Oxford Development, the owner of that building, has promised a major announcement on Thursday.

It’s good news, say local officials.

“We’ve really been fighting this exodus, if you will, from downtown Pittsburgh and from the region, and now that’s reversing,” Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald told KDKA Money Editor Jon Delano.

Oxford won’t talk about their plans, but downtown real estate experts like Ed Lawrence from Colliers International say Pittsburgh needs more top-of-the-line Class A office space.

“The market, as far as office space particularly Class A, is as tight as it’s been in 20 years. It’s very difficult to find large contiguous blocks in downtown.”

Part of the shortage is because some office buildings, like the old State Office Building, are being converted to residential, another sign of downtown growth.

Oxford Development seems poised to take advantage of this.

Real estate experts say that for Oxford to replace this building on Smithfield with a 600,000 square foot building you really need a major tenant.

And in this era of Marcellus shale, that tenant could be someone like Chevron, Shell or another energy producer.

From Market Square to Fifth and Forbes, the perception is changing, says Lawrence.

“It’s amazing the turnaround and renovation that is taking place in that part of town.”

There certainly is an excitement about all this downtown development, and most of this is driven by private sector demand – not the government.

The biggest barrier for locating downtown is parking — and bus service cuts won’t help that — but the new T to North Shore garages has compensated somewhat.

While a major tenant would allow Oxford Development to build a new skyscraper, it’s also possible it will simply renovate the current building.

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They talk in depth about the state of the economy.

They take listeners’ questions and concerns about financial institutions and unemployment.

You can listen to the interview here:

Listen to Chris Moore Sunday’s from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on NewsRadio 1020 KDKA.

They take listeners’ questions on the state of the American and world economy with regards to financial institutions.

You can listen to the interview here:

Listen to Chris Moore Sunday night’s from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on NewsRadio 1020 KDKA.

Vincent’s Pizza Park in North Braddock has been around for more than 50 years, but now the future of the business is uncertain.

It was a shock to employees and the manager when sheriff’s deputies showed up Thursday and told everybody to get their belongings and get out because they were shutting the place down.

On Friday, a sheriff’s sale notice could be seen posted on the front door of the pizza shop.

Shelly Farren, the general manager, said she didn’t know the place was closing until the sheriff’s deputies showed up.

“It kind of blindsided us all, basically,” she said. “The sheriff came in and closed it down. That was it.”

John Belissimo, who is part owner of Vincent’s Pizza Park, says the closure of the shop comes from what he describes as a legal mess.

Belissimo says there’s been a disagreement between the three owners over the franchise agreement and there’s also an issue over failure to pay royalties of more than $40,000.

“It has to reopen. I mean people are up in arms already,” Farren said.

Vincent’s Pizza Park pizza is somewhat of a legend.

The Vinny Pie was created by the original owner, Vinnie Chianese. He passed away two years ago. The thick crust and mounds of toppings draw in the crowds.

The hope is that the shop on Ardmore Boulevard, the original location, will reopen.

Vinnie’s daughter is one of the three owners, and her lawyer says Pittsburgh pizza lovers should not panic.

According to the notice on the door, the sheriff’s sale is scheduled for May 22.

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A family from Monongahela was the first to check in.

“It’s great – I love going to Disney World, so this is just much more convenient for us,” Eric Burger said.

Also on the first flight was a group a students from the Karat school in Greensburg visiting Disney for the very first time.

A ceremonial ribbon cutting was held at the airport. People from across Westmoreland County gathered to watch Mickey and Minnie do the honors.

“They invited me here today to bless the plane,” Archabbot Douglas Nowicki, of Saint Vincent College, said.

Orlando is the third city Spirit Airlines will now serve out of Latrobe. The plane received a warm welcome when it touched down.

“It’s a great time for the region,” Gabe Monzo, a spokesman for the airport said. “The people that are here – God bless them. They’re going down to Florida, non-stop service, free parking and we’re happy to have it.”

People from as far away as Canada have been coming to Westmoreland County to take advantage of Spirit’s discounted fares and the airport’s free parking.

The flights are so popular that a parking lot expansion is in the works and a new hotel is going up across the street.

“Something we’ve been rooting for years – to get a non-stop from Latrobe to Orlando – can’t beat that,” Arnold Palmer said.

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But recently that important service has been disrupted by repeated unspecified computer failures, bank officials confirm.

“We are experiencing intermittent issues with our online bill paying feature,” bank spokesperson Sylvia Bronner told KDKA Money Editor Jon Delano. “We’re actively working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. It does not affect our mobile banking from smart phones.”

Citizens has 1,500 banks in 12 states with 228 branches in western Pennsylvania.

The current problem was reminiscent of similar issues last October which primarily affected Citizens’ online banking.

Bank officials on Tuesday could not predict when full service would be restored.

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So will this casino two hours from Pittsburgh hurt local casinos?

“From a guest perspective, we do receive a portion of our guests from that area,” Andre Barnabei, of the Rivers Casino, said. “Ultimately, we like guests from every area, regardless of what their zip code is.”

Barnabei is not worried.

“At Rivers, we continue to grow. We have about 1,800 folks working here on this property right now,” he said.

Three casinos operate in western Pennsylvania — the Rivers, the Meadows, and Presque Isle in Erie.

