Today's News-Monday, December 3rd

The area dodged a weather bullet over the weekend. Forecasters had predicted a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain for Saturday night into Sunday evening. The snow did materialize, with a coating to an inch or two, but the significant ice event didn't build up as much as predicted. This morning, roads are mainly wet, with some slushy patches. Fog is very thick in low lying areas. A wind advisory is in effect until 7pm tonight, as blustery conditions will dominate our weather following the cold front that affected our weather over the weekend. Take your time when driving today.

A McAdoo man escaped injury in a one vehicle crash late last night in East Brunswick Township. Jonathan Bolt was traveling east on Route 895 in excess of the posted speed while going downhill. He lost control of his car and went up an embankment and flipped over on the passenger's side. Bolt was wearing his seatbelt, and was not hurt. He will be cited in the crash, which happened around 11:30 Sunday night.

State police are investigating a break in at a Tower City mini market early Sunday. Two unknown individuals went to Tower Mini Market on East Grand Avenue and threw a brick through the front door. A few items were taken. The pair were disturbed during the burglary when a newspaper deliveryman pulled up at the store. The pair took off on the 4-wheeler and the deliveryman gave chase, but lost them. The duo are described as being white males between the ages of 19 and 20.

A Jonestown man was involved in a crash while driving a dump truck in Pine Grove Township Saturday morning. Schuylkill Haven state police say that 43-year-old Ray Lehman was driving west on Oak Grove Road around 9:30am when he apparently took sick. The truck crossed over the road and traveled down an eight foot bank, into a ditch. Witnesses say that the truck was traveling extremely slow prior to the accident. Lehman was taken to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, then flown to Lehigh Valley for treatment.

A Schuylkill Haven man escaped injury in a crash in South Manheim Township Saturday evening. Craig Travaglini was apparently traveling at a high rate of speed on Hillview Road when he lost control and the car slid into a wooded area. In trying to regain control, the car went back across the road and struck a dirt bank, rolling onto its side. Travaglini's car was destroyed. He will be cited for traveling at an unsafe speed.

Schuylkill Haven state police are continuing their investigation into a break in at a Wayne Township business last night. Between 9:40 and 11pm, two vehicles were observed at Kramer's Solid Rock on Route 183, and a door was forced opened to gain entry to the business. If you have any information about the break-in, call Schuylkill Haven state police at 593-2000.

Saturday was the observance of World AIDS Day. A local organization is hosting an event this evening.. World AIDS Day was set aside for everyone to get the facts to prevent the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus and to foster a concern for those already infected. Schuylkill Wellness Service and the Pottsville P-FLAG chapter are sponsoring a large panel of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, to be on display at Penn State Schuylkill's Student Center tonight from 6 to 8pm. Special programs will also be held. The quilt will also be on display Tuesday and Wednesday at the campus. Schuylkill Wellness is the only comprehensive HIV/AIDS agency which offers ongoing testing for the virus. For information, call 622-3980.

Icy roads, fog and speeding have been attributed to a crash on Interstate 81 this morning. Before 5am, Harvey Whitman the Third was northbound near mile marker 110, when he lost control, crashing his Ford Escort into the guiderail. State police say that Whitman was driving too fast for conditions, and will be cited.

