Dr. Cyril Wecht on Trial- Day 3

Testimony in the federal case against the former Allegheny County coroner and famed pathologist continued, with witnesses telling gruesome stories of Dr. Cyril Wecht's disregard for the duties of his office.
First to the stand was Daniel D'Alessandro, director of a Lawrenceville funeral home. He says when he collected the body of Charles DuMont from the county's possession, he found a Y- shaped autopsy incision in the embalmed corpse. The family had not asked for one, and none was recorded on the death certificate. D'Alessandro called it an "illegal and unnecessary" though he didn't know where the autopsy was performed. The government claims Wecht traded bodies like Mr. DuMont's as educational cadavers for free lab space in then Carlow College.
Richard Lorah was a deputy coroner under Wecht, and says the "Wecht details" were just a part of the job, but they took precedence to county duties. He says he was told to go on a Wecht detail instead of collecting the body of a woman who'd backed her car off of a downtown parking ramp. He says he overheard Wecht say, "Let her wait, she's not going anywhere."
Lorah also testified that he saw 20-30 boxes of private case files stacked in an executive assistant's office on a February Friday, and after the media reported the beginning of an investigation into Dr. Wecht's affairs, he saw the boxes being removed.
The defense tried to impeach Mr. Lorah by scrutinizing his grand jury testimony for discrepancies. Lorah told the grand jury he'd heard the removal of the boxes, but did not say that he'd seen it. Lorah maintained his eye-witness account.
Lead defense lawyer Jerry McDevitt also brought up Lorah's personnel record at the coroner's office, which includes several reprimands. Lorah admitted one of those reprimands was for profane language while talking about Dr. Wecht. In re-cross examination, Lorah says Wecht swore at him, calling him an "(expletive) Neanderthal" for stopping on the wrong side of the street to pick him up.
Darlene Craig, another county employee that started as a deputy coroner, also testified that "Wecht details" were more imporant than county business. She says she drove with Dr. Wecht to the airport, and picked him and his family up from the Byham theater. When construction forced her to drive across the river while she waited for Dr. Wecht, Craig says he was upset when she was "late." She drove across the river and back 4 times.
In 2005, the coroner's office received a call to collect the body of a hanging suicide, which occured outside. Craig says she took the call, but before she could leave was told by a supervisor that she needed to drop items off to Wecht's law firm, Duquesne University, and an office in the PPG building before going to the scene. Craig says the body was still hanging outside when she arrived.
The defense brought up that Craig didn't pass a necessary exam to become a forensic investigator, but Dr. Wecht did not follow protocol and fire her, but let her have another chance. Craig admitted she didn't know why Wecht was going to the airport when she accompanied him to return the car, or what exactly she delivered for him. She admitted it could have been for county business.
Craig says she was upset at leaving the body, and Wecht didn't give the order directly, but she didn't take advantage of the open-door policy Dr. Wecht had, ending her remark "there was a reason for that." Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Stallings gave her the chance to explain in re-cross. She says that no matter who the order came from, if it was a Wecht detail then Dr. Wecht had told someone it needed done.
Both former employees testified that "Wecht details" were not favors, but orders, more important than their other duties as county employees.

Day 2 of the Dr. Cyril Wecht Trial

Yesterday the jury heard opening arguments in the federal trial of former Allegheny County Coroner Dr. Cyril Wecht. Dr. Wecht has been indicted on 41 counts that include trading cadavers to Carlow University in exchange for the use of office space for his private pathology business, wire and mail fraud, and inflating bills to his private clients. He is also charged with using county office space, equipment and personnel for private business tasks and errands. An investigation into Dr. Wecht's practices began in February 2005. On January 20, 2006 a federal grand jury released an 84-count indictment. The same day Dr. Wecht resigned from his position. Earlier this month the counts were reduced to 41.

Today the prosecution resumed its questioning of Dr. Edward Strimlan, the chief forensic investigator for the Allegheny County medical examiner's office. Dr. Strimlan revealed that the morgue had sent "storaged" or unclaimed cadavers to Carlow University despite the fact that their paper work had specified the bodies not be autopsied. He told the jury that one body was delivered to the morgue and a little over three hours later was rushed to Carlow University. Under further questioning he explained that this was not common practice--they typically take time to try and find the decedent's family to claim the body. He speculated that they sped up the process to avoid having the body embalmed because Carlow had requested the bodies be untreated.

Defense attorney Jerry McDevitt began his cross-examination by peppering Dr. Strimlan with questions about his recollection of conversations with the FBI. Responding to McDevitt's line of questioning it became clear that Dr. Strimlan had used the County Coroner office for his own private business. Dr. Strimlan and a number of colleagues had created t-shirts with the office insignia on it and stored and sold this "reaper wear" as they were called, on the premises. It appeared that McDevitt was attempting to show that Dr. Wecht was in good company when he blurred the line between his public and private practices.

Grocery Chain looks at Hill

The Save-A-Lot grocery store chain says it has some interest in putting a store in the hill district but officials say they are in the very preliminary phases of the evaluation process. Save-A-Lot boasts 1,180 stores in 39 states including 6 in southwestern Pennsylvania and the company thinks there is room to add 4 more stores in the area. Save-a-Lot director of development Dick Koop says the chain focuses on the 44-percent of US households with incomes of 35 thousand dollars or less and it likes to be close to those homes. He says the Hill District seems to fit the bill. Hill residents in the past have called for what the term a “full service” grocery store with a pharmacy, bakery and baggers. Koop says they see providing high quality produce, meat and other groceries while hiring local workers as being full service. Save-A-Lot looked at the Hill in the past and decided to not open a store. Koop says the community looks more appealing today than it may have then.

