OnQ; 3042

That we were cut off from the world in a sinking ship on a frozen sea. Escape seemed impossible. The ship can't live in this if it is only a matter of time. The ice gets. The ice caps. Against extraordinary as. They attempted the most incredible rescue in history. Shackleton's voyage ends. Next. November March 26. Only. PBS. Tonight on cue a wave of bank robberies as local police and the FBI. Deeply concerned. We'll take a look at new safety measures the local banks are taking to try to keep customers and employees safe. Also tonight the closing the Fort Pitt bridge. Dick Sprenger compendia joins us for a look at alternate routes and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is on tour in the Far East WQED. Jim Cunningham reports from Osaka in Tokyo Japan. Join us live at 7:30 tonight. Q.

It's good evening and welcome to On new magazine. I'm Stacey Smith. They have become so frequent. It's as if we hear about a new one every day. Local bank robberies now the FBI and local police have been bombarded with bank robbery investigations and the numbers indicate that bank robberies have skyrocketed in recent years but because of recent bank robber of recent robbery tactics bank employees and even the FBI worry that someone could get seriously hurt or even killed. Well tonight on new correspondent Michael Barclay talks with the past victim and with the experts about why it is happening locally and what bank employees and customers like you should do to keep yourself safe. It is tonight's cover story.

There's. A crime of violence that threatens the perceived threat and violence. It's scary. It's a shame because someone's going to get killed. Bank teller Ginger Barnhardt has every reason to think about it. She says she could have been killed four years ago. It was the only time the bell Federal here in Bellevue was wrong. I. Was. Working. At the next window over and a. Gentleman came in. I waited on him. He handed me a note. And the notes. Said give me all the money in your door I haven't gone. So I just stood there and. I was in shock. Finally did I just gave him the money in my drawer and at the door he went. After it hit. What were you thinking of me. But I could have been killed or something. For.

Now. I'm glad I cooperated with him so that. Nothing really happened or nothing happened anyone else here. Did they catch him. They caught him about. Nine or 10 months later. During another robbery down in Rochester Amparito area and he did have a gun by the way when they caught him this time. Do you think about. This every day as you're working here you get a little paranoid you. Know watch him come on. And that insecurity is not uncommon lately as brazen bank robbers enter banks locally some with masks or sunglasses demanding money. Who are these people who rob banks. Normally they're people who have a tremendous under tremendous financial strain and it can be for a variety of reasons the most common would be a substance abuse problem and they need the money to buy drugs.

And the FBI numbers show local bank robberies are clearly on the rise in the local FBI regional district including western Pennsylvania and parts of West Virginia. There were 66 bank robberies in 1998 73 in 1999. One hundred and twenty six in the year 2000 and 115 last year. But investigators say there could have been many more if not for the distractions of 9/11. The FBI investigates bank robberies because the funds are federally insured making it federal jurisdiction. However because of the number of bank robberies it's just not realistic for really any one agency to handle it. That's why we rely heavily on the city police to work any bank robberies that occur within the within the city as well as the state police. And while concerned about the increased frequency. Crowley says the Pittsburgh region is not seeing many more bank robberies in comparison to other cities.

Actually Pittsburgh it's really not that. It's really not as big a problem as it is elsewhere. They have bank robbery squads in New York City as well as L.A. and they average couple of bank robberies a day in the major cities per capita we we basically write a kind of running in the norm of the national norm. Nonetheless banks are worried. In some recent cases robberies enter in a group waving pistols. The FBI calls them takeover robberies. I'm concerned about several things. First of all for our institution for the notoriety people are going to be perhaps afraid to come into our offices. I'm concerned about our employees. They're pretty upset about it. And of course I'm concerned about financially too. Albert Eckert president and CEO of Bell federal has spent some 40 years in the local banking industry. He worries the frequency of bank robberies

will continue to rise. For the last three robberies at this particular branch. That's our Craig's Street office. We have witnesses that have identified the same people involved in the robberies. So therefore we feel that it's some type of. Record is increasing security in both federal branches with security guards and other measures to protect employees and customers. Many of those customers told us they're aware of the rash of robberies recently. But they don't feel particularly vulnerable. Now I feel pretty secure my money is secure. I've been doing business here for a few years. So you feel safe at a bank. Yeah. I don't have any problem. The FBI says customers should feel safe. Bank robbers mostly strike early in the morning or late in the evening with fewer witnesses around. Statistically it's very very unlikely that someone is going to be in a bag at the time of robbery occurred.

