Today's News-Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008

Haven pilot can return to the skies
AP/WPPA News

A Schuylkill Haven area pilot whose job was threatened because his name was apparently on a terrorist watch list is being allowed to resume flying. Erich Scherfen and his wife sued the government last month. The Schuylkill County couple said their names were placed on the list because of their Muslim faith and that it jeopardized Scherfen's ability work as a commercial airline pilot. A federal judge had scheduled a Sept. 18 hearing in Scranton in the case. American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Vic Walczak said Tuesday he received a copy of a letter in which Colgan Air Inc. confirmed to the federal Transportation Security Administration that Scherfen has been returned to flight status. Walczak says lawyers will continue to press the lawsuit alleging violations of the couple's constitutional rights.

Assault and ethnic intimidation in Pottsville

A Pottsville man is jailed on a host of charges following an incident in the city Monday night. City officers say that two African American juveniles were walking on Division Street when 38-year-old John Hulet yelled ethnic statements at the pair, brandished a shotgun and fired it in the air. Police apprehended Hulet at his home. They found the shotgun, along with marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Hulet told police he intended to intimidate the teens with the gun due to their ethnic background. He was arraigned on charges of simple assault, ethnic intimidation, discharging a firearm in the city and drug counts. Hulet was taken to Schuylkill County Prison in lieu of bail.

Trial starts for Orwigsburg arsonist

An Orwigsburg man is standing trial for attempting to set the Orwigsburg borough manager's house on fire. Carl Zehner is charged with causing or risking a catastrophe, attempted arson and related offenses for throwing a lighted bottle onto Michael Lonergan's porch in July, 2007, causing damage to the side porch of the home. Zehner was upset that Orwigsburg borough turned his water off, and attempted to take it out on Lonergan. The Republican and Herald reports that Zehner admitted to starting the fire. Witnesses testified that they saw the fire burning before midnight, and alerted Lonergan. He was able to put the fire out with an extinguisher, and reported the incident to police.

Storms may affect our weather this weekend

With Gulf Coast residents cleaning up from Hurrican Gustav, two new systems are now eyeing the Atlantic Coast. Tropical Storm Hanna is expected to hit the Carolina coast sometime Saturday and be in our backyard by early Sunday. Operations Training Officer with Schuylkill County Emergency Management -John Matz- says his agency will be monitoring the projected path of Hanna over the next couple of days. If and when E-M-A services are necessary, municipalities will be notified. Pennsylvania is one of many states to offer emergency relief volunteers to respond to hurricane disasters throughout the country.

Pre release center still in limbo

More time is needed to decide on a Schuylkill County project...Ryan Township Supervisors Chairman Champ Holman explains the status of the pre-release facility:

HOLMAN

The proposed pre-release facility would be located near the state prison at Frackville and would likely house short-term less offensive prisoners and those on a work release program. Holman talks about some of the financial benefits:

HOLMAN

Don't hold your breath on seeing the pre-release facility anytime soon. Holman says once the building ordinance is satisfied it may take some time for the county to work out the financing.

Sparks Around the Campfire burns tonight in the county

History will come alive in Pottsville beginning this evening. A program developed by the Schuylkill County Historical Society, spotlighting the county's involvement in the Civil War begins with a Patriotic Rally at the Sovereign Majestic Theatre at 7pm. Music of the day and speakers will kick off the four day event. Stu Richards, author and local historian, explains what visitors can expect:

RICHARDS

For a complete list of Sparks Around the Campfire events, log on to the Schuylkill Historical Society website....schuylkillhistory.org.

Santorum: Palin revelations won't harm GOP chances

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Rick Santorum says he doesn't think any of the revelations about Sarah Palin are hurting her. The Republican former senator from Pennsylvania says they may even help his party's choice for vice president, who's currently governor of Alaska. Palin, John McCain's little-known running mate, provided an unwelcome convention distraction with the announcement that her unmarried 17-year-old daughter is pregnant. Palin's family has said the daughter will keep the baby and marry the child's father. The baby is due in late December.

Constitution Party seeks presidential ballot spot

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A lawsuit contends that Pennsylvania's rules for getting a presidential candidate on the ballot are overly burdensome. Constitution Party lawyer Jim Clymer is arguing against the Aug. 1 deadline for third-party candidates. He says under the U.S.
Constitution, the Legislature, not the secretary of state, is supposed to set such deadlines.
Besides Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, the other presidential hopefuls on the Pennsylvania ballot are Libertarian Bob Barr and independent candidate Ralph Nader. A court challenge to Barr's ballot status is scheduled for Thursday.

