Today's News-Thursday, September 11th, 2008

BREAKING NEWS!

Rehrig contends he wasn’t represented well

A fugitive from justice is now on his way to state prison. Russell Rehrig will begin serving his 42 to 84 years in jail for raping and sexually assaulting three children. Rehrig was convicted in absentia after fleeing the county in September, 2007. He was captured last Friday in Atlantic City. During this morning’s hearing, Rehrig said his counsel, public defender Chris Reidlinger, was ineffective, and plans to appeal on those grounds:

REHRIG APPEAL

President Judge William Baldwin, who heard the original case, and presided over the hearing today, chastised him for fleeing. He said that most of his appeals were past the statute of limitations, and questioned him why he left. DA Jim Goodman told the media that he’s satisfied with the end result:

GOODMAN

The victims and their families were present during the hearing, and were extremely gratified.

Crash injures one in Ryan Township

A Coaldale man is hospitalized following a two car crash in Ryan Township Wednesday afternoon. Frackville state troopers say that 61-James Hatmaker didn't come to a full stop at the intersection of Route 54 and Tuscarora Mount Drive, and failed to see 35-year-old Tara Lindsey's car traveling east. The two vehicles collided. Hatmaker suffered head injuries and was flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital for treatment. Lindsey wasn't hurt. The investigation continues.

September is Voter Registration Month

With the Presidential election less than 8 weeks away, its time for voters to make sure that they are registered to cast their ballots. The Association of Secretary's of State has designated September...Voter Registration Month. Schuylkill County Election Bureau Director Betty Dries wants voters to make sure everything is in order now for the November 4th election:

DRIES 1

The Presidential election usually brings out more voters to the polls, and the county has implemented a touch-screen voting system since 2004, Dries says its time to take a test drive of the electronic system:

DRIES 2

For free demonstrations, contact the Schuylkill County Voter Registration Bureau at 628-1467. They are open weekdays from 8:30 to 4:30.

Seventh Anniversary of 9/11

Today marks the 7th anniversary of 9/11, where terrorists commandeered airplanes and flew them into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington and into a farmers field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing more than 3-thousand-people. Observances will be held at those sites today, and a memorial will be dedicated at the Pentagon. A memorial is under construction in Shanksville as well. WPPA will air live remembrances of that fateful day at 20 and 50 minutes past the hour beginning at 8am.

County wide cleanup set

Schuylkill County's annual fall cleanup and electronics recycling event will be held September 22nd thorough October 4th. The program is open to all county residents and municipalities. The County Commissioners accepted six proposals related to the cleanup from the low bids received from collection and recycling companies. Fifty percent of the expense of the cleanup is reimbursable from the state.

Minersville man charged with harrassment

A Minersville man is being charged with harrassment following a fight along Interstate 78 in Berks County Wednesday. Hamburg state police say that 38-year-old Christopher Sebock of Schuylkill Haven and 47-year-old Michael Bailey got into an argument that led to punches being thrown by Bailey. He'll be charged in District Court.
McCain to attend 9-11 remembrance in W. Pa.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - This is Sept. 11, the seventh anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks. Republican presidential candidate John McCain plans to attend the annual rememberance of the attacks at the western Pennsylvania site where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed that day. There's no word on whether he will speak. On Wednesday afternoon, McCain spoke briefly at Philadelphia's Reading Terminal Market - but he was nearly drowned out by chants of "Obama! Obama!" in the heavily Democratic city. The Arizona senator says the executives who caused the nation's housing crisis shouldn't be allowed to walk away with millions of dollars. He also spoke out against Democratic candidate Barack Obama, saying the Illinois senator would raise taxes on small businesses. He also criticizes Obama for not wanting to drill for oil off the nation's coasts.

Pa. town where Flight 93 crashed looks to tourism

SHANKSVILLE, Pa. (AP) - Searching for an economic boost and home to perhaps the most compelling story of 9/11, rural Somerset County is trying to pull off a balancing act: Remembering the victims of United Airlines Flight 93 in a way that encourages development and job growth without devolving into tackiness and disrespect. Three years before the anticipated opening of a memorial that the National Park Service expects will bring in 250,000 visitors a year, officials say they are working to make the area of western Pennsylvania more hospitable to tourists. By necessity, they say, this would bring more inns, restaurants and other new businesses and jobs to a region where the traditional industries have declined over the decades.

