Holly Usher, Patch Staff

<strong>Name: </strong>Holly Usher (Holly Globig)<strong><br>Email</strong>: holly.usher&#64;patch.com<br><strong>Phone</strong>: 412.680.6419<br><strong>Hometown</strong>: Plum<br><strong>Birthday</strong>: July 23

I&#39;m a lifelong resident of Plum and a firefighter at Holiday Park Station 236. I was raised by parents who were extremely active in the community through volunteer work, and I&#39;ve carried that with me into adulthood. I have five years of experience in the journalism field writing a variety of stories ranging from breaking news to in-depth series — but my favorite is human-interest features and sports. I wrote for The Advance Leader, a newspaper covering Oakmont and Verona, until it closed in June of 2008, and had the wonderful experience of meeting hundreds of interesting, inspiring people. I have a strong passion for journalism and people and am beyond excited to make Plum-Oakmont Patch a strong voice for the community.

I am an athlete at CrossFit Pittsburgh (owned by Oakmont residents Mike and Jennifer Pietragallo) and a runner. I am a diehard Penguins and Steelers fan, and I have a love for most sports. I like to travel and have visited many cities and countries ranging from Chiapas jungles to Montmartre, from Dublin to Zion Canyon, Montreal to the Isle of Skye. I carry a book with me everywhere, and I love cooking, old movies from the 40s, decaf coffee, WWII history, classical music and photography. I have a wonderful husband, Nick, a Plum resident and officer candidate in the U.S. Army. I live by the Eleanor Roosevelt quote, &#34;Do one thing every day that scares you.&#34;<br><br><strong>&#34;Fess up!&#34;</strong><br>At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. This disclosure is not a license for you to inject your beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that your beliefs are on the record will cause you to be ever mindful to write, report and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you ever see evidence that we failed in this mission, please let us know.

<strong>Politics  </strong><br><strong>How would you describe your political beliefs? </strong><br><strong>Are you registered with a certain party?</strong>

I am a moderate who is not aligned with any particular party, and I find the rigid, cookie-cutter bipartisanship of America politics to be disheartening. I have an appreciation for real people who genuinely want to help their community and their country. To me, that means careful spending with an acceptance of social differences.

<strong> Religion</strong><br><strong> How religious would you consider yourself? (casual, observant, devout, non religious)</strong>

Mostly nonreligious but spiritual.<br><br> <strong>Local Hot-Button Issues </strong><br><strong>What do you think are the most important issues facing the community?</strong>

Continuing to provide the best educational experience possible for our children. Public transportation and Port Authority cuts. Library funding. How to stimulate business and fill empty storefronts. Allocation of money in borough and school budgets and its effect on taxpayers. People making a difference in big and small ways.