Today's News- Wednesday, April 9th

Fire officials are investigating a blaze that damaged a vacant home in Shenandoah last night. Crews responded to 214 West Atlantic Street around 10pm. Their quick work in knocking down the flames kept the fire in one home. The adjoining residence at 216 West Atlantic was saved. The cause is under investigation.

Plans are underway for Daryl's Army to work in Pottsville this summer. Since 1992, Pastor Daryl Duer of the New Dover Methodist Church in Edison, New Jersey, has been bringing young men and women to Schuylkill County to work on cleanup and beautification projects. One hundred young men and women are scheduled to be here for a week in early August. Duer says that the kids benefit in several ways:

DUER
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This year, they will be working in Pottsville's Elm Street neighborhood. The work crews pay their own way to come and work. But, they will need supplies, food and drinks to help them through the week, according to Mike McGeever, Elm Street Manager:

McGEEVER
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Arrangements for donations are already being accepted. If you are able to help in any way, call McGeever at 622-1995.

Minersville borough police are looking for a Shenandoah woman who took money from a Girl Scout Troop's cookie sale. Carol Diffullah, who was last known to be living in Shenandoah, is wanted on theft by deception and receiving stolen property charges for taking cookie sale proceeds from Troop 1325 at the English Lutheran Church in February. If anyone knows of Diffulah's whereabouts, call Minersville police at 544-2333.

In spite of a snafu with the adult egg hunt, Access Services Eggstravaganza was a huge success Saturday. Sheila Davison, Regional Director of Access Services said that more than 1-thousand guests enjoyed food, music and fun at the event at Lakewood in Barnesville. Davison noted that the adult egg hunt had to be cancelled because someone yelled "Go" before the sirens and lights went off. A portion of the group took off in the false start. Organizers decided to draw random ticket numbers to award the 525 prizes, including a tennis bracelet, valued at more than $31-hundred dollars. The bracelet was won by someone from Langhorne, PA. The event has grown significantly over the years, to help Access Services. The unclaimed prizes from Eggstravaganza are posted on their website, http://www.accessservices.org/. For more information, call Access Services at 366-1154.

An Auburn teenager escaped injury from a crash in Wayne Township Monday night. The 17-year-old male was apparently traveling at a high rate of speed and lost control on Route 183 on a left curve. The Ford Thunderbird went off the road and went up an embankment, rolling over. The vehicle came to rest on its wheels. The crash happened around 9:30pm.

Students with disabilities have an opportunity to gain some valuable information at an event tonight in Minersville. The 5th annual Transition Fair for Youth with Disabilities will take place at 6pm at Minersville High School cafeteria. The event is geared for students, ages 14 to 21, and will provide a wealth of information about options for the disabled when they graduate from school. Melanie Wagner, educational consultant from Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29 says the Transition Fair is important:

WAGNER
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A wide variety of service providers will offer ideas and solutions for the disabled who will transition from school to the working world. In addition, attendees can learn about independent living and other resources available to them. The Transition Fair is presented by the Schuylkill County Local Transition Coordinating Council, Schuylkill IU 29, Service Access Management and the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.

A good economy doesn’t equal more cash in most Pennsylvania family pocketbooks, according to a report issued today. The study from the Economic Policy Institute finds that before the recent economic downturn, the economy had been posting solid gains since the 1990's, but those gains didn’t translate into more money for middle-class and low-income working families. In fact, many families have found themselves with less money when adjusted for inflation. Mark Price with the Keystone Research Center says tax policies and workplace rights have eroded:

PRICE
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Jared Bernstein with the Economic Policy Institute says its important to remember that stories about how great the economy is doing are based on Wall Street numbers, which is why the economy on Pennsylvania neighborhood streets doesn’t look the same:

BERNSTEIN
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Critics say the report shouldn’t be seen as a negative, because it accurately reflects the capitalistic model the country is founded on.

Clinton counters Obama spending edge with 5 targeted ads in Pa.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is targeting Pennsylvania media markets with five new television. They deliver specific messages to different regional and ethnic audiences. Her campaign began airing the ads Tuesday, three in the expensive Philadelphia market where polls show rival Sen. Barack Obama has been gaining support. The ads come as Obama has been outspending Clinton in Pennsylvania, with the state's April 22 primary only two weeks away. As of Sunday, Obama had spent $3.6 million in the state to Clinton's $1.3 million. That's according to data compiled by TNS Media Intelligence/Campaign Media Analysis Group. Obama updated his ad mix in the state as well. A new ad features some of the women in his life - his half sister, his grandmother and his wife.

