Today's News - Saturday, October 18, 2008

Rhoades and Wife Injured In Crash

Authorities say a veteran state senator has been seriously injured in a car crash. Police say Sen. James J. Rhoades and his wife, Mary, were hurt in the crash on Route 209 near Brodheadsville in Monroe County. The accident happened shortly after 7:30 p.m. Friday. Both were flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital near Allentown. Officials would not release their conditions. But Rhoades' chief of staff says he has been told that the senator's injuries are serious. The accident happened as Rhoades was traveling north on Route 209 and his vehicle collided with a truck traveling the other way. Rhoades has served in the state Senate since 1980. His district includes Schuylkill County and parts of Berks, Monroe, Northampton, Lehigh and Carbon counties.

Final voter registration numbers interesting

If you aren't registered to vote in the general election, its too late. The final numbers are in from the Schuylkill County Voter Registration Bureau. Betty Dries, Executive Director, shared the numbers with WPPA News Friday. A total of 21-hundred-59 people registered since the May primary, 1028 Democratic, 717 Republican and the remainder across other parties. Even with the influx of new registered Democrats, registered Republicans still outnumber them by nearly 5-thousand. Non partisans total 53 hundred registered. Total voters registered for the general election is 94 thousand 178.

Cars and cash seized in drug busts returned to police departments

Assets seized in drug deals have been returned to police departments to aid in the war on drugs. District Attorney Jim Goodman made the presentation Friday to 7 different police departments, with a forfeited vehicle and over $20-thousand-dollars in cash. Assistant DA Tom Campion, who heads up the DA's drug forfeiture unit says that when a drug dealer is arrested, his assets can be seized as long as it was used as part of the drug dealer's illegal activity of selling drugs. A successful prosecution of the criminal, and the DA can file papers to get the assets.

Pottsville man arrested for hit and run

Pottsville police arrested a city man following a hit and run early Thursday. A car owned by Deena Schaarschmidt of Girardville, and operated by 35 year old Charles Williams hit two parked vehicles in the 1700 block of 1st Avenue, incurring severe damage. Both parked cars were damaged as well. Williams was found hiding on Woodglen Road after fleeing the scene. He was suspected of driving under the influence, and wanted on an oustanding warrant. After the investigation is finished, charges will be filed. Williams was committed to Schuylkill County Prison.

Drug arrest in city

A Bristol PA man was nabbed by Schuylkill County detectives and Pottsville police for selling cocaine to an undercover officer Thursday night. 25 year old Christopher Todd Glimp was found to have crack cocaine in his possession as well as the coke. The drugs had a street value of $1400. Glimp is locked up in the county jail. A second man, 40 year old David Flail was found to be in possession of drug paraphernalia and will be charged later.

NORTHUMBERLAND, Pa. (AP) - Authorities say an early morning fire that killed a central Pennsylvania woman was accidental. The fire at the two-story wood-frame house near Northumberland was reported at about 1:30 a.m. Friday. Point Township Assistant Fire Chief Ross Blain says the home was engulfed in flames when he arrived. Blain says a dog was found in the car of Heather Bailets, who died in the fire. He says she mostly likely escaped with her dog but ran back to get something inside and did not make it out. State Police Fire Marshal Norman Fedder says the blaze started in the kitchen, possibly in a light fixture, and is considered accidental.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Gov. Ed Rendell has signed a bill that increases the mandatory minimum sentence for anyone convicted of shooting a firearm at a police officer and for crimes committed with illegally purchased guns. Rendell signed the bill Friday at the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police lodge. The signing comes less than 10 days after the Legislature unanimously approved the bill and less than a month after Philadelphia Police Officer Patrick McDonald was killed by an illegally purchased gun. The bill raises the mandatory minimum sentence for anyone shooting a firearm at a police officer to 20 years. It also increases penalties for crimes related to straw purchases of firearms, for lying when filing federal paperwork to buy a gun and for filing a false report of a stolen gun.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush will be talking about the economy with French President Nicolas Sarkozy (sahr-koh-ZEE') and European Commission President Jose Manual Barroso. The two European leaders will stop at Camp David on their way back from a summit in Canada.

