On a quiet, snow-covered morning, we laid to rest a young man, Stephen P. Hudec. He was a great brother to Lauren, James and Hanna and a loving son to Sara and Steve. His mother weeps for her son, his father holds his children near, as they deal with the disease Stephen was trying so hard to beat ... addiction. Addiction will destroy you in ways you could never imagine. It eats at your soul, makes you do bad things and is there waiting in the darkness for that one weak moment to jump in and take over. The disease did this to Stephen, it intervened on his weakest moment and took his life at …

Editor's note: This letter is in response to a letter from Butch Santicola, field director and communications specialist for the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Simply click here to see that letter. Where do I begin? Let me start by saying that one cannot have "wrong facts". You either have the facts or you don't. Secondly, I want to make it clear that the group, Taxpayers Concerned in Pine-Richland (CPR), has not blamed the teachers of Pine-Richland or anywhere else for the pension problem, but we are striving to let people know that there IS a problem. It really doesn't matter a …

Where do we begin? These are difficult times for everyone, our members included. One thing for sure is that some Pine-Richland residents are coming to conclusions based on wrong facts. Under normal circumstances, one could ignore their innuendos and calls for action. But we can no longer sit back and permit misinformation to bring down the morale and standing of the special place Pine-Richland School District and Community has become. It was recently reported that Pine-Richland School District will face rising pension costs. A group of taxpayers gathered to discuss the situation and, as is …

To the Editor: Sometimes people don't receive the recognition they deserve for a service they have provided for a community for 36 years. A good leader will often tend to keep a low profile and not flaunt their accomplishments in doing an exemplary job in their profession. This happens to be the case with Magisterial District Judge Regis Welsh Jr. Judge Welsh served 36 years on the bench as an outstanding jurist. Most people will never have contact with the court system and, therefore, do not know the true value of what the community has really lost. A judge makes decisions every day that …

Hi. My name is Paul Martin. I grew up in Wexford in the 1970s and 1980s and played baseball within Brad-Mar-Pine for about 10 years from minor through senior leagues.  I pre-dated tee ball. I happened to be at my parents' house yesterday and my mother had brought some old things down from the attic for me to go through. One of the items was an All Star Certificate for a boy named Mark Donovan from 1977 that somehow went undelivered.  A scanned copy is attached (in the photo box).  My father was the manager of that All-Star team.  During that time, there were two All-Star teams from the Major …

Hey, Taxpayer, While you were out trying to avoid heatstroke this summer, your state government actually did something. The Pennsylvania Legislature passed another one of those pesky budgets determining exactly what your taxes have bought you this year. I don’t know about you, but I don’t mind paying taxes if I get a good return on my investment. And what better investment than our children, our future? I’m speaking, of course, about public education. So was this a good return? Let’s see:GOOD NEWSPA BUDGET PASSED HIGHER THAN GOVERNOR WANTED: Last year, the Legislature cut $818 million from …

The voters have a clear choice in the special election on Aug. 7 to replace the former Senator. We need someone who can restore integrity and public trust back to the 40th Senate District. State Rep. Randy Vulakovich is the best choice for the voters. He has served the 30th House District with real openness and transparency since 2007. This is what is needed in Harrisburg. Officer “V” does not use a state car, does not take the per diems, and pays a portion of health insurance every year. Officer V is the clear choice for the special election. In a time of self-serving politicians, “Officer V…

To the Editor: We strongly oppose any tax increase. We believe the Pine-Richland Administration and Board, under (Superintendent) Dr. Mary Bucci, have failed our students, parents and the community by recklessly spending and implementing Progressive educational fads across all grade levels.  This has both a cost impact and an educational quality impact (and may be one of the reasons that the cost for cyber school tuition is rising).  We moved into this district deliberately due to its reputation and performance, but we pulled our four children out of PR because of the drastic changes …

Please view Todd E. Hoellerman's Letter to the Editor in the document above.

