Today's News-Tuesday, July 15th

Shenandoah man dies from injuries in fight
A Shenandoah man died from injuries received in a fight Saturday night. Borough police confirmed the death of 25-year-old Luis Ramirez to WPPA/T102 News Monday afternoon.
He died at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville. Police and investigators from the Schuylkill County DA's office continue to conduct interviews with witnesses and students from Shenandoah Valley High School who may have played a role in the fight near the Vine Street playground. The fight may have been racially motivated, but no arrests have been made as yet. The entire community is in shock about the incident. Stay tuned for more details.

Pottsville City Council
Pottsville City Council took action last night to move the intermodal trade and transit center project ahead. Demolition of properties at 300-308 and 314-316 South Centre Street will be done by Highland Associates of Clarks Summit as part of the $10 million dollar rail and bus center. In other business, The Porter House Grill restaurant at 100 South Centre Street was given the green light to add a sidewalk cafe in front of the property. The restaurant is scheduled to open within the next few weeks.

Harassment charges filed in Girardville incident
Two Girardville women will be charged with harassment by Frackville state police following an incident in the borough Monday night. Troopers report that 39-year-old Charlotte Dowling struck Colleen Lopko in the face with a purse at a home on West Main Street. Lopko reportedly hit Dowling's daughter, 19-year-old Amber McCracken, in the face in an earlier incident. Charges of harrassment were filed against Lopko and Dowling in district court.

Fire investigation to resume today
The fire investigation at the 1912 building at Rest Haven continues today. State police fire marshal John Burns was scheduled to conduct the probe yesterday morning, but was called away to a fatal fire scene in Lebanon County. So, the investigation is scheduled to resume this morning. The Saturday afternoon fire has been deemed suspicious.

Ashland woman faces theft charges
A 19-year-old Ashland woman is charged with burglary and related charges by Minersville police relating to a May 2nd incident. Authorities say that Ashley Watkins entered the home at 329 Laurel Street and removed copper tubing, then sold it to a scrap dealer. She was identified by video surveillance tape. In addition to burglary, Watkins is charged with criminal trespass, theft and receiving stolen property.

STATE NEWS

CELL PHONE DISCLOSURES
Pa. prosecutors target loophole that allows disclosure of cell-phone records
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania prosecutors meeting in Erie this week are expected to urge state lamakers to close a loophole that allowed a defense lawyer to get cell phone records of law enforcement officials involved in a casino owner's prosecution. The Philadelphia Inquirer says veteran lawyers said they were shocked to learn that Sprint-Nextel turned over 18 months of cell-phone records without telling the officials. The company was responding to a subpoena from the lawyer for a Catholic priest charged with perjury along with Louis DeNaples, who owns the Mount Airy Casino Resort in the Poconos. Sprint-Nextel spokesman Matthew Sullivan says the company adheres to state and federal laws. Pennsylvania's law does not require notification in such situations. Kathleen McDonnell of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association says the loophole could expose certain people, like victims of domestic abuse, to danger if such information is disclosed without their knowledge.

I-80 TOLLS
Part of Pa. plan for I-80 tolls, roadwork unveiled
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania turnpike officials say tolls on Interstate 80 would generate about $250 million a year for work on the highway, its bridges and other projects.
The commission's plan is part of a revised application for permission to toll I-80 that is expected to be submitted to federal regulators next month. If approved, the commission expects tolls to be in place in late summer 2010. Officials say the $250 million annual figure is about four times what the state now spends for work on the 311-mile highway that stretches across Pennsylvania between Ohio and New Jersey. An assessment of the interstate showed that more than half its length has not been repaved since it was built some 40 years ago. Also, the assessment revealed that 16 bridges are structurally deficient and 69 are functionally obsolete. Over the first decade, the commission plans to rebuild or rehabilitate 105 miles of I-80. It will also replace 62 bridges, including all four with less than 15 feet of clearance, and complete a $179 million connection to Interstate 99 outside State College.

GOVERNORS-NEXT PRESIDENT

Governor races may influence presidential outcome
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Democratic and Republican governors' groups are raising record amounts of campaign cash for their candidates. They say a strong turnout for supporters at the state level can only help their parties' presidential candidates. That could be slightly better news for Democrats, since governors from their party outnumber their GOP counterparts 28-22 this year. That's an edge Democrats gained two years ago after being in the minority since 1992. Both parties say they haven't coordinated any turnout efforts with the campaigns of Barack Obama or John McCain, which would be illegal. Governors often play a bigger role than the federal government in how Americans live their lives, particularly in areas such as health care and schools. With their homegrown fundraising machinery and grassroots organizing, governors can also play a big role in helping presidential candidates.

SPECTER-CANCER
Specter completes chemotherapy treatments

WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Arlen Specter has completed his last scheduled round of chemotherapy but will undergo additional tests. The 78-year-old Republican received the 12th and final dose at a Philadelphia hospital. He describes the treatments as "tough but tolerable" but says they sometimes left him tired and lethargic. But he worked all day despite Monday's dose, as he has throughout the three months of treatment. The senator learned in April he had an early recurrence of Hodgkin's disease, which is a cancer of the lymphatic system. He was treated for the same type of cancer in 2005. In a book published earlier this year, "Never Give In: Battling Cancer in the Senate," Specter credits hard work with getting him through the six months of chemotherapy.