UNDATED (AP) - John McCain will be in two usually reliably Republican states today, though they may swing differently this year. Visits to Concord, North Carolina, and Woodbridge, Virginia are lined up, while Sarah Palin will be a few hours north of there in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Barack Obama will be in Missouri, with stops planned in Kansas City and St. Louis.

ROANOKE, Va. (AP) - John Podesta, President Clinton's former chief of staff, is leading Barack Obama's transition team. The team has held at least one large meeting as they get ready for what could be a new administration. Former Navy Secretary John Lehman is leading John McCain's transition team.

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) - Joe Biden says he doesn't want voters getting distracted by Republican smear campaigns over the final weeks of the presidential campaign. John McCain's campaign has been sending out automated phone calls accusing Barack Obama of "working closely" with a "domestic terrorist."

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - The governor of Nevada is being sued for the second time in a week. A former staff member says she was fired because Governor Jim Gibbons thought she was leaking information about a text messaging scandal he was embroiled in. Gibbons is also being sued by a woman who says he threatened to rape her. Gibbons denies the allegations.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The crash of AIG could be bad news for mass transit riders around Los Angeles. The L-A County transportation department's deal to lease trains and buses was financed by AIG. Now they could be forced to pay back investors at least $100 million.

BEIJING (AP) - China's government is claiming some, but not all responsibility for the tainted milk scandal. China's premier made the rare admission in an interview in this week's Science Magazine. Milk tainted by the industrial chemical melamine is blamed for the deaths of four children and sickening thousands more.

TORONTO (AP) - Canada is closer to banning plastic baby bottles made with a chemical known as BPA. The Canadian government says it's declaring BPA, which is widely used in food packaging, a toxic substance.

BAGHDAD (AP) - Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr (mook-TAH'-duh ahl SAH'-dur) is calling on Iraq's parliament to reject a deal to keep U.S. troops there through 2011. The anti-American cleric is living in Iran, but he warned Iraqi lawmakers not to "betray the people."

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Afghan officials say gunmen have targeted and killed a former bodyguard for President Hamid Karzai. The former bodyguard's father was also killed in the attack, which happened outside a mosque in southern Afghanistan.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistan says fighting in the volatile northwest has left at least 60 militants dead and many more injured. The attacks began after one of two Chinese engineers kidnapped by the Taliban was found.

CHRISTIANSTED, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) - Authorities in St. Croix are trying to contain oil spills in the water caused when Hurricane Omar sank or sent more than 40 boats washing onto shore. One woman at the St. Croix Yacht Club says local boaters didn't take the storm seriously.

PORT EDWARD, South Africa (AP) - Britain's Prince William and Prince Harry are using an endurance motorcycle rally in South Africa to raise money for various charities. The princes are among more than 80 riders taking part in a grueling eight-day, 1,000-mile adventure.

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) - Zimbabwe's opposition leader says four days of negotiations have failed to break a deadlock in power-sharing talks. He's calling on regional and African leaders to intervene.

CEDAR CREEK, Texas (AP) - A Texas zoo is offering a $400 reward for the safe return of a camel named Moses and his pint-size pony sidekick. Officials at Capital of Texas Zoo near Austin reported the theft of the kid-friendly creatures this week.

YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) - A 27-year-old Oregon man says he survived on a mountain with a broken ankle by eating centipedes and drinking water from creeks. Derek Mamoyac was found Friday on southern Washington's Mount Adams after five frigid days and nights.

LANCASTER, Calif. (AP) - Workers in Lancaster, California, are building a new musical road. The road is built in a way that produces notes of the "William Tell Overture" when cars drive over it at certain speeds. The first road was quieted when nearby residents complained of the noise. This new one is being built away from homes.