T-102/WPPA News Saturday August 12, 2006

Pottsville Cruise Sock Hop A Success

People from Pottsville to Florida came out to dance and listen to the band at this year's sock hop, one of many events planned in conjunction with the Great Pottsville Cruise. According to the Pottsville Republican and Herald, more than 200 people attended the event, held at Pine View Acres and sponsored by Leesport Bank. Every table was set up with information pertaining to the cruise and antenna toppers from Schaeffer’s Harley-Davidson/Buell served as a small favor for those who attended. The band Shake, Rattle and Soul from the Lehigh Valley performed numbers from the '50s, '60s and '70s. More cruise-related events are planned for today. The Cruise to Museum to Jerry's Classic Cars & Collectibles will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and give cruisers their first opportunity to catch a glimpse of the Batmobile, which will also be on display at the Cruise-in event at the downtown Coney Island from 5 to 9 p.m. The band Remember When will be playing at Coney Island. For a complete listing of cruise events visit www.TheGreatPottsvilleCruise.com.

Robbery/Attempted Kidnapping Suspects Sought

State police at Frackville have released composite sketches of two men wanted in connection with a strong-arm robbery and attempted kidnapping that occurred Wednesday at the Schuylkill Mall. According to the Pottsville Republican and Herald, troopers said the incident, referred to as “strong-arm” because force was used, occurred in the parking lot outside of the movie theater entrance to the building. Trooper James Culvey said a 21-year-old woman was walking to her vehicle in the parking lot when she was approached by two men who forcibly took her money and then fled the scene. According to police the victim believes she saw the butt of a gun in the waistband of the younger suspect. One of the men is described as being in his 50s with short gray hair, about 6 feet tall with a potbelly and wearing jeans and a white T-shirt. The second man is described as being in his early 20s with short blond hair and wearing blue jeans, a dark T-shirt and a camouflage hat. Culvey said the men were seen standing around outside the mall, near the entrance doors, around 11:30 a.m. The investigation determined 21 tickets were purchased at the Regal Theatre between the hours of noon and 1 p.m. that day. Twelve of the tickets were for the movie “Barnyard,” while the remaining tickets were for “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Any patron who may have seen either of the two men, especially patrons who might have purchased movie tickets at that time and saw anything suspicious, are asked to call troopers at 874-5300. All information will remain confidential.

Upper Schuylkill Homecoming Slated

With the Upper Schuylkill Homecoming Weekend less than a month away, representatives from the six participating boroughs held their last joint meeting at the Ashland Downtown Center, the meeting was mostly a status check on what each group had planned to make sure all would be in place during the Labor Day weekend, Sept. 1 through 4. According to the Pottsville Republican and Herald, the meeting was chaired by Upper Schuylkill Downtowns Executive Director Patrice K. “Patty” Rader, who has coordinated the first-of-its-kind event in the county and region. The six boroughs participating are Ashland, Frackville, Girardville, Mahanoy City, Ringtown and Shenandoah, with the 106th annual ABA Mummers Parade at the hub of the regional celebration. The state tourism office provided $10,000 to USD, with an equal match locally, to promote the weekend outside the area. Rader announced that D.G. Yuengling & Son Inc. has donated six homecoming street banners. The hotel package is also almost completed, Rader said. The package, put together by the Schuylkill County Visitors Bureau, includes a two-night stay at the Country Inn and Suites, dinner for two at the Dutch Kitchen, two adult admissions to Pioneer Tunnel for the coal mine tour and two adult tickets to the Museum of Anthracite Mining in Ashland. The tourism package details are available at the state tourism Web site, www.visitpa.com, along with the Web sites of the county visitors bureau at www.schuylkill.org and USD at www.upperschuylkill.com. In order to make it more convenient to get to Ashland on Sept. 2 for the ABA Mummers Parade, Schuylkill Transportation System will provide service regionally and in Ashland. “STS is providing transportation to all of the Upper Schuylkill regularly serviced communities,” said Rader. “However, the people who want that transportation to homecoming events need to call STS directly at 1-800-832-3322 or 429-2701 to make reservations.”

