Briefs: Fifth & Forbes battle recalled
Downtown planners from across the United States and Canada got an overview Monday of the four-year battle in Pittsburgh known as Market Place at Fifth & Forbes.
'We learned that there is something even further beyond polarization. I don't think you would have seen the four of us in the same room together two years ago,' said Cathy McCollum of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation.
McCollum was joined on the panel by Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership Executive Director Harry Finnigan, Downtown retailer Patty Maloney and City Planning Director Susan Golomb.
The panel members spoke about the Fifth and Forbes plan to 60 attendees of the International Downtown Association's annual conference at the Pittsburgh Hilton and Towers. The association's 47th annual conference addresses strategies and issues for making Downtown areas better and stronger.
Fifth and Forbes, and the subsequent Plan C Task Force, were presented as a case study in massive downtown revitalization projects.
The task force was formed in November to look at new strategies for redeveloping Pittsburgh's retail core after the collapse of Mayor Tom Murphy's hotly debated, $480.5 million Market Place at Fifth & Forbes proposal. The proposal raised hackles over government subsidies, eminent domain and the demolition of historic buildings.
The task force plans to name a private developer later this year as managing partner of a new redevelopment strategy.
Fayette County blood drive canceled
A blood drive scheduled from 1 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Mountain Fellowship Center on Route 40, near Markleysburg, has been canceled.
Crystal Bennett, donor resources assistant for the American Red Cross Blood Services of the Greater Alleghenies Region, said the region's blood inventory is at maximum capacity because of the overwhelming community response.
She noted that blood products are perishable, and said the Red Cross has been forced to limit the amount of blood collected at each drive.
Bennett stressed that donors will be needed when the current blood supply is depleted. For more information on blood drives throughout the region, call Bennett at 1-800-732-0383.
Cornelius case to continue today
Testimony is expected to resume today in the criminal homicide trial of Joseph Cornelius, a homeless man accused of killing an 11-year-old boy from Pittsburgh's North Side.
The trial was delayed Monday because one of the attorneys had a medical emergency in his family. The jury of eight men and four women, plus four male alternates, were returned to their hotel, where they have been sequestered since the trial began last Tuesday in the courtroom of Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge John Zottola.
Cornelius, 48, a native of Uniontown, is charged with strangling Scott Drake on Sept. 24, 2000, then mutilating his body.
The jury has heard a taped confession by Cornelius, who said he became angry when he thought the boy was trying to steal his portable radio. The panel also has heard testimony that DNA evidence linked Cornelius to the victim.
The prosecution is seeking a first-degree murder verdict and the death penalty against Cornelius.
Charges dropped against Fayette men
Charges against two Fayette County men accused of abducting and assaulting a former friend were dropped Monday after the alleged victim failed to appear.
Derrick L. Barber, 19, of New Geneva and Adam Morgan, 21, of Smithfield had been charged with kidnapping, unlawful restraint, robbery, aggravated assault, simple assault, conspiracy, and corruption of minors in the alleged May 1 attack.
Barber and Morgan allegedly used two 16-year-old girls to lure Anthony Gabeletto into an alley, where they beat him, and then took his car.
The pair were accused of then taking Gabeletto to a secluded area and beating him some more.
Masontown District Justice Brenda Cavalcante said it was the second time Gabeletto had failed to appear for a hearing on the matter.
Tools stolen from gas well site
Tools valued at $9,300 were reported stolen from a gas well in Rayne Township, Indiana County.
State police at Indiana said items belonging to B&W Excavating of Clarion, Clarion County, were taken from a tool trailer at a site off Rayne Run Road.
The thief gained entry by cutting a lock.
The stolen tools included five large pipe wrenches, two pipe vises, two tool boxes, a pipe stand, a 6-foot chain wrench, a generator and special equipment used to work on gas well equipment.
Woman's death appears natural
The death of an Esplen woman whose cat was shot 21 times with a pellet gun in April appears to have been from natural causes, Pittsburgh police said Monday.
Jodine Rezner, 48, was found dead about 9 a.m. Saturday in her Sagamore Street home by her roommate.
Police found no signs of a break-in or of any trauma to her body. She had complained of chest pains the night before, police said.
The Allegheny County Coroner's Office is awaiting the results of blood tests to rule on the cause of death.
A 16-year-old Fairywood boy was found guilty last week of shooting Rezner's cat, Rowdy, with a pellet gun. Rowdy survived the attack.
Candidate event to focus on women
A 'Meet the Candidate' event on Wednesday will focus on women candidates seeking public office in the Nov. 6 election.
The event, co-sponsored by the Executive Women's Council and League of Women Voters, will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Mullaney's Harp and Fiddle in the Strip District. The admission price is $20. For more information and to register, call the Executive Women's Council at (412) 255-1095.
The council also will announce the establishment of a new associate's level membership to encourage members to mentor young professional women.
The Executive Women's Council, founded in 1975, includes 105 women of diverse professional backgrounds actively involved in the Pittsburgh community.
YWCA to recognize anti-racism leaders
The YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh will conduct its 10th Annual Racial Justice Awards Banquet on Oct. 17 at the Pittsburgh Hilton and Towers.
The banquet honors individuals and groups for accomplishments and involvement in the struggle to eliminate racism.
This year's recipients are: The Andy Warhol Museum; Marcia Sturdivant-Anderson, the deputy director of the Allegheny County Office of Children, Youth and Families; Kuslum Davidson, the program director for Spectrum Family Network; George Hogan III, the coordinating director of the Mural Bridge Project; Terry Miller, the deputy director of the Institute of Politics at the University of Pittsburgh; and Lydia Moore-Hale, the president and board chair of the Pittsburgh American Indian Center.
For more information, contact Diane Hermon Chavis at (412) 364-3844.
Elderly home care program underused
A state-funded program allowing elderly people to get nursing home-style care in their homes is being underused in Armstrong County.
The Pennsylvania Department of Aging waiver program was implemented in the county about two years ago. The county's 20 slots have never been close to being filled.
The most enrolled in the program at one time has been five, the program's supervisor said. Right now, just four people countywide are in the program.
Individuals are eligible for services such as speech therapy, occupational therapy and general housecleaning, which could cost as much as $30,000 a year.
To qualify, residents must be 65 or older, require a level of nursing home care and meet some financial requirements.
Statewide, 6,000 of 6,500 slots are filled.
For more information contact the Armstrong County Area Agency on Aging at (724) 548-3290 or (800) 368-1066.
PSU code includes off-campus offenses
The behavior of Penn State students off campus will become an issue when their on-campus behavior is reviewed, officials said.
Penn State University has adopted a new on-campus conduct code which factors in off-campus offenses such as underage drinking, public drunkenness, theft and criminal mischief. The violations are categorized from minor to severe, and sanctions will range from probation to expulsion.
David Shields, Penn State Altoona's director of student affairs, said the new code covers offenses the university wouldn't have handled previously.
While the policy is only being used at University Park and Altoona in Blair County, officials said it will eventually include all Penn State campuses across Pennsylvania.
