Today's News-Wednesday, January 14, 2009

KUNKLETOWN MAN CHARGED IN RHOADES DEATH

BRODHEADSVILLE, Pa. (AP) - A northeastern Pennsylvania
prosecutor says the blood-alcohol level of the man charged in the
death of a state senator was so high it's surprising he wasn't in a
coma. Police say 45-year-old Thomas Senavitis had a level more than four times the legal limit for driving. The auto mechanic from
rural Carbon County has denied responsibility and says he had only one beer several hours before the crash that killed Sen. James Rhoades. Senavitis said at his arraignment that it was Rhoades who left his lane on Oct. 17, causing the head-on crash. Rhoades represented a northeastern Pennsylvania district and was the longtime chairman of the Senate Education Committee.

We'll have more details tomorrow on WPPA and T102 News

FIRE RULED ACCIDENTAL

State Police Fire Marshal John Burns and Ashland fire officials have ruled that the cause of the fire that destroyed Snyder’s Restaurant early Monday was accidental. The fire apparently was caused by a fluorescent light fixture, and spread between the first and second floors. Damages are estimated to be in excess of $300 thousand dollars. Three people were left homeless.

BUSINESSES TO CLOSE

Two stores at Schuylkill Mall are set to close. Waldenbooks and Claire's, both tenants in the mall since 1980, will cease operations by month's end according to the Republican and Herald. Waldenbooks is owned by Borders Groups Incorporated. Company officials say that the closing is part of their plan to shutter under performing stores. Claire's is a fashion jewelry chain. One of the mall’s anchor stores, Steve and Barry's clothing chain recently liquidated their stock as part of the company's bankruptcy.

SEIP TO HOLD WORKSHOPS ON APPEALING PROPERTY TAX ASSESSMENTS

Property owners who are subject to reassessment by their taxing authorities can learn more about the process, thanks to workshops scheduled by Representative Tim Seip. The first of the sessions will be held tomorrow at Tremont Borough Building on Clay Street at 6:30pm. Seip has actively pursued legislation in Harrisburg to ban spot assessments that are initiated because a property has been sold, even though surrounding homes are taxed at a lower rate. His bill passed the House and Senate in the 2007-08 session, but was vetoed by Governor Rendell. Seip plans to reintroduce the bill again. For more information, taxpayers can call one of Seip's district offices.

ELM STREET PROJECT REPORT

Success in Pottsville’s Elm Street renovation project over the past year leads to application for more funding. Elm Street Manager Mike McGeever gives us an update:

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The program helps home and business owners in the northern portion of Pottsville to fix up their properties. It also helps to eliminate blight in the city.

ELM STREET PROJECT APPLIES FOR NEW FUNDING

More than a half dozen property owners in the Elm Street Corridor in Pottsville have taken advantage of funding to fix their properties. In addition, one property owner in the area of North Centre Street took advantage of Elm Street’s interest free first time homebuyer program to help with a downpayment, according to Elm Street Manager Mike McGeever. The success of the program leads to application for another round of funding from the Department of Community and Economic Development:

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For more information, contact McGeever at 622-1995.

CONTRACTOR APOLOGIZES, BUT STILL GOES TO JAIL

SUNBURY - The Northumberland County contractor who pleaded guilty in late September to swindling thousands of dollars from 22 victims apologized in front of the courtroom during his sentencing yesterday, but his efforts appeared to be too little, too late. The News Item reports, 49-year old William Wetzel of Shamokin, owner of Wetzel's Contracting, was sentenced by Northumberland County President Judge Robert Sacavage to 11 to 23 months in prison and five years probation, and was ordered to pay back over $46-thousand-dollars in restitution.(WGRC)

ANIMALS RULE WEDNESDAY AT FARM SHOW

With brutal cold expected the remainder of the week, visitors to the 93rd Annual Pennsylvania Farm Show can dream about being wrapped in warm sheep's wool. Gary Abdullah has more:ABDULLAH SHEEP

