Today's News- Wednesday, October 8th, 2008

Fire displaces two in Haven

Two people have been displaced from their home due to a fire last night in Schuylkill Haven. Crews were called to the Harner residence at 773 North Garfield Avenue around 11:30pm, where flames were coming from the rear of the building. Mary Ella Harner was rescued from the blaze, and her son Michael was taken to a local hospital for observation. Schuylkill Haven Fire Chief Robert Peel tells WPPA/T102 News that they believe the fire started in the kitchen area, but the investigation will resume this afternoon. Firefighters were released from the scene after 2am this morning.

Schuylkill recycling efforts pay off

Schuylkill County's efforts to recycle have paid off, with a substantial grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection. For the year 2006, the county recycled nearly 14, 900 tons of material, and will receive nearly $190-thousand-dollars from the DEP's County Recycling Performance Grant Program. The grant was announced by Senator Jim Rhoades.

Cruise donations made

The 15th Annual Great Pottsville Cruise was a huge success, and area organizations are benefitting from it. Pottsville Lions Club Charities and the Cruise Committee announced over $18-thousand-dollars in donations to nearly two dozen Pottsville area groups. More than $100-thousand-dollars was raised this year through the Cruise Car raffle and the 5 day event in August, supporting more than 80 non-profit organizations in the area. The Cruise Car was sponsored again this year by Pioneer Pole Buildings.

Water boil advisory for Jalappa section of Pottsville

A water main break in Pottsville Tuesday has prompted officials of the Schuylkill County Municipal Authority to issue a water boil advisory for some city customers. Early Tuesday, a line broke on Railroad Street. Many residents experienced discolored water. Authority customers in the Jalappa section of Pottsville are under a precautionary water boil advisory through today.

McCain, Obama follow up with new TV ads

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - On the day after the second presidential debate, the campaigns are following up with TV ads. A Barack Obama ad says John McCain wants to tax health care
instead of fixing it. It continues Obama's criticism that McCain's health-care plan includes taxing employer-based health-care benefits. McCain's new TV spot says Obama is promising nearly a trillion dollars in new spending, in the wake of the 700 billion-dollar rescue plan. The ad says that's "crazy." McCain and Sarah Palin are campaigning together in Ohio and Pennsylvania today. They're expected to keep up their criticism of Obama's friends and supporters.
Meanwhile, both sides are declaring victory in last night's debate. A top McCain ally, Senator Lindsay Graham, said McCain scored points in portraying Obama as liberal. But an Obama adviser says McCain was "all over the map on the issues" -- and that he seemed "angry" about the state of his campaign.

UAW launches advertising campaign against McCain

DETROIT (AP) - United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger says the union will run $3 million worth of advertising criticizing Republican presidential candidate John McCain and his economic policies in four key states. Gettelfinger says the television, radio and Internet ad campaign will target the industrial states of Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The ads will feature UAW members and the union's argument that working families can't afford McCain.
Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana are competitive states; the McCain campaign said last week it was abandoning efforts to win in Michigan. Gettelfinger played the TV ads for reporters Tuesday afternoon at UAW headquarters in Detroit. He said they feature "workers talking to workers about issues" that concern them, such as health care and policies that have cost millions of U.S. manufacturing jobs.

McCain renewing harsh criticism of Obama

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - John McCain and Sarah Palin plan to return to familiar criticism of Barack Obama's friends and supporters, just hours after a presidential debate that steered
clear of the subject. The Republican candidates plan joint appearances in key states of Pennsylvania and Ohio on Wednesday. Ahead of their appearances, the GOP ticket has released an ad that criticizes the Illinois senator as simply not presidential. During Tuesday's debate, McCain did not criticize his rival's connection to 1960s-era radical William Ayers. The two are not close, but Palin has repeatedly faulted Obama for serving on nonprofit groups' boards with a man whose Weather Underground group bombed the U.S. Capitol and Pentagon.

