Today's News- Thursday, August 21, 2008

Arrest made in 23 year old murder. Reporter Kerry Dowd has more

DOWD

County to move forward with energy plan

Schuylkill County is moving foward with plans to improve its energy efficiency, and coal will play a part in it. The Board of Commissioners had been negotiating with Honeywell International to change its lighting and heating systems in the Courthouse, Prison and Rest Haven to save money, but coal was not a part of the proposal. Now, a proposal from PPL Resources is on the table, with greater savings. At Wednesday's work session, the Commissioners moved to put PPL's plan on public display. The $2.6 million dollar plan would install dual heating systems in four of the county's buildings. Commissioner Frank Staudenmeier explains:

STAUDENMEIER

The plan would also retrofit the lighting systems to save electricity. Total savings over a 15 year period are estimated at between $3.2 and $3.6 million dollars. Chairman Gallagher said that Honeywell notified the county in an email to pull their proposal.

Pottsville schools ready to open, contract negotiations continue

The Pottsville school district is ready to start classes on Monday, with a slightly lower enrollment than last year, and its teachers union negotiating a new contract. The current agreement between the district and its 200 teachers expired in June, and negotiations have been ongoing through the summer. Scott Krater, chairman of the negotiating committee said the parties are making progress. Board president William Zimmerman is confident that things will be business as usual on Monday:

ZIMMERMAN

Teachers union president Kathleen Landa deferred all questions about the negotiations to PSEA representative Paul Blunt, who was unavailable for comment last night. Pottsville's total enrollment for the 2008-2009 school year is projected at 3,066, about 14 less than last year. Superintendent Dr. James Gallagher expects that number will rise during the first week of school.

Girardville man admits to killing Chester County woman

A Girardville man is under arrest after killing a Devon, PA woman. The West Chester Daily Local News reports that 49-year-old Randall Harner admitted to killing 52-year-old Deborah French at a home in Chester Springs Sunday. Harner reportedly was angry with French because she ended their relationship, and strangled her. Harner was arrested on Sunday, and is jailed at the Chester County Prison.

Man escapes injury in Pine Grove Township crash

A man escaped injury after hitting a tree in Pine Grove Township yesterday morning. 52-year-old Willard Heinbach was southbound on Geary Wolf Road and his car left the roadway, striking a tree on the berm of the road. His car ended up in a ditch. State police say Heinbach was wearing his seatbelt.

Amish population nearly doubles in 16 years

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) - Very few people convert to the Amish faith -- yet a new study shows the Amish population has nearly doubled in the past 16 years. That's because Amish couples typically have five or more children. More than four out of every five decide in young adulthood to remain within the church. Elizabethtown College researchers say the Amish now number an
estimated 227,000 nationwide, up from 123,000 in 1992. They're expanding their presence in states far beyond Pennsylvania Dutch country as they search for affordable farmland. Since 1992, Amish settlements have been established in seven new states, putting them in at least 28 states from coast to coast.

Army promises survivors longer help

WASHINGTON (AP) - Brian Faunce was born in Philadelphia and grew up in nearby Bensalem. The Army captain died in 2003 at the age of 28 when he was electrocuted inside a Bradley fighting vehicle in Iraq. Now he's one of thousands of fallen soldiers whose relatives are
getting letters asking what the Army can do to better help them. The letter came as a surprise to Faunce's mother, Judy Faunce of Ocean, N.J., who said it had been years since she'd heard from the Army. Col. Carl Johnson is the director of the Army's Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operation Center. He told The Associated Press that the Army is now committed to providing services to survivors for as long as the families want the help.

Boy, 11, charged with teens in Pa. gun-store heist

COLLINGDALE, Pa. (AP) - An 11-year-old Philadelphia boy is charged along with four teens in a late-night gun shop heist that netted 14 semiautomatic handguns and a backpack full of ammunition. The child's mother says she thought her son was home in bed during the Monday night robbery in suburban Collingdale. The suspects may have been foiled by the lack of a getaway car. Police say two were arrested at a nearby bus stop and two others at a pizza parlor. A witness helped police find the 11-year-old on a bus home. Police believe the intruders cut the store's phone lines and threw a boulder in the window. Gun shop owner Joseph Galiano says he's stunned an 11-year-old was even out that late - least yet taking part in a crime.