Pa. independent candidate won't be on ballot

PITTSBURGH (AP) - An independent candidate for Congress in northwestern Pennsylvania says he'll campaign as a write-in candidate. A judge says Steven Porter can't be on the ballot because of problems with nominating papers. He's running against incumbent Republican Phil English and Democrat Kathy Dahlkemper. Porter acknowledged at a hearing last week that he filled in at least the hometown and date next to more than 1,500 signatures. The signatures themselves were valid and Porter did not intend to commit forgery or fraud. But a judge says state election law requires whoever signed the petition to fill out all the other required information.

Brothers admit plundering corpses in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Two brothers who ran a Philadelphia funeral home have pleaded guilty to selling corpses to a company that trafficked in stolen body parts. Louis and Gerald Garzone pleaded guilty Tuesday in Philadelphia to charges including conspiracy, theft and abuse of corpse. The pleas came on the day their trial was to begin. The mastermind of the scheme, Michael Mastromarino, pleaded guilty Friday to hundred of charges that could send him to prison for life. Mastromarino's company took bodies from funeral homes in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and carved them up without families' permission and without medical tests. The parts, some of them diseased, were sold around the country for dental implants,
knee and hip replacements and other procedures. Among the corpses plundered was that of "Masterpiece Theatre" host Alistair Cooke.

Allegheny Co. drink tax ballot measures tossed out

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Allegheny County elections board has tossed out both ballot measures dealing with the drink tax enacted this year to subsidize public transit. Three county judges ruled Tuesday the referendum questions were legally insufficient because only county council can lower or raise taxes. The judges heard the case because the board's regular
members had declared positions on the ballot measures. An anti-drink tax group collected about 44,000 signatures to have a November ballot measure to slash the drink tax from 10
percent to 0.5 percent. The county sought its own referendum asking voters to essentially choose between eliminating the drink levy and raising property taxes. The anti-tax group says it will appeal the decision. A county spokesman did not immediately return a phone call.

Pa. woman pleads guilty to child porn charges

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A woman who prosecutors say provided children from her baby-sitting service to her former live-in boyfriend so he could sexually abuse them has pleaded guilty to
manufacturing child pornography. Forty-five-year-old Concetta Jackson pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia. Authorities say Jackson allowed her ex-boyfriend, 41-year-old John Worman, to supervise the girls she baby-sat at her suburban
Philadelphia home. Authorities say Worman then filmed himself having sex with girls and infants as young as 3 months old. Worman has been charged with 51 counts of producing and
possessing child pornography. Another woman, 43-year-old Dorothy Prawdzik, also is charged with helping Worman produce the child sex videos. Jackson will be sentenced in December.

Uruguayan man charged in rural Pa. beating death

MONTROSE, Pa. (AP) - A South American man living in rural northeastern Pennsylvania is charged in the beating death of his girlfriend. Gustavo Xavier says he didn't kill Lisa Parlanti. But police say the 37-year-old Uruguayan citizen used a metal pipe to beat Parlanti on Saturday at his home in Franklin Forks in rural Susquehanna County. Police say the 37-year-old Moosic woman was so badly beaten that it took until Tuesday to positively identify her. Police have also alerted federal immigration officials about Xavier, saying he might be in the United States illegally. Xavier is charged with criminal homicide and aggravated assault.

Mother: Shooting suspect 'desperately' mentally ill

ALGER, Wash. (AP) - The mother of the suspect in a deadly rampage in Washington state describes her son as "desperately mentally ill." Dennise Zamora says she has tried repeatedly to get help for her 28-year-old son Isaac. He surrendered after shootings left six people dead, including a sheriff's deputy. A state trooper and another person were wounded. The two and a-half hour rampage started in the small town of Alger, and continued onto Interstate 5, the state's busiest highway. Isaac Zamora was recently freed from jail after serving six months for drug possession and was under community supervision by corrections officers. He had reported as instructed and passed drug and alcohol tests. Washington state's governor has called for an independent review of the case.

Lieberman calls Obama young, untested

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Eight years ago he was his party's vice presidential nominee but now Senator Joe Lieberman is backing John McCain. The Democrat-turned-Independent told Republican delegates at their national convention that Barack Obama is untested and
unwilling to challenge special interest groups. The Connecticut lawmaker said Obama's eloquence is "no substitute for a record." Lieberman broke with Democrats over the war in Iraq and used his appearance at the Republican convention to criticize Obama's national security record and to hail McCain's. The Connecticut senator made a direct appeal to independents,
Reagan Democrats and Clinton Democrats to vote for their country, not for a party.

