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Penn State wrestler safely escapes Cuban crisis
By JONATHAN BOMBULIE
Collegian Sports Writer
When Kerry McCoy traveled to Cuba for
an international wrestling tournament last
weekend, he said the members of the U.S.
contingent joked about getting stuck on
the island nation.
By Saturday night, the wrestlers' inside
joke almost became a horrifying reality.
On Saturday, Cuban Migs shot down two
Cessna aircraft belonging to a Miami
based organization that transports Cuban
refugees to the United States.
On Sunday, McCoy, a heavyweight who
is taking the semester off from Penn
State's wrestling team to train for the
Olympics, competed in the tournament as
Hands across Cuba
Students at the Jose Marti Military Technical Academy, where Fidel during a rally at the academy in Havana, Cuba. The rally focused on
Castro studied as a youth, clasp hands yesterday while singing Cuba's downing the aircraft that entered Cuban airspace Saturday.
Red Lobster conditionally approved
By JENNIFER FABRY
and JEN SOVA
Collegian Staff Writers
At its meeting last night, the Patton Township
Board of Supervisors granted conditional
approval for Red Lobster to build a new restau
rant on North Atherton Street opposite Vairo
Boulevard.
Waters and Associates, the law firm repre
senting Red Lobster, was given permission to
construct the restaurant if Red Lobster
redesigns its plans for storm water drainage,
builds a two-lane driveway to the restaurant
according to township standards and pays for
an update to an existing traffic light.
"We are pleased that the conditions can be
complied with," said Steve Hurvitz, attorney for
Waters and Associates.
He said that his client is willing to meet the
Student panel meets to discuss diversity issues
By AMY BROSEY
Collegian Staff Writer
A diverse group of students got
together last night to discuss
racism, sexism, homophobia and
the role of whites in multicultural
ism.
The program, titled "Whites and
Multiculturalism: What is the Con
nection?," included a panel discus
sion and question-and-answer ses
sion. The discussion was organized
by Elisha Nixon, an adviser and
counselor in the multicultural
resource center, and Jon Hurst,
director of Pollock Halls Residence
Life.
The panel consisted of seven stu
dents from organizations such as
the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Stu
dent Alliance, Undergraduate Stu
dent Government and Project
Growth, and was made up of men
and women of different races.
Sports Weather
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Pete Lisicky's three-point marksmanship shoots and cold, low 10. Tomorrow,
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sunny start with afternoon
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clouds, high 23.
by Paul Markowski
IV Page 8
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a
d th l e C ollegian
scheduled, finishing third out of a group of
competitors from eight nations.
On Monday, the group of wrestlers
caught the last flight out of Cuba before
the ban on commercial flights took effect.
"I'm just glad to be back," McCoy said
with a laugh.
When word of the incident first made its
way to the wrestlers, they were asleep in
their hotel room in a town about two-and-a
half hours outside Havana. McCoy was
rooming with 105-pounder Eric Albarracin
and gold-medal winning super-heavy
weight Bruce Baumgartner. The call came
from Albarracin's sister at 2:30 in the
morning.
"(Albarracin) told us that two American
planes were shot down and we thought he
requirements outlined by the township.
Thomas Kurtz, Patton Township manager,
outlined his philosophy for development of the
site.
"We expect developers to build the road piece
by piece," Kurtz said. "It doesn't mean that the
taxpayers have to pay for a road that will bene
fit three properties."
One of the major sticking points with the
property is how the storm water will be treated.
Options include building a pipe under U.S.
Route 322, constructing underground storage
tanks or creating water retention ponds, all of
which are costly alternatives. Red Lobster has
yet to finalize a plan on how to deal with this sit
uation.
Red Lobster is still waiting to hear from the
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
about whether or not they would be required to
build a right turning lane onto their property. If
Nixon, who also acted as modera
tor, said the program was created
to discuss ways in which whites
can connect with multiculturalism
and to challenge the assumption
that multiculturalism excludes
whites.
One panelist, Aaron Matusick, a
member of USG, said what multi
culturalism means to him is differ
ent cultures getting to know each
other, but that it also means having
a sense of activism and getting
involved.
Brent Lapp, a member of Project
Growth as well as a panelist,
stressed the importance of multi
culturalism in education, saying
that an educated person should be
able to see issues from many dif
ferent viewpoints.
"Operating in a multicultural
environment makes a person more
intelligent," he said.
Please see PANEL, Page 7.
Thursday, Feb. 29, 1996
Clinton agrees to new
Cuban sanctions
was making it up," McCoy said. "Then
Bruce called home and we started finding
out a little bit more."
While the details began to trickle in,
McCoy said the wrestlers did not fully
understand the gravity of the situation.
During the tournament on Sunday, McCoy
said the event's organizers and the sur
rounding residents were nothing less than
hospitable.
"We weren't worried when we were
Karen Bower, left, member of several disability grouPs SA
LGBSA, answers a question at the multiculturalism panel discussion
held last night in the Pollock Piano Lounge. Members of various
student organizations came together to discuss the role of whites in
multiculturalism.
page 5
Penn Dot requires the lane, Red Lobster would
not build on the property, Hurvitz said.
"If Penn Dot were to indicate that we would
be required to put in a right lane, then we're not
going to see a Red Lobster," Hurvitz said.
Patton Township officials expressed concern
about traffic congestion and storm drainage if
other properties were to be developed around
the planned Red Lobster site.
Township Supervisor Elliot Abrams stressed
that the commission must try to balance the
present costs on developers as well as the
future costs on new developers and taxpayers.
One student seemed excited about the
prospect of a Red Lobster coming to the area.
