@SHillsAlmanac
Our 49th Year
www.thealmanac.net
June 4, 2014
Giant Eagle, Whole Foods head to court
–––
By Deana Carpenter For The Almanac writer@thealmanac.net
PHOTOS BY ELEANOR BAILEY/STAFF
Frustrating failure The WPIAL championships were a disaster for Seton-La Salle and Canon-McMillan. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, and thanks to two fielding miscues, Steel Valley erupted for three runs and defeated Seton-La Salle, 6-5, and captured the WPIAL Class AA baseball title. Meanwhile, the Lady Macs committed five errors and lost their bid for a record third straight district softball championship when they succumbed to Shaler, 9-5, in the WPIAL QuadA finals. Above, SLS catcher Liam Sweeney reacts with disgust after the Ironmen scored the winning run. Below left, as the last out is recorded, Giorgianna Zeremenko reacts to Canon-McMillan’s 9-5 loss to Shaler. Below right, SLS pitcher Carson Rebel finds it difficult to watch Steel Valley celebrate its first WPIAL baseball championship. Despite the defeats, both the Rebels and Lady Macs qualified for PIAA tournament action. For more details, see Page C1.
Developers of the former Consol Energy Site along Route 19 in Upper St. Clair, 1800 Washington Road Associates, LP (WRA), have filed a lawsuit against Moira Cain-Mannix citing she worked for Giant Eagle to keep a proposed Whole Foods supermarket out of the township. Cain Mannix, a resident of Upper St. Clair, lives near the proposed development and is a lawyer with the law firm Marcus & Shapira, which has represented Giant Eagle many times in the past. WRA has been planning to turn the site into an area called Siena St. Clair with a Whole Foods supermarket and a separate retail building that would include restaurants, professional offices and limited retail. WRA also has plans for a separate housing development with around 40 multifamily homes. Gerard Cipriani, a principal of WRA, stated that the suit was “filed to allow
a jury to assess whether Giant Eagle’s attorney was genuine in her multi-year delay of a project involving her most important client’s chief local competitor.” According to court documents filed May 9 in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, Cain-Mannix “has represented Giant Eagle in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on at least eight separate occasions since 2006, three occurring in 2013.” In addition, Marcus & Shapira represent Giant Eagle and the founding partner of the law firm, Dan Shapira, holds, directly or indirectly, an ownership position in Giant Eagle, the document states. The document goes on to state that when Whole Foods expressed interest in leasing a space at the Washington Road property, “Giant Eagle’s Senior Vice President Gene Tommasi commented to a WRA principal that ‘We (Giant Eagle) cannot allow that to happen. We need to talk.’” SEE CASE PAGE A5
Neighbor’s snakes alarm Scott resident By Terry Kish For The Almanac writer@thealmanac.net
David Calabria of Meadowlark Drive was at the Scott Township Commissioners’ May 27 regular meeting asking the board for help with a snake problem. When he saw his next door neighbor sunning two 12-foot long pythons in the
front yard, Calabria called the police. After the police investigated, they told Calabria there were 20 snakes in the house. Calabria asked the board if the township had any ordinances restricting the number of snakes a person could own, or if there was an ordinance restricting exotic animals. SEE SNAKES PAGE A5
Another traffic restriction awaits in Peters Township
Bethel teen displays handgun on school bus
new traffic signals. Since the 16-month-long project began May 22, 2013, the traffic lights on Washington Road have blinked yellow, allowing all traffic to flow uninterrupted. The new signals will not be activated until the project is complete and the ramp is opened officially on Labor Day, said Michael Silvestri, township manager. The closure was announced during a council meeting May 28. Also during the monthlong northbound lane closure, the state Department of Transportation will repair a small slide just south of the new ramp connection in the right lane. The turning lane is the beginning of phase 3 of the $4 million project through PennDOT that has been
By Terri Johnson Staff writer tjohnson@thealmanac.net
By Terri Johnson Staff writer tjohnson@thealmanac.net
Beginning June 9, motorists in Peters Township will deal with yet another traffic restriction when one northbound lane on Washington Road (Route 19) will close for 30 days to allow Gulisek Construction to build a turning lane from Washington Road to a new ramp leading to and from Valley Brook Road. The closure length will be relatively short and will extend from the site of the old ramp to the new ramp. Periodically, during the closure on the northbound side, southbound lanes on Washington Road will also close to allow for installation of poles for
INDEX ©2014 Observer Publishing Company
Lasting memories
The Mighty Indians Marching Band plays the nation’s captial. Page B1
JIM MCNUTT/OBSERVER-REPORTER
Valley Brook Road, which connects with Route 19 in PetersTownship, is still under construction, a project that is expected to be completed by mid-September. Route 19 northbound will soon be limited to a single lane as work begins on reconnecting Valley Brook to Route 19.
planned for several years. Construction was delayed for several years, some the result of lawsuits filed by surrounding property owners over parking spaces and access lanes, and one by the owner of a billboard that resulted in the eventual erection of a digital sign just north of the intersection. Valley Brook Road remained open from East McMurray Road to just east of the intersection
of Old Washington Road. During the project, the intersection was reconfigured. Valley Brook Road under Washington Road to just before the off ramp from Washington Road south, was also closed. The only access between the two sections of Valley Brook Road was by pedestrians and bicyclists along Arrowhead Trail. Before the closure, more than 11,000 vehicles traveled Valley Brook Road, the
At a Glance..................... A6 Classifieds............ C6, D1-6 Editorial........................... A5 Opinion........................... A5
only east-west access in the township on state-owned roads other than East and West McMurray roads. The project, in which the township was required to pay $800,000, is “right on schedule,” Silvestri said. When asked if the road could be opened before the Sept. 1 holiday, Silvestri said the official date was Labor Day. “Keep pressing them on that,” said Councilman Frank Arcuri.
Religion........................... B3 Sports........................... C1-3 What’s happening......... C4 Youth............................... B1
Online extra: Visit www.thealmanac.net to read this week’s Police Beat and Sights and Sounds listings.
A 17-year-old Bethel Park boy, whose name was not released because of his age, was placed in the Shuman Juvenile Detention Center after he showed a semi-automatic handgun to another student in an alternative education program on a Bethel Park School District bus May 28. The alternative education program has 15 students and operates in the district from 2:30-7 p.m. four days a week, said district spokeswoman Vicki Flotta. Bethel Park police Chief John Mackey said the boy showed the gun to the other student and no one was
SEE GUN PAGE A5
Devils’ delights
Mt. Lebanon doubles its fun in lacrosse. Page C1