Today's News-Tuesday, April 1st

Fire destroyed a home in Quakake Monday morning. The blaze happened at 142 East Main Street. David Pupko lived in the home. Reports from the Republican and Herald indicate that the fire started in the attic of the home, and moved quickly. It took firefighters from Schuylkill, Carbon and Luzerne counties more than an hour to extinguish the blaze. Fire investigators will attempt to determine a cause.

A Schuylkill Haven man is accused of harassment and disorderly conduct following an incident in Washington Township yesterday afternoon. Schuylkill Haven state police report that Richard Rumberger Sr., Schuylkill Haven, is accused of following and tailgating a vehicle driven by Richard Rumberger Jr. The senior Rumberger also reportedly pushed his son while fishing in a stream near Siegel’s Saw Mill. Troopers are continuing the investigation, and are asking any witnesses to contact them. Charges against Richard Rumberger Sr. were filed in District Court.

No one was injured in a crash on Route 61 in Palo Alto yesterday afternoon. 80-year-old James Hochgertel of Schuylkill Haven was attempting to turn left onto Route 61 from Bacon Street, and turned into the path of an SUV driven by Ramiro Arreaga of Frackville, which was northbound on Route 61. Upon impact, Hochgertel's truck spun around and came to rest in the southbound lane of the highway. Arreaga had two juvenile passengers in his vehicle.

The high cost of diesel fuel has truck drivers up in arms. They took their frustrations to the state Capitol yesterday. Diesel is over 4 dollars a gallon. The truckers convoyed to Harrisburg to protest the problem, and to ask for answers. Democratic Representative Mike Gerber of Montgomery County has introduced legislation that would require biodiesel and ethanol to be blended into diesel fuel and gasoline bought at the pump. Gerber says better fuel choices like the blended mix could help reduce energy and transportation costs for everyone:
GERBER (click to listen)
The bill also encourages those fuels to be produced right here in Pennsylvania, to give an economic boost. The bill was passed by the House a few months ago, but the state Senate has yet to approve the measure.

Pennsylvania is getting some follow-up care to healthcare reform this week. The House is expected to vote today on a bill that brings some reform to the health insurance industry. Deborah Smith reports:
SMITH (click to listen)

A bill to improve gaming oversight in Pennsylvania was introduced yesterday. Mike Davies has more:
DAVIES (click to listen)

A Reading man was injured in a fight outside of Orwigsburg Sunday. Orwigsburg police say that 47-year-old J. Derek Syp began fighting with a man in the parking lot at the Oak Hill Inn. When officers arrived, Syp was lying in the parking lot with head injuries. The other man fled the scene. Emergency personnel treated Syp at the scene, but the extent of his injuries required transport to Lehigh Valley Medical Center. Orwigsburg police are asking for anyone who may have seen anything regarding the incident to call them at 366-3102.

Pa. docs lose med-mal subsidy as health care debate hits impasse

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania physicians face higher medical malpractice premiums unless Democrats and Republicans break an impasse over expanding a state health insurance program. A five-year, $1 billion taxpayer subsidy to help doctors buy insurance lapsed yesterday. First to feel the pinch will be doctors whose bills came due in the past three months. Gov. Ed Rendell's spokeswoman Amy Kelchner says that if legislators reach agreement to extend the subsidy, those extra insurance payments can be refunded. Dr. Theodore A. Christopher, chairman of the emergency medical department at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, says the loss of the insurance subsidy will have a devastating effect.

More tests needed to determine what killed 4 in Chester home

CHESTER, Pa. (AP) - The Delaware County Medical Examiner's Office says toxicology and other tests are needed to determine what killed three adults and a child found dead in a Chester row house. A call from a relative sent police to the house Saturday night,and they found the bodies of a man, two women and a toddler. All of the adults appeared to be in their 20s. Police say there was no sign of trauma on the victims, who were found in the living room and the bedroom. Delaware County Medical Examiner Frederic Hellman has declined comment on any possible causes -- and on the statement by police that carbon monoxide poisoning has been ruled out. Hellman says says he does not know how long the tests will take. The names of the victims have not been released.

Pennsylvania voters elect few women, blacks

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania voters rarely elect black and female candidates -- but they will be choosing one or the other in the Democratic presidential primary later this month. Political operatives and scholars don't agree on why the state's 21-member congressional delegation includes only one black member and one female member. In addition, Pennsylvania has never had a black or female governor. Some say the parties have not recruited more women and blacks, and incuments tend to be favored over new candidates. Others think women juggling young families and political careers are deterred from seeking full-time office. And some believe the concentration of blacks in urban areas works against black candidates for statewide office who must seek votes in predominantly white rural counties. Democratic senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton are vying in the April 22nd primary.

