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Monday, December 23, 2002

JEANNETTE: Bicyclist killed

A 20-year-old Jeannette man on a bicycle was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver early yesterday.

State police say William C. Brown was riding his 10-speed bicycle along the four-lane state Route 130 near Mount Thor Road in Westmoreland County shortly after midnight when he was hit from behind. Police have little information about the driver who hit him, but believe he was in a black vehicle that has a right front end which may have been damaged.

Police ask anyone with information about the crime to call 724-832-3288.

HEMPFIELD: Man injured in break-in

Three armed men broke into a Hempfield home Friday night, then assaulted a man there and demanded money before escaping. The victim, a 23-year-old man, was treated for injuries at Jeannette District Memorial Hospital.

According to state police, the masked men entered the home on state Route 136 near Poverty Hollow Road about 7:30 p.m. They had handguns and one used a baseball bat to strike the victim. The victim gave them money. The men also tried to steal three dirt bikes, but could not get them started. They tied the victim's hands before leaving.

ALTOONA: Members give up voting

Life members of the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum have agreed to give up their voting rights as the financially troubled museum struggles to overcome its debts.

The 800 life members had the power to vote on bylaw changes and elect board members, but otherwise did not run daily operations.

The members voted 54-29 Saturday to give up their rights. Usually, fewer than 50 members attended annual meetings and some time ago, a quorum was reduced to 25.

Scott Cessna, executive director of the museum, said answering to 800 members was too cumbersome and that streamlining would help the museum. In place of the life members, a nine member board will decide museum matters.

Dick Charlesworth, a board member since 1975, likened the move to the voters of Pennsylvania giving the General Assembly the right to become self-perpetuating.

Harley Burket, a life member, said while the change might be a step backward from a democratic ideal, the members hardly have a right to squawk because so few participated.

The life members, most of whom paid $100 or $500, still will get perks such as free museum access and discounts.

The museum has been hailed as a model for transit museums. It's on the site of what had been the largest factory for the Pennsylvania Railroad

But in the spring, it found itself about $750,000 in debt. That's been pared to about $200,000 since a crisis management team took control.

The new board will now consider whether to enter into a management agreement with Westsylvania Heritage Corp., which conserves and promotes heritage assets in the Altoona region. That could take place next month, Cessna said.

The idea is for the museum to begin acting like a for-profit organization and become less reliant on government grants and more self-sustaining, Cessna said.

COLUMBIA COUNTY: Another fire hits Centralia

In Centralia, a small borough beleaguered by underground fires for decades, a suspicious blaze has now destroyed one of the few buildings left.

The former Speed Spot motorcycle shop building, which is now owned by the Columbia County Redevelopment Authority, caught fire around 4:10 a.m. Saturday, Centralia Fire Chief Thomas Hynoski said.

The fire destroyed the building, although the damage estimate wasn't available that day. Hynoski said the exact cause of the fire hadn't been determined, but that it was suspicious because there was no electrical power in the building.

Only about 20 residents are left in Centralia; people began moving out of town in the 1980s when the federal government started buying up land and warning residents about underground mine fires, which broke out around 1962.

Now, the suspicious fire has seriously damaged one of the last buildings left in the near-vacant town.

State police said they were investigating the blaze, but declined to release further information.