"The flood" captured most of the headlines in the final few months of the year, with the devastation and recovery from the Sept. 17 aftermath of Hurricane Ivan difficult to ignore.

	Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette Dave McAnallen, right, and Brandi Hilliard carry furniture to the rapidly growing pile in front of their flood-damaged home on Main Street in the Renfrew section of Penn. The Connoquenessing Creek flood waters were nearly three feet high inside their home and swept away everything in the yard surrounding the house. Click photo for larger image.

"But other stories occurred in 2004 throughout the North suburbs, ranging from attempts at municipal mergers to the theft of lawn statuary in Shaler.

Perhaps the people of North tell the stories of 2004 best in their own words, which is why we compiled what we consider the best quotes and the best stories from the issues of PG North for our annual look back at the year that was.

Jan. 7

"I said I wouldn't turn into a career politician. Finally, I had to ask myself, 'If I'm not going to be one, why am I still in Harrisburg?' "

-- State Rep. Guy Travaglio Jr., 77, announcing his retirement after 10 years in the Legislature

"My campaign -- and I use that word loosely -- was conducted by cell phone and e-mail from 1,000 miles away."

-- Andrew Santelli, 21, elected one of two O'Hara auditors while a junior at a Florida college

Jan. 14

"For me, it was just common sense."

-- Russ Hardiman, elected Kilbuck supervisor after running on the proposal that Kilbuck should merge with Ohio Township

"I don't believe that mall will get built."

-- Robert Seibert, vice chairman of Harmar supervisors, after yet another legal challenge to Deer Creek Crossing in Harmar

Jan. 21

"These allegations are strictly one man's perception and viewpoint, and he has only been on council one week."

-- Sewickley council President Don Kipke, after new council member Reginald Bridges complained that candidates he'd suggested for a council vacancy were not considered

Jan. 28

"At assembly, we asked the children, 'What do you think about naming it?' and a first-grader said, 'No, then it would be like a pet.' "

-- Heather Capezzuti, Winchester-Thurston science teacher, on efforts to help an injured goose on campus without making it dependent on human help

* Hampton council President Dick Dunlap steps down because of a new job as executive director of the Allegheny League of Municipalities.

Feb. 4

"You mention this to a geologist and he'll turn up his nose at you. But I use it plenty -- almost every time -- and come up smelling like a rose."

-- Ray Nock, on "witching," or dowsing, to find water, an ancient practice that is still used, despite skepticism

"Have you had psychological counseling?"

-- Kent Gates, a leader of a workshop on political campaigns, on hearing that participant Brad Cline, of Richland, intended to run as a Democrat for the state Senate seat in the 28th District

Feb. 11

"If a student's [grade-point average] is that low, they're not looking for a challenge, they're just looking to play a game on Friday night."

-- Seneca Valley senior Ashley Mitchell, supporting a school board decision to raise the academic standards for students to take part in sports

"We need the parents all along the way from kindergarten through 12th grade. Certainly, when it comes to drugs and alcohol, the parental role is a huge factor."

-- North Hills School District spokeswoman Tina Vojtko, as the board ponders whether to treat students suspected of drug use as though they were guilty if parents refuse to allow a drug test

Feb. 18

"Did you know that you're all a bunch of monomers? And if you link arms, you'll be polymers."

-- Marie Viggiano, an instructor with Science on the Road, a Carnegie Science Center program, to a group of South Butler fourth-graders

"Sportsman's Warehouse sells over 1,000 different types of guns, including semi-automatic weapons. ... These are great kids, but why even tempt them by making [guns] so readily accessible?"

-- Leslie Lancaster, protesting a store planned for Mount Nebo Pointe, a shopping plaza in Ohio Township that is being built near Avonworth middle and high schools

Feb. 25

"We were prompt, well mannered and appropriately dressed."

-- Jan Bruno, president of the Clover Hill Foreplayers, asking Franklin Park council why the women's golf league was not being allowed to return for a second season at the borough's Clover Hills Golf Course

March 3

"It will save me trips to West View or Route 19."

-- John Koch, mayor of Ben Avon, after the state Liquor Control Board approves the state's third liquor store within a grocery store at the Giant Eagle off the Camp Horne Road Exit of Interstate 279 in Ohio Township

* To give itself more planning time, Quaker Valley School District delays until at least 2005 the $26 million in renovations and additions at two elementary schools.

March 10

She's "bubble gum that never loses its flavor."

