The last time the Pittsburgh Public Schools closed some of its schools, East End community members objected and tried to create their own plan. Now, the district, in anticipation of another round of closings, has formed an East Region Advisory Committee to weigh community concerns.

However, after its initial attempt to hold a private meeting Dec. 3, some are saying the community is not being included.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT— Pittsburgh School Director Mark Brentley Sr. says the Pittsburgh Public Schools are excluding the community from its East Region Advisory Committee on school reconfiguration.

“I never received an e-mail or a call. I found out about it by reading the newspaper,” said School Director Mark Brentley Sr. “And I was never told who was on it and never asked for nominations. It’s another administration attempt to stack the deck with those who’ll recommend what it wants.”

According to family and friends, Mernice Lee “Cookie” Miller lived life to its fullest until her death at Shadyside Hospital Nov. 30, after she suffered cardiac arrest. She was 52. She was the owner of The New Billy’s Gold Door Lounge on N. Dallas and Kelly in Homewood, formerly Karl’s Cork & Keg.

Her viewing and funeral service were held Dec. 2-4 at Coston’s Funeral Home. The funeral was at St. James AME Church on Lincoln Avenue in East Liberty, Dec. 5.

COOKIE MILLER

“My mouth literally dropped open when my friend, Valerie Dixon, told me yesterday what happened to Cookie only hours after I had left her. Wow! You just never know. She seemed like such a positive and good spirited person. I’m sorry that I did not get the opportunity to know her better. Love the people in your circle. Don’t take them for granted,” Tim Stevens said.

For nearly 25 years, Katherine Dalton was a mentor to many young people in Pittsburgh, paving a way for self-sufficiency and vocational training for a generation of beauticians. As the proprietor of Dalton’s Beauty Salon in Wilkinsburg, she made sure her operators and customers put their best foot forward. After a long illness, God came and took her home Nov. 3. She was 82.

She was born in Pittsburgh’s West End to the late Robert H. and Katie Lee Nelson Feb. 21, 1927. She attended public schools and graduated from Westinghouse High School.