Today's News-Saturday, September 13th, 2008

Drug bust nets 14 arrests

Street level drug dealers were apprehended during Operation Schuylkill Sweep yesterday. The District Attorney's Drug Task Force, the Pennsylvania State Police and numerous local police departments rounded up the dealers from seven different communities for selling cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and LSD during the day long sweep. Twenty-three warrants were issued in the operation Friday. Concerned citizens can report illegal drug activity by calling the DA's Drug Tip Hotline at 800-414-1406. All calls are confidential.

Those apprehended:
Randy Michael Gelbutis Shenandoah
Rachel T. Markus Minersville
Kemmy Anne Laity Schuylkill Haven
Timothy E. Hostetter Shillington
Kimberly Aregood Schuylkill Haven
Matthew T. Blacknall Minersville
Tanya M. Viars Pottsville
Brandon Ross Snyder Quakake
Nicholas Jordan Block Schuylkill Haven
Carmen Vergara Minersville
Mark Starzetsky Pottsville

All of the arrest warrants were for violations of the Controlled Substance, Drug Device and Cosmetic Act. A total of 23 arrest warrants were issued for Delivery of a Controlled Substance. In addition to the 11 individuals listed above there were three additional defendants picked up on Delivery charges; two from the Tamaqua area and one from the Shenandoah area whose names are being withheld at this time. There were also an additional 8 arrest warrants issued for street level drug dealers and those warrants are currently outstanding. In the sweep the District Attorney's Office also picked up Joseph Klinger and Dennis Lehman on outstanding warrants and Mark Bevan was picked up on Possession of Methamphetamine and he posted his 2,500 straight cash bail.

Man found dead after ATV accident near Frackville

A Gilberton man is dead following an ATV accident near Frackville. Frackville state police say that 22-year-old Justin Ketusky was pronounced dead at the scene in a wooded area near old Route 924. Ketusky was last seen riding the ATV Thursday afternoon. When he didn't return home, police and emergency crews began the search. State police are continuing their investigation.

Federal court rules in Blue Mountain School District's favor

The Blue Mountain School District was within its rights to suspend a student for making vulgar comments about a teacher on a MySpace blog, according to a ruling handed down by a federal judge. Two students posted a profile about the middle school principal online last year, and the district suspended one, identified as J.S., for 10 days. Her parents filed suit opposing the suspension. According to the Republican and Herald, the suit contended that the girl's right to free speech was violated. Judge James Munley ruled that the school was within its rights to suspend the student.

Schuylkill County's VISION is much clearer now, thanks to $1 million dollar grant

Bringing the Schuylkill County community together has been a goal of VISION since its inception 10 years ago. Now, a $1-million-dollar grant will jump start several important initiatives. A check was presented by Senator Jim Rhoades at the organization's headquarters in Pottsville Friday. The monies will be used to fund the Schuylkill Community Education Project, developing lesson plans for area educators to teach students about the county's heritage, and to create a local public access television network for county schools, among others. VISION Executive Director Joanne Parulis says its time to reach out to those who helped get the organization started:

PARULIS

New staff has been hired for VISION, and the future looks bright.

Tamaqua dress code reaction

With a month into the new school year, many students are getting adjusted to their district's dress code. Students in the Tamaqua Area School District say the dress is working out fine and shopping isn't as much of an issue thanks to competitive retailers:

TAMAQUA JUNIOR

Another requirement for students in Tamaqua, clear backpacks and athletic bags. The purpose is to keep all district students safe throughout the school year.

30-day STS trial run begins Monday

With gas prices reaching the $4.00-a-gallon range, a new STS bus route designed to help county citizens address their commuter needs will begin Monday. The Commuter Xpress route is scheduled for a 30-day trial run which if successful, will pave the way for additional commuter and business friendly routes. Estimates are commuters will save from $107 to $3,975 annually, depending on the distance of travel. Orginally proposed by Register of Wills Michael McCord with county employees in mind, McCord learned the county commissioners were already looking at it. The new service will leave Barnesville at 7:05am, arriving at Pottsville's City Hall at 7:53am with numerous stops along the way. The outbound bus from Pottsville's City Hall is at 4:35pm. Commissioner Mantura Gallagher, McCord and County Assistant Director of Human Services Martina Chwastiak are planning to ride along with the first busload of communters. To encourage the use of the new route, STS is offering a $1.00 fare each way for the first week. For more information, call STS at 800-832-3322.

Union rejects labor pact at Port Authority of Allegheny County

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Transit workers in Pittsburgh continue to work without a contract.
The union rejected a state fact-finder's contract recommendations after the Port Authority of Allegheny County's board unanimously approved them. The union says it hopes to resume
talks. About 2,300 employees are union represented; most are operators. The union has been working without a contract since the old one expired June 30.

I-80 tolls ruling will cut what turnpike pays Pa.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission's payments for transportation needs off the turnpike will drop sharply in two years. The turnpike commission has borrowed heavily to begin pumping money into state coffers for roads, bridges and mass transit as required by a law passed in July 2007. Those payments have already amounted to $962 million. If I-80 tolls had been approved, the turnpike commission would have been required to increase the payments each year. But the landmark transportation law also included a provision that allows those payments to decline to $450 million in the fiscal year ending in 2011 if I-80 tolls were rejected. Federal regulators did just that Thursday. The turnpike commission's obligation will be funded instead by toll rate increases of 25 percent next year and about 3 percent annually after that.

