Today's News- Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008

Bar damaged in New Philadelphia, vandals at large

Vandals did significant damage to a New Philadelphia watering hole early on Monday. Several windows were shattered and neon sign's hanging in Moe's Bar on Water Street. State police believe that concrete blocks and a brick were used to commit the vandalism. Neighbors living near the bar observed several people leaving the scene. The investigation continues.

Several injured in crash early Labor Day morning near Pottsville

Speed played a part in a one vehicle crash early Monday morning on Route 61 south of Pottsville. A car driven by 21-year-old David Messerschmidt was southbound at a high rate of speed and he lost control on a left hand curve. The vehicle hit a dirt mound and went airborne, flipping several times and ending up down an embankment. Messerschmidt was flown to Lehigh Valley Medical Center for treatment of multiple injuries. A passenger, 18-year-old Audrey Yawornicky of Girardville suffered injuries to her neck, head, chest and leg and was flown to Geisinger Medical Center. Their conditions are not known. Three other passengers were taken to Schuylkill Medical Center South for treatment. Charges will be filed by state police against Messerschmidt. The crash happened around 1:30 Monday morning.

Man injured from falling tree

A man was injured Sunday when a tree fell on him in a wooded area in Kline Township. The unidentified individual was cutting a tree in the woods while camping, when it fell down onto his leg. Emergency crews were challenged in getting him from the scene of the accident, nearly a mile into the woods. He was flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital for treatment.

STATE NEWS

Teachers and officials of the Scranton School District plan one more round of talks to try to avert a strike that would disrupt Wednesday's beginning of the school year. President Rosemary Boland of the Scranton Federation of Teachers says the last-ditch talks Tuesday would cover salary and health insurance, the main sticking points. The two sides negotiated for seven hours Monday, and Boland says they made progress. She says both sides want school to start as scheduled Wednesday. Union members voted to authorize a strike last week and union leaders decided to call a strike after failing to work out an agreement Saturday. Teachers are scheduled to report to their jobs today. But if no agreement is reached, the union is scheduled to march at 6:15 p.m. on a scheduled school board meeting.

Pennsylvania girl shot in Chicago

A 13-year-old girl whose family moved to Pennsylvania to escape the violence in Chicago's Humboldt Park has died after being shot in the head during a visit to her old neighborhood.
Eternity Gaddy was pronounced dead Monday morning. Police say was shot outside her aunt's home early Sunday after attending a family birthday party. Family members said Eternity, her mother and three siblings had been scheduled to take a bus back to their home in Allentown, Pennsylvania, later Sunday. Police had no suspects in custody Monday morning, and were checking reports that gang slogans were yelled before the shots
rang out.

Sen. Joe Biden toured his boyhood home in Scranton and enjoyed a Labor Day picnic in its shady backyard as he reminisced about the blue-collar values the city taught him. Biden, the Democratic nominee for vice president, told about 75 hand-picked supporters that "the one thing you learned here is, a promise made is a promise kept." Earlier in the day, Biden nixed plans to march in a Labor Day parade in Pittsburgh, saying he needed to focus instead on Hurricane Gustav's landfall on the Gulf Coast. Biden lived in Scranton until 1953, when his father moved the 10-year-old and other family members to Delaware to search for a better job. He says he heard his first political debates at the family's kitchen table, and in Scranton then "to be Irish was to be Catholic was to be Democrat." Biden later appeared with Gov. Ed Rendell at the city's Italian festival, where he urged support for hurricane victims and promised a return trip to Scranton. He said he viewed his trip more as homecoming than a political event, but vowed to be back "to campaign in earnest".

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Residents in New Orleans can't go home yet, but it won't be long before that changes. City crews plan to start assessing the damage from Hurricane Gustav today. The goal is to allow residents to return beginning late tomorrow or Thursday.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The improvements to the levee system in New Orleans seem to have worked. However officials scrambled to fortify a levee in southeastern Louisiana last night, fearing it might collapse. So far, at least eight storm-related deaths are reported, while power has been knocked out for more than a million customers.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Things should be getting back to normal at the Republican Convention today. Rudy Giuliani is likely to give the keynote address tonight. The White House says it's still
possible President Bush will address convention delegates by a video link.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - In the days since Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was tapped by John McCain to be his vice president, Republicans and Democrats have privately questioned just how well she was vetted. The lawyer who reviewed Palin for McCain was asked by The Associated Press if every possible red flag is already public. He says "yeah, I think so."

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Splinter groups made sure the first day of protests near the Republican Convention wouldn't be incident-free. Some protesters vandalized property and set at least
one fire. They are also harassing delegates. More than 250 people were arrested.