Today's News- Friday, August 15, 2008

Pine Grove residents state their case about police issues

A standing room only crowd of more than 130 residents filled the Pine Grove borough council chambers last night looking for answers to ongoing problems with their police department. Business people and concerned citizens questioned the council about what is being done about allegations of "overly aggressive" police activities and how the board is planning to handle it. Stephen Frantz (france), a spokesman for the business community, handed the council a petition of 1-thousand-forty-six signatures, demanding a resolution to the problem. In particular, Frantz asked council for the resignation of Chief Joshua Reager and council Vice President, Ron Miko, and questioned comments Reager made about police procedures on WPPA's Step Up To the Mic on August 6th. Frantz summarized the group's frustration:

FRANTZ

Five officers, one full time and four part timers, submitted their resignations. All cited other work commitments,. family issues and other reasons for stepping down. Miko, a Reading police officer, was not in attendance for health reasons. Chief Reager was in the building, but did not attend the meeting. Council president Tim Peters said after the meeting that the council will address the concerns, stating "Please give us the time to do it". Frantz stated that they will take the matter to the Schuylkill County District Attorney's office, the state Attorney General and other agencies if the matter is not resolved.

1912 Building and Rest Haven

The Schuylkill County Commissioners Wednesday voted to spend almost $71,000 to correct problems at Rest Haven resulting from a July 12th fire at the 1912 building. The fire destroyed a transformer and phone system and threatened Rest Haven Home and Hospital. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, Penn State University’s Advisory Board bought the building and 34 acres of land from the Country and plan to tear it down. In a related matter, County Controller Melinda Kantner told the Commissioners she intends to invoice Bruce Krokus of Tamaqua for the costs of Waste Management's fee of $590.00 to haul containers of trash to the landfill. The landfill does not charge for the dumping the containers. Krokus was hired by the county to clean out the building. His agreement with the county allows him to sell scrap metal and other items inside for cash in lieu of being paid by the county. Kantner says the county's contract with Krokus indicates he is responsible for all costs related to the removal of items from the building, including trash. Commissioner Gallagher said the trash bins at the 1912 building are also used by Rest Haven for trash disposal and would be emptied anyway and it would be difficult to determine how much of the fee resulted from the cleanout at 1912 building. The Commissioners also approved the return of the 191 year old cupola from the top of the 1912 building to the borough of Orwigsburg. The cupola orginally sat atop the old courthouse in Orwigsburg when it was the county seat from 1817 though 1851, and has been at the 1912 building since 1941. The Borough plans to use the cupola along with a historic clock and bell to the renovated Memorial building.

New Jersey man arrested on various counts in Pottsville

A New Jersey man is in the county jail after a traffic stop in Pottsville Wednesday night. 23-year-old Joshua Lee Clayton was pulled over for a traffic violation, and police found he was wanted on an outstanding warrant from Georgia for soliciting without a permit. A further search found Darvocet and marijuana on Clayton. He was charged with possession of a controlled substance, driving without a license and related counts, and was jailed in lieu of $10-thousand-dollars bail.

RXD Pharmacy to close locations

Reduced insurance reimbursements and rising costs are forcing the closure of three local pharmacies. The RXD pharmacies in Pottsville, Minersville and Shenandoah will close by month's end, and be merged into local Rite Aid pharmacies. The company is also planning to close six locations in New Jersey, but three of the family-owned operations in the Philadelphia are will stay open.

Pa. governor seeks disaster area status for fire

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. (AP) - Gov. Ed Rendell is asking the U.S. Small Business Administration to declare Montgomery County a disaster area. Rendell's request follows a huge fire that destroyed two upscale apartment buildings in the Philadelphia suburb of Conshohocken and
damaged two others. The designation, if approved, would make low-interest loans available to eligible renters and business owners for losses in Wednesday's fire. The governor says renters could borrow up to $40,000 to replace lost possessions and business owners could borrow up to $2 million. The request came as hundreds of residents waited for word on the fate of their pets and belongings, while the lucky ones waited to hear when they could return home.

Crusading ex-Pa. lawmaker takes in sex offenders

MARIETTA, Pa. (AP) - A former state lawmaker has adopted a new and unpopular cause: Taking into his home three sex offenders who couldn't find a place to live. The stand has angered some residents in the Lancaster County borough of Marietta, drawn pickets and touched off a zoning dispute. Cities across the nation are passing ever-tighter laws to keep
out people convicted of sex crimes. But Tom Armstrong says he is drawing on his religious belief in forgiveness and sheltering the three men until he can open a halfway house for sex offenders.
He says the system unfairly brands all sex offenders, and it needlessly creates housing and employment problems for the offenders, as well as friction in communities. Some residents say the men may deserve a second chance, but they worry about the safety of their children and neighbors with three sex offenders living in one place.

Pa. report card says fewer schools make the grade

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Fewer Pennsylvania public schools are meeting the state's academic expectations as more students are being required to pass math and reading tests. The state's academic achievement report released Thursday found that 69 percent of all public schools made adequate yearly progress under the federal No Child Left Behind Act during the 2007-08
school year. That compares to 74 percent in the previous year. Reading and math test scores are one factor that determines whether schools are making progress. Pennsylvania now requires at least 63 percent of all students to be proficient or better in reading, and 56 percent to be proficient or better in math. Those percentages were smaller in the 2006-07 school year.

