< PreviousCAround Your Town Around Your Town North Fayette Township was joined by almost a dozen police departments and K-9 units from across the region in a special tribute to fallen K-9 officer Nevo on Feb. 9. The township’s K-9 was honored with a procession, a police salute and a rolling final call. “To say he was a true asset to our organization is an understatement,” says North Fayette police chief Don Cokus. “Nevo’s presence will be sorely missed by the members of the North Fayette Police Department and residents of the Township of North Fayette.” Nevo was the township’s first K-9 and became both a community icon and valuable tool for local law enforcement agencies. He first came to the force in 2014 thanks to a grant through the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation. He was bred and initially trained in Holland before being purchased by the department. Nevo was paired with township police officer Todd Heufelder and the two completed an initial six-month training period together. It was the first of many training sessions the two would complete over the years. As is custom for K-9s and their handlers, Nevo lived with Heufelder throughout his service and would have remained with Heufelder after retiring this coming summer. An autoimmune disorder, however, led to Nevo’s unexpected and sudden decline. Looking back on Nevo’s service period, Heufelder recalls a driven, fun-loving and loyal partner that had a way of attracting attention in a variety of settings. “The way I always described it at my demos was that Nevo always beat me to the car to go to work but always beat me to the fence to come home,” Heufelder recalls. “He had a great on and off switch.” Much like other K-9s, Nevo was an invaluable tool to the department. The dogs have a sense of smell so sensitive that they can detect one part per billion. That’s on par with a packet of sugar dissolved in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. They can help officers detect narcotics, clear buildings, track a missing person or locate a fleeing suspect. Outside of North Fayette, the unit also regularly assisted other area departments and even federal agencies, including the DEA and FBI. More commonly, though, Heufelder says that Nevo served an important deterrence role, as K-9s have a way of encouraging an uncooperative suspect to come quietly during an arrest. “If you took him on a call, everybody stops when the car with the red writing pulls up,” says Heufelder. “That’s what we used him for, was deterrence. We would much rather people go peacefully.” By that same token, Heufelder recalls how Nevo could have a much different impact on people in the community, including children. “But then you take him out in public and everyone wants to pet him,” he says. “People have a handful of questions for us but it’s always endless with the dog.” Heufelder recalls on a number of occasions taking Nevo to a demo for children only to have parents take over the discussion with lots of their own questions. “He was a great bridge to the community,” says Heufelder. “No matter what people think of us, everyone loves dogs.” The community, in turn, has also showed considerable support for the unit. During Nevo’s lifetime, a number of initiatives helped raised money to support it. K-9 units can be expensive to maintain, as they require a specially outfitted vehicle and equipment, such as a bulletproof vest for the K-9. In 2014, the Donaldson Elementary Student Council hosted the first of what would become many fundraisers for Nevo. Teacher and student council sponsor Tiffany Mangan says that initial fundraiser brought in $1,500, which was used to purchase Nevo his protective vest. She says the student council raised a similar amount every year following except this past year due to COVID-19. That first class of students, incidentally, are now seniors. For their efforts, student council members got to meet with Nevo personally each year during a special visit at the school. Mangan says students loved supporting him and that they always looked forward to his visit. “You know when a K-9 comes in the room and everything just stops?” recalls Mangan. “You could hear a pin drop in that classroom.” She said students were fascinated with how Heufelder worked with his K-9 partner. The same year that student council members held that first fundraiser, then state Sen. Matt Smith introduced legislation that would punish anyone who hurt a police animal with a second- degree felony. The legislation, which was later signed into law, became known as Rocco’s Law and was named after the police K-9 by the same name that was killed in the line of duty. Heufelder says that the department received many kind expressions from the community following Nevo’s passing. He says the department has also applied for grants that would allow it to purchase a new dog and K-9 vehicle. Its current vehicle is the same one that was put into service alongside Nevo in 2014. If the department does get those grants, it could have the unit back up and running again by this summer. Anyone who would like to donate to the North Fayette police K-9 unit can contact the North Fayette Police Station at (724) 693- 8400. Remembering Nevo, North