Today's News-Monday, January 5, 2009

CHARGES FILED IN DOMESTIC DISPUTE

A West Mahanoy Township man is charged with several offenses after a domestic dispute early Sunday. Frackville state police say that Joseph and Renee Buchanan were involved in an argument at a home on Spencer Street. Joseph Buchanan reportedly assaulted the woman. He's charged with simple assault, reckless endangerment and harrassment.

HAVEN MAN CAUGHT AFTER TRYING TO ELUDE POLICE

Schuylkill Haven state police have filed charges against a man after he tried to flee from police. Early Saturday, 30 year old Jason Brad Lucas of Schuylkill Haven was seen by police committing a traffic violation, and attempted to escape. Troopers were able to catch him after his vehicle got stuck. Lucas is charged with fleeing and eluding police, disorderly conduct, reckless and careless driving, driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle and several other traffic violations. His vehicle has been impounded by police.

KINGSTON MAN INJURED IN ROLLOVER CRASH

A Kingston man was injured in a one vehicle crash on Interstate 81 Sunday. 21-year-old Robert Duboice was traveling south in Delano Township when he lost control of his vehicle, struck a ditch and rolled over. Duboice was taken by ambulance for treatment. Two passengers in his vehicle were not hurt.

NEW YORK MAN HURT IN CRASH

A New York man was injured Sunday in Walker Township. Frackville state police report that 55 year old George Cooper was westbound on Valley Road when he missed a left hand curve and his car hit a utility pole and rolled over, coming to rest on its roof. Three passengers in the vehicle, all wearing seatbelts, were not injured. The crash happened around 1:30 yesterday afternoon.

BLOOD DONOR DAYS

Family and friends of the late Senator Jim Rhoades are asking for your help today in donating blood. A drive has been set up at Mahanoy Area High School from noon till 6pm today to give the gift of life in the Senator's memory. WPPA and T102 are joining forces with the American Red Cross later this week for Blood Donor Days at area locations to bolster blood supplies. Call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE to schedule your appointment today at one of the following locations:

Wednesday- 11:30-6:30pm- Fairlane Village Mall
Thursday- Noon till 6pm-Jerusalem Lutheran Church, Schuylkill Haven
Friday- Noon till 6pm-Auburn Fire and Ambulance Building

Philadelphia mayor warns of cuts for all libraries

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A judge in Philadelphia is expected to issue a final, written ruling explaining why she blocked the city from closing 11 library branches. Common Pleas Court Judge Idee Fox made a verbal ruling last week but will issue a more detailed decision Monday. Mayor Michael Nutter says he will appeal. Nutter announced plans to shut down the 11 libraries in an effort to close a $1 billion gap in the city budget. He now says hours will be reduced at all 54 branches because of the judge's ruling. Nutter says the order is forcing the city to operate with fewer employees, and that Philadelphia is bleeding money by the day.

Funeral for trauma head set for Phila. cathedral

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The funeral service for the head of the trauma unit at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania who was killed in Iraq is set for Philadelphia's Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. The funeral for Army Maj. John P. Pryor is scheduled for 10 a.m.
Monday. Pryor, of Moorestown, N.J., died Christmas Day when a mortar round hit near his living quarters in Iraq. The 42-year-old married father of three was serving his second tour of duty with the Army reserves as a combat medic.

Small plane with 3 aboard crashes in western Pa.

INDIANA, Pa. (AP) - Airport officials say a small plane with three people aboard has crashed about a mile north of Jimmy Stewart Airport in western Pennsylvania. A nursing supervisor at Indiana Regional Medical Center says one of those involved in the crash is in critical condition and two others are in guarded condition. Airport manager Todd Heming says visibility was low at 6 p.m. Sunday when the single-engine Piper Cherokee missed its approach and crashed into a hillside about three-quarters of a mile north of the airport, which is located about 60 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. Heming says the plane had taken off from the airport earlier in the day. He says the FAA is expected onsite Monday to continue the investigation into the crash.

Easton cancels classes due to water advisory

EASTON, Pa. (AP) - The Easton Area School District is canceling classes because of a water advisory issued by the local water authority. The district is canceling classes Monday because of the high turbidity - or cloudiness - in the water supplied by the Easton Suburban Water Authority. The water authority says its tests Saturday showed the water had higher than accepted turbidity levels for a few minutes because of a filter malfunction at its treatment plant. The authority says high levels of turbidity increases the chance that the water might contain disease-causing organisms. The authority is telling customers to boil the water before using.

