Today's News-Monday, March 3rd

The search continues today for a missing man after his car was found yesterday. The search for the unnamed elderly man, who reportedly suffers from dementia, commenced at 3pm yesterday. His car was found parked atop the Blue Mountain, just off of Route 309. Searchers from Schuylkill and Lehigh counties, along with a state police helicopter and West Penn’s K-9 patrol combed the area looking for the man.

Two men are dead following a crash in Wayne Township Saturday evening. Schuylkill Haven state police report that 19-year-old Adam Offidani of New Ringgold was driving on Luckenbill Road at an apparent high rate of speed. The vehicle went airborne as it reached the descent of a hill. Upon landing, the vehicle went sideways, snapping the axle. The car rolled multiple times, and Offidani and his passenger, 19-year-old Caleb Ott of Pottsville were thrown from the vehicle. Troopers say that the two men were not wearing their seatbelts. Both were pronounced dead at the scene by Deputy Coroner Shawn Clark after 8pm.

Two men face charges after a fight at a Sheppton bar early Sunday. Frackville state police indicate that Evan Mendofik of Hazleton and Jonathan Ford of Pottsville punched Jeffrey Rupert of Sheppton at Andrew's Bar before 2am. Charges of harassment and related offenses will be filed through the District Court.

State police have just released information about a drug arrest in West Brunswick Township several weeks ago. Troopers from the Schuylkill Haven barracks were called to a parking area near the Pinebrook Club House, where suspected drug activity was taking place. 24-year-old Ralph Caldwell was parked at the site, and consented to a search of his car. Marijuana and various drug paraphernalia were found. He was taken to the Haven state police barracks for processing. The investigation continues.

Four people suffered injuries in an early Saturday morning crash in Pine Grove Township. 47-year-old Brian Huhnke was traveling north on State Route 645, just over the Berks county line, when he lost control of his Hyundai Santa Fe on the snow covered road. The vehicle struck two trees. Huhnke was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital for treatment. Passengers Shaunna Shaeffer of Duncannon, Brian Huhnke Jr. of Enola and Devan Yesavage of Pottsville all had minor injuries. The road was closed for about two hours following the 1am crash.

A Pottsville man's vehicle was broken into, and items taken, while it was parked at a Berks County business. During the day Friday, someone entered David Long's auto while parked at Boat and RV in Tilden Township. A .45 caliber handgun and tools were taken, valued at $500. The investigation by Hamburg state police continues.

Ten different vehicles had their windows shot at in Hegins Township Saturday afternoon. Schuylkill Haven state police say that the criminal mischief took place on Route 25 in Hegins and Sacramento. Someone used a pellet gun to shoot out the windows of the vehicles. Damages are estimated at $2-thousand-dollars. The investigation continues.

FUMO HOSPITALIZED
Fumo stable following emergency procedure after heart attack

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Doctors say Pennsylvania Sen. Vincent Fumo's vital signs are stable after an emergency procedure following a heart attack. Spokesman Gary Tuma says Fumo was having dinner at home when he had chest pains and shortness of breath shortly before 7 p.m. last night. The senator was taken by ambulance to Hahnemann University Hospital. Tuma says doctors determined that he was having a heart attack due to a blocked right coronary artery. They did an emergency coronary angioplasty and inserted a metal stent to restore normal blood flow. Dr. Daniel McCormick says Fumo is now free of chest pain, his EKG is looking much better, and his vital signs are stable. Fumo's son, Vincent Fumo II, says he has spoken with his father, and he seems to be doing OK. Fumo has been at home since he had back surgery Feb. 19, his second such surgery in five months. Fumo has represented Philadelphia in the Legislature for three decades. He is awaiting trial on corruption charges. The senator is vying with three other Democrats in the primary, and faces a GOP challenge if he wins the primary.

PASTOR RESIGNS
Independent audit slated after resignation of western Pa. pastor

NATRONA HEIGHTS, Pa. (AP) - Pittsburgh's Roman Catholic bishop says a priest resigned as pastor of two parishes following questions about his financial practices. The Rev. Richard Tusky resigned last week from St. Joseph in Natrona and Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Natrona Heights. Pittsburgh Bishop David A. Zubik told members of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament that there were unresolved questions about Tusky's handling of some parish receipts, including those from memorial booklets, rental property and an estate sale. Zubik read a letter to parishioners Saturday that said an initial audit by the diocese "turned up more questions than answers." He has not disclosed the amount of money concerned but says the overall finances of the churches are strong. Tusky remains a diocesan priest but has been restricted from performing the duties of a priest. A listed number for Tusky could not be found Sunday, and messages left at both churches were not immediately returned.

