Today's News-Thursday, November 1st

State legislators are taking another crack at property tax reform. The House Finance Committee passed two separate bills to shift from property taxes to sales and income taxes. 125th District Representative Tim Seip said that the bills are a start:

SEIP

The revenue generated from the bills would supplement monies that are promised to property tax reduction through slots gambling. In another move, a bi-partisan committee, including Representative Dave Argall, proposed a new property tax elimination plan. The lawmakers propose expanding the number of consumer items subject to the state sales tax and a small hike in the state income tax rate, but details are still being worked out. The House will resume debate on the issue when they return after the election.

A Barnesville man was arrested by state police early Wednesday, and charged him with harassment. 19-year-old John R. Pauley had a confrontation with security personnel at Blaschak Coal Company, Route 54 in Mahanoy Township. The incident happened around 2am yesterday morning. Pauley will have to answer harassment charges, and several traffic violations in District Court.

A new report coming out today paints a dull picture for employees receiving health insurance coverage on the job. The Economic Policy Institute in Washington and the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center in Harrisburg indicates that nearly half-a-million fewer Pennsylvanians are receiving health insurance through their employer than were getting it just five years ago. That decrease was the largest of any state in the country, except California. The report found that almost 200-thousand of those newly non-covered residents were children. The study also determined that although employment-based coverage is still the most prevalent form of health insurance in the nation, the rate of such coverage has fallen every year since 2000. Nationwide, 3-point-1 million fewer Americans had employment based coverage in 2006 than 2001. Sharon Ward, Director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, attributes the decline in coverage to the continued loss of manufacturing jobs in the Commonwealth and to the rising cost of health insurance, especially for small businesses. Between 2000 and 2006, she said, insurance premiums increased by 76 percent.

You’ve heard of a tug of war….but a Tug A Bug? The Schuylkill United Way, in conjunction with J. Bertolet Volkswagen, Orwigsburg, are holding the event at Penn State Schuylkill Campus this afternoon. Five teams of Penn State students and one faculty team will participate by dragging a VW Bug a pre-determined distance in the fastest time. The winning team will win a $5-thousand-dollar prize, which goes to the United Way. And the "best dressed" team will win $1-thousand-dollars. The prizes are donated by J. Bertolet. Come out and cheer on a team at today's event at Penn State Schuylkill, and help out Schuylkill United Way, during their "We Are…Community Strong" campaign.

A new store held its grand opening yesterday at Schuylkill Mall. Steve and Barry's, deemed one of the nation's hottest retailers, opened for business yesterday, according to officials at the Schuylkill Mall. The casual apparel retailer began renovating the former Hess's space months ago, and is the ninth store for the chain in Pennsylvania. There are 208 Steve and Barry's nationwide in 33 states. Mall and local officials, along with a representative from Governor Rendell's office were on hand for the grand opening. Empire Schuylkill LP, the owner of the mall, said that the addition of Steve and Barry's is part of their ongoing plan to add value and interest to the shopping public.

Two vehicles had severe damage, but no one was hurt in a crash at the Cressona Mall entrance yesterday morning. Clyde Derstine of New Ringgold was driving north on Route 61, and Robert Spirko of Pottsville was exiting the mall. Derstine failed to stop for the red light and was struck by Spirko's car. In spite of the damage, both cars could be driven from the scene.

A legendary comedy theatre troupe is coming to Pottsville tomorrow for a show at the Pottsville High School. The Sovereign Majestic Theatre Association is hosting the appearance of Second City, featuring some of the best sketches, songs and improvisations from the Second City's forty-five plus year history. Second City has become the premier training ground for some of comedy's best…including John Belushi, Bill Murray, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and many others.
The "One Nation Under Blog" show starts at 7pm Friday night at the Pottsville High School, Wachter Auditorium. Tickets are $25 dollars, and can be purchased by calling PADCO at 628-4647.