A Pottsville man is under arrest after being caught in the act of burglarizing a Pottsville law office early Saturday. City police were dispatched to the offices of Attorney Edward Brennan and Thomas Pellish on Mahantongo Street for a burglar alarm. Officers found a broken window and open door on the first floor and another on the second window. During the search, police found a man ransacking an office on the first floor. With the aid of officers from St. Clair, Schuylkill Haven, Minersville and state police, they found the man hiding under some boxes in a kitchen on the second floor. 21-year-old Brian Eckert was taken into custody and charged with burglary, criminal trespass and other offenses. He was arraigned at Schuylkill County Prison and held on bail. A second suspect is being sought.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A new book by a Temple University professor describes the medical experiments once conducted on inmates at Holmesburg State Prison. One inmate, Edward "Butch" Anthony, describes mysterious substances he had dabbed on his skin, injected in his veins and given in a cup to drink. He says some made him hallucinate to the point he acquired the nickname "Outer Limits." Author Allen Hornblum's book, "Sentenced to Science," is a follow-up to an earlier book on the subject he published in 1998. He says the experiments were done at Holmesburg from 1951 until 1974, when the city banned them. The inmates signed up in order to earn more money than the pennies a day paid for regular prison jobs.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The state's two largest health insurers say they are not ready to disclose what their top executives would make in a proposed merger. The state insurance department is studying whether to approve the merger of Pittsburgh-based Highmark and Independence Blue Cross, which serves eastern Pennsylvania. The new company would
control more than half of the state's health insurance market. State officials want to know what the top two CEOs would get in total payments if the merger goes through. Some Blue Cross executives across the country have gotten or been promised huge payouts in various mergers, some totaling $30 million or more. Consumer advocates say their compensation should be public because the Blues are owned by their member groups and have a social mission. Officials with both Highmark and Independence say they are considering the request.

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) - The trial of a judge accused of professional misconduct is scheduled to resume this month. Lucerne County Ann Lokuta is charged with verbally abusing her employees and ordering them to work on her yard or care for her mother while they were on county time. Lokuta has held the post for 15 years. A three-judge panel of the of the state's Judicial Conduct Board is hearing her case. The potential penalties range from a reprimanded to removal from the bench. The defense says the complaints amount to gossip and innuendo. Lokuta's attorney tried to get the case dismissed, but that request was turned down Friday.

CONNEAUTVILLE, Pa. (AP) - A Crawford County dairy farm is moving ahead with plans to turn cow manure into electricity in order to power the operation. Don and Jack Bortnick recently received a $600,000 state grant to build a manure-to-gas operation at their farm. The system breaks down the carbon in manure into methane gas, which powers a generator to make electricity. Jack Bortnick says the dairy is projected to produce close to 248,000 kilowatt hours of electricity monthly, enough to power the entire operation. The dairy near Conneautville has about 1,400 cows. State officials say there are 15 to 20 similar digesters generating power at farms across Pennsylvania.

BERWICK, Pa. (AP) - A Berwick man cleaning out an old warehouse next to his home made an explosive find - 100 pounds of dynamite. Jack Beiter found the dynamite in a box marked "Danger: High Explosive." He alerted police, who found detonators in another room. They disposed of the dynamite by detonating it. Beiter had recently acquired the warehouse after its former owner died. He recently began cleaning it out and his wife had been hoping to find antique furniture inside. The warehouse had once been used to store supplies for a contracting business. Police say the dynamite had been there for years.

NATIONAL NEWS

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Snow and ice are spreading across the Northeast. Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and parts of New York state and Michigan are under winter storm warnings. Some areas could receive nearly two feet of snow. At least 11 traffic deaths are now blamed on the weather since last week.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is responding to a political defeat by asserting that he's no dictator and respects the will of the people. Chavez was turned back by voters who refused to allow him to run for re-election indefinitely and impose a socialist system.

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) - The Sudan teddy bear fracas apparently is over. A British official says Sudan's president is pardoning a British teacher, who insulted some parents by allowing their children to name a teddy bear after the prophet Muhammad. Gillian Gibbons had been jailed since Thursday.

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards is to air a new television ad today in New Hampshire that blames lobbyists for U.S. health-care troubles. The ad shows Edwards telling a town meeting that power must be taken away from lobbyists, drug companies and insurance firms, if 47 million uninsured Americans are to be covered.

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Australia's new prime minister has made good on his election promise to join the world's climate change forces. Kevin Rudd signed paperwork today, ratifying the Kyoto Protocol. The United States is now the only wealthy country refusing to accept the global warming pact.