The Pittsburgh Press from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 15

A. The Pittsburgh Press Section Thursday, January 17, 1985 Jesse Jackson stokes support for blast furnace and the USW could be available by Jan. 28. A town meeting is scheduled for that day in Duquesne to consider Tri-State's plan. "The steel facility at Duquesne is, quite possibly, an important asset to the community," Michlovic said, noting that many of the Mon Valley's legislators support the feasibility study.

"If the study comes out and says that we shouldn't tear it down, that we can make steel at a profit, then we have to look at putting people to work and trying to do that. "We're trying to bring the issue of saving steel in the valley to the public with this rally," said Mike Bilcsik, president of USW Local On May 31, U.S. Steel shut down the 21-year-old furnace, saying that it was no longer profitable. At the same time, the company reopened a blast furnace at its Edgar Thomson plant in Braddock. Although the Duquesne furnace won an industrywide production award early last year, the company said it planned to demolish it Jan.

1. However, at the request of state and county officials and the USW international union, the company agreed to a one-month delay. Tri-State and the USW international are using the 30 days to study whether the furnace can be operated profitably. The results of the $100,000 feasibility study funded by the county, City of Pittsburgh Anderson said. "The purpose of his visit is to promote Tri-State's plan and is part of a larger effort to stop plant closings." Tri-State has proposed that the Mon Valley's municipalities create an authority that would have legal standing to block mill demolitions, buy closed oversee worker purchases of manufacturing facilities or act as a liaison for a third-party purchaser.

Munhall Council has scheduled a vote on creating the authority tonight. Councils in Rankin, Turtle Creek, Homestead and McKeesport also have expressed interest in the plan, aid attorney Jay Hornack, who represents Tri-State. in Duquesne. Joining Jackson at the podium will be Leon Lynch, USW international vice president, and state Rep. Thomas Michlovic, D-North Braddock.

Since his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, Jackson has remained active and outspoken on a variety of issues, from the apartheid policies of South Africa to support for the unemployed in this country. Bob Anderson, a local Rainbow. Coalition organizer, said Jackson "called and offered to lend his name to Tri-State's grassroots initiative to save 'jobs. "He said he was willing to come back into the area and lend his credibility and leverage to help us," Frais: Tirrn Sir I Ik mkm Smi 1256. "Assuming the plant is capable of making a profit, and assuming the plant is the economic base of the community, which it is, does U.S.

Steel have the right to destroy the plant and with it the community when there is a viable alternative? It's an important question." Jackson will hold a news conference on his arrival at the airport. He then will go to the Hilton Hotel, Downtown, where Tri-State leaders will brief him on the Duquesne mill situation. He will attend a leadership breakfast sponsored by the USW at the Hilton tomorrow morning before going to the rally in Duquesne. 2 cleared in arson; accuser is charged By Ellen M. Perlmutter The Pittsburgh Press Arson charges against two people in connection with the destruction almost a year ago of the Arcade Theater on the South Side have been dropped, and perjury charges have been lodged against a Bridgeville man for implicating them.

Common Pleas Judge Robert Horgos yesterday dismissed arson charges against Theresa Williams, 26, and Michael Wetmiller, 32, both of the South Side, after police said they learned that unemployed mechanic Donald G. Finnigan, 41, lied to a grand jury last summer. Wetmiller and Ms. Williams had been in the County Jail since October, following the release of a grand jury probe in which Finnigan who was granted immunity claimed that he drove three people to the movie theater to burn it. Ms.

Williams was released from jail yesterday, but Wetmiller was to remain there at least until it can be determined whether he is violating probation in a case in Indiana County. Wetmiller's probation officer is away and is not expected in the office until tomorrow. The third person named by Finnigan was Donald Gainer, 32, of the South Side, who remains in the County Jail on arson charges. Police believe their case against Gainer is strong enough to withstand the latest turn in the case. Officer James Hays, of No.

7 Station in the South Side, said Finnigan had read news accounts about the theater's destruction before contacting police. Finnigan was charged with perjury, false swearing and providing false information to police officers. The grand jury reported that Finnigan said Gainer called him Jan. 27, 1984, asking if Finnigan wanted to earn some money. The two had known each other for five or six years, he testified.

