Category Archives: Security

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

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

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

Sewickley Academy – Securing the Future, Calculating the Past

Posted on October 7, 2022 by John Linko

Happy October. With the topic of school security in the wake of Uvalde still occupying the news cycle, and Quaker Valley taking a leadership role in establishing best practices in security and preparedness, it’s good that the Sewickley Herald provided … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Community, Development, Government, Growth, History, Local, Media, Public Safety, Schools, Security | Tagged Aaron Vanatta, Ashley Birtwell, Edgeworth Borough, Preserve Edgeworth, Quaker Valley School District, Sewickley Academy, Thomas Tull, Watermark Classical Academy | 1 Comment

From Columbine to Uvalde – The Years of Living Dangerously

Posted on August 3, 2022 by John Linko

It’s August already. Hard to believe that it’s been over two months since the May 24 shooting incident at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas. This tragedy has produced levels of scrutiny, criticism, and incredulity not typically seen in the aftermath … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Government, Justice, Local, Media, Personal, Politics, Public Safety, Schools, Security | Tagged Aaron Vanatta, ACLU, Columbine High School, Police, Quaker Valley School District, School Resource Officer, Uvalde School Shooting | 2 Comments

Quaker Valley: A Great Year Ends with Crash, Thuds

Posted on June 14, 2016 by John Linko

Quaker Valley High School held their commencement a week ago this past Monday. The district’s got a lot to celebrate, and a lot to be proud of. I could spend a lot of words highlighting many of the student and … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Government, History, Local, Media, Schools, Security, Traffic | Tagged Lice, Quaker Valley School District, Quotations, Traffic, Yearbook | 1 Comment

Leetsdale – The Fire Next Time

Posted on December 9, 2015 by John Linko

Living in close proximity to a fire station can give you a familiarity with the routine of the people responding to fire and other emergencies. You can get a sense of the severity of an incident just by listening to … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Local, Media, Personal, Politics, Public Safety, Schools, Security | Tagged Leetsdale Borough, Leetsdale Industrial Park, Lubrizol, Port Ambridge Industrial Park | 4 Comments

QV Update: School Year Starts Without Resource Officer

Posted on August 28, 2014 by John Linko

This past February, I detailed some of the changes in the offing for Quaker Valley Schools as the 2013-2014 school year was moving toward a close. The new artificial surface at Chuck Knox Stadium was installed in late June and early … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Local, Public Safety, Schools, Security | Tagged Leetsdale, Quaker Valley Schools, School Resource Officer, Sewickley | 3 Comments

South Fayette Update – Supplying Our Own Light

Posted on April 19, 2014 by John Linko

Any escape might help to smooth the unattractive truthBut the suburbs have no charms to soothe the restless dreams of youth. – Rush, “Subdivisions” (1982) The excited trepidation that accompanied the possibility of a Presidential visit to Leetsdale was just as … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Local, Media, Public Safety, Schools, Security, Youth | Tagged Bullying, Christian Stanfield, Franklin Regional High School, South Fayette High School | Leave a comment

School Safety – A Tale of Two Incidents

Posted on April 12, 2014 by John Linko

Those of us who, as high school students, remember having to slog through the then-unappreciated prose of Charles Dickens, probably remember this one really long sentence: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was … Continue reading →