The Pittsburgh Press from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 2

i-2 Pittsburgh Press, Feb. 1 4, 1 98 1 Shadyside Man Vowi fo Find Missing Son Most of Rosenblum's ire since his son's By AL DONALSON It will be difficult for Maurice Rosen-blum, a Shadyside businessman, to give his wife a Valentines Day present. He is fearful it might recall for her the mysterious circumstances under which their son, Mictael, 26, vanished a year ago today. Michael, described as 5 feet 10 inches tall and 'Siice the car had flat tires and no keys were found, I theorize that Mike, at that point, probably got out of it to thumb a ride to get help," said Rosenblum. "But I don't know for sure." About 90 days after Michael vanished, Baldwin police informed Mrs.

Sharer that her car was in the borough's Streets Run garage and that she owed almost $400 for storage and towing fees, said Rosenblum. "Here we were going crazy trying to find the car. We had traces out all over the country and I had scuba divers searching the Mon for the car, thinking maybe Mike was in it, and here the car was in that garage. "The policemen who picked it up had to know that the car was missing and that it was in their possession, but they didn't say a word about it for 90 days," said Rosenblum. positive information concerning Michael's whereabouts from $5,000 to $10,000.

Anyone with information about Michael is urged to contact Capt. Theresa Rocco, head of the city's Missing Persons Section of the police department. The car Michael was driving was owned by an acquaintance, Lisa Sharer of Whitehall. They had met at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Oakland, where both were being treated for narcotics problems. Mrs.

Sharer told police that Michael came to her home the night before his disappearance. She claims he was "strung out'' and that she drove him to the Jefferson Center of the South Hills Health System for help, which, she said, he refused. Then, she said, they drove along River Road, where Michael forced her from the car. Since then, "life has been hell a nightmare" for him, his wife and his daughter, said Rosenblum, who operates an insurance business. His son had worked for him as an agent.

"I have done everything hnmanly possible to locate my son," he said. "I hired scuba divers to search the Mon, I have traveled all over the country everything in search of a clue. But so far, not a thing has turned up "I don't know if Mike is dead or alive. I just don't know. But I intend to find out.

You can't heal until you find out what the problem is. I just don't want him to disappear like a raccoon by the side of a road," said Rosenblum. Consequently, yesterday he authorized the increase of a reward he is offering for disappearance has been directed at Dr. Paul M. James, 72, of Long Beach Township, N.J., where Rosenblum has a summer home.

James has been charged by the New Jersey attorney general's office with writing illegal drug prescriptions for eight patients, including Michael. The physician has offered to surrender his medical license, which he has held since 1935, as a means of avoiding prosecution on the charges, the Asbury Park Press reported this week. Police said "hundreds of doses" worth of prescriptions for Percodan, an addictive Sainkilfer, were written for Michael by ames between 1976 and 1980. James is scheduled to get a hearing on the charges next week in Newark, N.J. J.

about 135 pounds with, brown hair and eyes, was last reported seen; about noon that day, MICHAEL when be abandoned a 1980 Pontiac Sunbird with two flat tires on River Road, or East Carson Street, along the Monongahela River in Baldwin Borough. Couple In Red Tope Over $796 By KATHY KIELY The tab for that night on the town may be a lot bigger than a Brookline couple expected. Deborah and James McMahon discovered that when they became involved in a scuffle with a bouncer outside a suburban tavern at the end of a Saturday night out. Arrested by Brentwood police, the McMahons were eventually taken to the lockup at the Public Safety Building, Downtown, to await arraignment in city court. It was about 8 a.m.

Sunday, Feb. 1, when they were booked and certain personal effects, including $796 in cash, were taken from them "for safekeeping." The money which represents two weeks' salary pins overtime for McMahon has been missing since about 1:45 p.m. that day, when a sergeant went to retrieve it for Mrs. McMahon, who was being released. After searching through a locked box reserved for prisoners' valuables, be told Mrs.

McMahon and her lawyer, D. Stephen Ferito, that he couldn't find the envelope. An officer was brought into the station to take a theft report. The Internal Affairs division of the police department launched an investigation. But the detectives have not been able to solve the case, and, in the meantime, some of the McMahons' bills have been falling due.