Shortly before 2 a.m. last Feb. 5, Finnigan said he met Gainer in front of the Amber Bar, South Side, where Gainer was to put a 5-gallon gasoline can in the rear seat. Finnigan said he drove seven blocks to a doughnut shop and picked up Wetmiller and Ms. Williams.

Finnigan said he drove the three near the theater, but left the area before they emerged from the theater, saying he was frightened. By Don Hopey The Pittsburgh Press The Rev. Jesse Jackson and his Rainbow Coalition are joining the battle to stop U.S. Steel's planned demolition of the Dorothy Six blast furnace in Duquesne. Jackson is scheduled to arrive in Pittsburgh this evening and is the featured speaker for a plant-gate rally tomorrow at VS.

Steel's Duquesne where he will urge support of efforts to save Mon Valley's biggest blast furnace. The noon rally is sponsored by the Tri-State Conference on Steel, the Rainbow Coalition of Homestead and United Steelw.orkers Local 1256 PAT has 410 buses on U.S. recall list WASHINGTON (AP) The federal government says there is a potential safety hazard in about 1,600 buses being operated in nearly two dozen cities, including Pittsburgh, and has urged the manufacturer to recall the vehicles for repairs. But the buses' maker, Neoplan USA issued a statement last night claiming that no safety-related problem exists, although it acknowledged "hairline cracks" in the A-frames of some of the buses and said it was developing a solution to the problem. Some transit authorities, including PAT in Allegheny County and that in Los Angeles, already have taken some of the buses out of service beause of cracking in the vehicles' A-frame, according to federal officials.

The rear A-frame of one of the buses collapsed in August in Washington. PAT spokesman Jason Finke said mechanics noticed problems with the Neoplan frames when the buses first arrived here in March 1983. Neoplan "agreed to repair the hairline cracks that were discovered at that time and all 410 buses we had received were repaired," Finke said. "Since then, we have had some minor concerns but we don't feel we are compromising safety on any of the buses. "We haven't heard from the Department of Transportation, but our buses are inspected internally every 4,000 miles and the state requires an inspection every six months," Finke said.

He added that the buses were repaired "piecemeal," when the cracks were discovered, and the repairs were made at a garage in McKees Rocks. "Hopefully, any repairs that have to be made will be done Over a period of time and service will not be affected. We have about 1,000 buses alltogether and we need 750 to 760 during rush hours." The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told Neoplan in a letter dated Dec. 27 that if the company did not recall the buses "in the interest of safety" the agency would begin a formal investigation that could lead to a recall order. A copy of the letter was obtained yesterday by The Associated Press.

Please see Buses, B3 Has the kEFORE THE BUSHMILL'S ft' 4 Thomas OndreyThe Pittsburgh Press hired Cunningham Schmertz Co. Inc. as a financial adviser, and the iirm called on Kidder Peabody Co. Inc. for financial analysis.

Board President Jake Milliones, who has been a leader in Pitts-burghers Against Apartheid and has demonstrated against firms which deal with South Africa, said he was upset to learn of Kidder Peabody's involvement, saying the firm invests in South Africa. Thomas C. Ryan, manager of Kidder Peabody in Pittsburgh, issued this denial: "We are amazed at the suggestion that Kidder Peabody is somehow identified with policies Please see Schools. B3 Snowy parade the opening of a reconstructed portion of Warrington Avenue in Mount Washington today. The roadwork cost $3.7 million.

Mayor Richard Caliguiri," riding in a convertible with PAT Chairman James C. Roddey, grimaces in a cold wind during a parade after 3 city high schools leading the way in board's $47 million facelift effort The cost includes architectural drawings that already are completed for Oliver and in the final phases for Allderdice and Schenley. "We have antiquated facilities in those three buildings," said school Superintendent Richard Wallace. "At Oliver, the library is inadequate, the cafeteria is woefully inadequate and the physical education facility is incredibly inad-eqHate." Schenley hasn't had any major renovations since it was built in 1916, and the two other schools haven't had any major renovations for more than 50 years. Oliver, which was built in 1924, had an addition in 1928.

Allderdice. built in By Eleanor Chute The Pittsburgh Press The city school district is gearing up for a $37.5 million renovation of Oliver, Allderdice and Schenley high schools as well as up to $9.5 million in repairs at 68 schools. First on the list of three schools is Sliver, where $13.8 million of work is to begin in March and be completed by August 1987. Work at Allderdice, which is slated for $14.4 million of renovations, is to start in May and finish in March 1988. Schenley will follow with $9.2 million work beginning in June and finishing in August 1987.

