Today's News-Thursday, March 27th

No one was hurt in a kitchen fire that broke out Wednesday afternoon in a double home in Pottsville. The fire was called in just before five p.m. on the 229 side of the double home at 227-229 North Ninth Street. The Republican Herald reports the accidental fire began in the kitchen as Lynell Whitter was cooking. The kitchen and living room was heavily damaged and heavy smoke damage was reported on both sides of the double home. William and Lynell Whitter and their four children, are being aided by The American Red Cross.

We're still awaiting word on the possible visit of Hillary Clinton to the region Saturday. Rumours continue to swirl about a visit from the Democratic presidential candidate at the Girardville St. Patrick's Day parade. WPPA/T102 News spoke to a representative from the Clinton campaign yesterday afternoon. They stated that Mrs. Clinton's calendar is not released more than 48 hours in advance, and would not offer any other information. Emails received late last night and this morning did not shed any more light on a possible visit. The New York Senator holds a comfortable margin here in Pennsylvania over Barack Obama, according to recent polls. Schuylkill County Democratic officials said earlier this week that they had been in contact with the Clinton campaign about a possible stop at the St. Patrick's Day parade. We expect to know more as the day progresses.

The County Commissioners held their first of four scheduled board meetings outside the Courthouse this year, with a visit to Schuylkill Haven on Wednesday. Commissioner Chairwoman Mantura Gallagher thanked Schuylkill Haven Mayor Gary Hess for the borough's hospitality:

Fellow Commissioner Frank McAndrew also thanked the Mayor:


The Schuylkill County Commissioners Wednesday approved the hiring of people needed for next month's primary election. Eight people were hired to the computing board. Eleven were hired as drivers to deliver the voting machines to various precincts in the County. Nineteen were hired as rovers to prepare equipment for the election. And four were appointed as members of the resolution board. A & J Security was hired to provide security at the S.T.S. Building in the Saint Clair Industrial Park on election night at a cost of $11.00 per hour. Approval was also granted to temporally change the polling site for Ashland Borough's 2nd precinct from the American Legion building to the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on 9th Street. Speaking on behalf of the County Election Bureau, Commissioner Chairwoman Mantura Gallagher urged voters to visit any of the 67 scheduled voting machine demonstration sites where voters can cast a demonstration ballot on the machine prior to Election Day. The sites can be found under Election information on the County web site at http://www.co.schuylkill.pa.us/.

A Pottsville businessman has received the official endorsement of the county Republican party in the 125th District. At a gathering last night, James "Jamie" McGovern was given the official nod for the 125th Legislative District seat. That position is currently held by Democrat Tim Seip. Former County Controller Gary Hornberger, also a Republican, announced his candidacy for the seat in January, but was not seeking the party's endorsement.

A celebration of Schuylkill County's rich cultural and ethnic heritage is being planned for early May. A group of community and civic leaders came up with the idea of hosting "Celebrate Schuylkill" at the Fairlane Village Mall on Sunday, May 3rd as a way of bringing people together from all parts of Schuylkill County. Mall Marketing Director Heather Stine explains:

Food, dance, singing and more are planned for Celebrate Schuylkill, spotlighting all of the ethnic and cultural gems that make up the region. The event runs from 11am till 5pm. Celebrate Schuylkill is a partnership between Schuylkill County's VISION, the Chamber of Commerce, Visitors Bureau, the Council for the Arts and Fairlane Village Mall. If anyone has something that they would like to display or offer, please contact Heather Stine at 429-1563. The deadline is April 11th.

Governor Rendell announced another round of grant funding for an area transportation provider and a Cressona aluminum manufacturer. As part of PennDOT’s rail freight assistance program, SAPA Industrial Extrusions, Cressona, will receive $375-thousand-dollars to rehab rail lines around their plant and along the Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad. The company uses rail service to transport goods to their plant. The railroad will receive nearly $500-thousand-dollars to service rail lines at four businesses at locations in Luzerne and Schuylkill counties. Pennsylvania as more than 6-thousand miles of railroads.

A Shenandoah man was picked up by state police on an outstanding warrant. 38-year-old Kenneth Csak was a passenger in a vehicle traveling on Route 924 Wednesday afternoon. A records checked indicated that Csak was wanted by the Schuylkill County DA's office on a bench warrant for aggravated assault with an axe. Csak was taken to Schuylkill County Prison.

16-year-old boy charged in stabbing of Reading girl

READING, Pa. (AP) - Police say a 16-year-old Reading boy is being held on attempted murder charges in the stabbing of a teenage girl in the vestibule of her apartment building. Miguel Gonzalez Jr. is charged as an adult, accused of stabbing the 16-year-old girl eight times in the stomach, arms and legs while a companion held her from behind. Police earlier said the girl, whose name hasn't been released, was 17. She was taken to Reading Hospital, where information on her condition is unavailable. Police are seeking two males who were with Gonzalez on Tuesday night. Following arraignment Wednesday night, Gonzalez is lodged in Berks County Prison in lieu of $750,000 bail. He told District Judge Stuart Kennedy he is a 10th-grader at Reading High School.

