Hits and Misses
Sometimes we all just want to cut loose a little bit on the weekend, and that’s apparently what Kodiak, a Steller’s sea eagle, did last Saturday at the National Aviary on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. Aviary officials said Kodiak’s habitat had been “recently compromised,” allowing the 15-year resident of the aviary to fly off and make his getaway. As of Thursday, Kodiak had still not been found, though he is hard to miss – he is about four feet long and has a wingspan that is, well, quite wide. Earlier in the week, it was believed that Kodiak was still lingering around Pittsburgh’s North Side, but in the event he is sighted anywhere in the Pittsburgh region, aviary officials say it is best not to make noise, make sudden movements or open doors or windows. Anyone who thinks they may have seen Kodiak should call 412-323-7235. We can only hope that Kodiak will be returned to the aviary so he can be appreciated by everyone who visits the facility.
First, the good news: the United States’ murder rate remains lower than it was 30 years ago, when it hit its peak. Now, the bad news: the murder rate in America jumped by almost 30% last year, according to data released this week by the FBI. It’s the biggest increase from one year to the next on record. Some cities reached record highs. The reasons? The pandemic exacted a heavy toll on many households, and the stress and economic dislocation could have caused tempers to flare as quarantines dragged on. We are also a country awash in firearms, and three-quarters of 2020’s murders were committed with guns. Access to mental health services also became inconsistent during the COVID-19 lockdowns, and police ranks were thinned in some locations due to coronavirus exposure. Law enforcement personnel, public health officials and lawmakers need to work to make sure 2020’s increase in murders was a temporary blip and not the start of an upward trend.
The legacy of Charles Fremont West might not be widely known among Washington residents or students of Washington & Jefferson College, but they will be able to discover more about it thanks to the unveiling of a historical marker on campus. A 1924 graduate of W&J, he was the first African American to play in the Rose Bowl. West went on to a long and fruitful career in medicine, graduating from Howard University Medical School in Washington, D.C. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) chose to honor West with a marker, and W&J President Dr. John C. Knapp said in a news release that West “has held a special place in the hearts of all in the W&J community. Dr. West personified W&J’s mission to produce graduates of uncommon integrity, and we are better today because of his personal character and fine example.”
Fans of the Washington Wild Things have every reason to be disappointed that the team’s Frontier League championship hopes came a cropper last Sunday when Illinois’ Schaumburg Boomers notched a 10-4 win in Game 5 in a best-of-5 series. But there is room for pride and optimism, considering the Wild Things were nine games out of first place in the Frontier League’s Northeast Division around the Fourth of July. As the Observer-Reporter’s sports editor Chris Dugan put it, “Just because the Wild Things fell a hit or a hop shy of the title … doesn’t take any shine off what they did this season. It was, in a word, amazing. Something that should, for the next eight months, make their followers want more and eagerly await next year.”