GAS DRILLING
Pa. to lease 74,000 forest acres for gas drilling

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - State forestry officials say they will take bids from oil and gas companies interested in drilling on 74,000 acres in three state forests in northcentral Pennsylvania. The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources ended a five-year moratorium on new drilling earlier this year. Eighteen different tracts are involved. To win, a bidder must submit the highest money offer on the first year's land rental. Successful bidders will be able to take a shot at a deep gas reservoir, the Marcellus Shale formation, some 6,000 to 8,000 feet underground. The Marcellus formation is thought to contain large quantities of natural gas and is drawing the interest of exploration companies from Texas to Canada.

YOUNG COUPLE-FRAUD
Student grifter pleads guilty in Pa. ID theft case
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A 22-year-old woman to be sentenced this fall in an identity theft case says she has been receiving counseling and medication for mental health issues. Former Drexel University student Jocelyn Kirsch spoke barely above a whisper Monday as she pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft and other federal crimes. Kirsch and her 25-year-old ex-boyfriend, Edward Anderton, acknowledge that they stole the identities of friends and neighbors in the Philadelphia area. They netted more than $100,000 in goods and services and used the money for trips, fancy dinners and expensive salon visits. Kirsch is being sentenced on Oct. 17. Anderton's sentencing date is Sept. 19.

MURDER-SUICIDE
Police: Man apparently kills wife, self after setting fire to Potter County home
ROULETTE, Pa. (AP) - State police in Potter County say a man apparently shot his estranged wife, set fire to his home and then killed himself. Police say the bodies of 32-year-old Matthew D. Baker and 29-year-old Cheri K. Baker were found in the Roulette residence Sunday night. They were pronounced dead at the scene by Perry County Coroner Kevin Dusenbury at 8:10 p.m. State police in Coudersport say the woman went to her estranged husband's home to talk about custody arrangements for their 2-year-old son. Police say the man apparently shot her in the head with a 22-caliber rifle at some point between 4 and 6 p.m. Police say he then set the residence on fire and turned the gun on himself. The blaze caused only minor damage and went out by itself. Police say the investigation of the deaths continues and autopsies are pending.

MARIJUANA-FATAL CRASH
Pa. man ordered to attend counseling program in marijuana-influenced double-fatal crash
READING, Pa. (AP) - A man has been ordered to take part in a drug counseling program for driving under the influence of marijuana when his car crashed, killing two of his passengers. Nineteen-year-old Benjamin Ruth of Topton pleaded guilty in March in Berks County Juvenile Court to homicide by vehicle, driving under the influence of marijuana and recklessly endangering others. He was ordered Monday to serve five weekends of inpatient drug-and-alcohol counseling. The September 2005 crash killed 16-year-old Shay Keiper and 17-year-old Amber Krammes and injured two other 16-year-old passengers. All four were students at Brandywine Heights High School. Rush tearfully apologized to his parents and the victims' families and told Judge Arthur Grim that he hopes for a better future.

THOMSON-PATENT INFRINGEMENT
Appeals court overturns multimillion dollar patent verdict
against Thomson Reuters
PITTSBURGH (AP) - A federal appellate court in Philadelphia has overturned a jury's finding that Thomson Reuters Corp. infringed a patent for trading municipal bonds in Internet auctions. Jurors had awarded MuniAuction Inc. $38.4 million in damages in October 2006 after finding that New York-based Thomson Corp. willfully infringed MuniAuction's patent. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that decision, finding that Thomson didn't infringe on any patents. U.S. District Judge Gary Lancaster had said the jury believed Thomson deliberately copied MuniAuction's software and tried to portray itself as a group of small companies. Lawyers for Pittsburgh-based Grant Street Group, MuniAuction's parent company, argued it developed the software for selling municipal bonds online in April 1996. The program opened the process and increased the number of businesses that could participate in bidding, they said.

HONG KONG (AP) - Asian stock markets are all down today. Analysts say investor confidence in the U.S. financial system is low despite a government-backed plan to help beleaguered mortgage financiers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Fed chairman Ben Bernanke and other top economic officials are offering an update on the economy before a Senate panel this morning. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson will elaborate on the administration's plan to help mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

DETROIT (AP) - General Motors plans to cut several thousand salaried jobs, while further slashing truck production in response to falling sales and spiralling losses. The restructuring will be formally discussed at a morning news conference.

HAMILTON, Bermuda (AP) - Tropical Storm Bertha could drop another inch or two of rain on Bermuda as it slowly drifts away. It's also expected to regain hurricane strength later today.

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Pope Benedict is in Australia where tens of thousands of Catholic pilgrims from around the world, celebrating the World Youth Day festival. A series of events will
be held throughout the week leading up to a papal Mass this Sunday.