They say it's fairly easy to teach a dog to roll over. I haven't tried it yet with Arthur because, let's face it, at 150 lbs. I'm not sure I want him rolling all over the place. Sometimes he lays on his back with his eyes looking wild and his paws bent -- I call it his "Thriller" pose. He doesn't roll all the way over though.

So, how hard is it to teach people to roll over? And why are so many rolling over and letting the Northgate School Board increase property taxes by 3.1 mills?

A letter to the editor in this week's paper asks whether property tax millage increases being considered by both local school boards are justified.

Good question.

Editor:

Lately, I have heard multiple comments of how the [Avalon] borough has gone downhill, and how the community isn’t the same. One particular comment was especially disheartening: “I can’t wait to move out of this ghetto.”

Editor:

We live on our beautiful farm on Roosevelt Road in Kilbuck Township. Our community is protected by the Ohio Township Police, thank God.

Editor:

I would like to clear up some misinformation concerning the open burning ordinance.

Editor:

At around 8:30 p.m. this evening [July 2], I was stopped at the light at Brighton/Lincoln and witnessed a man in a small electric wheelchair trying to get up the sidewalk ramp at South Bryant/Lincoln Avenue. He had been riding down South Bryant in the street, and one of our police officers pulled up beside him and told him to ride on the sidewalk. He told the officer he would if he could get his chair up the small bump in the ramp. His chair was not one of the high powered types.

The officer did not get out of the car, but pulled away, leaving the man to struggle.

Editor:

Thursday, June 14, was Flag Day. Did the powers that be in Bellevue not have that day on their calendar? I’m sure there are a plethora of excuses and I don’t want to hear any of them. Our American flag not being displayed in our borough on Flag Day is inexcusable, period.

My husband and I traveled up north to Zelienople for breakfast. As you descend from the little hill into Zelie borough, those stars and stripes were there to greet. Yes, they were on every meter post in their brackets, like they used to be in Bellevue.

A Tempest in a Fire pit

Editor: It's not about campfires. It is about a council that devotes time and resources to propose another ordinance that is not driven by the needs of the community. Council reasoning is unclear, but in absence of any other explanation beyond clichés, it appears that the proposed burning ordinance is a response to one or two chronic complainers to the detriment of many Bellevue residents.

Editor:

Don’t often write these, but Saturday afternoon and evening, I had some faith restored in what I do everyday.

A group of residents who love and use the Avalon pool held a spaghetti dinner to help the borough defray some of the cost to operate the pool. All volunteers, they served almost 200 dinners, held a 38-basket silent auction, and a bake sale. The pasta and sauce were donated by a local restaurant, the fireman donated the hall, and all the money made will go to buying things to make summer at the pool a little more enjoyable.

Editor:

I am writing in response to agree in part, and disagree in part with Jennifer Bett's letter. Ms. Bett is entirely correct when she says "The Ben Avon borough hall is a beautiful building with a great second floor hall…" We in Ben Avon are lucky to have such a beautiful, historic building.

Editor:

My family has been in Bellevue for the past 50 years and last year one sibling moved out due to concern about the conditions in her neighborhood. I’ve lived here again for the last 11 years and care very much about Bellevue’s current challenges and its future. Truthfully, the main reason I read The Citizen every week is to hear what’s positive and to look for signs of hope that Bellevue will survive.

Editor:

In his front page story last week ("History Restored," March 2, 2012), Tom Steiner appropriately stated "So often the road to progress includes demolishing the past." Let me flip that around and also point out that striving to preserve meaningful history is often perceived as obstructing progress. Mr. Steiner's story helps debunk that perception, and shows us that maybe improvement and preservation are not necessarily at odds, and in fact can be complementary.