BLAIRSVILLE--Maybe the best thing that can be said about 2002 is that it wasn't 2001. Oh, there was plenty of tragedy in the year just concluded, and with 2003 dawning, renewed talk of war hung heavily in the air, but in between 2002 was filled with good news about local people making headlines with their achievements, from a local lady beating cancer to carry the Olympic Torch to the Blairsville Bobcats sweeping to a conference champion and a District playoff win. Relive the highlights of 2002 in the annual review of the news from the pages of The Dispatch:
January 5-- Blairsville woman Cleo Free, who for years battled cancer, carried the Olympic Torch in Pittsburgh as the flame made its way across America...Ex-Bobcat and 2000 Dispatch Student of the Year Chad Elder took the stage at Penn State University, performing in the school's acting troupe and vocalizing with the Singing Lions...Tony Perman was elected president of Homer City Council, with David Myers filling the position of vice president...The Saltsburg Trojans boys took the Blairsville Kiwanis Basketball Tournament title.
January 11-- William Wilt announced that he will end his 40-year stint at United High School after serving as both principal and educator with the district for 40 years...The first big snowfall of the year found Homer City without a dump truck to spread salt and clear the snow after the vehicle broke down...Along with a three percent pay raise, Burrell Township approved Floyd Hill as supervisor chairman and newly elected Les Henry as vice chairman for the new year...Saltsburg Borough Council still hadn't adopted its 2002 budget after facing deficit projections close to $45,000...Former Blairsville-Saltsburg School Board member and past president Valentine John Lazar Jr. died at 84.
January 18-- Blairsville auto repair school Vale Tech closed its doors, to be reopened in April as Wyotech...Blairsville found itself without a tax collector after re-elected John Bonarrigo declined the position...State Treasurer Barbara Hafer quit the gubernatorial race...New state regulations requiring computer course teachers to hold business certifications caused the Blairsville-Saltsburg School Board to face faculty decisions...Derry Borough Mayor Ronald T. Bolen casted the deciding vote that put David M. McWherter in the council presidential seat.
January 25-- Lance Alexander, a founding member of the Highridge Water Authority headquartered in Blairsville, citing competing ventures as one of the reasons...Gov. Mark Schweiker addressed a truck safety symposium in Harrisburg to slow down trucks in construction zones...Joan Baker, runner-up in the election for Blairsville tax collector, takes her post after incumbent appointee John Bonarrigo turned down the position...Blairsville-Saltsburg School District puts the Burrell Elementary School up for bid.
February 1-- Bill Shuster visited Indiana County in an effort to acquaint himself with what would become his territory as a congressman, while gubernatorial candidate Ed Rendell speaks out about getting state money for Pennsylvania's smaller communities...After a successful trial run, Homer-Center Elementary School students took like fish to water at the Indiana County YMCA for swimming lessons...A former Westmoreland County prison guard received four to eight years in prison after he smuggled a cell phone and drugs to imprisoned drug lord Ronald Whethers.
February 8-- Derry Area School board tentatively approved a settlement with Derry school teachers for a five-year contract...Dave Reed, a Homer-Center High School graduate, announced his candidacy for state representative in the 62nd District...John Pulliam was elected mayor in Homer City, and Michael Gaydosh filled a vacant council seat...Bolivar Council holds its first meeting in the former Promistar Bank building on Washington Street...Derry Area High School girls baller Lindsay Dixon set a school-record with her 1,000th point in a game against Southmoreland...Black Lick resident Brenda Pizer lobbies in Harrisburg to protect homeowners from mine damage after her own home and farm buildings received damage from sinking mines...A Homer City woman was mauled by a Great Dane and didn't receive immediate medical attention because the man she was with, James D. Stonebraker was too intoxicated to call for help...Saltsburg raised sewage rates and finally adopted its 2002 budget.
February 15-- Derry Area High School Boys Volleyball Coach Rick Schall won the "Golden Whistle" Award for positive coaching...The Trusal bridge in Indiana County, an historic structure, received emergency repairs after fieldstones in one of the bridge piers washed away...Concerned citizens viewed the final design plans for the Rt. 119/22 Widening Project...Robert Butchkoski is designated United High School's new principal...Derry clears the way for the new community pool renovations...Cindy J. Hill, of Homer City, faces a month after a jury finds her guilty of driving a schoolbus under the influence of a controlled substance.