Legal paper asks high court to open secret docket

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The public may soon learn about a lawsuit that's been litigated in secret for seven years. The public might never have known about the existence of the western Pennsylvania case except for an appellate decision this year that revived the "Jane Doe" suit. The ruling by a federal appeals court in Philadelphia was the first public filing in the workplace discrimination case. The appeals court refused the employer's motion to unseal the case file.
A lawyer representing The Legal Intelligencer, a daily law journal in Philadelphia, wrote in a Supreme Court petition that the secrecy raises troubling questions. The Legal Intelligencer says it has no interest in revealing the woman's identity, but its lawyer says the docket entry should at least be visible.

Pa. woman charged with stealing from military fund

WEST PITTSTON, Pa. (AP) - A northeastern Pennsylvania woman has been charged with stealing more than $5,000 from a fund meant to support families of troops stationed overseas.
Police charged Christine Healey of West Wyoming with theft Friday. She's free on $10,000 unsecured bail. Healey was president of the Delta Company Family Readiness Group at the 109th Field Artillery and managed all financial transactions of the account. Police say Healey stole donations to the fund - including some made in memory of the late First Lt. Jeffrey DePrimo. The National Guard soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in May.
Healey's phone number is disconnected and she couldn't be reached for comment.

Dozens arrested in W.Pa. drug raid

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - About two dozen people are accused of participating in a $1 million methamphetamine operation in northwestern Pennsylvania. Attorney General Tom Corbett says 62-year-old Rockne Barber Sr. made the drug in a man-made cave behind his Venango County home near Stoneboro. The cave had passageways, electricity and ventilation. Barber and the others are also accused of buying cold medicine and other chemicals needed to make meth. Authorities raided the lab in April and also found $20,000 and 63 weapons, including a machine gun. Corbett announced the arrests Friday. He says the ring sold about $1 million worth of methamphetamine over the past four years. More arrests are expected. It's not clear if Barber has an attorney.

Retired Pa. pastor charged with soliciting teen

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A retired pastor from the Allentown area is facing charges that he sexually propositioned a 15-year-old girl over the Internet. Attorney General Tom Corbett says 62-year-old Paul Marmon of South Whitehall Township posed as a 19-year-old and requested nude photos and underwear from the teen. Officials say Marmon also left presents for her at a park near her home in Montgomery County and asked if he could buy underwear for her. Corbett announced the arrest Friday. Marmon is charged with two counts of unlawful contact with a minor and one count of criminal use of a computer. He's jailed in lieu of $1 million bail.

Philadelphia police mourn officer at funeral Mass

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A Philadelphia police officer is being remembered for her dedication to her career and her teenage daughter. Hundreds came to a downtown cathedral to mourn the death of Officer Isabel Nazario, who was killed last week when the patrol car in which she was riding was struck by a stolen vehicle. Nazario's partner, Officer Terry Tull, was seriously injured in the crash. He attended Friday's funeral Mass in a wheelchair after being brought to the cathedral by an ambulance. Nazario had been on the force for 18 years. She had a 13-year-old daughter and was engaged to another police officer. Officials say Nazario's body will be flown on Saturday to her native Puerto Rico for burial. She was 40 years old.

2 killed in Philadelphia basketball court shooting

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The leader of West Philadelphia's Mantua Community Improvement Committee says one of the victims of a double murder was a pillar of the community. Rick Young says 42-year-old Miles Mack was passionate about giving young people an outlet and helping them reach their potential. Mack organized a youth basketball league and was shot dead
Thursday night at a trophy presentation. Police believe the killing had nothing to do with basketball. Mack was killed along with 19-year-old Darren Hankins, of North Philadelphia, may have been intended target of the two gunmen. Four others were wounded. Besides basketball equipment, the league Mack founded provided players with information on college, jobs and drug prevention.

GALVESTON, Texas (AP) - Hurricane Ike has slammed ashore in southeast Texas as some residents who decided to tough it out changed their minds. Emergency officials report lots of rescue calls they can't answer in the height of the storm.

GALVESTON, Texas (AP) - Thousands of homes have flooded, roads are washed out and some fires have burned unchecked because crews couldn't get past Hurricane Ike. The massive storm came ashore in southeast Texas early today with 110 mile-per-hour winds, cutting power to millions of people.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A woman who lives near the site of a Los Angeles train wreck says she heard screams of agony as she ran through a haze of smoke to try to help victims on a commuter train. Leslie Burnstein says it was "horrendous." At least 12 people died.

PARIS (AP) - One of two tunnels under the English Channel is back in operation two days after a fire. Eurostar passenger trains are running limited service, since the tunnel where the fire was
remains closed.

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) - A Georgian official says Russia has met its commitment to withdraw forces from several positions in western Georgia. The Russians pulled out of posts in the Black Sea port of Poti and other areas today in accordance with a cease-fire deal.