RESULTS HERE: http://patch.com/A-426t. Four seats, each for a four-year term, are on the ballot for Baldwin-Whitehall School Board. All candidates cross-filed as Republicans and Democrats for the primary election, which will be held on May 21. So, who are you voting for? And why? Tell your neighbors in the comments section below who the most qualified people are. The following candidates will appear on the ballot: School Board Candidates Richard J. Kirsch Thomas V. Barchfeld Karen L. Brown David J. Solenday Nancy Lee Crowder Martin Michael Schmotzer Margaret Brindle Patricia Nixon Dennis …

Baldwin Borough's council members volleyed around an idea during Tuesday night's special budget meeting regarding an opportunity to increase borough revenue: What if some borough facilities were sponsored? Councilman Larry Brown was the first to broach the subject on Tuesday, wondering aloud if any local companies or even regional or national organizations would be interested in giving the borough money to have their name attached to a Baldwin facility. "How do we raise money?" Brown asked, simply. "Can we sell naming rights, like, to the pool or the parks?" Borough Manager John Barrett said …

With Small Business Saturday here on Nov. 24, we're starting this conversation: If you could open any small business in Baldwin Borough, Whitehall Borough or Baldwin Township, what would it be and why? We've posted quite a few Visions for Vacancies articles, but now, we're asking you what business that you'd like to try yourself to make successful in our district. You can pick the spot—Route 51, Curry Commons, Caste Village, Streets Run Road, McNeilly Road, Brownsville Plaza, Churchview Avenue or somewhere else. You name it. What would you sell, and why?  --- Follow the Baldwin-Whitehall …

(Scroll down to check out the schedule.) Baldwin High School's varsity football team opens its 2012 season with a Southeastern Conference game this Friday night at Peters Township High School at 7:30. Baldwin will be competing in one of western Pennsylvania high school football's toughest conferences this year, as the Southeastern includes many contenders for the WPIAL's AAAA (highest level) championship, including perennial powers Upper St. Clair, Mt. Lebanon and Woodland Hills high schools. Baldwin finished 2011 with a 4-5 overall record, including a 1-4 mark in AAAA's defunct Great …

An estimated $15-$20-million project aimed at improving the busy Route 51-Route 88 intersection will formally begin in early 2013. But on Wednesday, the public will have a chance to review plans for the project, which is expected to take two years to complete. The public meeting, open to all at the Saint Norbert Church Hall from 5 to 7 p.m., will include a 5:30 presentation of what project organizers intend to accomplish at the busy junction that helps to connect a large part of Pittsburgh's South Hills area to Downtown. Now, we ask you, what improvements are you hoping to see at the 51-88 …

Around this same time last year, we asked you, "Are the Bucs for Real?" This year, we really mean it. And we hope that the Buccos do, too. The Pirates once again have Pittsburgh buzzing about baseball, but can the city's "Boys of Summer" keep it up through early October? Following last season's second-half collapse, many Pittsburghers are skeptical, but optimists will point to improvements across the board this year—Andrew McCutchen, the pitching staff, June and July's offense—as reasons to believe that the Pirates will not only finish with a winning record but will compete for a division …

Gov. Tom Corbett wants to give Shell Oil tax credits worth $1.65 billion over 25 years so that the company will build a refinery in western Pennsylvania to capitalize on the Marcellus Shale natural gas boom, according to Businessweek. Corbett says that the deal could help reinvigorate manufacturing in Pennsylvania and create jobs. Critics say that Shell would probably bring its business to the state even without the tax incentives. Meanwhile, Corbett has also been criticized for cutting social service and school funding. Shell is the world's second largest company by revenue and made profits …

Around $10,000 of fundraising could be lost by Baldwin High School's varsity softball team, WTAE has reported, as the girls have been left without transportation home from a tournament in Myrtle Beach, SC. The team—defending WPIAL AAAA Section 4 champion—still hopes to leave Pittsburgh via US Airways for a tournament in Myrtle Beach next week, but the cancellation of its flight home by Direct Air, which suspended flight operations on Tuesday, leaves Baldwin with only a week to find alternative travel for its return. Cheri Young, of the Baldwin Softball Boosters, tells WTAE that the girls …

The Baldwin-Whitehall Patch wants to know: Who is/was the best teacher in Baldwin-Whitehall? Tell us who you'd vote for in the comments section below. Who made a positive impact on your life? We're not just talking about the Baldwin-Whitehall School District but schools such as St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Roman Catholic, The ACLD Tillotson School, Wesley Spectrum Highland Services and the Young Scholars of Western Pennsylvania Charter School, as well. This is for both current and former students and teachers.  --- Follow the Baldwin-Whitehall Patch on …

These are very complicated economic times that we are living in, but the Baldwin-Whitehall Patch wants to stimulate conversation by asking its readers a simple question: Should the rich be taxed more? Give us your best argument, folks. You decide what your definition of "rich" is. Elaborate if you wish in the comments section below.

