Briefs – Feb. 19
The Pittsburgh Zoo has reached a compromise settlement agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), closing their review of the accident at the African painted dog exhibit. The Zoo has paid the USDA $4,550 as part of the agreement. The Zoo and the USDA have established that the Zoo’s payment and waiver of its right to a hearing are not an admission of liability on the part of the Zoo.
“It is important that we are able to take this step to move forward in order for everyone to heal,” said Dr. Barbara Baker, President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. “Safety is always a top priority. All of our exhibits meet the highest USDA and AZA standards, and we will continue to work with both agencies to ensure those standards are met and exceeded.”
The Zoo Board of Directors has donated personal funds for the settlement amount. “We want to demonstrate our full support of the Zoo, Dr. Baker, and Zoo staff,” said Rick Kalson, Chair of the Board of Directors.
The Sixth Annual Vegetable Gardening Seed-Sharing event takes place at Mt. Lebanon Public Library at 10 a.m. Feb. 22. Participants will share the cost and assist in dividing seed packets of 20 or more seed varieties. Instruction will be provided on when and how to start seedlings. Bring your seed growing and gardening questions and share some of your experiences in vegetable growing. This event requires advance registration and is limited to 20 participants. A small fee of $10 will be collected at the door. To register, please contact Mary Beth at 412-736-8216 or mbthakar@yahoo.com.
Beginning 6 p.m. Feb. 24, Penn State Master Gardener Claire Schuchman, a local landscape designer whose garden has been featured on past Mt. Lebanon Public Library Garden Tours, will teach a free three-week landscape design course continuing the following two Mondays (March 3 and 10). The course is geared to the novice, teaching the concepts of sustainable design like “right plant/right place;” shading out weeds with ground covers; use of hardy native plants; and installing rain barrels or permeable pavement. Students should bring a plot plan or a survey of their property, if available, and pictures of gardens they like. By the third week, participants will have a workable design plan for a garden.
State Rep. Dan Miller, D-Mt. Lebanon, announced that Rob Oliver, author of “Still Walking” and motivational speaker, will be the keynote speaker at Miller’s upcoming Children and Youth Disability and Mental Health Summit March 5 at Beth El Congregation on Cochran Road.
“I’m extremely honored to have Rob Oliver give our keynote address,” Miller said. “He has overcome tremendous odds to live a truly inspirational life and has dedicated himself to helping others realize what they are capable of achieving.”
At the age of 21, Oliver sustained a spinal cord injury while body surfing on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The injury left him paralyzed from the chest down with limited use of his arms and hands. Following his injury, Oliver focused his efforts on completing his schooling and attained a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and a master’s degree from Duquesne University. He now works for the Disability Rights Network training individuals and organizations to be personal and systemic advocates.
For more information on the summit, visit www.pahouse.com/Miller.
Steel City Vets, along with the Veterans Breakfast Club and Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum Trust, Inc., will host “Out of the Foxhole – Celebrating Post-9/11 Veterans and Military Families” from 1-4 p.m. Feb. 23 at Soldiers & Sailors to honor, celebrate and remember the service of the men and women from the area that served in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and to connect Pittsburgh-area veterans from the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The event, open to the general public and Veterans of all eras, will feature a small lunch and a keynote speech from CSM (Ret.) Bart Womack who recently released the book “Embedded Enemy,” which takes readers through a first-hand account of the events surrounding the Soldier-on-Solider attack that the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) went through in March 2003 at its base camp, Camp Pennsylvania, in Kuwait. The floor will then be open to any veteran who wants to share his/her story. CSM (Ret.) Womack will have copies of his book available for purchase and signature, with a percentage of money from the sales of the book going to the Benjamin Seifert College Fund.
Admission is $5 per person and will be taken at the door.
For reservations, contact Todd DePastino at 412-623-9029 or todd@veteransbreakfastclub.com.
Entries are currently being accepted for the Miss Sunburst Model Search and Baby Contest, which will take place at Washington Crown Center at 6 p.m. March 3. Winners will go to the State Finals in May to represent their county.
The baby pageant is for boys and girls in the following age groups: Baby-under one year; Tiny-1 year; Little-2 and 3 years. A King and Queen will be chosen in each age group, and each winner will receive a trophy and crown.
The model search is for girls age 4-27 and age groups are as follows: 4-6, 7-10, 11-13, 14-17, 18-27. Winners in each age group and runners- up will receive a trophy and crown.
Entry forms are available in the Mall Management office or by calling 1-813-839-8054.
The Pittsburgh Health Corps (PHC), a local affiliate of the national AmeriCorps community service program, is seeking host sites where PHC members may be placed to complete their service commitment for 2014-2015.
Host sites will be provided with full-time, highly motivated PHC members interested in careers in public health or healthcare who contribute 1,700 hours of community service from September 2014 through July 2015.
For more information, visit www.nationalhealthcorps.org/pittsburgh or call AmeriCorps Program Manager Dannai Harriel at 412-578-8360.