Wizzard Software Inc., a Pittsburgh-based provider of speech technology application development, said Wednesday it has hired New York-based Stanton Walker & Co. to help evaluate strategic business alternatives such as licensing arrangements, joint ventures and possible mergers. "We believe there are many other private speech recognition companies that might have products or services that would benefit from becoming part of a publicly traded entity," said CEO Chris Spencer. Wizzard stock, which trades on the OTC Bulletin Board, had been trading between about 40 cents and 50 cents per share for much of the year, but has more than tripled this month. The stock closed Wednesday at $1.39, up 3 cents per share. Urges program extension Gov. Ed Rendell has urged President George W. Bush to support an extension of a federal jobless benefits program scheduled to expire Dec. 31. Rendell, in a letter to Bush made public Wednesday, said Bush's "support and leadership" represents the best chance to convince members of Congress to approve extension of the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation program, which the governor said already has helped more than 400,000 out-of-work state residents since it was established in March 2002. The program provides federal benefits to workers after they exhaust regular state unemployment payments. Mylan to appeal Mylan Laboratories Inc. said it will appeal a judgment of the U.s. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania that the copmany infringed on patents of Napro BioTherapeutics Inc. and Faulding Pharmaceutical Co. regarding the paclitaxel cancer medication. Mylan Chief Executive Robert Coury said Mylan's share of the paclitaxel market has been small, but said the company disagrees with the court's ruling. A May 2004 trial date has been set to determine damages Mylan may be required to pay. Separately, Mylan said it received Food and Drug Administration approval to sell a generic version of Celltech Group Plc's heart failure drug Zaroxolyn. New landfill proposed Allegheny Energy Supply, Monroeville, passed the initial phase of a state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) landfill review process for a new waste landfill in Washington Township, Armstrong County. The proposed landfill would sit on 193 acres located roughly 1,000 feet north of an existing landfill permitted by the DEP 27 years ago. Allegheny Energy Supply, the generation arm of Allegheny Energy Inc., asked for permission to develop 150.4 acres, of which 72 acres with a capacity of more than 2 million cubic yards will be used for disposal of coal by-products. The new facility's life would be some 19 years. Mine database grant Pennsylvania will receive $1 million from the federal labor department's Mine Safety Health Administration to establish an electronic database to archive the exact location of underground mine voids. The state Department of Environmental Protection already has scanned about 3,900 maps, and logged 9,000 entries into the database of map locations. The federal money is part of a total $3.9 million package divided among 13 states. The nationwide effort to establish an electronic system for underground maps was triggered after the incident at the Quecreek Mine in Somerset County in July 2002, when nine miners were trapped underground for three days by a torrent of water. The mine operator had an inaccurate map of a nearby, abandoned underground mine. Melting Pot to open A Spring opening is scheduled for the newest restaurant at Station Square, The Melting Pot, which will occupy about 5,000 square feet in the Freight House Shops. An outside patio will be built. The Melting Pot is a fondue restaurant, offering a variety of meat, fish and other menu items that can be dipped ino a variety of special dipping sauces. This will be the first site in this region for the national restaurant chain, and be operated by Shutey Enterprises of Moon Township. Evans heads council Mark S. Evans, president of software firm Confluence Inc., has been elected chairman of the Pittsburgh Technology Council board, replacing Sean McDonald to become the third chairman in the group's 20-year history. McDonald, chief executive of life sciences start-up Precision Therapeutics Inc., will remain on the council's exeuctive committee. Elected as board secretary is John P. Friel, chief executive of Medrad Inc. Other business news: Rates on 30-year and 15-year mortgages dipped for the third week in a row. For the week ending Dec. 26, the average rate on 30-year mortgages nudged down to 5.81 percent, slightly lower than the 5.82 percent rate seen last week, Freddie Mac, the mortgage giant, reported Wednesday in its weekly nationwide survey of mortgage rates. For 15-year mortgages, a popular option for refinancing, rates edged down this week to 5.13 percent from 5.14 percent the previous week. Pittsburgh-area stocks fell on Wednesday. The Bloomberg Pittsburgh Index of 67 stocks declined 0.17 to 208.27.

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