OBIT-ELIZABETH EDWARDS' FATHER
Vincent Anania, father-in-law of former presidential candidate John Edwards, dies at 87

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - Vincent Anania, a Pennsylvania native and the father-in-law of former Sen. John Edwards, has died. He was 87. The senator's wife, Elizabeth Edwards says Anania died Saturday in Chapel Hill of heart failure. Anania is a native of Marianna, Pa., was raised in Brownsville, Pa., and attended the University of Pittsburgh. He served in the Navy in Korea, where he was awarded the Bronze Star, and in Vietnam. In 1958, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for piloting an aircraft that carried 13 others to safety after it had been attacked off North Korea. Elizabeth says Anania will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

THE ANTI-DRUG REP
State prescription-aid programs try to beat drug reps at own game

ENOLA, Pa. (AP) - Leigh Bradshaw pitches the costs and benefits of prescription drugs to doctors. But she doesn't work for drug companies -- the registered nurse works for the taxpayers. Pennsylvania is among a handful of states trying to counter the pharmaceutical industry's multibillion-dollar marketing. State officials say they are trying to ensure that patients get the most effective treatment. But they are also trying to hold down expenses. Sometimes, nurses like Bradshaw steer doctors to generics. Other times, they show how lifestyle changes can work better than drugs. Pennsylvania is not the first state to try the strategy. West Virginia ran a similar program in two cities from 2003 to 2005. Vermont has a program focusing on rural medical practices. South Carolina began one last fall.

DALAI LAMA-LEHIGH
Dalai Lama to lecture on enlightenment at Lehigh University

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) - The Dalai Lama will make his first visit to the Lehigh Valley this summer. The Nobel laureate will spend several days lecturing on enlightenment and well-being at Lehigh University in Bethlehem. He will lead a symposium from July 10-15 on a 600-year-old Tibetan Buddhist text titled, "The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment." He will also offer a two-hour public lecture on "Generating a Good Heart" at Lehigh's Stabler Arena on July 13. The general public may buy tickets beginning at 10 a.m. tomorrow. The five-day symposium is sponsored the Tibetan Buddhist Learning Center in Warren County, N.J.

FLOWER SHOW
Flowers and all that jazz on view at Philadelphia Flower Show

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - There may be a few more weeks of winter, but it's already spring in one part of Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Flower Show opened yesterday at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The theme of the eight-day event is "Jazz It Up!" -- so you'll see floral exhibits that range from mansion interiors in the French Quarter to jazz clubs to a juke joint in the bayou. This little taste of New Orleans in Philadelphia will be on view through March 9. The show has been a Philadelphia tradition since 1829. Revenues support the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Philadelphia Green program, which encourages residents and groups to make the city more green.

Report: DeNaples probe looked at sale of Katrina-damaged trucks

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - State officials had investigated whether an embattled Pennsylvania casino owner illegally resold trucks that suffered flood damage in Hurricane Katrina. That's according to a report in The Morning Call of Allentown. Officials eventually determined no wrongdoing by Louis DeNaples, the owner of the Mount Airy Casino Resort who is now accused of lying about his alleged mob ties. But the newspaper found that the title for at least one of the resold vehicles did not have the required declaration of flood damage. Richard Rothstein told the newspaper that he bought a truck from DeNaples' auto dealership in December 2005. Its engine caught fire three months later, and mechanics told him the rig had suffered flood damage. That helped spawn an investigation by gaming officials, state police and the FBI into whether it was a case of "title washing."

Pa. pension funds outperform US stock, bond market indexes

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - State-subsidized pension funds for Pennsylvania state workers and teachers have far outperformed the U.S. stock and bond market indexes. That's left many investing professionals wondering how the results were achieved in such an awful environment. The Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System announced last week that it earned 13.8 percent in 2007. The State Employees Retirement System said it did even better, at 17.2 percent. By comparison, the benchmark Russell 3000 U.S. stock index was up just 5.1 percent. The pension systems credited the strong numbers to private-investment managers that collected a total of $640 million in fees from the two funds last year.

Kanjorski apologizes for comparing Hazleton mayor with KKK leader

HAZLETON, Pa. (AP) - Democratic Pennsylvania congressman Paul Kanjorski has apologized for comparing the Hazleton mayor to former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. Mayor Lou Barletta, who drew national attention for his crackdown on illegal immigration, hopes to challenge Kanjorski for his seat. Kanjorski's remarks appeared on the "Politico" Web site earlier this week after a report that Duke endorsed Barletta. Barletta, a Republican, later denounced the report. The site quoted Kanjorski as saying: "What David Duke was to civil rights, my opponent has done that with immigration ... He's used that issue the same way Duke used the civil rights issue." Kanjorski wrote to Barletta on Friday, saying he didn't mean to imply the mayor is racist. Barletta accepted the apology, and noted that he would reject any support from hate groups.

UNDATED (AP) - Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama head to Texas today in their final day of campaigning before four states vote in crucial primaries tomorrow. Obama has three town hall meetings slated for today, Clinton will start her day in Ohio.

PHOENIX (AP) - After taking the weekend off from the campaign trail, Republican John McCain will be in the Lone Star state for appearances in Lubbock and Waco today. Victories in Ohio, Texas, Vermont and Rhode Island tomorrow could give McCain enough delegates to officially clinch the GOP nomination.

BAGHDAD (AP) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says "major powers" should leave Iraq. The comments come while Ahmadinejad is on a historic visit to Baghdad. He says the foreign presence in Iraq is an "insult to the regional nations and a humiliation."

BAGHDAD (AP) - Nearly two dozen people have been killed by a pair of car bomb attacks in Baghdad. And U.S soldiers have discovered a grave containing the bodies of 14 people, believed to be members of Iraqi security forces killed by al-Qaida in Iraq.

NEW YORK (AP) - A new survey suggests American workers aren't getting enough sleep. The survey released by the National Sleep Foundation finds people average a little more than six and a-half hours a night on weekdays. About a third say they've become very sleepy or fallen asleep at work.