Today's News-Tuesday, August 21st

A 13-year-old boy died as the result of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident Sunday. State police say that Joseph Ney of Good Spring was riding his dirt bike on a lane off of Route 125 when he struck a steel cable stretched across a driveway. Schuylkill County Coroner David Dutcavich said the boy died from blunt force trauma to his neck and spine. His death is ruled as accidental.

A North Carolina truck driver did not judge the clearance of his rig very well, and got it stuck under the Cressona railroad bridge yesterday afternoon. The crash marks the sixth time this year that a trucker failed to judge the clearance of his vehicle and the 11 foot 8 inch underpass.
State police report that Leo Conklin, a driver for USA Trucking, was southbound on Route 183 when his 13 foot, 6 inch trailer became wedged under the bridge. It took several hours for cleanup and the removal of the cargo from Conklin's truck. He will receive several traffic citations in the crash. The accident happened after 1 Monday afternoon.

A truck driver was hurt when his rig crashed on a wet Interstate 81 yesterday. Jonestown state police say that the unidentified trucker was southbound on I-81 near mile marker 104 when he lost control around 3:30pm. The crash backed up traffic on the highway for several miles while the driver was tended to by emergency crews. He was taken to Hershey Medical Center for treatment.

The rainy weather on Monday may have played a part in two crashes on Route 183 yesterday within an hour of each other. Schuylkill Haven state police say that around 3 o'clock, Charles Torinelli of Bernville was northbound on 183, near the intersection of Route 895 when he lost control of his Dodge Stratus and it left the roadway. The car hit a steel guiderail post head-on. Torinelli, nor his passenger were hurt, but his car had to be towed from the scene.
After 4pm, Dewain Starnes of Schuylkill Haven was traveling on the same stretch of the road when he reportedly saw a small animal crossing the highway. His car went across the road, and struck the guiderail with the rear-end of his Chevy Impala. Starnes was not hurt, but the car was damaged enough that it had to be towed away.

The North Schuylkill Elementary School was dedicated yesterday in Fountain Springs. School officials were on hand to unveil the $20 million dollar building, which is located on the campus, adjacent to the Junior-Senior High School. The building, with a footprint of over 104-thousand-square feet, will house grades kindergarten through 6th grade. The facility includes 42 regular classrooms, 15 support classrooms and state of the art technology inside. The building will open for students on the first day of school next week.

A Schuylkill County veterinarian is raising concern about the increase in cases of Lyme disease in dogs this summer. Lyme disease is infecting greater numbers of dogs in the county than ever before, according to veterinarian Julie B. Snyder of the Vetcetera Pet Healthcare Center in Schuylkill Haven. Snyder says that her practice uncovers roughly one case a day. Generally these dogs are not presenting any obvious symptoms, but they are finding Lyme infection during routine blood screening. They are also seeing a number of sick dogs, exhibiting fever and lameness. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted by ticks. Common signs of this infection are lameness, lethargy, swollen lymph nodes and fever. Yet only one in 8 to 10 infected dogs display any noticeable symptoms at all.Infection can lead to more serious and less common conditions including kidney disease, heart disease and neurological disease. A simple in-house blood test for Lyme is available. It requires only acouple drops of blood and results are available in ten minutes. A positive test result requires additional testing to determine optimal treatment recommendations. In addition to use of an effective tick control product, Snyder advocates limiting pet access to areas known to harbor ticks and checking pets frequently for the presence of ticks. She also recommends vaccination against Lyme before a dog becomes Lyme positive, because once a dog is infected with Lyme it will generally always be Lyme positive, even with appropriate treatment. Autumn is the most likely time of year to contract Lyme disease.

One of Schuylkill County's three commissioners has been named to their state association board. At last week's County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania annual conference, Commissioner Bob Carl was elected to the 30 member board. The board oversees the Association’s affairs, according to Carl. CCAP, founded in 1886, is a statewide, non-profit, bi-partisan association representing commissioners, chief clerks, administrators and solicitors in all of the state's 67 counties.

