Briefs – Aug. 21
State Sen. Matt Smith (D-Allegheny/Washington) invites area residents to an open house from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Aug. 24 at his Mt. Lebanon district office, 319 Castle Shannon Blvd.
Smith’s office is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Constituents can contact the office at 412-571-2169 or toll-free at 866-736-7477. A contact form is also available on his website, www.senatormattsmith.com
The Allegheny County Health Department is offering a “bounty” program for county residents to dispose of woodstoves and outdoor wood-fired boilers manufactured before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency set emission standards for the equipment, in an effort to help reduce smoke and fine particulate pollution and in response to an increase in citizen complaints about wood-burning emissions.
The Health Department is offering a $500 cash incentive for non-Phase II outdoor wood-fired boilers and a $200 gift card for uncertified woodstoves. Bounties will be offered for up to five outdoor wood-fired boilers and 200 woodstoves. The gift cards are for Home Depot, Lowes, Kmart, Dick’s Sporting Goods, GetGo and Giant Eagle.
The program is for Allegheny County residents, and participants must register in advance by calling 412-578-8106 or online at www.achd.net/air/bounty/ until Aug. 31.
The woodstoves and boilers must be turned in at a collection event to be held on Sept. 7 at the skating rink parking lot on Corrigan Drive in South Park. No stoves or boilers will be accepted the day of the event from anyone who has not registered in advance.
H&M, Hennes & Mauritz, one of the world’s largest fashion retailers known for offering fashion-forward apparel and quality basics at affordable prices, is set to open in the spring of 2014 at Tanger Outlets in Washington.
H&M at Tanger Outlets will offer more shoppers in Western Pennsylvania access to its quality collections in a new, 18,000 square foot store. The new store will include full-priced collections for ladies, men, young ladies and young men, with separate “store within store” sections for accessories and lingerie. The location will also carry H&M’s fantastic children’s collection.
For more information, visit www.hm.com or www.tangeroutlet.com/pittsburgh.
The Foundation of the Pennsylvania Medical Society is offering a $2,000 scholarship from the Endowment for South Asian Students of Indian Descent. Students must be of South Asian Indian heritage and enrolled full time in their second, third or fourth year at an accredited Pennsylvania medical school.
Dr. Jitendra M. Desai, and Dr. Saryu J. Desai, of Sewickley, Pa., initiated this scholarship within the Foundation in 2002 to provide an opportunity for South Asian Indian students who demonstrate academic excellence. They invite others to contribute to the fund to secure its future.
The Foundation of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, a nonprofit affiliate of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, provides programs and services for individual physicians and others that improve the well-being of Pennsylvanians and sustain the future of medicine.
For an application, call the Foundation at 717-558-7852, or visit the Student Financial Services page under www.foundationpamedsoc.org. The deadline is Sept. 30.
State Sen. Matt Smith (D-Allegheny/Washington) announced that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is accepting applications for the Small Business Advantage Grant program.
A for-profit corporation, limited liability corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship or other legal entity with 100 or fewer full-time employees may be eligible to receive 50 percent matching funds up to $9,500 to adopt or acquire pollution prevention or energy efficient procedures or equipment.
Qualifying projects like lighting upgrades, heating and cooling systems, or anti-idling technology for trucks must be located in Pennsylvania, owned by the applicant, and save the business at least 25 percent plus $500 in annual energy consumption, pollution handling or prevention related expenses.
The application period runs through Sept. 6. Qualifying projects are approved on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are exhausted.
Smith encourages interested businesses to contact his office at 412-571-2169.
Businesses interested in applying can receive the application form and additional information from the department’s website, www.dep.state.pa.us by clicking on the “Small Business Advantage Grant” button.
Bethany Hospice, a locally-owned leader in hospice services, will sponsor 81 hospitalized veterans for the 2013 Sharing and Caring Inc. Labor Day riverboat cruise aboard the Gateway Clipper.
Sharing and Caring Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring hospitalized veterans by providing therapeutic recreation activities. The organization is composed of a volunteer staff that represents 17 veterans service organizations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans and American Legion. Sharing and Caring sponsors events and activities at veterans hospitals around the Greater Pittsburgh region.
Signal Graphics in McMurray recently received a Century Club Award, placing them in an elite group of Signal Graphics franchises worldwide. The Century Club sales achievement award recognizes 100 of the top franchises in the entire network for outstanding sales achievement in 2012. The award was presented at the annual Signal Graphics International Convention, held July 24-28 at the Indianapolis Marriott. Signal Graphics in McMurray is owned by Roy and Sandy Crumrine.
Pennsylvania American Water is asking customers to be on the lookout for imposters posing as company or municipal employees to gain entry to their homes. Recently, an individual claiming to represent PAWC robbed a 90-year-old Kittanning customer and his wife at their residence under the guise of checking her water pressure. The customer reported the incident to local police. A similar incident was also reported recently in Greensburg with imposters robbing an 84-year-old woman in her home while posing as water company employees.
The company reminds customers that all PAWC service personnel wear uniforms, drive company-branded vehicles and wear photo identification badges with the company’s logo. Customers are urged to take time to examine the photo identification tag whenever a PAWC employee arrives at their home or business. The company does not accept payment at a customer’s house or business.
If a utility worker comes to your home and you are not expecting them, do not let them in without proper identification. Residents with any suspicions or questions about service personnel representing PAWC should call the customer service center at 1-800-565-7292.
From now until Sept. 23, 2013, La Roche College will accept nominations for the second year of its Distinguished Alumni Circle.
Established in 2012 during La Roche’s 50th anniversary celebration, the Distinguished Alumni Circle honors graduates of La Roche who have achieved outstanding professional success, who have demonstrated a significant dedication to community service, and whose lives reflect a strong commitment to the values embodied in the mission of La Roche College.
All graduates of La Roche College are eligible for nomination. La Roche accepts nominations by alumni, parents, friends and others affiliated with the College. Visit laroche.edu/nominate to submit nominations.
Recipients will be inducted into the Distinguished Alumni Circle at a La Roche College ceremony in the spring of 2014.
For more information or to obtain a hard-copy nomination form, contact Director of Alumni Relations Gina Miller at 412-536-1085 or gina.miller@laroche.edu.
Giant Eagle has expanded its online grocery ordering service, Curbside Express, to its Market District store located on Oxford Drive in Bethel Park, making grocery shopping more convenient for time-pressed customers.
With Curbside Express, Market District Team Members act as personal shoppers, selecting items ordered by customers online. Team Members will bring the customer’s completed order to the store’s dedicated outside Curbside Express Pick-Up vehicle lane on the selected date and time. Customers are able to pay for their order from the comfort of their car, while their items are loaded into their vehicle. The fee for this service is waived on the first order, and is $4.95 per order thereafter. There is no difference in pricing between online or in-store items, and fuelperks rewards can still be earned on qualifying items (not on the delivery fee).
To shop online via Curbside Express, visit MarketDistrict.com/Curbside.