Laurels & lances: Hello, goodbye, God bless
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Laurel: To a fresh start. So many people start out Jan. 1 with the intent to be a whole new person. The only people who really accomplish that are the babies born after midnight.
“New Year, new me!” actually applies to Jonathan Mrockosky and Emily Hibling’s daughter Madison, who showed up three days early to meet her Zelionople family, including big sister Annabell, 2.
Madison was born at 12:45 a.m. at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, the same time and place Juan Lopez Brito and Glendy Gonzalez of Pittsburgh welcomed their son, Eduardo.
One minute later, Capria Josephine Polizotto made her appearance at Allegheny Health Network’s Wexford Hospital. She joins parents Samantha and Billy Polizotto of Beaver, along with siblings Roman, 11, Sonny, 10, and Everleigh, 3.
If Madison, Eduardo and Capria have resolutions for 2024, they aren’t talking.
Lance: To a sad finish. Brentwood’s new council president, Mike Foyle, had nothing but nice things to say about his predecessor Tuesday.
“(Dennis Troy) served the borough well, and we should thank him for his dedicated 30 years of service,” Foyle said at the reorganization meeting.
But Troy resigned his position amid reports that he was part of an altercation outside a bar. One of the men involved filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Civil Rights Enforcement Section, claiming Troy shouted homophobic slurs. The incident was caught on video, according to TribLive news partner WTAE.
Troy did not mention the incident in his resignation letter but did call his years of service rewarding.
Laurel: To finding a way. It all started with some bananas.
The Speed Family Blessing Box and Pantry in Arnold was given a code violation warning Saturday for leaving four boxes of the fruit outside. The reason was simple and understandable. Perishable food can attract unwanted animals that can become a nuisance.
But the reason for the bananas being there is just as understandable. The nonprofit routinely leaves food and other necessities outside so that people in need can take them quickly, quietly and without questions.
The warning instead of a citation was a kind gesture. It gave the pantry, which receives its resources from 412 Food Rescue and donations from other organizations, an opportunity to address concerns without penalty.
“I know what I need to do moving forward. I just want to be a resource for the community,” said founder and CEO Chelsey Speed.