Today's News-Friday, December 12, 2008

Weather

The heavy rains we've dealt with for the past two days has raised some flooding concerns for a part of the Schuylkill River in our area. The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for the borough of Landingville until further notice. River monitors early this morning indicated that the Schuylkill River at Landingville was at 8.1 feet, with flood stage at 8 feet. It is expected to crest at 9 feet later this morning. A mix of rain and snow showers is expected until later this morning, then clear out. Watch for icing and standing water on roadways as you navigate the morning commute.

Area coal companies benefit from state rail program

Two area coal companies are receiving help to repair railways through a state grant program. Governor Ed Rendell announced the Rail Freight Transportation Assistance program Thursday. Lehigh Coal and Navigation will get $448 thousand dollars to re-establish rail freight service to its coal load out facility. Reading Anthracite will receive nearly $234 thousand dollars to replace and repair deteriorating track and rail car storage facilities to a re-opened mine processing facility. The funds are part of a $38.5 million dollar statewide program, benefitting nearly 50 communities.

Pottsville woman escapes injury in Berks crash

A Pottsville woman was not hurt when she was involved in a two vehicle crash in Perry Township, Berks County Thursday afternoon. 21 year old Sarah Dzurkovich of Hamburg was northbound on Route 61 in the left lane, and 19 year old Jaclyn Spleen was headed south. Dzurkovich lost control and crossed the highway and the cars collided. Both had to be towed from the scene.

Mahanoy City woman not at fault in pedestrian death

A Mahanoy City woman will not be charged in connection with the death of a Mahanoy Plane man who was struck while crossing the road Wednesday. State police report that 88 year old Martha Jones had the right of way while driving on state route 4030, when her car struck and killed 59 year old Thomas O'Connor. He died at the scene from his injuries.

Orwigsburg man will do more time on sex crimes charges

An Orwigsburg man had more time added to his state prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to sex-related charges in two cases. 27 year old Scott Donati pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted indecent assault and a count of attempted involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and corrupting the morals of minors. His sentence of three to eight years was added two the sentence he's already serving. Donati reportedly tried to sexually assault a boy in Auburn and Schuylkill Haven over the past two years. He is an inmate at SCI/Huntingdon.

Judge overrules bail decision in child-sex case

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A federal judge in Philadelphia has ruled that a Russian-American entrepreneur must remain behind bars while he awaits trial on charges of leading a child-sex ring. U.S. District Judge Mary McLaughlin on Thursday said a magistrate judge was wrong to grant bail for 38-year-old Andrew Mogilyansky, of Richboro. McLaughlin calls Mogilyansky a flight risk and says he has enough money to take his family with him. Mogilyansky holds dual Russian and U.S. citizenship. He is accused of luring young teenage girls at a Russian orphanage into prostitution and sharing in the profits. The magistrate judge had ruled Wednesday that Mogilyansky could be released on bail pending trial. Prosecutors had appealed that
decision.

Pa.'s unemployment hotline gets more hours, staff

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The hours and staff of Pennsylvania's unemployment benefits hot line is expanding to handle increasing call volumes that are leaving some callers with busy signals.
State officials say the changes announced Thursday should help claims get processed faster.
The toll-free hot line is 888-313-7284. Call-in hours are now 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Previously, the hot line stopped taking calls at 4:45 p.m. Temporary employees will begin working next week and a new call center is opening later this month. Call volumes are highest on Mondays and Tuesdays, and in the morning hours. Claims also can be filed online or by mail. More information is at the department's Web site, www.dli.state.pa.us.

Sanofi eyes moving jobs to Bethlehem region

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - Vaccine maker Sanofi Pasteur says it has outgrown its Poconos campus and may want to shift hundreds of jobs to suburban Bethlehem. Swiftwater-based Sanofi Pasteur is a subsidiary of Sanofi Aventis, the world's third largest pharmaceutical company. It supplies 40 percent of the flu vaccine used in the United States. Company Vice President Frank Epifano says 600 employees now use temporary trailers at the Swiftwater campus. He says the company plans to relocate several hundred jobs. Sanofi officials say they're considering a move to the Stabler Corporate Center in Upper Saucon Township, outside Bethlehem. They met with Lehigh County commissioners Wednesday night to outline the
plan. Epifano says the Upper Saucon location is one of a few sites the company is considering.

Pa. cleanup firm hopes to profit from gas rush

SOMERSET, Pa. (AP) - A western Pennsylvania environmental cleanup firm is hoping to cash in on the rush to drill for natural gas in the underground Marcellus Shale formation. Somerset-based Allegheny Ozone Inc. has developed an on-site system to treat the many gallons of wastewater that is left over from the drilling process. Company president Jeff Pyle says Allegheny Ozone has a contract with a drilling company and expects to start treating water on at
least four drilling sites by summer. Finding places to treat contaminated water has become a major problem for the drilling companies. Pyle says his company's process leaves behind clean water and a salt byproduct. He says he's working with the state to see if the salt can be reused for winter road treatment.

