Today's News-Saturday January 12th

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN - A more than 20 year-old investigation in the death of David Wellington Reed hopes to bring some closure to his disappearance and untimely death. State police, the Schuylkill County DA Jim Goodman and County Coroner Joseph Lipsett met with the media Friday afternoon to provide an update about the 22 year old case involving the Schuylkill Haven boy in 1985. The initial autopsy, conducted in 1986, was unable to reach a determination as to how Reed died. Juvenile diabetes was reported as a contributing factor. However, authorities say that the technology was not available at that time to pinpoint a firm cause, or whether it was a homicide. Now, with new information gleaned from the investigation, and the exhumation of Reed's body for further study by an expert forensic anthropologist, Dr. Anthony Falsetti of the University of Florida, it is hoped that the manner of death can be determined. The exhumation, ordered by Judge Jacqueline Russell, will take place in the near future, and the remains sent to Dr. Falsetti in Florida. Reed is buried at Schuylkill Memorial Park. Over the past 2 ½ years, Trooper Robert Betnar of the Schuylkill Haven barracks, has been actively working the new information, which state police would not divulge. They also declined to comment if there are any suspects and if in fact, they would be prepared to make any arrests if it is determined that David Reed was the victim of a homicide.

NORWEGIAN TOWNSHIP - PennDot has announced that construction will begin at a dangerous intersection on Route 61. Beginning Monday motorists may experience occasional weekday lane restrictions on Route 61 north and south between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., and are advised to use caution when driving around the Fairlane Village. Work includes upgrading of traffic signals at the intersection of Route 61 and Tunnel Road. Also, new pedestrian crosswalks and pedestrian crossing signals are being installed at the intersection. Additional work includes installing traffic sensors, pavement markings, and upgrading signs. Telco, Inc. of Reading, Pa. is the general contractor on the project. All work is expected to be completed by the end of May 2008, weather permitting.

READING, Pa. (AP) - The lawyer for the eighth-grader accused of stabbing three students at Antietam Middle-Senior High School apologized on behalf of the boy's family today for the pain the incident has caused. The attorney spoke briefly to reporters after the 13-year-old boy was ordered by Berks County Judge Scott Lash to remain in juvenile detention. Witnesses say the boy burst into an English class Wednesday and began slashing at students with a knife. Three students suffered minor stab wounds before the youth was subdued by school officials. Some parents urged district officials at a meeting last night to put more police in the schools. Others said the district should hire more counselors to help troubled students. Superintendent Lawrence Mayes says school officials are considering all suggestions and the district is reviewing security measures and how it responded to the attack.

READING, Pa. (AP) - The Department of Environmental Protection is helping with efforts to repair a ruptured sewage line near Reading. A 42-inch pipe ruptured Thursday evening between the city's 6th and Canal streets pump station and its Fritz Island wastewater treatment plant. The estimated 10 million gallons of sewage that normally travel through the pipe to the treatment plant are, temporarily, being discharged into the Schuylkill River until repairs to the line are completed. Downstream public water suppliers have been notified and will protect the public by monitoring the quality of raw water. A bar screen is being used at the pump station to remove solids. The City of Reading continues to experience problems in repairing the break. The discharge is on-going and DEP staff will remain on-scene. Currently, there is no time estimate for repairs to be complete.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - Police are investigating the death of a man whose body was found in a burning trash container in Allentown. Speaking from the scene at 1:30 a.m. Saturday, Assistant Police Chief Ronald Manescu said the fire was reported by a passing pizza delivery driver. The deceased man was not immediately identified. The fire was behind a food service supply business called The Restaurant Store.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Penn State University is adding jobs, and the school says much of the increase is due to more research. Penn State says employment across its 24 campuses went up by 4 percent between 2006 and 2007. That's a gain of nearly 1,600 jobs, including 600 full-time positions. University vice president Eva Pell says an increase into research fields like new technologies is a key driver to the job creation. With more than 41,000 workers, Penn State is one of the largest employers in the state.

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait (AP) - President Bush has offered words of encouragement to U.S. troops at the end of a stop in Kuwait. Bush told cheering troops stationed at a U.S. base that they're doing "hard" but "necessary" work. The next stop on his Middle East trip is Bahrain.

NEW YORK (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union says the government's arguments that the CIA was not required to preserve videotaped interrogations of terror suspects are "without merit." The organization says it plans to file a formal response Monday with the federal judge hearing its suit against the CIA.

MASON, Ohio (AP) - Authorities in Ohio say they are not looking for any outside suspect in their probe of the deaths of four children and their mother following a mysterious house fire. The woman and her husband were both stabbed but he survived and is in the hospital.

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (AP) - Investigators in North Carolina think they have found the remains of a pregnant Marine who has been missing since December. They'll be conducting a recovery effort today at a fire pit in the backyard of a fellow Marine she had accused of rape. He has fled.

NEW YORK (AP) - Pessimistic investors have caused another big drop on Wall Street. The Dow slipped almost 250 points yesterday ahead of quarterly earning reports due next week from the nation's major financial institutions. The Dow has lost nearly five percent of its value since the new year began.

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - Buddy Holly's widow is threatening to sue Peggy Sue. The namesake of Buddy Holly's 1950s hit song is planning to release a book about her friendship with the singer. Maria Holly says Peggy Sue Gerron's book is unauthorized and would harm her late husband's name and her own reputation.

MUSES MILL, Ky. (AP) - Authorities in Kentucky are using a SWAT team, dogs and helicopters in an effort to track down a man they say fatally shot two people last night, wounded another and fled with a hostage. It happened about 45 miles northeast of Lexington. Police say the man should be considered "armed and dangerous."

LAS VEGAS (AP) - O.J. Simpson's bail bondsman has turned-in the former football star for allegedly violating the terms of his bail in an armed robbery case. The bondsman tells The Associated Press he notified prosecutors after Simpson asked him to deliver a message to a co-defendent in the case. Simpson is now in jail in Las Vegas, pending a hearing next week.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - The man who created the "Carl's Jr." hamburger empire has died. Carl Karcher parlayed a $325 investment into a chain of more than 1,000 restaurants in the western U.S. Karcher was 90. He had suffered from Parkinson's disease and was being treated for pneumonia.

AIRMONT, N.Y. (AP) - A New York state woman is facing charges after her seven-year-old son told police she burned him in an oven. Police began investigating after the boy was spotted alone and told officers he ran away because "his mother had put him in an oven and burned him as a punishment." The boy and a sibling have been removed from the woman's home.

ATLANTA (AP) - The NBA's Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks will replay the last 52 seconds of their game last month because the official scorer incorrectly ruled that the Heat's Shaquille O'Neal fouled out. The Hawks won the matchup in overtime. The game will be finished before the start of Miami's next visit to visit to Atlanta in March. The do-over is the league's first since 1982.

UNDATED (AP) - The NFL playoffs continue today with a pair of games. The Seahawks head to Green Bay to take on Brett Favre and the Packers in the early matchup. Later, Jacksonville meets the undefeated Patriots in a prime time kickoff in New England.