Today's News-Friday, September 14th

A Pine Grove teenager is dead and another injured in a crash last night in Washington Township. Schuylkill Haven state police say that the pair were driving south on Newswanger Road, near Route 895 when the driver lost control and struck a tree on the passenger's side, then spun around. The 17-year-old driver died. The passenger, also age 17, from Schuylkill Haven, was flown from the scene for treatment. Neither were identified. The crash happened shortly before 8pm Thursday.

A fire destroyed a vacant home in Coaldale yesterday. Reports indicate that the double home at 119-121 Greenwood Street was destroyed, and the origin suspicious. The Republican and Herald indicates that firefighters were called to the scene before 1am. It took two hours to bring the blaze under control. State police Fire Marshal John Burns is investigating.

A Georgia trucker escaped serious injury in a crash on Interstate 81 yesterday morning. According to state police, 25-year-old Mansoor Abdullah of Norcross, Georgia was traveling north on the Interstate near the McAdoo exit when he lost control of his rig. The truck struck a rock embankment and rolled over. Abdullah refused medical treatment at the scene. The accident forced northbound traffic on I-81 to one lane for about 7 hours for cleanup.

Beginning today, motorists in Pottsville will see traffic pattern changes for road work on a city street. City officials tell us that Peacock Street, between Center and Heffner Streets will be down to one lane of travel, beginning today. The roadwork will take approximately 3 weeks to complete.

A Mount Carbon bar and entertainment complex learned the decision from the Liquor Control Board yesterday, stemming from an incident in October, 2005. Goodfella's had been charged by the LCB for playing music too loud after hours at a Halloween concert in 2005. That was alleged by a liquor enforcement officer. A summary of the ruling was received by WPPA/T102 News yesterday, indicating that the concert did in fact end at 12:30am, and that no violation of the regulations took place. A hearing about the incident took place in February. According to the owners of Goodfella's, their liquor license has been renewed and their case dismissed by Judge David Shenkle, Allentown.

A Girardville man was arrested by Pottsville police Wednesday following an incident on Route 61. 44-year-old John Shoup was reportedly intoxicated at the intersection of Mauch Chunk Street and Route 61, and walking on the road. Police noticed a closed pocket knife in his hand. When they attempted to apprehend Shoup, he lunged at the officers on scene. He fought them throughout their efforts to put him in the police car. Shoup continued to kick the windows of the cruiser and shouted obscenities at them. He was subdued by police using pepper spray. Shoup was arraigned on a host of charges, including public drunkenness and resisting arrest, and taken to county prison, being unable to post bail.

The City of Pottsville is gearing up for next month’s "Maroons Week in Pottsville". David Fleming, a senior writer for ESPN and author of the book "Breaker Boys", based on the 1925 NFL Championship team, will visit the city on a book signing tour. Eric Lipton, chairman of City's "Breaker Boys Committee" talked to WPPA /T-102 News about events planned for the week:
ERIC LIPTON
Fleming will be signing books during his three day stay: at the Historical Society, Pottsville Free Public Library, the Good Will Book Store and at Pottsville's Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The events are a coordinated effort by the Breaker Boys Committee, Lasting Legacy and the Pottsville Business Association.

The Schuylkill County Commissioners on Wednesday approved a fee for service contract with a Montgomery County firm to provide architectural and administration services for a $1.5 Million Dollar upgrade of Rest Haven's sprinkler system. Lolli & Rodgers Architects, Fort Washington will provide the service from September, 2007 to September, 2008 for a fee of $35-thousand-dollars. Four contracts for the project were awarded last week after being delayed twice so engineers could review them. The project includes upgrading current sprinklers and installing new ones in areas that are not equipped. The Commissioners also approved an engineering contract for Alfred Benesch and Company, Pottsville to inspect a new warehouse in Highridge Industrial Park. The contract calls for engineering inspections at the Sara Lee U.S. Food Group warehouse. The inspection will cost the County $8,000 but the money will be reimbursed by Sara Lee. The project is expected to bring 250 factory and constructions jobs to the county.
Sara Lee will join Lowe's, Wal-Mart, Wegmans, Sears, Country Inn & Suites and Fanelli Brothers Trucking Company at the park, where nearly 2-thousand county residents are employed.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Critics of the war in Iraq say President Bush has failed to come up with a good reason to continue the war or a plan for ending it. In an address to the nation last night, Bush announced plans to phase out his buildup over the next ten months, getting troop levels back down to where they were last year.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House this morning sends Congress its latest Iraq assessment report and it will show only slim progress. An official tells The Associated Press half the 18 goals still are not in the "satisfactory" column. Areas of "unsatisfactory" progress include distribution of oil money and evenhanded enforcement of the law.

HIGH ISLAND, Texas (AP) - What's left of yesterday's fast-forming Gulf Coast storm, Hurricane Humberto, continues to cause problems in the Southeast. It's bringing rain to
Louisiana and Mississippi, prompting flood watches. Crews are working to get the power back on to tens of thousands who lost it in Texas.

CUTLER BAY, Fla. (AP) - What started out as a deadly traffic stop near Miami yesterday ended last night in a deadly police shootout. Police killed a suspect who had gunned down one officer and wounded three others 12 hours earlier. They caught up with him last night at an apartment complex.

LONDON (AP) - The organizers of London's Fashion Week are proposing new rules aimed at discouraging ultra-thin runway models. A report by the British Fashion Council today stops short of disqualifying models for being too thin. But it does say models have to be at least 16 and need to be screened for eating disorders.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Penn State University's vice president for student affairs has resigned abruptly. Vicky Triponey, who held the job since 2003, left yesterday. University spokesman Bill Mahon says she informed administrators a couple of days earlier.

YORK, Pa. (AP) - The man who impaled himself on a wrought-iron fence at the York Fair has been identified. He is 19-year-old Aaron Fry of Washington Borough, Lancaster County. Fry was taken to a hospital Wednesday night with a section of fence still in his leg.

SHARON, Pa. (AP) - Mercer County prosecutors have withdrawn theft and other charges against three of four men accused of stealing copper piping and other metals from a vacant office building. Prosecutors say there's not enough evidence against three of the men.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - Roman Catholic parishioners in the Allentown Diocese get their own chance to expound this Sunday. Rather than hearing sermons, parishioners will answer about 40 questions, including three short essays, to help leaders make tough decisions.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The bus driver who was wounded by gunfire in Philadelphia's Olney neighborhood yesterday is keeping a sense of humor. Malcolm McLaughlin says it was "a good thing to have love handles" because the gunshot was mostly a flesh wound.