Gaming officials think Erie could be hurt the worst, losing as much as 30 percent of revenue.

Besides the potential loss of business and jobs for Pennsylvania’s casinos, a much greater worry would be if Ohio took tax revenue from the state of Pennsylvania.

In April, slots revenue from all three western casinos totaled $60 million just for that one month.

One local gamer said that’s reason enough to keep your gambling here.

“I would rather see the revenue stay in our own state,” Jim Cillo, of Ross Township, said. “That’s why we have casinos to hopefully offset our taxes and I’m waiting to see a tax rebate.”

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Gov. Tom Corbett held a news conference in Harrisburg this afternoon to announce the agreement.

According to a press release from the Governor’s Office, “the agreement will provide in-network access to all UPMC hospitals and physicians for Highmark Commercial and Medicare Advantage members.”

The agreement extends the current contract by 32 months.

In the press release, Gov. Corbett said: “Both UPMC and Highmark worked diligently toward this amicable resolution for the benefit of UPMC patients, Highmark subscribers and the millions of citizens impacted by the uncertainty of their dispute. I, along with the citizens of western Pennsylvania, am pleased with this outcome.”

The dispute over in-network coverage began when Highmark announced a $475 million takeover of the six-hospital West Penn Allegheny Health System last June.

UPMC said that made Highmark a direct competitor to its system of about 20 hospitals.

Under pressure from state lawmakers and the Corbett administration, the groups had previously agreed to a one-year contract extension that expires June 30, 2013.

The companies say the additional extension gives them time for patients to make arrangements regarding their care.

In a statement, Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa said in part: “The extension of the contract between Highmark and UPMC is good news and it’s the right thing to do for all health care consumers in the Western Pennsylvania. Many people have worked on this issue and worked toward this agreement. It is good to know that these efforts were not in vain.

“For too long there have been too many questions and too much apprehension about where consumers would be able to turn for life-saving health care if this issue were not resolved. Individuals, businesses, workers, seniors and so many others who are impacted can now be assured of access to high quality, low-cost health care for the near future.

“By agreeing to provide access to health care facilities until 2015, the insurance and health care markets in Pittsburgh will have increased stability in a time of market adjustment. This access period will allow time to negotiate an even longer agreement that benefits all health care consumers in the Pittsburgh area.”

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl also released a statement.

It reads in part: “I want to thank Highmark and UPMC for getting back to the table for the betterment of the Pittsburgh community. This agreement is great news for all Pittsburgh residents and businesses who have been deeply worried about how this situation could affect their ability to maintain affordable, quality health care. This agreement will give all of Pittsburgh the peace of mind we need.”

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(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

One of the things that make it different from the Shadyside-East Liberty store is it will have a pub with coffee, beer, wine and hard cider.

Whole Foods will have local beers in the pub.

Something else different from the city location is a wood-burning pizza oven that will allow them to make authentic Roman pizza.

The Wexford location will also have cooking demonstrations in a special section of the store.

In the produce section, they pride themselves on having locally-produced products and they make a note of what is organic.

More than 600 people visited the store for a tour of the space which is a little smaller than the store in the city.

People who took the tour say they look forward to a shorter drive.

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Hribik reportedly used company credit cards for lavish trips to Miami and Myrtle Beach, dinners in top restaurants and everyday charges for car repairs and groceries.

The affidavit says Hribik hid some $54,000 in bogus charges as computer purchases from Dell and Best Buy over a 12-month period. Irregularities were discovered by Goodwill staff at its headquarters in Lawrenceville.

According to the affidavit, Hribik was confronted with the charges by Goodwill chief executive officer Michael Smith. He said she hung her head, said nothing for several minutes and then conceded that all the charges were her own and none were for Goodwill.

Prior to coming to Goodwill in November of 2008, Hribik had been CFO of the human services group, Family Links. She has a bachelor’s of business administration degree from Clarion University.

Her alleged actions have shocked employees of Goodwill that entrusted her with the financial oversight of the entire organization.

Smith released the following statement: “Our organization moved swiftly to address this issue and as we move forward, we continue to focus on the important role Goodwill plays in changing the lives of so many people.”

The statement goes on to say that none of the money stolen was federal, state, donor or grant money, but that Goodwill will be seeking restitution from Hribik.

Hribik was arraigned Monday night and released on her own recognizance.

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Ground was broken for what will be 127 market-rate apartments, retail space and a 180-car parking garage on Highland Avenue between Penn Circle and Penn Avenue.

The renovation of what used to be thriving buildings has begun and it’s taken years to get to this point.

“We always come so close but yet so far away,” said East Liberty Development Inc. Executive Director Maelene Myers. “And finally now this building is going to turn around. It’s been 15 years in the making.”

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl also talked about the time it’s taken to develop this key piece in the development of central East Liberty.

“Six different developers over the last 20 years had plans and couldn’t complete the project.” he said. “So for us to be here today breaking ground in the heart of East Liberty, I think, is a testament to the work of so many and the commitment over so many years.”

It’s the latest in a gradual transformation of East Liberty that started with a mall concept in the 1960s that did not work.

Eventually, the departure of the Sears department store on Highland Avenue led to the arrival of a Home Depot. Then new stores began to pop up in the East Liberty perimeter including Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Target. Redeveloping the perimeter may have helped set the stage for more development in the neighborhood core.

