Watch Peregrine Falcons Nesting In Pittsburgh Skyscrapers

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Peregrine Falcons were an endangered species until 1999 when they made a sufficient enough comeback to be removed from the list.  Pennsylvania still considers the birds endangered and protects them (yeah PA).  The birds almost became extinct due to pesticides like DDT causing their egg shells to become too thin and they would crack during incubation.  These birds of prey can be found in large cities in the United States and prefer to nest on cathedrals, skyscrapers and towers of suspension bridges.

There are live cameras at the Gulf Tower and the Cathedral of Learning nest sites.

The Cathedral of Learning is part of the University of Pittsburgh campus in the Oakland section of the city and is a 42-story classroom tower (535 feet).  The Gulf Tower is located downtown Pittsburgh and has 44 stories (582 feet).

To watch the falcons click here:

http://www.aviary.org/cons/falconcam_cl.php  Cathedral of Learning

http://www.aviary.org/cons/falconcam_gt.php  Gulf Tower

There’s No Place Like Home – Pink Returning To Philly For Baby Shower

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Outspoken rocker and PETA activist Pink is pregnant and returning to the Philadelphia area to celebrate with family and friends.  Her baby shower will be this Saturday afternoon.

Pink, whose real name is Alecia Beth Moore, burst on to the music scene in 2000 with her hit single “There You Go”.  Since then, Pink has released five albums and a greatest hits collection.  Billboard ranks Pink as 13^th on a list of Artists of the Decade and #1 Pop Song Artist of the decade.  Pink has achieved 10 Top Ten US hits and received two Grammy’s and five MTV Music Awards.

Pink has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and is ranked as the 27^th most powerful celebrity earning $44 million between June 2009 and June 2010 by Forbes Magazine.

Pink attended Central Bucks West High School in Doylestown and married motocross racer Carey Hart on January 7, 2006.  Despite a rocky road, Pink and Carey have reconciled and are expecting their first child in the near future (the reason for the trip home).

City Of York Mulling Fire Company Regionalization Option

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The City of York, PA has four fire stations and a staff of 67 firefighters.  However, like all municipalities, York is looking at ways to cut costs.  Kim Bracey, York’s Mayor, said she will not close/merge any fire stations or cut staff if it will cut response time.  However, Mayor Bracey said the Fire Committee is looking into options like regionalization and cooperative agreements with other fire services organizations, including volunteers.

Emergency services costs are a big-ticket budget item and Bracey said city government needs to be responsible stewards of the taxpayer’s money.  If working together as a regional fire department can achieve the same high-quality results, at a lower cost, that option needs to be explored.  It has worked for many police departments.  York County already has regional police departments.  The Fire Committee will present their fire/EMS modernization plan to the public on April 5^th.

The City of York has 43,718 residents (2010 census) and a land area of 5.20 square miles.  Mayor Bracey was the city’s Community Development Director before being elected mayor.