Today's News-Wednesday, June 4th

A Williamstown man is dead following an accident yesterday in Dauphin County. Lykens state police report that 64-year-old Robert Dietrich was operating a backhoe on his property when it rolled down a hill, causing fatal injuries. The accident happened around noontime Tuesday.

A fire at a kennel near Pitman has killed 23 dogs, but passing motorists stopped and managed to rescue nine others. By the time Keith Knock and Andrew Oxenrider drove by the kennel in Eldred Township, the building was fully engulfed in flames. The assistant chief of the Mahantongo Fire Company says Tuesday's fire is "of suspicious origin." Knock was treated at the scene for minor burns. One of the rescued dogs has severe burns. The kennel is owned by John Yagielniskie of Girardville.

A convicted murderer will get a new trial, after a ruling from Schuylkill County's President Judge yesterday. Ronald Champney, age 57, was convicted of killing Roy Bensinger 16 years ago at his North Manheim Township home. President Judge William Baldwin ruled yesterday that Champney's attorney, Marsha Ann Chawastiak, gave him ineffective counsel during his trial. The Republican and Herald reports that Champney was convicted of first-degree murder in 1999, after Bensinger's wife, Beth Shirey, hired Champney to shoot her husband.

Steven Close has been found guilty of assaulting two people. The St. Clair man committed crimes of aggravated assault and reckless endangerment, and was found guilty by a jury yesterday. Close stabbed Lori Sleva and Justin Manhart on December 30th at a home in St. Clair. Judge William Baldwin declared a mistrial on a charge of attempted homicide. The jury could not reach a verdict on the second charge.

Police in Port Carbon are looking for a teenaged girl, missing since Sunday night. 14-year-old Chelsea Harper of 32 Wood Street was last seen around 11:30pm. She was last seen wearing jeans, a black concert shirt and a maroon colored coat. Harper is described as being 5 feet, 5 inches tall, weighing about 135 pounds with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information about Harper's whereabouts should contact Port Carbon police at 622-5411, or by calling 9-1-1.

With significant changes ahead for area Catholic churches, reporter Kerry Dowd gives us a tip on how folks can express themselves during this very emotional time:

DOWD (click to listen)

A Lebanon man escaped injury when his truck crashed yesterday in Frailey Township. 52-year-old Steven Maritan was traveling north on I-81 when he became distracted and lost control of his vehicle. The truck went down an embankment, striking numerous trees, then ended up in a wooded area.
Maritan's truck had to be towed from the scene.

A Tower City man was injured in a motorcycle accident early Monday morning. Schuylkill Haven state police now report that 39-year-old Paul Rebuck was traveling north on Route 209 in Joliett. He attempted to avoid a car driven by Eric Brown of Hegins which was pulling out of an intersection. Rebuck hit a drainage ditch with his motorcycle and was thrown from the bike. He was taken to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center for treatment.

Fresh fruits, vegetables and other items will return to downtown Pottsville this weekend. The 5th annual Pottsville Farmers Market opens at 8am Saturday at the Arch Street Parking Lot, and will run each Saturday until November.
PADCO Executive Director Amy Burkhart tells us what visitors can find at the market:

BURKHART (click to listen)

Four local growers from around the county will offer homegrown items, including strawberries, which are just coming in to season. Three of the vendors are accepting checks from the Pennsylvania Farmers Market Nutrition Program for participants in the Womens, Infant and Children program. Senior Farmers Market Nutrition program vouchers will also be accepted. The market will be open until 12 noon Saturday in downtown Pottsville.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Rep. Bob Brady is endorsing Barack Obama. The congressman from Philadelphia had been an uncommitted Democratic superdelegate. But Brady's chief of staff says he made the decision because Obama won the district by a 3-to-1 margin and because the congressman believes in his platform. Obama sealed the Democratic presidential nomination yesterday against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Votes are expected as early as today on a compromise bill restricting smoking in Pennsylvania. Gov. Ed Rendell says he'll sign the bill, but the American Lung Association isn't endorsing it, saying it doesn't go far enough. The bill would ban smoking in restaurants, office buildings, train and bus stations, sports arenas and many other public places and work places. There are a number of exceptions.

NEW YORK (AP) - It's another test of what's become known as the concept of "Net neutrality." Comcast will launch tests this week to target some of its users who suck up huge chunks of bandwidth. The tests are to be conducted in Chambersburg, Pa., and Warrenton, Va., starting tomorrow. The Philadelphia-based Internet service provider has been under fire for how it treats subscriber Internet traffic.

GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) - State police in Greensburg are joining forces with Comcast cable TV to find Westmoreland County fugitives. The Pennsylvania State Police is the second law enforcement agency to participate in "Fugitive Files on Demand." The show began in March when the Allegheny County sheriff began featuring the top 10 most wanted county fugitives.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A judge is expected to hand down a verdict today in the case of a Montgomery County man who has acknowledged strangling his girlfriend's 14-year-old daughter. Judge William Furber heard closing arguments Tuesday in the nonjury trial of 48-year-old Mark O'Donnell in the Dec. 7 death of Ebony Dorsey. Dorsey was strangled and her body was hidden in a 20-gallon storage container.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Now that Barack Obama has proclaimed himself the Democratic nominee for president, he's turning his focus to John McCain. After clinching the delegate count last night, Obama told supporters his differences with the Republican aren't personal -- only with the policies McCain proposes.

NEW YORK (AP) - Hillary Clinton isn't conceding the Democratic presidential nomination to Barack Obama yet. But Clinton has told New York colleagues that she's open to the possibility of running for vice president if that would help the party's ticket in November.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - John McCain is wasting little time getting the general election campaign going. In a Louisiana speech last night, the 71-year-old Republican admitted he has a few years on 46-year-old Barack Obama and said he was "surprised that a young man has bought into so many failed ideas."

WASHINGTON (AP) - Exit polls suggest Barack Obama and John McCain must overcome lingering doubts voters have if they want to become president. Neither man got even half the votes of his party's primary voters who worried most about the economy, a key issue heading into November.

ROME (AP) - U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon says 15 to 20 billion dollars is needed each year to boost food production and combat hunger. He spoke today at a food summit in Rome, where delegates are split over the role biofuels play in driving up food prices.