Today's News-Wednesday, September 17th, 2008

Huge theft of wire from cogen plant

Barely a week goes by and another business is robbed of valuable copper wire. This time, the theives got away with several thousand feet of the stuff. Between the beginning of September and yesterday, someone took approximately 6-thousand-feet of half inch copper wire from an ash conveyor at Schuylkill Energy Resources in Mahanoy Township. The thieves got at the wire with a bolt cutters. The wire is valued at more than $21-thousand-dollars. State police at Frackville are still investigating.

House bill could give raise to black lung recipients

Its been nearly three decades since black lung recipients have received a raise in their state benefit. A new bill moving through the state House could change that. Representative Neal Goodman said the legislation moved out of the House Labor Relations Committee Tuesday that would increase the monthly benefit from $125 to $175 a month. Goodman said that the cost of granting the raise would be minimal since only a small number of residents are eligible for the state benefit. The bill moves on to the state house for consideration.

Barletta leads according to new poll

With seven weeks until the general election, Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta's lead has increased according to a new poll. The Franklin & Marshall College/Times Shamrock poll surveyed 547 registered voters in the 11th Congressional District, where Barletta, a Republican, is challenging incumbent Democrat Paul Kanjorski. Forty four percent support Barletta compared to 35 percent for Kanjorski, with 21 percent undecided. Kanjorski has served 12 terms in Washington.

Belt tightening in Harrisburg

Gov. Ed Rendell has ordered an immediate hiring freeze, a ban on out-of-state travel and other spending cuts to save $200 million. He says tht moves are needed to maintain a balanced budget as the weakening national economy starts to affect Pennsylvania. The hiring freeze will leave about 5,000 vacant state jobs unfilled. The travel ban applies to state employees, board members and commissioners. Rendell is also asking Cabinet secretaries to cut as much as 4.25 percent from their budgets. But he stresses that he will maintain critical services such as public safety, health, social services and education. Pennsylvania's unemployment rate rose to 5.4 percent in July, and tax revenue collections are more than three percent below budget. Rendell says that sluggish trend is continuing, based on collections for the first two weeks of September.

Murder suspect back in Philadelphia; prosecutors say they want to charge father

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A fugitive who fled the United States weeks before his 1998 murder trial is back in Philadelphia - and prosecutors say they wouldn't mind finding the father they believe helped him. Prosecutors say David Heyon Nam, an American-born child of wealthy South Korean immigrants, was 19 when he and three juveniles went looking for an easy target to rob one hot summer night in 1996. Authorities say they spotted 75-year-old Anthony Schroeder in his North Philadelphia home, and Nam ended up shooting him. Nam's father, Gi Nam, was vice president of a suburban Philadelphia textile company and posted $100,000 cash toward his son's $1 million bail. He and his wife later returned to South Korea, where their son used several aliases and moved frequently over the years. District Attorney Lynne Abraham says the father remains on the hook for the remaining $900,000 surety he posted and will be charged with aiding and abetting if he ever returns to the United States. Nam was married and a father by the time the FBI captured him near Seoul in March. He arrived Tuesday afternoon at Philadelphia International Airport and was being transferred from FBI custody to Philadelphia police. Three 14-year-old accomplices who pleaded guilty to third-degree murder named Nam as the shooter. Authorities say their testimonies remain the basis of the prosecution's case.

Biden talks economics during at stop at orchard in suburban Philadelphia

Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden says Republican John McCain is "profoundly out of touch" with middle-class voters. Biden made the remark to hundreds of supporters at a farm in suburban Philadelphia a day after a stock market plunge and other major turmoil on Wall Street. Biden noted that McCain had said Monday that the economy was fundamentally strong but revised his view an hour later to say there was an economic crisis. He also chided McCain for comments the GOP nominee made Tuesday decrying "the greed of Wall Street." Biden says bad economic policies supported by McCain and President Bush had contributed to the collapse of the housing market and failure of some large investment banks. McCain campaign spokesman Ben Porritt dismissed the criticism. He says Biden is "peddling a false record of change across Pennsylvania to make up for Barack Obama's failure to address economic issues."