February 22-- On Feb. 20 at 8:01 p.m., for the first time in 1,001 years, time read in perfect symmetry: 20:02, 20/02, 2002...Jeffrey James Beatrice of New Derry is accused of killing Robert Ager outside of a Bradenville tavern...Loring B. West, White Township, was convicted of vehicular homicide after he killed two IUP students while drunk driving...Burrell Township Tax Collector Rita Stipcak rejects her re-election, leaving the borough to fill the position...Two men escaped from Torrance State Hospital, spurring concern from local residents about the hospital's frequent problems with runaway "criminals"...Blairsville High School senior Nichole Riddle broke the 2,000-point barrier, becoming only the third high school girls basketball player in Indiana County to do so...The Homer-Center boys won their first match-up in the District 6 playoffs against Richland, while the Saltsburg and United girls both grabbed playoff wins.
March 1-- The first glimmerings were seen of what is now known as the Blairsville In-Town Group, or BIG, which held its first organizational meeting...Indiana schools canceled classes after a bomb threat was discovered spray-painted on a school building wall...New Alexandria residents petitioned for a redlight at the Rt. 982 intersection with Rt. 22...United High School wrestlers came away with second place in the District 6-AA tournament...Indiana County Commissioner Bernie Smith and Danny Sacco, of the county's Hazardous Materials Response Team, traveled to Washington, D.C. to represent the county as it was honored for its response to the Sept. 11 attacks.
March 8-- Kenzi Snider was arrested for the murder of Derry Area graduate Jamie Lynn Penich while the two took a holiday while studying in South Korea the year before...Saltsburg area parents stepped up to the plate to bring back Junior Legion baseball in that area...Saltsburg Borough awards a contract to Lomik Construction Co. of Delmont for its sewer separation project...Brenda Pizer takes on a two-year stint as Burrell Township's tax collector...United wrestlers Eli Garshnick and Nick Kozar grappled their way to the state championships...Saltsburg boys won the district crown in basketball...The Indiana Players continued to search for a new home with the possibility of purchasing an Indiana church.
March 15-- Kenzi Snider awaits her extradition trial in jail for the murder of Jamie Lynn Penich...Indiana County Commissioner Jim McQuown announced his resignation...The Saltsburg Trojans met their match, and the end of their season, in the boys basketball state playoff game against Elk County Catholic...Rich Ludwig, Derry Area High School wrestling coach, resigned after the state championship match.
March 22-- Burrell Township reinstated its property tax abatement for commercial development in order to attract businesses to the area...The Blairsville National Guard prepared to make the move to the new armory building in Torrance...St. Paul's United Church in Derry held its final service before closing the doors that were built in 1916...Blairsville-Saltsburg School Board ensures its teachers will stay another three years with a contract extension.
March 29-- Bill Shuster visited Blairsville's Clark Metal Products before heading to Afghanistan to meet with American military leaders and Afghan government officials... Girl Scouts celebrated the organization's 90th birthday...A 1974 Derry Area High School graduate, Dr. Larry Kenney, was chosen as president-elect of the American College of Sports Medicine.
April 5-- Wyotech greeted its new neighbors in a public open house in Blairsville, as local officials hold high hopes that the automotive technology school will rev up the town's economy...Saltsburg gives its police force a boost with the hiring of three new officers...The Latrobe Art Club changes its name to the Latrobe Art League, and announced plans for a summer move to the former Evans shoe store...Burrell Township approved the final draft of an ordinance that would give a revived property tax abatement a one-year trial run...The newly formed Blairsville In-Town Group looked for businesses to support its cause of revitalizing the community...IUP debated its controversial Indian mascot.
April 12-- Aeptec Microsystems in Blairsville held an open house, where the need for a new factory was discussed to produce the firm's wireless monitoring and data transmission devices...Former Blairsville Borough Council Member Herb George died at 85..."Smearing" begins between the state's two gubernatorial candidates, Ed Rendell and Robert Casey Jr....A weighted grading system was approved at United High School, meant to encourage students to enroll in more challenging courses...A new Blairsville Borough street became the alternative plan after the Ranson Avenue railroad bridge was deemed unsafe for reconstruction...Bill Shane was elected as the new Indiana County Commissioner, replacing the resigned Jim McQuown.