Mack Trucks moving HQ from Allentown, Pa. to N.C.

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) - Mack Trucks should employ at least 900 people in Pennsylvania after its restructuring, down from 1,500 now. The restructuring moves the heavy-duty truck maker's headquarters from Allentown, Pa., to Greensboro, N.C. There are 680 people working at Mack's headquarters. But Mack is adding about 200 factory jobs in the Lehigh Valley. It's shifting assembly of highway vehicles from Virginia's New River Valley plant to the Mack plant in Macungie. That change is to happen later this year. The company is also converting a test center in Allentown into a customer demonstration and reception center. In addition, Mack will close warehouses in Columbus, Ohio, and Dallas and will downsize facilities in Baltimore, Chicago,
Jacksonville and Memphis.

Rescue of troubled Pittsburgh casino get Pa.'s OK

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Construction is expected to restart within days on a troubled Pittsburgh casino project after state officials approved a rescue by new investors. The rescue plan on the partially built $780 million casino on Pittsburgh's North Shore received the approval Thursday from the seven-member Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. The unanimous vote came after the gaming board's staff gave the deal a green light during a four-hour hearing.
Chicago real-estate billionaire Neil Bluhm is leading the new investor group. During the hearing, Bluhm told the gaming board that its approval would allow contractors to be paid and work to restart Monday. Construction stopped July 1 after the licensee, Detroit-based businessman Don Barden, defaulted on loans and ran out of money.

Defense says Pa. mass killer is psychotic

GRATERFORD, Pa. (AP) - Mass murderer George Banks covered his mouth with a wad of napkins and stared off into space as his attorneys asked a judge to spare his life. The 66-year-old former prison guard killed 13 people in Wilkes-Barre in 1982. His lawyers say he's too mentally ill to be executed. Defense experts testified that Banks is psychotic and unable to
comprehend his death sentence or participate in his defense. Prosecutors agree Banks is mentally ill but maintain the execution should go forward. The hearing at Graterford State Prison in Montgomery County is expected to last through Monday.

Pa. senator's wife charged with embezzlement

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The wife of Democratic state Sen. Gerald LaValle is charged with stealing thousands of dollars from a nonprofit she headed, inflating her salary and denying employees
pension benefits. Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett says 68-year-old Darla LaValle, of Rochester, stole the money while heading the Voluntary Action Center in Beaver County from 1987 until March 2007. Seventy-five-year-old Sen. LaValle announced he was retiring when his term ends at the end of this year. Darla LaValle has already repaid $47,000 the agency's board says she shouldn't have received. It is not clear if she has an attorney.

Philly man charged with threatening Giants coach

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A Philadelphia man is accused of trying to blackmail New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin. Federal prosecutors say 30-year-old Herbert Alex Simpson sent the coach letters threatening to expose a fictitious sexual tryst with two women. Simpson is accused of sending Coughlin two letters on July 30 and July 31, allegedly from women claiming to have had a sexual encounter with the coach in December when the Giants were in Philadelphia. Court papers say the letters demanded the coach pay $20,000 to $30,000. Investigators interviewed the women named in the letters, who said they knew nothing about them and never met Coughlin. The women also identified the handwriting as belonging to Simpson, a former
co-worker. Simpson doesn't have a listed phone number. There's no word on whether he has a lawyer.

Army wife's e-mails to husband lead to sex charges

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A western Pennsylvania soldier who told police that his 19-year-old wife had admitted having sex with a 14-year-old boy says he doesn't want her prosecuted. But Mercer County District Attorney Robert Kochems says Army Pfc. Tucker Moore isn't the victim in the eyes of the law -- the boy is. He says he will continue with the case against Ashley Moore. The Grove City woman has been ordered to stand trial on charges of statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and corruption of minors. Tucker Moore was stationed in South Korea when his wife e-mailed him apologizing her affair. He forwarded the messages to police in Grove City. Police say in court papers that Ashley Moore admitted to it.

Scranton police chief suspended over remark

SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) - Scranton's police chief is suspended for a week without pay starting Friday. Chief David Elliott also must go through sensitivity training because of remarks he made last month about two female officers. Mayor Chris Doherty says Elliott called the officers "overtime whores." Elliott released a written statement through the mayor's office in which he called his remark "inexcusable" and apologized to those he offended.

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) - Human Rights Watch says it has evidence of Russian warplanes using cluster bombs in civilian areas of Georgia. A report released today says Russian military aircraft
killed at least 11 civilians and injured dozens in Gori as well as a village.

WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. military intelligence says Iran is training Iraqi Shiite assassination teams, with the idea of killing specific Iraq officials within the next few months. A senior U.S.
military intelligence officer says he hopes by releasing the information it will pressure Iran to suspend the training.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush may not be popular, but he still knows how to raise some money. His nearly eight years in the White House have seen him raise almost a billion dollars for the Republican party, GOP candidates, and his re-election and inauguration.

WASHINGTON (AP) - A draft opinion for the Federal Election Commission says John McCain never pledged to use public financing during his primary campaign so he could secure a loan last year. Democrats argued he had, which would break campaign finance law.

HONOLULU (AP) - Barack Obama has a 40-page rebuttal to a best-selling book they say is written by a fringe bigot peddling rehashed lies. Jerome Corsi's anti-Obama book is a compilation of all the innuendo and false rumors against Obama.