News briefs: Story walk, brush collection, book club and more on tap

The Cooper-Siegel Community Library will host a story walk Feb. 15 that celebrates Black History Month.

It will be during daylight hours in the library’s Welcome Garden.

Guests can take a self-guided walk that features Kwame Alexander and Kadir Nelson’s award-winning book “The Undefeated.”

No registration is necessary but guests must wear masks.

Brush collection slated

Fox Chapel will begin its spring brush collection March 8.

The schedule of streets in available at fox-chapel.pa.us.

Items must be placed at the roadside with the cut end toward the street. No tree limbs larger than 5 inches wide or 8 feet long will be taken.

Hedges, vines, rose bushes and other brush must be tied in bundles no wider than 16 inches.

Leaves, grass clippings, loose hedges, vines, bushes, firewood, rotten wood, ornamental grass and similar debris is not accepted.

Tree presentation

Learn about the trees of southwestern Pennsylvania through a five-minute virtual presentation Feb. 17, hosted by Cooper-Siegel Community Library.

Guests can access the program any time that day. It will be presented by Ranger Ben from Allegheny County Parks.

Register at coopersiegelcommunitylibrary.org.

Booked for Lunch program scheduled

Cooper-Siegel Community Library will host the monthly book club, Booked for Lunch, from noon to 1 p.m. on March 12.

Discussion will be about four picture books: “Sulwe” by Lupita Nyong’o and Vashti Harrison, “Fry Bread” by Kevin Maillard and Juana Martinez-Neal, “Drawn Together” by Minh Lê and illustrator Dan Santat, and “The Book with No Pictures” by B. J. Novak.

Titles are available for checkout at the library’s Adult Services desk.

Register at coopersiegelcommunitylibrary.org.

Valentine’s fundraiser

Lauri Ann West Community Center is hosting “Love the Center,” a fundraiser that teams residents with local small businesses for a Valentine’s Day celebration to enjoy at home.

Participants can choose to make purchases from couples or family dinner options from Aspinwall Everyday Gourmet, cocktails from 4Four6 Distillery and flowers from Fox and the Fleur. Everything will be offered for curbside pickup at the center on Feb. 13. For an additional donation, orders can be delivered.

Support will benefit programs and services at the center, 1220 Powers Run Road, O’Hara.

The center serves residents in the Fox Chapel Area School District.

Order at lauriannwestcc.org or by calling 412-828-8566.

Blood drive continues

Fox Chapel Area High School is holding a community blood drive during February at the Vitalant Harmar/Fox Chapel donor center.

People 16 and older are encouraged to donate.

Vitalant is offering several scholarships to area high school students. They will be awarded for the highest percent participation and largest number of registered donations for the year. Anyone who donates blood at a local donor center can also ask for the donation to count toward the district’s total by mentioning code HS010025.

Vitalant is also testing blood donations for covid-19. Results can be viewed online in the donor’s account two weeks after donating.

The donor center is at 2585 Freeport Road, Suite 207, Harmar.

Nature reserve walks

Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve in Fox Chapel has free, naturalist-led walks each week.

“Birds and More” begins at 9 a.m. each Wednesday at the site along Dorseyville Road.

For more information, visit aswp.org.

Bird count on tap

Join the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania for its annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) walk at Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve in Fox Chapel.

The free event is from 10 a.m. to noon Feb. 13. Masks are required.

Learn more at birdcount.org.

Improve your Microsoft skills

Residents interested in learning more about Microsoft apps and skills for Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Windows 10 can visit mikeswindowstraining.com for a list of free classes offered by retiree Mike Smialek.

Classes will be from 9:30 a.m. to noon Thursdays.

Using WebEx as the online sharing platform, students need access to the internet, Windows 10, Microsoft Office 365 software or similar and a computer.

Each class comes with a step-by-step handout and the files needed to complete the online exercises together. The class schedule includes:

• Word Basics on Feb. 11, Word Intermediate on Feb. 18 and Word Advanced on Feb. 25.

• PowerPoint Basics on March 11, PowerPoint Intermediate on March 18 and Windows 10 on March 25.

Women’s Business Network to meet

The Women’s Business Network, which supports the success and growth of women in business, meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 8 a.m. All meetings are being held online. To RSVP or for more information, contact Susan Kinger at 412-782-4848 or skinger607@dollarbank.com.

The All Virtual Chapter of Women’s Business Network invites you to attend one of their upcoming meetings, the first and third Wednesdays of each month at 7:30 p.m., via Zoom. For more information, contact Jennifer Pasquale at 412-908-1663.