--Danielle Collins, 11, describes Chris Schrom, North Allegheny guidance counselor at Peebles and Hosack elementary schools, who was named Elementary School Counselor of the Year by the Pennsylvania School Counselors Association

* Sports associations in Ross agree to turn down the volume of loudspeakers at youth sporting events, and those who live near the fields agree not to keep pushing the township for a noise ordinance.

March 17

"It is a sport. People laugh when I say that, but it is."

--Garrett Coleman, 16, of Fox Chapel, who dropped baseball, basketball and soccer at Central Catholic High School to become a champion Irish step dancer

March 25

"My father would have been very excited about something like this, to see the family name on a celestial object."

-- Tom Reiland, of Shaler, director of the Nicholas E. Wagman Observatory in Frazer, on learning an asteroid has been named in his honor to recognize his 22 years of professional accomplishments as an astronomer and his dedication to amateur astronomy

* A three-judge panel of the Pennsylvania Superior Court comes to Butler to hold sessions in Butler County's historic courthouse.

March 31

"It makes me feel like 10 million bucks every time I step through the door of this building."

--Kathleen Harrington, principal of Pine-Richland Middle School, after the school was honored with the 2004 Don Eichhorn award as the outstanding middle school in Pennsylvania

* Franklin Park invites the Clover Hill Foreplayers, a women's golf league, back to play at the borough-owned Clover Hill Golf Course, but the ladies decline. They've decided to golf elsewhere.

April 7

"My heart jumped in my throat when I realized he was missing."

-- Maureen McCamey after a statue of Sneezy was stolen from her prized lawn ornament display of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in Shaler

* The state Department of Transportation says it will award a $131,423 contract for a trail linking several historic sites in and around Harmony.

* Cranberry residents hold forth for two hours, arguing against a proposal to have only a single waste hauler operate in the township.

April 14

"If you just want to take the kids to Disney World, that doesn't count."

-- John Hanna, spokesman for the Quaker Valley School District, explains the district's revised absentee policy, which includes a stricter definition of educational field trips

* The state Department of Environmental Protection changes it mind and says it will cover the estimated $10,000 cost of a feasibility study on the merger of the Harmony and Zelienople water systems.

* Representatives of seven booster clubs ask the Mars Area school board to consider installing artificial turf at the high school stadium.

April 21

"[This case] has given me such a headache over the last two weeks."

-- Shaler police Detective Mike Heinl, investigating the theft of the Sneezy statue from a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs lawn ornament collection, after Sleepy and Doc also disappeared

* The Allegheny Land Trust receives a $700,000 state grant to buy and preserve 51 acres at the headwaters of Little Sewickley Creek in Sewickley Heights.

April 29

"I'm one of those people if I get something in my mind, I keep working toward it."

-- Gerri Grzybek, a physical therapist at UPMC St. Margaret named president-elect of the Pennsylvania Physical Therapy Association, who applied three times before she got into the University of Pittsburgh's physical therapy program

May 5

"If a person has a bad idea, don't beat up on the person; beat up on the idea."

-- Consultant John Linden takes a defensive stance when presenting the Mars Area School District with options for using buildings more efficiently

* First Evangelical School in Sharpsburg announces it will close its doors to all but preschool, prekindergarten and kindergarten pupils.

* The Millvale branch of North Hills Community Outreach plans to move to larger quarters in an expanded Millvale community center.

May 12

"We're taking shots back and forth. It's child's play."

--Peter Ferraro, president of the Ross commissioners, as he tries to introduce new rules of order to stem chronic bickering on the board

* Nine North Hills High School students are suspended for three days after a cafeteria fight that drew seven Ross police units and an ambulance to the scene.

May 19

"I'm mind-boggled. We always see them teaching. We never get to see their work."

-- Melissa Angeles, 18, a Shaler Area School District student, as she tours an exhibit of art created by district art teachers

* Leetsdale celebrates its 100th anniversary and displays elements of a more distant past with artifacts from a recent archaeological dig. Some of the items are dated as early as 4000 B.C.

May 26

"Know what direction you want to go. Others may try to direct you, but you've got to know inside what you want to do in life."

--Steve Wozniak, Apple Computer Co. co-founder, speaking to pupils at Edgeworth Elementary School as the guest of friend Milana Bizic, the school librarian

* All 11 open seats on the Sewickley YMCA board are filled by leadership-endorsed candidates, squelching an effort to take over the board with candidates opposed to plans to close a small private gym inside the facility.

* A plan to save 2.6 mills of property tax by disbanding the Kilbuck police department gets little support from supervisors.