Fayette’s beloved K-9 LEFT: North Fayette police officer Todd Heufelder and K-9 officer Nevo (also pictured at right, above) visit with the Donaldson Elementary Student Council and sponsor Tiffany Mangan. STORY BY DOUG HUGHEY PHOTOS SUBMITTED 20 • Allegheny West Magazine • April/May 2021 April/May 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 21CAround Your Town Around Your Town Before Mike Baker became the manager at North Fayette Township, he worked in the coroner’s office in Indiana County for the better part of three decades. For 22 of those years, he was the coroner’s chief deputy and, in 2008, he was elected coroner. At the same time, he spent stints working as an EMT for an ambulance company and with an aero medevac unit. One day in the early 2000s, the coroner Baker was working under asked him to reach out to the Center for Organ Recovery & Education, or CORE. The family of a deceased individual wished to donate their loved one’s organs. Despite Baker’s lengthy background as a first responder and his work in the coroner’s office, it was the first time that he’d ever heard of the organization, which facilitates the donation of organs and tissues to people on national transplant lists. “I kind of embraced it right away,” says Baker. “I saw an opportunity to take a tragedy and turn it into something positive. It was a tremendous way to help a family cope with loss and help someone on the other end as well.” When someone passes away in a hospital, that hospital is required to alert an organ recovery organization such as CORE. There are 57 such organizations across the country. That’s not the case when someone passes away outside of a hospital. In that case, unless the individual has opted to be an organ donor, the decision about whether to donate their organs falls to their next of kin. Whether the coroner chooses to bring that option up to the family, however, is entirely voluntary. After Baker was elected coroner, he says he began making it a point to tell families of deceased individuals about CORE and organ donation. He calls it his “Peter Falk” moment, referring to the actor who portrayed the television character Columbo. “When Columbo would interview someone and go to leave, he’d put his hand on the doorknob and say, ‘Oh yeah, just one more thing,’” he says. “For me, that was my ‘one more thing.’” Baker actually has a picture of Falk hanging in his office at the North Fayette Township Municipal Building and he’s had to explain why that is to more than a few people over the years. According to Susan Stuart, president and CEO of CORE, Baker was ahead of his time among coroners in the organization’s service area. That area encompasses about five million people living in western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and one county in New York. “Mike was one of the very first coroners in our service area that really promoted donation for individuals who died outside of the hospital,” she says. “There’s a federal law that deaths in the hospital must be reported to an organ recovery organization, but there’s no law about having non-hospital deaths reported.” For his efforts, CORE awarded Baker with its ambassador award and invited him to join their advisory committee. Later, he was asked to join CORE’s governing board. Even after he ceased being Indiana County’s coroner in 2018, Baker continued his involvement with the organization. He was elected as the governing board’s chair earlier this year. “Mike’s leadership and vision have helped identify opportunities to increase donations and work with key partners in community,” says Stuart. “Whether working with a coroner’s office or identifying ways to raise awareness or identify that outreach around donation, he’s quite a true leader with a visionary style.” Thanks to the work of Baker, Stuart and many others, CORE’s visibility has grown quite a bit over the years. In 2019, CORE was honored with the prestigious 2019 Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award for meeting a number of organizational criteria. According to a press release from CORE, the award is the highest honor a U.S. organization can receive and only four other Pennsylvania organizations have received the award in its 30- year history. Among its accomplishments, the press release cites CORE as being among the top 10% in terms of organ procurement organizations from 2014 to 2019. Last year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, CORE secured more organ and tissue donations than in any other year. In total, 792 people received organ transplants thanks to CORE, according to numbers provided by the organization. That was a 20% increase over the previous year. Another 90,000 people received tissues or corneas. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, transplants have been deemed essential and thus continued to take place. At the same time, however, Stuart says that CORE ran up against challenges when it came to signing up new organ donors in 2020. That’s because many DMVs, where people can opt in or out of being an organ donor while receiving their drivers’ license, were shut down during the pandemic. In West Virginia, people could still opt in while getting a hunting or fishing license, but no such regulation exists in Pennsylvania. Stuart says about 20 people die every day while awaiting an organ transplant. Of those on national transplant lists, she says people in need of a kidney represent the largest category, at about 110,000. Those awaiting heart, lung, liver, pancreas and intestines each make up a large percentage as well. With Baker chairing CORE’s governing board, the organization is continuing to work to raise its profile and encourage organ donation. Part of that work involves continuing to reach out to coroners but much more involves educating the public about the need for organ donors and defeating misinformation about organ donation. “Organ donation is the greatest way to save and heal lives,” says Stuart. “Additionally, donors leave a legacy and are the true heroes of the transplant process.” CORE is hoping to make up the ground it lost in 2021 during National Donate Life Month in April. Anyone over the age of 18 can sign up to be an organ donor, so long as they are in good physical and mental health. For more, visit core.org. Baker’s mission outside of North Fayette: CORE Mike Baker STORY AND PHOTO BY DOUG HUGHEY 22 • Allegheny West Magazine • April/May 2021 April is Donate Life Month. Visit core.org for more. April/May 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 23412.205.8998 | DDSWebDesign.com Websites that get results. Designed in Pittsburgh Contact us for a free website analysis. Affordable Custom Designs Responsive Sites | Content Management SEO | E-commerce | Hosting | Maintenance Imagine your website working as hard for your business as you do. April/May 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 25CAround Your Town Around Your Town North Fayette resident Brett McGinnis is a digital media producer by day. By night, he switches gears to the paranormal. That’s when the company he co-owns, Ghosts N’at, comes alive. McGinnis, 32, lives in Walden Woods with his cat, Frankenstein. He teamed up with Patty Henderson to form Ghosts N’at Paranormal Adventures in 2015. Initially, they investigated homes and businesses of people who were experiencing paranormal activity. They were constantly asked to take people with them on investigations. Before long, Ghosts N’at added public haunted locations to take those who were curious on real ghost hunts. Since then, McGinnis has become involved as a cast member on the SyFy Channel television show “Ghost Hunters Academy,” a spinoff of the popular television show “Ghost Hunters.” He traveled with cast members Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango to some of the most haunted locations in the country. When Gonsalves and Tango partnered with Jason Hawes to develop a new television show on the Travel Channel called “Ghost Nation,” McGinnis contacted them with the idea of investigating paranormal activity at the 118-year-old Hotel Conneaut. It was a place McGinnis was familiar with, having grown up nearby. “I have been going to Conneaut Lake since I was a child,” McGinnis explains. “I love the hotel. We have been holding investigations there since 2016. When we filmed for ‘Ghost Nation,’ we had a rare opportunity to investigate the hotel while it was 100% empty. We encountered many unexplainable things, including voices, footsteps, equipment hits, and personal experiences.” The most famous ghost of the hotel is the ghost bride Elizabeth. According to legend, Elizabeth was a bride who was at the hotel for her wedding in 1943 on the same day that the hotel caught fire and was partially destroyed. Elizabeth stayed in the hotel, searching for her groom to be. Her husband made it out alive, but Elizabeth unfortunately lost her life in the fire. Today, Elizabeth still roams the hallways of the hotel, searching for her groom. McGinnis explains, “We have done research on the fire, and have not been able to find any records of anyone passing away during it. However, we have captured the name, Elizabeth, on some of our ghost hunting equipment, and some photos have been taken that seem to show a woman in a wedding dress. We believe that the story of Elizabeth is rooted in urban legend, but there may be someone haunting the hotel whose name is Elizabeth - just not a bride who died in the fire.” This is just one of the many fascinating stories McGinnis has to share. He prefers to keep the rest to himself, though, so attendees at his paranormal adventures can discover some of the unusual and unique stories on their own. Fast forward to today, and Ghosts N’at has grown to include a host of team members. McGinnis says, “I have recruited almost every Ghosts N’at team member from our events! During that time, I get to see how they investigate. Many of them had expressed interest in joining the team after attending events with us - and then we take them through a training process to determine if they would be a good fit for Ghosts N’at.” What does he look for in a paranormal team member? “We look for a specific skill set in a potential team member. They must have an extreme interest in the paranormal and be really great with people!” Originally from Boyers, Pennsylvania, McGinnis developed a love for the paranormal long before he graduated from Moniteau High