The high school Student Government Association conducted a one-day event and raised $2,785.66 for Grady's All Stars.

The money benefits Grady's All-Stars, a trust set up to raise funds for the medical equipment, treatment and therapy for Andrew, 5, and Trent, 2, Grady who have a rare genetic disease called Late Infantile Batten Disease.

The Grady family resides in Upper St. Clair, but parents Chris and Valerie Grady are Bethel Park High School graduates.

A check for $2,785.66 was presented by Student Government Representatives Lauren Elias and Veronica Urbanik at last week's school board meeting.

For more on the little boys, visit www.post-gazette.com and type "Grady" in the search box.

• Military Connections, a Bethel Park-based organization that sends care packages to troops stationed overseas, was awarded a $5,000 grant through the Pepsi Refresh Project, an online grant program to provide millions of dollars to projects intended to improve communities.

The $5,000 award will go toward postage to ship Girl Scout cookies to troops stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, Japan, Australia, Germany and England and wounded service members at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Military Connections is a 501c3 nonprofit that has been shipping care packages to soldiers and Marines deployed overseas since 2003.

Fire causes $20,000 damage

Fire broke out in the laundry room of a second-floor apartment located at 116 Smithfield St. around 12:10 on March 24. The building is owned by John V. Billy, and Amanda Grimes was the sole occupant.

Damage is estimated at between $17,000 and $20,000 due to heat, water and smoke.

"We got the call at 12:18 a.m., and when the fire truck pulled into the site, we could see fire and smoke coming out of the laundry room window," said fire chief Tim Solobay. "The conflagration was contained fairly quickly and extinguished in approximately 15 minutes after our arrival."

Mr. Solobay said the fire marshall has ruled that the fire was accidental, with the possibility that the clothes dryer was faulty.

Christina Hohmeier, marketing specialist for the American Red Cross Pittsburgh office, said her agency has responded by providing food and clothing to the occupant.

April 10 date and run honor FBI agent

April 10 has been designed by the state as Martha Dixon Day to honor the life of the late FBI special agent.

Ms. Dixon, a Caste Shannon native and University of Pittsburgh graduate, sacrificed herself to protect her colleagues on Nov. 22, 1994, when the FBI's main field office in Washington, D.C., came under gunfire. Ms. Dixon wounded the gunman and prevented further injuries to co-workers, but gave her own life.

She also demonstrated exceptional skill while negotiating an end to the Talladega Federal Correctional Institution uprising in August 1991. Under her leadership, officials stormed the prison where inmates had taken control, restoring power to the prison's guards.

"Martha Dixon was an outstanding FBI special agent and an exemplary member of the community," state Rep. Matt Smith, D-Mt. Lebanon, said.

In her honor, the Dixon family established the Pittsburgh-based Martha Fund, which raises money for public playgrounds, including Martha's Playground in Mt. Lebanon. The organization's biggest fundraiser is the annual Martha's Run in remembrance of Ms. Dixon's passion for running.

This year's Martha Run will be held April 10 in Mt. Lebanon. Mr. Smith will present the House resolution designating Martha Dixon Day at the run. For more, visit www.marthadixon.org.

Sewer line contract awarded

Issues among Munhall's sanitary sewer authority, its borough council and the engineering firm for both entities apparently have been smoothed over.

By a unanimous vote last week, the Munhall Municipal Sanitary Sewer Authority has awarded a $4.4 million contract to State Pipe Services Inc., of Cranberry, for repairs to the borough's aging sanitary sewer lines. Authority manager Michael Terrick said the contract is about $1 million under budget.

Following the award, council President Joseph Ballas called for a private meeting with the sewer authority and Chester Engineers, which serves as the engineering firm for the borough and sewer authority.

Councilman Dan Lloyd and Mr. Terrick confirmed some "communication issues" existed among all three parties. Both said the two-hour meeting went a long way toward solving the problem. The authority was prepared to award the contract during its March 11 meeting, but confusion over paperwork slowed the process.

Preliminary work is expected to begin within the next few days, including raising manhole covers, televising the lines and cleaning and repairing the lining of 15.25 miles of sanitary sewer lines. The bulk of the work begins in May and should take 240 days.

The authority received a $7.1 million loan in July 2009 from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure and Investment Authority for the repairs. Munhall, like other municipalities across the region, is under a consent order from the state Department of Environmental Resources to repair its sewers.

Montour Trail hike planned

Geologist Albert D. Kollar, from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and members of the Peters Creek Watershed Association and Tri-Community Anglers will lead an easy five-mile walk along the Montour Trail from 9:30 to 11 a.m. April 11.

Participants will learn what geological events formed the creek valley and learn more about the wetlands, songbirds, fish and plants.

Cost is $20, $15 for members of the groups.

For more, visit www.ventureoutdoors.org or call 412-255-0564.

Sobriety patrol makes stops

The local Team DUI announces the results of a Sobriety Patrol Operation that was held over the weekend. Officers from the Mt. Lebanon area Team DUI Task Force conducted roving patrols looking for intoxicated motorists and made 12 arrests for driving under the influence. More than 150 stops were made.

The Task Force, a cooperative state effort, includes police from Baldwin Township, Castle Shannon, Dormont, Green Tree, Mt Lebanon, Bridgeville, South Fayette, Heidelberg and Scott.

Police were looking for drivers who appeared to be driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Drivers who appear to be in violation of Pennsylvania's legal blood limit (.08 percent for adults and .02 percent for drivers under the age of 21) were detained and arrested.

Drivers were also reminded to buckle their safety belts.

In addition to DUI arrests:

One person was cited for public drunkenness; two were charged with possession of controlled substance; six were cited for underage drinking and 14 were cited for traffic violations.

St. Gabriel state champs

A team from St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin won the Pennsylvania State Girls Grade School Basketball Championship on March 21 against Our Lady of Mt. Carmel from the Philadelphia Archdiocese.

St. Gabriel's won the championship game, played in Erie, 28-24.

"They were ready to win," said Dan Kail, the coach.

The team, composed of seventh- and eighth-graders, placed first in the Pittsburgh Diocese before continuing to the state championships.

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