Late last week, Ferito filed a claim on behalf The doctor, the gas company, the mortgage company and other creditors to whom the McMahons owe money are unlikely to wait that long, however, and so their lawyer has advised them to take the $750 and write the rest off. "They said thev needed the money now," Ferito explained. "I think it stinks." Meanwhile, police are operating on the assumption that someone took the McMahons' money, but they haven't been able to discover the culprit. Once it was confiscated from Mrs. McMahon, the money should have been placed in a locked box reserved for prisoners' valuables.

The box is kept in an empty cell. Only police and detention officers and custodial personnel are supposed to have access to the cell; only the shift sergeant has a key to the box. There is a slot in the box, however. Internal Affairs officers investigating the incident, have not ruled out the possibility that the long arm of the law, aided by a coat hanger or similar instrument, might have reached in and fished out the envelope containing the McMahons' money. Even if the police eventually solve the case, there is no provision for the McMahons to get their $46 back, Pellegrini indicated.

Said the solicitor "Once we settle a claim, we settle a claim, as far as the city's concerned." of his clients with the city Law Department. The Law Department appears to be "quite anxious" to settle the matter, the McMahons' attorney said. However, there is one small problem. City ordinances prohibit the Law Department from paying claims of more than $750 without the approval of City Council. A claim for $796 would have to be submitted as a resolution.

Council rules say that resolutions must be submitted on Mondays. According to the same rules, a resolution cannot be approved for at least two weeks after the Monday on which it was first submitted. Once it has been approved, a resolution must be sent to the mayors office for the mayor's signature a formality which usually takes about two days. The resolution then must be advertised in the newspapers before it officially takes effect A monetary claim that has successfully made it over these hurdles then goes to the Law Department for processing. That usually takes several days.

It might take yet another several days after that before the city controller's office prepares the check. All in all, it would probably take four to five weeks for the McMahons to get a full $796 repayment, according to Assistant City Solicitor Dan Pellegrini's calculations. I -'y'-'f" I uif If 'ff I I 0 4 k-kK k- Deaths Of 2 Young Women Probed was just coincidental that this horrible tragedy occurred while I'm still awaiting trial," he said. Mrs. Iglar, mother of a 3-year-old daughter, was last seen alive at noon Thursday leaving Magee-Wom-ens Hospital in Oakland.

She never returned home. "She left the doctor's office and vanished into oblivion," said city homicide detective John McLaughlin. Her body was discovered by a Housing Authority maintenance man, who said the car was parked in an area where thieves often dump stripped stolen autos. Police cannot explain why Mrs. Iglar, a petite woman weighing 100 pounds, would have ventured into the isolated area near a housing project where her car and body were later found.

"We have not ruled anything out, nor are we specifically leaning toward anything at this point," McLaughlin said. Iglar insists his wife did not travel voluntarily to the North Side. "She never went over there of her own accord. Some maniac got to her and forced her there," he said. Mrs.

Iglar was a graduate of Upper St. Clair High School. In addition to her husband and daughter, Andrea Renee, she is survived by her mother, Angeline Car-elle of Upper St. Clair; her parents-in-law, Gilbert and Mary Iglar, of Crafton; four sisters and two brothers. Meanwhile, Allegheny County, Plum and New Kensington police are attempting to unravel the mysterious death of 20-year-old Janice E.

McNnlty. The frozen body of Mrs. McNulty, 1227 Leishman New Kensington, was found in Plum Thursday by two youths walking along the banks of the Allegheny River. Acting Coroner Joshua Perper said an autopsy indicated the victim died of severe head injuries resulting from a beating. There was no evidence of sexual abuse.

The body was found near railroad tracks on the fringe of an old coal mining town. A burned shell of a car was found near the body, but police said the vehicle apparently was not connected with the homicide. "It was a stolen car that coincidental was left in the area," said Patrolman Edward Kruse of Plum. Mrs. McNulty, the mother of a lVt -year-old son, was reported missing Feb.

5 by her husband, Kevin. McNulty told police he last saw his wife Feb. 2 when she left home to look for a job. Police Chief Daniel W. Joseph, of New Kensington, said McNulty indicated his wife's departure was not unusual.