TULUM, Mexico (AP) - Hurricane Dean has plowed into Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula with winds near 165 miles per hour. The storm made landfall this morning about 40 miles east-northeast of
Chetumal.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER (AP) - Space shuttle Endeavour could pass over Hurricane Dean on its return to Earth today but it will be way too high to be affected by the storm. If crosswinds aren't too strong in Florida, Endeavour will touch down around 12:30 p.m. Eastern time.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The search for bodies is over at the site of the Minneapolis bridge collapse and now the focus will be on removing tons of wreckage from the Mississippi River. The 13th body found was that of a construction worker, Gregory Jolstad.

CASTLE DALE, Utah (AP) - Mine co-owner Bob Murray says he and the federal government have done all they could to find six missing Utah coal miners. Murray said last night he's not optimistic they'll be found alive. But drilling is continuing.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Are Americans getting fatter because of a virus? Researchers say they've found that when human stem cells are exposed to a common virus, they turned into fat cells. If a viral cause of obesity could be confirmed, experts say a vaccine could be developed.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The only Iraq war veteran serving in Congress is expected to endorse Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama today. Congressman Patrick Murphy served as a captain in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division and received a Bronze Star for heroism in
Iraq. The suburban Philadelphia Democrat is to throw his support behind Obama in a conference call this morning. Murphy is writing his memoir with Adam Frankel, an author and
speechwriter working for Obama.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is scheduled to appear today before the city's Ethics Hearing Board. He's to answer questions about his appearance at a charity golf
outing. Ravenstahl was a guest of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center at the Mario Lemieux Celebrity Invitational in Ligonier in June. UPMC has multimillion-dollar contracts with the city and paid $27,000 for the mayor and two hospital officials to attend the event.
Ravenstahl says he will argue that his appearance at the golf outing didn't violate the city's Ethics Code because the money went to benefit charity.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Leaders of Pennsylvania's Republican and Democratic parties are scrambling to nominate candidates for the Superior Court. That's because Judge Michael Joyce said yesterday that he'd abandon his re-election campaign as he faces criminal charges. He's
accused of bilking two insurance companies out of more than $400,000. A lawyer entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf. Nominees for two other Superior Court vacancies were selected in
the May primary election. Both parties' state committees plan to meet September eighth in Harrisburg to consider nominations for Joyce's seat.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Gun dealers and their legislative allies are criticizing a four-day freeze on firearms sales in Pennsylvania next month. The gun sales hiatus is being ordered so that the state police can improve its computerized system of background checks for
prospective gun buyers. Leaders of the Pennsylvania Legislative Sportsmen's Caucus are
asking Governor Ed Rendell and the state police to postpone or reconsider how the early September shutdown is being handled. But a Rendell spokesman says it's the most opportune time to upgrade the system, and that there's no perfect time for the computer work that wouldn't inconvenience at least some sportsmen. In 2005, the state's instant check system was down for a total of 103 hours.

WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) - A lawyer for a tow truck driver accused of drugging and sexually assaulting several men in Chester County says the encounters were consensual. The lawyer for 43-year-old Mark Ethan McFall says the men may have contacted authorities because of grudges against his client. In an opening statement, a prosecutor said each of the three men
allegedly assaulted in Chester County will testify, as will a fourth man who says he was molested during a trip to Brigantine, New Jersey. McFall, a former South Coatesville police officer, is charged with rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault, and other offenses.

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) - The Lancaster County coroner has been acquitted of animal cruelty charges. Doctor Gary Kirchner had kept a large number of guinea pigs in his basement. He was accused of neglecting them after a humane officer said he found injured and ill guinea pigs.
Kirchner disputed the charges from the beginning. He said his guinea pigs sometimes suffer wounds from fighting with each other.' Kirchner's lawyer asked the judge to acquit his client on the basis that the prosecution hadn't shown any intentional or malicious treatment. He says the judge agreed.

