Cheers & Jeers
Cheers: Cheers to Albert Gallatin graduate Ellen Guillard, known as Loui Hall during her playing days with the Lady Colonials, for continuing her outstanding success as the high school girls basketball coach at Taylor Allderdice of the Pittsburgh City League. Guillard’s Dragons defeated Obama Academy, 52-45, to win the City League title on Sunday at Duquesne University’s UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Bailey White scored a game-high 25 points for Allderdice, which improved to 19-5 overall. It was the fifth time Guillard led the Dragons to the City League championship and second year in a row. Guillard is one of the greatest girls players to ever come out of Fayette County and is its all-time leading scorer with 2,440 points. She also pulled down 1,225 rebounds in her career as a four-year starter at AG. Guillard went on to star at Duquesne in college, totaling 1,349 points and 576 rebounds for the Dukes, and also played professionally overseas. Guillard will now guide Allderdice into the PIAA tournament riding a 15-game winning streak.
Jeers: For the third time since September, the World Kitchen plant in Charleroi has postponed the plant’s shutdown and told the remaining employees to report to work for at least another three months. The long and protracted closing has left many wondering about the company’s ability to move operations to another plant in Ohio. “You had workers leaving there to start their next phase of their work life or to try to find work,” borough Councilman Larry Celaschi said last week. “Now, they’re held hostage for three more months without any solid long-term answers. They have to come back or they’re not eligible to get any unemployment. I don’t think there’s enough communication between corporate, the International Steelworkers Union and the employees to give them a very clear picture here. … It’s unfair, and it’s unhealthy.” Frankly, we agree.
Cheers: A warm welcome is extended to Thomas Boyd, the new director of the Fayette County Veterans Affairs office. In a recent interview, Boyd said he and his staff will continue to give local veterans support and help them get the benefits to which they are entitled. In a recent interview, Boyd said veterans are often hesitant to seek help or benefits out of fear that doing so might take away resources from other service members. A former Marine, Boyd has a wealth of advocating experience and intends to build on the progress made by his predecessor, Brian Bensen. A priority will be to ensure the county’s newest veterans – those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan – are aware of what they earned after they leave duty.