Today's News-Monday, August 11th, 2008

Pottstown man dies from injuries in crash

A Pottstown man has died from injuries received in a motorcycle accident in West Brunswick Township. 61 year old Edward Feeser was thrown from his cycle after the sidecar struck a metal sign on August 2nd. State police report that Feeser died Friday at Lehigh Valley Medical Center.

Fire destroys landmark bar

An early Sunday morning fire guts a landmark bar in Schuylkill Haven. Fire crews were called to Umpy's Bar and Grill on Parkway after 7am. The business operated as the Parkway Bar for many years.

Threats to girlfriend land McAdoo man in jail

A McAdoo man is jailed after an incident in the borough yesterday afternoon. Frackville state police say that 43-year-old Jeffrey Boyer and his girlfriend, 39-year-old Corrine (coor-inn) Duke were arguing at their West Blaine Street home when he allegedly grabbed her and threatened her life. Boyer was charged with making terroristic threats, harrassment and disorderly conduct. He was arraigned and taken to Schuylkill County Prison.

Philadelphia woman hurt in multi-vehicle crash in North Manheim Township Saturday afternoon

An illegal U turn caused an accident on Route 61 Saturday afternoon, injuring a Philadelphia woman. 33 year old Daniel Weible of Reynoldsville stopped abruptly to make the U turn, and 26-year-old Lindsay Wallace’s motorcycle hit the back of the car. The impact threw the Philadelphia woman more than 30 feet. Wallace was flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital. Weible will be cited in the crash.

Cruise dampened, but the show goes on

Wild weather Sunday afternoon dampened, but didn't stop the Great Pottsville Cruise from rolling off yesterday on time. Hail and heavy thunderstorms pushed through the county around 3pm, an hour before the cruise, but that didn't stop hundreds of die hard cruisers taking it to the streets. A good crowd of spectators lined the 10 mile route. Dennis Gage, of Speed Channel's "My Classic Car" was one of the celebrity guests for the cruise, and he was having fun:

GAGE

Gage said the classic cars are built for any kind of weather:

GAGE

Pottsville resident Chris Circelli enjoyed watching all of the vintage autos, but had his eye out for a particular ride:

CIRCELLI

Stimulus checks still unclaimed in PA

Free money with no strings attached. It's a deal that sounds too good to be true for thousands of Pennsylvanians, but in this case, it is true. Deborah Smith reports almost a half-million residents have not yet applied for their economic stimulus money.

SMITH

Service in Shenandoah to try and heal community

A prayer service to remember Luis Ramirez and to help heal the community was held in Shenandoah yesterday afternoon. A small group gathered at the First United Methodist Church to pray for Ramirez, his family, those accused in his death and the community as a whole. Ramirez died from injuries suffered in a beating at the Vine Street playground in mid July. Three Shenandoah teens have been charged in the case.

Aide to plead guilty month before Fumo corruption trial; marks first plea in Pa. case

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A computer technician accused of illegally destroying years' worth of state Senate computer records is slated to plead guilty Monday - the first plea in the corruption case against Sen. Vincent Fumo. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Zauzmer says Leonard Luchko will plead guilty at a hearing Monday in Philadelphia. He declines to specify terms of the plea agreement. Luchko is charged in 29 obstruction or conspiracy counts in alleged efforts to delete e-mails or computer records during the FBI investigation. Fumo is stepping down after 30 years in office to prepare for his Sept. 8 trial. The powerful Philadelphia Democrat is charged
with misusing more than $1 million in state resources and another $1 million from a seaport museum and the nonprofit.

Preliminary hearings set Monday in Philadelphia girl's starvation death

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Preliminary hearings are scheduled Monday for those charged in the starvation and infection death of a 14-year-old Philadelphia girl with cerebral palsy. Nine people have been charged in the 2006 death of Danieal Kelly, who was under the protection of the city's human services agency. The defendants are her parents, three family friends, two private employees and two city social workers. The city's Department of Human Services suspended seven administrators a week ago in the case. A grand jury report said they failed to supervise derelict employees and, in some cases, falsified paperwork to cover up the neglect that led to the death of a disabled teen.

Hearing scheduled in Pittsburgh on whether to approve Countrywide settlement

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A hearing is scheduled Monday in Pittsburgh on a settlement between Countrywide Home Loans Inc. and a Chapter 13 bankruptcy trustee. Countrywide has agreed to pay $325,000 to settle allegations that the mortgage lender sought improper fees or payments from bankrupt homeowners and otherwise violated bankruptcy court orders and regulations. In court filings last year, Chapter 13 trustee Ronda Winnecour sought to compel Countrywide to provide loan histories in 293 cases. She asked for sanctions against the company for losing or destroying checks paid by homeowners in foreclosure.

