Today's News-Friday, January 23, 2009

WS TROPHY COMES TO POTTSVILLE

A 28 year long drought for Philadelphia Phillies fans ended last fall when the Fightins' won the World Series. The fruits of the team's labors will be here in Pottsville tonight. The World Series Trophy is coming to Maroons Sports Bar and Grill tonight from 6 to 7:30pm. WPPA has been a Phillies affiliate for more than 50 years, and we are proud as can be about the trophy appearance here in Pottsville. The event is free and open to the public so get there early!!!!!!!!

LUCKY DAY FOR FORRESTVILLE WOMAN

A Forrestville man has a million reasons to be happy today, after scratching off a million dollar winning lottery ticket Thursday at BG's Value Markets in Minersville. 48-year-old Denise Brennan purchased a $20 dollar Silver and Gold ticket, and discovered she was a million dollar winner. Brennan walks us through the events:

BRENNAN 1

The wife and mother is a bus driver for Schuylkill IU 29, will pay off their mortgage and upgrade their transportation with the winnings and invest the rest.

TOWER CITY MAN INJURED

A Tower City man was hurt when his car hit a utility pole in Pine Grove Township. 19 year old Peter Hubert was southbound on Pine Hill Road and missed a left curve in the road, striking the driver's side with the pole. He was taken to Schuylkill Medical Center East for treatment of a head injury.

MAN FLOWN FROM CRASH SCENE IN WEST MAHANOY TOWNSHIP

A man had to be flown from the scene of a crash in West Mahanoy Township yesterday. Police report that 28 year old John Locke was eastbound on the Morea Road, attempting to turn into the Laurel Ridge development when his car collided with a motorcycle operated by 46 year old Francis Ritzle of Frackville. Locke was uninjured. Ritzle was flown to Geisinger Medical Center.

ASSAULT CASE HEADED TO COURT

Two former Penn State Schuylkill students and a Danville man are headed to court on assault charges relating to an incident in November. A preliminary hearing was held for Alvin and James Foster of Philadelphia, former college students, and 18 year old Medhat Ammar of Danville, on charges of simple assault, reckless endangerment and other counts. The trio allegedly assaulted Jonathan Drebitko at the Nittany Apartments November 17th. According to the Republican and Herald, Ammar started the fight when he made a sexual remark to Drebitko and his companion, Emily Boyle of St. Clair. Drebitko was punched several times in the face, suffering a broken nose and a concussion. The Fosters are in jail, Ammar is free on bail. The Fosters were arrested in December on drug and weapons charges. A charge of aggravated assault against the men was dropped.

Ex-Pa. state senator admitted to hospital after falling ill in court

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A former Pennsylvania state senator who's being tried on corruption charges is in fair condidtion at a Philadelphia hospital. The federal judge presiding over Vincent Fumo's trial has adjourned it until Monday after Fumo became ill in court. Hahnemann University Hospital says Fumo had chest pain, a racing heart beat, shortness of breath, dizziness, and nausea. At first, he said he was feeling better and didn't want to go to a hospital, but he eventually agreed to go. Hospital spokeswoman Coleen Cannon says Fumo is listed in fair condition and is resting comfortably. Fumo has battled health problems in recent months, including a March heart attack and an apparent dizzy spell in June that caused him to collapse on the Senate floor.

Pa. court says autopsies subject to public release

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania's highest court says autopsy records should be generally available to the public and county coroners have to release them. The state Supreme Court's 5-1 ruling issued Thursday concerned efforts by two newspapers to obtain the autopsy report for an Easton police officer shot and killed inside headquarters during a training exercise nearly four years ago. The decision clears the way for The Morning Call of Allentown and The Express-Times of Easton to get the autopsy of Officer Jesse Sollman. They sued after Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim wouldn't release it. The Supreme Court's majority opinion says judges still have discretion to protect autopsies from being disclosed.

Rendell promises job cuts as state finances worsen

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell says the federal stimulus money shouldn't be used as a short-term fix for the state's growing budget gap. Rendell says that would just be leaving a big mess for his successor. Rendell says the state's estimated budget gap worsened by about $300 million just since last week. He says there will be layoffs of state workers and "universal pain." He says unpaid furloughs are "on the table" with unionized state workers. Rendell wants the Legislature to draw down its reserve fund by $175 million to help plug the hole. Legislative leaders have defended their surplus as a financial bulwark to prevent the Democratic governor from squeezing them during a budget showdown. A spokesman for House Republican Leader Sam Smith says the reserve fund should be enough to last four to six months.

Pa. loses 27,000 jobs in Dec., unemployment climbs

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - State officials say Pennsylvania's job losses reached an 18-year high last year while the statewide unemployment rate soared to its highest level since March 1994. In 2008, Pennsylvania lost 76,000 jobs -- more than 1 percent of the state's work force at the beginning of the year. The proportion of people looking for work rose to 6.7 percent in December from 4.4 percent a year earlier. December's job loss of more than 27,000 was the fifth straight monthly drop in Pennsylvania, while the state now has fewer jobs than it did in February 2006. It might be cold comfort, but Pennsylvania thus far has fared better than the rest of the country. The nation shed nearly 2 percent of its jobs in 2008 and recorded a jobless rate of 7.2 percent in December.