Pa. House speaker vows to aim for honest dealings

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The new speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives says he will aim for honest dealings with lawmakers. Keith McCall says he also wants to encourage ideas from those lower down in the hierarchy. The Carbon County Democrat says he wants to improve decorum in the House chamber, partly by limiting access to the floor by nonmembers. McCall is now 49. He was just 23 years old and had worked at the Auditor General's Office when he was elected in 1982 to the rural northeastern Pennsylvania seat. It was opened by the death of the incumbent - his father, Thomas. He has served as ranking Democrat on the Consumer Affairs and Transportation committees, and in 2006 was elected majority whip.

Tech describes frantic e-mail worries by Fumo

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A former Pennsylvania Senate computer technician says he destroyed e-mail evidence on the orders of then-state Sen. Vincent Fumo. Computer technician Mark Eister testified against the Phildelphia Democrat in his corruption trial. Eister says Fumo began issuing frantic orders to his staff about deleting e-mail quickly and the need to "wipe" clean computer hard drives after Jan. 25 of last year. That's when there was report in The Philadelphia Inquirer about an FBI investigation. Eister pleaded guilty to five obstruction-related counts and faces at least two years in prison.

Pa. police standoff follows electric bill dispute

LERAYSVILLE, Pa. (AP) - State police say a northeastern Pennsylvania woman has surrendered peacefully after a standoff that began in the morning and ended late at night. The armed woman held off police after a dispute that began over an unpaid electric bill. It happened just outside LeRaysville in Bradford County, near the New York state line. Police say it began Tuesday morning, when a Claverack Electric worker went to the woman's home to collect an overdue bill. He says the woman told him if he did anything to her meter, she'd be holding a gun while he did it. The worker called police. Troopers found the woman with a gun when they showed up. She surrendered just after 10 p.m. and was taken to a hospital for evaluation.

House fire kills Philadelphia man

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A man is dead from a fire at his West Philadelphia home. The fire broke out around 9 p.m. Tuesday near the intersection of 51st Street and Walton Avenue. The man's body was found on the second floor. The fire spread to the two row houses on each side, displacing some neighbors.

US Supreme Court won't hear Pa. ex-Nazi guard case

SHARON, Pa. (AP) - The U.S. Supreme Court won't hear the case of a western Pennsylvania man who served as a guard at Nazi concentration camps. Lower courts have ruled that 84-year-old Anton Geiser obtained his U.S. citizenship illegally. The Supreme Court posted a docket entry Monday saying it would not hear Geiser's appeal. Both sides agree that Geiser only guarded the peremiter of the camps. The courts have ruled that doing so is enough to make someone ineligible for U.S. citizenship. The next step is for the Justice Department to file papers in immigration court seeking Geiser's deportation. Geiser was born in Yugoslavia, in an area that's now part of Croatia. He lives in Sharon, about 60 miles north-northwest of Pittsburgh.Pa.

AG says 5 operated country-club theft ring

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A report from the Pennsylvania attorney general's office says a man who broke into cars parked at Philadelphia-area country clubs sometimes broke windows with golf balls. That way, the damage looked like it came from a wayward shot. Prosecutors say 39-year-old Michael Pacitti looked for credit cards but also took other items, including computers, iPods and navigational devices. Authorities say he sold the electronics to a fence and worked with three others who made purchases with the credit cards. At least 34 country clubs were hit between early May and mid-September - some more than once. Most were in Philadelphia's western suburbs, but five were in New Jersey and one was in Delaware. Pacitti is in federal prison in Brooklyn, N.Y., on unrelated charges. His co-defendants live in Philadelphia.

