His Heart Was Set on Hoops, So Patient Went Home

--As evidence that his health is on the rebound, artificial heart recipient Murray P. Haydon went home to his favorite chair to watch NCAA basketball tournament games on television. Haydon smiled and waved to neighborhood well-wishers as he visited his Louisville, Ky., home for the first time in 13 months. The bearded Haydon, clad in a jogging suit and beret, waited inside Humana Hospital Audubon’s specially equipped van while a nurse and a technician prepared him for his visit before he could be carried inside. During his 2 1/2-hour visit, Haydon remained hooked up to both a portable Utah Drive for his Jarvik-7 artificial heart and to a portable respirator to help his breathing. Saturday’s trip home was his first since undergoing surgery Feb. 15, 1985, although he drove past it in January. Doctors would not let him get out of the van then.

--An intruder entered the hotel suite of singer Patti LaBelle while she was performing and made off with an estimated $50,000 in cash, jewelry and other items, New York City police said. There were no signs of forced entry into the hotel suite, and police had no suspects, Sgt. Ron Severin said. The stolen property included about $10,000 in cash, plus an estimated $40,000 in jewelry, luggage and other items, Severin said. Credit cards also were taken. The burglary was discovered when LaBelle and her entourage returned from a performance at Minskoff Theater, Severin said.

--The buzzards are back. And in Hinckley, Ohio, that can mean only one thing--it’s spring. Every year on March 15, the fabled flock of turkey vultures returns to Hinckley from the south, signaling the end of winter. The flock of about 75 buzzards returned Saturday, with the first one winging its way into the view of the official spotter, Cleveland Metroparks Ranger Roger Lutz, at mid-morning. Lutz wasn’t the only one happy to see the birds, which return to roost in a Hinckley Township park, about 20 miles south of Cleveland. The real celebration takes place on “Buzzard Sunday,” when the Hinckley Chamber of Commerce sponsors its 28th annual daylong pancake breakfast at Hinckley Elementary School. “Geek,” a buzzard from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, will be at the school to give visitors a close-up view. Geek has lived at the museum since injuring a wing 16 years ago and is a veteran participant in Buzzard Day festivities. Not everyone will want a look, though. Lutz said the buzzard is a pretty bird to watch in flight, “but, on the ground, they leave a lot to be desired.”