1927, had an addition in 1930. The board next week is to vote on authorizing competitive bidding for a bond issue expected to run around $33.8 million to pay for the work at the three high schools. That bond issue originally was expected to add $4.2 million a year in expenses to the district's budget for the next 25 years, but current estimates place the annual expense at $3.7 million. The board is expected to borrow about $4.5 million to help pay for the $9.5 million for projects at the other 68 schools. To write the bond issue proposal for the three schools, the board Phi Music computer industry seen the real Pittsburgh? had got a hammerlock on his tongue 123 I and tied it into a uoroian Knoi lasi nigni, nico me Daner was reg-' icterintf a romnlaint.

1 Rico went on to say that he would impress upon important visitors various desirable character traits of the populace by exposing them to important local institutions. Aggressiveness: "City Council meeting." Inventiveness: "Guy negotiating potholes on the Parkways at rush hour." Stamina: "Three martinis at Froggy's." Courage: "Mon Incline. Or maybe just a PAT trip." Innovation: "Robert Rade Stone's savings account." Energy: "Just pick out any bagman and follow him around for an hour." Intuition: "Guy sorting out the hookers from the women cops in front of the Greyhound station at midnight." Competitiveness: "Easy. Caliguiri and Flaherty." Diversity: "An Italian, a Ukrainian and an Irishman arguing politics on a street corner in Polish Hill." The Baker, who is so-called because it is said he kneads young women in saloons, would also give visitors what he calls "the big pitch." "You know. A little romanticism, but with a modern twist.

Maybe someone saying how the place used to look like 'hell with the lid but that we got smoke pollution under control so well now that it's safe to breathe in the Mon Valley any time before noon. "And make them feel secure around here. Tell them we got 70 different ethnic groups so how could the WASPS ever be outnumbered?" Rico also said one sure bet had probably been missed: "Computer guys, bound to be Republicans," he said. "Should've taken them up to the County Jail and showed them all the liberal preachers we got locked up." "The last two days, these high-rollers from the computer industry nave been around town, trying to figure whether to locate some software outfit or other here, and nobody even took them to Ritter's out in East Liberty," he was get invited to Paris, they don't forget to take you to the Follies Bergere or show you the Eiffel Tower, right?" It is The Baker's contention that when important visitors come to the city to study its suitability for some major business venture or another, they are taken on dull, counter-productive tours by civic and business leaders. They yawn until their tongues adhere to the roofs of their mouths, and then go home and announce ground-breaking for the new project will begin immediately in Keokuk, Iowa.

"George Bernard Shaw? He once said, 'All happiness depends upon a good Rico was saying. "Ritter's is to breakfast what Dolly Parton is to sore shoulderblades." Noting that officials from the Software Productivity Consortium have been in town to study our quality of life, technological strengths and weather, it was Rico's contention they were probably taken to all the wrong places and will award the research facility to another city. "Dumb" was the way he put it. "Look, you start them out at Ritter's just about the time the hens are laying the eggs out in the parking lot, and maybe you wind up at Tramp's for last call and have Billy the Pourer explain to them the deeper meanings of life and how they can walk across Market Square without getting pigeon droppings on their lapels. "In between, you show them the real Pittsburgh." "They seemed to be discouraged by our weather," I observed, explaining that we are in competition for the research center with San Diego, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and Canton, Ohio.

"San Diego could be tough, but who wants to live six blocks from Tijuana," The Baker countered, "and it hasn't stopped raining in Seattle since the days when people had hair growing on the backs of their knees. The weather in Washington's the same as it is here and, anyway, cocaine is so big in D.C. that you could turn a motorcycle around in the nostrils of half the population. And nobody with an IQ above 12 ever went to Canton unless they were taken in chains." The Baker holds that realism will lure far more high-tech industry here than ill-fated tours of technological sites and dinner at the Duquesne Club. "Everybody shouts," he said, "the members are all deaf." What would you show visitors, I challenged.

"The bridges," he said. "Bridges?" "We have 70 bridges. No city in the world has more. A city with that many bridges, you got a lot of different ways to split if you and your secretary want to make a quick afternoon getaway." 7T.