McCain, Palin coming to Pennsylvania for rally

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin are coming to Pennsylvania Wednesday. McCain and Palin will appear at a rally at Lehigh University in Bethlehem this afternoon. On Saturday morning, Palin will be at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena in Johnstown for another rally. She's also expected
at a fundraising dinner in Pittsburgh on Friday evening. Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama will be in the Philadelphia area on Saturday and his running mate, Joe Biden, is
returning to his hometown of Scranton. Biden will be joined by former President Bill Clinton and
Senator Hillary Clinton at a rally on Sunday. A statement from the Illinois senator's campaign says more details of the trips will be provided later in the week.

Tickets gone for Pa. McCain-Palin rally Wednesday

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) - Campaign officials say tickets have been snapped up for a Pennsylvania rally for Republican presidential candidate John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin. A staff member says the campaign will still try to accommodate those who show up without tickets Wednesday at the 6,000-capacity Stabler Arena at Lehigh University in Bethlehem. The 12:30 p.m. rally is free of charge. Pennsylvania is a key battleground and neither campaign is going very long without a visit. Democrat Barack Obama is scheduled to
campaign in the Philadelphia area on Saturday, and running mate Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton are to campaign in Scranton on Sunday.

House Democratic leader's ex-staffer: Boss knew bonuses were being given for political work

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The former chief of staff to House Democratic leader Bill DeWeese says his boss knew that bonuses were being given to state workers for their help on political campaigns. The revelation by Michael Manzo came in court Wednesday during a preliminary hearing for two people charged with using state workers and equipment for campaigns. It is the first time anyone has publicly accused DeWeese of knowing about the bonuses. DeWeese's spokesman had no immediate comment on the accusation. Manzo worked for the House Democrats from 1994 to 2007. He is one of 12 people charged in a Capitol scandal in which
prosecutors allege widespread diversion of state government money, equipment and employees for electioneering. A member of the prosecution team declined to say whether anyone else has made similar accusations or whether DeWeese might be charged.

Mayor: Western Pa. city is 'broke'; 31 workers cut

UNIONTOWN, Pa. (AP) - The mayor of the southwestern Pennsylvania city of Uniontown says 31 of 83 city workers are being laid off in the worst financial crisis the city has faced since the Great Depression. Mayor Ed Fike says the city is "bankrupt" and "broke" and $1.3 million in debt. Officials say they can pay the remaining workers for a few more weeks - but only if no other bills are paid. The layoffs, which affect every city department including police and fire, will save the city about $200,000 this year and take effect Oct. 12. The city must borrow money to meet payroll and pay bills and a property tax increase is inevitable next year. The soonest the laid-off workers could return is April, when tax revenue starts coming in.

Philly postal workers win $20 million in Powerball

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A group of Pennsylvania postal workers has hit a $20 million Powerball jackpot. The 22 workers from the United States Postal Bulk Mail Center in Northeast Philadelphia headed to Harrisburg on Tuesday to cash the winning ticket and split the lump sum payout of $10.28 million. Joseph Marquis of the United States Postal Service says the group includes mail handlers, clerks and one supervisor. They all work in the same area and pooled their lottery money for years until they hit the big one this past weekend. The winning ticket was purchased at the Lansdowne Diner in Delaware County. Marquis says the group left at lunchtime amid "a lot of congratulations, hugs and kisses." He says everybody was waving
them off and wishing them luck.

Pa. Senate confirms new state police commissioner

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A new commissioner is taking the reins of the Pennsylvania State Police. Col. Frank Pawlowski was confirmed unanimously by the state Senate late Tuesday after Gov. Ed Rendell named him acting commissioner in July. The 54-year-old Pawlowski takes over the 6,400-employee agency after the previous chief, Jeffrey Miller took a security director
job with the National Football League. Pawlowski's 30-year career with the state police has included patrol and criminal investigation duties in southeastern Pennsylvania. Before being named acting commissioner, he was deputy commissioner of operations. The state police is the primary police agency for more than a quarter of Pennsylvanians, and considered the ninth-largest police force in the United States.

