Today's News-Friday, January 18th

A Pottsville woman is dead following an accident early this morning in Schuylkill Haven. State police say that Barbara Tenney and James Smith, both of Pottsville, were traveling south on Route 61, following each other in the left hand lane. 55-year-old Frances Eichert was attempting to cross Route 61 from University Drive when she struck the driver's side rear of Tenney’s car. After impact, Eichert was struck by Smith’s driver's side. Eichert was pronounced dead at the scene.

A Minersville man will spend the rest of his days in prison for murder. 68-year old Nevin Wetzel pleaded guilty yesterday to murdering 57-year-old Gloria Pauzer of St. Clair in May, 2007. Judge Jacqueline Russell heard the case, in which Wetzel admitted to stabbing Pauzer in her home, after she denied advances he made when they were both at the Pottsville Senior Center. With the plea of first degree murder, he was automatically sentenced to life without parole.

The Schuylkill County Commissioners approved several agreements and grant applications during their meeting Wednesday. The Agriculture Extension Service received approval for the 2008 West Nile Virus grant agreement with the Department of Environmental Protection and an administration, leadership and management services agreement with Penn State University for the West Nile Program. The total for both programs is almost $87,600. Also approved was the 2008 consumer Horticulture services agreement and a 4-H/Youth services agreement between the county and Penn State totaling almost $70,900. Grant application approvals include, $2,500 to the Berks Art Council for arts activities at Sweet Arrow Lake. $500,000 for the county-wide demolition and Rehabilitation program and $350,000 on behalf of Schuylkill Women in Crisis and Gaudenzia to their for selected and maintenance projects. The Commissioners also approved the purchase of a floor scrubbing machine for use on the courthouse floors for just under $14,000.
Permission was also given to the Engineering Department to contract for professional services with Alfred Benesch & Company for engineering inspections of the county’s Highridge East Business Park at a cost of $3,800.

Monies to gain a permanent home for the Schuylkill YMCA has been granted by the state. Senator Jim Rhoades brought the good news to Pottsville yesterday for the "Y", who now has a permanent home at the former Armory building on North Centre Street. The $600-thousand-dollars from the Department of Community and Economic Development will allow the Schuylkill YMCA to renovate the Armory and the Tremont Municipal Building to house the "Y"'s various programs. The organization has had to use other facilities around the county to run their programs since its resurrection in the 1990's.

Volunteers are honored for their work in the name of Make a Difference Day. Eleven groups were given special commendation awards for their projects Thursday night at the Good Samaritan Wall auditorium during the annual awards ceremony. The following organizations were recognized: Action youth group, Christ United Lutheran Church, Community Support group, Good Samaritan medical center staff, Health services committee of the Episcopal Churches of Schuylkill county, Girl scout troop 1 4 6 8, Pine Grove Area High School, Minersville Elementary center sixth grade, Pine Grove Diakon Volunteer Home Care, St. Ambrose School, and St John's UCC of Schuylkill Haven. In addition to the groups, one individual was honored the Above and Beyond commendation for her service. Lillian Patten has led the Pine Grove High School students in the Hug-a-Bear project for the past 7 years. This year, 50 students assembled, decorated and distributed about 200 bears to local police stations, hospitals and ambulance associations. In its 11th year, Make a Difference Day was celebrated in the county by 82 groups and 1 thousand 7 hundred 19 individuals who performed projects in the name of the occasion.

An award winning author with ties to our area will visit Pottsville tomorrow for a writer’s workshop and book signing. Charles Benoit of Rochester, New York, who has written three mystery novels, will be at the Pottsville Free Public Library Saturday afternoon at 1pm. In his first book, Relative Danger, Benoit's lead character, Douglas Pearce, is a Pottsville native who searches for answers about his uncle’s murder. Benoit explains about his Schuylkill County connection.
BENOIT
After the writer's workshop, Benoit will be available for a book signing and discussion. His other award winning novels include Out of Order and Noble Lies. Benoit was a teacher in the US and abroad, and now works as an ad copywriter in the Rochester area.