June 2

"How tacky! And it's white, too! Like anyone will believe he can wear white."

-- Lee Bitterman, of Indiana Township, on the wedding dress worn by Paul Diethrich, also of Indiana Township, for the Three Club, One Eye Open, a charity golf tournament that gives an advantage to any male golfer wearing a dress

June 9

"From what I understand, this happens about once every 10 years in the United States."

-- Michael Capizzi, of West Deer, is proud of his daughter, Michelle, who graduated from North Catholic High School with a perfect attendance record

June 16

" All I ever wanted was to remove the eyesore."

-- Pete Ferraro, president of the Ross commissioners, doesn't agree with those who believe the township should buy the Beverly Hills Hotel, a once-popular nightclub that is empty and crumbling

* The project to replace Butler's 87-year-old Main Street Bridge is under way. It will take two years to complete.

June 23

"There will be kids getting the benefit of a full-day program when my daughter will be in the room next door in a half-day class."

-- Ken DiNino, whose 5-year-old daughter was denied full-day kindergarten at Avonworth Elementary School

June 30

"Other than a pat on the back and the knowledge they were the best milker ever, they'll get a Big Butler Fair hat, a ribbon, a pin and free ice cream."

-- Judy Kennedy, Big Butler Fair committee member, explains why contestants sign up for the celebrity cow milking contest at the fair

July 7

"It's not like we're keeping [Aleppo Commissioner Carolyn Smith] out of anything. We're just trying to eliminate the problems with information getting out on the street."

-- Aleppo Commissioner Gloria Vish on Smith's complaint that she is being kept out of closed committee meetings, a matter that eventually leads to a lawsuit

July 14

"We've traveled through other states, and we've been jealous."

-- Nancy Utz, of Scott, at the grand opening of the liquor store inside the Giant Eagle in Ohio Township with her husband, Earl, expressing delight that Pennsylvania is starting to catch up with other states when it comes to liquor sale policies

July 21

"The old image of the career and technical student being there just because they can't succeed anywhere else has been put to rest."

-- Tom Holdsworth, spokesman for SkillsUSA, which awarded gold medals to three North suburban students at Beattie Tech for a championship Web design

* Suburban General Hospital launches its 100th anniversary celebration.

* The Marshall planning commission recommends final approval of the Tech 21 business residential park.

July 28

"He's very quiet. But no matter what he did, it was always to the max."

-- Debbie Philips, of Mars, describing her brother, Ron Brown, 36, of West Deer, who broke the Guinness World Record by bowling for 58 hours and 40 minutes straight

* Historic Harmony Inc. opposes the Creekside Manor housing development, saying George Washington may have spent some time at an American Indian village that once stood at the site.

* Led by a local contractor, more than 13 volunteers work to restore the gazebo that stands in the Perrysville business district of Ross.

Aug. 4

"Sometimes it just takes people a while to realize you're the best in the world."

-- Angela Schwab, a member of the Seven Mars Stars, eighth-graders in the Mars Area School District who won a title in the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals

* Residents of Bellevue and Avalon ask the Center for Local Government to examine the benefits of merging the two towns as consolidation buzz continues in the communities.

Aug. 11

"The public is as polarized about whether to shoot Bambi or not shoot Bambi as they are about whether to vote for Kerry or Bush."

-- Ross Manager Tom Lavorini on the lack of public agreement on whether to take steps to cull the increasing deer population

Aug. 18

"It looks like we are going to see them in court."

-- Henry Wiehagen, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 91, after Sewickley Heights council lays off four of the borough's seven police officers

Aug. 25

" I didn't know how bad it was, but I was definitely scared."

--Britany Mawhinney, 16, of Richland, who organized Team Britany to raise more than $15,000 for the Lupus Foundation of Pennsylvania, after surviving a close call with severe systematic lupus

Sept. 1

"A lot of guys say, 'Medals. Who needs them?' But I value them all because that's life experience."

-- John Petruska, 81, of Ross, on receiving the Legion of Honor medal from French President Jacques Chirac for his service in France during World War II

Sept. 15

"Other than the Red Cross, no one's done anything."

-- Shirley Struss, of Jackson, praises the Red Cross after flood damage in the wake of Hurricane Frances but is upset that help is not coming from local, state or federal levels

Sept. 22

"It's the worst flooding I've experienced here, and I've been here over 24 years."

