Today's News-Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Fire at Red Hill Gun Club

Firefighters are on the scene of a blaze at a Wayne Township gun club this morning. Crews were called to the Red Hill Gun Club, 97 Red Hill Road, after 3am. Schuylkill County Communications tells WPPA/T102 News that the building was fully involved when firefighters arrived. More details as they become available.

ID left behind at scene of attempted robbery

A would be robber left a trail for police to follow after an attempted holdup at a convenience store near Tamaqua Sunday afternoon. West Penn Township police say that John Maculloch entered Fegley's Market, placed his driver's license on the counter, attempted to buy cigarettes and pulled a knife on the clerk and demanded money. When the clerk said she couldn't comply, Maculloch fled, leaving his license behind. Police have a warrant out for his arrest, but could use your help. Contact West Penn police at 386-1100.

Theft suspect arrested

A Lykens man has been arrested in connection with an August burglary. State police at Lykens report that 20-year-old Gregory Pennell was arrested for taking almost $10-thousand-dollars in hand tools from a garage at 248 North Second Street in the borough. Troopers recovered the tools from Pennell's home and at the borough compost dump. He's charged with burglary, criminal trespass and related counts.

Minersville man picked up on outstanding warrant

Minersville police picked up a borough man on an outstanding felony warrant Sunday. Officers found 32 year old Robert Edwards hiding in a bedroom at his home on Sunbury Street. He was wanted on charges of robbery, simple assault and other counts from another crime. He was arraigned and lodged at Schuylkill County Prison in lieu of $25-thousand-dollars bail.

Saucon Valley teachers to be back on the job Tues.

HELLERTOWN, Pa. (AP) - Students in an eastern Pennsylvania school district are heading back to class after having a week off due to a teachers strike. Teachers in the Saucon Valley School District in Hellertown decided to go to nonbinding arbitration to resolve their contract
dispute with the district. No settlement has been reached. The two sides differ over pay
and the amount teachers contribute for health care benefits. Teachers union president Vivian Demko says teachers are eager to get back to their classrooms. District officials are telling
students to plan for a regular day at school Tuesday. The teachers had been on strike since Sept. 15.

Carnegie Mellon prof remembered as 'genuine hero'

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A Carnegie Mellon University professor whose "last lecture" became an Internet sensation has been remembered for urging people to do more than they thought they could - and to have fun doing it. About 400 colleagues and friends gathered Monday at the
Pittsburgh university to remember Randy Pausch. He died of cancer in July, 10 months after giving the lecture that touched millions of people worldwide. He was 47. Brown University professor Andy Van Dam, who was Pausch's mentor, called Pausch "a genuine hero."
Pausch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September 2006. A year later, he gave the popular 76-minute speech that became the inspiration for a book "The Last Lecture," co-written by Pausch and Wall Street Journal reporter Jeffrey Zaslow.

Salt shortage, high prices may mean slippery roads

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A shortage of road salt and higher salt prices could mean slippery roads this winter. Heavy snow last year heightened demand for salt, and now many towns can't find enough of it. The shortage could force many cities to salt fewer roads, increasing the risk of accidents. Other communities are abandoning road salt for less expensive - but also less effective - sand or sand-salt blends. Salt prices have tripled from a year ago. The salt industry says increased demand and higher fuel costs are to blame for higher prices. But some officials insist salt prices have spiked more dramatically than fuel costs. The United States used a near-record 20.3 million tons of road salt last year, largely because areas from the Northeast to the
Midwest had heavier-than-average snowfall.

Pa. House sends prison crowding bills to governor

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - State lawmakers have passed a package of prison and sentencing-reform bills that aim to reduce the number of nonviolent inmates and cut costs for counties.
Gov. Ed Rendell signaled Monday that he would probably sign them. The four bills would establish new parole and recommitment guidelines, and allow some terminally ill inmates to die in hospitals or hospices. Nonviolent drug offenders could be resentenced to addiction-treatment programs. Nonviolent offenders who behave well and complete certain programs could shorten their sentences. The bills passed the House overwhelmingly. But Attorney General Tom Corbett says he is concerned about the prospect of releasing prisoners to ease overcrowding.

