State News - Saturday Mar. 17

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Hershey's chairman and chief executive,Richard Lenny, received compensation the company valued at six-point-six million dollars last year. The nation's largest candymaker disclosed the figures in a filing today with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The total includes Lenny's base salary of one-point-one million dollars, personal use of the company's aircraft and restricted stock and stock option awards. Hershey shares closed last year down about 10 percent after disappointing second-half sales sparked the drop. Lenny's total compensation calculated by The Associated Press did not include 20 million dollars in vested stock awards and his rights at year's end to shares that had not yet vested. He also had rights to unexercised options for more than one million shares.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - A mystery illness devastating bees in commercial beekeeping operations may also be afflicting the hives of hobbyists and other small beekeepers. Commercial beekeepers appear to be suffering the greatest lossesf rom colony collapse disorder. They typically truck around the country year-round with thousands of colonies to supply the flying insects that help pollinate dozens of fruit and other crops. But smaller operations or backyard enthusiasts usually leave their honeybee colonies alone during winter, when bees are less active and stay warm in the hive. With temperatures slowly rising, some are checking their hives now. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture says some smaller beekeepers have reported losing up to 75 percent of their colonies after checking their hives over the last week.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Wildlife authorities have found the first bald eagle nest in Philadelphia in more than 200 years. The Pennsylvania Game Commission says it's not disclosing the exact location of the nest to avoid disturbing the site, but it's being monitored closely by agency staff and volunteers. Dan Brauning is the commission's wildlife diversity supervisor. He says about one fifth of the eagle nests in the state fail each year due to disturbances, predators and bad weather. Preliminary counts indicate that bald eagles are nesting in at least 31 of the state's 67 counties. Bald eagles were upgraded from endangered to threatened status by the federal government in 1995 and by the state a decade later.