Today's News-January 2nd, 2008

Pottsville rings in the New Year in grand form with amusements for all ages. The festivities began at 6 o'clock with the formal introduction of the Winter Carnival snow drop, snowflake, and queen candidates. The celebration continued with horse and carriage rides that departed from the Historical society, then traveled to Garfield square and back. While patrons waited their turn, they were welcome to hot chocolate, cookies, and the entertainment offered by the Breaker Boys singers Tommy Symons and Stu Richards. Children were given the option of playing a game of life-sized Candy Land. And later on, the Majestic Theater showed DVD videos of highlights from past Winter Carnival Pageants. In the final hours counting down to the new year, a DJ helped keep people entertained and helped keep their minds off the cold until the final countdown when the Yuengling Bottle was raised to officially signify that 2008 had arrived.

Two people suffered minor injuries in a crash New Year's Day in East Brunswick Township.
Megan Seibert of Schuylkill Haven was driving west on the Clamtown Road around 7:30am, when she lost control on the ice covered roadway and her car struck the guide rail. Seibert's car struck a tree and rolled over onto its passenger side. Seibert and her passenger, Sammy Miller of New Ringgold, were both taken to Good Samaritan Hospital for treatment.

State police are looking for the driver of a pickup truck that crashed in New Philadelphia yesterday. The unidentified person was driving a Ford Ranger owned by Joseph Generella of Pottsville on Route 443 when they lost control, shearing a telephone pole in half. The driver then fled. Traffic citations will be filed in District Court.

As we roll into a new year, the need for blood is greater than ever. The American Red Cross is gearing up for two major blood drives next week in our area. A part of the "Giving is Living" campaign, special blood drives will be held Wednesday, January 9th through the 11th. WPPA and T102 are among the media partners joining together for the effort. Wednesday, a blood drive will be held at the Fairlane Village Mall from 11:30am till 6:30pm. Thursday, the drive will be held at Jerusalem Lutheran Church from noon till 6pm. All presenting donors will receive a free collectible tee shirt, and be eligible to win the grand prize of one month free heating, up to $500. As an additional thank you, donors will also be entered into a drawing for a $100 gift card from Office Max of Wilkes Barre. Anyone who is at least 17 years old, weighing at least 110 pounds and in good health may give blood. You must wait at least 56 days between blood donations . To schedule a donation time, call the Red Cross at 800-GIVE-LIFE.

A new year, and a new set of resolutions to help you get your finances in order are being offered by the State Banking Department. Whether you want to spend less, get out of debt or finally start saving for retirement, the Office of Financial Education's Web site "Your Money's Best Friend," has sound advice for achieving your money goals for 2008. www-dot-moneysbestfriend-dot-com, provides practical information and advice about money and how it affects our lives. Visitors can learn about topics such as building credit, creating a budget and buying a house; link to other trusted resources on the Web; and find organizations in their communities that offer financial education. The Office of Financial Education created "Your Money's Best Friend" as a free resource for Pennsylvanians looking for unbiased, non-commercial information about personal finance.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Thousands of costumed mummers did their New Year's Day strut in Philadelphia in the 107th year of what has been called Philadelphia's Mardi Gras. The century-old event features string bands, floats, and elaborate feathered and sequined costumes.
The marchers set off several hours late due to showers and the threat of stiff winds. But by mid-afternoon, there were patches of blue sky and sunshine as brigades cavorted to the delight of spectators lining the route. The parade stems from a mixture of immigrant traditions, some
dating back of the 1640s. Different neighborhood celebrations began to coalesce in the late 19th century, and the modern parade began with city sponsorship in 1901. The spectacle now includes competition in four divisions: comics, the satirists; Fancies, with the flashiest outfits; Fancy Brigades, with choreographed theatrical works; and String Bands, the dancing musicians, with their traditional theme "Oh! Dem Golden Slippers."

