PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR TOM CORBETT (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

by Peter Jackson

Associated Press 

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democrats on Wednesday heaped criticism on Republican Gov. Tom Corbett for suggesting that too many residents remain unemployed because they cannot pass drug tests, while his business allies said he was only pointing out a problem that employers have repeatedly cited as serious.

JOSH KORZENDORFER (Facebook Photo)

by Ashley Johnson

Courier Staff Writer

A volunteer firefighter with the Penn Hills Volunteer Fire Department #221 was terminated Tuesday, April 30, after a complaint about a racist comment he allegedly made on Facebook.

“While we cannot prove the validity of it, I’m not going to dispute it. I handled the situation swiftly,” said Shawn Snyder, chief of the VFD#221, which is located in the predominately Black Lincoln Park section of Penn Hills. “We do not condone, will not condone and we will not tolerate any (offensive) comments. We do not discriminate. We are a department of multi-culture.”

Snyder also added that while the department cannot be responsible for “every little thing said,” they can deal with what people do with the department’s name attached to it.

According to an email received by The New Pittsburgh Courier Tuesday afternoon from “a concerned citizen” at the email address of the Penn Hills VFD#223, firefighter Josh Korzendorfer and his Facebook friend, Chris Meyer, engaged in a conversation calling Black people a stupid breed.

The email included a copy and pasted display of what looks like a Facebook thread, saying:

Chris Meyer:

2 hours ago •- lets smoke some toochie lol black people come up with the stupidest words for sh**t -

Like•Comment•Share•Follow 2 people like this.

Josh Korzendorfer - Amen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Such a Stupid f***ing breed.

Like • 2 hours ago

Chris Meyer f*** yea bro...lol

4/30/13 12:10pm

Snyder said Meyer is not associated with the VFD#221.

When checking into the incident and its validity, the Courier could not view the original posting, due to privacy settings on Meyer’s and Korsendorfer’s pages.

When Snyder was initially contacted about the incident he said he was unaware of it and said although he was not sure that the conversation thread was valid, he would look into the matter.

“This is the first I am hearing about it…You and I know that with software out there anyone could have made it up, so I cannot be sure (the comment is true). But if it is, it will be dealt with swiftly. We don’t operate in that capacity; we’re a very diverse department. We have multiple members of different ethnicities,” Snyder said.

Later in the evening, Snyder contacted the Courier saying, that after receiving the same email as the Courier and looking into the matter, while “neither one of us can ascertain the validity of it (the allegations), Korzendorfer was terminated as of 10:15 p.m. tonight.”  He added that he did go on Facebook, but could not find the comments.

Snyder said the department has a long-standing relationship with the community and its entities, especially the Lincoln Park Community Center, and is committed to continuing their partnerships.

Korzendorfer was contacted by the Courier through Facebook, but failed to respond by this publication’s deadline.

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH VICE CHANCELLOR OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS ROBERT HILL

After 14 years of serving as the University of Pittsburgh’s vice chancellor of Public Affairs, Pitt Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg announced that Robert Hill will retire at the end of the month. He headed the office since 1999.

“The University of Pittsburgh provided me with a wonderful opportunity to contribute to its early-21stcentury momentum and progress,” Hill said in a press release. “I am fortunate to have led the effort to tell the remarkable Pitt story to its multiple audiences through simple media. Now I look forward to volunteering in support of worthy community causes.”

In his position, Hill is the chief communications officer, supervising the Departments of Executive Communications, National Media Relations, University Marketing Communications and University News and Magazines. He also oversees the university’s web presence, advertising, video communications, local media relations and many of the school’s publications.

Some of Hill’s many accomplishments include establishing and co-hosting the annual Black History Month program, later named the K. Leroy Irvis Black History Month Program, where he featured many premieres of historical documentaries including “Fly Boys: Western Pennsylvania’s Tuskegee Airmen,” “Blue Gold & Black: From Doorway to Distinction, ” “Newspaper of Record: The Pittsburgh Courier, 1707-1965;” and the Telly Award-winning documentary “K. Leroy Irvis: The Lion of Pennsylvania,” which he executive produced. He alsofounded the university’s first weekly newspaper the “Pitt Chronicle,” which he is currently the publisher of; received national and international attention for “Pitt Magazine” and “Pitt Med;” and serving as executive-in-charge for the 2008-09 Pitt exhibition “Free at Last? Slavery in Pittsburgh in the 18th and 19th Centuries,” among many other things. The exhibition exposed the story of slavery in Pittsburgh during those times.