And in probably the last 20 years there's only one person has been shot in all the robberies that occur. So it's even though it is a crime of violence or threatened or perceived and threatened violence in actuality that we haven't. It's been very low the percentages are astronomically low. What happened to someone. Normally but normally they just want to get in and get the money and get out. They're there to do a job which is to get some money and leave. As long as no one offers any resistance and goes along with them no one's going to get hurt. That's sad. Nobody should. The average citizen or bank worker should never try to stop them. I would leave it to the professionals. Crowley says FBI bank robbery investigators are confident apprehend the so-called takeover robbers. Local law enforcement clears about 75 percent of bank robbery case 75 percent of robberies that are as we believe it's a pretty pretty high percentage and it's it's really not a good way to make a living if you're going to decide you want to be a bank robber from

Pittsburgh. Chances are you're going to spend a significant amount of your life behind bars. Law enforcement agencies and the banks meet regularly and with more frequency now to go over security. Don't be surprised if you notice stepped up security at your local bank. At least until local incidents decrease. That's just fine says robbery victim Ginger Barnhardt. Would you like to see a glass partition between you and the customer. Yeah I would. I would like in. It strange but I went to get read again. Ms. Bell federal added five thousand dollars to the FBI reward fund for information into the recent robberies that reward now stands at ten thousand dollars. Anyone with information about the recent takeover robberies can call the local FBI office at 4 1 2 4 3 to 4000. These takeover robberies aren't getting away with small change either robbers and three recent robberies. Got seventy five

thousand dollars. That's a considerable amount for a bank robbery. Yet another bank robbery occurred yesterday morning at a PNC branch downtown. So it seems like they just keep going. Now the depositors money is safe but no. Yeah but what about the banks. I mean they're losing a lot. They are indeed Stacey no doubt about it. They have to make up their deductible on their insurance policies for stolen money. Often those deductibles are very high. Not to mention the increased costs and investments and stepped up security is not cheap. So they want these robberies to stop. That's why they're working very hard and very closely with authorities. Now you see a lot of banks that have these thick glass partition right. Are they being robbed. They are not being robbed as a matter of fact because you really can't do it. It's bulletproof it's very thick. And that's one of the things they're talking about a number of banks who don't have these you heard from that employee there that bank teller she said she'd like to have one. A lot of those banks that don't have them. That's one of the things that they're considering and it's that day and age where you have to talk through windows if it's a security issue.

Unfortunately it seems that way that's right. Michael thank you. You're welcome. Still to come the out bound lanes of the Fort Pitt bridge and tunnel will close in less than 30 days. Well now is the time to start planning your alternate route. Chris Moore talks with Dick Sprenger from Penda. That's coming up next. The. Team for me it is almost a spiritual. Experience. So it's something that stirs inside of me and it has to be let out. Wednesday night at 8:00. You're watching on Q magazine because these foundations are enough about local programming to help take the Howard kind thing down at the Epperly foundation the Richard Mellon Foundation.

Foundation the Pittsburgh foundation the Henry L. Children's Foundation the Jewish Health Care Foundation. And we couldn't do it without you and you. Tell. The day of reckoning for a local community. Commuter's is drawing nigh in less than 30 days. The outbound lanes of the Fort Pitt bridge and tunnel will close. Dick Sprenger is the local spokesperson for pin. Welcome back to our program glad to have you here. Hey glad to be Couso. When does this all start. Well I've wanted to do this for such a long time Chris. I brought some help here to help answer the question since this is public television and not real real normal sex. Now we know who the real voice behind Henrietta if was. I couldn't resist couldn't resist resist. Well again in 24 days recording your Web

site this all stars this is a major reconstruction product project and it's going to cause major headaches for commuters. Cheese I don't know about the major headaches. I guess they always got the porters in the news media will tell us how bad it's going to be. I guess my job is to tell you what it is going to be what's going to happen is a bridge and tunnel that carries 148 thousand vehicles a day will basically be shut down. Half of the capacity. So about 72000 motorists A will have to find another way around the tunnel and that way will be across the four to Cambridge around the football stadium around the West and around the West and circle and off to Route 50. OK we have a graphic here that shows one of those routes at least. Can you explain this. Sure. Now the middle section there is the bridge itself. And that will be close. Right. So you're going to have the left around the West in circle and the West End bridge or right and through the Liberty tubes. Is that what it.

Right what we're seeing here is the orange detour is the WQED detour from the Oakland area. You want to come down the boulevard of the Allies get to the Liberty Bridge through the Liberty tunnel along Route 51 and then onto the Parkway West. If you're on the Parkway East from the eastern suburban areas you just stay on the Parkway East go across the fort to Cambridge around the stadium. All of the signals will be turned off in the West End area on the north side of the West and traffic should theoretically continue moving albeit slow. Right. One of the things that people have told us in past years is that they like the system on the West End circle when the lights are shut off and the circular movement is shut off and it's just a through movement and that will occur beginning April 6 on the stand at the liberty to Zerbino turns left it on the 51 south and on the 51 north depending on the direction you are going you won't be able to turn left. So that will help traffic go straight through. Is that right.

