Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 75

Jan 18 2012 East Zone PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE 19, 2012 WWW.POST-GAZETTE.COM EZ-6 EZ-6 AT A GLANCE THE EAST ACROSS THE EAST Contest focuses on distracted driving HEMPFIELD Radio personality to speak at breakfast IRWIN Used book sale to benefit library Larry photos HONORING DR. KING Dan Harris, left, Jan Fink, center, and Karla Kvam join hands at the 28th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at Temple Sinai in Squirrel Hill, Sunday as the opening prayer was said by Bishop Loran Mann, of the Pentacostal Temple Church of God in Christ. East End Cooperative Ministry and the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary organized the celebration. Sister Rose Marie Schwartz directs the Sacred Heart Elementary School seventh-eighth grade chorus in singing Shall at Temple Sinai.

High schoolers across the state may take part in a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation contest aimed at discouraging distracted driving. Students should submit a 30-second radio public-service announcement, and the winning entry will be professionally produced and sent to the local media market. hope students will use this contest as an opportunity to learn about the very real dangers of distracted said PennDOT Secretary Barry J. Schoch. PennDOT said that in 2010 there were 14,294 crashes statewide involving drivers who were distracted or were using a hand- held cell phone.

Approximately 37 percent of those crashes involved a driver who was 16 to 25 years old. To enter, sophomores, juniors and seniors should submit recorded scripts in MP3 or MP4 format. Students may also submit written scripts. Entries should be emailed to pa.gov or by mail to PennDOT Press Office, Erin Waters, 8th Floor-Keystone Building, 400 North Harrisburg, PA 17120. Entries must be postmarked by March 23.

One finalist will be chosen from each of 11 engineering districts. BRADDOCK PSO to perform free concert The Pittsburgh Symphony Chamber Ensemble will perform a free concert at the Braddock Carnegie Library. PSO members will perform Igor du and Astor Piazzolla tangos. The concert will be held Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m.

in the Music Hall, 419 Library St. (Entrance to the music hall is on Parker Avenue.) Prior to the concert, Braddock Mayor John Fetterman will host a wine and cheese party at his home, at 420 Library across the street from the library. The party will begin at 6:30 p.m. Details: 412-351-5356. GREENSBURG Westmoreland orchestra lists course offerings The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra will hold several courses this spring through its Academy of Music.

Intermezzo, a course for beginning violin students, will meet on Monday evenings from Feb. 27 to April 30 from 6 to 6:30 p.m. Tuition is $50. String ensemble, a course for middle school students, will meet on Wednesday evenings from Feb. 15 to May 2 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Tuition is $85. The Westmoreland Youth Symphony Orchestra Philharmonic meets Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Seton Hill Performing Arts Center. An audition is required, and tuition is $180. Community strings, a course for adult string players, meets Tuesdays from Feb.

7 to April 10 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuition is $99. The academy also offers private lessons for string players, vocalists and flutists of all ages. A 30-minute lesson is $21.50, a 45-minute lesson is $32.25 and a 60-minute lesson is $43. Unless otherwise indicated, courses and lessons are held at the Academy of Music at the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center, 951 Old Salem Road, Greensburg.

Details: 724-8371850 and www.westmoreland- symphony.org. Bonny Diver, CBS radio personality and founder of the nonprofit Hair Peace Charities, is special speaker for 37th annual Westmoreland Chamber of Commerce Prayer Breakfast. The event will be held 7 to 9 a.m. at the Four Points hotel in Hempfield, near Westmoreland Mall. Ms.

Diver is a traffic reporter on CBS Radio Y-108, 93.7 the Fan, Star 100.7 and KDKA-AM 1020. A breast cancer survivor, she founded the nonprofit Hair Peace, a faith-based organization that raises funds to help local women undergoing cancer treatments buy wigs. The chamber began the breakfast in 1975 to bring together representatives from business, education, government and labor. Tickets are $25 and include a breakfast buffet. Reservations are required; call the chamber at 724-834-2900, or register online at www.westmorelandchamber.

com. Proceeds from a used book sale will benefit the Norwin Public Library and its programs. The book sale will be held on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the book cellar of the library, 100 Caruthers Lane, Irwin.