"I like seafood," said Jennifer O'Brien
(junior-communication disorders). "You can't
get good seafood around here unless you cook it
yourself."
there," McCoy said. "If we had known how
serious it was, we probably would have
been more worried."
One person who was worried, however,
was McCoy's mother, Gretchen Cisco.
When she awoke Sunday morning at her
home in Middle Island, N.Y., she heard the
news on CNN, but did not know at which
hotel her son was staying.
"I just prayed and waited," Cisco said. "I
had maybe 10 or 12 calls from people try
ing to find out if they were safe. It seemed
like half the community was calling."
After the tournament, the wrestlers
made the trip back to Havana in prepara
tion for their flight out the next day.
McCoy said the proclamation to end
Please see CUBA, Page 7.
Shuster petitions'
validity confirmed
By JIM KINNEY
and MELISSA STUTZMAN
Collegian Staff Writers
In an unexpected turn of events,
state Sen. John Peterson, R-Pleas
antville, dropped his court chal
lenge of Bob Shuster's candidacy
yesterday.
Despite the fact that Peterson
said he could produce a signed affi
davit from the Shuster campaign
admitting forgery, the Common
wealth Court would not let him
amend his case.
Peterson said he did not have
enough time to fully review the
petitions before he filed the origi
nal complaint. His office did not
get a copy of the petitions until
Thursday evening, he said, and the
complaint lid to be filed by Tues
day.
"We only really got a day to
study it," he said.
Peterson is running against Shus
ter for the seat in the Sth Congres
sional District that will be vacated
by U.S. Rep. Bill Clinger, R-War
ren. The other two Republican can
didates are Patrick Conway and
Daniel Gordeuk.
AP Photo
Peterson filed the petition on
Feb. 20, challenging the validity of
292 of the more than 1,200 signa
tures Shuster received. On Feb. 23,
Peterson submitted an amendment
to the original challenge that ques
tioned the validity of another 610
signatures
"Unfortunately, our attorney felt
we had a right to amend our peti
tion, but the Court did not allow it,"
he said. "With the new evidence not
being a part of the Court case we
felt it was not worth the time and
money."
Peterson said the new evidence
is very convincing.
Drugs found in body,
alleged supplier held
By ANNE SAVANICK
Collegian Staff Writer
Four men were bound over by
District 'Justice Carmine Prestia
yesterday on various charges.
Each will have a criminal pre-trial
conference May 28.
Amin Robinson, 21, of 836 Bel
laire Ave. was bound over on
numerous charges of possession
and possession with intent to deliv
er controlled substances, including
marijuana, cocaine and heroine,
according to court documents.
Robinson rented a hotel room in
which Rhonda Aughey, 23, of 333
Logan Ave. was found dead last
week. The results of the toxicology
tests conducted on Aughey
revealed that her body tested posi
tive for cocaine, marijuana, mor
phine and Benzodiazepine, accord
ing to a press release from Centre
County Coroner Kerry Benning
hoff.
According to the release, the tox
icology tests did not reveal the
exact cause of death.
Bruce Gish, Jr., 27, of
Hatfield was bound over on the fol
lowing charges: Four counts of
delivery of a controlled substance;
three counts each of endangering
Published independently by students at Penn State
Kerry McCoy
left Cuba on the last flight out
"If we would have been allowed
to proceed with this," he said, "he
definitely would not have had
1,000."
That evidence includes an affi
davit from a Shuster campaign
worker admitting that at least four
of their nominating petitions were
notarized with forged signatures,
Peterson said. The affidavit came
to him from Shuster's attorney, he
said.
But Shuster said the affidavit
was signed by Donald Blose of Jef
ferson County and that it did not
admit to any forged signatures.
Blose circulated petitions for
Shuster in Jefferson County with
the aid of his son, Shuster said.
After making a trip to State Col
lege and talking things over with
the notary who notarized the peti
tion, Blose asked his son to sign the
petition because he was being
called away for work-related rea
sons, Shuster said.
"It was through a power-of-attor 2
ney, and that's perfectly legiti
mate," Shuster said.
But even if every one of the peti
tions that Blose circulated were
thrown out, Shuster said he would
still possess enough signatures to
be on the ballot.
In a news release, Peterson said
he felt Shuster won on a technicali
ty.
But Shuster said that such an
allegation is illegitimate, much like
the original charge.
"The technicality is that these
people are registered voters who
can and did sign my petitions,"
Shuster said. "The technicality is
that the facts are in my favor, the
law is in my favor, and that's a big
Please see SHUSTER, Page 7.
the welfare of minors, corruption
of minors, furnishing or selling
liquor or malt-brewed beverages to
minors and obscene and other sex
ual materials; two counts of reck
lessly endangering the welfare of
others; and one count of possession
with intent to deliver Valium,
according to court documents.
The charges stem from Nov. 24
and 25, 1995 and Nov. 25 and 26,
1995 incidents in Lemont.
Nicholas A. Torrens, 18, of Hol
land was bound over on two countS
each of aggravated indecent
assault and indecent assault, and
one count each of criminal trespass
and harassment, according to court
documents.
The charges are the result of
Feb. 2 incidents in 518 Heister
Hall.
Also before Prestia, Brian P.
Womelsdorf, 21, of 415 W. College
Ave. was bound over on charges of
aggravated assault, simple assault,
recklessly endangering the welfare
of others, resisting arrest, disor
derly conduct, public drunkenness,
four counts of criminal mischief
and three counts of harassment
The charges are the result of a
Feb. 24 incident at MinitMart, 106
N. Atherton St.
Courtesy of Penn Stele