5 companies share high bids for Pa. gas drilling

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Five out-of-state companies are the high bidders for the right to drill for natural gas on more than 74,000 acres in Pennsylvania's state forests. The high bidders were among 17 companies that competed for the drilling rights over a potentially lucrative natural-gas formation known the Marcellus Shale. The 18 tracts that were put out to bid by the state forestry agency are located in Tioga and Lycoming counties in north-central Pennsylvania. All together, the high bids total about $190 million. Three of the companies are from Texas and two are from New York.

Pa. Supreme Court weighs Allegheny Co. tax case

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Allegheny County's solicitor says the county's property tax assessment system - widely used throughout the state - may not be perfect, but is constitutional. Solicitor Mike Wojcik told the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday that it should allow the base year system that uses 2002 property values to stand. The county appealed a county judge's ruling which found the system unconstitutional. Judge Stanton Wettick found the system produces arbitrary and discriminatory results. Attorneys for several property owners, meanwhile, urged the justices to uphold Wettick's ruling. They say the baseline system gives homeowners with rising property values a break while owners in declining areas don't see taxes decrease.

Casino company agrees to move proposed Phila. slots downtown

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter says a plan to put a casino near the city's historic district is "a serious proposal that will get serious consideration." The new proposed location is above The Gallery at Market East, a downtown shopping mall. Nutter says the city will make sure there will be no garish signs or lighting that would mar the historic area nearby. In December 2006, Foxwoods won permission to build a $670 million slots parlor along the Delaware River in South Philadelphia. Construction has been delayed by protests those who say the site is too close to homes and would create traffic problems. Opponents of the downtown proposal are citing similar concerns. But backers say the proximity to existing mass transit should reduce traffic problems.

Pa. senator wants to toughen indoor smoking ban

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania senator says the fight over snuffing out smoking in public places isn't over yet. Sen. Stewart Greenleaf said Wednesday he plans to introduce a bill in January to eliminate exceptions to a new statewide indoor smoking ban that takes effect Thursday. The new law grants exceptions to some bars, hotel rooms, private clubs, casinos and nursing homes. Greenleaf, a Montgomery County Republican, says lawmakers who opposed a stricter law will likely get pressure from their constituents to expand the smoking ban after it's been in effect for a few months. Businesses that want to continue to allow smoking must apply to the state for an exception. Health Secretary Dr. Calvin Johnson says about 700 have applied so far.

Rendell urges lawmakers to add fall session days

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A spokesman for Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese says it's unlikely that there will be more session days before the Nov. 4 election. Gov. Ed Rendell says the Legislature should add those days to deal with health care and energy bills. But DeWeese's spokesman says more days aren't needed and that the Senate should concur with a bill passed by the House months ago to cover uninsured adults. The Senate calendar is controlled by the Republican caucus of that chamber. A spokesman for Senate Republicans didn't immediately return messages seeking reaction to Rendell's call for additional session days. Rendell's remarks came during a conference call with journalists sponsored by the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.

HOUSTON (AP) - Hurricane Ike is a Category 2 storm, but forecasters say it could be at Category 4 strength when it makes landfall Saturday. A hurricane watch is posted along most of the Texas coast and four counties south and east of Houston have mandatory or voluntary evacuations in place.

NEW YORK (AP) - John McCain and Barack Obama will be at ground zero to pay their respects to the victims of 9/11. Family members and students representing more than 90 countries that lost victims seven years ago will read the names of the more than 2,700 people killed there.

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) - Sarah Palin is back in Alaska again. She was met by 2,000 cheering supporters chanting her name. Palin got them fired up by talking about how she and John McCain want to see more oil drilling in the last frontier.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina's Democratic Party chairwoman says she's sorry for saying Sarah Palin's top qualification seems to be that she hasn't had an abortion. Carol
Fowler says it was a clumsy way of trying to make a point about single issue voters in her state.

NEW YORK (AP) - Barack Obama told CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" that Bill Clinton will campaign for him in Florida this month. Relations between the two were frosty during the Democratic primaries, but now Obama says "There's nobody smarter in politics."