Today's News-Tuesday, January 13, 2009

FIRE UPDATE

The investigation continues into what caused the blaze that destroyed Snyder's Family Restaurant Monday. Local and state police fire officials are continuing their investigation into the overnight blaze that gutted the business at the top of West Centre Street in Ashalnd. The business is owned by David and Amy Freed. A fire fund has been established by Ashland Downtown Incorporated at the Susquehanna Bank office in Ashland. For more information, call Greg Fisher at 875-3571.

BARN FIRE

Over 1-thousand birds perished in a barn fire in Ryan Township Monday morning. The blaze at 49 Front Road was called in around 6:30am. The barn is owned by Eugene Courson. Approximately 12-hundred quail were also being raised there. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.

FARM SHOW

Its sweet to be at the Farm Show....with a kick. Here's Gary Abdullah:

ABDULLAH HONEY

Pa. murder victim left in apartment for week

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) - A suburban Philadelphia prosecutor says she's puzzled about why neighbors of a murder victim didn't report the smell of the body decomposing for more than a week. Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman says it's also strange that neighbors didn't report hearing the gunshot that killed 46-year-old Marc Rubin in his Jenkintown apartment. And she says they didn't report hearing the chain saw used to partially dismember his body. Ferman said Monday the victim's 22-year-old daughter, Christina Rubin, paid her boyfriend, 20-year-old Jeffrey Leinheiser, to kill her father Nov. 28. She says a friend, 19-year-old Daniel Dougherty, helped dump the body in New Jersey's Pine Barrens on Dec. 7. All the defendants live in Jenkintown; it's unclear if they have
lawyers.

Judge halts Fumo trial amid witness-Fumo e-mails

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A lawyer for former state Sen. Vincent Fumo says recently discovered e-mail correspondence undermines the credibility of a key government witness. The Philadelphia Democrat's corruption trial is in recess until Tuesday afternoon because of the discovery. Prosecutors say they learned of former Senate computer technician Lenny Luchko's correspondence on Friday and defense lawyer Dennis Cogan says he didn't know until Saturday. Lawyers for both sides asked for the recess so they would have time to go through the thousands of pages that Luchko wrote. In addition to e-mail, Luchko also posted comments under several aliases on blogs. Prosecutors say they're now inclined to keep Luchko off the stand. They say they can get most of the testimony they expected from him from another witness.

Pittsburgh mayoral primary may be crowded

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Two members of the Pittsburgh City Council say they're seriously considering challenging Mayor Luke Ravenstahl in the Democratic primary. Councilman Patrick Dowd said Monday that he's thinking about entering the May 27 primary. Dowd was elected in 2007 after a term on the school board. Council President Doug Shields had previously said he was considering a campaign and reiterated his interest Monday. Another candidate is Carmen Robinson, a lawyer and former Pittsburgh police sergeant. Pittsburgh is a heavily Democratic city, so the winner of the Democratic primary is favored to with the general election.

Pa., federal environmental regulators examine pollution at Erie Coke

ERIE, Pa. (AP) - State and federal environmental regulators are inspecting Erie Coke's plant in Erie following pollution concerns. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said Monday that there are chronic emission problems at the plant. An expert hired by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency accompanied the state and federal inspectors and will examine the 58 coke ovens. In June, the state ordered the company to immediately begin complying with air quality laws and issued a civil penalty for $6.1 million. Erie Coke appealed both of those actions. The company declined to comment when reached by phone Monday.

Shooting suspect killed by Philadelphia police officer

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A 19-year-old man is dead after being shot by a Philadelphia police officer. The man was a suspect in a Monday afternoon shooting in the city's Logan neighborhood. Police say an off-duty officer saw the initial shooting and saw the gunman flee. Police say the officer chased the suspect, then fired at him once he reached for his waistband. Police say the victim of the initial shooting, an 18-year-old man, was hospitalized. Names of those involved weren't immediately released. A news conference is planned Tuesday.

Philly-area school board passes busing plan

ARDMORE, Pa. (AP) - Some students who live within walking distance of Lower Merion High School in suburban Philadelphia will instead be bused to another school. The board of the Lower Merion School District voted 6-2 Monday night for the redistricting plan. The goal is to balance enrollment of Lower Merion High School and Harriton High School. Enrollment was out of balance because only 30 percent of the school district's families live in the area around Harriton High. The redistricting plan got many parents angry and turnout was heavy for Monday night's school board meeting.

1 juror picked for Pa. triple murder trial

TOWANDA, Pa. (AP) - One juror has been selected so far for the trial of a man accused of murdering his parents and a brother in rural northern Pennsylvania in 2007. Bradford County prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for 32-year-old Steven Carl Colegrove of Deposit, N.Y. Monday was the first day of jury selection. Court administrator Marylou Vanderpool says she expects the whole jury to be selected by the end of the week. Colegrove is accused of killing the three family members with a shotgun on Aug. 8, 2007, to collect an inheritance. Public defender Helen Stolinas has said there is insufficient evidence and her client was charged because authorities were eager to charge somebody.