"He said she left several times in the past without telling him where she was going or how long she'd be gone," Joseph added. By NOREEN HECKMANN Police in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties are continuing to investigate the deaths of two young women who died in apparently unrelated incidents. They are exploring the possibility that one of the deaths may have been drug related. The frozen body of Linda M. Iglar, 24, of 325 Fifth Carnegie, was found early yesterday in the trunk of a car parked behind a garbage dumpster in the rear of 651 Mount Pleasant Road, Northview Heights.

Although the cause of death has not been determined, police said the death appears to be a homicide. There were no visible marks or blood on the body, but investigators said it appeared an attempt had been made to burn the car. A charred carton containing flammable material was found on the front seat of the vehicle. Mrs. Iglar's husband of five years, David, is facing charges in Common Pleas Court for allegedly selling marijuana and cocaine to undercover county police during an incident late last year.

Iglar, 24, denied his alleged drug involvement contributed to his wife's death. "There is no connection between the two whatsoever. It Press Photo by Marlen Karat A HEART OF GRANITE was Jim West's valentine to his girlfriend, Kathy Martin of Bellevue. West, also of Bellevue, planned his heart-inspired surprise months ago when he asked Gropelli Memorials in West View to design the memento. He apparent! didn't want his love taken for granite, er granted.

State Judge Blocks DER's Coal Funds Bid PAT Receives Light Rail Bids crossings and other equipment will be opened next week. Many of those are considered custom-made items which companies are reluctant to bid upon, so PAT extended the deadline for one week. In fact, PAT fears it won't receive any bids on some items, which means either manufacturers must be persuaded into bidding, or PAT will have to negotiate orders, driving up costs. Contracts worth $6.5 million are now under way at the South Hills Village site, where excavating and site preparation began in December. New tracks will be installed on Warrington Avenue because PAT must continue to use the routes as a detour when problems occur inside Mount Washington Transit Tunnel.

senting 12.8 miles of the 61 miles of track planned for the project. Burke-Parsons-Bowlley $335,088, for about 30,000 creosote-treated wooden ties, measuring 8 feet, 6 inches long and weighing about 80 pounds each. Borke-Parsons-Bowlley $111,345, for about 3,400 "switch ties" of longer, varying length. Ellwood City Iron Wire $276,700, for 220 catenary poles -25-foot-long steel beams from which overhead trolley wires and lights will be suspended. Service Wire $81,372, for two dozen reels of grooved copper wire from which light rail vehicles and trolleys will collect their electrical power.

Bids for about another $4 million in special track, rail fasteners, track By JOE GRATA PAT has received low bids totaling nearly $1.5 million for track, ties, poles and electrical wire for the construction of its light rail transit system. The materials will be used at the vehicle storage and maintenance yard located next to South Hills Village shopping center. The city also will rebuild track on Warrington Avenue in the Allentown section this summer. Here's a list of the apparent low bidders, and what they must supply for the first phase of the $400 million-plus LRT project connecting Downtown and the South Hills: Bethlehem Steel $645,096, for approximately 67,800 feet of straight track, repre The Family Circus The Department of Environmental Resources has lost another round in its legal battle to unlock $30 million in federal funds earmarked for reclaiming abandoned coal mine lands. An injunction issued yesterday by James C.

Crumlish Commonwealth Court president judge, prevents DER from seeking federal approval of its new coal mining regulations for up to a year. Without federal approval the state cannot assume responsibily as the sole authority for licensing, inspection and enforcement of regulations governing the coal industry. The state also cannot tap a spe- Judge Orders Separate Trials In Shrill-Kill' Press State Wire GREENSBURG John C. Lesko, one of two men accused in the "kill-for-thrill" slayings, will stand trial separately in the fatal shooting of a Pittsburgh man. Westmoreland County Judge Charles Loughran has ordered the trial of Lesko, 22, formerly of Pittsburgh's Lincoln Place, severed from that of co-defendant Michael J.

Tra-vaglla in the slaying of Peter A. Levato, 49, of Pittsburgh's North Side. Lesko and Travaglia, also 22, of Washington Township, Westmoreland County, were convicted last month of first-degree murder by a jury and sentenced Feb. 3 to die in the electric chair in the fatal shooting of Apollo policeman Leonard C. Miller, 21.