Police: Pa. landlord secretly videotaped tenants

PHOENIXVILLE, Pa. (AP) - A suburban Philadelphia landlord is charged with secretly videotaping female tenants with cameras hidden in their apartments. Police say 45-year-old Thomas Daley of Phoenixville may have been at it for 20 years. They say he hid cameras behind mirrors, cabinets and ceiling fans - and that the cameras sometimes started taping with the flip of a light switch. Daley is being held on $1 million cash bail. It was not immediately clear if he has a lawyer. Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman says the victims feel violated after being videotaped in their own homes.

Police: Pa. travel agent stole $187K in tour funds

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) - A suburban Philadelphia travel agent is charged with stealing nearly $200,000 in tour payments and spending the money on clothes and QVC purchases. Officials in Montgomery County say most of Frances Balshan's victims were senior citizens interested in an African safari. The 66-year-old Balshan, of Abington, ran World Travel Vignettes, which linked customers with a tour being organized by the St. Louis Zoo. District Attorney Risa Ferman says Balshan collected $197,000, but forwarded only $10,000 to the zoo. Balshan is charged with felony theft and fraud. She defended her reputation to reporters on Monday and says the allegations are a result of a misunderstanding. The safari went on as planned, thanks to funding from a nonprofit that supports the zoo.

Airliner nearly hits light plane at Pa. airport

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - An airliner preparing to take off from a Pennsylvania airport came within 10 feet of hitting a light plane on the runway because of a trainee's error in the air traffic
control tower. United Express Flight 7138 had to swerve to avoid hitting the Cessna four-seater at Lehigh Valley International Airport near Allentown on Friday night. Federal transportation officials said Monday that the jetliner was going about 140 mph when the flight crew spotted the smaller plane and aborted takeoff. Officials say the Cessna had just landed. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association says a trainee mistakenly thought the Cessna had left the runway and cleared the United Express flight for takeoff. There were no injuries to those aboard the Cessna or among the 60 passengers on the jet, which was operated by Phoenix-based Mesa
Air Group Inc.

Pa. attorney general candidates set debate dates

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The major-party candidates for Pennsylvania attorney general have agreed to a pair of televised debates in the days leading up to the Nov. 4 election. The plan for back-to-back debates that will air Nov. 2 and Nov. 3 was confirmed by incumbent Republican Tom Corbett's campaign and Democratic challenger John Morganelli. Both debates will be taped in late October. The first debate, sponsored by the Pennsylvania League of Women Voters, will be held in the studios of WPVI-TV in Philadelphia. The second debate will be at the studios of WFMZ-TV in Allentown. Libertarian Party candidate Marakay Rogers, a York lawyer, says
she intends to take part in the Philadelphia debate. She says she has no information about the Allentown debate.

NEW YORK (AP) - The Dow Jones industrials start today at 11,015 after losing 372 points yesterday. Overseas markets have calmed somewhat today. In Asia, regional stock markets have been mixed. Futures in the Dow industrials and Standard & Poor's 500, meanwhile, are inching higher.

SINGAPORE (AP) - Oil prices have dipped below $108 a barrel in Asia. Prices surged yesterday in volatile trading, spiking more than $25 a barrel at one point. The choppy market is driven by
uncertainty about whether a 700 billion dollar U.S. plan to buy bad mortgage debt will stabilize the financial system.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The proposed financial bailout package continues to take shape in Congress. One provision may include government help for homeowners who need to refinance their mortgages. Another could keep executives at some failing firms from getting pricey "golden parachutes." The Treasury chief and Fed chairman will discuss the plan on Capitol Hill today.

MIAMI (AP) - A new government tally finds more than 7.5 million people are spending half of their income or more on housing costs. Traditionally, most lenders consider a homeowner financially burdened if he or she is spending 30 percent or more of their income on housing.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates will be painting a somber picture of the situation in Afghanistan when he testifies before a Senate panel today. Among other things, his
prepared testimony says the U.S. is trying to help Afghanistan build reliable security forces, but U.S. commanders still have too few troops to do the job.