I am writing today to voice my unwavering support for the music program of the Pine-Richland school district. It has been brought to my attention by a fellow alumnus that this wonderful program is in danger of falling victim to monetary issues and other concerns. I feel I can speak about this program with a certain degree of authority as it has aided me in working as a professional musician for the last fifteen years. After graduating from Pine-Richland in 1997, I went on to receive a Bachelor’s of Music from Loyola University New Orleans and a Master’s of Arts degree in Jazz Studies from …

I started in the music program at Wexford Elementary, playing flute with Miss Vaughan, and since then, music has completely shaped my life. I participated in band, starting in elementary school, and in high school, I also added the pit orchestra for musicals and jazz band to my resume. The music program inspired me to start a flute choir at the high school, and I also did a shadow study conducting the middle school band. I went on to study Music Education in college, and my goal was to receive a Masters in Music Therapy. In the same way Music Therapy can help heal, it helps shape youth. I …

I began my musical journey in the 4th grade. It started with a trumpet, but it grew into a lifelong passion, a career, and most importantly, the means by which I met my wife. Music was vital in my middle school and high school years. It helped me make friends throughout different "cliques" and it was instrumental in keeping me out of trouble and helping me find a voice within myself. My musical upbringing at Pine-Richland helped me to get into area Youth Jazz Ensembles, and propelled me into being accepted at a highly accredited music university. I majored in music at college and I worked in …

My name is Brian Spence and I am a member of the Pine-Richland class of 1998. I am currently wrapping up my 8th year teaching music in the Northwestern School District based in Albion, PA.  I would not be the teacher or person I am today without the Pine-Richland Music Department. I honestly feel that I was born to teach music. I love my job with a fierce passion and could not be happier at Northwestern. The only district in the entire country that I would even consider leaving my position for is Pine-Richland, my alma mater.  A few years ago, I emailed Dave Supinsky to thank him for all the …

Before I begin, I should disclose that my wife is a Pine-Richland music teacher and would be reduced to a half-time position if the proposed program cuts from the school board’s April 23rd meeting are approved.   This concern is secondary to the damage that would be inflicted on the Pine-Richland educational experience if these changes are enacted. I could go on at length about the importance of art, physical education, business education and foreign language in my career, but I will concentrate on music, because it is a passion my wife and I share. I am a proud 1998 Pine-Richland Alumnus. I …

For the second consecutive year, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett has proposed massive education budget cuts. For the second year in a row, Corbett has proposed massive cuts to colleges, universities and K-12 public schools.For the second consecutive year, Corbett has proposed the state do less for its citizens and more for big business.Why? It’s all about profits. There’s money to be made shortchanging kids’ educations. States throughout the country spend the majority of their budgets on schools. On average, states spend about 40 percent of their tax revenues on K-12 and colleges, according to …

“Almost.” It’s a scary word sometimes. Like when you put freshly brewed coffee too close to the edge and it ALMOST spills over ... Like when you’re running late to work, gun that yellow light and ALMOST get clipped by an oncoming minivan ... Like when your tiny toddler teeters at the top of the steps and ALMOST tumbles down ... At times like these, ALMOST is both a terror and a relief. That’s how all of Pennsylvania feels now that our state legislators ALMOST passed a bill to enact school vouchers and expand charter schools. We feel sick that it ALMOST happened, yet relieved that in the end …

Superman, where are you?Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim tells us America’s waiting for a caped crusader to solve our education crisis. Us regular Joes just aren’t up to the task. Well, look up in the sky, it’s a bird ... it’s a plane ... no, it’s a Republican governor! Fresh from slashing $860 million from public schools budgets, Gov. Tom Corbett has swept in to finish the job of “saving” Pennsylvania’s school kids with his new education proposals. Just in the nick of time too. This year alone, Pennsylvania’s public schools have increased class sizes, stopped tutoring children who fall behind, …

So this is how public education ends -- not with a scream but with a whimper. With apologies to T.S. Eliot, the above sentiment sums up the position of the thousands of parents, children and teachers in the T.E.A.C.H. Organization with regard to the farce played out last week in Harrisburg—the passage of a 2011-12 state budget that unnecessarily slashes $1.1 billion from education, $860 million of which was lacerated from our public schools, especially the poorer ones.Gov. [Tom] Corbett made it clear these are not just “austerity measures.” He did this by accepting four new vehicles for …

“Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind.” -- Proverbs 11:29 The T.E.A.C.H. organization would like to express its outrage at Republican House members for passing a state budget proposal that still cuts over $1 billion from education across the commonwealth. All Democrats and two Philadelphia Republicans voted against the measure. Republicans had been hoping for a unanimous vote among their party. They didn’t get it. This just goes to show how difficult it is for anyone to support this twisted budget. We visited, called and wrote as many local Republican representatives as we…