Cheers to Siggy Pehel and the Glade Run Lake Conservancy. Pehel, the conservancy's founder and president, spearheaded the drive to repair the Glade Run dam and restore the drained lake in Middlesex Township.

Pehel had the pleasure of jointly announcing with Jerry Woomer, a project manager at the state Fish and Boat Commission, that the restoration project will go out to bid next month, with a completion date of 2016. The lake is to be stocked with fish the following summer, in 2017.

When the lake was drained in 2011 for safety reasons — the earth dam was aging and structurally insufficient — few people would have given the lake a chance of a comeback.

Pehel thought otherwise. At times his quest seemed Quixotic, raising a thousand dollars here, and few hundred there, for a project estimated at $4.3 million. But the immensity of the task did not deter those who joined and supported the conservancy and its campaign.

Their determination paid off. Former Gov. Tom Corbett in April 2014 agreed to provide $2 million in funding to repair the lake, and the Fish and Boat Commission agreed to provide another $2 million.

The funding was the result of the conservancy officials' relentless pressure on state legislators in and around the region to push Corbett for funding.

Woomer, the project manager, recognized the conservancy for its pursuit of the restoration.

“The conservancy worked really, really hard on this,” Woomer said. “I don't think we'd be at the stage we are without them.”

It doesn't get more inhumane.Volunteers were feeding homeless cats Thursday afternoon in Pittsburgh's Spring Hill section when they discovered a dog frozen to death inside a cage.Temperatures that day ranged from a low of 8 degrees to a high of 25.The city's humane society is investigating. They say the dead Shih Tzu was inside a cage with a blanket thrown over it. The dog was wearing an “I (heart) Long Walks” collar.Officials say they're not sure how long the dog was there or when it died. They were planning to perform a necropsy to determine the cause of death.Police are likely to file charges if they determine the dog was neglected or abused.It shouldn't have to come to that.The Western Pennsylvania Human Society advises that no pets should stay outside for unlimited amounts of time in freezing cold weather. If temperatures drop below zero, bring your dog indoors to the coolest part of the house, typically the basement.Dogs that are kept outside need a well-insulated house with floor, roof and four walls that retain their body heat. They need an increase in food amounts to boost the caloric intake required to maintain body temperature. Provide fresh water in outside bowls every three to four hours since water freezes rapidly.Ultimately, pet owners need to question why they have a pet at all if they are unable or unwilling to provide for its basic necessities. Pets are not a throwaway commodity.

Cheers to Senior Airman Scott Frederick and Sgt. John Kovacic, who returned home last week after being deployed in Kuwait for six months. Cheers also to their respective local fire departments on a pending merger, also announced last week.Frederick, of Zelienople, and Kovacic, of Jackson Township, both of whom are military and civilian firefighters, were treated to a welcome-home celebration Tuesday afternoon at the Zelienople fire hall.Their families, fellow volunteer firefighters and members of the Butler County American Legion Riders were on hand when they arrived at Pittsburgh International Airport.Both were deployed as firefighters with the Air National Guard from the 171st Air Refueling Wing in Pittsburgh.Both also are volunteer firefighters, Frederick with the Zelienople department and Kovacic with the Harmony department.They come home to the fresh news that they'll soon be members of the same fire department. Harmony and Zelienople firefighters had voted the night before to merge the departments. The plan is to complete the merger, forming Harmony Fire District, by Jan. 1, 2016.Mutual support? You bet.