Comcast, Sprint, Google in talks to fund WiMax wireless network

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Comcast is one of several major cable, telecom and Internet companies that are in preliminary, but serious, talks to create a national wireless network. That's according to a person familiar with the talks who asked The Associated Press not to be named because the person was not authorized to discuss the talks. The proposed network would link devices such as computers, televisions and cell phones. In addition to Philadelphia-based Comcast, the companies involved are Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Google, Intel, Sprint Nextel and Clearwire. Sprint and Clearwire have already announced their plans to build out a network using WiMax technology, but had been looking for outside funding.

Figuring out the Catholic vote in Pa. critical for Clinton, Obama

SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has fared well among Roman Catholic voters in early primary states. She holds a substantial lead over Sen. Barack Obama among Catholic Democrats in Pennsylvania polls. But Obama is unwilling to concede the Catholic vote. He plans small round-table meetings and "listening sessions" with Catholic voters in Pennsylvania's urban and rural areas. He also plans e-mails and phone banks targeting Catholics. Clinton spokesman Mark Nevins said Catholics connect with Clinton's message and Pennsylvanians value her ties to Scranton. That's where her father was born and raised and she was christened at the Court Street Methodist Church. Clinton is a Methodist and Obama is a member of the United Church of Christ.

Rendell drops plan for stimulus checks for lower-income families

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Gov. Ed Rendell says he's abandoned his proposal to give lower-income families special payments of up to $400 this year to help stimulate the economy. Rendell said at a state Capitol news conference Wednesday that there wasn't sufficient support in the Legislature for the proposal. Even fellow Democrats balked at the idea, which called for dipping into the state's fiscal reserve to pay the $130 million cost. The plan would have directed the payments to about 475,000 families, typically those who have at least one dependent but don't earn enough to pay state income taxes.

Federal regulators review Three Mile Island security

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Federal regulators are reviewing a security problem that occurred last year at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island nuclear power plant. But they aren't saying what happened. Diane Screnci of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the agency examined the issue as part of a routine security inspection that was completed last month. A preliminary report characterized the problem as having moderate to serious significance. Screnci says she can't provide any details because federal rules prohibit the disclosure of nuclear plant security deficiencies. The Patriot-News of Harrisburg reports that the problem was identified last summer by the plant's operator, AmerGen Energy, and was quickly corrected.

Use of physical restraints on patients declines in nursing homes

WASHINGTON (AP) - Fewer nursing home patients are being physically restrained in Pennsylvania - and nationally. A government agency says the use of physical restraints on nursing home patients declined nearly 40 percent nationwide in recent years. In Pennsylvania, 6.4 percent of patients were repeatedly restrained in 2002, declining to 3.7 percent in 2006, well below the national average for both years. Physical restraints, such as bed rails, were once regarded as necessary to keep patients from falling or wandering off. But that mind-set has changed over the past two decades. The nursing home data was part of an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality report that compares states on numerous health
issues.

Man dies after teens attack him on Phila. subway platform

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Philadelphia police say a 16-year-old boy is charged with murder and conspiracy in an attack on a man on a subway platform. It happened in the afternoon at a station just east of Philadelphia City Hall. Police say several teens beat 36-year-old Sean Patrick Conroy of Philadelphia. A transit police officer saw the beating from across the tracks and ran to Conroy's aid. The teens fled, but the officer was able to identify one of the attackers. Police say that one is the boy who was charged. His name wasn't released because he's a juvenile. Conroy appeared to be in cardiac arrest and wasn't able to give any information to police before he died. Police are looking for the other teens.

WHITE HOUSE (AP) - President Bush flies to Dayton, Ohio, today to deliver a speech drawing attention to political and economic progress in Iraq. Bush is also expected to praise Iraqi raids on
Shiite militiamen in Basra and Baghdad.

BAGHDAD (AP) - Rockets and mortar rounds are hitting Baghdad's heavily-guarded Green Zone for a fourth day. U.S. officials say the attacks are coming from breakaway factions of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's army. But tens of thousands of Shiites are taking to the streets to protest a government offensive against the militia.

COLD SPRING, Minn. (AP) - Officials in Minnesota are trying to find out what caused a chlorine gas leak at a high school that sent 36 students and a gym teacher to the hospital yesterday. The leak was discovered by students in the school's pool area.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER (AP) - NASA is rejoicing over Endeavour's successful 16-day mission to the international space station. The shuttle touched down safely in Florida last night after logging six and a-half million miles in space.

LONDON (AP) - London's Heathrow Airport has cut the ribbon on a brand new British Airways terminal. The 8.6-billion-dollar facility is able to handle 30 million passengers a year. The new terminal is experiencing some opening day glitches. One passenger says it took an hour for him to get his bag.