Today's News-Thursday, July 24, 2008

PINE GROVE FATAL

A PINE GROVE MAN IS DEAD FOLLOWING A TWO VEHICLE CRASH IN PINE GROVE TOWNSHIP WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. STATE POLICE REPORT THAT 78-YEAR-OLD EDWARD NESS WAS DRIVING NORTH ON STATE ROUTE 501 AND HENRY VANZEE OF STEVENS, PA WAS HEADING SOUTH WHEN NESS'S VEHICLE LEFT THE ROADWAY AND SPUN INTO VANZEE'S PT CRUISER. NESS WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT THE SCENE BY THE SCHUYLKILL COUNTY CORONER. VANZEE SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES, BUT REFUSED TREATMENT. TROOPERS SAY THAT NESS WAS NOT WEARING HIS SEATBELT. VANZEE WILL BE CHARGED WITH DRIVING TOO FAST FOR CONDITIONS. THE CRASH HAPPENED AT 4;40PM YESTERDAY.

BUSINESS BREAK IN

A WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP BUSINESS WAS BURGLARIZED OVERNIGHT TUESDAY. THIEVES MADE OFF WITH A LARGE HAUL OF EQUIPMENT. THE BURGLARS PRIED OPEN A REAR DOOR AT FISHER'S WELDING AND FABRICATION ON ROUTE 443, AND REMOVED THREE WELDING MACHINES WITH A FORKLIFT, THEN FLED. THE EQUIPMENT IS VALUED AT $17-THOUSAND-DOLLARS. SCHUYLKILL HAVEN STATE POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING. ANYONE WITH INFORMATION SHOULD CALL THEM AT 593-2000.

SCRAP METAL THEFT IN TREMONT TOWNSHIP

TWO PINE GROVE MEN WERE CAUGHT IN THE ACT OF TAKING SCRAP METAL FROM A BUSINESS IN TREMONT TOWNSHIP. GERALD AND TODD DINGER WERE FOUND TRESPASSING BY STATE POLICE ON PROPERTY OWNED BY BLACKWOOD, INCORPORATED. SCRAP METAL FROM THE BUSINESS WAS FOUND IN GERALD DINGER'S CAR. TROOPERS FILED THEFT CHARGES AGAINST THE PAIR IN DISTRICT COURT.

SALARY BOARD CONTROVERSY

ISSUES CONTINUE TO BE DISPUTED WITH THE COUNTY'S SALARY BOARD. BY A VOTE OF 3 TO 1, THE BOARD WEDNESDAY VOTED TO CHANGE THE PART TIME PUBLIC DEFENDER JOB TO FULLTIME BY ELIMINATING ONE AND CREATING THE OTHER. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY CONTROLLER MELINDA KANTNER CLAIMS THE POSITIONS ALREADY EXIST, CITING 1997 BOARD MINUTES. THE COMMISSIONERS DISPUTE THAT FACT. CHIEF PUBLIC DEFENDER HARRY RUBRIGHT IS RETIRING, AND ASSISTANT DA MICHAEL STINE WILL TAKE HIS PLACE, AT A SALARY OF JUST OVER $59-THOUSAND-DOLLARS. DOUGLAS TAGLIERI WILL FILL STINE'S POSITION. COUNTY SOLICITOR ERIC MIKA SAYS THAT BY ELIMINATING THREE POSITIONS, THE COUNTY WILL SAVE ALMOST $30-THOUSAND DOLLARS.

MAN SHOT IN BERKS DINER HOLDUP

A NORTHERN BERKS COUNTY RESTAURANT WAS HELD UP AT GUNPOINT LAST NIGHT, AND A CUSTOMER SHOT. THE READING EAGLE REPORTS THAT MANCINO'S RESTAURANT ON ROUTE 501 IN TULPEHOCKEN TOWNSHIP WAS ROBBED AROUND 9:20PM. STATE POLICE REPORT THAT THREE BLACK MEN WITH SKI MASKS, BRANDISHING A SHOTGUN COMMITTED THE ROBBERY, THEN FLED. AN UNIDENTIFIED MAN WAS SHOT IN THE BACK. THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES.

ECONOMY TAXING SOCIAL AGENCIES

TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES ARE PUTTING MORE OF A STRAIN ON THE RESOURCES OF AREA SOCIAL AGENCIES. PEOPLE ARE ASKING FOR FOOD AND MONETARY ASSISTANCE FROM ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE SALVATION ARMY. CAPTAIN ADAM HENCH WAS A GUEST ON "STEP UP TO THE MIKE" ON WPPA WEDNESDAY. HE SAID THEY ARE CHALLENGED BY INCREASING NUMBER OF RESIDENTS ASKING FOR HELP, AND LESS TO GO AROUND. THERE IS A NEED FOR CASH DONATIONS TO FUND PROGRAMS THAT DIRECTLY HELP THOSE IN NEED, AND FOOD DONATIONS TO RESTOCK THEIR PUBLIC PANTRY. HENCH SAYS THAT WITH THE HIGH PRICE OF FUEL AND THE HEATING SEASON FAST APPROACHING, PEOPLE ARE HOLDING ON TIGHT, UNSURE OF WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN NEXT:

HENCH

IF YOU'D LIKE TO HELP, CONTACT THE SALVATION ARMY AT 622-5252.

BABY MYSTERY

Not-guilty plea planned in Pa. womb-cutting case

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The lawyer for a Pittsburgh-area woman accused of cutting an infant from his mother's womb says her client plans to plead not guilty. The lawyer for 38-year-old Andrea Curry-Demus, Angela Carsia, says a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday. But she says an Allegheny County judge will hold a hearing Thursday to determine whether the Wilkinsburg woman is mentally competent to proceed. Curry-Demus is charged with homicide, kidnapping and related offenses in the death of 18-year-old Kia Johnson. Her decomposing
body was found Friday in Curry-Demus' apartment.