We want to keep the free flowing movement the mission for the detour on this project is to duplicate what's being taken away and what's being taken away is the interstate movement across the bridge and through the tunnel to the western suburbs and into the airport area. So people will still be able to be lined up all the way to Greentree inbound. They'll be able to watch the traffic moving once it gets on the other side of the hill. OK. How much time should people prepare to travel home then. Well one of the reasons we're spending so much time we're at the University of Pittsburgh this afternoon talking with the folks there. Tomorrow the secretary of transportation will be in town to work with the Downtown partnership and unveil công man is to get the word out to the public that now is a very good time con man man. You heard it here first cone man cone man the new manifestation of the messenger for the Pittsburgh downtown partnership on how to get around the downtown area during this project. We're being told what to do by Coneheads I mean no con man.

This is this is a major restructuring and it's really needed. Physically the place needed to be changed. The tiles are falling within the tunnels. The surface needs to be done on both the bridge and the tunnel. How long is it going to take. It will start April 6th. And we just about guarantee that the contractor in this case trouble corporation an 84 million dollar project they will complete that work by August 30 first and penalties if they don't completed $100000 a day. So they will complete it on time or pay those penalty. That's a great incentive to have $100000 a day bonus or penalty if you don't hit that. The wonderful thing is that this team at Trumble we've worked with them before 1999. We did exactly the same thing basically that's going on now worked on the ramps leaving Pittsburgh heading onto the bridge and did the same detour so what we're doing is duplicating the work that occurred in 1999 and it all seemed to work when can we expect the

in-bounds to change over. And I did stress the N-bomb will occur in 2003 from basically march 30 first till the end of August. But we want to get through the first here in the up direction only. Quickly how do you think it's going to go. I think I can guarantee you there won't be any morning rush hour on April 6th. Are you willing to put that down. Well no no no detour no jam on April 6 during the rush. You heard it here. Good thing from gigs. I mean Henrietta was again when we come back to Ohio Googles all the way to Jib-Jab. Deputy FM station manager and you contributor Jim Cunningham toured Osaka and Tokyo with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. His first report from the far east is next on. Q. To know more about on Q magazine recent stories upcoming guests

on the calendar. And of course viewer feedback. It's all on our Web site WQED dot org. Just follow the links to on cue. Well the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has just wrapped up the last leg of their Far East tour from Osaka Japan to Sydney Australia. The PSA received warm welcomes and enthusiastic applause from their audiences. On the other side of the globe WQED FM station manager and on cue contributor Jim Cunningham accompanied the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on their Far East tour. And tonight Jim brings us his first report from Osaka and Tokyo. It's a Pittsburgh story made in Japan. One by one.

I'm Jim Cunningham for on cue at the Pittsburgh Symphony in Tokyo. The Pittsburgh Symphony began their Far East tour in Osaka Japan second largest city with over 3 million residents. Johnson's was happy with the sounds from the Festival Hall as the orchestra rehearsed Mahler and violinist Midori played Shostakovich. He went. After the rehearsal Midori hosted a reception for the orchestra. Now celebrating her 20th year on stage. Midori lives in New York but she has her grandmother and an aunt in Osaka. On.

Record guilty and tappets gave her a watch which tells time across the international date line and a Pittsburgh Symphony tour T-shirt. While the orchestra enjoyed a meal of favorites from the east and the West including getting. Midori said she cleared her schedule to join Maurice in the Pittsburgh Symphony for this tour. This is. A special extra. When I was. Asked I wonder whether the weather will be available today it is too. I was asking no questions asked. It was not a question I like when I go to these contests. I will not do these contests. That was. Not even. A question. If my wife gets to ass. With math. That's it. Grab anything. The city of Osaka looks at first like an endless expanse of concrete boxes. But you've got to like a city with taxi drivers who wear a suit and tie holding the steering wheel with white gloves double bassists Michael Howard and Don Evans along with timpanist Tim Adams went to the jazz capital of

the world Bluto in Osaka to see bassist Marcus Miller. Take a black belt. Dance. Moves. Afterward they compared notes with Marcus Miller and his vocalist Layla Hathaway. You work up a healthy appetite playing Brahms. Almost Full silver cellist David Primo and Martinville Williams with violinist way Frankau set out for a meal of sushi at. Sushi. Where a conveyor belt does much of the work. Thirty seven varieties of raw fish with Rice moves slowly around the restaurant. This is the deal. Now. It's going to squeeze. The squid octopus eel tuna crab sticks shrimp along with surprises like fermented bean curd or not an acquired taste that might be cold bracing along with green tea. You take your choice and Afia your stack of saucers is checked and your bill calculating. Your payment should be in the end because the sushi does not accept changing money in any

