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• Fayette agency maps plans for 'Magic and Mistletoe' fundraiser -

  Fayette County Community Action Agency Inc. (FCCAA) recently began the planning process for its annual holiday fundraiser, "Magic and Mistletoe."

  This celebration, which is set for 7 to 10 p.m. Dec. 4, will once again be held in the historic Fayette County Courthouse.

  This year's event will feature horse-drawn carriage rides, musical entertainment, fine cuisine and the spirit of the holiday season.

  "'Magic and Mistletoe' is sure to be the most magical evening of the holiday season," said Katherine Thompson of FCCAA's planning department. "For the event, five courtrooms in the courthouse will be sponsored by local businesses and organizations.

  "These contributing businesses and organizations will decorate a courtroom and host their choice of cuisine."

  In 2008, FCCAA, in cooperation with Fayette County, hosted the first Magic and Mistletoe fund-raising event. Unfortunately, last year's event was canceled when FCCAA was forced to temporarily reduce staff members until the state's budget crisis could be resolved, according to Teresa Furnier of FCCAA's planning department.

  "It was a trying time for everyone, made worse by the loss of the 2009 'Magic and Mistletoe,'" Furnier said.

  "It was decided that, without a full staff, it was impossible to devote the attention that Magic and Mistletoe requires."

  "Sponsors, FCCAA, 'Magic and Mistletoe 2008' patrons and representatives of the court and county were disappointed that the 2009 event had to be canceled," Furnier added.

  Thompson said excitement is building with the return of the "Magic and Mistletoe" event this year, but help is needed from the entire community to make it successful.

  Proceeds will benefit FCCAA, a nonprofit organization that offers numerous services and programs to the disadvantaged in the community.

  "We are relying on the generosity of businesses, organizations and individuals to help us make the second annual 'Magic and Mistletoe' a success," Thompson said.

  "Proceeds from this fundraiser will help families in crisis by providing food and/or shelter through programs operated by Fayette County Community Action Agency."

  Anyone who would like to become a sponsor or volunteer for the event is asked to call Thompson at 724-430-6445 or Furnier at 724-430-6403.

• Blaze damages Saltlick home -

• Renovated Melega Art Museum to hold open house -

  BROWNSVILLE - Brownsville Mayor Lester Ward and his wife Kasandra are hosting an open house Wednesday at the newly renovated Frank L. Melega Art Museum.

  The art museum is operated by the Brownsville Area Revitalization Corporation (BARC), as is the Flatiron Building Heritage Center.

  The two museums are now both on the ground floor and are interconnected.

  "Wednesday night is an open house mixer, showcasing the newly renovated space. We've invited the Brownsville chamber, elected officials and some other people who haven't had a chance to see the space, including some foundation people from Pittsburgh," said Dennis Cremonese, BARC's executive director.

  Cremonese said the $200,000 renovation of the space took two to three years to complete and was funded in part through grants from Westylvania, Rivers of Steel, the Allegheny Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the state Department of Community and Economic Development.

  Cremonese said Lester and Kasandra Ward are on the BARC board of directors and agreed to host the reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, serving as a bridge between the borough government and BARC.

  The Melega Art Museum was previously located on the second floor of the Flatiron Building. The new space is more accessible. Melega, who lived in West Brownsville, is noted for his artwork depicting the coal and coke industries. His work includes sculptures, drawings and paintings in a variety of media.

  "The space is approximately 1,000 square feet that was rehabilitated and renovated and opened into the visitors center and museum. It's a larger space to handle the artwork than we had upstairs," Cremonese said.

  By connecting the two museums, Cremonese said BARC is able to offer more hours for visitors.

  "Now that we're combined with the heritage center, we have a volunteer from 11 to 2 daily Monday through Saturday and 1 to 4 on Sundays," Cremonese said.

  Cremonese said both museums can also be accessed by visitors any time the BARC staff is in the office by calling 724-785-9331.

  Anyone wishing to attend Wednesday's reception is also asked to call that number to RSVP so appropriate refreshments can be planned, Cremonese said.

  The relocated museum will have its grand opening in September with regional art on exhibit as well as the art of Frank L. Melega.

• DeWeese faces trial -

  HARRISBURG - State Rep. Bill DeWeese, D-Waynesburg, was ordered to stand trial Monday on charges of theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest for using government employees and resources to run his political campaigns on work time at taxpayers' expense.

  Dauphin County Magisterial District Judge William C. Wenner made the ruling following a preliminary hearing.

  DeWeese co-defendant Sharon Rodavich, a district office aide who was arrested with DeWeese in December, waived her preliminary hearing Monday, and her attorney declined to comment.

  After three prosecution witnesses, Deputy Attorney General Ken Brown read portions of DeWeese's testimony before a grand jury that had been formed by state Attorney General Tom Corbett to probe corruption in state government. The grand jury recommended that charges be filed against DeWeese.

  Brown said DeWeese testified in September of 2009 that mixing politics and campaign work "was part of the culture.''