Pa. man jailed over bench warrant that wasn't his

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A Philadelphia judge has apologized to a man who was wrongly arrested in her courtroom and then kept in custody for more than a day because of mix-up in court records. Family Court Judge Elizabeth Jackson told The Philadelphia Inquirer that George Shuler, a 39-year-old black man, had his court record inadvertently merged with a 27-year-old white man named Bernard McDonald. Shuler was arrested on the Monday before Thanksgiving when he arrived to discuss why he had missed some child-support payments. He was there was a warrant out for him, but it actually for McDonald for failing to show up for a hearing on crack
cocaine-possession charges. Jackson said in a statement Wednesday that she and her staff
offered their "sincere apology" to Shuler. Shuler is contemplating legal action.

Pa. man charged in crash that killed policeman

GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) - A man has been charged in a crash that killed a south-central Pennsylvania police officer as he escorted a charity motorcycle ride. Police say 34-year-old Earl Matthew Wright of York was speeding Sept. 14 when he lost control of his vehicle on state Route 234 near Gettysburg and crossed into oncoming traffic. Twenty-five-year-old Michael Weigand was thrown from his motorcycle and pronounced dead at the scene. Weigand was a
part-time Latimore Township police sergeant and a full-time officer for the Eastern Adams Regional Police Department. Wright was charged with homicide by vehicle, aggravated assault
and other charges. He's been released on his own recognizance. There's no record of an attorney for him, and he doesn't appear to have a listed home phone number.

Penn student dies days after fall from dormitory

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A University of Pennsylvania student has died from injuries suffered in a fall from a dormitory over the weekend. College officials say Ryan Smith died Thursday. He had fallen from the fifth floor of the Fisher Hassenfeld College House at about 10:30 a.m. Saturday. It is not clear what caused the fall. Smith lived in another dorm. His family said through a university spokeswoman earlier this week that they do not believe it was a suicide attempt. Smith was from Rose Valley, a Philadelphia suburb. He was a sophomore engineering major.

Pa. parole board says no to early exit for killer

MEDIA, Pa. (AP) - John du Pont, the multimillionaire chemical heir convicted of murdering an Olympic athlete in 1996, has lost a bid for parole. A jury found du Pont guilty but mentally ill in 1997 in the shooting death of gold medal-winning wrestler David Schultz. Du Pont was sentenced to 13 to 30 years in prison, but first was treated for three months at a state mental hospital. His attorney, Tara Wochok, says du Pont's parole petition was turned down last month. Delaware County District Attorney Michael Green says that was because of the brutal way in which Schultz died, and because the 70-year-old du Pont has not shown remorse.
When he was killed, Schultz had been training at a wrestling facility at the compound where du Pont lived. Police arrested du Pont after a two-day standoff.

National Constitution Center CEO to step down

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The president and CEO of the National Constitution Center is stepping down. Joseph Torsella will leave the Philadelphia museum early next year to pursue other interests. This is the second time Torsella has left the Constitution Center. He first led the nonprofit from 1996 to 2003, when he resigned to run for a U.S. House seat. He lost in the primary to current Rep. Allyson Schwartz, and returned to the Constitution Center in 2006.
The center is dedicated to increasing public understanding of the U.S. Constitution and the ideas and values it represents.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The millions of Americans connected to the U.S. auto industry can only hope and watch what lawmakers do next now that a $14 billion bailout package has died in the Senate. The breakdown happened when the United Auto Workers union wouldn't agree to immediate wage cuts.

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Asian markets are ending the week by dropping like a rock. Investors reacted to the collapse of bailout talks for the auto industry, new unemployment figures, and word of Bank of America's next round of layoffs. Both the Nikkei and Hang
Seng fell almost 6 percent.

CHICAGO (AP) - The movement to impeach Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is picking up steam almost by the hour. The scandal-plagued politician, who is accused of trying to sell President-elect Barack Obama's senate seat, has an approval rating at an abysmal 8 percent. A spokesman for the governor says he knows of no decision about Blagojevich's political future or what the
governor might do with Obama's seat.

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq (AP) - One of the top U.S. commanders in Iraq says that country's security forces must develop intelligence, battlefield medicine and logistics before they can stand on their own. Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin says U.S. forces are working to get them to that point, but it will take time.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - The space shuttle may finally piggyback its way to Florida today. Bad weather along the Gulf Coast grounded the shuttle, fixed to the top of a modified 747, at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana overnight.