Today's news - Tuesday, July 8, 2008

STATE POLICE REPORT FEWER ACCIDENTS, SAME AMOUNT OF DEATHS

THE NUMBER OF HOLIDAY CRASHES WAS DOWN FROM A YEAR AGO HOWEVER OVER A DOZEN LIVES WERE STILL LOST…

THAT’S ACCORDING TO A PRESS RELEASE FROM THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE. FIFTEEN PEOPLE DIED – 289 WERE INJURED – AND 759 CRASHES WERE INVESTIGATED DURING THE FOUR-DAY HOLIDAY WEEKEND. COMMISSIONER JEFFERY MILLER SAYS 11 OF THE 15 PEOPLE KILLED WERE NOT WEARING THEIR SEATBELTS WHEREAS CLOSE TO 10-PERCENT OF THE CRASHES INVOLVED ALCOHOL. SOME OTHER STAGGERING NUMBERS – 339 ARRESTED FOR DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE – 372 FOR FAILING TO WEAR A SEATBELT – AND 6,891 SPEEDING TICKETS.

PROSECUTORS FILE APPEAL TO KEEP POTTSVILLE MAN ON DEATH-ROW

THERE’S A NEW DEVELOPMENT IN THE DEATH-ROW CASE INVOLVING A LOCAL POTTSVILLE MAN…

THE STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE FILED AN APPEAL LAST WEEK TO OVERTURN JUDGE WILLIAM BALDWIN’S RULING THAT 57-YEAR OLD RONALD CHAMPNEY SHOULD RECEIVE A NEW TRIAL. CHAMPNEY – WHO HAS BEEN SITTING ON DEATH-ROW SINCE 1999 FOR THE JUNE 1992 KILLING OF ROY BENSINGER – WAS HIRED BY BESINGER’S WIFE TO KILL HER HUSBAND. SHE IS SERVING A LIFE SENTENCE AT S-C-I/MUNCY. CHAMPENY’S NEW DEFENSE TEAM SAY HE WAS NEVER REPRESENTED PROPERLY DURING HIS FIRST TRIAL AND SHOULD THEREFORE HAVE HIS DEATH-ROW SENTENCE OVERTURNED. THE APPEAL WILL BE HEARD BY THE STATE SUPREME COURT – WHICH CONSIDERS DEATH-ROW CASES. CHAMPNEY AWAITS HIS APPEAL LOCKED-UP AT STATE CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION/GREENE.

POTTSVILLE MAN ARRESTED ON WEAPONS CHARGES

A 60-YEAR OLD POTTSVILLE MAN IS LOCKED-UP BEHIND BARS AFTER WAVING A HANDGUN AT TWO MALES RIDING THEIR BIKES…

POLICE SAY FREDERICK RICHARDSON OF SECOND STREET POINTED A TAURUS SIX SHOT REVOLVER AT ANTHONY LYNN AND WILLIAM HESSE – BOTH OF POTTSVILLE. LYNN AND HESSE WERE RIDING THEIR BIKES ALONG THE ONE-HUNDRED BLOCK OF WEST RACE STREET WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. THE GUN ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION WAS TAKEN FROM THE SCENE AND RICHARDSON WAS ARRESTED. RICHARDSON WAS ARRAIGNED AND CHARGED WITH WEAPONS CHARGES AND NUMEROUS RELATED OFFENSES. HE’S IN SCHUYLKILL COUNTY PRISON IN LIEU OF 25-THOUSAND DOLLARS BAIL.
SCHUYLKILL COUNTY JURY PROGRAM RECEIVES HIGHEST STATE HONORS

FOR MANY COUNTY RESIDENTS WHO HAVE REPORTED FOR JURY DUTY – WE CONGRATULATE YOU…

RELEASED IN A RECENT REPORT THE SCHUYLKILL COUNTY COURTS’ JURY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED AS RANKING FIRST IN THE STATE AMONG FOURTH CLASS COUNTIES IN JUROR COST AND EFFICIENCY. THE HONOR WAS GIVEN FROM THE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF PENNSYLVANIA COURTS AND RECEIVED BY PRESIDENT JUDGE WILLIAM BALDWIN. JUROR COMPENSATION IS BASED ON STATE LAW AND HAS NOT BEEN INCREASED FOR MANY YEARS – ONE REASON WHY COUNTY COURT WORKS HARD TO BE PRODUCTIVE OF THE JURORS REPORTING FOR SERVICE. JUDGE BALDWIN EXTENDS APPRECIATION TO ALL SCHUYLKILL COUNTY RESIDENTS WHO PARTICIPATE IN JURY DUTY EACH YEAR.

CLAIRTON, Pa. (AP) - State environmental regulators saypollution from the Clairton Coke Works won't be used to forecastair pollution alerts for the Pittsburgh region. The state saysClairton and Liberty, the areas most affected by that pollution,will get separate forecasts.

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - A 47-year-old Coatesville, Pa., woman isconvicted of manslaughter for killing her ex-boyfriend in Delaware.Beverly Baker said she was trying to take a gun away from55-year-old Carl Block of Claymont, Del., when it went off.

GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) - Westmoreland County is considering a planto create a day reporting center for defendants who can't affordbail while awaiting trial. The center would ease concerns aboutovercrowding at the county's jail in Hempfield Township.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Teachers at the Community College of AlleghenyCounty have reached a tentative agreement on a three-year contract.Nearly 360 teachers, librarians, counselors and others will vote onthe deal next week. Their current contract expires Aug. 23.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A Pittsburgh-area labor attorney will be thenewest federal magistrate to serve in the federal courthouse in thecity. Forty-year-old Cathy Bissoon, of Mount Lebanon, has beenappointed to replace U.S. Magistrate Francis Caiazza (ky-AY'-zuh)who is retiring.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Chairman Ben Bernanke says the Federal Reservemight give slumping Wall Street firms more time to draw emergencyloans directly from the central bank, in order to help themovercome credit problems. The Fed's broader use of its lendingpowers is bringing criticism that taxpayer dollars are being put atrisk.

RUSUTSU, Japan (AP) - The Bush administration says today's G-Eight summit commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions in halfover the next four decades is a validation of its policies. But,environmentalists are calling it "an empty slogan."

VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Oil prices have dropped below the$140-a-barrel mark today, after a plunge of nearly $4 yesterday.One analyst says while $150-a-barrel oil looks less certain, he'snot ready to call this a new trend.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Forecasters in California say the weather isabout to make life more difficult for firefighters in the comingdays. Fresh reinforcements from other parts of the country continueto fly into areas that need help with raging wildfires.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Family members are preparing to lay thebody of Senator Jesse Helms to rest today. Vice President DickCheney will be alongside a delegation of senators at the service inNorth Carolina. A wake last night drew hundreds.