(Photo Courtesy of the National Aviary)

(Pittsburgh, Pa) National Aviary officials this morning announced that Kodiak, or Kody, the Steller’s Sea Eagle, has safely returned to the National Aviary, where he has thrived for 15 years. National Aviary staff and volunteers worked tirelessly to bring Kody back home after he got out through a gap in the heavy gauge wire roof of his habitat last Saturday. Kody was recovered from a residence in Pine Township late Sunday afternoon and is doing well. “Since Saturday, September 25, our team has worked tirelessly towards this moment when we can finally say that Kodiak is home safe and sound,” said Cheryl Tracy, Executive Director of the National Aviary. “We are relieved and elated that Kody is in good health, and we have immense gratitude for the support we have received from our community during this stressful time. Your sightings and well wishes were invaluable in our efforts, and we are so appreciative.”

Kodiak initially stayed close to Pittsburgh’s Northside before gradually traveling further north, where he found green spaces to rest. Hundreds of phone calls from community members assisted the National Aviary’s team in locating Kody. A tip from a homeowner Sunday afternoon led the team to a residence in Pine Township. Kodiak recognized one of his caregivers who was able to maintain eye contact with the bird, as a team of trained aviculturists used soft netting to safely hold Kody’s position. Additional soft netting and a towel were used to ensure the safety of both Kody and the aviculturists working to bring him home.

“Kodiak is so beloved by the National Aviary’s staff, volunteers, and visitors, and we are so relieved that he is back home where he has thrived for 15 years. He is resting and eating well—a sign that he is relaxed and comfortable,” said Cathy Schlott, Director of Animal Programs and Experiences at the National Aviary. “Kody has a trusting relationship with his caregivers, and that relationship helped our team immensely in the effort to bring him back home.”

Now back at the National Aviary, Kodiak is resting in a comfortable habitat behind the scenes. He received an initial visual exam upon his return from Dr. Pilar Fish, the National Aviary’s Senior Director of Zoological Advancement and Avian Medicine, who found that Kody is in good health.

It will be several weeks before visitors will be able to see Kody at the National Aviary due to supply delays for materials used for his habitat repairs. Kody is in a comfortable space behind the scenes while the National Aviary makes repairs to his usual habitat. Repairs will include an even stronger material for the roof and an additional net for added safety. All of the habitats at the National Aviary are designed with the comfort and safety of the birds as the highest priority, and this is the first time an incident of this nature has occurred.  It is still unclear how Kodiak was able to get out of his habitat, and we may not have additional information. The entire team is incredibly relieved and grateful for Kody’s safe return, and his welfare continues to be our unwavering focus.

The National Aviary will reopen to the public on Thursday, October 7. The Aviary will be closed until then to allow the staff time for rest and recover following this exhaustive effort to bring Kody home safely.

 (Washington, D.C.) The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced that it will lower the online renewal fee for TSA PreCheck® from $85 to $70. The new lower fee went into effect on Friday, October 1.

 

“TSA PreCheck was launched 10 years ago to provide expedited airport security screening for low-risk travelers,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “Our TSA PreCheck program improves overall security and we will continue to look for ways to enhance the benefits of this program for our trusted travelers.”

 

This fee change represents a $15 reduction in the cost of renewing online, while still allowing TSA to cover the costs of operating the program, which includes performing a security threat assessment and adjudicating applications. Over 95 percent of renewals occur online, as most travelers find this to be a quick and easy way to maintain membership in the program. The cost for an initial enrollment and in-person renewal will continue to be $85.

 

TSA PreCheck allows low-risk travelers to enjoy a streamlined screening experience at more than 200 U.S. airports and with 80 participating airlines. For TSA PreCheck travelers, there is no need to remove shoes, laptops, 3-1-1 liquids, belts or light jackets. This past month, 96% of passengers in TSA PreCheck lanes waited less than five minutes to go through airport security checkpoints.

For more information, read the frequently asked questions about TSA PreCheck.

(Pittsburgh, Pa.) Kodiak the Steller’s Sea Eagle is home safe and healthy. The National Aviary has worked tirelessly to get Kody home safely after he got out of his habitat on September 25. The afternoon of October 3, the Aviary’s team of animal care experts spotted Kody at a residence in Pine Township. Kody had been spotted earlier that day nearby, and thanks to the overwhelming support and helpful sightings of community members, and the commitment of the Aviary team, they were able to locate the bird and bring Kody back home safely. Using professional falconry techniques and equipment, the National Aviary’s team was able to safely retrieve Kody and bring him back home to the Aviary. Upon an initial veterinary exam, Kody appears to be in excellent health and body condition. He is currently resting in a behind the scenes area of the National Aviary and enjoying healthy meals of fresh meat. The entire team at the National Aviary is extremely relieved to have Kody back.

