As a young girl, Peters Township native Nicole Spindler began learning about the therapeutic value of writing after her grandfather died.
âI didnât understand death very well, but I knew my grandmother was very lonely,â she recalled. âSo I ended up writing letters to her, and she was just overjoyed. Ever since 2003, weâve been writing letters â handwritten, cursive â every single week.â
Putting a pen to paper took on further significance when her father was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called olfactory neuroblastoma, a tumor that grows in the nasal cavity.
Jeff Spindler is doing fine today, and according to his daughter, medical experts believe he is one of the longest survivors of that particular disease. But learning of his illness in 2012 had a profound effect on then-teenager Nicole.
A preliminary version of Peters Township School Districtâs 2021-22 budget shows a substantial shortfall in projected revenues compared with expenditures.
The school board Tuesday approved a resolution stipulating a real estate tax increase of no more than 3% for the coming fiscal year.
That figure corresponds with the districtâs adjusted index under state Act 1 of 2006, which calls for a limit on annual tax increases based on statewide average weekly wages and the federal employment cost index for elementary and secondary schools.
Even if the real estate tax rises by the set maximum, to 14.5848 mills, 2021-22 expenditures are projected to exceed revenues by some $2.76 million, according to information presented by district business manager Brad Rau at the school board finance committeeâs Jan. 11 meeting.
When students report Jan. 19 for their first day of classes at the new Peters Township High School, it will be a bit later than originally anticipated.
âFor all of us, it was kind of frustrating to miss the mark by a week,â school district communications coordinator Shelly Belcher said as the opening approached.
Then again, the potentially mitigating circumstances of 2020 could have resulted in a longer delay.
âWe set a schedule two-and-a-half years ago, before anybody ever heard of COVID, and we missed it by seven days,â Belcher said. âSo in the grand scheme of being in this big, beautiful building, itâs well worth the wait.â
Jan 9, 2021
WHEELING – Wheeling Country Club announced Friday the hiring of Rich Conwell as the country club’s General Manager and PGA Golf Professional. Conwell will oversee all aspects of the club’s operations including golf, golf outings and tournaments, tennis, dining and events including weddings and meetings. He will focus on creating legendary experiences for the club’s 250 families.
“I am so excited that my all-encompassing career training has prepared me to lead Wheeling Country Club into a very bright future,” said Conwell. “Personally, it is a great opportunity to do what I love to do close to home and to continue the new era of the club that has undergone so many recent improvements.”