Areea chamber the perfect fit for H-S Speaker Series
STEUBENVILLE — Among the goals the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce looks to achieve are to display the community in the best light possible and to promote local spending and the community as whole.
That’s what makes the chamber’s continued involvement in the Herald-Star Speaker Series such a perfect fit.
“The chamber is always happy to support the speaker series,” said Tricia Maple-Damewood, president of the organization that helped get the series off the ground in the fall of 2012.
Since that first presentation, Tri-State Area residents have had the opportunity to hear interesting and entertaining speakers. That will continue when Jeanine Pirro takes the Steubenville High School auditorium stage at the 7:30 p.m. Oct. 10.
Pirro, a former judge and prosecutor in Westchester County, N.Y., always has strived to ensure the justice system works for the most vulnerable members of society. She has been particularly interested in finding ways to protect children and victims of domestic violence.
A nationally recognized legal expert and commentator, Pirro is the host of “Justice with Judge Jeanine,” which airs at 9 p.m. Saturdays on the Fox News Channel. The program includes a look at the news of the week, trends in the world of crime and justice and a little political commentary.
“From its inception, the speaker series has been such a unique and positive event,” Maple-Damewood explained. “It gives area residents a chance to learn from a caliber of speakers that they’d otherwise have to travel to see.”
Pirro also is an author, having written four books, two of which are nonfiction. In “To Punish and Protect: Against a System that Coddles Criminals,” Pirro examines cases she handled in Westchester County and her battles to help ensure justice was served. It offers an insightful look into the criminal justice system, that, in her view, places too much emphasis on the criminals at the expense of innocent victims.
In “He Killed Them All,” meanwhile, Pirro details her 15-year investigation into Robert Durst, and his likely role in the disappearance of his wife, Kathleen, in 1982, as well as his involvement in the deaths of two other persons, including a woman who had been described as being one of his best friends. The book looks at the frustration Pirro has with how the legal system worked in the case of Durst, the son of one of New York’s wealthiest families, and how his money and his family’s connections likely allowed him to get away with murder.
Durst’s story was told in “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst,” the HBO documentary written by Andrew Jarecki, Marc Smerling and Zachary Stuart-Pontier. Pirro’s appearance in the miniseries offers powerful insights into the case.
Copies of both books are on sale now at the Herald-Star office during regular business hours. Only those attendees who have copies of one her books will have the opportunity to have them signed following the presentation.
A preferred seating package is available at a cost of $60 per ticket. The package includes a reserved seat ticket near the front of the Steubenville High School auditorium to hear Pirro speak, the choice of either book and a priority spot in line for an opportunity to have the book signed by Pirro after the presentation.
Reserved seat tickets cost $20 in advance and are available by visiting the Herald-Star office during regular business hours, or by calling (740) 283-4711. All reserved seats will cost $25 if purchased at the auditorium the night of the presentation.
A limited number of free tickets has been set aside for local students. Contact Diana Brown at the Herald-Star for information.
Joining the Herald-Star, The Weirton Daily Times and the chamber as series sponsors are Eastern Gateway Community College, Cattrell Cos. Inc., Trinity Health System, the Franciscan University of Steubenville and WTRF-TV. Special support is being provided by Best Western Plus University Inn, Piergallini Catering, Steubenville City Schools, Hertz-Thrifty Car Rental, the YWCA of Steubenville, Legal Hair and Day Spa and Tri-State Financial Services.
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