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. (AP) - A Forks Township police officer accused of leading state police on a four-county chase at up to 126 mph is suspended without pay. Chairman David Hoff of the Forks Township supervisors has confirmed Officer Ernest Fimiano Junior's suspension, saying Wednesday the supervisors were notified via e-mail from Police Chief Glenn Dorney. Officials say three state police cruisers chased Fimiano through Union, Northumberland, Montour and Columbia counties before one pulled the off-duty officer over on Interstate 80 near Berwick about 2 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 14. The 43-year-old Fimiano is charged with drunken driving, speeding, careless driving and reckless driving.

BALTIMORE (AP) - A jury has awarded nearly 11 million dollars in compensatory and punitive damages over picketing at the funeral of a Marine killed in Iraq. The lawsuit was filed by Albert Snyder of York over the protest at the funeral of his son, Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder. The jury found the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, and some of its members invaded the family's privacy and intentionally inflicted emotional distress. Members of the small church routinely picket military funerals. They argue that American soldiers are dying as punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality. They often carry signs reading "Thank God for dead soldiers" and "God hates fags." The church is expected to appeal.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - State police officials say they may cut back on the number of troopers at each slot-machine casino after state budgetmakers deemed the costs to be excessive. As a result, state police officials say troopers could end up patrolling casino floors for 16 hours a day, instead of 24 hours a day currently. State police spokeswoman Corporal Linette Quinn says troopers who are removed from the casinos would be reassigned to duties as part of the state's regular force. Senate lawyers say legislators felt that stationing 14 troopers at each casino was unnecessary, considering the low crime rates at the facilities. They say the $11 million in the budget should pay for 11 troopers at each casino. The casinos pay the tab for the state police presence, but the Legislature and Governor Ed Rendell must approve the funding level.

TORONTO (Dow Jones/AP) - A federal court in Virginia is granting GlaxoSmithKline's request to block the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office from imposing new rules. The U.S. District Court yesterday temporarily delayed implementation of the proposed rules. The rules reduce the number of times a patent applicant can contest or amend rejected or pending patent claims. Previously, applicants could file an unlimited number of amendments or challenges, known in industry parlance as "continuations." Continuations are considered an important tool in the competitive pharmaceutical industry because new information about an invention often comes to light after the initial patent application has been filed. The Patent and Trademark Office wants to limit the number of continuations to help make the patent-application process more efficient, and to reduce its massive application backlog.

JIM THORPE, Pa. (AP) - The new owners of the Sunrise Diner are hoping someone will take the longtime Jim Thorpe eatery with its 1950s-style stainless steel exterior off their hands. The Sunrise Diner closed in June after 53 years of tourists and Jim Thorpe residents piling into its booths and bellying up to the counter. Noel and Bernadette Behan have bought the property so they can expand their own adjacent restaurant, JT's All American Steak and Ale House. The Carbon Career and Technical Institute turned down an offer of the building for its culinary arts program. Now Noel Behan says the couple is running an ad on the American Diner Museum's Web site "looking for a new home" for the decades-old diner.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Talks between Hollywood writers and producers have ended, the writers' contact has expired and now they're thinking about a strike. The two sides say they're still far apart over how much money the writers should get from DVD and Internet sales of movies and TV shows.

MIAMI (AP) - A tropical storm warning has been issued for coastal areas of Miami-Dade and Broward counties in Florida. Strong wind, rough surf and rain from Tropical Storm Noel is the reason. A tropical storm watch is out for Palm Beach County. The storm is blamed for at least 81 deaths in the Caribbean, mostly in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

BAGHDAD (AP) - Bombs have left at least 16 people dead in Baghdad and areas to the north of the capital today. In one incident, police say a roadside bomb killed five near a shelter
used as a police recruiting center in a Shiite-dominated neighborhood. The U.S. military also announced two soldiers were killed by an explosion yesterday in a northern province.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The former commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East says oil, extremism and the Arab-Israeli conflict could keep U.S. troops in the region for another 50 years. Retired Army General John Abizaid says it's not a war for oil, but that oil fuels "an awful lot of geopolitical moves" there.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Consumers haven't been spending as freely. Spending growth slowed in September to three-tenths of one percent, slightly lower than the increase that had been expected. Economists are worried that consumers may cut back on their visits to the malls as they struggle with the housing slowdown, tighter credit and high oil prices.