Ex-teacher gets prison for sex with Pa. student

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A former Pittsburgh-area gym teacher will spend up to three years in prison for having sex with a 14-year-old student, and sending the boy erotic text messages and nude pictures by cell phone. Twenty-seven-year-old Beth Ann Chester has been led away in
handcuffs after pleading guilty to statutory sexual assault, corruption of a minor and criminal use of a cell phone. Moon Township police say Chester had sex with a 14-year-old freshman she met last year at Moon Area High School, where she taught 9th grade and coached volleyball.
Chester resigned in December and was arrested in early January after she confessed to having sex with the boy, including once in a school parking lot.

Tolls, fares between Philly, NJ rising in Sept.

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) - The price of getting from New Jersey to Pennsylvania is about to go up.
The Delaware River Port Authority on Wednesday voted to increase tolls on its four bridges to $4 from $3 effective Sept. 14. The rates will rise to $5 in 2010, then go up by the inflation rate
every other year after that. PATCO Speedline train fares will also rise 10 percent next month
and another 10 percent in two years, with automatic hikes after that. The tolls have not risen since 2000 and the train fares had been steady since 2001. The DRPA says it needs more money to pay for transportation maintenance and improvements. As one concession to angry commuters, the agency agreed to smaller cuts than planned for a senior citizen discount. Other
commuters will see their discount phased out entirely.

Pa. county declared disaster area after fire

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The federal government has declared a disaster area in the suburban Philadelphia county where an apartment fire displaced hundreds of people. Gov. Ed Rendell says Wednesday's decision to call Montgomery County a disaster area means victims of the Aug. 13 Conshohocken blaze may now apply for low-interest loans. The loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration will help pay to repair damages to personal possessions and buildings.
Loans of up to $40,000 are permitted to repair or replace personal property not covered by insurance. Business owners can borrow up to $2 million.

Petrella replaces Rep. Ramaley on Democratic ticket

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A relative newcomer to Pennsylvania politics, Jason Petrella, will be the Democratic candidate for a suburban Pittsburgh Senate seat, replacing a candidate who dropped out after being charged in a corruption scandal. Rep. Sean Ramaley dropped out of the race for the 47th district after he was charged in an investigation into the use of taxpayer money for political campaigns. Petrella narrowly beat out Beaver County Commissioner Joe Spanik
for the spot, garnering 26 votes - the minimum needed from the 50-member executive committee - to get on the ballot. The executive committee was called on to choose Ramaley's replacement after the Beaver and Lawrence county committees deadlocked. Petrella faces Republican Elder Vogel Jr. in the November ballot.

Pa. woman hangs herself in a Pittsburgh-area jail

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A western Pennsylvania woman arrested for missing court appearances is dead after hanging herself in a police lockup. Twenty-three-year-old Amber Kendzlic was found hanging in a jail cell in Collier's police lockup just after midnight on Tuesday. She was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner ruled Kendzlic's death a suicide. Kendzlic was arrested on charges she missed court appearances
related to theft and traffic violations from 2004. Collier is about 50 miles south of Pittsburgh.

Solar mirror company to open Pittsburgh-area plant

IMPERIAL, Pa. (AP) - A German company is opening its first solar mirror production facility in suburban Pittsburgh. The state has invested $9 million in the project, helping Flabeg choose Findlay, a town about 15 miles east of Pittsburgh, as the location for its new operation. Flabeg already has a factory in Brackenridge, another Pittsburgh suburb, where 200 employees produce automotive mirror glass. That factory will remain active. The new facility will produce mirrors used to generate solar energy and will create about 300 manufacturing jobs in an area
hard-hit by the collapse of heavy industry. Flabeg is investing about $30 million in the project.

BAGHDAD (AP) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Baghdad. She says there's no agreement yet on a security deal that extends the legal basis for U.S. troops to remain in Iraq past the end of the year. Iraqi and American officials tell The Associated Press a draft agreement is complete.

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) - Tropical Storm Fay is the cause of some major flooding in Florida, and could dump as much as 30 inches of rain in some parts before it's done. But it's unlikely to ever become a hurricane before it moves ashore for the third time.

MADRID, Spain (AP) - Three days of mourning have begun in Spain, where 153 people were killed when their airplane crashed shortly after takeoff yesterday. Authorities have identified 14 bodies so far. Officials say the process could take several days because many were burned beyond recognition.

WASHINGTON (AP) - If you don't want them, it won't be long before you can make sure a pre-recorded sales call never interrupts your dinner again. The Federal Trade Commission says by December, you should be able to opt out of ever getting such calls.

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Disgraced rocker Gary Glitter is back in Bangkok today, since Hong Kong won't let him in. He was released from a Vietnamese prison two days ago after serving time for molesting children. Thailand isn't letting him leave the airport unless he's on a plane.