SOUTH VALLEY, N.Y. (AP) - Police have found the body of a missing Roman Catholic priest in the Kinzua Dam Reservoir. The Reverend Greg Brennan was reported missing by officials at
Saint Bonaventure University on Saturday. He didn't return from a boating trip on the reservoir. The lake is on the New York-Pennsylvania line on the western side of New York's Allegany State Park. Brennan's damaged, 19-foot motor boat was discovered Saturday
evening on the reservoir's east shore, in Pennsylvania, a few miles south of a marina in South Valley where it was usually moored. Law enforcement agencies in both states searched with boats yesterday, but rain and fog prevented helicopters from going up. Brennan came to Saint Bonaventure 21 years ago and worked in the college's business and finance offices. He's also pastor of a church in Cattaraugus County in southwestern New York.

ERIE, Pa. (AP) - Erie police say a Mercyhurst College student who gave birth in her on-campus apartment August 12th had been cleared to play volleyball after passing a sports physical two days earlier. No charges have been filed in the case, although the baby was asphyxiated about 10 minutes after it was born. Police say they're still investigating how the student passed
the physical, as part of their larger investigation into the child's death. The NCAA doesn't have a policy about when pregnant students can play sports, but recommends they be advised of the risks. Mercyhurst also doesn't have a policy about when or whether pregnant athletes can compete.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) - Penn State is ranked sixth among the nation's party schools by The Princeton Review. For the first time in a decade, West Virginia University is ranked number one. That's a disappointment for school administrators and a point of pride for some students. Penn State is the only school from the Keystone State to make the top 20 in party schools. But two make the list of top 20 "stone cold sober" schools. They are fifth-ranked Grove City College and 19th-ranked Bryn Mawr College. Robert Franek of The Princeton Review says each school has its own culture and offerings. He says the book is intended to help college applicants find the right fit.

NEWPORT, Pa. (AP) - Governor Ed Rendell plans to help open the 37th Perry County Community Fair this evening. Te governor is scheduled to attend a ribbon cutting for the
fair's youth and education building at seven o'clock. Rendell is lso expected to present a check from a state grant program that helped pay for the building. The fair runs through Saturday.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Traffic on the Pennsylvania Turnpike will be slowed down in the Harrisburg area from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. today. It's because a portion of the old Susquehanna River Bridge is to be demolished near the west shore of the river.

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - Federal transportation officials say Pennsylvania is one of the three states that had greatest decreases in numbers of drunken driving deaths last year.
Drunken driving fatalities increased in 22 states in 2006 and fell in 28 states. U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters says the number of traffic deaths overall dropped last year, but alcohol-related crashes are up.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The Philadelphia Housing Authority plans to build its first totally "green" building. Officials say the 23.4 million dollar, 64-unit project in North Philadelphia will be more efficient in its use of energy, water and other materials. Nellie Reynolds Gardens will feature a "green" roof with natural vegetation. The agency plans to install energy efficient appliances and fixtures, while also using environmentally friendly paints, primers and caulking to help preserve the building's air quality. The head of the housing authority says rising utility costs, combined with a desire to help the environment, prompted the agency to build the project.

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) - Little League Baseball president Stephen Keener opposes legislation that would ban non-wood bats from youth baseball. Keener says it would be "difficult" to keep playing the Little League World Series in Pennsylvania with such a ban in place. He stopped short of threatening to move the event elsewhere. Little League allows local leagues to use wood or aluminum, but Keener says that decision shouldn't be in the hands of lawmakers. All of Monday's Little League World Series games were postponed due to rain.
Today's action is scheduled to begin with Tokyo Kitasuna, Japan versus White Rock, British Columbia.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - An animal-rights group ranks Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park as the Number One vegetarian-friendly ballpark in America. Wheat-based cheesesteaks, veggie hoagies, garden burgers and vegan hot dogs boosted the home of the Phillies to the top of the
annual list compiled by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Kevin Tedesco is Aramark's director of concessions at the stadium. He says the ranking is "a little ironic" because
Philadelphia is known for cheesesteaks -- the non-vegetarian kind. But he says the faux-meat cheesesteak, new this year in Philly, has been a popular item. Tedesco says it's important to give customers a choice.