Category Archives: Government

More Emergencies In Our Midst – Adventures in Notification

Posted on May 14, 2024 by John Linko

We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom. The world henceforth will be run by synthesizers, people able to put together the right information at the right time, think critically about it, and make important choices wisely. – E. … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Government, History, Internet, Local, Media, Personal, Politics, Public Safety, Schools, Security, Technology | Tagged Aleppo Township, Aleppo Township Authority, Ambridge Water Authority, Barges, Bell Acres Borough, CivicPlus, CodeRED, Crescent Township, EAS, Edgeworth Water Authority, Glen Osborne Borough, Hermitage, IPAWS, Lahaina, Leet Township, Leetsdale Borough, National Weather Service, Northside Action News, PennDOT District 11, Quaker Valley COG, Quaker Valley School District, RAVE Mobile Alert, Sewickley Borough, Sewickley Water, West View Water Authority, Wheatland, Wilkinsburg, Wireless Emergency Alerts | Leave a comment

Winter Digest – Reorganization, Resolve, Revelation…and Rachmaninoff

Posted on March 10, 2024 by John Linko

I hope you’ve had a good year thus far. Over the last few months I’ve been collecting ideas for new stories, revisiting old ones, and reviewing developments locally and elsewhere that stand to embellish both. They will make their way … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Community, Development, Energy, Environment, Government, History, Local, Media, Money, Music, Personal, Politics, Public Safety, Schools, Technology, Zoning | Tagged Big Sewickley Creek, Big Sewickley Creek Watershed Association, DEP, Devlin Robinson, Edgeworth Borough, Elder Vogel Jr, Emily Kinkead, Hadley Haas, Harshman CE Group, Leet Township, Leetsdale Borough, PA Environmental Hearing Board, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Quaker Valley School District, Rachmaninoff, Rob Matzie, Sewickley Borough, Valerie Gaydos, William Jasper, Yuja Wang | Leave a comment

2023 Campaigns and Beyond – Quaker Valley School Board

Posted on December 1, 2023 by John Linko

Your Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while all the Company is true. – Galadriel, from The Fellowship of the Ring by … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Censorship, Civil Liberties, Community, Economics, Education, Government, History, Local, Media, Personal, Politics, Public Safety, Schools, Security, Youth | Tagged Bud Smith, Edgeworth Borough, Gianni Floro, Jessica Webster, John English, Leet Township, Leetsdale Borough, Melissa Walls, Muottas, Quaker Valley GOP, Quaker Valley High School, Quaker Valley School Board, Quaker Valley School District, Sewickley Valley Historical Society, Thomas Tull, William Jasper | Leave a comment

Political Weather Alert

Posted on October 30, 2023 by John Linko

The National Windbag Service has issued a Flash Mud Warning for the greater Quaker Valley area, including Leet Township and surrounding locales. Spotters report that increased mudslinging from certain candidates for office has extended unchallenged into the local online/print media … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Censorship, Civil Liberties, Community, Education, Government, History, Humor, Local, Media, Politics, Schools | Tagged Bud Smith, Carolyn Verszyla, Gianni Floro, Jessica Webster, John English, Leet Township, Martin McDaniel, Michael Molinaro, Missy Walls, Quaker Valley School Board, Quaker Valley School District, QV Strong, QV Taxpayers for Strong Schools, QVGOP, William Jasper | 3 Comments

October Shorts – Books, Babies, Backpedaling, and Basketball

Posted on October 17, 2023 by John Linko

Banned Books Week – Muted Locally? This corner has made banned books a focus, especially over the last year or so. As such, the recognition of Banned Books Week here should be of no surprise to any regular visitor. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Community, Development, Economics, Environment, Government, Growth, Health, History, Local, Media, Personal, Politics, Public Safety, Schools, Sports, Youth, Zoning | Tagged Allegheny County Library Association, Allegheny Health Network, Andy Sheehan, Ashley Birtwell, Avalon Public Library, Banned Books Week, Blacksmith's House, Buncher Commerce Park, Citizens Concerned for EMS, Edgeworth Borough, Heritage Valley, KDKA-TV, Kris Mamula, Leetsdale Borough, Leetsdale Industrial Park, Little Sewickley Creek, Miller's House, Moon Township Public Library, Norm Mitry, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Preserve Edgeworth, Rize Sports, Ruth Neely, Sewickley Academy, Sewickley Public Library, Sewickley Valley Historical Society, Thomas Tull | 1 Comment

A September of Consequences

Posted on September 19, 2023 by John Linko

As is typical when summer begins to wind down and school begins to wind up, so do all manner of other processes related to community activities, politics, and the business of government. Here’s some things that have happened or are … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Business, Community, Development, Government, Justice, Local, Media, Money, Politics, Schools | Tagged Emily Kinkead, Joseph Nocito, Pittsburgh Union Progress, Quaker Valley High School, Quaker Valley School Board, Quaker Valley School District, Sewickley Herald, Torsten Ove, Valerie Gaydos, Villa Noci, William Jasper | 1 Comment

Summer Shorts: Walmart Taketh Away…and Giveth?

Posted on August 22, 2023 by John Linko

A key historical reference point in the continued opposition to the construction of a new Quaker Valley High School is the 2006 landslide at the construction site of a Walmart, on the site of the former Dixmont State Hospital in … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Development, Government, Growth, History, Local, Media, Politics, Schools, Traffic, Youth | Tagged Aleppo Township, Citizens for a Great School, Economy Borough, Edgeworth Borough, Emergency Management, Kilbuck Township, Leet Township, Ohio Township, Plum Borough, Quaker Valley COG, Quaker Valley High School, Quaker Valley School Board, Quaker Valley School District, QV Strong, Walmart, William Jasper | Leave a comment

Summer Shorts: EMS IS Public Safety, and Other Inconvenient Truths

Posted on July 25, 2023 by John Linko

Every couple of years stories appear in the media concerning the challenges faced by Emergency Medical Services providers, who are largely dependent on health insurance billing for the bulk of their operating revenue. This year has seen increased media coverage … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Economics, Government, Health, Justice, Local, Media, Pittsburgh, Politics, Public Safety, Security | Tagged Aspinwall Borough, Beaver Valley Regional Police, Bellevue Borough, Ben Avon Borough, Edgeworth Borough, Emergency Medical Services, Fire Service, McKees Rocks Borough, Quaker Valley Ambulance Authority, Ross/West View EMS Authority, Sharpsburg Borough, Southern Allegheny Valley Emergency Services, Valley Ambulance Authority, volunteer fire departments | Leave a comment

Summer Shorts: School Board Double Down, Jasper’s Jabber and Jaunt

Posted on July 17, 2023 by John Linko

This month I’m posting some brief (for me) pieces on subjects that beg mention due to their timeliness and/or significance. Many of these topics have been fleshed out already – others don’t really need as much analysis to get a … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Censorship, Civil Liberties, Community, Government, Local, Media, Politics, Schools | Tagged Education, Gianni Floro, Moms for Liberty, National Parents Union, Quaker Valley School Board, Quaker Valley School District, Sewickley Herald, William Jasper | 1 Comment

Election Postscript: I’d Rather Have a Ballot in Front of Me than a Cholecystectomy

Posted on June 20, 2023 by John Linko

(Apologies to Dorothy Parker et al) With all of the lead-up to the May 16 primary election, I was looking forward to working that morning and coming home afterward so that Leslie and I, as is our past practice, could … Continue reading →