US judge upholds NJ man's sex-tourism conviction

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A New Jersey man convicted of traveling overseas to have sex with minors has been denied a new trial. A federal judge in Philadelphia says that Anthony Bianchi's 2007 trial and conviction were fair. Bianchi says he is a victim of prosecutorial misconduct. He charged that prosecutors threatened to arrest a key defense witness if he came to the United States from Moldova to testify. Bianchi was convicted of having sex or trying to have sex with at least a half-dozen boys in Moldova and elsewhere from late 2003 to 2005. The once-wealthy motel owner from North Wildwood has been in prison since his 2006 arrest.

NC man charged in '92 killing of Pa. video clerk

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A central Pennsylvania prosecutor says persistance is the key to a homicide charge for a 1992 slaying of an adult video store clerk. Perry County District Attorney Charles Chenot says authorities were hamstrung because the evidence they had against 41-year-old Steven Carl Buttolph was from his ex-wife. They were married at the time she refused to testify against him. Chenot says the spousal privilege against testifying may still be in force even after a divorce. Investigators say DNA evidence from cigarette butts and new witnesses allowed them to charge the Statesville, N.C., man with criminal homicide, robbery and theft. The victim was 37-year-old Donald Gosline. He worked at a now-defunct store in Liverpool, about 30 miles north of Harrisburg.

Erie, Pa., courthouse entrance dispute resolved

ERIE, Pa. (AP) - A northwestern Pennsylvania sheriff says he doesn't have the budget to provide security at two courthouse entrances all day. Erie County Sheriff Bob Merski initially planned to close the county courthouse's secondary entrance, which is used by many county workers and lawyers to avoid the busier public entrance. A county spokeswoman said Monday that the sheriff reached a compromise with County Executive Mark DiVecchio. The secondary entrance will be open from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. on weekdays, then reopen at 4:30 p.m., shortly before the building closes for the day.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress could vote Thursday on whether to release the second $350 billion from the federal bailout plan. Today, President-elect Barack Obama will meet with Senate Democrats as he seeks access to the funds. Top aides are meeting with Senate
Republicans.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Hillary Clinton isn't likely to have any major problems during her confirmation hearing to be secretary of state. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is already looking ahead to a vote on Thursday, and Clinton could be confirmed by the full
Senate as early as Inauguration Day.

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Hamas officials are again meeting in Egypt to talk about a possible cease-fire in Gaza. The group is sticking to its position that it'll only observe a truce once Israeli troops
end their offensive. For now, Israel's military chief says Israeli forces "still have work to do."

WASHINGTON (AP) - Pentagon prosecutors hope to persuade a federal appeals court that a young Guantanamo detainee's confession should be reinstated. A military judge threw out Mohammed Jawad's confession, saying it was obtained through torture. Jawad is accused of throwing a grenade that wounded two American soldiers and an interpreter in Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Inauguration Day in Washington has seen its share of ugly weather. This year, temperatures look like they'll be a bit below average, with highs in the mid 30s. But the current forecast says it probably will be dry.


Hospitalized Pa. man charged in 2 bank robberies
YORK, Pa. (AP) - Police say a southeastern Pennsylvania m an robbed two banks in two days then checked himself into a hospital with chest pains. Officials say 41-year-old Jeffrey Kovens of Stewartstown is under armed guard in York Hospital. He's being held in lieu of $150,000 bail set at a hospital arraignment. As soon as he's well enough he'll be transferred to York County Prison. Police say a man handed a teller at a Wachovia Bank in Red Lion a note demanding money and fled with an undisclosed amount on Friday afternoon. On Saturday, authorities say he robbed a Commerce bank in Manchester Township, but soon checked himself into the hospital. Police received tips identifying Kovens when a photo of the Wachovia robber was released, and found Kovens at the hospital later Saturday. It's not immediately clear if he has an attorney.
Some Pa. mail routes change as volume dwindles
BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) - Some residents and business owners in eastern Pennsylvania and elsewhere may notice some changing mail delivery times and unfamiliar carriers. The Postal Service is making adjustments to adapt to declining mail volume. For example, postal officials have eliminated five routes in Bethlehem and changed most of the city's remaining 84 circuits to increase efficiency. The Postal Service is also looking at possible changes in Easton and East Stroudsburg. Allentown has been making adjustments over
the past few years and no immediate changes are planned. Changes being made nationally are expected to affect up to 50 million addresses along 85,000 routes after a sharp decline in mail volume in the last fiscal year. The Postal Service processed 9.5 billion fewer parcels.