Sludge Decision Near

East Brunswick Township will likely wait to follow the lead of its neighboring communities in attempting to regulate biosolids, the industry and regulatory term for processed waste water solids from sewage treatment plants. Acording to the Pottsville Perublican and Herald, a session Thursday with concerned citizens that began at 7:30 p.m. and dragged on until after 10 p.m. kept the supervisors at the township building until almost 1 a.m. to resolve other business, said supervisors Chairman Richard J. Ketz. The issue of biosolids arose last week when seven homeowners received letters from a national Texas-based firm about intentions to spread the material on two local farms just off Route 895 on River Road in the township. Synagro, which currently applies the material also referred to as sewage sludge in 34 states, confirmed Tuesday its intention to spread the processed waste over 300 acres in the small rural community as a soil additive. Concerned residents at Thursday’s meeting urged the supervisors to adopt an ordinance further regulating the material, which even in its processed form can contain contaminants such as PCBs, arsenic, mercury and lead in addition to pathogens. However, after more than 60 residents had dispersed from the township garage Thursday evening, Ketz said the supervisors had decided to let Tamaqua and West Penn Township lead the way. Tamaqua borough council is scheduled to vote on a controversial ordinance Tuesday that would attempt to completely ban the use of the material by corporations and allow application by individuals only after exhaustive, costly tests. Earlier this year, West Penn Township adopted a more moderate ordinance holding appliers to the highest standards applicable under state law and requiring that companies seeking to use the material foot the bill for all testing. Proponents of the material insist the alternatives to land application would be more landfilling or incineration, both equally unattractive options for most municipalities. Brian Rich, vice president of Reading Anthracite Co., who has used the material to reclaim 400 acres of drab stripping pits, touts it as beneficial, restoring lush grass land where Rich's company is now growing Christmas trees and poplars for timber. But a fact booklet from Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences provided by Mark Reider, Pennsylvania technical services director for Synagro, indicates the material may still contain measurable quantities of PCB's, mercury and at least eight other contaminants.

Here is the latest Pennsylvania news from The Associated Press

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (AP) - A Cambria County woman whose newborn daughter was found dead in a plastic bag at her parents home in April has been charged with third-degree murder. Johnstown police accuse 33-year-old Jennifer McKendree of Upper Yoder Township of causing the baby's death after giving birth in her parents bathroom, putting the baby in a plastic grocery bag and hiding the bag under a table in the basement.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The pastor of a nondenominational church in Westmoreland County has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for submitting false financial information to get 824-thousand dollars in loans from five banks. A federal judge yesterday also sentenced the 33-year-old Reverend Roy Smith of the Church of Dominion in Greensburg to five years' probation and ordered him to pay nearly 291-thousand dollars in restitution after he pleaded guilty to bank fraud in April.

SOUTH CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. (AP) - Two South Connellsville volunteer firefighters, who are brothers and sons of the police chief, have been charged with setting forest fires in Fayette County in April 2005. State Attorney General Tom Corbett says 22-year-old Robert Helms and 27-year-old Michael Helms have been arraigned on several charges including arson and risking a catastrophe.

SIPESVILLE, Pa. (AP) - An old fire station that was to become the museum for a permanent memorial commemorating the dramatic rescue of nine men from a western Pennsylvania mine is not in any shape to be moved. Officials say a replica of the old Sipesville Fire Station will be erected at the Quecreek mine site where coal miners were pulled to safety after being trapped 240 feet underground for more than three days in July 2002.

National News

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel is pushing ahead with its offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon before a proposed cease-fire deal goes into effect. Israeli tanks, troops and armored personnel carriers
streamed over the border today. Lebanon says at least 15 civilians have died in airstrikes this morning.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The U-N Security Council has adopted a resolution seeking a "full cessation" of violence between Israel and Hezbollah. The Lebanese Cabinet takes up the measure today. Israel's prime minister has endorsed the plan and his Cabinet is to vote on it tomorrow.

LONDON (AP) - Security remains tight at British airports today, just two days after a plot to blow up U-S-bound jetliners was broken up by British authorities. As many as 41 people have been arrested.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Associated Press has learned the Bush administration tried to cut funds for research on detecting explosives even as the airline terror plot was unfolding. Congressional leaders rejected the idea. The administration wanted to switch six (m) million dollars to federal building protection.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - He spent many an afternoon in American homes, entertaining with his singing talent and affable personality. T-V's Mike Douglas has died at age 81. His wife says he recently became dehydrated on the golf course but they thought he was coming along fine.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) AP-NY-08-12-06 0546EDT