Today's News- Tuesday, June 17th

A Shamokin man is dead following a mine accident in Mount Carmel Township yesterday. The accident happened at Harmony Mine, located between Centralia and Mount Carmel around 10am. WNEP TV reports that 45 year old Robert Carey was covered by a rock fall from the roof of the mine. Other miners were able to get the victim to the surface of the mine, and he was transported from the scene via helicopter, but died from his injuries. Federal and state mine inspectors are investigating the incident, the second at that mine since opening in 1990. The mine is operated by UAE Coal Corporation Associates.

Residents concerned about the closing of the Ringtown Elementary School will have the opportunity to have their case heard next month. At Monday night's North Schuylkill board meeting, July 10th has been set for a hearing about permanently closing the elementary building. School directors initially made the announcement May 8th. Concerned parents petitioned Schuylkill County Court to stop the closure within the past few weeks. Their hearing is scheduled for 2pm Thursday at the Courthouse. According to the Republican and Herald, the state school code dictates that North Schuylkill School District cannot permanently close the building for 90 days after the hearing. That would take the matter into the next school year. Some 140 students will be transported to the elementary school in Fountain Springs if the closure is finalized.

A Schuylkill Haven man, serving time in state prison for molesting a boy, is asking for a new trial. 47-year-old David Kalbach Sr. was convicted of statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and related charges after he sexually assaulted a boy in 1999 and 2000. Kalbach said that his public defender, Christopher Hobbs, did not adequately represent him during his trial before President Judge William Baldwin. Kalbach was sentenced to serve 69 to 138 months in state prison for his conviction in 2006. He is serving his sentence at the state prison at Camp Hill.

A two thousand dollar reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and discovery of a stolen antique car in Schuylkill County. The car was taken sometime between six p.m. June eighth and one-thirty June 15th from 39-year-old David Walter of Schuylkill Haven. The 1932 Ford Convertible roadster was towed from the rear of Walter's property out onto Route 443. The Roadster is painted black with red trim and red wheels with white wall tires and a red grill insert, with a New York registration plate. The vehicle is valued at $25-thousand dollars. Anyone with information on the theft of the vehicle is asked to call state police.

A Port Carbon man faces charges of driving under the influence following a crash in the borough early Monday morning. 54-year-old Andrew Colna was driving north on Coal Street in Port Carbon when his vehicle hit an unoccupied parked car. While investigating the accident, state police suspected that Colna was driving under the influence of alcohol, and was placed under arrest. He was taken to Pottsville Hospital for blood alcohol testing. Colna was released to a family member. Final charges will be filed with District Court, pending the result of toxicology tests.

A Fredericksburg woman avoided injury in a Pine Grove crash Monday evening. 72 year old Esther Athey was driving south on Route 125 and lost control on the wet roadway. Her car spun out and hit a utility pole. Athey was wearing her seatbelt, but her car had to be towed from the scene. The crash happened around 7pm last night.

Two vehicles were involved in a crash on a wet roadway last night near Cressona. Gregory Hubler and Edward Bartashus of Schuylkill Haven were both driving south on Route 183 before 7pm. Bartashus was stopped for traffic, and Hubler was unable to stop in time, and rear ended Bartashus's car. He suffered minor injuries. Hubler will be cited for driving too fast for conditions.

You may want to allow for extra travel time this morning. PennDOT will be repaving the north and southbound lanes of Interstate 81 between Exit 119-HighRidge Park Road, and Exit 131 at Mahanoy City. Single lane conditions will be in place during daylight hours, Monday through Saturday, until November until the project is completed.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - An Allegheny County jury has convicted a man of raping several women in Pittsburgh's East End communities. The jury on Monday found 51-year-old Keith Wood guilty of four of the five rapes with which he was charged.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Two men have been sentenced to probation for conspiring to run and illegal gambling ring and launder money around Washington County. Federal prosecutors say 38-year-old August Passieu III of McDonald and 67-year-old Robert Arrigo of Bethel Park were among a group involved in sports and numbers betting and an illegal ticket drawing game.

CORAOPOLIS, Pa. (AP) - Robert Morris University's trustees have approved the first phase of a 20-year master plan of improvements to the 230-acre campus in Moon Township. The initial, three-year plan is under way and will cost about $23 million. The capital plan includes a new 12,000-square-foot building for laboratories, classrooms, faculty offices and a simulation center for the School of Nursing and Health Sciences.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Allegheny County has a 10 percent tax on alcoholic drinks sold at bars and restaurants to fund mass transit. Now a group has formed to fight the tax. The group plans to begin
collecting signatures Tuesday to put the issue to a referendum in November.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Authorities say a Pittsburgh toddler is dead after being found unresponsive at his home with a plastic bag over his head. The Allegheny County medical examiner says the 3-year-old boy was pronounced dead Monday evening at Allegheny General Hospital.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - President Bush will take a trip to the Midwest Thursday to personally tour flood damage. Bush will get an update briefing on the situation today.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - NOAA's experts say even a strong Category 2 hurricane could cause the levee system in New Orleans to once again fail. NOAA says that almost three years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is still among the nation's most vulnerable areas.

GUANGZHOU, China (AP) - Soldiers are shoring up levees with sandbags in southern China as forecasters warn that more heavy rain could trigger flooding. Over two million acres of farmland have been damaged or destroyed.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - High-level talks between the U.S. and China begin today at the U.S. Naval Academy. Energy is expected to be a key topic in Annapolis, Maryland. The two nations are the world's largest importers of oil.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Energy Department says the U.S. government isn't doing enough to buy nuclear material on the black market. About 19 of the 1,300 nuclear smuggling incidents over the last 15 years have involved the transfer of weapons grade material.