“The periphery, it was important for us to develop that,” said East Liberty Development, Inc. Board Chair Pamela Collier. “But now the market is ready.”

The first rental units in the new project are scheduled to be available by the spring of 2013.

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As a result, Melani’s preliminary hearing on simple assault and trespassing charges scheduled for Wednesday will be postponed.

All parties agree that if Melani agrees to anger management and relationship courses, in a couple of months, all charges will be dropped.

Sources describe the agreement as the best way to dispose of a very touchy situation.

Sources indicate since Melani’s arrest March 25, all parties have been in contact and have agreed the very public case should not proceed in public.

As the agreement stands right now, the case will be postponed, Melani agrees to 60 days of anger management and relationship counseling.

If he completes both, at the end of the 60 days, the judge most likely will dismiss all charges.

“This is very, very, common among first time offenders,” Phil DiLucente, a defense attorney, said.

He has handled a significant number of cases like this one.

“I did review the complaint and I thought, ‘This is the right way to dispose of a case,’” DiLucente said. “And let’s face it – if this were anyone else on the streets of Pittsburgh, that’s how it would be dealt with. Why should this be handled differently in any other way?”

Melani was arrested in Oakmont and accused of assaulting Mark Myler, the husband of Highmark employee Melissa Myler.

In the criminal complaint, he lashed out about an alleged affair with her. Sources indicate Mark Myler has agreed to the deal and is not interested in any further publicity.

Sources indicate if Melani completes all aspects of the agreement, the arrest and the charges could go away.

A statement from District Attorney Stephen Zappala’s office says this is the way many of these cases are disposed of and is in no way special treatment for anyone.

Melani’s attorney, Bob Del Greco, said his client has agreed to a 60-day counseling period.

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Vida Chieffo lives near the townhouse in Oakmont where Melani allegedly barged in, according to police papers.

The papers indicate that Melani’s mistress, Melissa Myler had gone back to the home to talk with her husband Mark.

“They were loud,” said Chieffo. “They were both loud. They were screaming at each other!”

Chieffo says she was leaving her home to go to the store when she saw two men run across the parking area.

“One man pushed the other man into the door. He got up holding his face. I assumed he was hurt.”

Melani is charged with simple assault and defiant trespass, which are both misdemeanors.

He allegedly accused Myler of cheating.

“I was shocked. I didn’t know what was going on,” said Chieffo. “I heard one of them saying, ‘She pursued me. I didn’t pursue her.’”

Chieffo told her grandson to call police and calls the whole thing sad.

“I was just in shock. Nothing like that happens around here.”

A week after the incident and a few days after charges were filed, Melani was fired during a Sunday morning meeting of the Highmark board.

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Both companies are leaders in filling mail order prescription drugs.

In a statement, Express CEO George Paz hailed the decision.

“Our merger is exactly what the country needs now. It represents the next chapter of our mission to lower costs, drive out waste in healthcare, and improve patient health.”

While Express Scripts says this proposed merger could have the effect of lowering the price of mail order drugs, those on the ground at local pharmacies say it could actually have an adverse impact.

“There is a potential that the costs will actually go up both to the American public and the employers that are using those plans and those pharmacy benefit managers for prescription drug benefits,” Terri Kroh told KDKA Money Editor Jon Delano.

Kroh directs the Hill District pharmacy operated by Duquesne University, and she worries that mail order companies like Express will drive local pharmacies out of business.

“You wouldn’t order your pizza and have it delivered in the mail, so why would you order your prescriptions and have them delivered in the mail?”

Duquesne University pharmacy professor Rob Maher shares the concern.

“Pharmacists are constantly monitoring compliance, they’re constantly able to physically talk to their patients, working with their doctors,” he says, “and so now you’re taking that local pharmacy — whether it’s a chain or whether it’s independent — out of that patient’s area.”

And that explains why some pharmacies have sued in local federal court to block the merger.

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Dr. Friday suggests that even though infidelity is frowned upon, Dr. Melani was simply bowing to natural instincts.

Listen to Mike Pintek every weekday from 12 noon – 3pm on NewsRadio 1020 KDKA!

The sudden influx of national media is all for an unlikely hometown hero, JetBlue co-pilot Jason Dowd.

He has received a wave of overnight fame and praise for how he handled a volatile and unusual situation on board flight 191.

“He called very shortly after it happened and a very short conversation that he was just okay and that there had been a problem on the plane,” William Kostel, Dowd’s father-in-law, said.

According to court documents, pilot Clayton Osbon, a graduate from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, became increasingly incoherent on Tuesday.

Osborn told Dowd, “We have to take a leap of faith.”

That’s when Dowd contacted air traffic control.

“JetBlue 191. We’re going to have to go to Amarillo declaring an emergency at this time. We’re going to need priority to get into Amarillo and we’re going to need and we’re going to need a few minutes to get everything straightened out.”

Osborn was locked out of the cockpit and wrestled to the ground by passengers while Dowd diverted the flight.

“He’s a great guy,” Kostel said. “I think just about one of the best son-in-law’s I could have. Give you the shirt off his back if you want it.”

JetBlue has also praised Dowd’s actions, along with crew members and an off-duty pilot who stepped in.

