Today's News-Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Hunter injured from tree stand fall

A Schuylkill Haven man suffered minor injuries after a fall from a tree stand on the first day of buck season. Reports indicate that Richard Novatka broke his arm after he fell about 10 feet from his tree stand on the Brockton Mountain. Rescue crews had to trek into the remote area of Ryan Township on foot Monday morning to reach Novatka. He was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital for treatment.

Holiday shopping in the region

With just over 20 days left to find that perfect gift, one Schuylkill County retailer is doing what it takes to help the customer save as much as possible. The general manager from the Hometown Wal Mart says there are hundreds and hundreds of toys to choose from, that won't necessarily break the bank:

CRANSTON BITE

What are some of the hot items this year?

CRANSTON TOYS

As a value alternative, Walmart has their own line of toys called Kid Connection. Hometown WalMart manager Mike Cranston gives us the lowdown.

CRANSTON KID CONNECTION

The store employs over 300 people from Schuylkill, Luzerne and Carbon counties. They are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Report card: Pa. fails on college affordability

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania has received an "F" for a third consecutive time from a national organization for the state's efforts to ease the high cost of going to college. The failing grade was given out to Pennsylvania and 48 other states in a new higher education report card released Wednesday by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. Pennsylvania was among 43 states classified as failures in that category by the biennial study in 2006 and among 36 receiving that distinction in 2004. The report says Pennsylvania's poor and working-class families must spend 61 percent of their income for a public four-year college, and 44 percent on a community college after financial aid is applied.

Wecht attorneys to ask judge for fraud dismissal

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Now that that the Supreme Court has declined to block the retrial of celebrity pathologist Cyril Wecht his attorneys will ask a federal judge in Pittsburgh to do the same thing. Wecht is accused of using his former Allegheny County coroner's staff and equipment to benefit his lucrative private practice. Wecht's attorneys are scheduled Wednesday to file a motion claiming the government doesn't have enough evidence to take the theft and fraud charges to trial again. Wecht's first trial on 41 counts ended in a hung jury earlier this year. Prosecutors are now pursuing only 14 counts in hopes of simplifying the case for the jury. But a new trial date won't be set until the new judge assigned to the retrial decides the defense motion.

Obama seeks to reassure nervous governors

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - President-elect Barack Obama has promised the nation's governors equal friendship and cooperation in rebuilding the economy, regardless of party labels. He says he wants the governors' advice in designing a recovery plan, and he's pledging to work quickly on tax cuts and increased federal spending. Obama says the tax cuts will be geared toward "hard-pressed middle class families" and that the recovery plan will include "down payments on the investments we need to build a strong economy for years to come." Most of the governors face deficits in their own states because of the economic downturn.
The recession and the accompanying increase in joblessness translate into higher health care costs for the poor, greater use of food stamps and added strain on welfare programs. The governors want help with all that.

Pa. township official accused of rape, kidnapping

HANOVER, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania township commissioner and former York city police officer is facing charges he kidnapped and raped a woman in Baltimore last month. Michael Johnson Jr. was arrested Monday at his home outside Hanover. He's president of the Penn Township Board of Commissioners and a former unsuccessful candidate for Congress and York County commissioner. Police say Johnson claimed to be a police officer when he ordered a 22-year-old woman into his van on Nov. 2. He allegedly said he was arresting her for prostitution and handcuffed her. He's accused of raping her before he pushed her out of the van behind a bar. Johnson's duties as township commissioner include overseeing the local police department.

Pa. ethics panel: Traffic judge promised favors

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A Philadelphia traffic court judge is facing punishment after a state panel ruled that he promised favorable treatment to campaign donors. The Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline ruled Monday that Judge Willie Singletary violated various conduct rules in the constitution and governing standards for district judges. Court documents say Singletary appeared at an April 2007 biker rally at Malcolm X Park in Philadelphia while campaigning in the primary. He asked bikers for campaign contributions and told them they'd need his "hook-up" in traffic court. Singletary faces punishment ranging from a public reprimand to permanent removal from the bench. A lawyer for Singletary didn't immediately respond to a telephone message.
Nurse ordered to stand trial in Pa. boy's death

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) - A Lancaster County district judge says a nurse must stand trial on charges she killed a chronically ill 11-year-old boy by giving him a lethal dose of morphine. The decision came Monday following a preliminary hearing for Joy O'Shea-Woomer, who's charged with homicide and felony drug offenses. She had been caring for Brent Weaver, who had cerebral palsy, when he died in September 2002. Brent's mother Carol Weaver testified that the family didn't keep morphine in the house and that the family had previously learned that the boy was allergic to the drug. A county detective testified that the 49-year-old O'Shea-Woomer told him she hadn't been feeling well that night and didn't want to be there working. O'Shea-Woomer's lawyer argued there isn't evidence linking her to the death.

Ex-Le-Nature's head named in racketeering suit

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The former chief executive of the bankrupt Le-Nature's Inc. drink company and Wachovia Corp. are among those named in a racketeering lawsuit filed by a bankruptcy trustee in Pennsylvania. The lawsuit unsealed late last month accuses former Le-Nature's CEO Gregory Podlucky of conspiring with other company officials to loot the company of more than $500 million. Marc Kirschner, the trustee who represents investors who lost money in the scheme, accuses Podlucky of an "outrageous scheme" to spend money the bankrupt Latrobe soft-drink company got in loans and junk-bond financing from Wachovia. Kirschner says Wachovia continued lending the company money despite "red flags" raised by Wachovia analysts. Wachovia spokeswoman Christy Phillips-Brown tells The Associated Press that the company believes it is a victim in the case and will vigorously defend the case. Podlucky's attorney isn't commenting

WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress now has detailed plans from the Big
Three automakers on how they'd use a government bailout. Hearings
are set for tomorrow and Friday. The Big Three say they need up to
$34 billion, with GM saying it needs $4 billion right away.

UNDATED (AP) - Virtually all the major stock markets in Asia have closed higher today, following Wall Street's Tuesday increase. Only South Korea has dipped slightly. Japan's Nikkei index has gained 1.8 percent.

CHICAGO (AP) - President-elect Barack Obama is expected to
unveil another Cabinet pick at a news conference today in Chicago.
Democratic officials say Obama will tap New Mexico Gov. Bill
Richardson for commerce secretary. Richardson was an energy
secretary in the Clinton era.

CHICAGO (AP) - A bond hearing is scheduled today in Chicago for
the man charged with killing three family members of Oscar winner
Jennifer Hudson. William Balfour, who is Hudson's estranged brother-in-law, faces three murder counts and a home invasion count.

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Lawyers for O.J. Simpson and a co-defendant are
hoping for 6-year prison terms when the men are sentenced Friday in
Las Vegas for robbery and kidnapping. But state authorities are asking the judge to give each 18 years.