A constitutional amendment to permit elimination of homeowners' property taxes advanced out of the state House of Representatives, but it faces a long road ahead. The measure passed Thursday would expand a provision on the state constitution that allows a 50 percent cut in property taxes for people's primary homes. It would allow the elimination of such taxes, while keeping taxes for businesses and other commercial properties. Among those voting for the amendment was 125th District Representative Tim Seip. He comments on the historic move:
SEIP
The bill is the first to emerge from the House as Democratic leaders push for ways to cut school taxes.
It still needs to pass the Senate this year. Then it would need another round of approval by the Legislature to be elected this year and finally approval by the state's voters.

Authorities are looking for a prisoner who escaped from the Minersville Federal Prison. Sometime around 5:30 last night, 48-year-old Louis Palumbo was found to be missing from the camp at the intersection of Route 901 and Interstate 81, according to the Republican and Herald. The man was serving a sentence for bond forgery and bank fraud. He has been a prisoner at the minimum-security facility since October. If anyone has any information, contact local or state police.

Police in Sunbury, Northumberland County say an early morning shooting is now a suspected double homicide. Police were called to a home in the 200 block of North Fourth Street in Sunbury to investigate the death of two individuals, who were shot to death. The shooting took place around one this morning. Police are not releasing the names of the victims at this time. They're only saying a man and woman have been shot. A person of interest is in custody for questioning but no charges have yet been filed. Sunbury police along with state police, the Northumberland County Sheriff'ss department, and numerous fire police were called out for traffic and crowd control at Fourth and Race streets in Sunbury.

ETNA, Pa. (AP) - A large warehouse fire in the Pittsburgh suburb of Etna is under control, but police say northbound Route 28 in the area remains closed. Fire crews say the blaze started in an apartment and spread to the warehouse, which houses a metal cleaning company. Everybody got out of the apartment safely.
Hazardous materials crews have been called because some chemicals used by the company can be dangerous, but there are no reports of problems so far.

SUNBURY, Pa. (AP) - Two people are reported dead and police are questioning one person after an early morning shooting in Sunbury. Police say the shootings occurred at a residence. Officers were
called to the apartment about 1 a.m. and found two people shot to death. Police have not released information on the victims or the person being questioned.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The FBI is taking its effort to catch fugitives on the road in the form of electronic billboards. Faces of criminals on the run are being posted on roadside billboards in 20 major cities, including Philadelphia. It's part of a bigger effort to catch fugitives that includes postings on the FBI's Web site. An FBI spokesman says the billboards have the benefit of reaching commuters and shoppers.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Two companies expect to create more than 150 new jobs in Pittsburgh over the next three years with the help of state grants. Officials say technology consultant TechAssist plans to create 96 new jobs when it moves from Washington, D.C. to downtown Pittsburgh. Credit card manager CardWorks plans to move from downtown Pittsburgh to another building in the city, and create 56 new jobs.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A Pittsburgh restaurant owner wants to box Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato in an effort to overturn a 10-percent tax on alcoholic drinks. Jim Mitchell, who owns Mitchell's Restaurant, Bar & Banquet Center wants to fight Onorato as part of a charity amateur boxing card on Feb. 9. If Mitchell
wins, he wants the tax overturned. If Onorato wins, Mitchell says he wants to let Onorato have a countywide smoking ban that Mitchell successfully challenged with a lawsuit in May.

NEW YORK (AP) - Wall Street appears to be headed for a sharply higher open today. A strong outlook from IBM may encourage investors to buy back into stocks after the huge drop so far this week. The Dow has suffered its worst three-day plunge in more than five years.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is describing the economic stimulus package to be announced by President Bush today as one that's "going to be focused on consumers." Bush is pushing Congress for taxpayer rebates of up to $800 for individuals and $1,600 for married couples.

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) - Reclusive chess champion Bobby Fischer has died at the age of 64. Fischer became a Cold War icon by defeating a Soviet player to become world champion in 1972. He then
became known for his erratic behavior and anti-Semitic rants in the years after the victory. There's no word on a cause of death.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A court document reveals that one of the victims in last month's San Francisco Zoo tiger attack admitted taunting the animal before it escaped its enclosure. A search warrant obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle details a conversation between one of the surviving victims and the father of
a teen who was killed in the attack.

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel has shut down all border crossings into Gaza. The move cuts off food and humanitarian supplies in an effort to pressure Palestinian militants to stop rocket attacks on southern Israel. Ten rockets hit Israel yesterday.