Today's News-Monday, September 24th

An Auburn man was severely injured in a two-vehicle crash last night in West Brunswick Township. Just before 8pm, 35-year-old Ronald Kriner was traveling east on Rolling Mill Road near Route 61 and a pickup driven by 27-year-old Eric Daughtry of Shoemakersville was northbound on Route 61. State police say that Kriner failed to stop for a red light and crossed Route 61 into the path of Daughtry's truck. He tried to stop and avoid the collision, but hit Kriner’s passenger side. Kriner was flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital for treatment. Daughtry was not injured. Both trucks had severe damage and had to be towed from the scene.

A Barnesville man is in Schuylkill County Prison on assault and harassment charges following an incident in Mahanoy Township Friday night. Frackville state police say that 32-year-old Jonathan Kechula and 21-year-old Amy Merenda were involved in a domestic dispute on Buck Mountain Road. Kechula punched, slapped and poked Merenda in the eye during the scuffle.
He was charged with simple assault and harassment. After arraignment, Kechula was unable to post the required bail and was incarcerated at Schuylkill County Prison.

A Mahanoy City man was struck by a car while standing in the middle of State Route 4033 on Sunday night in Union Township. Police say 36-year-old William Mooney, was standing in the northbound lane when 28-year-old Stacie Kowalonek, of Ringtown, hit him with her vehicle.
Mooney was thrown 15 feet from the force of the impact and was taken to Geisinger Medical Center, with what police call moderate injuries. A nursing supervisor at Geisinger says Mooney was still being evaluated in the emergency room early this morning.

Police in Northumberland County are looking for armed robbery suspects. Kulpmont Borough police are searching for two suspects who robbed a bar shortly before midnight last night. Reports are that the two entered the West End Fire Company bar on Maple Street with guns, roughed up the bartender and fled the scene. State Police along with Kulpmont and local area police departments search the area.

A Klingerstown man escaped injury in a crash early Sunday morning. 22-year-old Eric Schreffler was traveling north on Mahantongo Street, near Route 25 in Hubley Township and lost control of his car on a left turn. The car crossed the road and struck a tree. It came to rest next to a cornfield. Schreffler faces charges in the crash. It happened around 2am Sunday.

With six weeks or so left until the general election, some of the county row office races are heating up. Last week, Republican candidate for Clerk of Courts Maria Casey held a press conference at the party headquarters in Pottsville to address several issues about the current Clerk of Courts, incumbent Democrat Stephen Lukach. Casey took issue with comments made by Lukach pertaining to the handling of bail in the Russell Rehrig case. Rehrig was convicted in Schuylkill County Court for sex related crimes against children, but he never showed for his trial, since he was out on bail. Casey contends that mistakes made by Lukach’s office were to blame. Lukach told WPPA/T102 News that his office followed the instructions given by President Judge William Baldwin when bail was set, and that fact was substantiated by Baldwin's comments after the case was decided by the jury. Casey also released the results of an audit conducted by the state Auditor General’s office in 2005 for the Clerk of Courts office. She pointed out some of the deficiencies in the report about proper internal controls in the department, specifically inadequate internal controls and unmonitored data changes.
Lukach said that the report, for the period January, 2002 to January, 2005 did have some issues which were addressed by the implementation of a new computer system. He also said that four previous findings in the audit were rectified prior to the current audit. The Clerk of Courts position is one of several row offices to be decided by voters in the November election.

Dry conditions and a stray cigarette may have caused a brush fire Sunday near Girardville.
After 4pm, fire crews from several companies from Girardville, Ashland and Fountain Springs were called to an area along Route 54 in Butler Township where the fire was already burning.
According to the Republican and Herald, neighbors were trying to extinguish the fire with a garden hose. Within a half hour, the fire was put out. Fire officials believe that a stray cigarette may have ignited it. A home was in close proximity to the fire, but was not damaged. Route 54 was closed for about 90 minutes Sunday afternoon.

A Tower City man faces charges of driving under the influence after a crash early Saturday in Porter Township. 27-year-old Daryl Witmer was westbound on Greenland Road, and lost control on a left curve. The car left the roadway and struck a mailbox, then into the front porch of a home at 31 Greenland Road. State police report that Witmer showed signs of being under the influence of alcohol and failed a field sobriety test. He was taken to Pottsville Hospital for blood testing, then released. Charges are expected to be filed after the results of those tests are known. The crash happened after 2am Saturday morning.

DETROIT (AP) - With a strike deadline just hours away, bargainers for General Motors and the United Auto Workers have been working through the night. The UAW says its members will walk off the job at 11 a.m. Eastern time if there is no contract agreement.

NEW YORK (AP) - Iran's president says his country doesn't need a nuclear bomb and isn't building one. And he says it isn't spoiling for war with the U.S. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave an interview to "60 Minutes" that aired last night. Today, he's to speak at Columbia University in
New York.

WHITE HOUSE (AP) - President Bush is hoping to revive Mideast peace talks as he meets with Palestinian officials today in New York. He's trying to lay the groundwork for a peace conference in the U.S. but many Arab states are skeptical about the precise mission of the meeting.

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) - The crowd of anti-government demonstrators in the streets of Yangon, Myanmar, has swelled to as many as 100,000. Buddhist monks are leading the
biggest public protest since the country's military crushed a pro-democracy uprising about 20 years ago.

UNDATED (AP) - A few more days of nail-biting and scoreboard-watching for baseball fans. Five of the eight playoff spots are undecided with less than a week to play. Cleveland and
the Los Angeles Angels clinched division titles yesterday. Boston is assured of at least a wild card berth.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Dauphin County detectives are investigating a shooting involving an off-duty Harrisburg police officer. The district attorney says the officer heard several shots
fired near his home yesterday. He then went outside and ended up firing several shots.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A Philadelphia man injured in a fire that killed another man is charged with setting the blaze. Police say 53-year-old Jose Lorie charged with arson and homicide for
Saturday's predawn fire. It killed 71-year-old Radames Arteaga.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance says arts and cultural organizations in the region generate about 1.3 billion dollars in annual expenditures. A study says there are about 40,000 jobs tied to the spending in Philadelphia and its suburbs.

READING, Pa. (AP) - Police in Reading say a 14-year-old boy riding a bicycle was chased and bitten on the face by a pit bull named Vicious. Police say Jeramie DeJesus was treated at Reading Hospital for a deep cut to his lip and a punctured left cheek.

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) - Lycoming County authorities say a man who died in a motorcycle craah on Friday was from Ontario, Canada. Police say 61-year-old Dennis Barron lost control of his motorcycle on Route 44 in Brown Township. He struck an embankment and flipped
the bike.