Thompson raps Obama, recounts McCain bio

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Actor-turned-politician Fred Thompson says John McCain's character qualifies him to be president. Thompson, who dropped out of the GOP White House race, spoke to delegates at the Republican National Convention. The former "Law & Order" star detailed McCain's years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He also denounced Barack Obama for declining to say when human life begins, although Thompson's own record on abortion is mixed. Obama supports abortion rights, while McCain is opposed. Thompson also is opposed, though he faced criticism during his presidential campaign because he lobbied in 1991 on behalf of an abortion rights group. Thompson also defended Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. McCain's pick for running mate has been overshadowed by controversies including that her unmarried daughter is pregnant.

Bush touts McCain's candidacy to delegates

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - President Bush says he's confident voters "will cast their ballots for the McCain-Palin ticket." Bush spoke to the Republican National Convention from the White House via satellite. He told delegates he couldn't be there in person because of Hurricane Gustav, which hit the Gulf Coast. Bush called John McCain "a great American and the next president of the United States." The image of Bush speaking from the White House was projected on the stage. Bush's brief speech ended right at 10 p.m. Eastern, just as the TV networks were beginning their live convention coverage.

Palin's pork requests confound reformer image

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - John McCain touts his running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, as a force in his battle against earmarks and entrenched power brokers. But under her leadership, Alaska has asked the federal government for almost $300 per person in requests for pet projects this year. That's more than any other state received, per person, from Congress and runs counter to the image the GOP ticket is pushing. McCain's campaign says Palin realizes Alaska has been too reliant on earmarks and ordered state officials to cut back on their requests. It also says Barack Obama requested nearly a billion dollars in earmarks over three years for Illinois, a state with nearly 20 times the population of Alaska. Obama hasn't asked for any earmarks this year. Last year he requested 311 million dollars -- roughly $24 worth for every
Illinoisan.

Bush heads to Louisiana today

WASHINGTON (AP)- Two days after Hurricane Gustav battered the Gulf Coast, President Bush is heading to Louisiana for a briefing on the damage. The president says America's grateful that damage was less than many feared. But he says coastal regions remain dangerous. He's
asking evacuees anxious to go home to be patient. In Louisiana, Bush will see just some of what Gustav did on a visit to Baton Rouge, where he'll be briefed by emergency chiefs. He's not going to New Orleans. Speaking to the GOP Convention from the White House last night, Bush called the state and local response to Gustav "sure-handed" and said coordination with Washington was "seamless."

At least 21 dead in Haiti

SAINT-MARC, Haiti (AP) - Haitian authorities say Hanna has killed at least 21 people.
The tropical storm, which arrived as a hurricane, generated flooding and mudslides that swept some victims away and has cut off communities. Those who could move clutched mattresses, chairs and other belongings as they slogged through waist-high floodwaters. Hanna's maximum sustained winds slipped to 65 miles per hour, but forecasters say it could regain hurricane strength and turn toward the east coast of Florida, Georgia or South Carolina in two to three days.

Cheney in Azerbaijan

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) - The U.S. Embassy says Vice President Cheney has arrived in Azerbaijan as part of a tour in support of Russia's southern neighbors. Cheney meets with Azerbaijan's president and other top leaders today. The vice president will later head to Georgia, where Washington is trying bolster support for Mikhail Saakashvili's U.S.-allied
government, battered by last month's short war with Russia. Cheney will also pay a visit to Ukraine for talks with leaders there. The trip comes amid increasingly tense relations between
Washington and Moscow.

Removal hearing today

DETROIT (AP) - Michigan's governor holds a hearing today that could decide whether the mayor of Detroit is ousted. Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has tried to block the hearing, but he
was turned away yesterday by an appeals court. The hearing concerns whether he misled members of Detroit's City Council about his settling of lawsuits with former police officers.
The mayor is separately charged with 10 felonies, including accusations that he lied in court to cover up a sexual relationship with his then-chief of staff. Under Michigan law, Governor Jennifer Granholm has the authority to remove elected officials for misconduct. Both she and Kilpatrick are Democrats, but Kilpatrick says Granholm is biased against him.

Nothing found so far in latest search

HAWTHORNE, Nev. (AP) - Searchers are halfway through the latest effort to find missing adventurer Steve Fossett. Since beginning the hunt August 23rd, they've found scraps of
metal and cloth and some broken glass, but little else in the search for the famed aviator. His small plane vanished last September after taking off from a Nevada ranch. Fossett's friends and admirers will pause Wednesday for a moment of silence to mark one year since he disappeared.
There have been extensive aerial and ground searches in the rugged mountains west of Hawthorne, Nevada. But the latest searchers say there's a lot of land that didn't get close scrutiny.