  "Historically, it was just the way business was conducted," Brown quoted DeWeese as testifying.

  However, DeWeese's attorney, William Costopolous, argued that prosecutors left out his client's repeated statements that he told people that they needed to take compensatory time, vacation time or personal days to do campaign work.

  Costopolous asked Wenner to delay the hearing so that he could read the grand jury transcript and present other portions of it, but Brown said that the 200-plus pages could not be viewed except in the presence of an agent of the attorney general's office. Wenner denied the request and ordered DeWeese to stand trial.

  After the ruling, DeWeese challenged Corbett to bring him to trial before the November general election. DeWeese will face Republican challenger Richard Yeager in the general election while Corbett, a Republican, is running for governor against Democrat Dan Onorato.

  "I think 12 million people deserve to have this decided between now and then," said DeWeese.

  Costopolous said he had little confidence in the evidence prosecutors could bring.

  "This isn't Bonusgate. This isn't Computergate. This is Pettygate," Costopolous said. "The allegations in support of these charges are petty."

  During his closing remarks, Brown said that DeWeese "clearly admitted to the crimes with which he's been charged under oath."

  "(DeWeese) not only reached one hand, he reached both hands into the taxpayers' pockets and took as much as he could until he got caught," Brown said.

  Also testifying Monday were Kevin Sidella, a former DeWeese staffer, Sheilah Novasky, the head of his Masontown office, and Susan Stoy, a former staffer in the Waynesburg office.

  Sidella testified that he went to work for DeWeese after a conversation with former chief of staff Michael Manzo in 2000. Sidella testified he was to be DeWeese's "body man," taking care of personal tasks and doing things that others in the office didn't want to do.

  As part of his legislative job, Sidella said he coordinated DeWeese's yearly fundraiser in Hershey, did research on potential challengers, found out how much donors gave to other candidates and kept DeWeese and Manzo up to speed about who made campaign contributions and how much they donated.

  Between 2002 and 2007, Sidella estimated that fundraising was anywhere from 25 to 60 percent of his job, and by 2004, Sidella said he was the treasurer for DeWeese's campaign and for his political action committee.

  The amount of time spent fundraising was dependent upon the type of opposition DeWeese was facing, Sidella testified.

  Typically, Sidella said he took his direction from Manzo, "but Bill would interject at times," he said.

  Sidella recalled in 2005, meeting with DeWeese and Manzo at a steakhouse in Harrisburg, during which Manzo told him he had to raise $600,000 for the upcoming campaign. At the time, there was controversy over a middle-of-the-night pay raise and a gambling bill, Sidella said.

  "The only thing he could have been referring to was campaign money," Sidella said.

  Around 2002, Sidella said he questioned DeWeese about the legality of doing campaign work on legislative time.

  "He paused, and took a deep breath and said 'Our saving grace is everybody does it,'" Sidella testified.

  Over the years he worked for DeWeese, his salary jumped from $35,000 to a high of $75,000, Sidella said. He also received two $10,000 bonuses for his fundraising work.

  Sidella testified Manzo asked for the names of the people who had done outstanding campaign related work, and doled out bonuses. The scandal that became known as Bonusgate touched off a dozen arrests in 2007.

  As the investigation into the bonuses started, Sidella testified DeWeese "got worried" about having campaign work done on legislative time. He even ordered the office swept for bugs, or listening devices, Sidella said.

  Manzo was indicted in 2007 and pleaded guilty pleas to six counts of conflict of interest, three counts of theft by deception and one count of criminal conspiracy to commit conflict of interest in January. He was scheduled for sentencing in June, but it was continued for six months at prosecutors' request.

  Novasky, who started working for DeWeese as an intern in 1988, testified she did campaign work on legislative time, but never really knew she wasn't supposed to - and still isn't sure what the difference is.

  "For me, it was voluntary, but yes a part of you would feel you needed to be there because you didn't want to get yelled at or have any retribution," Novasky testified.

  If she missed campaign functions or planning sessions, Novasky said she felt obligated to explain why because she believed it was part of her job.

  She recounted Rodavich, the Waynesburg office manager, handing out written notes with assignments to staffers, but also said campaign-related meetings were typically held in the evenings or on weekends.

  During one of those meetings at DeWeese's home, Novasky recalled telling him that office personnel didn't want to work on the campaign in 2006. She testified DeWeese reacted by yelling.

  However, Novasky said she is still an ardent supporter of DeWeese.

  "You believe in the political process you've dedicated 23 years to?" Costopolous asked

  "Yes," Novasky replied.

  "And you believe in Bill DeWeese?" he asked.

  "Yes," she testified, smiling at DeWeese.

  Novasky testified she campaigned hard for DeWeese in the primary, and will do the same in the general election - and never felt pressured to do so.

  "I think he was a victim of the system as much as I am," she testified. "Historically, the evolution of campaigns and legislative (work) has been much more blended than people know."

