Today's News-Wednesday, April 22nd-EARTH DAY

Voters in today's primary will get to select candidates in several races for seats in the state capitol. Longtime Republican Senator Jim Rhoades is up for re-election, but unchallenged in the primary. Democrat PJ Symons, current Schuylkill County Prothonotary, is on the ballot in the 29th District. In the 123rd Legislative District, incumbent Democrat Neal Goodman is the only candidate on the ticket, with no Republican challengers. 124th District incumbent, Republican Dave Argall is being challenged by Tamaqua Businessman John Schickram. Bill Mackey, a Democrat, is seeking a spot on the November ballot as well. In the 125th, freshman Democrat Tim Seip is alone on his party's ticket. Republicans Jamie McGovern and Gary Hornberger are vying to challenge Seip in November. Voters will also get to choose who will be delegates to the National Conventions, and to the Republican state committee. Turnout at the polls is expected to be heavy, so be prepared to wait in line at the polls. All voters are reminded to have valid identification ready when going to vote. The polls close at 8pm. Listen to Election night coverage on WPPA and T102 News.
(Jay Levan)

Its not just a day for tree huggers. Earth Day has everyone in the mood to GO GREEN. From more energy efficient homes and cars, to green food, the effort has taken the nation by storm. WPPA and T102 News caught up with Randall Fulling of Brokhoff Road, just outside of Pottsville. For more than a decade, Randall has mobilized his neighbors to keep his little slice of his neighborhood looking good:

FULLING (click to listen)

To learn more about Earth Day and what you can do to participate, log on to http://www.earthday.net/.
(Kerry Dowd/Jay Levan)

A Pottsville man is charged with assaulting a Palo Alto woman early Sunday morning. Schuylkill Haven state police now say that 21-year-old Steven Platts drove 19-year-old Candice Sisko to a wooded area in Norwegian Township and seriously injured her. Platts was charged with aggravated assault and related counts. Following arraignment, he was lodged in Schuylkill County Prison, in lieu of $20-thousand-dollars bail.
(Jay Levan)

Today is Primary Election Day in Pennsylvania. Registered Republicans and Democrats will get to cast their votes for candidates on the national, state and local levels. The polls will be open until 8pm, and turnout is expected to be high, so get there early. The Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and their supporters, have spent significant time and dollars in the Keystone State. Recent polls have Clinton leading Obama by seven percentage points. She needs to win in Pennsylvania to stay in the race. John McCain is the apparent Republican nominee for President. US Congressman Tim Holden is seeking re-election, but unchallenged on the Democratic ticket. Statewide, voters will have the opportunity to choose candidates for Auditor General, Attorney General and state Treasurer. Listen for election coverage tonight on WPPA and T102 News.
(Jay Levan)

A former Schuylkill County woman has been sentenced in the death of her infant in 2005. 24-year-old Amanda Trindle, Levittown, was sentenced to 33-months to 8 years in prison in the death of her daughter, Jade Leonard. The Republican and Herald reports that Trindle pleaded guilty in February to involuntary manslaughter, and child endangerment counts. Her sentence was handed down by Schuylkill County Judge D Michael Stine. The baby's father, Donald Leonard the Third, was sentenced earlier to 10 years in prison in connection with the case. The baby, who was 14 months old when she died in 2005, was living with her family in Girardville. Trindle and Leonard, also neglected their son Leland. His grandmother, Denise Trindle, expects to be granted custody of the boy shortly.
(Jay Levan/Republican and Herald)

An area company is using a natural resource to generate energy, 100 percent of it! World Resources Corporation, with operations in the Pottsville area, is purchasing renewable wind energy for its electrical needs. WRC Senior Vice President and director of North American operations Tom Drogalis explains the process:

DROGALIS
(click to listen)

The company, based in McLean, Virginia, recycles non renewable metals and mineral resources. For their efforts, World Resources Corporation has been designated as a leader of the EPA’s Green Power Partnership Drogalis said its more than a business decision:

DROGALIS (click to listen)
(Jay Levan)

How many of the 4.2 million Pa. Democrats will vote?

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - There are 4.2 million registered Democrats in Pennsylvania, but it's unclear how many will turn out to vote in the primary election. Terry Madonna is a professor and pollster at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster. He says he believes flaws in the state's voter-registration process have inflated the number of party members. Madonna says many registered voters have moved or died, yet remain on the rolls because the process for purging the lists is so complicated and expensive. Democratic enrollment began to soar earlier this year when it became apparent that neither Hillary Rodham Clinton nor Barack Obama would clinch the nomination before Pennsylvania's primary.