“Vice Chancellor Hill has brought a unique set of talents to his work, and together we have shared many satisfying victories. Among other advances, both the quality or our institutional publications and the impact of our community efforts stand out,” said Nordenberg in a press release. “To become even more specific, his leadership efforts in creating the ongoing K. Leroy Irvis Black History Month Program pushed well beyond most such efforts in identifying, presenting, and preserving important aspects of the Black history of our University and its home region.”

During Hill’s time at the school the University’s fundraising campaign grew to be the largest and most successful campaign in southwestern Pennsylvania due to the branding and communications support; the motto, “Leader in Education, Pioneer in Research, and Partner in Regional Development” was coined; the university’s advertising display presence was inaugurated at not only the Pittsburgh International Airport, but a lot of other newspaper publications; and the award-winning 2001 public information campaign supporting the Booster Booster program, which documented the second immunization of 11,000 Pittsburgh Public School District students.

Hill has been a higher education administrator since 1969. Prior to joining the University of Pittsburgh team, Hill served as vice president for university advancement at California University of Pennsylvania and he spent 21 years at Syracuse University, as the vice president for public relations. He earned a certificate in Management at Harvard; a Master of Science degree with honors from Manhattan College; a Bachelor of Science in marketing from New York University’s Stern School of Business; and an associate’s degree in Applied Science from the Borough of Manhattan Community College, where he was awarded the Dean’s Prize. In 1979 he was inducted into Delta Mu Delta and in 2009 he was admitted to Junta.

Recognitions for Hill’s work include being named the Renaissance Communicator of the Year by the Public Relations Society of America Pittsburgh Chapter;numerous Council for Advancement and Support of Education awards; and he was the 2010 Pittsburgh Black Media Federation Robert L. Vann Communicator of the Year Award recipient, just to name a few.

Hill has written articles for many publications such, as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the New Pittsburgh Courier, and served as publisher of several school publication series.

In his little free time, Hill serves as a board member of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh and a member of the NAACP Pittsburgh Branch’s Corporate Committee.

He is bright star who will be missed at the University.

REV. RICKY BURGESS

On April 30 Pittsburgh City Council voted to install surveillance cameras and gun shot detectors in Homewood, a neighborhood that has seen a rash of homicides over the years. The legislation, proposed by District 9 Councilman Rev. Ricky Burgess, passed by a vote of seven to two.
“We know these cameras will save lives. In the community, I represent there is a fear of cooperating with police,” Burgess said, prior to Tuesday’s vote. “The violence has gotten to such a point that something needs to be done. We know in light of the recent Boston incident how important surveillance technology is.”
The legislation calls for the installation of an estimated 60 high-definition pan-tilt-zoom cameras and 54 gunshot detectors. The high-tech system, which will cost approximately $1.5 million, will be installed in a 3-square-mile area in and around Homewood.
Debate against the legislation focused on the extension of a four year contract with Avrio RMS and ShotSpotter to install the new system. Critics on council said they believed the contract for the new technology should go through a competitive bidding process.
“What you had was opposition from the (Councilman) Bill Peduto’s forces on council to stop this process because the cameras are going into predominantly African-American communities,” Burgess said prior to the vote. “Twice before this contract was extended to put cameras Downtown and in the Mexican War Streets. There was no conversation then. Now there’s all of a sudden a need to rebid the agreement. What they’re saying is this is too much money to put in these communities.”
Despite Burgess’ accusations against Peduto who is running for mayor in the upcoming primary, the District 8 Councilman voted in favor of Burgess’ legislation.
Council representatives Natalia Rudiak, and Patrick Dowd, whose district includes the Zone 5 police station, which oversees Homewood and has the highest rates of homicide and aggravated assault so far this year, voted against the legislation. They said the city should invest in other safety measures such as increasing the number of officers in crime-ridden neighborhoods.
“Everyone deserves to live in a safe community, but I believe what has been proposed today will not make our streets safer,” said Rudiak, who represents District 4 and is running for reelection.
District 2 Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith, who chairs the Committee on Public Safety Services and voted in favor of the legislation, said this technology has been requested by the city’s police commanders and could be implemented citywide. She said the Public Safety Committee is also looking at increasing the number of officers in underserved neighborhoods.
The new technology has been installed in 85 cities and three countries around the world. According to Burgess, reports indicate there is a 40 percent reduction in gunshots fired in the areas where these systems are installed.