Poll shows Obama gaining in Pa. race

UNDATED (AP) - A new poll suggests Barack Obama is gaining ground in Pennsylvania. Two weeks before the Keystone State primary, the Quinnipiac University poll shows Hillary Rodham Clinton still out front among Democratic voters. Fifty percent of those surveyed favored Clinton, while 44 percent said they were backing Obama. Clinton's margin in the survey has been shrinking over the past few weeks. In mid-March she had a lead of 12 percentage points. Last week, that had dropped to nine, and now it's six. The poll suggests Obama remains more popular among the Pennsylvania's black voters, 75 percent to 17 percent, while Clinton does better among whites, 56 percent to 38 percent. As in past surveys, Clinton leads among older voters and Obama leads among younger ones. The margin of error in the Quinnipiac poll is plus or minus 2.7 percent.

Judge declares mistrial in celebrity pathologist Wecht case

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A federal judge in Pittsburgh has declared a mistrial in the fraud trial of celebrity pathologist Cyril Wecht. The jury says it could not reach a decision on any of the 41 counts against him. Federal prosecutors say they will retry Wecht. U.S. District Judge Arthur Schwab set a new trial date for May 27. Wecht was charged with fraud and theft counts for allegedly using his former Allegheny County coroner's staff to do work for his lucrative private practice.

FBI agents with sealed warrant raid Scranton tax office

SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) - The FBI has raided the office that collects taxes for the city of Scranton and the Scranton School District. The office, known as the Single Tax Office, has been under scrutiny since last month. That's when $12.2 million was found languishing in an office account. FBI spokeswoman Jerri Williams says the warrant for Tuesday's raid is sealed and she can't comment on what agents were looking for.

Disagreement erupts over mine safety bill changes

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Legislation to give Pennsylvania's 1961 mine safety law its first major update has hit a snag in the House. The bill passed the Senate unanimously in February after several years of negotiations between legislators, state officials and representatives from the union and mining companies. But the mining companies oppose an amendment championed by the mine workers union that was added to the bill Tuesday in a 17-12 House committee vote. The committee then voted to send the bill to the full House. Accidents at Sago Mine in West Virginia in 2006 and Quecreek Mine in Somerset in 2002 have spurred efforts to update the law. The law governs safety in approximately 200 bituminous mines.

Rendell administration, nursing homes clash over Pa. spending

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A dispute over whether Pennsylvania adequately pays for nursing home care has landed before a state Senate panel. Leaders of nursing home industry groups say Gov. Ed Rendell's proposed 2008-09 state budget shortchanges nursing homes because it calls for no increase in Medicaid reimbursements to those facilities. But Mike Hall of the state Department of Public Welfare tells the Senate Aging and Youth Services Committee that the administration isn't trying to drive nursing homes out of business. Hall says the administration is trying to strike a better balance between providing nursing home care to the elderly and disabled and providing home-based care to patients who don't need or want to stay in nursing homes.

CAPITOL HILL (AP) - General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker will be back in the hot seats on Capitol Hill today. They're concluding two days of testimony defending U.S. policy in Iraq and holding out little hope of troop withdrawals beyond those planned. Critics say the commitment can't be open-ended.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Organizers of the Olympic torch relay hint its planned route through San Francisco today could be changed if it runs into trouble. The head of the International Olympic Committee says he's "deeply saddened" by bitter torch protests in London and Paris.

DALLAS (AP) - It could be a bumpy ride for more air travelers today. American Airlines canceled about 500 flights yesterday and may scrap more today. Hundreds of its planes are having to undergo wiring checks for the second time in two weeks.

SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) - A court hearing is scheduled in Texas today on a challenge by leaders of a polygamist sect to a raid by law officers. They say the search warrant was too broad and not supported by evidence. State officials moved more than 400 children from the compound citing a complaint of abuse by a pregnant 16-year-old.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Washington's transit agency has pulled a promotional video on next week's scheduled visit by Pope Benedict to the nation's capital. The archdiocese has raised objections over use of a "bobblehead" pope. The PR person who dreamed up the video says there was no offense intended.