Today's News-Monday, March 10th

A body found in a drug store in Mahanoy City was that of an employee who died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The body was found around nine a.m. inside a private bathroom of the Rite Aid store in Mahanoy City by another employee. The Rite Aid decided not to open Sunday after the three-and-a-half hour investigation.

No one was injured, but a driver and his passenger left the scene of a crash early Sunday in West Mahanoy Township. State police say that 19-year-old Kristin Smith of Shenandoah was driving a Nissan Xterra on Schuylkill Avenue, heading towards Route 924 when she lost control on a patch of ice. Her car slid into the vehicle driven by 56-year-old James Hossler, also of Shenandoah. Hossler was driving in the opposite direction. The crash caused extensive damage to Hossler's car. Smith, and her passenger Shane Reinoehl left the scene and returned to their homes. Smith will be charged in the crash, which happened before 6am yesterday.

A pair of Pottsville women are charged with retail theft after being caught shoplifting yesterday. 20-year-old LyAsia Hightower and Tahisha Hook, age 21, were nabbed shoplifting at Boscov's at Fairlane Village. State police also say that the pair had stolen items from Value City, CVS Pharmacy and Rue 21. The items were found by police. They were charged with retail theft.

State police say an executive of a supermarket and convenience store chain was slain over the weekend in his Berks County home. He is 55-year-old Gary Redner, who worked for Redner's Markets, an employee-owned chain with stores in our area, in Maryland and New York state. He was the company's executive vice president of procurement and director of wholesale operations. Police say Redner was killed between 7 p.m. Saturday and 6 a.m. Sunday in his Lower Heidelberg Township home. An autopsy was performed Sunday night at Reading Hospital, but information from that autopsy wasn't immediately released. State police said this
morning that the death was a homicide.

Spring is just around the corner. Time to dust off those emergency preparedness plans. State and county emergency management officials are marking this week "Weather Emergency Preparedness Week", through March 15th. Schuylkill County Emergency Management Coordinator Art Kaplan says that Pennsylvania is one of the most flood-prone states in the nation, and he reminds residents that families need to have an emergency plan that is frequently reviewed, discussed and practiced. The plan should include an emergency kit that would enable a family to survive without outside help for at least 72 hours. Items to include should be water, high energy ready-to-eat foods, necessary medications, a first aid kit, blankets, clothing, flashlights and a battery-operated radio. Kaplan also noted that people should know the difference between weather watches and warnings issued by the National Weather Service. A watch means there is a possibility of severe weather. A weather warning means that severe weather is imminent.

Frackville state police are investigating a break-in and burglary at a Girardville business. Saturday night, someone broke into Girardville Beverage on Main Street around 9:30. They gained access by breaking the front window. A metal cash box was removed from the office, and the burglars fled. Anyone with information should call Frackville State Police at 874-5300.

A PennDOT highway sign was flashing brightly over the weekend. However, the message had nothing to do with road conditions. The sign, between the Kutztown and Lenhartsville exits, was flashing "LIVE NUDES, EXIT 45". A passerby noticed it while headed to the Lehigh Valley. PennDOT officials say that someone must have tampered with the electronic message board. The problem was fixed about 9am Sunday morning. Exit 45 is for Route 863 in Lehigh County. The investigation continues.

A Schuylkill County man is among 22 graduates of the state Game Commission Conservation School. Kevin Clouser of Ashland will be assigned to Schuylkill County, and will join his classmates as Wildlife Conservation Officers . The 49 week class covered wildlife management, law enforcement, wildlife laws and land management practices. The class graduated Saturday at Susquehanna Township High School.

State police say an executive of a supermarket and convenience store chain was slain over the weekend in his Berks County home. He is 55-year-old Gary Redner, who worked for Redner's Markets, an employee-owned chain with stores in our area, in Maryland and New York state. He was the company's executive vice president of procurement and director of wholesale operations. Police say Redner was killed between 7 p.m. Saturday and 6 a.m. Sunday in his Lower Heidelberg Township home. An autopsy was performed Sunday night at Reading Hospital, but information from that autopsy wasn't immediately released. State police said this
morning that the death was a homicide.

A body found in a drug store in Mahanoy City was that of an employee who died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The body was found around nine a.m. inside a private bathroom of the Rite Aid store in Mahanoy City by another employee. The Rite Aid decided not to open Sunday after the three-and-a-half hour investigation.

PHARMAWATER
AP INVESTIGATION: Pharmaceuticals found in drinking water

UNDATED (AP) - The drinking water supplies of at least 41 million people in the country contain tiny amounts of a vast array of pharmaceuticals, according to an Associated Press investigation. The substances include antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and even sex hormones. The concentrations are tiny, measured in parts per billion or trillion. That's far below the levels of a medical dose, and
utilities insist their water is safe. But scientists are concerned about the long-term consequences of so many prescription drugs, as well as over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Officials in Philadelphia say testing in the city turned up 56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts in treated drinking water. They include medicines for pain, infection, high cholesterol, asthma, epilepsy, mental illness and heart problems. Sixty-three pharmaceuticals or byproducts were found in the
city's watersheds.