School. He recalls, “My love of the ‘strange and unusual’ started at an early age. I remember being in third grade and checking out books about ghosts from the library. I went on my first paranormal investigation in 2007 and was hooked!” Over the years, the locations for the team’s paranormal adventures have continued to grow. Ghosts N’at hosts events at several locations in the region, including Black Dog Wine Company in North Fayette, which is North Fayette resident’s ghostly endeavors bring the paranormal alive STORY BY PAT JENNETTE Brent McGinnis is pictured in front of The Hotel Conneaut in Conneaut Lake. A media producer for GNC, McGinnis convinced cast members from the SyFy show “Ghost Nation” to visit the site with him and film an episode. PHOTO SUBMITTED 26 • Allegheny West Magazine • April/May 2021CAround Your Town Around Your Town Express knows jobs. Get to know Express. O ces in Robinson & Monaca 412.494.2000 ExpressPros.com Full-time and part-time opportunities in a variety of positions: Administrative, Professional, Industrial, Skilled Labor, Skilled Trades, and Skilled Professional No Fees! owned by West Allegheny alumnus Mark Rozum. Other locations include The Hotel Conneaut in Conneaut Lake, the Carrie Furnace in Rankin, Castle Blood in Monessen, Hill View Manor in New Castle, and Nemacolin Castle in Brownsville. Rozum has invited McGinnis to host events at the winery in the past, with more to come, he says, noting, “We have been doing events with Brett and Ghosts N’at for a few years now. They are always some of our most popular events. We typically do them around Halloween but have done some at other times during the year. The events are always very well run and organized. We’ll definitely be looking to schedule some more soon.” Rozum says groups have detected activity during events. “We’ve had some weird experiences at the winery and the Ghosts N’at team has confirmed the presence of spirits,” he says. “Even some of our non-believer staff members, myself included, are convinced. These guys are legit.” McGinnis says the team takes great pride in being able to provide ghost hunts as an extra revenue stream for historic haunted locations to help keep them open and operational. Many people who come on the adventures end up returning to the locations on their own for other events there. Out-of-state locations include Edgar Allan Poe’s gravesite in Baltimore, Maryland; The Admiral Fell Inn, also in Baltimore; The Hull House in Lancaster, New York; and the West Virginia Penitentiary in Moundsville, West Virginia. Attendees on one of the team’s paranormal experiences are paired with a paranormal investigator using the latest in paranormal technology. An average ghost-hunting adventure is generally four to five hours. Ghosts N’at also offers some longer events, as well as one-hour ghost tours. McGinnis says, “Our events are always so much fun; you wouldn’t believe some of the evidence we catch!” He adds that it’s always exciting to reach “the other side.” Ghosts N’at launched a second location in Baltimore, Maryland, last year, where a team there is handling events and operations. Long-term goals are to expand to several more locations nationwide. When not running Ghosts N’at, McGinnis works as a corporate multi-media producer for GNC in downtown Pittsburgh. He moved to the Pittsburgh area after graduating from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and getting hired at GNC. Ghosts N’at has developed quite a following, and has garnered numerous media stories and interviews locally, regionally and nationwide. To learn more, visit www.ghostsnat.com. April/May 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 27y > Learning Curves Learning Curves BY MICHELE P. CONTI Most of us dream of that special day when we walk down the aisle. The bride, dressed in a froth of white with beautiful flowers in her hands, is accompanied by her groom and surrounded by their closest friends and family members as witnesses to their love. Oftentimes, this day costs us one year’s salary! Though times are changing, and couples may already live together or have purchased a house, one thing they rarely consider is what happens if their commitment fails and their marriage ends in divorce. Whether you like it or not, Pennsylvania dictates who gets what upon a divorce, unless you have an agreement stating otherwise. That’s the same as our intestacy laws: you die without a will, Pennsylvania already has written out who gets what. So, why not change the narrative? Rather than allowing the state to tell us which assets are yours and which are your partner’s, come to an understanding beforehand. I’ve heard that this takes the romance out of the day and turns the marriage into more of a business relationship than true love. However, if you allow yourself to imagine the worst - and consider that one day your fairytale could crumble - wouldn’t you rather be protected? I know I would. So, what is a prenuptial agreement? It is a contract negotiated by the parties before the marriage. Because it is a contract, each party must have separate legal representation, unless waived. In the event of death or divorce, the terms are already drawn up. This is important, especially if