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Union stagehands at the Pennsylvania Convention Center are calling for a strike. The stagehands were refusing to dismantle sets following last night's performance by the Mummers. Michael Barnes is the business agent for the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Union Local 8. He says the union's contract at the center expired Dec. 31. Barnes says negotiations with Elliot-Lewis Corp., which manages labor at the center, broke down over management's demands to use nonunion employees for work in meeting rooms. The walkout could jeopardize the convention of the American Baseball Coaches Association, starting

COUDERSPORT, Pa. (AP) - A 10-year-old boy playing on an icy pond near his Coudersport home fell through the ice and drowned on New Year's Eve. Potter County Coroner Kevin Dusenbury Sr. says Blake Dunn was about 25 feet from shore when he fell through the ice on the large, deep, spring-fed pond. Authorities say the boy was last seen by his mother shortly
after 5 p.m. on Monday when he left the house to return an item to a neighbor. When he didn't return, his mother called the authorities. Searchers recovered Blake's body shortly before 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Dusenbury says Blake was playing alone on the private pond about
150 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

CANONSBURG, Pa. (AP) - Washington Presbytery officials are contesting a claim to church property by a western Pennsylvania congregation that voted to leave the national church.
A property dispute arose after members of the Peters Creek Presbyterian Church voted in November to leave the Presbyterian Church USA and join the Evangelical Presbyterian Church based in Livonia, Mich. Peters Creek church members say they joined the more evangelical
church because it more closely follows biblical teachings on the Trinity, salvation and some social issues, including not allowing the ordination of gay clergy. The head of the Washington Presbytery will soon leave to become pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Dearborn, Mich.

SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) - The state will help Lackawanna County pay for a new voting system for the April 22nd primary. The Department of State has agreed to reimburse the county up to
1.7 million dollars to help pay for a voting system to replace electronic machines that have been decertified. Department of State spokeswoman Leslie Amoros says Wayne and Northampton counties will receive similar offers to replace the Advanced Voting Solutions touch-screen machines. Lackawanna County bought 500 of the machines in 2006 to bring the county into compliance with the federal Help America Vote Act. But the state suspended certification of the machines for the November 2007 general election after the company failed to gain federal certification.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Former Philadelphia mayor Frank Rizzo is remembered for his tough crime crackdown in the 1970s. W. Wilson Goode was mayor when a firebomb was dropped on the MOVE house in West Philadelphia in the 1980s. Ed Rendell is credited with bringing the city back from near-bankruptcy when he was mayor in the 1990s. For Mayor John F. Street, whose second term ends Monday, it is likely historians will note the bug planted by the FBI in his office. The October 2003 discovery uncovered a sweeping corruption probe that targeted, among others, his treasurer and one of his biggest fundraisers. The 64-year-old former city councilman won praise for his 300-million-dollar anti-blight initiative. He also leaves behind
new stadiums for the Philadelphia Eagles and Phillies. But many will also remember the spike in murders during his second term, when the homicide tally broke 400 for the first time
in nearly a decade.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The good news for Philadelphia officials is that the number of homicides in the city dipped below 400 last year. That's a drop from the record 406 a year earlier. And police say overall violent crime is down about nine percent. On the other hand, the city's homicide rate per 100,000 people is still the highest among the nation's 10 largest cities. And
other cities, such as New York, are seeing their homicide count fall more sharply. Authorities say about 80 percent of the approximately 392 killings in Philadelphia last year involved handguns.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Harrisburg Mayor Stephen Reed says he wants to see housing for hundreds of students built in the city's midtown area. Investors are being sought to plan, build, own and manage off-campus housing for those enrolled in nearby colleges. The city's redevelopment authority plans to lease or sell three acres of city-controlled land to the chosen developer. The project could include as many as 350 units. Proposals are due March 24.
The mayor says the housing will help the city become a regional center for higher education.
The new housing must be no more than five stories and include a masonry brick or stone facing in keeping with the neighborhood's turn-of-the-century row houses. Reed says the city offers a 10-year tax abatement scale and its development authority could help obtain tax-exempt bond financing.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Just one more day of campaigning before tomorrow's Iowa caucuses. Republican Mike Huckabee will fly to Los Angeles to tape the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno." Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will also appear on TV in two-minute ads.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Opposition parties in Pakistan say the government is afraid of an "outright defeat," and says that's why next week's parliamentary elections have been postponed. The government says it has logistical issues to deal with and there are indications the vote will be put off for at least a month.

DETROIT (AP) - Folks in the Midwest are starting off the new year trying to dig out of snow. A storm has dropped up to 16 inches across parts of Michigan, snarling traffic, burying runways and keeping schools closed. Up to a foot of new snow is forecast across parts of New England.

MILWAUKEE (AP) - A letter written by a woman who died from poisoning could become evidence in her husband's murder trial when it begins this week. The woman said she suspected her husband of trying to kill her. The evidence could be allowed under new rules by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

MODESTO, Calif. (AP) - Criminal justice students at an Atlanta college will conduct their own investigation into the death of Washington intern Chandra Levy. The students plan to turn over
their findings and recommendations to D.C. police. Levy's body was found in 2002, a year after she vanished, but no one has been charged.