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Thursday night’s announcement came in the form of a written statement released by Highmark following an emergency meeting of the board.

Baum replaces Dr. Kenneth Melani in the insurance company’s top spot, following an embarrassing and tawdry incident involving Melani, and a female Highmark employee and the woman’s husband.

This past weekend, Oakmont police said Dr. Melani first got into a verbal fight with his alleged mistress and then the two men exchanged words and got into a fist fight before police arrived.

Melani also got into an argument with the woman police identified as Melissa Myler.

Melani allegedly called her a “slut” and said she was only after his money.

Melani was charged with simple assault and defiant trespass.

A statement by Dr. Baum, said in part, “We regret this situation arose. The board is fully committed to Highmark’s mission, and the business strategies that will guide us going forward.”

The board gave no indication how long Baum will continue in the interim post.

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In December 2011 Melani said of Romoff: “Mr. Romoff is self-centered for his own purposes.”

Now it is Melani who is under attack and whether he survives at Highmark or not, Melani has been key to the business’ success, says those who have followed his rise.

Jim McTiernan, a principal at Triad USA which is an employee benefits consulting firm in Pittsburgh, told KDKA Money Editor Jon Delano it was Melani’s leadership that placed Highmark where it is today.

“Overall, it’s his vision of what he wanted Highmark to be and what he wants the West Penn Allegheny integrated system to look like, so I would say he’s extremely important,” said McTiernan.

But McTiernan said Highmark is not likely to backslide, regardless of Melani’s absence.

“The basic infrastructure is in place. The vision is there. I don’t think it will really impact it, one way or the other,” he said.

Melani, who once worked at West Penn Hospital and who named a Washington & Jefferson College classmate to run the hospital, now forces Highmark to address a comment he once had of UPMC’s Romoff.

“He’s not looking at the best interests of the people in the community,” Melani said.

But McTiernan doesn’t think customers of Highmark will be particularly affected by Melani’s issues.

“At the end of the day, I think they’re worried about who’s paying their claims, who’s answering the phone, and is UPMC going to be in their network; and who’s running the show is really immaterial,” said McTiernan.

Despite the highly embarrassing nature of this situation involving Melani, nobody really believes that it will have any long-lasting impact on Highmark and its ongoing battles with UPMC.

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“I think it’s absolutely ridiculous that money can buy politicians, politicians can make laws and laws can ruin people’s lives,” Mark Schneider, of Lincoln Place, said.

“I think Act 13 is a poorly written bill that completely usurps local authority,” City Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak, D-Carrick, said.

Last year, City Council banned shale gas drilling in Pittsburgh, but Act 13 would trump that ban, saying state law not local zoning regulations will determine where drilling rigs can go.

Rudiak and others on council are now considering joining five local municipalities suing the state.

“It basically sells off our natural resources at a bargain basement price and it’s not good for the citizens of Pennsylvania,” she said.

“What this does is it sets a very clear, concise, consistent standard across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Steven Forde with the Marcellus Coalition said.

The shale gas industry which supported the legislation argues that Act 13 actually strengthens protections by increasing setback distances and imposing impact fees.

“The fact is this is a Pennsylvania industry with strong Pennsylvania interest and it’s one that’s been dedicated to strong environmental protections from the outset,” Forde said.

But in Lincoln Place, Barb Pribila sports a tee shirt emblazoned with the state constitution which she says the act violates.

“I just want to know where our rights are as, ‘We the people,’” she said. “It’s not for us anymore. It’s for the government and for the money in their pockets.”

And whether the law is constitutional may ultimately be a question for the state Supreme Court and it seems likely that that is where it’s headed.

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They talked about what Clean Coal Electricity was all about and took questions from concerned callers.

You can hear the whole interview here! You can also listen to Mike Pintek weekdays Noon to 3 p.m.

But now, the charity accuses the person hired to oversee those finances, Chief Financial Officer Suzanne Hribik, of stealing more than $50,000 intended to benefit the people she was hired to serve.

In a statement, Goodwill President and CEO Mike Smith says quote:

“Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania recently discovered the theft of approximately $54,000 in funds by Suzanne Hribik, its former Vice President of Finance and Technology, who is no longer with Goodwill.

“In accordance with our corporate compliance policy, this matter has been turned over to law enforcement. Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania is an organization with a rich history of making a difference. We are working through this situation with a continued focus on the important role we play changing the lives of so many people.”

Goodwill confirms that Hribik was fired on February 29 and that the alleged theft involved the misuse of credit cards.

Hribik has not been charged with any crime, but the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office confirms a criminal investigation, saying it’s reviewing financial records supplied by Goodwill to determine if a crime has been committed.

Hribik wasn’t home Monday at her Mt. Lebanon house, but KDKA’s Andy Sheehan has learned that prior to coming to Goodwill in November of 2008, she had been CFO of the human services group, Familylinks.

She has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Clarion University.

Despite the alleged theft, Goodwill wants it known that they have a long history and tradition of serving the disadvantaged and that history and tradition will not be disrupted.

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“Any time you’re engaging in any heavily industrial activity with risks involved, why would you take unnecessary risks and expose children to those risks,” Deron Gabriel, a South Fayette Commissioner, said.

