Truck driver stole masterpiece, officials say

Truck driver stole
masterpiece, officials say

TRENTON, N.J. — A truck driver who stole an art masterpiece from an unattended transport truck, then claimed he found it in his basement was charged with theft, authorities said. Steven Lee Olson, 49, was charged with stealing “Children with a Cart,” a 1778 painting by famed Spanish artist Francisco de Goya, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. The painting was insured at a value of about $1 million. In an initial appearance in federal court in Newark on Wednesday, Olson through his lawyer decided not to immediately contest his detainment. A bail hearing was scheduled for Oct. 31. The painting was being trucked to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City from Ohio’s Toledo Museum of Art last November. It was stolen as the transport drivers spent the night at a Pennsylvania motel. They discovered it missing the next morning. Within days, Olson contacted federal authorities through an attorney to say he found the painting in his basement, said U.S Attorney’s office spokesman Michael Drewniak.

Pittsburgh Symphony
wipes out deficit

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is back in the black. President Larry Tamburri says an audit is ongoing, but he’s sure the symphony’s 2006-07 season will end with a balanced budget. The season ended Aug. 31. The news comes after two consecutive years that the symphony rang up deficits of more than $1 million dollars. Tamburri says improved ticket sales helped erase the deficit. And so did a $29.5 million gift from the family of symphony board chairman Dick Simmons announced last November. Tamburri isn’t saying how much of the gift was used to avoid a deficit. Financial details for the 2006-07 season could be released by next month.

Lindsay’s father wants
to reconcile with family

NEW YORK — Michael Lohan wants to patch things up with his family. “Reconciliation and redemption — across the board,” says Lohan, a born-again Christian. “Just all of us getting right with God.” Lohan’s 21-year-old daughter Lindsay, star of “Mean Girls,” “Freaky Friday” and other films, has said that her father’s behavior and her parents’ divorce have caused her to act out. Michael and estranged wife Dina Lohan settled their long-simmering divorce in August, months after he left a New York state prison where he served almost two years for drunken driving and other charges. He reunited with Lindsay in September after a 31⁄2-year estrangement. She had entered a drug and alcohol treatment center the previous month after reaching a plea deal on misdemeanor drunken driving and cocaine charges. Lohan’s visit to the Cirque Lodge in Utah was her third trip to rehab since January, a frenetic year in which she wrecked a Mercedes-Benz, released the box-office flop “I Know Who Killed Me” and was arrested more than once.

Berry apologizes

NEW YORK — Halle Berry is the latest celebrity to join the Foot-in-Mouth Club. The 41-year-old actress has apologized for making an inappropriate joke at last Friday’s taping of NBC’s “The Tonight Show.” Berry, who showed host Jay Leno photos of herself that she had distorted by using computer software, remarked that one snapshot — in which her nose appeared cartoonishly large — made her “look like my Jewish cousin.” “What happened was I was backstage before the show and I have three girls who are Jewish who work for me,” she said. “We were going through pictures to see which ones looked silly, and one of my Jewish friends said, ‘That could be your Jewish cousin!’” Berry, who won the best-actress Oscar for 2001’s “Monster’s Ball,” is expecting her first child with boyfriend Gabriel Aubry.

Today’s birthdays

Author Pat Conroy is 62. Actress Jaclyn Smith is 62. TV host Pat Sajak is 61. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., is 60. Singer Maggie Roche (The Roches) is 56. Musician Bootsy Collins is 56. Actor James Pickens Jr. (“Grey’s Anatomy”) is 55. Rock musician Keith Strickland (The B-52’s) is 54. Actor D.W. Moffett is 53. Actress Rita Wilson is 51. Actor Dylan McDermott is 46. Singer Natalie Merchant is 44. Country singer Keith Urban is 40. Actor Jon Heder is 30. Olympic silver medal figure skater Sasha Cohen is 23.