Ever since I started this blog, posts related to local news stories and events have always been prominently featured here. Since I currently live in Harrisonburg, VA, my local-interest posts have focused on the Shenandoah Valley.

However, a large portion of you don’t live here, and while I try to make my posts as universally interesting as possible, there’s a limit to how much one can really care about news that doesn’t happen where they live. Since I have a lot of friends (and at least a few readers) in/near Pittsburgh, PA, and I spend a lot of time there (a long weekend at least once a month), it’s the next logical choice to look for material.

I didn’t really have any local readers in Harrisonburg until very recently (thanks Harrisonburg Blogs), and in light of some responses I’ve received to local posts, I’m a little curious as to where my readers are. So, I made a poll, asking which location(s) you’re interested in seeing local-interest posts from. I appreciate any and all votes, even if they’re for “Neither”, and you don’t even have to login to vote.

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Whatever the outcome of this poll, I’m not going to stop writing about Harrisonburg news (unless I move), or stop writing about Pittsburgh news (unless interesting things stop happening there), this is for my own curiousity. If anything, this will help me decide what sort of priority to put on each city’s news sources when looking for material. And, local news posts are never going to make up the majority of my posts here, that’s just boring, and doesn’t really suit the original purpose of this blog.

BELLEVUE, Pa. — A local community will remain a dry town until at least 2011.

The town of Bellevue fell short of the required number of signatures needed to place a referendum question regarding community alcohol sales on the spring primary ballot.

The question would have asked residents if they wanted to permit restaurants and bars to sell beer, wine and liquor by the drink.

Since the end of Prohibition in 1933, Bellevue has not allowed businesses to sell alcohol by the drink.

Organizers of the referendum effort had hoped to generate more business by increasing foot traffic through town.

The town has one beer distributor.

Local Community Dry Since Prohibition To Remain Dry on WPXI

Am I the only one who thought that towns like this only existed in the realms of urban legend and weird country songs? And in Pittsburgh, no less? I mean, I’d expect to find this sort of thing in places like Georgia, or in Virginia, but Pittsburgh? The city as a whole really isn’t very conservative or religious, and beer is huge there.

I did a bit of research, and Pittsburgh-area bloggers have written much more about this than I could hope to. “Live Mike“, who appears to live in Bellevue, has a very lengthy article against the referendum (among other local ordinance changes). Three of them, in fact. In his first post, he goes over the history of alcohol prohibition in the town. His second post touches on the more tangible effects of the passage of this referendum, and brings up a very good point; Bellevue is quite tiny, and close to downtown, so there are plenty of bars around its perimeter. And, his third post speculates on the effects of the referendum’s passage. Overall, a very well-written series, regardless of your position on the matter.

And, while Live Mike and I would probably hate each other if we actually had a conversation, I actually support his position on this. Sort of. I think it’s kinda silly to outlaw alcohol anywhere, and I think the temperance movement was and is a ridiculous waste of time. But, I’m also a fan of the right for communities to preserve their culture however they see fit, as long as they’re not violating any human rights in the process. The US is too big for nationwide blue laws, and almost all states too big for such laws as well. But, cities and towns (and counties, in some cases) are a nice size for blue laws to work well, if supported by the majority of residents, because cultural differences rarely follow state lines. Laws that make sense in Southern California would rarely make sense in rural Virginia, and some of our local ordinances and state laws would cause riots out there.

So, if the majority of Bellevue residents (which is what it sounds like the situation is) want to keep this law on the books, I hope that no one interferes with their right to continue that tradition (like how the Mormon church and dozens of outside groups interfered in Californians’ right to define marriage how they wanted to). Considering that the town’s been “dry” since the 1800s, I doubt that anyone moving there or currently living there would be caught off-guard by the town’s lack of bars. And, since it’s not exactly an isolated area, it might be better for the supporters of this referendum to relocate, or not move there in the first place. I know I wouldn’t want to live there (I don’t drink, but I sense major morality differences between myself and the residents of Bellevue), but if some people do, more power to ‘em.

And, for those who are curious, I couldn’t seem to find any blog posts supporting the referendum.

As members of St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish gathered for a church meeting Monday night, there is an inner struggle weighing heavy on their hearts and minds. “I feel very sad after so many years being in this church and having it closed,” said Connie Phillip, of St. Anne’s parish.

Because of declining attendance at Sunday Mass, parish officials have proposed closing St. Anne’s, St. Mary Magdalene and St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Churches and maintain St. Michael’s in Munhall as the parish church building. “The other factor, and it’s a big one, is that financially the church has not been able to have the funds come in to take care of the buildings,” said Father Jim Young of St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish.

Parishioners told Channel 11 News that by closing the churches the parish administration is not fulfilling all members’ needs. “I just think the diocese has no sense of history. St. Mary Magdalene has been here for 100 plus years. I think there’s room for two churches, not one,” said Vincent Rodgers, of St. Mary Magdalene Church.

The plan still needs to be presented to Bishop David Zubik, and he will have the final say on whether to close the churches.

Pittsburgh Diocese Considering Closing Churches on WPXI

I’ve gotten tired of Harrisonburg local news, and Pittsburgh is my second home at this point, so I’ve decided to post about interesting articles from there. As with my Harrisonburg-interest posts, I plan to try to keep these as universally-interesting as possible, because what few readers I have come from all over the country (and several in other countries).

Anyway, I thought this story was very interesting. We hear about businesses and individuals suffering from the economy non-stop (thanks, American media, we get the message), but churches and charities are often overlooked. I think I’ve heard maybe one news story about charities suffering from the economic downturn in the last year, and it was a pretty brief story, consisting of “yep, we’ve seen a reduction in donations”. This article is the first I’ve heard of a church considering closing its doors due to financial issues since news stations started running non-stop “the economy sucks!” stories.

Admittedly, I have a hard time feeling much sympathy for a Catholic parish that owns that many churches, especially in Pittsburgh, where Catholicism is very strong, but it still sucks that they can’t afford to maintain their buildings and have to consider closing them. Churches have traditionally been the last refuge of the destitute, the one place people could turn to for guidance and assistance when no one else could help them. So, it’s a little sad to see a church, any church, having these sorts of problems at a time when so many people are counting on churches to be stronger than ever.

On the other hand, this would be a great opportunity for Church Brew Works to open a second location. Highly recommended if you’re in the area, by the way; between the gourmet food, exquisite beer (from what I’m told), and tastefully blasphemous atmosphere, I’d say it’s a must-see for anyone who travels through Pittsburgh.