South Fayette is the latest of five local municipalities agreeing to sue the state over Act 13 — the new law establishing an impact fee and standard environmental regulations for shale gas drilling and related operations.

Along with Robinson, Cecil Township, Peters and Mt. Pleasant, South Fayette contends those regulations don’t go far enough in protecting the health and safety of their residents.

Council President Deron Gabriel says safety zones of 300 feet established in the state law would not be sufficient to protect school children from an explosion like one last year in Avella.

“I think there were evacuations of up to a mile or maybe more than a mile,” Gabriel said. “In those areas if you have something catastrophic, God forbid that would occur this close to a school, it would be a national catastrophe.”

“The fee will be used by local governments, by the counties, and by state agencies that must respond to issues surrounding Marcellus shale gas drilling,” Governor Tom Corbett said.

The state has standardized the regulation of drilling. South Fayette sought to ban drilling in all residential areas, but Act 13 allows it.

Over in Cecil, the township zoning board rejected an application to put a gas compressor station on a vacant lot, but Act 13 would permit it.

Township Manager Don Genusso says township residents have no say in the matter.

“We want responsible control over these operations,” he said. “The state with Act 13 has taken that away from us.”

Today, the governor’s office defended the law in a statement.

“Act 13 contains the most comprehensive enhancements to protecting Pennsylvania’s environment – our air, water and land resources – during the oil and gas development process in over 25 years. Numerous environmental organizations supported the passage of this legislation, and its provisions are regarded as a national model.”

But a growing number of municipalities disagree, saying the state regulations don’t go far enough in protecting their residents and their children and they’re going to court to try to take that control back.

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Well, a new service at Giant Eagle Market District might be right for you.

“I think it would be a very convenient service and save you a lot of time in the store,” Dave Poluszejko said.

It’s called Curbside Express and it is a new program that will allow shoppers to go online, check off whatever they want and have a personal shopper gather the items, bag them and load them into your car when you drive up.

Melissa Westling thinks the service will help mothers with young children.

“I think it would be a wonderful service to offer, especially nowadays. There are many people online and especially new mothers could really take advantage of that. It would be a wonderful service. They wouldn’t have to get out of their car with their newborns,” Westling said.

Some older shoppers like the idea, too.

“I think that’s a wonderful idea, especially for seniors. I live down in the Cloverleaf Estates, and there are a lot of us that cannot carry properly out of there,” Anita Neaman said.

When you order online, there’s even going to be a place for notes like if you prefer your bananas a little green.

Giant Eagle wouldn’t talk to KDKA-TV’s Jon Delano on camera because this new service has not been officially announced.

However, Delano learned that they are going to do a test run in the next week or so. They also hope to have it up and running at the Market District in Robinson on April 9.

The Robinson Market District will be the first to offer Curbside Express. The first use is free, gbut will cost you about $5 an order after.

If it goes well, watch for it to expand.

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“The single largest industrial development in the state’s southwest in more than a generation,” Governor Tom Corbett said.

Governor Corbett was directly involved and the legislature passed a bill making the future site an enterprise zone with up to 15 years in tax abatements and eligible for infrastructure improvements.

The river access coupled with the fact Shell has leased tens of thousands of acres for shale drilling would give the cracker a ready supply of natural gas from which to make plastics.

Congressman Jason Altmire says there was a full out lobbying effort involving the entire region touting those benefits.

“We have the site, we have the resources, but all of us working together – the Allegheny County business community, the political leadership supporting Beaver County with this,” he said. “We all made this happen because it was a group effort.”

But while Ohio and West Virginia matched or bettered the state’s bid monetarily, insiders say that the site’s proximity to the city of Pittsburgh and its cultural amenities as well the international airport pushed the Monaca site over the top.

Now, if and when the cracker is built, local officials will try to ensure all environmental regulations are followed.

“We have to make sure this is done as clean and efficiently and safely as possible,” Altmire said.

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The new Apple iPad went on sale this morning at 8 a.m. and customers were waiting with baited breath, or perhaps, nimble fingers in the cool temperatures overnight.

It may not have created a shopping frenzy in this area; there were no really long lines, but the thought of the Apple iPad did create some excitement among a small group outside the Apple store at 2 a.m. in Shadyside.

“I am not waiting another month,” said Anthony Laurelli, who was waiting for the new iPad. “If I didn’t come today, I would have to wait another month.”

It may be the biggest thing since bubble gum; well, at least until a newer model becomes available to outshine this one.

“The new one is going to have a better resolution for the screen; so, it’s going to be a lot more crisp images, a lot clearer for gaming and taking pictures, also a better camera and also a faster processor,” said Justin Bryan, the assistant manager at the AT&T store.

There are more than 300 Apple stores worldwide, but it’s not the only place you can buy the new iPad.

There is Radio Shack, Target, Verizon, Sam’s Club, Best Buy and at AT&T. No matter where you go, the price is the same, $499 for the WiFi only, $629 for the 4G data plan.

So what happens with the iPad 2?

“All of the previous iPad 2s, the models have dropped a hundred dollars each,” said Bryan.

You can order the new iPad online, but managers recommend you come by the store first as they may have it in stock, but they warn that they will go quickly.

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The Homestead Corporation, which currently operates a zinc plant on the site, planned to close it in 2013.

Keith Sevy, a business owner, says the news of the cracker plant is exciting.

