Today's News-Monday, November 3, 2008

Several purses stolen at Pottsville homes

An Auburn man will face theft and related charges following incidents Friday. A man, identified as 22-year-old Michael Moczulak reportedly entered the kitchen of a home at 715 West Arch Street and took the owner’s purse. Another neighbor at 722 West Market Street reported her purse was stolen as well. That woman discovered Moczulak in her kitchen, and he said he was in the wrong house. Some time later, Moczulak brought the purses and various items back to one of the homes. Police arrested him on a bench warrant from Schuylkill County Detectives. He faces charges of burglary, criminal trespass, theft by unlawful taking and other counts.

COAL TOWNSHIP - The Northumberland County Coroner and Cola Township Police are investigating a body found Saturday night. The body of 44-year-old Robert Powell was found behind Keefer's Garage near Owl Street, in Coal Township. There was no immediate word if police considered the death suspicious, but family members believe foul play is possible because of where his father's body was found. Police cordoned off the area for several hours as they and the Northumberland County Coroner's office investigated.Suspected kidnapping was mistaken identity

Ashland man wins Schuylkill Senior Idol

An Ashland man’s voice and stage presence earns him the title of 2008 Schuylkill County Senior Idol. 55 year old Rick Lorady competed against 7 other county seniors during the event, and his renditions of “Mack the Knife” and “Send Me the Pillow You Dream On” clinched the title for him. He was surprised by the win:

LORADY

A packed Sovereign Majestic Theatre cheered all of the contestants through two rounds of numbers, and a great time had by all. The second annual contest was sponsored by the Diakon Living and Learning after 50 program. Second place was won by Mary Wagner of Frackville.

Haven man jailed on armed robbery charges

State police have arrested a Schuylkill Haven man for an armed robbery that took place at a North Manheim Township home Friday. Troopers say 31-year-old Daniel Whitesell was seen leaving Claudia Fuller’s home on Hemlock Drive with items from her garage. When Fuller confronted Whitesell, he produced a police badge but was not wearing a uniform. Whitesell pulled a gun on Fuller when she threatened to call police, then fled the scene. Witnesses and identification of the car led police to Whitesell’s apprehension at his home. He was charged with Robbery, Burglary, Theft, Impersonating a public servant and other related charges. Bail was set at $100-thousand-dollars, and Whitesell was taken to Schuylkill County Prison.

Political odyssies

UNDATED (AP) - As if today's fever-pitch campaigning weren't enough Election Day. John McCain goes to Colorado and New Mexico. Barack Obama swings through Indiana before returning to Chicago. McCain rallied Latino voters just after midnight in Miami. Later
this morning, he takes his message to Tampa, then to Tennessee, where he'll be able to hit the Virginia media market. Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Mexico, Nevada and Arizona also will see McCain. Running mate Sarah Palin is trying to woo conservatives in Ohio, Missouri, Iowa, Colorado and Nevada. Obama's route is geographically less demanding. He rallies this
morning in Jacksonville, Fla., and later goes to Virginia and North Carolina. His running mate, Joe Biden, is going to Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Polls show the six closest states are Florida, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Nevada and Ohio. The campaigns also are running aggressive ground games elsewhere, including Iowa, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Colorado and Virginia.

McCain appeals to Florida with 1 day left

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Republican John McCain is urging Florida voters to help him win the state and the presidential election. The presidential hopeful kicked off a seven-state sprint to the
finish in Tampa, the western end of the state's vote-rich I-4 corridor. McCain told a modestly attended outdoor rally Monday: "With this kind of enthusiasm, this kind of intensity we will win Florida and we will win the election." The Arizona senator said that he, like Democratic rival Barack Obama, opposes President Bush's economic policies. But McCain insisted he wouldn't raise taxes and that Obama could be counted on to do so. McCain was headed next to Virginia and then Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Mexico, Nevada and home to Arizona early Tuesday
morning.

With 1 day to go: McCain, Biden campaign in Pa.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - It's the final push before the election. GOP presidential nominee John McCain flies to Pittsburgh International Airport for a Monday morning rally that's part of an
18-hour whirlwind visit to seven swing states. Democrat Barack Obama is in Virginia and North Carolina. His running mate, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, will hold a rally Monday evening in South Philadelphia with Jimmy Rollins and other members of the World Series Champion Phillies.
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is campaigning for McCain in the Philadelphia region and Scranton. Former President Bill Clinton will campaign Monday for Democrats in Erie, Johnstown and Wilkes-Barre while Caroline Kennedy visits Scranton. Hip-hop stars Jay-Z, Sean "Diddy" Combs and Mary J. Blige will lead an Obama rally Monday in North Philadelphia.

Clinton to rally supporters for Murtha in Pa.

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (AP) - Former President Clinton is coming to Pennsylvania to support a longtime Democratic congressman. Rep. John Murtha is hoping Clinton's appearance at the
University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown will invigorate his campaign. Murtha, a 17-term member of Congress, admits he was blindsided by a challenge from Republican William Russell. The retired Army officer moved to Johnstown to run against Murtha. Murtha is scrambling to keep his seat after calling his western Pennsylvania home base "a racist area." He's also worried he waited too long to start campaigning. Clinton will also attend a rally in Wilkes-Barre for U.S. Rep.
Paul Kanjorski.