Clinton reaches for Pa. win; Obama says he'll be close
BLUE BELL, Pa. (AP) - Hillary Rodham Clinton is invoking Pearl Harbor, the Berlin Wall and Osama bin Laden as she reaches for a victory in Pennsylvania's Democratic presidential primary. Barack Obama says she will probably win but he hopes to keep it close in Tuesday's voting. The state's demographics favor Clinton because she tends to draw support from older, white voters without bachelor's degrees. Obama is leaving the negative talk to aides. He didn't criticize his rival as he spoke with voters at an outdoor plaza in suburban Philadelphia, where tulips and daffodils bloomed and children played in the background. Pennsylvania is the largest of the 10 contests remaining, with about 4 million registered Democrats and 158 delegates up for grabs in the primary.

Looking for votes in Pa.'s demographics
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Pennsylvania looks like Hillary Rodham Clinton country. Residents generally are older, whiter and more female than the nation as a whole. Wealthier, better educated and more African-American than the rest of the state, Pennsylvania's thickly settled southeast corner could belong to Barack Obama. For six weeks, the two Democratic presidential rivals have courted their political bases and sought to carve up each other's support with an increasingly strident tone. At stake in Pennsylvania's primary are 158 delegates, with 103 apportioned by how each candidate fares in each of Pennsylvania's 19 congressional districts. The remainder are distributed based on the statewide vote. The state has 29 superdelegates - party officials and elected officials who can support whomever they chose. Fifteen have endorsed Clinton and five have endorsed Obama.

State officials offer voting tips
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - State election officials are offering tips for people unfamiliar with the voting process. Anyone who doesn't know where to vote or how the machine works can log on to http://www.votespa.com/ . That's where the state provides information on how each of the 67 counties conducts elections. They caution that different counties use different methods. Also, anyone who moved since the last election or who is newly registered to vote needs to present ID at the polling place. Acceptable forms of ID include a driver's license, state ID card, current utility bill, current paycheck or current government check. The state's top election official says lines tend to be shortest
around mid-morning and mid-afternoon.

Scranton businesses offer discounts to registered voters
SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) - In Scranton, voting is a civic duty, a cornerstone of democracy ... and a chance to save 10 percent on qualified purchases. A University of Scranton freshman has persuaded several downtown businesses to offer the discount to anyone with a valid voter registration card. Joseph Maddalone says he hopes the program will encourage more people to participate in the political process. The 19-year-old political science major from Long Island, N.Y., founded a group called Vote Your Choice. He says he hopes to establish networks of restaurants, retailers, hotels and other businesses in every state. Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty calls Voice Your Choice "a novel
idea" and wrote a letter of recommendation for Maddalone.

Charges filed in state trooper's death
AVONDALE, Pa. (AP) - State police plan to answer questions Tuesday about charges being filed in the off-duty death of a state trooper. Trooper Kenton Iwaniec of Lancaster died March 28, the day after he was hit by a wrong-way driver. No one else was injured. Iwaniec died about three months after graduating from the state police academy. He was assigned to the Avondale station in Chester County.

Rohm and Haas reports 10 percent drop in 1Q earnings
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Specialty chemicals maker Rohm and Haas reports a 10 percent drop in first-quarter earnings despite an uptick in sales as higher costs eroded profits. The Philadelphia-based company is a pre-World War I business
with products as varied as plastics additives and table salt. It posted a net income of $172 million, or 87 cents per share, in the quarter. In the same quarter in 2007, Rohm and Haas earned $192 million, or 87 cents per share.
Sales rose by 16 percent to $2.51 billion, driven by strong results in electronic technologies and salt. The company said business in fast-growing developing countries offset a weaker U.S. market, and results were also boosted by acquisitions, price increases and a weak dollar.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama will make the rounds of the morning talk shows, as voting begins in the crucial Pennsylvania primary. Late polling shows Clinton with a single digit lead, after being ahead by 20 points or more in earlier surveys.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The presidential candidates made personal pitches to wrestling fans last night. They all taped messages for the World Wrestling Entertainment's "Monday Night Raw" program on the eve of the Pennsylvania vote. "Raw" is one of cable TV's top-rated shows, with more than 5 million viewers each week.

ELDORADO, Texas (AP) - An attorney for a Texas polygamist sect worries that authorities have another motive for taking DNA samples from adult church members. He's concerned they could be used to prosecute them for abuse. A state child welfare official says that's not their objective. Officials say the sampling was ordered to sort out tangled family relationships.

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) - Church leaders in Zimbabwe are appealing for international help to settle the country's election crisis. Leaders say people are being tortured and some have been murdered in a campaign of political retribution that they fear could turn to genocide.

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel says Barbra Streisand has pulled out of a celebration of the country's 60th anniversary next month. No reason has been given for the sudden cancellation.