“We were wondering what was going to happen over there, but this is great news,” he said.

Longtime residents who remember the job losses from steel plants and US Airways are finally seeing some positive economic news.

“Anything for the county’s good,” Jim Santry said. “You always hear talk growing up around here about how many jobs left here, so anytime anything comes back in is always a good thing.”

The plant is expected to create thousands of jobs and could impact real estate, car sales and small businesses.

RELATED STORIES
Site Near Monaca Chosen For New Refinery
Pennsylvania In Running For Cracker Plant

Not only would it generate thousands of construction and permanent jobs, but it would spawn a whole new plastics industry in the region with dozens of companies locating close by.

“We could see a renewal of significant manufacturing base in southwestern Pennsylvania,” Gov. Tom Corbett says, “so this is good news.”

Pennsylvania won a three-state competition with Ohio and West Virginia to bring the plant here. Shell calls this its preferred site and will conduct environmental and technical reviews before deciding to go forward.

But the site and the region have strong advantages.

“First off, western Pennsylvania sits atop the richest known reserves of natural gas in the world,” Corbett said.

The cracker will use natural gas from the Marcellus shale in southwestern Pennsylvania, where Shell has recently acquired tens of thousands of leased acres.

The plant literally cracks the molecule to make the building blocks of plastics used in everything from water bottles to fertilizer.

The economic potential is enormous but not everyone is thrilled.

“It’s going to be a very big pollution source,” Myron Arnowitt of Clean Water Action said.

Environmentalists like Arnowitt warn against the dangers of bringing heavy industry back to the Ohio Valley.

“People need to be careful,” he said. “What are the emissions from this plant going to be? What kind of controls is this company willing to put in?

But Corbett answered those questions saying the state is not giving the green light to pollution.

“We have some of the highest, if not the highest regulations when it comes to air quality here in Pennsylvania,” Corbett said. “We’re a non-attainment area. They know they’re going to have to build to that level.”

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They talk about the state of the economy, investments, and the Goldman Sachs op-ed piece published in the New York Times yesterday.

You can listen to the interview here.

Listen to Robert Mangino weeknights from 6 to 10 p.m. on NewsRadio 1020 KDKA.

“I think it’s such a blessing,” Deborah Becker said. “We need the money in our city, and I think it generates good business for our community and I just love it. I’m very excited about it myself.”

Millions of people will watch these games on television. Thousands will be inside the building to watch. Pittsburgh is getting a chance to show this is not just a hotbed for hockey. This is a hometown that loves hoops.

“We are getting a lot of request for private parties in the restaurant, places where the whole fan base can come together and walk right across the street to see the games,” Tom Murtha, with the Marriott City Center, said.

And it won’t be hard to get an opinion on where you have to go in town.

“I’m definitely thinking if they want a good sandwich go to Fatheads in the South Side,” Nicole Carfang, of Murrysville, said. “There’s so much to do around here though – there’s all kinds of museums and stuff, locally. The South Side is closest though. I go to Duquesne myself and it’s right there.”

“I had never been here before. I didn’t really know what to think before I came, but coming in, everything was great,” Damien Glitch, of Seattle, Wash., said. “People here at the hotel – they’re fabulous. Everyone’s been very friendly.”

While the fans look for a t-shirt or souvenir, the working media from around the country won’t have much free time.

“I’m the photographer for the university so obviously we go to the games, shoot the practices, but then we are immediately back to the hotel transmitting images and stuff back to the university,” Steve Parker with Syracuse University, said.

But for everyone else, Pittsburgh stands ready.

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And now it’s leading what promises to be a deluge of commercial properties appealing their property assessment over the objections of the Pittsburgh Public Schools District.

“I think all their complaints are ill-founded,” said Ira Weiss, the district’s solicitor. “In point of fact, we think the property’s undervalued.”

Technically, the Rivers is appealing last year’s assessment but the new one is even higher — $242 million.

The casino is trying to bring that down by more than $100 million to $136 million.

The operators argue that in addition to state gaming taxes, it’s already on the hook to help pay off bonds on the CONSOL Energy Center as well as a host of other local commitments.

They contend that this new assessment will break the bank, but the school district – which depends on property tax revenues – disagrees saying the Rivers knowingly took on all these payments when it got its license.

“They went into this with their eyes wide open,” Weiss said. “These are very experienced people.”

But they are not alone. BNY Mellon is trying to reduce last year’s assessment on their downtown processing center almost by a third.

The bank argues that their current assessment of $104 million is unreasonable and unfair and wants to see it reduced to $67 million.
And while dozens of other downtown building owners are expected to follow suit, the school district intends to stand firm, beginning with a vigorous defense of the casino assessment next week before assessment Judge R. Stanton Wettick.

“It’s the first gaming property case to be tried in Pennsylvania, so we think it’s appropriate that it be tried in front of a judge,” Weiss said.

The casino may be the highest assessed property in the county, but it is only the first of what promises to be a wave of commercial appeals as this controversial assessment process plays itself out over the coming year.

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On Tuesday, officials announced the plans for more than $4 billion in investment and development throughout the city.

Pittsburgh is certainly not what it once was. The city is now on the rise to a new beginning and it is getting noticed.