April 19-- J.W. Clark, founder of Clark Metal Products in Blairsville, died at 83...Blairsville Borough Council agreed to supply the Blairsville In-Town Group with some of the match money needed to apply for a downtown revitalization grant...Rep. John Murtha lost Torrance to Bill Shuster in the redrawn map of Pa. congressional districts...Blairsville-Saltsburg School Board added two cyber schools to its lawsuit, attempting to keep the schools from stealing state funding from the district...The school board also accepted a staggering 17 resignations from faculty...Burrell Township residents asked supervisors for help in keeping coal dust and mine noise at a minimum.
April 26-- Indiana County found out it didn't have the authority to abolish the occupational assessment tax...The Catholic Diocese in Greensburg felt the pressure from recent sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic church and removed a man from priesthood...Laurel Valley graduate Aric Heffelfinger opened eyes among Penn State football coaches.
May 3-- Lifelong Robinson resident Jon McClure took his own life after conducting a shooting spree at the Gin Mill bar in Robinson, taking the lives of three patrons and wounding another...Ed Smith retired as manager of the Blairsville Municipal Authority...A tornado rips through parts of the county, destroying homes, farms, and businesses...Saltsburg High School sprinter Todd Lantz is deemed the "fastest man in the county" after he tied his own county record in the 200 meter dash at the Indiana County track meet.
May 10-- Dave Reed becomes Blairsville In-Town Group's first downtown director...A former Indiana man, Loring B. West, was sentenced to 10 1/2 to 30 years in prison for killing two IUP students while drunk driving...Saltsburg Borough Councilmen Dennis Mitsko and Ronald Plahs resign from the board...Blairsville Borough considers beefing up its police force through a federal grant...The Indiana County Courthouse reviewed its security ordinance, focusing on exactly who should be forced to go through the metal detectors at the front of the building...Latrobe Area Hospital got a green light to partner with UPMC Health System for a new cancer center in Unity Township.
May 17-- The Blairsville-Saltsburg School District voted to raise taxes for the 2002-2003 school year...Records were shattered in the gubernatorial race between Rendell and Casey, with both spending millions on the Pittsburgh ad market...Indiana Hospital announced its new moniker, the Indiana Regional Medical Center...Health insurance costs were blamed for Homer-Center School District's 3.79 mill tax hike...United hired Rosanna Duda as its elementary assistant principal.
May 24-- John Murtha sent Frank Mascara packing with his win of the Democratic nomination in the 12th District...The murderer of an IUP student, Harold Edwin Leaphart, was sentenced to 26 to 60 years due to the fatal outcome of an on-campus brawl...Blairsville's Mayor and borough council butt heads over the use of tear gas at the vacant Blairsville Jr. High building when police used the gas to vacate what they believed to be trespassers.
May 31-- Extradition hearings opened in Canada for Dr. Shirley Turner, accused of killing her former lover, Latrobe Area Hospital resident Dr. Andrew Bagby, at Keystone State Park...Derry was forced to push back the opening of its new community pool because of an extension of construction time...The Kiski School's headmaster of 45 years, John Pidgeon, retired from the position, but couldn't say good-bye, staying on to fill positions on campus as a teacher and coach.
June 7-- Indiana County began a survey of its residents, asking how they thought officials could improve on in areas such as transportation, recreation, and human services...Homer City officials voted to expand the Head Start building, extending the services of the pre-school to infants and toddlers...A detailed confession from Kenzi Snider, accused killer of Jamie Lynn Penich, was released, telling how an alleged sexual encounter led her to stomp the coed to death in a motel room in Seoul, Korea, where the two were studying...Saltsburg prepared for its 21st annual Canal Days Festival.
June 14-- The trial began for William Stein, accused of trying to stab to death his 12-year-old son in their Blairsville home...The West Penn Trail extension through Blairsville opened...A pregnant teenage girl was shot after a car chase through Burrell Township when Thomas Mock Jr. opened fire on the car in which she was a passenger...Russell E. Repine was the first of two bodies exhumed in an investigation in which toxic levels of cadmium were believed to be the cause of death...Ashley Hughes, a Laurel Valley High School senior, was chosen as The Dispatch's Student of the Year.
June 21-- William Stein, accused of trying to kill his 12-year-old son, was acquitted of all the charges against him and vowed to try to lead a normal life with his family...Led by Homer-Center fullback Ben Costello and tailback Sean Buggey, the North beat the South in the Ken Lantzy all-star game...The Blairsville Police Department defended its case against expanding its force.