Control of Pa. Legislature rests in voters' hands

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Republican control of the Pennsylvania Senate is not expected to change much, if at all, on election day. But Democrats risk losing their tenuous one-seat edge in the House. Most are predicting only a slight shift in either direction. House Democrats are focusing on five districts in Philadelphia and its suburbs, a region where longtime GOP incumbents are retiring at the same time that voter registration is turning more Democratic.
House Republicans see a road map to reclaiming the majority in southwestern Pennsylvania, where a handful of Democratic incumbents narrowly survived the last election and many Democratic voters have moderate or conservative positions on the issues. In the Senate, which Republicans control by a 29-21 margin, Democratic campaign strategists expect to still be one vote short of a tie.

More secret recordings coming in Fort Dix trial

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) - More secret recordings are next for the jury in the Fort Dix trial.
For the fourth consecutive day of testimony on Monday, government prosecutors are expected to play more pieces of conversation involving the five men accused of planning an attack
on soldiers on Fort Dix, an Army installation in New Jersey. The men - all foreign-born Muslims in their 20s who lived for years in Cherry Hill - could face life in prison if they're convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder. No attack was carried out before the men were arrested in May 2007. In recordings played last week, jurors heard one of the men
suggest several targets for an attack including a U.S. Coast Guard building in Philadelphia.

Police: Man kills wife, young son, then kills self

YORK, Pa. (AP) - Police in the York suburbs say a man killed his ife and 2-year-old son before committing suicide inside their home. pring Garden Township Chief George Swartz said Monday that 39-year-old John Goodman didn't leave a note before he shot and killed his wife Julia and their son Langon early Sunday morning. Swartz says investigators are trying to determine a motive. The chief says there's no evidence that the couple was divorcing or that any protective orders were in place regarding the couple. They had lived in the neighborhood near York Hospital since 2003, and before that they lived somewhere else in the same township.

Pa. toddler dies of beating; mother's beau held

BLACK LICK, Pa. (AP) - A western Pennsylvania man is awaiting arraignment on a criminal homicide charge for allegedly beating his girlfriend's 19-month-old son. Nineteen-year-old Joshua Louis Turner has been jailed and charged with aggravated assault since state police learned he allegedly beat, bit, shook and punched the child Tuesday afternoon. The alleged attack happened in Burrell Township, Indiana County, while Turner was watching 19-month-old Leonard McIntire. But Indiana County District Attorney Thomas Bianco has now filed the homicide charge after the boy died early Saturday at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. An autopsy Sunday showed the boy died of head trauma and the death has been ruled a homicide.
It is unclear whether Turner has an attorney.

Autopsy results pending for pair in W. Pa. fatal

MCDONALD, Pa. (AP) - Autopsy results are pending in a fiery crash that killed two southwestern Pennsylvania residents. Washington County Coroner Tim Warco says the driver, 38-year-old Howard Finger, and his passenger, 39-year-old Kimberly Hertzler, died at the scene early Sunday morning. Police say their car left the road, hit a tree, and burst into
flames in Robinson Township shortly after 3 a.m. Toxicology and other tests are pending.

Pittsburgh's Mon Incline back in service after fix

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A computer problem has been fixed and the Monongahela Incline in Pittsburgh is back in service. The Monongahela Incline broke down Saturday evening but was
repaired, but closed again Sunday due to a computer problem that persisted overnight.
The Port Authority of Allegheny County was using shuttle buses to carry riders up and down Mount Washington, which borders the city's South Side. The Port Authority thought it might take until Tuesday to fix the problem, but the incline began running again Monday about 8:30
a.m.

Cezanne exhibit coming to Philadelphia art museum

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Philadelphia is preparing for a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition of the work of the postimpressionist painter Paul Cezanne and the artists he influenced. The exhibit will open at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in February. It will be the only world venue for Cezanne and Beyond. Museum curators have put together an exhibition of about 60 Cezanne paintings, plus paintings of Picasso, Matisse and others who were influenced by Cezanne. Interim Museum Director Gail Harrity calls it a "once in a generation opportunity." Tickets will be timed in an effort to control the large crowd. Tickets are on sale now for museum members. The public can begin purchasing tickets on Nov. 15.

MIAMI (AP) - Barack Obama is starting this final day of campaigning before Election Day in Jacksonville, Florida. He tells radio host Russ Parr that he's feeling "pretty peaceful" after
nearly two years of campaigning. He says the question tomorrow comes down to whose supporters want it more.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - John McCain is telling supporters in Tampa, Florida, this morning that their enthusiasm will help him win the White House. McCain plans stops in six states today before
returning home to Arizona in the wee hours Tuesday. After Florida, he'll hit Virginia, Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Mexico and Nevada.

UNDATED (AP) - Election Day isn't until tomorrow, but more people than ever have turned out to vote early. As of Saturday night, some 27 million votes had been cast in 30 states. In North
Carolina, the figure was more than 2.5 million.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Institute for Supply Management says manufacturing activity plummeted to its lowest level in 26 years last month. Meanwhile, the Commerce Department says construction spending fell 0.3 percent in September, but that's better than the 0.8 percent decline many economists had ben forecasting. Trading on Wall Street has been cautious, with the major indexes fluctuating between positive and negative territory.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - About 155 Circuit City will begin store closing sales on Wednesday. The electronics retailer says it's shuttering the stores permanently and laying off about 17 percent
of its work force in an effort to return to profitability.