They have already pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and face life terms in the drowning of William Nicholls, 34, of Mt. Lebanon, about one hour before Miller was killed. They also face charges in the shooting death of Marlene Sue Newcomer, 25, of Leisenring, Fayette County. cial federal fund, created by a tax on coal tonnage, designed to pay for the repair of sinkholes, open mine shafts and other serious hazards left by past, unregulated mining. Pennsylvania would have been eligible for $30 million from that account this year, almost half of the available funding nationally.

"Right now, it is conceivable that the state could no longer issue permits to the mining industry or enforce any of those environmental laws," one angry DER official said last night. The delay is a result of a coal industry challenge to the new regulations. Industry groups argued that some of the regulations already have been overturned by courts in other states. By blocking Pennsylvania's regulations, the industry avoids spending massive amounts of money to conform to regulations that may be overturned as a result of pending federal court challenges in other states, according to an industry spokesman. In his court order, Crumlish said that the state could neither submit nor enforce the new regulations until those judicial challenges had been resolved.

But, he added, the state in the interim should continue to regulate coal mining. "We are studying the order very carefully," said James Morris, the assistant attorney general handling DER's case. "It will have an extensive impact on the way we manage the deep mining and surface mining programs." Under the current system to continue for at least a year under Crumlish's order both the state and the federal government regulate the coal industry. Quake Hits West SEATTLE (UPI) A small earthquake, centered 70 miles from Mount St. Helens, shook most of western Washington state and Oregon for several seconds last night, but there were no reports of damage or injuries.

East Suburban Van Pooling Plans Pushed With less than a month to go before the Parkway East reconstruction project causes substantial traffic delays, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Planning Commission is coordinating efforts to initiate van pooling. Wade Fox, ride-sharing coordinator, said a survey of Pittsburgh area businesses and commuters "is going real well We've had excellent responses. Lots of companies have expressed interest." The commission and PennDot have been working together in preparation for the scheduled March 3 start of the 6.5-mile project. While the goal is to get as many motorists as possible out of single-occupant cars and into more efficient ways of travel, planners don't know how many might eventually switch to van pools or other means of transportation. Vanpool Service Inc.

of Detroit has been selected to provide as many as 125 vans for van pooling. Each van can carry a maximum of 15 commuters with the average cost per person estimated at $38 per month for a 30-mile round trip and $49 for a 70-mile round trip. "One person must accept the re-sponsibility for driving and keeping the van clean and taking it to be serviced," Fox said. Roger Carrier, PennDot's District 11 engineer, called "portal-to-portal service the beauty of the whole concept you can be picked up at home and be dropped off at work." Only about 10 van pools have been organized thus far, so Fox and Carrier urged interested persons to call 471-POOL as soon as possible for additjpnal information. It Happened Feb.

14 By JOHN PLACE WMKV FIVE YEARS AGO (1976) Dorothy Hamill won the Olympic figure skating championship at Innsbruck, Austria, and told reporters she would like to teach blind children to skate All 359 stores of the W.T. Grant Co. were closed following a federal court liquidation order. 10 YEARS AGO (1971) Peggy Chuey, 24, of Youngstown, Ohio, won the Miss Outer Space contest and a free trip to the moon "if the government agrees" The state House approved a 5 percent personal income tax proposed by Gov. Milton J.

25 YEARS AGO (1956) The county commissioners gave their full support to a proposal that would establish a county Health Department The Cleveland Indians approved a plan to sell the baseball club for $3.9 million to a syndicate that included Indian General Manager Hank Greenberg. 50 YEARS AGO (1931) The North Side's Jimmy Rooney, the former Pitt football star who was serving his first term as a state legislator, said he could always turn for advice to George W. Woodruff, the special counsel on utilities and conservation and t3rmer Penn football coach. "I'll always love you, Mommy. And I'll always remember your name." The Pittsburgh Press A Scripps-Howard Newspaper (USPS 434-300) General offlcta at 34 Boulevard ol Nw Allies, Pittsburgh.

Pa. 15230. Dally. 11.20 a weak: Sunday, 75 cents a week. Mall the drat and second postal tones where there It no carrier deliver Daily-one momh one year, Sunday-one month one year $68.00.

Extra postage cost beyond second lone. Dally and Sunday second-class postage paid at Pittsburgh, Pa. Mall.