June 28-- Blairsville residents were still reeling from the outcome of the Stein stabbing case, as the Stein family vowed to fight to regain custody of the stabbed son, Shayne, from a foster family...Samuel Erwin, the husband of a former Marion Center math teacher, Nancy Lynn Mogle Erwin, burst into an administration building and opened fire on the secretaries, claiming revenge for his wife's job loss...Homer-Center, Ligonier Valley, and Derry Area school districts all raise taxes for the new school year...Rep. Jeff Coleman was reprimanded for not backing his party leaders' call for a state tax hike...Steelers Rookie of the Year Kendrell Bell thrilled young football hopefuls, hosting a camp in Blairsville sponsored by Tri-Star Motors.
July 5-- Derry residents were finally able to enjoy cooling off in the new community pool, which opened during Light-Up Derry Day...The Derry Ag Fair celebrated 15 years of family fun and agricultural education...Saltsburg residents fought for improved reconditioned of streets and private properties after Lomik Construction tore through town to update the borough's sewer system...Derry's George Bush III was one of four Pennsylvanians chosen to compete in a national 4-H clay shooting competition.
July 12-- It was announced that Thomas Mock Jr., of Burrell Township, would stand trial for attempted murder after he tried to gun down a car with four young passengers near Black Lick...The former G.C. Murphy building in Blairsville was purchased and possibly earmarked for housing for Wyotech students...Residents in the village of McIntyre were furious when a strip club popped up seemingly overnight...The Hoodlebug Festival was underway in Homer City...Indiana County commissioners accepted federal funding to make some improvements to the Jimmy Stewart Museum, including a new elevator...Marion Center wins its first game in the Junior Legion Championship Series.
July 19-- Blairsville finally found itself a police chief in Jim Guffey, an Army veteran and former Pittsburgh policeman...Final grades became the deciding factor for valedictorian and salutatorians in the Ligonier Valley School District after a controversial estimate got parents fired up...Heroin passed OxyContin as the local drug of choice, according to specialists...Scott Brady Robinson was accused of raping and sexually assaulting a minor from Palmerton two years ago, twice at an Irwin hotel room and once while taking her to visit her grandmother's grave...Lower Indiana Municipal Authority agreed to talk with residents over supplying municipal water to homes along Snyder Lane in Burrell Township...Arone Auto Body of Homer City won its third Indiana County Junior Legion title in four years against Marion Center...Locals remember the devastation of the Johnstown Flood of 1977 on the disaster's 25th anniversary.
July 26-- The recent uprising in McIntyre over the establishment of a strip club spurred the Indiana County commissioners to pass an ordinance against public indecency, and urged local municipalities to do the same...Some Burrell Township residents affected by the Rt. 119/22 construction await money for their displacement...Former Blairsville art teacher Joy Fairbanks won Best In Show at the New Growth Art Festival in Indiana with her "Country Window" photograph...The parents of slain Latrobe Area Hospital resident Dr. Andrew Bagby vowed to seek custody of their son's newborn child, birthed by his alleged killer, Dr. Shirley Turner.
August 2-- Nearby Somerset County snatched national headlines when nine miners were trapped by millions of gallons of rushing water in the Quecreek Mine after they tapped into an unmapped abandoned mine...Local drillers and rescue teams were sent to the accident scene to help with the rescue...The nation watched as the ninth and final miner was lifted from their underground prison after a harrowing 77 hours trapped in the mine...Arone Auto Body took second place in the Junior Legion western regional tournament.
August 9-- It was announced that a 19th century milkhouse will be transported from property in Loyalhanna to a lot adjacent to the Derry Area Historical Society's Fulton House headquarters...Investigations continued into the Quecreek Mine disaster, with Depression-era maps bringing clues to investigators...Accused killer Kenzi Snider turned to a false confession expert to overthrow her confession of stomping to death Jamie Lynn Penich while the two were studying in South Korea...A Blairsville woman was carjacked at knifepoint and forced to drive her assailants to Penn Hills after she offered to give what she thought were two stranded motorists a helpful ride...Disney bought the rights to the stories of the nine Quecreek miners for a film and book relating their predicament.
August 16-- Blairsville native Bryon Thomas won a national arm-wrestling championship, qualifying himself for the world championship in Illinois...Jim Guffey took his seat as chief of Blairsville's police force...Indiana County was updated on the possibility of a West Nile Virus outbreak when an infected crow in discovered in Latrobe...Homer-Center School District teachers received a pay raise in a contract that guaranteed labor peace for the next five years...Schools prepared for the new year, with Blairsville receiving a new phone and voice mail system and United hiring several aides and coaches.
