IN BRIEF

Published: October 17, 2012 (Issue # 1731)

Drunk Cop Kills Man

ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) — The head of the criminal investigation department of a local district police station was detained after he hit and killed a pedestrian while driving under the influence of alcohol Saturday.

The policeman hit the man, who was reportedly crossing the road in an area where there was no pedestrian crossing, in the city’s Krasnogvardeisky district, at 3.30 a.m.

A police patrol that happened to be in the area and witnessed the accident stopped the car and detained the driver. Document checks revealed that the driver was Sergei Kudryavtsev, head of the criminal investigation department of the Leningrad Oblast’s Vsevolozhsk district, Interfax reported.

Tests showed the presence of 1.2 milligrams of alcohol per milliliter in the driver’s blood, a level that correlates to a medium degree of alcohol intoxication, police said.

Fines for Demolition

ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) — City Hall supported the initiative of City Governor Georgy Poltavchenko to increase fines for the demolition of historical buildings, Interfax reported this week.

Andrei Kibitov, Poltavchenko’s press secretary, said under the new rules companies would be fined 60 million rubles ($1.9 million) for the demolition of a building classified as historic, while individuals would be fined 15 million rubles ($500,000).

The proposal will be submitted for consideration by the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly in the near future, Kibitov said on his Twitter account Monday.

Poltavchenko raised the issue of toughening sanctions for demolishing historical buildings at a government meeting in September. After the controversial demolition of the city’s historic Rogov House on Sunday, Aug. 26, Poltavchenko suggested introducing a ban on the demolition of buildings on weekends and holidays.

Helipads for Hospitals

ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) — Two more hospitals in St. Petersburg are to be equipped with helicopter landing pads, the city’s Transport and Transit Policy Committee said, Interfax reported on Monday.

The engineering research on helicopter pads for the city’s Alexandrovskaya and Yelizavetinskaya hospitals is to be completed by the end of 2012.

The city is currently completing work on landing pads for the Dzhanelidze Emergency Medical Research Institute and for City Children’s Hospital No.1.

Jobs Through Friends

ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) — Thirty-six percent of Russians got their current jobs thanks to connections with family and friends, and 52 percent would turn to friends and relatives for help if they lost their job, according to a survey carried out by the Obshchestvennoye Mneniye (Public Opinion) foundation, Interfax reported.

The survey showed that 14 percent of Russians got their jobs thanks to their relatives, and 11 percent through job advertisements in the media. A minority of people — only five percent — said that their former employers, colleagues or state services had helped them. Job websites had been helpful to only four percent of respondents, and only one percent had found a job through a recruitment agency.

Adopt a Pet at Exhibit

ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) — An exhibit of stray animals from the Rzhevka animal shelter will be held at the Burevestnik cultural center at 38 Ulitsa Podvoiskogo on Oct. 20 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

About 100 stray cats and dogs will be hoping to find new owners at the event titled “The Way Home 4,” the shelter said. People willing to adopt a pet will be able to do so for free. All the animals have been neutered and vaccinated.

The animals will only be given away after individual interviews with would-be owners, who must have their passport with them.

Beside regular pets, the exhibit will also feature so-called “problem” animals and handicapped ones that also need owners. People who may not need a new pet but wish to support the shelter can do so by bringing donations for the shelter. A list of things Rzhevka needs can be found at the website dogs-rzv.spb.ru