the almanac O C T O B E R 12, 2025
SOUTH HILLS COMMUNITY NEWS
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AMVETS OPENS DOORS TO NEW NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS PAGE A6
BRAD HUNDT/OBSERVER-REPORTER
LOCAL LORE
Keven Gregg teaches a class on the history of Pittsburgh at South Fayette High School.
ACTION HEATING UP IN ALLEGHENY SIX CONFERENCE PAGE B1
South Fayette High School offers class on Pittsburgh’s history By Brad Hundt Staff writer
bhundt@observer-reporter.com
On a clear day, you can look out some of the windows at South Fayette High School and see the U.S. Steel Tower that looms over downtown Pittsburgh 15 miles away. And that’s appropriate when social studies teacher Keven Gregg is in front of students teaching about the history of Pittsburgh, a course that is being offered for the first time at the high school. A semester-long offering, it covers many of the things the Pittsburgh region is known for, spanning from the French and Indian War to Franco Harris and beyond. On a recent morning, in a classroom where images of Franklin Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, the Civil Rights Movement and the Beatles crossing Abbey Road are
on the walls, Gregg energetically led a discussion on the French and Indian War and how it left its mark on Pittsburgh. He pointed out that, among other things, Stanwix Street in downtown is named for John Stanwix, the British army general who spearheaded the construction of Fort Pitt in what is now Point State Park. While high schools typically offer courses on American or world history, courses that burrow into local history are less common, and Gregg is not aware of any other high schools in the region that have courses on the history of Pittsburgh. “I thought it would be an interesting elective course to offer,” said Gregg, who hails from Peters Township. “Pittsburgh plays an COURTESY OF SOUTH FAYETTE SCHOOL DISTRICT important role in U.S. and world Students who are taking a semester-long class on the history of history.” Pittsburgh at the Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village SEE CLASS PAGE A2 outside Avella
RESEARCH SHOWS VIRUS MAY CAUSE PARKINSON’S DISEASE PAGE B3 What’s happening, B3 Real estate transactions, A3 Classifieds, B4-6
Powell talks about life in comics, graphic novels By Brad Hundt Staff writer
COURTESY OF CANADIAN WOMEN’S FOUNDATION
bhundt@observer-reporter.com
MT. LEBANON – Nate Powell’s life changed as a result of a couple of comic books. One of them was a so-called “silent issue” of a “G.I. Joe” comic book from 1984 that had its characters speaking not a bit of dialogue. Its story is told entirely through the panels drawn on its pages. It made Powell realize that “everything in a comic is information” and it is not conveyed solely through dialogue. Not long after, Powell’s eyes were opened by “The ‘Nam,” a Marvel Comics series about the Vietnam War that was launched in 1986. As a child growing up in a Southern military family, he said he was “very much drinking the Kool Aid, with the ‘Red Dawn’ vibe” of the era, but that “The ‘Nam” shook up his assumptions. With a page of the comic book projected on a screen in one of the Mt. Lebanon Library’s SEE POWELL PAGE A2
The “Signal for Help” is a tool to help those experiencing gender-based violence, created by the Canadian Women’s Foundation. It’s a one-handed gesture a person can use to communicate they need someone to safely check in and support them.
Signal for help: Hand gesture can help domestic violence victims By Karen Mansfield Staff writer
kmansfield@observer-reporter.com
BRAD HUNDT/OBSERVER-REPORTER
Artist and graphic novelist Nate Powell talks about his work at Mt. Lebanon Library.
31st Annual
Pennsylvania Arts & Crafts
In August, a victim of domestic abuse was able to alert an onlooker to her situation at a convenience store in California – without raising the suspicions of her alleged
abuser, who had accompanied her. She managed to notify the person through the use of a hand signal, according to police. “It was determined that a domestic violence incident had occurred, and the victim was asking for help using hand signals behind her back,” the Photos with Santa
Over 23 Booths!0
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Oct. 17 • 18 • 19 & 25 • 26
Two Great Weekends! H Over 230 Booths! H Exhibitors from 10 States! H Festival Foods
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Shelly Duff Band - Sat. 18th & Sun. 19th -
American Pie Oldies Band - Sat. 25th -
Shelly McCombie Duo - Sun. 26th -
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Trinity H.S. Chorus - Fri. 17th -
Alhambra Police Department said in a statement after the Aug. 19 incident. Organizations offering support to women and domestic violence victims have promoted the use of the “Signal for Help,” a hand gesture created by the Canadian
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