Morning Roundup: Man accidentally shot at South Side bar, police say

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Aug. 17:

Man accidentally shot at South Side bar, police say

A man was accidentally shot in the bathroom of a South Side bar Wednesday night, Pittsburgh police said.

Police, EMS and fire personnel responded to the incident in the 2100 block of East Carson Street just before 9 p.m. for a man in his 20s with a gunshot wound.

Medics transported the victim to the hospital in stable condition.

Police said their initial investigation indicates that two men were in the bathroom of a bar when one of the men said he accidentally discharged a round, hitting the victim in the hip. There’s no indication from the victim that there had been any type of argument or altercation, police said.

Violent Crime Unit detectives are investigating.

Summer winds down for Allegheny County pools

As summer comes to an end and students return to school, Allegheny County officials announced pool hours will be cut starting Monday.

All four of the county’s pools — Boyce Park, North Park, Settlers Cabin Park and South Park — will be open as normal for the rest of this week. Starting next week, the pools will be closed on weekdays.

County pools will still be open Saturdays and Sundays through the rest of this month and on Labor Day weekend.

Sept. 4 will be the last day pools are open in the county. Pools will be open from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. that day and will reopen from 4-6:30 p.m. for a Pooches in the Pool event.

The Deer Lakes Spray Park and Round Hill Spray Park are set to close for the season Sept. 4.

Spray parks are free and open daily from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. weather permitting.

Retired Washington police dog dies

The City of Washington Police Department on Wednesday announced the death of their retired police dog Golem.

The dog died “due to an unexpected medical event,” the police department wrote in a social media post.

Golem was a 12-year-old German Shepard who was originally from the Czech Republic. He served with the city’s police department for five years before his retirement.

“During his five years of service, K9 Golem was not only an invaluable asset to the city and this department but also provided outstanding service to other communities throughout the region,” the police department wrote.

Animal Friends hosts Jackson Galaxy workshop

Staff and volunteers from Animal Friends this week hosted a group of local shelters and rescues for a workshop hosted by Jackson Galaxy, a cat wellness and behavioral expert known for hosting Animal Planet’s “My Cat from Hell.”

The Cat Pawsitive 360 workshop, which was sponsored by Greater Good Charities, is “designed to engage and immerse animal welfare representatives with ways to improve the well-being of cats both in and out of the shelter environment,” Animal Friends said in a social media post.

“It gives a 360-degree view of everything feline, from behavioral models to environmental,” the social media post continued.

The shelter said the training taught attendees “about how to strengthen the animal-human bond to save lives,” which will result in happier cats and more adoptions.

The cat care celebrity testified before Pittsburgh City Council in 2021 to advocate for a bill that banned cat declawing surgery in the city.

Pittsburgh Zoo receives grant for new classroom

The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium on Wednesday announced a $10,000 grant from the KFC Foundation’s Kentucky Fried Wishes program.

The money will support a classroom at the zoo’s International Conservation Center, which sits on about 1,000 acres of land in Somerset.

The zoo touted the center as “North America’s premier conservation, research, education, breeding and training facility, specializing in the care and breeding of African elephants.”

The Kentucky Fried Wishes program honors nonprofits by making a wish list project come true through grant funding. The program selected 50 nonprofits for $10,000 grants.

Brother’s Brother Foundation looking to help Hawaii

Pittsburgh-based Brother’s Brother Foundation is looking to help people in Hawaii after wildfires have caused widespread destruction and taken dozens of lives.

The nonprofit is sending a variety of items to Hawaii, including 14 pallets of baby formula donated by Giant Eagle, hygiene kits assembled by local Brother’s Brother volunteers, and tarps. The nonprofit also will provide grants to food banks in the impacted area.

All of the funds donated to the foundation will be used to support emergency response and logistics, the nonprofit said. Donations can be made on their website or as checks made payable to Brother’s Brother Foundation with U.S. Disaster Relief in the memo field sent to P.O. Box 645934 Pittsburgh, PA 15264-5257.

Foundation President Ozzy Samad told Tribune-Review news partner WTAE that people have donated more than $40,000 already.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, who graduated from Quaker Valley, told WTAE he appreciated Pittsburgh’s support.

“We are just grateful for everyone’s outpouring of support, and though the workload is extraordinary and our hearts are broken, we will get through it,” he said.