Robots Aid Surgery at West Penn Allegheny

New robotic technology in the West Penn Allegheny Health System could help some patients recover from surgery faster. The machines allow physicians to perform complicated procedures using smaller incisions. For instance, urologist Jay Lutins says patients who get their prostates removed can leave the hospital in a day rather than three to four days. He says there's also less pain and less blood loss. Lutins says it's not clear yet whether there are also long-term benefits, such as a lower recurrence of cancer.

The machines were first developed for NASA and have also been used on the battlefield. Lutins says they're becoming common in hospitals around the country. In addition to helping treat prostate cancer, the machines can also be used for gynecological procedures like hysterectomies and in cardiovascular surgery.

Pittsburgh Unprepared to Deal With Gambling Addiction

Social service agencies in Allegheny County are not ready to deal with an increase in gambling addiction, according to University of Pittsburgh researchers. They’re hoping state and local officials will heed their warning before the city’s new casino opens in 2009. Pitt’s School of Social Work found more than 75% of human service providers have no one trained to treat problem gambling.

Many agencies say they don’t see it as an issue for their clients. But few providers screen people for gambling problems. Gambling addicts are also likely to have other problems, such as alcohol abuse or depression. Other human services providers say they don’t know where to refer clients with gambling problems.

Pitt researchers say agencies themselves could be more proactive. But ultimately, they believe the state is not spending enough on the problem. Pennsylvania has set aside $1.5 million per year to treat gambling addiction. That comes out to about $15 per problem gambler, according to Pitt’s estimates.

Local Presbyterian Church Uses Courts to Split

Memorial Park Presbyterian Church voted at its weekend services to disaffiliate from the Presbyterian Church (USA) and join the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, with the help of civil courts.
Senior Pastor Dean Weaver says the congregation has long been at odds with some practices of the national church, and had "intense discussions" over the past year about separating. A June vote approved the matter in the McCandless church, but the Pittsburgh Presbytery refused to dismiss them. Weaver says the church had "no choice" but to go to the courts, especially after receiving a letter forbidding them to meet or vote. An injunction prevented interference.
Pittsburgh Presbytery has called the move "unconstitutional," and still considers Memorial Park a member church. Weaver says their actions are a ploy to maintain control and "misguided."

Future Finances Will Affect Act 47 Decision

The person who will decide whether Pittsburgh should remain under Act 47 protection says the city's future financial picture will factor into his decision. Dennis Yablonsky is the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. The Pittsburgh City Council has asked him to weigh in on whether the city should remain under state oversight. Yablonsky plans to hold a hearing in Pittsburgh in late February after he has a chance to review Pittsburgh's latest financial numbers. But he says strong finances in the short-term won't matter if the city looks like it will fall into trouble again in just a few years. The city's current five-year plan shows deficits in the final two years. Yablonsky says he will likely decide on Pittsburgh's Act 47 status by June.

Pitt Studies What Makes a Great Idea

Why do some ideas for new products soar, while others flop? That's the subject of a new study at the University of Pittsburgh. Researchers are observing students in Pitt's engineering school.

Associate psychology professor Chris Schunn says they've already noticed one thing: if engineers create a physical model too early in the design process, it can limit their thinking. He says the phenomenon is called "design fixation." Engineers become too attached to something they can see in front of them even after it becomes obvious that it will fail.

Schunn cites an experiment in which two teams were told to design a spill-proof cup. One team was shown a cup with a straw and told to avoid that type of design, because straws always leak. The other team was not given any additional information. The result? The team that was shown the drawing designed a cup--with a straw--that leaked. The other team's design was better.

Schunn says the goal is to figure out how engineers in the United States can be more innovative. The U.S. used to dominate in engineering, but that's slipping away. By 2010, 90% of engineers will be in Asia. Schunn says losing those kinds of jobs will hurt the U.S. because product innovation is where companies make the most money.

High-tech Incubator Marks a Milestone

An organization that helps high-tech startups get up and running has reached a milestone. Innovation Works is part of a statewide network of publicly-funded seed programs. It announced today that it's made its 100th investment. And for the first time, firms that received Innovation Works' support have been able to leverage over $100 million in private investments. Many of the entrepreneurs Innovation Works has helped began their work at local universities. President and CEO Rich Lunak says the support they've received here has prevented some of the region's top innovators, and many well-paying jobs, from leaving the area.

One new company that's received Innovation Works' support is Aethon, which makes a robot used to automate hospital supply chains. Aethon received Innovation Works' help in 2000. Since then, the company's revenues have doubled every year.

Jay Katarincic with Draper Triangle Ventures says his firm has invested in four companies supported by Innovation Works. And he says other cities are scrambling to catch up with the supportive networks Pittsburgh already has for high-tech startups.

Carnegie International: How It Comes Together

Every three years the Carnegie International opens with much fanfare and a rush of public and private reviews but visitors rarely think about what went into choosing the artists. DUQ's Mark Nootbaar takes a look at how curators have grappled with that process over the years.

Listen to the full-length story here.