August 23-- Blairsville residents were stunned when their Mayor, James Brubaker, had his home raided by police, who were searching for and found hand- and BB-guns missing from the evidence room at the police station...This in the midst of Blairsville's annual Diamond Days, when food vendors, musicians and crafters lined the streets...It was announced that Pennsylvanians could add their names to the "Do Not Call" list, banning telemarketers from their phone lines...The back entrance to the Blairsville school campus was reopened after the front entrance located directly off of Rt. 119 was blocked by road construction...Ames department store succumbed to competition, announcing that all stores will be closed by the end of the year.
August 30-- The former Westinghouse building in Derry became home to a Pittsburgh-based defense technology firm, Pittsburgh Electric Engines, promising several hundred jobs to Derry and Blairsville residents...A 20-year-old murder case came to an end when a death warrant was signed for Ronald Lee Weiss, of Indiana County, convicted of bludgeoning to death a teenage girl in Tunnelton...Homer City Borough Council was left without any legal advice when its longtime solicitor, John Merlo, quit in a snit...High school teams prepared for the gridiron in what would become a disappointing season for some, but a fabulous one for others...The results came in on the county survey, with the majority saying of replies claiming Indiana County is a good place to live.
September 6-- Lower Indiana County Municipal Authority and Highridge Water Authority both submitted competing contracts to supply water service to Burrell Township, including 14 homes along Snyder Lane that weren't currently serviced by public water...Former Blairsville Mayor and policeman Harry W. "Hank" Akins died at 73...Republican gubernatorial nominee Mike Fisher promised to fight for privatizing state stores...Yellow Creek State Park officials in Indiana scrambled to quell rumors that a Centre County boy scout's death earlier in the summer at Seph Mack, a camp located in the park, was caused by a snake bite.
September 13-- In the week marking the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York City and Somerset County, visitors flocked to the site where Flight 93 went down...United school board members agreed to place bids for improvements to the school, including new flooring and bathrooms and beefed up security...Another leg of the Rt. 22 construction was underway in Armagh...IUP football coach Frank Cignetti earned his 150th victory...The death of the Centre County boy scout at Seph Mack was blamed by a buildup of the medication he was taking, Adderall.
September 20-- John Zedick replaced James Brubaker as the new Mayor of Blairsville after Brubaker was accused of stealing weapons from the police department evidence room for his own personal collection...Conemaugh Dam marked its 50-year anniversary ...An outbreak of the bacterial infection listeria is discovered in the state, while Homer-Center High School investigates a number of viral meningitis cases among athletes.
September 27-- Fugitive physician Dr. Shirley Turner continued to fight against her extradition to the states after fleeing to Canada when she was accused of killing her former lover, Dr. Andrea Bagby, at Keystone State Park...Former CEO of Biocontrol Technology Inc. in Indiana pled guilty to fraud and income tax evasion...Bolivar native Bill Clark abruptly quit his position as chief of police in Johnstown when he failed to find a permanent home in the town.
October 4-- Three homes were evacuated in Blairsville and a firefighter was sent to the hospital after a chlorine gas leak occurred at the sewage treatment plant...The new headmaster of the Kiski School, Chris Brueningsen, was officially installed...Homer City's Mayor cast the deciding vote to allow Indiana attorney Patrick Dougherty to fill the council's vacant solicitor position...Burrell Township voted to break ties with the Lower Indiana County Municipal Authority, which would have ended the supplier's 50-year relationship with the township...Three men were charged in the killing of Richard Andrew Gemmill, a Jefferson County man, after a fight in a Punxsutawney bar...A marker commemorating the rescue of Anthony Hollingsworth, an escaped slave from Virginia who fled to Indiana County and was rescued from returning to enslavement by an Indiana judge, was dedicated at the NBOC bank...Archery season opened under the new Game Commission rules for buck antler restrictions...The Blairsville Bobcats continued an undefeated season.
October 11-- Wyotech's future in Blairsville was cemented when the automotive repair school purchased property at the Corporate Campus in Burrell Township, planning to expand its campus to the new site...Dr. Herbert Hanna, a family physician in Blairsville for 43 years, died at age 72...Ligonier kicked off its 43rd Fort Ligonier Days festival...Blairsville In-Town Group elected its first board of directors...A burglary ring spanning five counties, including Indiana and Westmoreland, was broken up, blamed for the theft of several hundred thousands of dollars worth of construction equipment, tools, firearms and vehicles, with several local people among the accused...Film crews showed up in Somerset County to begin filming for the movie about the Quecreek Nine.