“From National Geographic, from economists, to Forbes, have ranked Pittsburgh as one of the number one places to work, live and visit,” Steven Irwin from Leech Tishman said.

“The good news is, we continue to expand and grow as our economy grows in so many ways,” Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said.

Those accomplishments were applauded during the 2012 Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s annual meeting.

There are now five new goals laid out for another five years of success by working to create a clean, economically vibrant city and a destination for visitors and new residents.

The PDP said they’re prepared to take on these tasks and challenges.

Billions have already been spent to sustain downtown Pittsburgh’s economy over the last several years and almost $2 billion more is expected in planned investments.

One such plan is PNC Tower, which will be a $400 million project that will create 3,000 jobs and be the world’s greenest skyscraper.

“Where else in the county, what city can say they have a corporation like PNC that are building a $400 million skyscraper in their downtown?” Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said.

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A pair of blue, electric-powered bicycles easily makes the uphill climb to the University of Pittsburgh’s Petersen Events Center.

Pitt senior Micah toll teamed up with a classmate and a recent graduate to form a business called Pulse Motors

“Our goal from the beginning,” Toll says, “was to provide a new form of transportation for people living in urban centers just like Pittsburgh. PEVO stands for ‘Personal Electric Vehicle Zero.’ It’s our first model. “

At Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering, the Pulse team built five prototypes of a bike designed to conquer the hills of Oakland.

“We’ve gone with a motor and drive train that are much more powerful. So we’ve tried to aim for torque, and that way people can get up hills. They can travel with better acceleration and better speed, and have a much more effective vehicle.”

One battery charge is good for 30 miles.

“We put a charger inside the vehicle, and that turns every outlet into a charging station. Anywhere you can charge a cell phone, you can charge this PEVO.”

The new company seeks $100,000 in angel funding for research and development on their next generation vehicle, which they hope to sell on the international market by 2014.

The co-inventor sums it up: “It’s like a bicycle meets a Prius.”

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The suspect in the robbery remains at large and none of the employees has been accused of being involved in the robbery.

Instead, Family Dollar Communications Director Josh Braverman tells KDKA-TV the employees were fired for improper handling of the store’s money.

“There have been violations of those policies that led to the terminations,” says Braverman. “We don’t terminate people because they are involved in a robbery. Unfortunately robberies do occur in our stores, the folks that were in this incident were not fired because of the robbery and they gave away too much cash. They were terminated because of their violations of the cash policies.”

The store’s manager was fired for not making the daily deposits in the bank. That allowed the money in the store’s safe to build up to the $5,000 haul made by the robber.

The two assistant managers who were working on Sunday night have been fired for failure to make regular deposits of money into the store’s safe.

Both employees tell KDKA-TV they did make the required “drops” and that they only had $5s and $1s in their register drawers at the time of the robbery.

The two assistant managers say they are being denied severance pay and feel like they have been improperly fired. Both are currently attorney shopping.

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“You’ll notice we’re kind of out there,” says Irwin native and Brainiacs CEO Romeo Mendoza.

It wasn’t that long ago Mendoza was driving his 6-year-old daughter home when they spotted a “Bank Owned” sign in the front yard of a home.

As Mendoza explained the housing crisis in a way his 6-year-old would understand, his daughter said something to the effect of “we should help them.”

Out of that conversation was born the Brainiacs From Mars Billboard Home campaign.

The concept is simple, you let the company paint your house as a giant billboard and get your mortgage paid every month for up to a year.

The Hostettler family in Buena Park, Calif., were the first to welcome the Brainiac deal.

“We thought it would be nice to have a company pay the mortgage so we could pay down our bills and the credit cards,” said Scott Hostettler.

For Mendoza, the looks of the house, its location and public visibility are not nearly as important as the family story. In the Hostettler’s case both parents are deaf, and their 17-year-old daughter Sarah does all their interpreting.

“The mom teaches other deaf people how to assimilate back in the work field, so she trains them how to adjust,” Mendoza said. “They are a very close-knit family.”

No sooner had the paint dried on the Hostettler’s home, the applications for Billboard Homes started flooding the Brainiacs website, including from Western Pennsylvania.

“We are behind in our mortgage and we need to catch up,” says Brian Mach of West Mifflin who saw the ad and couldn’t believe it. “’You gotta be kidding; this can’t be for real.’ So, I just threw my name in and figured I would never hear from it ever again.”

Mach’s wife lost her job when Braddock Hospital closed and they started falling behind on their $600 mortgage.

Susan Fitzpatrick’s home in Crafton Heights is also on the Brainiacs hopeful list.

“I have five children, I work a full time job, my husband works a full time job and is working a lot of overtime,” she said. “About three years ago, he lost his job and we went through a really difficult time and almost lost our house.”

The Fitzpatrick’s are doing better, but still can’t get over the hump.

Susan and Brian are on a list that has now topped 50,000 hopeful families and the opportunity to register is still open.

Mendoza says they are budgeted to do a hundred homes, but want to take that to at least a thousand. The next homes will be announced in March.

To register go to: brainiacsfrommars.com

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Today, an agreement was reached in court to appoint Compass Advisory Partners, LLC as the receiver, while a foreclosure battle continues.

Compass Advisory Partners says their role will be a “changing of the guards,” so to speak. They will work to keep the current tenants, entice new ones and will be required to report activities to the court.