McCain credits Bush for drop in oil price

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) - John McCain is crediting the recent $10-a-barrel drop in the price of oil to President Bush's lifting of a presidential ban on offshore drilling. McCain, who has been advocating such action during his presidential campaign, argues the psychology of lifting the ban has affected world markets -- even though a congressional ban remains in place. Speaking in Wilkes-Barre, he criticized Barack Obama for opposing drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf.
The Arizona Republican also took another swipe at Obama's Iraq policies, saying they amount to "unconditional withdrawal." McCain said Obama's plan to withdraw U.S. troops over a 16-month period "could lead to a resurgence in our enemies, and we would have to come back."

Chairman of Pa. education board resigns

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The chairman of the State Board of Education says he's leaving the board after Gov. Ed Rendell asked him to give up his leadership post. Karl Girton says Rendell asked him on Friday to step down as chairman but stay on the board until the governor leaves office in 2011. After taking the weekend to think it over, Girton decided to leave the board altogether. Girton says he doesn't think he'd be effective on the board once he gives up the chairmanship. The resignation is effective Aug. 1. During his tenure, Girton presided over updates of the state's academic standards and the adoption of new early-childhood education standards, among other policy changes.

Pittsburgh cancer center warns of cell phone risks

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The head of a cancer research center is urging his faculty and staff to limit their cell phone use. Dr. Ronald Herberman of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute is worried about the possible risk of brain cancer. He says there's a "growing body of literature" linking long-term cell phone use with adverse health effects, including cancer. He's basing his warning on early, unpublished data. Herberman is urging his faculty and staff to keep cell phones away from their heads, and use the speakerphone or a wireless headset. He says children should use cell phones only for emergencies. Other researchers point to numerous studies which have found no link between cell phone use and brain tumors. The Food and Drug
Administration says if there is a risk it's probably very small.

Pa. judge won't reduce sentence for triple killer

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) - A Lancaster County judge says a teenager who killed three members of a family must serve three consecutive life sentences. On Wednesday, Judge David Ashworth denied a motion by a lawyer for 17-year-old Alec Kreider to make the sentences concurrent.
Ashworth says Kreider bragged to a fellow inmate that he would kill again if he got the chance. The judge says he believes that and wants to make sure Kreider never has the opportunity.
Kreider killed Tom and Lisa Haines, and their 16-year-old son, Kevin, in May 2007 in their Manheim Township home. Their daughter, Maggie, was able to escape.

Mom accused of poisoning infant appears in court

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A preliminary hearing in Pittsburgh for a mother accused of poisoning her infant with saltwater is postponed until August. The hearing for 21-year-old Amber Brewington of Duck River, Tenn., was initially scheduled for Wednesday. Brewington, her arms and legs shackled, appeared in court on Wednesday dressed in burgundy prison garb. Her court-appointed attorney says a first behavioral evaluation is inconclusive. Brewington will be reevaluated. Brewington faces charges of attempted homicide for allegedly poisoning her 4-month-old son, Noah King. Earlier this month, King was transferred from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. to the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, where he remains in critical but stable condition.

Unisys move on hold during fight over red signs

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A Unisys Corp. official says red-lighted signs atop a Philadelphia skyscraper are a "critical" part of the decision to move corporate headquarters downtown. The company's headquarters, with 225 jobs, are now in the Philadelphia suburb of Blue Bell. Vice President of Corporate Operations Lawrence Wieser says the information technology company has delayed plans to move its headquarters downtown because of the controversy. He spoke at a city zoning board hearing over whether to allow the signs. Opponents of the signs say the red lights would be an aesthetic nightmare. Several dozen people attended the hearing, but time ran
out before they could testify. The zoning board continued the hearing until the fall.

Pa. state trooper charged with assault

HAZLETON, Pa. (AP) - A state trooper from the Hazleton barracks is charged with assault and witness intimidation. Cpl. Michael Hartzel is accused of using excessive force, then telling another trooper to keep quiet. Hartzel was arrested and is suspended without pay. Hartzel was among seven troopers who responded to a disturbance at a Hazle Township trailer park earlier this year. An internal investigation concluded that Hartzel "intentionally stomped" on a
man's head while he was lying on the ground. No one answered the door at Hartzel's home when a reporter went there to get his side of the story.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) - Texas Governor Rick Perry has declared 14 counties in south Texas disaster areas because of Tropical Storm Dolly. He's scheduled to fly over the region today. Dolly has been pumping out prodigious amounts of rain since making landfall yesterday. Some places could get 20 inches.

BERLIN (AP) - Barack Obama has begun the European leg of his overseas trip. He's in Berlin, where he's been given a friendly greeting by Chancellor Angela Merkel. He's to address a huge outdoor gathering this evening before heading to Paris and London tomorrow.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - One of the stars of the U.S. Olympic team could miss out on a trip to Beijing. Swimmer Jessica Hardy has tested positive for a banned substance. She has just two weeks to pursue an appeal.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Some two million poorer Americans get a pay hike today. The federal minimum wage goes up by 70 cents an hour to $6.55. Nashville, Tennessee, car-wash worker Walter Jasper is happy to see it, particularly with food and gas prices up, too.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - A judge in New Zealand is fed up with cutesy names. He's ordered a new name for a nine-year-old girl. Her parents named her "Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii." A lawyer says she was so embarrassed by it, she didn't even tell her friends.