation; Yahve-Jire Children’s Foundation and YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh. Christine Jamison accepted the check on behalf of Family Hospice, which is under the UPMC umbrella. The director of development said Family Hospice would use the donation to purchase as many as 30 solar-powered chargers that will enable patients in the home setting to remain connected to their care teams during power failures. Patients will still be able to make phone calls and use computers so as to maintain direct contact with caregivers. “It’s wonderful for the Rotary to recognize the needs of family hospice patients and SEE GIVING PAGE A2
have access to – in fact, we are growing USC budget includes tax increase dents it by adding a robotics center in our high school The Upper St. Clair School Board approved a proposed final budget of $111,566,288 for the 2026-27 school year during its May 4 meeting. Final adoption is scheduled for June 8. The spending plan is based on a millage rate of 32.4605, reflecting a 3% increase, or 0.9455 mills. For a home assessed at $237,300 – the district average – the increase equates to $224.36 annually, or about $18.69 per month. In November, the board approved a resolution limiting any tax increase to the state index set by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. For 2026-27, that cap is 3.5%, or 1.1030 mills. The proposed increase falls well below that limit. District leaders cited three primary factors that are negatively impacting the 2026-27 budget – Allegheny County’s common-level ratio, rising health-care costs and increased electricity expenses. The common-level ratio is the metric used by Allegheny County to determine the
fair market value of real estate properties. The rate has steadily declined from 100% in 2013 to 50.14% in 2026. “We have a number of commercial properties that are successfully appealing their assessmentsbasedonthe common-levelratioandthe way the system currently works,” Scott Burchill, director of business and finance, said. “We are estimating $850,000 to $1 million in refunds. This will continue to be an issue each year until there is a countywide reassessment.” The budget also includes a $980,000 increase in health-care costs and a $375,000 increase in electricity expenses. Combined with reduced revenue tied to the common-level ratio, these factors represent more than a $2 million impact. “If not for these pressures, we would be recommending a tax freeze,” Dr. John Rozzo, superintendent, said. “We are not cutting programming or limiting anything that our stu-
LOCATION South Fayette breaks minithon record PAGE A6
next year.” Salary and benefits account for 72% of the budget, while debt service comprises 10%. Staffing levels are expected to decrease by three positions through attrition, with no impact on student programming. Local taxes make up 78% of district revenue, with state funding accounting for 21%. Federal funding totals $786,237, less than 1%. The proposed budget includes the use of $1.2 million from the district’s fund balance to offset one-time costs, including expiring leases. Administrators will continue to review revenues, expenditures and staffing prior to the budget’s final approval. The school board will vote on the final budget and tax rate on Monday, June 8, 2026. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the district’s administration building. The 2026-27 proposed final budget is available on the district’s website and at the district’s administrative building, 1775 McLaughlin Run Road.
SPORTS Flag football on the rise in the region PAGE B1
What’s happening, B3
Classifieds, B5
Editor’s note: In the years following the Revolutionary War, the United States stood as an unfinished nation. Victory had secured independence, formalized by the Treaty of Paris, but it had not secured stability. The young republic was burdened by war debt, constrained under the Articles of Confederation, and lacking many of the basic tools of governance — including the ability to tax or maintain a standing army. What it did possess, however, were vast stretches of land. To the west lay the Northwest Territory — a sprawling, largely unmapped expanse that would, in time, give rise to new states and new opportunities. But before expansion could be realized, the land itself had to be understood. That work began in earnest in 1785, when the new government turned to surveyor Thomas Hutchins to impose order on the frontier. He was tasked with creating a system that would allow land to be sold, debts to be repaid, and a young nation to begin standing on its own. That work began in what today is eastern Ohio, at the present-day city of East Liverpool, where a single point on the map helped shape the path of a nation.
By Ross Gallabrese The Herald Star
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio — With the Revolutionary War at its end and the United States holding large parcels of land granted by the Treaty of Paris, the late 1700s were the perfect time for the country to expand to the west. Before that could happen, though, the new nation needed to survey that land. And for that to happen, it had to select a place where Thomas Hutchins, the first chief geographer of the United States, could begin his work. The location chosen was where the states of then-Virginia (current day West Virginia) and Pennsylvania and what would become the state of Ohio met. It was the point of beginning, the SEE SURVEY PAGE A2
Nonprofit provides learning opportunities with animals By Jon Andreassi
jandreassi@observer-reporter.com
At farms throughout the South Hills, Horses With Hope aims to help those with special needs learn important skills through interactions with animals. Horses With Hope, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, has horses at Empress Farms in Peters Township and on Brush Run Road in Bethel Park, and three Dorset sheep at Gilfillan Farm in Upper St. Clair. Horses with Hope Program Coordinator Kirsten Kisling says the sheep have been at Gilfillan since last year. “Dorset sheep are one of the most popular breeds of sheep in Pennsylvania, because they’re one of the hardiest breeds there are, and they can breed more than once a year. So they make for good winter breeding, which gives us some of our favorite meals at holidays, unfortunate-
JON ANDREASSI
Kirsten Kisling pets Pepper the sheep.
ly,” Kisling said. She is quick to clarify, however, that Pepper, Pompom and Antoinette serve a much different purpose. “Not these guys. These will never be anybody’s dinner or Ugg boots, for sure,” Kisling said. The trio figures into a program beginning this month that will teach students about SEE ANIMALS PAGE A6
SIGHTS & SOUNDS Three Rivers Arts Festival schedule PAGE B3 Real estate transactions, A4
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