First money arrives from Erie charitable windfall

ERIE, Pa. (AP) - The first payments of a $100 million anonymous gift to 46 charitable groups in Erie have begun to arrive. The recipients must decide how to use their shares of the windfall,
which they first learned of last summer. Some groups have decided to use their money for endowments. Others have used it to pay off debt or to start new projects. Mike Batchelor is the president of the Erie Community Foundation, which is distrubuting the money. He says trustees
approved distributing the money a year sooner than previously planned. The distribution was originally scheduled to take place during a three-year period that would start in 2009.

Historic car moving again in Pa. Dutch Country

STRASBURG, Pa. (AP) - A 95-year-old train car that once hauled railroad tycoons in luxury is rolling again. Reading Car 10 hadn't moved for decades at its home in Strasburg, Lancaster County. The Strasburg Rail Road has completed a $150,000 renovation of what's also called the President's Car. Its plush furnishings include ornate woodwork and elegant staterooms. The car was built in 1913 for Philadelphia & Reading Railroad President George Baer. It's believed to have carried President Truman on part of his 1948 whistle stop tour. It holds up to 18 people and will be coupled to regularly scheduled Strasburg trains several times daily through Labor Day. The Strasburg Rail Road is a 4 1/2-mile railroad that runs excursion trains powered by steam locomotives.

Arts and science: Detecting masterpiece from fake

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Scientists are turning to modern technology to give art experts better tools to answer an expensive and age-old question: Is it an original Vincent van Gogh painting or a fake? A unique collaboration of artists and scientists forged by Cornell University professor C. Richard Johnson uses computer screens as canvases. Penn State information sciences professor James Wang and statistics professor Jia Li compiled the findings into an online system. They found that copies tend to have more brush strokes. Johnson says someone trying to imitate van Gogh needs to use multiple brush strokes to imitate the genuine article.

Humane Society in northeastern Pa. needs pig vet

WAVERLY, Pa. (AP) - The Humane Society of Lackawanna County is seeking a veterinarian to perform medical exams on 54 potbellied pigs confiscated from their owner two weeks ago.
Humane Society officer Tina Walter says two local vets will trim the pigs' hooves and tusks. She says one pig's right tusk is so long that it curves backward and pokes him in the eye when he
chews. But Walter still needs a professional to check the animals for disease and evidence of neglect. The pigs can't be put up for adoption until blood tests for certain diseases are done.
Officials allege that the pigs, which are bred to be pets, had been in a barn without enough food or water. They say the former owner could face animal cruelty charges.

Putin slams US over conflict with Georgia

MOSCOW (AP) - Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is criticizing the United States for airlifting Georgian troops from Iraq. Putin said today that the U.S. move will hamper efforts to solve Russia's conflict with Georgia over the breakaway province of South Ossetia. The U.S. military has begun flying 2,000 Georgian troops home from Iraq after Georgia recalled them.
The Russian-Georgian conflict blew up after a Georgian offensive to regain control of the breakaway province of South Ossetia. Georgian troops fled South Ossetia yesterday, yielding to
superior Russian firepower, and Georgian leaders pleaded for a cease-fire. Moscow responded that Georgia was not observing its cease-fire pledge. There has been more bombing today.

Bush heading home from Olympics

BEIJING (AP) - President Bush says his Olympic experience exceeded his expectations.
He capped off the visit to the Beijing games by taking in a baseball game. He also took in a final golden moment, watching American swimmer Michael Phelps win another medal as part of a
winning relay team. Bush tells The Associated Press that his highlight was getting his picture taken with the entire contingent of U.S. athletes. He now heads home to deal with the growing crisis over Russia's military operation in Georgia. Earlier, Bush sharply criticized Moscow's harsh military action in the former Soviet republic, saying the violence is unacceptable and Russia's response is disproportionate.

Obama tries to turn 'celebrity' label on McCain

HONOLULU (AP) - "Celebrity" may be becoming the "Flip-flopper" of this year's presidential campaign -- the label both candidates try to pin on the other. John McCain used the word in a series of ads comparing Barack Obama's popularity to that of celebrities considered intellectual
lightweights like Paris Hilton or Britney Spears. Now, Obama is trying to turn it back on McCain. In a new television ad released by the Obama campaign today, the announcer says McCain has been "Washington's biggest celebrity" for decades. It shows clips of the Republican candidate with lobbyists, hugging President Bush and appearing on "Saturday Night Live." It says "As Washington embraced him, John McCain hugged right back" and accuses him of allowing lobbyists to run what it calls "his low road campaign."