Erie bishop to boycott college graduation over Clinton visit

ERIE, Pa. (AP) - The Roman Catholic Bishop of Erie says he will boycott Mercyhurst College's graduation in May to protest Sen. Hillary Clinton's visit to the campus today. In a written statement yesterday, Bishop Donald Trautman says he is disappointed in the Catholic school for not reflecting on the Roman Catholic Church's stance on abortion. Clinton, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for president, favors abortion rights. Trautman says he notified Mercyhurst of his decision, and is open to meeting with school President Tom Gamble to determine how to better ascertain the school's Catholic identity. A school spokeswoman declined comment, saying she wasn't sure whether Gamble had received Trautman's statement.

Backlog in voter registrations yields more Democratic gains

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - State elections officials say Pennsylvania's Democratic Party has expanded its membership to more than 4 million -- a record for either party. The number of Democrats surged to at least 4,119,213 since last fall's election. That's an increase of more than 235,000, about 6 percent. Republican Party enrollment shrank by 1.5 percent to 3,197,586. The number of independents slipped by 3 percent to 953,562. The changes largely reflect efforts by the presidential campaigns of Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton to enlist voters in the Democratic Party. Only Democrats can vote in the Democratic primary on April 22.

Lackawanna County catering business hit by 2nd arson in 4 years

PECKVILLE, Pa. (AP) - Authorities say a Lackawanna County business was destroyed by the second arson fire at the establishment in four years. Blakely Fire Chief Tim Fanning says state police investigators determined that someone broke into Fiorelli's Catering in Peckville and set yesterday's 2 a.m. blaze. A 2004 fire at the same family-owned business, then located across the street, was also ruled arson. That case was never solved. Family members say they'll work with other caterers and banquet halls in the area to make sure their customers' events can continue as planned. Dave Santarelli calls the blaze "devastating" but says the family hopes to rebuild or look for another place.

Group sponsoring workshop for those facing foreclosure

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Lenders and community organizations are planning a workshop in Philadelphia today for homeowners in danger of losing their homes. Organizers say the session afternoon and evening session will allow homeowners to get on-the-spot financial counseling and even refinancing. The event runs from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the University of Pennsylvania's Houston Hall. It is being sponsored by an alliance of lenders, counselors and others. As housing markets slump nationwide, cities across the country are scrambling to work with residents who are in danger of losing their homes to foreclosures.

Army colonel seeks change of venue in Pa. paternity case

CARLISLE, Pa. (AP) - An Army colonel accused of trying to tamper with a paternity test is seeking to move his trial. Fifty-one-year-old Scott Carlson argues that he can't get a fair trial in Cumberland County because of publicity about his arrest last fall. The former student at the Army War College in Carlisle is accused of conspiring to have a classmate take a paternity test in his place. Carlson's attorneys filed a motion Monday asking to move the trial out of Cumberland County. They also ask that Carlson not be tried with the former classmate, 44-year-old Col. Bruce Adkins. The two are scheduled for trial in May. Investigators say they hatched the plan because a Virginia woman wanted more child support from Carlson for their 9-year-old daughter.

Hallmark reports higher 2007 revenue on cards, school supplies

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Kansas City-based Hallmark Cards reports double-digit growth in 2007 profits on higher sales of card products and a strong back-to-school showing by its Crayola subsidiary. The nation's largest greetings card seller today reports total worldwide annual revenue rose 8 percent to 4.4 billion dollars. Easton-based subsidiary Crayola also reported a 7 percent increase in 2007 sales, driven by new products and increased sales of school supplies. Hallmark says its real estate division also saw a 3 percent increase from increased occupancy rates and citywide efforts to attract more visitors to downtown Kansas City.

READING, Pa. (AP) - The reward is now $60,000 for a tip leadingto an arrest in the slaying of a Berks County supermarket executive. Gary Redner was found beaten to death March 9 near his LowerHeidelberg Township home. The reward increased from $45,000 whenRedner's Markets Inc. pledged an additional $15,000. About 30 state troopers have been working the case, but have yetto report any progress.

CAPITOL HILL (AP) - Top executives of the Big Oil companies are being brought before Congress today to answer questions about their big profits. Lawmakers want to know why they shouldn't lose 18 billion dollars in tax breaks.

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) - President Bush is in Ukraine, where's he's met with President Viktor Yuschenko. Bush says he's fully supporting bids by Ukraine and Georgia to join NATO. And he says Russia won't have veto power. France, though, indicates it will try to keep them out.

UNDATED (AP) - The Democratic presidential candidates are campaigning in Pennsylvania again today. Barack Obama's campaign is fighting back against Hillary Clinton's accusation that it's trying to stop people from voting by suggesting she get out of the race. Obama's camp says that's "completely laughable.

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel says it's planning to build 1,400 new apartments in the West Bank and in a disputed part of Jerusalem. The announcement comes despite a warning from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that more construction could hurt peace efforts.

BEIJING (AP) - The Olympic flame is headed on a month-long tour around the globe. The torch left Beijing yesterday and goes first to Kazakhstan on an 85,000-mile trip. It's due back in China May 4th. The flame could become a magnet for protests against China's crackdown on demonstrations in Tibet.