National and State News-Thursday, May 10th

CAMP SPEICHER, Iraq (AP) - Vice President Cheney vows to "stay on the offensive" despite growing public opposition to the war in Iraq. Cheney has had breakfast with troops stationed near Saddam Hussein's hometown, telling them the nation appreciates "the extra burden" they carry.

CAPITOL HILL (AP) - House members consider another Iraq war-funding bill today that would provide the military with about 43 (b) billion dollars through July. Nearly all Republicans oppose the measure and it's unlikely to survive in the Senate.

LONDON (AP) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair is returning to his home district in northern England to announce he's resigning after ten years at the helm. Blair could leave office in late June or early July, depending on how quickly his party elects a successor.

UNDATED (AP) - People have been forced from their homes by wildfires near both coasts and the Canadian border and by major flooding in the Midwest. An early tropical storm is whipping up surf on Southeastern beaches. The waves are blamed for the death of a surfer in Florida.

BOSTON (AP) - For a few moments, last night's season-opening Boston Pops concert looked more like the Wednesday night fights. Two men were escorted out of Symphony Hall, one with his shirt pulled off, after a brawl in the balcony. No injuries, and no charges filed.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Federal authorities say they arrested the six Muslim men suspected of plotting to massacre soldiers at Fort Dix because they feared the group was on the verge of carrying out the attack. U-S Attorney Christopher Christie says the men had training,
they had maps, and if they hadn't made arragnements to get assult rifles from an F-B-I informant they would have been buying them elsewhere. The Philadelphia suspect was familiar with Fort Dix because he used to deliver pizzas there. Another suspect, 24-year-old Agron Abdullahu, is familiar with the base because it was the first place he landed when arriving in
the United States as a refugee from Kosovo.

GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) - A state senator charged with perjury and weapons offenses faces a preliminary hearing today. Senator Robert Regola is accused of lying about where and how he
stored his handgun. The Westmoreland County coroner ruled that Regola's 14-year-old neighbor used the gun to kill himself. Regola has denied wrongdoing and says he still plans to run for re-election next year. Regola is a Republican; the Democratic Party is targeting his seat because of his legal problems.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Tom Ridge isn't ruling out being John McCain's running mate should the Arizona senator win the Republican presidential nomination. But the former Pennsylvania governor and homeland-security secretary says he doesn't know if McCain is interested and he's not going to bring the subject up with McCain. When asked how he'd respond if McCain did ask, Ridge replied: "I'll tell you after he asks me." Ridge says he's backing McCain because of his inclusive approach to politics. Many G-O-P fundraisers, party officials and public officeholders in Pennsylvania remain undecided about whom to support. The state
primary is nearly a year away and may come too late in the presidential nominating process to make a difference.

ANNVILLE, Pa. (AP) - Only slight progress was reported in the last round of negotiations, and no new talks are scheduled, so the Annville-Cleona School District teachers have set Monday as a strike date. State Education Association representative Myra Reichart says the teachers will picket in front of the Annville-Cleona High School and the Annville Elementary School. Negotiations broke off after 10 o'clock Tuesday night, with the School Board and teachers failing to agree on wages or on the teachers' contribution to health insurance costs. A state law requiring school districts to have 180 days of instruction by June 15th would limit a strike to five days, and if it occurs, students would remain in school until June 15th instead of being dismissed for the summer on June 8th. Superintendent Marsha Zehner says extracurricular events would go on next week, if coaches are willing to participate.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Cell phone maker Motorola has agreed to pay 25 (m) million dollars to settle federal complaints about its role in Adelphia's overstated earnings. The Securities and Exchange Commission says "Adelphia paid money to Motorola which was immediately returned to Adelphia" and used to falsify earnings in 2000 and 2001. Under the arrangement, Motorola provided digital cable television set-top boxes used by Adelphia. The S-E-C says Adelphia overpaid for the devices, only to receive refunds from Motorola that it labeled "marketing support payments" and counted as revenue. The transaction was designed by Adelphia to increase its earnings by more than 18 (m) million dollars in 2000 and 28 (m) million dollars in 2001. Formerly headquartered in Coudersport (Pennsylvania), Adelphia was once the nation's fifth-largest cable operator before an accounting scandal forced it to declare bankruptcy in 2002.

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) - Hershey Company is closing its last Canadian factory. It's laying off 580 workers and moving part of the production to the United States and Mexico. A Hershey spokesman says the factory in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, will close by December. He says the company is negotiating severance packages for the workers. The spokesman says the factory has been operating at only one-third capacity. Hershey has already announced that it will close plants in Oakdale, California; Reading , Naugatuck, Connecticut, and Smiths Falls, Ontario. It's also cutting as many as 900 of the three-thousand workers at its three hometown plants
in Hershey .

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Hopes of an imminent housing recovery are dimming as the nation's largest homebuilders continue to report slumping sales and profits. Horsham-based Toll Brothers is one of several homebuilders warning shareholders that they won't meet prior earnings projections. Toll places part of the blame on stricter lending requirements. They have been tough on buyers who want to upgrade but can't sell their current residences. Analysts said problems in subprime mortgages earlier this year have dampened a recovery.

BALTIMORE (AP) - Cardinal William Keeler is planning to remain in Baltimore even after his successor is named by the pope,. He says in an interview with The (Baltimore) Sun he intends to continue as head of the Basilica Historic trust. Keeler turned 76 in March and was required by canon law to submit his resignation to the Vatican when he turned 75. He says that the secret process of selecting possible candidates to be archbishop of Baltimore is under way.
Keeler became a priest in Harrisburg in 1955. Pope John Paul named him bishop of Harrisburg in 1984. Keeler was appointed archbishop of Baltimore in 1989, just before the 200th anniversary of the creation of the diocese, the first in the United States. He was elevated to the College of Cardinals in 1994, making him the third cardinal in Baltimore's history. The basilica in Baltimore was the first Roman Catholic cathedral built in the U-S.

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (AP) - The leader of the Islamic Center of Johnstown has resigned after telling a newspaper that, in the eyes of the Islamic community, a death sentence was warranted for an outspoken critic of Islam. Fouad ElBayly says he has stepped down as imam and president. ElBayly's comments about Ayaan Hirsi Ali appeared April 22nd in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Hirsi Ali is a best-selling author and critic of Islam who spoke on April 17th at the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown. ElBayly had tried to get the speech canceled, saying her attacks on Islam are unjustified. The center's lawyer Dennis Stofko has said ElBayly's views do not reflect those of the board members and that the center was established to foster religious tolerance. Hirsi Ali wrote the script for the film, "Submission," which showed near-naked women with Quranic verses written on their bodies. The film's Dutch director Theo van Gogh was murdered on an Amsterdam street in 2004.