Edwards, wife scheduled for college appearance next month

SALEM, Mass. (AP) - Salem State College in Massachusetts is still expecting John Edwards and his wife to make a scheduled appearance at the school next month. The former senator and presidential candidate admitted on Friday he'd had an affair with a former campaign staffer.
A college spokesman says the school is consulting with corporate sponsors who helped pay the couples' undisclosed fee. The appearance is part of a lecture series financed through corporate donations and ticket sales. The event is expected to sell out, with tickets going for as much as $75. The spokesman says the couple is coming to the college to speak about Elizabeth Edwards' battle with cancer, and the school does not want to get involved in what he calls "moral issues."

Riot breaks out in Montreal where 18-year-old fatally shot

MONTREAL (AP) - Police in Montreal have made some arrests, but are still sorting out what happened after a neighborhood riot overnight. The catalyst was an incident Saturday in which police were trying to make an arrest in a park, when they were surrounded by about 20 youths. Police say a few rushed them, prompting one officer to fire. Three people were shot, and an 18-year-old man later died in a hospital. Last night, several hundred police fanned out in the borough of Montreal North, after a number of youths began setting fires. Fire trucks arriving to fight the blazes were pelted with beer bottles, while bus shelters were trashed and stores looted.
Two officers and an ambulance technician were hurt, but not seriously. The borough mayor says "there's definitely a problem" in the multiethnic borough that's got to be fixed.

AP Exclusive: US disregarded experts over biolab

WASHINGTON (AP) - Mississippi looks to be the top location for a new national laboratory to study some of the world's most virulent biological threats. Internal documents obtained by The Associated Press show the Homeland Security Department swept aside evaluations of government experts in making the decision. Mississippi is home to powerful members of the House and Senate with influence over the agency. Government experts have said the proposed site in Flora, Mississippi, is far from existing biodefense research programs and lacks ready access to workers familiar with foot-and-mouth virus and other highly contagious diseases.
But a Homeland Security official says in a 2007 memo he believes skilled researchers will move to Mississippi if the lab is placed in the state. California, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, Texas and Wisconsin all scored higher than Mississippi.

Ohio church: No kissing, tickling allowed

CINCINNATI (AP) - The Archdiocese of Cincinnati has issued a detailed list of inappropriate behaviors for priests, saying they should not kiss, tickle or wrestle children. The newest version of the archdiocese's Decree on Child Protection also prohibits bear hugs, lap-sitting and piggyback rides. But it says priests may still shake children's hands, pat them on the back and give high-fives. Victim advocates who have criticized the Roman Catholic archdiocese for its handling of abuse cases say they support the new measures as a step toward better protection of children. The Cincinnati archdiocese says it updates the rules every five years. The latest version, issued last week, also mandates background checks for contractors working with children.

SWAT team kills SoCal man, rescues his daughter

LYNWOOD, Calif. (AP) - Authorities in California say a SWAT team has killed a man who allegedly wounded the mother of his 2-year-old daughter and then held the little girl hostage for more than two hours at his home in Lynwood. The toddler was not harmed in the standoff last night. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Byron Ward says that deputies responding to a call found the wounded woman outside the house. Captain James Hellmold says the man was talking to SWAT team members but refused to release his daughter. Hellmold says a deputy
killed the man with a single shot. Police haven't said yet if the man was threatening the girl with
a gun. The girl's mother is hospitalized in stable condition with an abdominal wound.

Bus pulled out of service in Missouri

SHERMAN, Texas (AP) - A bus run by the same company linked to a deadly crash in Texas has been pulled out of service in Missouri. That was after the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ordered Iguala BusMex and Angel Tours to cease commercial operations, finding that the companies posed an "imminent hazard." The bus inspected in Carthage, Missouri was registered to Iguala BusMex. It was taking people to the same religious festival that the 17
who died were planning to attend. Their bus blew a tire and skidded off a highway near the Texas-Oklahoma border. Pilgrims returning from the Missouri festival stopped at the
accident site Sunday, erecting a memorial and saying prayers.

Reports on consumer prices, retail sales highlight data this week

WASHINGTON (AP) - A fresh look at inflation comes this week with the Labor Department's report on consumer prices for July. That's on Thursday. There's no economic data scheduled for release today, but tomorrow the Commerce Department announces international trade figures for June and the Federal budget for July. On Wednesday, the Commerce Department releases retail sales figures for July. Last week, retailers reported disappointing July sales, and indications are that the back-to-school season could be rough. Also on Wednesday, the Commerce Department reports business inventories for June. Capping the week on Friday, the Federal Reserve will report on capacity utilization and industrial production for July.