Kail’s Pizza and Policy Event Rescheduled for Oct. 21

 

HARRISBURG – Rep. Joshua D. Kail (R-Beaver/Washington) announced today Pizza and Policy, which was scheduled for Oct. 7 in Claysville, has been rescheduled for Thursday, Oct. 21.

“Due to a scheduling conflict, the event is being pushed back by two weeks,” Kail said. “Having these events has been very beneficial to me as I have learned how I can better represent you. I look forward to seeing you there and continuing our discussion on issues that mean the most to you!”

Kail’s event is scheduled to take place at noon at the Claysville Municipal Building on 117 Main St.

For more information, please call Kail’s district office at 724-728-7655.

Star Trek’s Captain Kirk rocketing into space next week
By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Star Trek’s Captain Kirk is rocketing into space this month. Actor William Shatner will blast off from West Texas on Oct. 12. Jeff Bezos’ space travel company, Blue Origin, announced Monday that Shatner will join the flight with three others. It will be the company’s second crew flight to space. Bezos was on the debut crew in July. At age 90, Shatner will become the oldest person in space. The up-and-down space hop will last 10 minutes and reach no higher than about 66 miles.

U.S. Steel Tower stands tall 50 years after its dedication
By MARK BELKO, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette undefined
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Fifty years later, it’s still the king of the Downtown skyline. The U.S. Steel Tower remains Pittsburgh’s tallest building as it marks the golden anniversary of its dedication. Over the years, the brawny 64-story skyscraper has survived the hometown collapse of the very industry that brought it life, not to mention the recessions; the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks; the vagaries of the real estate market; and a pandemic that virtually emptied its offices. It has celebrated six Super Bowl championships, two World Series titles and five Stanley Cups.

Keystone State News Connection

Emily Scott

HARRISBURG, Pa. — With just two weeks until the state Senate reconvenes, Pennsylvania lawmakers appear to have two different sets of priorities.

Republicans are working to access subpoenaed voter records for what they’re calling a “forensic audit” into the 2020 election. Democrats are focused on changing Senate rules to increase transparency.

Sen. Lindsey Williams, D-Allegheny, said lawmakers in her party have introduced 14 amendments to the Senate rules. They would require advance public notice of committee hearings, equal party representation at hearings, and more.

“There are millions of Pennsylvanians that are represented by the minority party,” Williams noted. “And so, it is important that we have a voice within our own chamber to raise issues that we’re hearing about in the district. And right now, we’re held back from that because of the way the rules are functioning.”

Republicans hold the majority in both the state House and Senate, and have not responded to the Democrats’ proposals so far. Earlier this year, the majority-Republican Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee was given subpoena power without any public notice, which Williams cites as one reason for proposing the changes.

In recent years, the group Fair Districts PA worked to get a bill passed to form an independent commission to draw House and Senate voting-district maps, rather than lawmakers. The bill received more than 100 co-sponsors, but powerful committee chairs never brought it to a vote.

Rachel Sorokin Goff, a volunteer with Fair Districts PA, said she’d like to see that change.

“The rules give enormous control to a few people, and the good folks you send to our legislature — and there’s lots of ’em in both parties who you send, who want to work for their communities — really have no voice,” Sorokin Goff asserted. “Most of them can never get a bill passed. They can’t act.”

Senators will also be asked to give minority-party chairs the power to hold committee hearings, and to add legislation to a committee’s agenda.

In another move toward accountability, the Senate began posting detailed expense reports online publicly for the first time last month.

(Photos provided by AHN)

(WEXFORD, Pa)  Allegheny Health Network (AHN) and the greater Pine Township community today are celebrating the birth of the first baby to be born at AHN’s new Wexford Hospital which opened on September 30.  Madison and Tyler Dischinger of Mars, Pa welcomed a healthy baby boy, Ford Dischinger, at 6:29 p.m. on Thursday marking an exciting grand opening milestone for the hospital and its state-of-the-art labor and delivery (L&D) program for women and their families who live in the growing northern region of Allegheny County as well as the adjacent communities of Butler, Beaver, Lawrence and Mercer counties.

As the first baby born, Ford will receive one year of free diapers from the Western PA Diaper Bank, a luxury suite for one Pittsburgh Pirates game in September for the first 10 years of his life, a Mario Lemieux autographed mini hockey stick from the Mario Lemieux Foundation and comfort items from Little Moo. Parents delivering at AHN Wexford within the first year will all go home with fully stocked AHN diaper bags, Chick-fil-A gift cards and baby’s very first birthday cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes, among other celebratory gifts.