there is a blended family involved. While each prenup is different, depending on your specific assets and goals, many prenups address what should happen to those assets should the marriage end in divorce. It also dictates how much support the parties must provide to each other and what rights a party should have if the other dies. The agreement allows each party to express their expectations and voice which assets they are bringing to the table. Alimony is a common standard, and usually just involves dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s, unless part of the agreement is broken. We traditionally will include an exception should one of the parties be unfaithful that provides either for less alimony or no alimony. The terms are quite important. I’m asked all the time: who should have a prenup? That question is usually followed by the infamous statement: I’m not rich, I don’t need one. My advice is this: ask yourself what you are Prenup: planning for your happily ever after worth, not in terms of dollars and cents, but in time. The woman who helped put her husband through school so he could become a successful professional while she raised the children is kicking herself when, 30 years later, he leaves and she’s left with, what? The house? A car? What about the time she invested in him? That is the old scenario we hear about, but today more women are working and making the same, if not more than, their spouse. So, flip the script - he leaves and now she pays him. Obviously, no two situations are the same. Wouldn’t you wish you had considered the “what if’s” should your fairytale fall short? Allow us to sit down with you and discuss the potential pitfalls if that one day doesn’t turn out to be your happily ever after. If you have already walked down the aisle, then don’t worry: it’s not too late! Married couples can sign a postnuptial agreement after they’ve said “I do!” It’s never too late to secure your financial future. Michele P. Conti is an estate planning and elder law attorney. Conti attended Allegheny College in Meadville, Oxford University and Duquesne University School of Law. She received her LL.M. in taxation from Villanova University. 28 • Allegheny West Magazine • April/May 2021y > Learning Curves Learning Curves SUBMITTED BY MIA A. KOVACS, CFP®, BILL FEW ASSOCIATES Mia A. Kovacs, CFP®, is a vice president and a financial consultant with Bill Few Associates. She can be reached at (412) 630-6041 or at mkovacs@billfew.com. How much you can contribute to an IRA or Roth IRA depends on age and earned income. For tax years 2020 and 2021, you can contribute up to $6,000, assuming you have earned income of at least $6,000. If you are over age 50 by year-end, you can contribute an additional $1,000 in 2020 and 2021 as a “catch- up contribution.” If allowable, making a deductible IRA contribution reduces your income and therefore your taxes. The IRA contribution grows tax- sheltered, but once you take funds out of your IRA you pay tax on both the contributions and the growth from those contributions. The deductibility of your IRA contribution depends on your income and if your employer provides you with a company plan. As long as you have enough earned income, you can always contribute to an IRA. However, your IRA contribution may or may not be deductible for tax purposes, depending on your income and whether you are covered by a retirement plan at work. The income phase-out range for 2020 for those covered by a company plan starts at $104,000 if married and filing jointly, or $65,000 for those filing as single or as head of household. The income phase- out range for 2021 for those covered by a company plan starts at $105,000 if married and filing jointly or $66,000 for those filing as single or head of household. Roth IRA contributions are never tax deductible but whether you are eligible to directly contribute to a Roth is dependent on income. If allowable, making a Roth IRA contribution will not reduce your income or your taxes today. The Roth IRA contribution will grow tax sheltered. Upon taking funds out of the Roth IRA, you do not pay tax on the growth or the already taxed contributions. If directly contributing to a Roth IRA, the income phase-out range for 2020 starts at $196,000 if married and filing jointly, or $124,000 for those filing as single or head or household. The income phase-out range for 2021 starts at $198,000 if married and filing jointly or $125,000 for those filing as single or head of household. If your income is too high, you may be able to make a backdoor Roth IRA contribution. You should consult a financial planner to determine what retirement savings strategy makes sense for you. We can help you plan, define and achieve your goals for retirement. Updates to Roth IRA contributions: what you need to consider The IRS has officially extended the federal tax-filing deadline from April 15 to May 17. The IRA contribution deadline will also be extended to May 17, giving you more time to consider making and maximizing an IRA or Roth IRA contribution for 2020. Here are some points to consider if you are thinking of contributing to an IRA or Roth IRA: April/May 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 29Next >