Baldwin High School's junior running back Dorian Brown led the Highlanders to a 35-10 win over Fox Chapel Area High School on Friday night by rushing 22 times for 184 yards and three touchdowns. Brown also scored on a 96-yard kickoff return. Baldwin High is 1-0 this season after the victory over the Foxes and moves on to Erie McDowell High School for another non-conference game this Friday. The game will be played at Erie McDowell High at 7 p.m. What are your predictions for Friday's game? Winner? Final score? And how will Baldwin fare this season overall? The team's first WPIAL AAAA Great …

Are they cute, or are they dangerous? Maybe ... both. Since at least March, this year, the Whitehall Borough Council has been hearing complaints from Whitehall residents over the amount of deer in the borough. The complaints range from deer eating flowers and other plants to deer posing driving hazards on local roads. Some of Whitehall's council members and other officials have looked into ways to control the local deer population, but some of the borough's council members have said that perhaps doing nothing is the best way to go, at least for now. In any event, due to disagreements over how…

As someone with a close eye on the police reports of our area, I've seen one too many instances of driving-under-the-influence arrests, be they for alcohol or some other drug. A search of the Baldwin-Whitehall Patch's police briefs will reveal a number of those arrests, and even one is too many. With Independence Day (and its celebrations) here, what can, or perhaps should, be done in Baldwin-Whitehall to cut down on DUI incidents? Perhaps more arrests are not the answer, as more arrests just mean that more people are being caught after they've already driven intoxicated. With that said, is a…

The Pirates have Pittsburgh buzzing about baseball again, but we ask you, "Are the Bucs for real this season?" Yes, the team's starting pitching has been outstanding, but can the pitching staff continue to carry the underperforming bats? How many games do you expect the 2011 Pirates to win? And is a .500 winning percentage enough to make this season a success?

The Allegheny County Department of Public Works, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District 11-0, will begin an $8.6-million project to improve the large intersection of Brownsville Road, Broughton Road and Curry Hollow Road in Baldwin Borough, South Park Township and Pleasant Hills Borough on Monday, weather permitting. The project—read more about it here—should make the busy intersection much easier to pass through, especially during morning and evening rush hours, once it is complete, but the Baldwin-Whitehall Patch wants to know, will the temporary …

Tuesday is primary elections day, and Baldwin-Whitehall will see races for school board and borough/township positions that day. In some of Tuesday's primary races—Baldwin Borough Council Democrats and Republicans, Baldwin Township Board of Commissioners Democrats and Republicans, and Whitehall Borough Council Republicans—the number of nominees per party is equal to or less than the number of seats open. In those cases, the candidates have a better opportunity of securing nominations since only write-in candidates (with enough votes) could capture one of their party's nominations ahead of …

It's called "silly season" for a reason. As the expression goes, don't talk politics and religion, even with relatives. However, with Baldwin-Whitehall set to see races for school-board and borough/township positions in May 17 primary elections, the talk will be inevitable ... as will be, some will say, "silly" politics. But does it have to be that way? What are your best hopes for those running for elected positions in Baldwin-Whitehall this year? Can candidates running against each other put their differences aside and do what's best for Baldwin Township, Baldwin Borough, Whitehall Borough …

Representatives from both Newport Drive Properties and the Young Scholars of Western Pennsylvania Charter School appeared in front of both the Baldwin Township Planning Commission and Board of Commissioners on March 28 to formally co-apply for "Conditional Use Approval" of township space to open a public charter school. After reviewing application materials and interviewing the applicants, the Baldwin Township Planning Commission unanimously recommended that the township's Board of Commissioners grant the approval. The Board of Commissioners also reviewed the application materials and …

Last year, the Baldwin-Whitehall school board approved a small decrease of 0.1 in its district's millage rate, down from 23.5 to 23.4. The year before, the rate fell 0.11 mills. The rate was cut by a full mill the year before that. Each mill generates approximately $1.5 million in funding for the Baldwin-Whitehall School District. Given Gov. Tom Corbett's $27.3-billion proposed budget for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a budget that calls for drastic cuts to many areas, including basic education – which is being reduced by approximately $500 million – should the B-W school board approve …

Gov. Tom Corbett unveiled a $27.3-billion proposed budget for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on Tuesday, March 8. Corbett's budget plan calls for drastic cuts to many areas, including basic education, which is being reduced by approximately $500 million. Corbett also called for school districts to "to hold the line" even "if it means a pay freeze" for school employees. State-related universities were also hit with substantial cuts. The University of Pittsburgh and Penn State University, for example, are seeing their state funding essentially halved. Corbett also called for no taxing of the …