Today's News-Saturday, March 29th

Even though the calendar says that it's the end of March, there will be a wearing of the green in Girardville today for the Annual St. Patrick’s Day parade. The huge parade, complete with marching units, bands and many others will step off at noontime. The parade is sponsored by the Jack Kehoe Division, Ancient Order of Hibernians. Organizers usually keep the parade till after St. Patrick’s Day in order to avoid conflict with other parades, and this year, Holy Week.
The parade is also historic because of the attendance of former President of the United States Bill Clinton, who is campaigning on behalf of his wife Hillary. She is seeking the Democratic nomination for the nation’s Chief Executive. Clinton will be accompanied by US Congressman Tim Holden. President Clinton is expected to march in the parade, offer remarks, and then leave for an event at Lycoming College in Williamsport. Enjoy the fun and frolic of the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Girardville.

Schuylkill County's Administrator has filed a lawsuit against the County Controller. Darlene Dolzani's attorney, Harry Crosswell filed the suit against Melinda Kantner over alleged comments that Kantner made about Dolzani's employment as a banking executive. Those remarks were supposed to have been made to a reporter from the Pottsville Republican and Herald. A dispute has been brewing between the two women over the performance of the county’s finances, and the performance of the retirement fund. Kantner is supposed to have said that Dolzani was fired from her job at Schuylkill Savings and Loan, and First Federal Savings and Loan, for poor performance. The lawsuit states that those statements are false. Dolzani worked for more than 2 decades for those organizations, and stayed on as a consultant at First Federal after the predecessor bank was acquired. The lawsuit is seeking $1 in damages, plus attorney's costs.

A group of Pottsville Junior Girl Scouts are working to help those in need. Twelve members of Troop 1324 are conducting a Disaster Victim and Soldier Support Drive at WalMart in St. Clair on April 3rd and 10th from 6 to 8pm. Junior Girl Scout leader Lisa McGovern explains what the girls are collecting:
MCGOVERN 1
Seven of the troop members are working on their Bronze Award, the highest recognition for a Junior Girl Scout. Five of the troop are working on Community Service Badges. The donations will help the American Red Cross for victims of disasters close to home. Donations for the troops will go to area servicemen and women who are in harm's way. In addition to donations of personal items, cash donations are also being accepted. The girls will make up baskets of the collected items. McGovern said the girls are working very hard….
MCGOVERN 2
For more information on this worthwhile endeavor of Jr Girl Scout Troop 1324, call McGovern at 622-5052.

Four teenagers are facing charges stemming from a burglary earlier this month in Hegins Township. Schuylkill Haven state police say that 18-year-old Cory Rudisill of Elizabethville, 19-year-old Justin Klinger and two unnamed male juveniles burglarized Rausch Creek Land LP between March 12th and 13th. The thieves took a Chevy pickup truck, a printer and some alcohol during the break in. The truck was recovered in Mount Carmel. Rudisill and Klinger face charges of burglary, theft and related offenses. The two juveniles also have charges pending against them.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Two women have pleaded guilty to conspiring to run an illegal gambling ring and launder money around Washington County. Forty-nine-year-old Kim Zullo, of Westland, and 53-year-old Georgianna Gebhardt, of Washington, face up to five years in prison
when they are sentenced in July in federal court in Pittsburgh.

GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) - Police in Westmoreland County say a university student grabbed a police officer's Taser gun and shot her with it while she was trying to arrest him for a separate
assault. Nineteen-year-old Jeremy Spisak of McDonald has been charged with aggravated assault, disarming a law enforcement officer, burglary, robbery of a motor vehicle and resisting arrest.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Franco Harris will serve on the board of a scholarship program for city high school students. Harris is among seven people who will oversee the Pittsburgh Promise program. Also on the board will be Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Mark Roosevelt.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Pittsburgh Zoo's oldest resident has died. A yellow-footed tortoise named Big Mo died on Saturday. He had been suffering from a respiratory infection and other health problems. Big Mo was estimated to be more than 70 years old.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A temporary northbound lane on Pittsburgh's Birmingham Bridge will be closed while crews remove conflicting lane markings. The lane will be closed from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday. Southbound traffic will not be affected during that time. But a southbound onramp from Forbes Avenue to the bridge will be closed from noon to 5 p.m.

INDIANA, Pa. (AP) - An Indiana County man has been charged with causing more than $34,000 in damage to a church cemetery. State police say 19-year-old David Christian Williams was arrested for the Feb. 21 desecration and destruction of headstones, statues and light fixtures at the St. Bernard Catholic Church Cemetery in White Township.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A man accused of fatally shooting his wife and another man in the parking lot of a Monroeville restaurant has been ordered to stand trial. Police say 34-year-old John Lang shot Tracy Braverman-Lang and Louis Goldenson on March 15 outside Don Pablo's restaurant.

BAGHDAD (AP) - The U.S. military is checking a report by Iraqi police that eight civilians were killed in an air strike overnight, including two women and a child. U.S. forces are trying to help
Iraqi troops struggling in their battle with radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's army.

WHITE HOUSE (AP) - President Bush will be talking about the economy today in his weekend radio chat. Bush is plugging a lenders' alliance that's working on problem loans. And he'll also
be pointing to the coming tax-rebate checks he hopes will spark consumer spending.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The power of the Federal Reserve would be greatly expanded under a sweeping proposal by the Bush administration to overhaul regulation of the nation's financial
industry. It's an effort to prevent a repeat of problems that contributed to the current housing and credit crunch.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) - Virginia state police say they've solved a series of shootings this week along Interstate 64 near Charlottesville. Two teenagers are in custody. They're identifed as a trouble-making 19-year-old and a 16-year-old friend.

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - A lightning show was the brightest part of Sydney, Australia, as it became the first major city to turn its lights off for this year's Earth Hour. Hundreds of cities around the world are taking part in the climate-change awarness campaign, turning off lights at 8 p.m. local time today.