Army: Negligence caused soldier's electrocution

WASHINGTON (AP) - An Army investigation calls the electrocution death of a soldier from Pittsburgh in Iraq a "negligent homicide." A document obtained by The Associated Press shows the Army found the death of 24-year-old Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth was caused by a contractor. The Army blames military contractor KBR Inc. and two of its supervisors. The report by an Army criminal investigator says the contractor failed to ensure that "qualified electricians and plumbers" worked on the barracks where Maseth died. Houston-based KBR says the company maintains that its activities in Iraq didn't play a role in Maseth's death. The Green Beret died of cardiac arrest on Jan. 2, 2008. He was electrocuted while taking a shower in his barracks in Baghdad.

Feds raid W.Pa. defense contractor office, homes

WINDBER, Pa. (AP) - Federal agents have raided the offices and homes of two brothers who are prominent western Pennsylvania businessmen. Ron Kuchera is the chief financial officer of Windber-based Kuchera Industries and Kuchera Defense Systems. He told the The Tribune-Democrat of Johnstown that he didn't know the reason for Thursday morning's raids. Agents also raided his home and that of the companies' chief executive, Bill Kuchera. U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan released a written statement saying the raids were carried out by Defense Criminal Investigative Services, the IRS and the FBI. She didn't explain the reason for the raids either. Windber is about 60 miles east-southeast of Pittsburgh.

Pa. warden resigns after jailbreak

HONESDALE, Pa. (AP) - The warden of a county prison in northeastern Pennsylvania has resigned less than two weeks after two inmates escaped. Wayne County commissioners accepted Warden Craig Chalmers' resignation unanimously Thursday. They aren't saying if it's related to the jailbreak. The two inmates were caught about an hour after walking away
from the Wayne County Correctional Facility on Jan. 9. Chalmers wrote in a report to the county prison board that the men escaped through a door that a maintenance worker had failed to lock. He said a guard then failed to check the door before moving inmates into a recreation area.

Pa. governor nominates new economic secretary

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Gov. Ed Rendell's nominee to run Pennsylvania's Department of Community and Economic Development says he has a lot of work to do. George Cornelius says the state should be preparing now for the time when credit markets get back to normal.
The 54-year-old lawyer until recently ran Philadelphia-based Arkema Inc., a chemical manufacturer with 1,900 workers and 14 production facilities. Cornelius holds a bachelor's degree from Penn State University and a law degree from Dickinson School of Law. He was born in Mechanicsburg and grew up in Fulton and Huntingdon counties. He and his wife Susan have two grown sons. The Department of Community and Economic Development is a 350-person agency that works to improve Pennsylvania's business climate.

Liz Claiborne to idle 350 at Pa. center

MOUNT POCONO, Pa. (AP) - Liz Claiborne says it will close its Mount Pocono distribution center sometime in March, idling 350 employees. The company made the announcement to its employees Thursday morning. The New York-based women's apparel manufacturer has suffered as shoppers pare back discretionary spending. The company reduced its fourth-quarter earnings forecast last week. Liz Claiborne says the work now flowing through the Mount Pocono center will be handled by other company facilities. Displaced workers will be offered employment opportunities with the company if they exist.

Judge holds Amish farmer in contempt

EBENSBURG, Pa. (AP) - A western Pennsylvania judge held an Amish farmer in contempt of court for failing to upgrade outhouses at an Amish school. Andy Swartzentruber says bringing the outhouses on his Barr Township property into compliance with municipal sewage laws would go against his religious beliefs. But Cambria County Judge Norman Krumanacker says the Amish must come into compliance within 30 days and pay a $500 fine or risk being sent to jail. The dispute dates back a couple years. Swartzentruber is a member of an ultraconservative Amish sect known for its more severe restrictions on technology and interaction with the outside world.

2 charged with marketing pierced 'gothic kittens'

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania dog groomer thought she had come up with the perfect sideline for her business: Piercing kittens' ears and necks and marketing them as "gothic" over the Internet. Holly Crawford runs Pawside Parlor in rural Ross Township
outside Wilkes-Barre. The 34-year-old woman says she didn't think she was doing anything wrong. Humane officers disagreed, charging her with cruelty and conspiracy in a case that has sparked outrage among animal lovers. A man who's accused of helping her market the kittens is also charged. Crawford says she didn't see any difference between piercing a cat and piercing a human. She says she used sterile needles and surgical soap and that she checked the kittens several times a day to make sure they were healing properly.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Democratic congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand is the New York governor's pick to fill Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's vacant Senate seat. An aide to Gov. David Paterson tells The Associated Press the announcement will be made later today.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama and top Democrats and Republicans from the House and Senate will meet today to talk about the economic stimulus package. Republicans are pushing for deeper tax cuts in the package, and say there's no reliable estimate of the bill's impact on employment.

BAGHDAD (AP) - The outgoing U.S. ambassador in Iraq says a hasty departure of American troops from there comes with severe risks. He says among the possible consequences is a revival of al-Qaida, which is "much weakened."

CHICAGO (AP) - Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich could ask the state Supreme Court to step in and block an impeachment proceeding he considers "a sham." His lawyer tells The Associated Press a lawsuit challenging what he called "completely unfair" Senate trial rules is being prepared and could be filed within days.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama gets to keep his BlackBerry. He's set to become the first sitting president to use e-mail, and his Blackberry will be limited to keeping in touch with senior staff and personal friends, once it's up and running.