 

“Nothing signifies the birth of a new hospital like the welcoming of our first baby into the world,” said Allan Klapper, MD, AHN Wexford president. “At a time when many community hospitals around the country have closed their obstetric programs and many large health systems have consolidated their programs to one or two locations, Highmark Health and AHN have made a choice to expand access to these vital programs for women and families. We knew from the start that AHN Wexford would be our network’s fifth obstetrical hospital, and today, with the birth of baby Ford and the many others who will celebrate their birthdays with us in the years ahead, we see just how important and precious that commitment is to a community and its people.”

The AHN Wexford L&D unit is located on the third floor of the hospital and consists of six L&D rooms, 10 postpartum suites, a private triage area, four Level II neonatal intensive care (NICU) suites, a nursery and two operating rooms designated for patients in labor. The unit’s waiting area also includes an Austin’s Playroom established by the Mario Lemieux Foundation.

The hospital’s large patient rooms are flooded with natural light with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the hospital’s rooftop garden and the Mario Lemieux Foundation Healing Terrace. All suites are private to offer families maximum comfort, security and bonding with baby throughout their stay. Spacious floor plans allow for sleeper couches, plush recliners, birthing beds, bedside fetal monitoring equipment, infant warmers and specialized equipment for infant resuscitation and stabilization.

Patient rooms also include ‘hotel-like’ bathrooms featuring sweeping ceramic tile, walk-in showers and, in certain rooms, grand jacuzzi tubs. Bedside iPads give patients the ability to control their own room temperature, lighting and entertainment with the touch of a button, as well as select their meals from a 24/7 room service menu.

The labor and delivery unit is designed around two central care team stations which are situated to allow for more direct patient access. Centralized fetal monitoring at the care stations provides constant surveillance of mother and baby, so families can rest assured knowing their newest addition is always under careful clinical supervision.

In addition to providing high-risk obstetrical care for moms, AHN Wexford offers four Level II NICU suites for babies in need of heightened care levels. The large, single-bed private rooms allow for parents to stay overnight and in the same room with their baby, even following mom’s discharge, with in-room couches, rocker recliners, refrigeration and bottle warming stations. The AHN Wexford NICU is tied into AHN’s highest level NICU (Level III) located at AHN West Penn for those babies who need an even higher level of care, and is accessible via telemedicine, air or ground transport.

Two dedicated operating rooms are located on the hospital’s third floor and are reserved for cesarean-sections and emergency procedures. Each room offers expansive space for surgical teams, newborns and designated loved ones. Obstetric anesthesia and pain management is also offered 24/7.

“Patient-centered design is evident throughout the entire hospital including the labor & delivery floor at AHN Wexford. The operating rooms feature specialized emerald lighting to promote tranquility and adjacent waiting rooms allow for the expectant mother’s designated loved one to be readily available to enter the O-R following procedure preparation,” said Katie Farah, MD, chief medical officer at AHN Wexford. “From both a patient and caregiver perspective, it’s notable that the entire patient experience from initial triage through labor, delivery and postpartum care – including any required procedures – all takes place on the same floor. The convenience afforded by the space’s design is truly remarkable.”

AHN obstetrician-gynecologists are onsite at the hospital around-the-clock. The AHN clinical team also includes maternal-fetal medicine specialists, neonatologists, obstetric anesthesiologists, nurses and nurse practitioners, physician assistants, lactation consultants, social workers, nutritionists, geneticists and genetic counselors and psychiatrists, among others. Premier Women’s Health, Cypher OBGYN and Northern Regional OB/GYN are the core practices delivering at AHN Wexford.

In addition to advanced pregnancy services at the hospital, patients have access to specialists in OB/GYN, maternal-fetal medicine, urogynecology, minimally invasive women’s surgery, behavioral health, gynecologic oncology, midlife health as well as comprehensive breast care, onsite diagnostic imaging and women’s fitness classes at the connected AHN Wexford Health + Wellness Pavilion.

“AHN’s commitment to women’s health is comprehensive and addresses every stage of her life. At AHN Wexford and the Wexford Health + Wellness Pavilion, we accomplish that goal by offering a vast array of highly specialized, holistic services,” said Marcia Klein-Patel, MD, PhD, chair of AHN Women’s Institute. “As we open the doors to our latest obstetrics program in the region, we not only celebrate the birthdays of today and tomorrow, but also the latest proof point in our organization’s efforts to transforming women’s and infant care, by making it more innovative, more patient-centered and more readily available closer to home.”

AHN Wexford joins AHN West Penn, AHN Forbes in Monroeville, AHN Jefferson in Jefferson Hills and AHN Saint Vincent in Erie as the network’s obstetrical hospitals. These hospitals welcomed approximately 7,800 babies into the world last year.