According to court papers, the owners defaulted on their mortgage and owe over $23 million. Jefferson-Pilot-Investments is suing for the amount.

McKinney Properties, which owns and operates the mall property, refused to comment today on the legal and financial issues.

KDKA did speak with shoppers, who have watched the steady decline of the mall over the last few years.

Many are hoping to see the Shoppes at Northway make a full recovery and see the vacant stores replaced with new shops.

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“This is something we’ve been looking for since the steel mills went away in the early-to-mid-80s and this would definitely be a shot in the arm,” said State Senator Elder Vogel, R-Rochester.

The cracker takes the byproducts of shale gas and “cracks” the molecules to make plastics.

Shell Oil says it will come with as many 10,000 construction jobs, more than a thousand permanent ones and 7,000 or 8,000 spin-offs. Three states are pulling out all stops to get them.

“We are working very hard behind the scenes,” Governor Tom Corbett said. “We have put together a very good package and I am very hopeful that we will be successful.”

Recently passed and signed legislation makes the site an enterprise zone with 15 to 20 years in tax abatements.

To sweeten the pot, the state just this week approved a half million dollars in railroad improvements which along with the river transportation is seen as essential.

But since the other two states can match or better that offer, officials are pinning their hopes on the site’s proximity to our universities, international airport and Pittsburgh’s sport venues and cultural amenities.

“We have the culture,” Charles Drevna of the National Petrochemical Association said. “People want to come here. They want to be able to do things.”

A decision by Shell could come at any time and an announcement is expected within the next several weeks, so we should know very soon whether Beaver County and southwestern Pennsylvania will be the home of a whole new industry, bringing thousands and thousands of jobs.

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It’s one of many activities he and his wife, Mary Alice Gorman, have sponsored since they opened the book store 21 years ago.

“We know the books,” Goldman says, explaining the reason for their success. “We know where everything is. And we know what will match up with the reader.”

The little nook has survived literary upheavals that put many independents out of business. Their website, www.mysterylovers.com, has built a national clientele.

The mystery loving couple worked at the shop six days out of seven. Meanwhile, their out-of-town grandchildren weren’t getting any younger. On Valentine’s Day, reluctantly, they put the local landmark up for sale.

“We fulfilled all our dreams and more,” says Goldman. “And we’d like to find somebody else who has their own dreams of a book store, that we can help them fulfill.”

He says independent book stores are filling the void, as big chains go down.

“People like books in book stores. And people like shopping in them, and talking to people that like books.”

“Throttling is this idea if you consume too much of my bandwidth I’m going to intentionally slow down how much bandwidth you can consume, so you might see web pages loading slower than they normally would,” Carnegie Mellon University Professor Michael Smith told KDKA Money Editor Jon Delano.

Making it slower to download data, pictures and video is now AT&T’s policy for its iPhone customers who have an unlimited data plan and are heavy users, says Smith, who teaches internet marketing.

“They want to charge you based on the amount of data you use, as opposed to giving you an unlimited, all you can eat buffet.”

Unlimited fixed price data plans are gone to new customers at AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile — but those already on them could get throttled and pushed into higher priced plans with limited gigabyte downloads.

Sprint is now marketing its unlimited plan directly to AT&T customers.

“This is the beautiful thing about a competitive market place,” notes Smith.

But out on the street some have given up on costly smart phones.

User 1: “Nowadays they are just charging more and more, so I don’t even have one. It’s not worth it.”

User 2: “My plan is like 90 a month. It’s just too much. My plan is now 30 a month, and I can use the internet in other places.”

Others don’t complain.

User 3: “It’s one of those things that I’m willing to shell out the green just so I don’t have to worry about it.”

And while AT&T is the bad guy today, all smart phones will be affected eventually.

Smith: “When you have a limited resource and a lot of people get access to it, something’s gotta give.”

Delano: “Prices go up?”

Smith: “Prices go up.”

What really irks people about AT&T’s throttling is that it occurs all the time — even at 2 a.m. when there’s plenty of bandwidth.

Verizon throttles, too, but only when their local cell tower is so congested that it cannot accommodate all the downloads.

T-Mobile starts throttling when a user hits five gigabytes.

For now, Sprint says it’s not throttling at all.

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(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Grossman has covered and investigated the nuclear industry for years.

You can listen to the interview to see concerns from an insider and hear his views on the industry and where he thinks it will go.

Click the link below to listen to the full interview:

You can also listen to Chris Moore every Sunday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

“It’s an extension of our family at this point,” says owner J. W. McKittrick. “And being third generation, I couldn’t imagine life without it.”

The second generation is represented by his mother, Twila McKittrick. “We live here,” she says. “This is where we go to church. This is where we raised our family. So we are part of the community, as well.”

Customers fear that Mac’s may go the way of family businesses across the nation. Dunkin’ Donuts recently opened a store, just a block away.

But loyal customers and friends have come to the rescue, supporting an old time business with new technology. The “Mac’s Donuts” Facebook page has lured more than 2,000 friends in just two days.

Their biggest problem now: Will they have enough doughnuts to meet demand this weekend? Their Facebook friends have called on followers to turn out in a massive show of support.

“We have so much gratitude to them for this,” J. W, says. “It really means a lot.”

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