-- Frank Matis, Butler County emergency operations director, after the floods from Hurricane Ivan

* Seneca Valley school board approves a $10.5 million bond that will raise taxes next school year by 1.47 mills.

Sept. 29

"We've never done this before."

-- John Doucette, a social studies teacher at Quaker Valley Middle School, where students packed clothing and supplies for flood victims

* A $43.3 million grant will help Allegheny County make road and other improvements at Leetsdale Industrial Park but will not fund the long-sought flyover ramp that would replace the dangerous intersection of Ferry Street and Route 65.

Oct. 6

"What I thought would be just 50 homes that we would handle ourselves became 230, and I knew that wasn't all of it."

-- Yvonne Fondi, who with her husband, Paul, owns Fondi's Fish and Poultry in Sewickley, which delivered free meals to families trying to put their homes back together after the flood

Oct. 13

"We were so proud and relieved to be able to save that guy."

-- Mayda Roth, director of development for the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill, on how an automated external defibrillator, donated by Ruth Cohen, of O'Hara, who has been raising money to buy the devices in memory of her late husband, was used to save a man at the center

Oct. 20

"We have contests to see who has the biggest bruise."

-- Michelle Seaman, co-captain of Pine-Richland High School's all-girl tuba line, on the shoulder bruises that come from hefting the heavy tubas

* Closing Mount Nebo Road in Ohio Township for flood repairs forces commuters miles out of their way and adds 10 minutes to nearly every bus route in Avonworth School District.

* The North Allegheny school board questions whether Northland Public Library can authorize a cell phone tower on land donated by the district.

Oct. 27

"There were 15 to 20 people on the street before the van opened its doors at 10 a.m."

-- Sister Lorraine Wesolowski, of the Sisters of St. Francis in Millvale, on flu shots offered by the Spirit of Health, a mobile health van operated by the Millvale Franciscan Wellness Ministry, after the ministry's clinic was flooded

Nov. 4

"This is what voting is supposed to be."

-- Joe Clark, standing in a long line Nov. 2 to cast his ballot at the polling place in Forward's public works garage

Nov. 10

"The two things I remember is that you make friends so fast and the event comes to an end so quickly."

-- Lorraine Hohman, a senior from Chartiers Valley, at the three-day state student council conference, which drew 900 delegates and 300 sponsors to North Allegheny Senior High School

* Mars Area school board gets a first look at plans for a proposed $8.8 million new school for fifth- and sixth-graders.

* It took 22 months of negotiation, but the South Butler County School District has a new teachers' contract.

Nov. 17

"I left for work that morning, not realizing that I wouldn't have a house to come home to."

-- Melissa Shea, describing how her home in Millvale was destroyed by the Sept. 17 flooding

* Despite the efforts of an anonymous phone campaign against the project, Cranberry planning commission approves expansion plans for the Wal-Mart along Route 19.

Nov. 24

"It's like a time when all the families are together. We get to see people we don't see very often."

-- Ben Hugo, 14, of Boy Scout Troop 257, whose members gather every year at camp Guyasuta in O'Hara to cook a traditional Thanksgiving meal over open fires and serve it to family and friends

* Butler County commissioners launch an online help network to provide quick access to lists of local and statewide services, community events and volunteer opportunities.

* Barbara Duss, a secretary to the Shaler Area school superintendent and an employee of the district for 36 years, is named Secretary of the Year by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.

Dec. 1

"People got humbled. But we all got to know each other a lot better."

-- Harmony Mayor Cathy Rape, who organized a community Thanksgiving night for flood victims, on how the Sept. 17 flooding brought the community together

* Retiree Chuck Miller gives the annual Light Up Night at Passavant Retirement Community in Zelienople some extra sparkle by building 200 lanterns to line the streets of the community.

Dec. 8

"Nobody thought it could be pulled off this year."

-- Bob Lignoski and fellow volunteers who plucked trains, tracks and miniature towns out of the mud at flood-stricken All Saints School in Etna to resurrect the traditional Christmas display at St. Bonaventure School in Shaler

* Preservationists battle wood rot and a tight budget to save the historic Schlag log home in Ross.

Dec. 15

"And it's a reward for a year of hard work."

-- Senior Alex Ogle, one of the North Allegheny Senior High School marching band's three drum majors, describing the selection of the band to play at the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio

Dec. 22

"Then I got excited and I went crazy with the primer."

-- Andrew Vernon, the artist who painted a mural on a retaining wall at a Sewickley tavern along Route 65 and is updating the work

Post-Gazette photos by Bob Donaldson