Employee union objects to outdoor smoking ban on Pa. university campuses, demands talks

A Pennsylvania state employee union says it has filed a demand to bargain over an outdoor smoking ban at the campuses of 14 state-owned universities. The American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees says it wants the State System of Higher Education to negotiate changes to the policy. The union represents about 2,500 maintenance, dining hall, skilled labor and clerical workers. The system's faculty union hadn't decided as of Tuesday whether to take any action. A new state law that took effect Thursday bans smoking in most indoor spaces, including educational facilities. But the university system's chancellor has decided to go a step further and prohibit outdoor smoking on campus.

SEPTA defends passenger response to hammer attack

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Philadelphia's transit agency has come to the defense of subway passengers over their response to a man being attacked with a hammer earlier this month. Surveillance video shows the attacker getting on the train, taking a hammer out of his bag and pummelling a man sitting to his left. The attack lasts about 30 seconds, and the video shows several people walking by or moving out of the way as the man is beaten to the floor and dragged onto the platform. Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey went on NBC's "Today" show last week and criticized the passengers for failing to intervene in the Sept. 4 confrontation. But Richard Maloney, a spokesman for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, says the passengers did just what the transit agency advises in such a situation. He says the agency does not recommend that citizens "physically intervene in a brutal attack." A police spokeswoman says the commissioner was not available to comment Tuesday.

Rendell nominates Pawlowski, acting commissioner, to head Pa. State Police on permanent basis

The acting state police commissioner has been nominated to head up the department on a permanent basis. Rendell sent the nomination of Lt. Col. Frank Pawlowski to the state Senate for its consideration. If confirmed to succeed Col. Jeffrey Miller, he will be promoted to colonel. Pawlowski is a 30-year veteran of the state police who was named acting commissioner in July. Rendell praises his management and leadership experience. A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi calls Pawlowski "a well-qualified nominee." The state police has 81 stations, nine Pennsylvania Turnpike installations and other facilities. It is the primary police agency for more than a quarter of Pennsylvanians. 80,000 remain without power in W.Pa.; NJ man electrocuted

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Officials in western Pennsylvania say about 80,000 customer remain without power and it could be until Friday or later until all power is restored. Much of the problem is from downed power lines and trees after remnants of Hurricane Ike blew through Sunday night. Butler County, where some 30,000 customers are without power, declared a state of emergency Tuesday and opened two temporary shelters. State police in Mercer County say Robert Lempke, of Columbia, New Jersey, was electrocuted Tuesday afternoon when he stepped on a live wire. He was a New Jersey Central Power & Light employee working to repair power lines. The Red Cross in Butler County says the biggest problem is people who don't have drinking water. Its two shelters offered visitors pizza, salad and showers.

Pa. jury weighs charges in "horrific" child-porn case; victims assaulted at sitter's home

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A federal jury is deliberating dozens of child-pornography charges filed against a suburban Philadelphia man in what both sides call a horrific case. Prosecutors say the children were sexually assaulted and videotaped for years at a baby sitter's home by the sitter's friend, 41-year-old defendant John Jackey Worman. In closing arguments Tuesday, they said Worman assaulted eight children over nearly a decade, and had hundreds of thousands of pornographic images. Defense lawyer Mark Cedrone says that jurors may hate Worman, but should not convict him unless the government proved the crimes charged. Worman, of Colwyn, is on trial with friend Dorothy Prawdzik of Drexel Hill, while baby sitter Concetta Jackson of Collingdale pleaded guilty.

SAN'A, Yemen (AP) - There's been an attack at the U.S. Embassy in Yemen and at least 10 people are hurt. A spokesman says a car bomb hit the front gate. Yemeni officials say heavy gunfire lasted for 10 minutes after the blast.

HONG KONG (AP) - Stock markets in Asia are starting to rebound after the government announced an 85 billion dollar bailout of insurance giant American International Group. The news helped Japan's Nikkei close 140 points higher after yesterday's big drop.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Federal Reserve is justifying its 85 billion dollar bailout of AIG by saying a disorderly failure could hurt the already delicate financial markets and the economy. AIG plans to pay back the taxpayer money by selling off some assets. The company is also now controlled by the government.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) - Barack Obama has a two-minute commercial on the economy hitting the airwaves today. In it, he says 600,000 American jobs have been lost this year and "bitter partisan fights' won't solve the nation's economic woes.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The House has voted to open up waters 50 miles off the Pacific and Atlantic coasts to offshore oil and gas drilling -- provided the affected states are OK with that. The measure goes to the Senate, which is expected to reduce the reach of the House bill.