FAIRHOPE – The Philadelphia Zoo’s two female African elephants have arrived at a Somerset County sanctuary run by the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium.
Kallie and Bette have joined Jackson, a male African elephant, at the 724-acre center for rare and endangered species in Fairhope Township.
They arrived late Tuesday.
The Philadelphia Zoo is designing a new exhibit but doesn’t have enough money to bring its elephant habitat up to modern standards.
Animal rights activists are protesting the move, saying the elephants will be encouraged to breed in captivity, which they contend is dangerous.
Pittsburgh Zoo officials say the activists don’t understand the purpose of the facility.
Juveniles accused of joyriding in stolen car
JENNERSTOWN – Two juveniles were taken into custody Tuesday night after police said they stole a vehicle in Jenner Township and took off.
The vehicle was taken about 7 p.m. from the Greystone House on Route 30. The vehicle belongs to Amy Nicholson, 25, of Acosta, state police in Somerset said.
Police said the juveniles drove to Ligonier Borough and fled on foot after causing extensive damage to the vehicle. They were discovered in an abandoned house in Ligonier Township, where they were taken in with the assistance of Ligonier Borough and Ligonier Township police.
Man says deployment cost him UPMC job
PITTSBURGH – An Army National Guardsman says he was wrongly fired by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Health Plan because his unit was about to deploy to Iraq.
UPMC officials haven’t responded to the federal lawsuit filed Tuesday by 34-year-old Capt. Shane Stadtmiller of Shelocta, Indiana County, but UPMC generally doesn’t comment on pending litigation.
Stadtmiller heads a West Virginia National Guard unit and says he was fired in May 2008, three months after telling his superiors that his unit would be redeployed to Iraq.
Stadtmiller was wounded by a roadside bomb while serving with the Army Reserves in Iraq in 2005. He requested various workplace accommodations because of his injuries while working for UPMC from November 2007 until May 2008.
Work day planned for Kernville garden
A work day for the new Kernville Community Garden will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at 615 Franklin St.
Additional information on the work day and the garden will be presented at 6 p.m. today at the site.
Participants in the work day Saturday are asked to bring work gloves, shovels and rakes.
Lunch will be provided.
Kate Austin, who heads the project, can be reached at (678) 372-0442 or by e-mail at kern-villegarden@johnstownpa.cc
Soccer tournament scheduled July 18
Young Life Johnstown will hold its annual Midsummer Madness 3 vs. 3 soccer tournament July 18 at the KidSport sports complex, located off Somerset Pike in the Benscreek area.
Games will begin at 8 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m.
There is no charge for admission. Seating is limited, so observers are urged to bring folding chairs. A concession stand will be available.
Young Life is an international, nondenominational Christian youth organization that strives to connect students with adults who serve as role models.
Additional information, including how to register a team, is available at http://johnstown.younglife.org or by calling Austin Taylor, Young Life Johnstown area director, at 241-6777.
