Pittsburgh police, homicide detectives and an Allegheny County Coroner's cadaver dog spent about five hours Sunday afternoon in a futile search for what at first was thought to be a grave in a wooded area of New Homestead. A New Homestead man walking his dogs between Armorhill Avenue and Revenue and Panorama streets in the city neighborhood, which borders West Homestead, called police at 1:20 p.m. yesterday to report what he thought might be a grave. Police agreed that the 7-foot-by-2-foot site appeared to be a grave and probably one recently dug. Loose dirt around the precisely shaped hole told homicide detectives the hole probably was deep and required the removal of a lot of dirt. After two crime-scene investigators dug 4 1/2 feet down and found nothing, a backhoe was called in. The backhoe dug to a depth of between 12 and 15 feet and found nothing, prompting police to call off the search. Mt. Lebanon Driver fires at car, hits occupied house A Mt. Lebanon home with a couple and young child inside was hit by several bullets Sunday afternoon fired by a driver chasing a man in another car, police said. No one was injured during the 1:50 p.m. shooting, which was sparked by an argument between two men at a shopping center in Scott, said police Lt. Ken Truver. The men knew each other, he said. The shooter, who was accompanied by a woman, followed the other man's car as he drove into Mt. Lebanon. Truver would not identify the occupants of the home in the 700 block of Osage Road, the suspects or the intended victim. The car was not hit. "We do have leads," Truver said. Oakland Professor gets grant to study tumor treatment A University of Pittsburgh professor has been awarded a $15,000 grant from the Nick Eric Wichman Foundation to study brain tumor treatment for children. Dr. Marie E. Beckner, research assistant professor in the department of pathology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, will be conducting research to develop treatments for pediatric brain tumors. The grant foundation was established by Karen Wichman after her 8-year-old son, Nick Eric Wichman, died of an untreatable brain tumor in 2001. Jordan queen to lecture on women and peace Queen Noor of Jordan will give a lecture titled "Women and Peace: Poetry in Action," at 5 p.m. June 19 at the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland. Washington, D.C.-born Queen Noor is the founder and chairwoman of the King Hussein Foundation and U.N. University International Leadership Institute, president of the United World Colleges, member of the International Campaign for Missing Persons, adviser to Women Waging Peace and Seeds of Peace and trustee of Refugees International. The event is being sponsored by the International Poetry Forum. Ticket costs range between $20 and $250. For more information, call (412) 621-9893. Downtown Mexican man indicted on immigration violations A Mexican man was indicted last week in federal court, Downtown, on federal immigration violations. Victor Manuel Hernandez-Cruz, 33, of Tamalipus, Mexico, is accused of being in Western Pennsylvania on Feb. 18 without having applied for or received permission from the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. He was previously arrested and deported from the United States in 2000 and 2002, officials said. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Carnegie Man indicted on charges of filing false tax returns A Carnegie man was indicted last week in federal court on four counts of filing false tax returns and structuring currency transactions. Jonathan B. Schmella, 38, of Swallow Hill Road, is accused of filing tax returns that understated his gross income for the years 1998 and 1999. He also is accused of evading cash transaction reporting requirements in 2000 by purchasing several small money orders from banks and a post office in increments of less than $3,000, prosecutors said. He faces a maximum of 16 years in prison and a fine of $540,000. Oakland Education official to deliver lecture A top education official from Chicago will deliver the Horace Mann Lecture on March 31 at the University of Pittsburgh School of Education. Barbara Bowman, who is the chief officer of early childhood education in the Chicago Public Schools, will address the topic "Implications of Cultural Differences in Education" at 5 p.m. in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium, Schenley Drive, Oakland. The lecture is free and open to the public. Anxiety study seeks recruits older than 60 Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic are recruiting people older than 60 to participate in a study about generalized anxiety disorder. To be eligible, people must have been diagnosed with the disorder, which is characterized by chronic worry, anxiety and physical ailments such as gastrointestinal distress, pain and fatigue. Those who are eligible to participate in the 24-week study will receive $100. Call (412) 246-6006 for more information. Pitt program addresses health in blacks The University of Pittsburgh has created a new program to address health disparities among blacks in Allegheny County. The Center for Primary Care Community-Based Research will support projects to educate patients about preventing health problems such as strokes, prostate cancer and heart disease. The center is led by Janine E. Janosky and Dr. Jeannette E. South-Paul. North Three arrested at sobriety checkpoint Three people were arrested during a roving sobriety checkpoint conducted Friday night and Saturday morning in Shaler and Etna. According to the Allegheny County North Hills DUI Task Force, 58 vehicles were detained on Route 8, Mt. Royal Boulevard, Babcock Boulevard and Butler Street. Eight people were given sobriety tests, and three were arrested, the task force said. Police issued 47 warnings. The DUI task force is a cooperative effort of six police departments. It has conducted 87 checkpoints, resulting in 251 DUI arrests. Bethel Park Post-abortion retreat planned in April A post-abortion healing weekend retreat for men and women will be held April 15 to 17 at the Spiritan Center, 6230 Brush Run Road, in Bethel Park. It is sponsored by the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The cost is $135, which includes materials, room and board. Financial help is available. To register, call (412) 456-6999 by April 7. Bedford County Coffee Pot restaurant will serve as museum A restored coffeepot-shaped luncheonette will serve as a museum chronicling the history of Bedford County's fairgrounds and the building itself. The Bedford County Fair Board approved the new use of the 1927-era Koontz Coffee Pot building last week. About a year and a half ago, the former owner donated the building, and the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor group raised $134,000 to move the building from its location on Route 30, also known as the Lincoln Highway, to the fairgrounds and restore it. But, since then, the fair board hadn't been sure what to do with it. The building was listed last week on the National Register of Historic Places.

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