Friends of the Norwin Public Library, a volunteer organization that advocates and raises funds for the library, organized the event. The library accepts donations of gently used books throughout the year. Details: 724-863-4700. McKEESPORT Black History Month program to be held The McKeesport Heritage annual Black History Month program will be held Feb. 19 at 2:30 p.m.

The University of Laurence Glasco will present a free program on the images of Charles Harris, a former photographer for the Pittsburgh Courier. The McKeesport Heritage Center is located at 1832 Arboretum Drive, McKeesport. Details: 412-678-1832. NORWIN SCHOOLS High school to host education summit Norwin School District will host a STEM Education Summit to bring together business and education leaders encourage students to go into research, design or engineering. An acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, STEM fields increase chances of attaining a competitive edge on the international stage.

The keynote speaker will be Lawrence Mussoline, superintendent of the Downingtown Area School District in Chester County. He will speak about the Down- ingtown STEM Academy that opened in 2011. There will also be a STEM panel discussion to answer questions and discuss how students can be successful in STEM careers. The Norwin STEM Summit will be held March 12 from 8:30 a.m. to noon at Norwin High School.

It is open to any Westmoreland or Allegheny county teachers or administrators, as well as select business and community leaders by invitation only. Registration is free, but participants must register by Feb. 27 at www.norwinsd.org/ stemsummit. WILKINSBURG Council continues opposition to gas drilling Wilkinsburg council took up the cause against fracking once again this time opposing legislation currently proposed in Harrisburg that would give drilling companies the ability to sidestep local bans on Marcellus Shale gas drilling. Council voted unanimously earlier this month to send letters to local representatives in Harrisburg opposing House Bill 1950 and Senate Bill 1100.

The board also agreed to draft a formal resolution to denounce the proposed bills. legislation infringes on the idea that local governments know their communities better and know how to protect them council President Jason Cohn said prior to the vote. Councilwoman Eve Goodman presented a letter to council, noting that a rally opposing the bills is scheduled in Harrisburg Tuesday. concern is that gas companies have to follow any kind of zoning when they buy she said. would let them do whatever they The freshman council member added that she trust corporations to self-regulate for the good of a community, when corporate profits are on the line.

The council voted in July 2011 to approve a resolution that banned Marcellus Shale gas drilling from within its borders more commonly known as it is a term used to describe the process by which drilling companies inject a mixture of water, sand and chemicals at high pressure into a well in order to crack the shale and help gas to flow. Council is looking for residents to fill several positions on various municipal boards and commissions. Vacancies include: One seat on the pension board Two one-year terms on the Planning Commission One three-year seat on the Citizens Advisory Committee on Shade Trees One five-year seat on the Parks Recreation Advisory Board Three three-year seats on the Community Art Civic Design Commission (one of the seats must be filled by an architect, one by a resident in the 1st Ward, and one by a resident in the 2nd Ward) Anyone interested should complete a Talent Bank Application, available at the web- site, www.wilkinsburgpa.gov, and submit a resume or biography to: Borough Office, 605 Ross Pittsburgh, PA 15221. Applications are due no later than 4 p.m. next Thursday.

Details: 412-244-2900, ext. 101. Above: Imam AbduSemih Tadese of the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh reads from the Quran. Laura Blank, from the theological seminary, translated the Arabic verse into English. Far left: Ari Freedman performs with the Drum Olam Ensemble from Community Day School in Squirrel Hill.

Near left: Marcia Kaplan sings Every Voice and Love arts entertainment? Check out the staff and community blogs. Pop Noise Scott Mervis has the beat on the pop music scene Mad about the Movies hot, not in Hollywood, with Barb Vancheri POPi the buzz? Sharon Eberson dishes pop culture Classical Musings Andrew Druckenbrod hits the high notes on his music blog To read these blogs and others, visit MEMBERFDIC Checkwithyourtaxadvisorregardingthedeductibilityofinterest.Offersubjecttochangeorwithdrawalatanytimeandmaynotbecombinedwithanyotheroffer. 800.325.BANK•stbank.com HOMEEQUITYLINEOFCREDIT Pleasehurry.OfferendsJanuary31,2012. APR IntroductoryRate OneYear APR CurrentAnnual PercentageRate 3 00 StarttheNewYearRight LIMITED-TIME OFFER!.