Lake-Lehman teachers end short strike

LEHMAN, Pa. (AP) - Teachers in a northeastern Pennsylvania school district are ending their short strike and returning to class - even without a new contract. Lake-Lehman school board president Mark Kornoski says the teachers union and school board reached a mutual agreement that the teachers would return to work on Monday. Officials say while no settlement was reached, substantial progress was made during five hours of negotiations Saturday. The teachers went on strike Dec. 22, two days before break. School was scheduled to resume Monday, so classes will start on time. Teachers have been without a contract since 2006. Salary and health care costs have been at the center of the dispute.

Rendell wants no parole of repeat violent inmates

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - In his first effort of the new year, Gov. Ed Rendell has asked the Legislature to end parole for repeat violent offenders. Under the governor's proposal, repeat violent offenders who use a deadly weapon in the commission of a crime would receive flat
sentences without parole. Currently, sentences are given as a time span - for example,
five to 10 years. Offenders are then eligible for parole after serving the minimum amount.
Once offenders serve the flat sentence, Rendell has proposed a five-year supervision period by the parole board. Rendell says parole works for nonviolent and less violent offenders. He notes that of the 31,000 people on parole in Pennsylvania in 2007, 95 percent did not commit another crime.

Coal refuse fire discovered in eastern Pa.

POTTSVILLE, Pa. (AP) - A recently discovered underground coal refuse fire in eastern Pennsylvania, apparently burning since July, has raised some concerns among neighbors and others. Leo Lubinsky owns a 1,300-square-foot property in East Norwegian Township under which the coal refuse fire is burning. He says water about 60 feet below the surface and dirt banks surrounding the fire on all sides will keep it naturally contained. Lubinsky says drilling has shown an 80-foot-long, 70-foot-wide area of coal refuse burning underground in the shape of a tear drop. Palo Alto Borough Council president Charles Dries says the borough has virtually no idea what lies beneath the rest of the town.

Pa. state police investigating double murder

SHIRLEYSBURG, Pa. (AP) - State police in Huntingdon County are investigating the murder of two women found in a central Pennsylvania housing complex. Police say they received a call around noon on Saturday reporting two deceased people in an apartment in the Federal Drive
housing complex in Shirley Township. Police say it's a homicide investigation. Officials identified the deceased women as 22-year-old Christine McWhorter and 31-year-old Beatrice Daniels, both of Mount Union. There was no immediate word on the cause of death. Officials say investigators are interviewing neighbors, friends and families of the deceased women.

Researchers focus on bringing bees back

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - The mysterious decline in honeybees has generated renewed interest in finding new ways to boost bee numbers. Some researchers are focusing on how the habitat surrounding a hive can affect the bees' health. Others are examining how pesticides and other chemicals used in fields and gardens might affect bees. Bees are vital to American agriculture because they pollinate crops such as almonds, apples and blueberries. Beekeepers in 2006 began reporting losing 30 percent to 90 percent of their hives. The first case of what has come to be called "colony collapse disorder" was officially reported in Pennsylvania. Penn State University has been spearheading research on the issue.

Pa. unemployment hot line now open on Sunday

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A hot line that helps unemployed Pennsylvanians is extending its hours because of the tough economic climate. The hot line is now staffed Sundays from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. That's besides the weekday hours Monday through Friday from 7 a.m.
to 8:30 p.m. Christopher Manlove is the spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. He says call volumes have gotten heavier recently so the department is adding nearly 300 additional staff. He says staff will help people file for benefits and answer questions. Calling volume is heaviest on Mondays and Tuesdays. The number is 888-313-7284.

Ride on Pa. Turnpike costs 25 percent more

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A ride on the Pennsylvania Turnpike is costing drivers more.
Tolls on the turnpike increased by 25 percent starting Sunday. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission says the increase is the sixth in more than 68 years, and first since August 2004.
Turnpike CEO Joe Brimmeier says the tollbooth income is not only going back into toll roads, but toward infrastructure improvements in every county in the state. The commission says starting in 2010, tolls will go up about 3 percent each year. The commission oversees and maintains 545 miles of toll roads in the state.