  Stoy testified that campaigning for DeWeese was "expected," and she was never trained on the difference between legislative and campaign work.

  In 2006, when DeWeese faced challenges in the primary and general elections, Stoy testified that meetings were held in evenings and after work that each staffer was given a binder with three precincts in this district.

  Stoy testified she had three precincts, including the one in Franklin Township where DeWeese lives.

  After a misunderstanding, Stoy said she found out that DeWeese wanted her fired. Instead, she applied for another state job.

  Stoy testified she works for the state Department of Revenue.

  After the hearing, DeWeese said he helped her get that job.

  Stoy also said she expressed concern that campaign mail was in DeWeese's Waynesburg legislative office, and cited the case brought against former legislator Jeff Habay, who was charged and convicted of having his staff do campaign work at taxpayers' expense.

  DeWeese said after the decision that he wasn't surprised, and reiterated that he "always" asked staff to use non-legislative time to do campaign work.

  Brown said that if DeWeese is convicted of all the crimes charged, he could face a maximum of 40 years behind bars, and extensive fines.

  Rodavich was scheduled to have her preliminary hearing along with DeWeese. She faced allegations that she did not perform legislative tasks, but instead did personal tasks and ran DeWeese's campaign locally.

  Brown declined to comment on whether Rodavich's waiver of the charges was indicative of a plea or a deal with prosecutors.

• Mon Valley communities schedule second evening dinner cruise for Aug. 3 -

  BROWNSVILLE - For the second year in a row Mon Valley communities are joining together for an evening dinner cruise on the Monongahela River.

  This year's cruise will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 3, with the boat leaving from Charleroi Trustees Park. Participating in this year's cruise are organizations from Brownsville, Charleroi, Monessen, Donora and Belle Vernon. Each community will be honoring a "distinguished citizen."

  "We are honoring John Detisch in Brownville," said Norma Ryan of the Brownsville Area Revitalization Corp. (BARC), the participating organization from Brownsville.

  Ryan said Detisch, who lives in Republic, is being honored for his contribution to the community.

  "He established Music on the Mon, which became Music and Reading on the Mon and which has now moved to the (Nemacolin) castle," Ryan said.

  Ryan said she first met Detisch about seven years ago, when she was mayor of Brownsville. She had contacted musician Sammy Bill of Republic about holding concerts at the Brownsville Wharf.

  "He sent John Detisch to me. John had this marvelous idea that communities all along the riverfront could hold music along the river," Ryan said.

  Ryan said the only problem was the hot sun beating down on the musicians and the audience for the late afternoon waterfront concerts. The venue was moved to the shaded grounds of Nemacolin Castle and Detisch began partnering with the Brownsville Rotary Club for story hours and free books for children in connection with the concerts.

  "It became a family event. It blossomed into more than we ever could have imagined," Ryan said.

  Ryan said two of the concerts held this year have drawn large crowds. The Big Bedtime Story drew an audience of about 200 people, while the Chris Higbee concert attracted an audience of about 170 people. Ryan said she wished all of the free concerts did that well.

  "We average 50 to 100; it ought to be more. We're always open to suggestions on how to promote these free concerts in the community," Ryan said.

  This year's cruise is being sponsored by BARC, the Donora Smog Commemorative Committee, Mon Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Monessen Historical Society and TEAM Charleroi. For some 20 years the Greater Brownsville Area Chamber of Commerce had sponsored the cruise, but in recent years it became too difficult to sell enough tickets to bring the boat down from Pittsburgh.

  "For one community to do this, it is very overwhelming. By working together, each community is only responsible for selling 50 tickets," Ryan said.

  Ryan said the dinner cruise also gives members of each of the participating communities an opportunity to discuss what is happening in their areas. This year's cruise will be aboard the Gateway Clipper Fleet's "Empress."

  Passengers will begin boarding the boat around 6 p.m. in Charleroi. It will leave the dock at 6:30 for a cruise that will last approximately two and a half hours.

  Tickets for the cruise are available by contacting the BARC office at 724-785-9331.

• Vanderbilt man to get 4 to 8 years in robbery plea deal - A Fayette County man who pleaded guilty to robbing an elderly man at knifepoint in March, and to earlier taking two guns and a gaming system from another residence, will serve four to eight years in prison.
• Connellsville man gets 2-4 years for sex with teen - A Fayette County man who was convicted in a May trial of numerous sexual assault charges involving a 14-year-old Connellsville girl he met on the website MySpace was sentenced Friday to serve two to four years in prison.
• Fallingwater residencies give students fresh ideas - When Ryan Ellison was a little girl, she started to notice how all of the boring buildings in her town were the same shapes. There were squares and rectangles for as far as the eye could see.
• Masontown woman pleads guilty to leaving kids home alone - A Masontown woman who acknowledged leaving her four young children home alone in a residence police said was in deplorable condition Friday agreed to a plea deal that could result in a prison term of six months to one year.