The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh recently announced the closing of four predominantly African-American schools. The four institutions in the Hill District, Wilkinsburg and Homewood will be reconfigured into two new institutions beginning in the fall 2010 school year.

“It’s kind of the reality of the situation that we’re in here, the declining demographics of the city,” said Father Carmen D’Amico, pastor of Saint Benedict the Moor School. “There’s less and less school-aged children and more and more competition so we’re all competing for a dwindling number of students. I think the consolidation of the schools is a good thing.”

TOP HONORS—Sarah Elizabeth Barnes, a 2008 graduate of The Ellis School, was named to the dean’s list with distinction at Duke University for the fall 2009 semester. She was among 917 students who achieved that honor from among the more than 6,400 undergraduate students at Duke.

SARAH ELIZABETH BARNES

Barnes is a member of the Class of 2012 in the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and has a double major in history and Spanish. She is the daughter of Elizabeth and James Barnes, and the granddaughter of Florence and Justin Johnson. To make the dean’s list, students must rank in the top third of their college; for dean’s list with distinction, the top 10th of their college.

Currently, if need be, anyone on the North Side could take the 16B Brighton to the Giant Eagle on Camp Horne Road. But in less than two weeks, that will change.

Not only will the 16B not go there, or to Ben Avon or Emsworth, it won’t be the 16B, it will be the 16 Brighton. All other 16 buses will not only have new routes, but new names.

The 16A Aliquippa becomes the 14 Ohio Valley and no longer serves Aliquippa, going only to Ambridge. And the 16D Manchester becomes the 18 Manchester. On this route, service will be discontinued on North Avenue, Fulton Street and Manhattan Street between Western and Pennsylvania avenues, and on Western between Allegheny and Manhattan. Service will also be discontinued to Woods Run/McClure Avenue, Brighton Heights and New Allegheny.

EXACT CHANGE—As of April 4, the 16D bus will become the 18 Manchester and follow a different route. It is one of 60 route changes in the first phase of PAT’s multi-year Transit Development Plan.

There ha been several community meetings to address the Jordan Miles case but none recently to address the Black-on-Black violence, so we asked Pittsburghers what they thought and what should be done. Here’s what you said:

“I don’t think that it’s distracted the city, I think that it actually awakened it, because unfortunately they don’t get involved unless it’s one of their own. We need to stop being divided by our beliefs, traditions, culture, and religion and come together and take care of our own babies.”

“Free,” Cynthia Hill and Ruth Thomas

“Free”
Homewood
Social worker