FATAL FIRE
Officials: Four children dead in Bethlehem rowhouse fire

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) - The Northampton County coroner says an early-morning row house fire killed four children and destroyed three homes near the former Bethlehem Steel plant. Coroner Zachary Lysek says the victims included two boys, ages 11 and 13, and two girls, ages 5 and 7. He did not release the names of the victims, and says it is going to take some time to complete forensic identification. Authorities say high winds and the intensity of the flames complicated efforts to rescue residents and control the blaze. So did the collapse of the building's rubber roof. Officials say one resident who jumped from the second story is hospitalized with extensive burns. Three firefighters and a paramedic had minor injuries. The 4:30 a.m. fire destroyed all three homes in the building and seemed concentrated in the middle residence. Officials say all three homes were occupied.

PENNSYLVANIA PRIMARY-CONGRESS
Some hotly contested U.S. House primaries in Pennsylvania, too

WASHINGTON (AP) - Voters in Pennsylvania's only open congressional district will certainly not lack for choices. No fewer than a dozen candidates -- nine Republicans and three Democrats are competing for the seat held by retiring GOP Rep. John Peterson in north-central Pennsylvania. But there are other congressional races to watch leading up to the state's April 22 primary. In northeast Pennsylvania, Republican businessmen Chris Hackett and Dan Meuser are vying for the opportunity to unseat Rep. Chris Carney, a freshman Democrat in a heavily Republican district. In western Pennsylvania, Republican Reps. Phil English and Tim Murphy each have four Democrats competing for the chance to unseat them.

TEEN SKIER KILLED
Teen dies skiing at Camelback; autopsy suggests he struck tree

TANNERSVILLE, Pa. (AP) - A Bucks County teenager died in an apparent skiing accident at Camelback Mountain in the Poconos. Authorities believe 16-year-old Jake Revere of Buckinham struck a tree during an outing with his family. Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim says a weekend autopsy shows he suffered trauma to the upper body. Officials say the Central Bucks East student was found unresponsive Friday on a trail at the resort in Tannersville, Monroe County.

CLINTON VISITS
Hillary Clinton to visit Pa. on Monday, Tuesday

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton opens the campaign for Pennsylvania's 158 delegates this week. Clinton is to appear at a rally at Scranton High School tonight. She will be in Harrisburg tomorrow afternoon and at Temple University in Philadelphia tomorrow night. Meanwhile, former president Bill Clinton is to visit Pittsburgh tomorrow. Most polls have shown Clinton leading in the contest in the April 22 primary, but by a margin that has been shrinking.

FUMO HOSPITALIZED
Fumo released from Phila. hospital

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - State Sen. Vincent Fumo says he now understands a little bit more about stress. The Philadelphia Democrat was released from Hahnemann University Hospital yesterday, a week to the day after he had a heart attack. He says doctors told him he has minimal damage. But he says he has been living a "Type-A life, 24-7." He says he will take the next two weeks off to recover. The 64-year-old Fumo has long been one of the most powerful lawmakers in Harrisburg. He is awaiting trial on federal corruption charges. Three Democrats have filed to run against him in the April primary. If Fumo wins, he will still have to beat a Republican in November.

REHAB OFFICIAL-DUI
Treatment facility president charged with DUI

WERNERSVILLE, Pa. (AP) - The president of a Berks County substance-abuse treatment facility has been charged with drunken driving after a Florida fundraiser. Douglas Tieman, president of Caron Treatment Centers, was arrested early Wednesday. Authorities in Florida say he was released from the Palm Beach County Jail on $500 bail. Fifty-two-year-old Tieman, of Lower Heidelberg Township, has led the Wernersville facility since 1995. Caron spokeswoman Missy Orlando says Tieman realizes he used poor judgment. She says he does not plan to comment.

AMTRAK-SHOOTING
Amtrak officer shot in foot in struggle in McDonald's

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Authorities say an Amtrak officer is in stable condition after being shot in the foot at Philadelphia's 30th Street station. City police say the officer got into a scuffle with a woman in the McDonald's restaurant in the station shortly before noon yesterday. The officer was shot in the foot and was taken to Hahnemann University Hospital. A suspect was taken into custody by Philadelphia police.

UNDATED (AP) - Antibiotics, mood stabilizers and sex hormones are some of the pharmaceuticals found in the drinking water of at least 41 million Americans. An AP investigation shows the drugs have been detected in water supplies in two dozen major metropolitan areas nationwide.

UNDATED (AP) - A new estimate is showing the war in Iraq will cost the U.S. approximately 12 billion dollars a month this year. A long-term estimate from a Nobel Prize-winning economist puts the overall cost of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan at as much as 2.7 trillion dollars by 2017.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will meet with President Bush today on allowing U.S. missile defense interceptors to be based on Polish soil. The two leaders are also likely to discuss an expanding Polish contribution to NATO operations in Afghanistan.

NEW YORK (AP) - The number of hate groups is rising in America. A report being released today by The Southern Poverty Law Center suggests the number of hate crimes targeting Latinos is also up because of anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S.

MISSION VIEJO, Calif. (AP) - A suspect in a California jewelry store robbery has been shot dead outside a Mission Viejo mall. Orange County Sheriff's deputies say they shot the man after he fired at them on the second story of a parking structure outside the mall.