reason. Japan is the best place in the world to shop for anything a vector principal horn. William general and principal flute will be our last. When shopping on all 10 floors of the your Dabashi appliance store the batteries are displayed in coolers as big as the dairy case at Giant Eagle of cheese you get better. Either way back when you stop in the food hall of the Hunt new railway department store. It's a lively city with beautiful food of every variety whether you need a roll or a banana or a salad. And the sales people sing out warm read. Their Osaka concert a success. The Pittsburgh Symphony took the high speed bullet train from Osaka to Tokyo. The train arrives and departs precisely on time travelling at up to 200 kilometers per hour. It's called The Ship concept but is most often called the bridge train nearing Tokyo. We saw snowcapped Mount

Fuji from the windows of a train. But Pittsburgh made their debut and took Rosana about an hour from Tokyo in a residential neighborhood. It's a new cultural center called New Theatres a long line stream in the door for the Beethoven 7 from Pittsburgh. It was a side trip by bus to the port city of Yokohama for a concert and a new concert hall which opened in 1998. Percussionist Andrew Riemer checked out the waterfront just minutes from a new convention center. George freris was from Pittsburgh but the tallest Ferris wheel in the world is in Yokohama. Horn player Robert Reidel went around once and arrived at the concert hall just in time for the downbeat. It was sushi in Osaka but in Tokyo it's noodles for lunch. This favorite stop was just next door to the orchestra's only one Airways hotel Pittsburgh Symphony violinist at Kinko's who was born in Japan. She demonstrated the proper technique for eating sober noodles. Yes we suppose to slap.

You. No you're not. Co-principal OBO James Gordon has been to Japan with the orchestra on six tours with William Steinberg Andre Previn Lorin Maazel Maurice Johnsons. The first concert was. A. Wonderful success. And New York is just sounds. Great. And. We're looking forward to. Playing. In Tokyo and representing. Pittsburgh the symphony. Tokyo competes with New York London and Vienna for the title of most musicals city in the world. There are over 4000 concerts in Tokyo this year. The Pittsburgh Symphony played two concerts here at the Suntory Hall in Tokyo. Beethoven Tchaikovsky Mahler and Shostakovich which brought a standing ovation from music lovers in Tokyo built in 1986. Suntory Hall is named for the Japanese whisky distiller. It's a favorite of Maurice Jansons who checked out the sound before the orchestra's 2 p.m. Sunday concert.

In between practicing and rehearsals. The orchestra explored the city Tokyo Tower was modeled on the Eiffel Tower. It was the tallest in the world when it opened in 1958. From the observation deck you can count the construction cranes on earthquake resistant skyscrapers and trying to see the edge of Tokyo's population of 12 million. The orchestra saw a bit of old Tokyo in Sochi temple founded in the seventh century with a nearby Buddhist temple back B.C doory shopping district and an incense cauldron for which you inhale for good health. Tokyo was once a fishing village. Pacific Ocean in Tokyo Bay create a lively early morning scene of CPG fishmarket. The world's largest fish auction over 23 million

dollars of fish are sold every day. You can pay 20 million yen for a single tuna. Fish are. Carefully inspected. Most buyers Donje electric parts in the aisles. Pittsburgh Symphony was fresh and song for Beethoven and Tchaikovsky in Tokyo's Suntory Hall. Johnson chose to encores Tchaikovsky Sleeping Beauty and Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet. Even after the musicians left the stage took music lovers ask her one more bow from Mars. Johnson from Tokyo the Pittsburgh Symphony moves on to Malaysia Kuala Lumpur and Australia for concerts in Sydney and Melbourne for on cue. I'm just coming out with the Pittsburgh Symphony on their far East tour in Tokyo. Well we'll have another report from Jim covering the Malaysian and Australian legs of the Pittsburgh Symphony

Orchestras Far East tour. Look for that story on April 1st right here on cue. Now here's a look at what's happening tomorrow on. Our cover story tomorrow looks at how local researchers are closing in on a cure for Parkinson's Disease and other neurological disorders. I'll talk to local patients and doctors who are fighting this disease. Also tomorrow author Leon Pamphile is our newsmaker. We'll talk to him about his latest book patients and African-Americans American. Tragedy in health. And this 15 year old is a local sensation. Tomorrow on kill me Zach Wissink. Find out why this teenager is playing the blues some of the best musicians in our area tomorrow. And we hope that you will join us again live at 7:30 tomorrow. That. Is. Going on Q magazine because these foundations are enough without local programming to help pay

for it. Howard Harrington down at the Epperly foundation the richardsoni