Efforts to win Pa. utility rate cuts stall

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - It appears unlikely that Pennsylvania utilities will agree to legislation this week that would cut billions of dollars off the bills for millions of electric customers.
Senate Consumer Protection Committee Chairman Robert Tomlinson says the chances of any such legislation passing this week are "slim." Wednesday is the Senate's last scheduled voting day until 2009, meaning any such agreement would get pushed to next year. Gov. Ed Rendell and some legislators want five utilities in the state to cut their rates when artificial caps on the price of electricity expire in 2010 and 2011. When the caps do expire, electric bills are projected to rise anywhere from 20 to 63 percent, depending on the utility territory.

Feds accredit Pa.'s 1st new med school in 46 years

SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania's first new medical school in 46 years is now a college.
Officials announced on Tuesday that the federal government has approved accreditation of Commonwealth Medical College. Construction has begun in Scranton and the school is planning to welcome an inaugural class of 60 students in August 2009. Students in the first class will receive a $20,000 annual scholarship. That's more than half off the $35,000-a-year tuition.
The future Medical Sciences Building is expected to be completed in 2011, serving more than 500 medical and Master of Biomedical Sciences students, along with 175 full-time equivalent faculty members and support personnel. It will be the first medical college to open in Pennsylvania since 1962.

Pittsburgh scholarship program to expand awards

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Pittsburgh Promise scholarship is enhancing the college financial aid packages it awards to graduates of the city's public schools. The $250 million scholarship fund is meant to improve the Pittsburgh Public Schools and stem the exodus of students from them. City schools had about 39,000 students in 2000 but only 28,265 last year. The awards, which began in 2008, covered only tuition and fees. But starting in 2009, graduates can also receive money for books, dorm fees and school meal plans. The requirements are relatively low, a 2.25, or C-plus grade-point average, and no more than 108 days of unexcused absences or suspensions during four years of high school.

Pittsburgh to spend $200K on gang, crime study

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Pittsburgh will spend $200,000 on a gang violence study in hopes of curbing the city's murder rate within six months. The city has already passed last year's murder total of 52 and is on pace to top the 64 killings seen in 2005. The study by Pitt's school of social work is part of the larger Pittsburgh Initiative to Reduce Crime. That program rounds up the
city's worst criminals and confronts them with the relatives of crime victims and other neighborhood leaders in hopes they'll change their ways. If they don't, police target the killers and their associates unless the gangs police themselves. The approach is said to have worked in other cities, including Cincinnati and Boston.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Both presidential campaigns are claiming their candidate scored points in last night's debate, but a pair of polls conducted right after it give Obama the edge. A CBS news survey of uncommitted voters scores it 40 percent for Obama to 26 percent for McCain, while a CNN-Opinion Research poll of debate watchers has it 54-30 in favor of the Democrat.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Both Barack Obama and John McCain are applauding the Federal Reserve's emergency interest rate cut. The Fed dropped its key rate a half-point to 1.5 percent, while six other central banks made similar cuts. Obama says a global crisis "requires a global solution," while McCain says it's "imperative" that "government be responsive to the needs of
Americans."

NEW YORK (AP) - Stock prices have been up and down this morning. Investors are digesting the news of an emergency interest rate cut by the Fed and six other central banks around the world. Retail sales figures for September suggest consumers are buying nothing but the essential, and that's adding to worries.

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) - One country where the worldwide financial crisis is taking a heavy toll is Iceland. It's scrapping plans to nationalize a major bank and abandoning an attempt to fix
the exchange rate, which would put a floor under its falling currency. Meanwhile, the British government says it plans to sue over lost deposits held by thousands of Britons with Icelandic bank accounts.

WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal grand jury has indicted a young Tennessee man in the the hacking of Sarah Palin's e-mail account. Twenty-year-old David Kernell (kur-NEHL') is the son of a Democratic state lawmaker in Tennessee. He could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. He's alleged to have reset the password on the Republican vice presidential candidate's personal e-mail account to gain access.