October 18-- Homer-Center School District announced plans to pursue a new track facility, to replace the outdated track not even allowed in competitions because of its condition...The fate of accused killer Kenzi Snider fell into the hands of Secretary of State Colin Powell after a federal judge ruled that she can be extradited to South Korea for the murder of Jamie Penich...Burrell Township adopted a resolution to dissolve the Lower Indiana County Municipal Authority...The Gin Mill Tavern in West Wheatfield Township, the site where Jon L. McClure conducted a shooting spree, killing three people, was destroyed by a fire.
October 25-- A residents' group in Clarksburg asked federal officials to deny Norfolk Southern's request to build a five-mile line through the town in order to ship coal more efficiently to the a Shelocta power plant...The Indiana Indians won its first football game since the year 2000, with running back Chris Buchanan becoming the third RB in the school's history to 200 yards in one game...Co-founder of the Blairsville Historical Society, Michael Nagy Jr., died at 88.
November 1-- With the general election closing in, Democratic Rep. Sara Steelman and Republican challenger Dave Reed were among several candidates who attended a debate at the Oak Place Community Center in Indiana...Once again, district consolidation was pushed aside at a Blairsville-Saltsburg School Board meeting, where members voted to renovate Saltsburg's elementary and secondary schools instead of merging the two ends of the district...Homer-Center solicited public input on the new proposed track facility...The Blairsville Bobcats surged into the playoffs for the first time since 1995 with a win against the Laurel Valley Rams, as Greater Latrobe found itself in the playoff run despite a 4-5 record.
November 8-- Ed Rendell buried Mike Fisher in the state governor race, while Dave Reed pulled off a surprising win against Sara Steelman, creating an all-republican Indiana County legislation...John Murtha again came out on top against Bill Choby in the 12th congressional district...Homer City downsized its tentative budget, leaving taxes where they were...Blairsville's first playoff game was a successful one in a win against Moshannon Valley...Burrell Township received some bad news concerning its water situation: it did not have the authority to dissolve LICMA.
November 15-- A former Bobcat kicker, John Dunlap, impressed Steeler fans after he almost won a half-time kicking contest, which could have won everyone in the stands a DVD player...Blairsville was booted from the playoff race in a loss against Bishop Carroll...A Graceton couple found their home raided when police suspected a prostitution and child pornography ring.
November 22-- Indiana County officials pushed for a third judge to be brought to the county courthouse...Jim Costello announced his resignation from the Homer-Center school board.
November 29-- Indiana taxpayers were up in arms over proposed renovations to Indiana Area schools, which would result in a 4 mills tax increase...IUP erased a half-time deficit to win in the first round of the NCAA Division II Northeast Regional playoffs.
December 6-- Saltsburg Borough Council adopted its 2003 budget, raising taxes by 4.6 mills...Homer City held the line on taxes when it adopted its budget...Blairsville accepted the federal COPS grant that would pay for a full-time police officer for three years, but is expected to keep the officer on for a fourth year without the help of the funding...Derry Township raised taxes by 1.2 mills...Jeffrey Beatrice went to prison for the beating death of Robert Ager outside a New Derry tavern...The grave of a Saltsburg-area woman, Anna Irene Nagg, was allowed to be opened to continue a possible cadmium poisoning case...IUP lost to Grand Valley State in the second round of playoffs.
December 13-- Latrobe Area Hospital considered its options: merge with UPMC Health System, align with Westmoreland Health System, or remain independent...The Indiana Regional Medical Center unveiled its new Bork Emergency Center.
December 20-- Homer-Center school board officials jumped ahead with plans for a new track facility, voting to seek bids for construction....Mandy Clevenger became the latest Blairsville Bobcat to break the 1,000-point scoring barrier...Burrell Township and Blairsville both held the line on taxes in their 2003 budgets.
December 27-- The fate of Dr. Shirley Turner, accused of killing her former lover, Dr. Andrew Bagby, a Latrobe Area Hospital resident, was placed in the hands of the Canada's Minister of Justice, who must decide whether or not to extradite her to Pennsylvania, where the alleged murder took place...Kenzi Snider was extradited to South Korea, where she will now await trial for the murder of Jamie Penich.
