Jozsa Corner /  by Justin Merriman

Alexander Jozsa Bodnar, 74, in his restaurant, Jozsa Corner, in Hazelwood on Monday, April 4, 2016. Bodnar, who was born in Budapest, Hungary, has owned the Hungarian restaurant for 28 years.

Opening Day /  by Justin Merriman

 TOP: Fans fill PNC Park for the opening game of the MLB 2016 season to watch the Pirates take on the Cardinals on Sunday, April 3, 2016.  BOTTOM: Jeff Walters, 33, of Natrona Heights,  a member of the Renegades of the Rotunda, known as "Wiggles" walks across the Roberto Clemente Bridge on opening day.

The Red Pandas & Their Keeper /  by Justin Merriman

Kids clamor and jostle for positions. They press their faces against the glass trying to get a closer look at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium's red pandas. “I can't name an animal that's come here that's more popular,” says Ray Bamrick, 54, of Hampton, a lead keeper, who has worked at the zoo for 34 years.
Though their names are similar, the red panda is not directly related to giant panda, and although it was once believed to be in the family of raccoons and bears, the red panda belongs to its own family, Ailuridae. Its range includes China, Myanmar, India, Nepal and Bhutan, and it is listed as an endangered species, with its primary threats being deforestation as well as hunting and poaching. Bamrick, who primarily works with reptiles, shares a special bond with the red pandas.
“I like them,” he says with a smile. He's cared for Xia, the female red panda, since she arrived at the zoo in 2011, and more recently with Kovu, the male who arrived in 2014.
The zoo is hoping the pair will mate.
“I want these babies really, really bad,” says Bamrick, who understands the vulnerability of the species, with some estimates as low as 2,500 left in the wild.
“It has to be meaningful, what we do here. I feel it's part of my responsibility to give them the best care,” he says.
As Bamrick sits on a small log in the middle of the exhibit, Xia climbs onto his lap. He feeds her sliced apples and diced grapes from his pocket. On the other side of the glass, kids watch with a keen, wide-eyed fascination.
“I love my job,” Bamrick says. To read the story and visit the gallery go to the Tribune-Review.

Palm Sunday /  by Justin Merriman

Hunter Oliver, 9, of McKeesport walks "Joey" a donkey from Greenfield Farms along with other members of the congregation along Grandview Avenue in McKeesport as part of Beulah Park United Methodist Church's Palm Sunday services on Sunday, March 20, 2016.

Myanmar Refugee /  by Justin Merriman

Ro Ding, pastor of the Pittsburgh Myanmar Christian Fellowship, came to the United States from Myanmar in June 2010. Ding, 30, who lives in Troy Hill, volunteers his time to help refugees acclimate to Pittsburgh. 

Blessings By Barbers /  by Justin Merriman

Harry Lowber Sr. gets a haircut from Blessings by Barber's Earl George at The Light of Life Rescue Mission as Kevin Williams waits for his turn on Tuesday evening, March 15, 2016. Blessings by Barbers, sponsored by our Brown's House of Change,  gives free haircuts to the homeless twice a month at the Light of Life Rescue Mission on the North Side.

Kemp Ridley Sea Turtle /  by Justin Merriman

A Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle swims in a tank at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium on Sunday, March 13, 2016. The zoo prepared 7 turtles, which suffered from various stages of hypothermia off the coast of New England in December, to be shipped to Cape Canaveral, Florida to be released back into the wild.  The zoo's turtles will be joined by 16 turtles from New England Aquarium which will be transported by Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team to Florida. The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium began the Sea Turtle Second Chance Program in 2009 and have since cared for and successfully released: 11 loggerhead sea turtles, 1 green turtle, and 23 Kemp Ridley turtles.