Phila. airport head retires months early

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Philadelphia's aviation director is retiring early after questions were raised about whether he lives in the city, as city employees are required to do. A statement from the mayor's office released Tuesday says Charles Isdell maintains that he lives in Philadelphia but decided to retire early so the question wouldn't be a distraction. Isdell had been scheduled to retire in July and is stepping down at the end of the month instead. Mayor Michael Nutter says he's accepting Isdell's retirement with regret. Isdell has been aviation director since 2000. The job involves overseeing Philadelphia International Airport and the smaller Northeast Philadelphia Airport.

Car dispute lands Giants' Burress in Pa. court

LEBANON, Pa. (AP) - A central Pennsylvania car dealer is suing New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress, alleging breach of contract. Frederick Laurenzo says he lent the 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche worth more than $36,000 in exchange for Burress agreeing to sign autographs at promotional events. But he says in court papers that Burress never showed up to sign autographs and didn't return the car. Laurenzo also says the car was seized by New York City police after Burress let someone else use it. New York police say they impounded the car in August 2005 in connection with a shooting in the Bronx. Arrests were made, but the records were sealed and police gave no other details. Burress' lawyer acknowledges that his client is responsible for some damages, but says the jury will have to decide how much. The civil trial is scheduled to begin Wednesday.

Johnstown teen gets 2-4 years in boyfriend's death

EBENSBURG, Pa. (AP) - A Johnstown woman has been sentenced to two to four years in prison for fatally stabbing her boyfriend. Eighteen-year-old Brittany McCoy was sentenced Tuesday in Cambria County Court for killing 21-year-old Bruce Dickerson Jr. She pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in November. McCoy stabbed Dickerson once in the chest in their apartment on Jan. 18, 2008. She was 17 at the time. Defense attorney Thomas Dickey says McCoy decided to plead guilty rather than risk a possible third-degree murder conviction. Dickey says the stabbing was in self-defense or accidental during a fight. The prosecutors says Dickerson's family had approved the plea bargain and the recommended sentence, which was in the mitigated range.

Pa. meth dealer's sentencing postponed

ERIE, Pa. (AP) - Sentencing is delayed until Thursday for a northwestern Pennsylvania man accused of running a large methamphetamine ring. Sentencing for 46-year-old James Frey had been scheduled for Monday in Erie County Court. In December, Frey pleaded guilty to four charges, including the first-degree felony of being part of a corrupt organization. He faces at least five years in prison.

W.Pa. man gets up to 7 years in prison for 8th DUI

HUNTINGDON, Pa. (AP) - A western Pennsylvania man will spend up to seven years in prison for his eighth drunken driving conviction. Forty-three-year-old Ray Allen McCabe, of Alexandria, was sentenced to between three years and five months and seven years for his conviction of driving under the influence, resisting arrest and related crimes on Monday in Huntingdon County Court. Authorities say McCabe became belligerent when he was stopped a year ago for a traffic violation. McCabe was driving with a DUI-related suspended license at the time of the arrest. District Attorney George Zanic says he wants to protect the public and the only way to do that is to incarcerate McCabe.

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - A recording of a voice resembling Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden is urging Muslims to launch a holy war to stop the Israeli offensive in Gaza. Bin Laden also condemns Arab governments for preventing their people from acting to "liberate Palestine." The authenticity of the tape cannot be independently confirmed.

WASHINGTON (AP) - A Pentagon official says in a published interview that Mohammed al-Qahtani, a Saudi man who allegedly had hoped to become the "20th hijacker" on 9/11, was tortured by the United States at Guantanamo. Susan J. Crawford, a retired judge who was appointed convening authority of military commissions in ebruary 2007, was interviewed by The Washington Post's Bob Woodward.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The cold front that dropped wind chills to the minus 50s in northwestern Minnesota has swept into New York, sending temperatures to single digits or below zero. Up to 4 inches of snow is forecast for Chicago and the weather service has warned
Ohio residents to expect heavy snow and temperatures to drop to minus 24 degrees.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - A spokesman for impeached Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich says the governor will do his constitutional duty today. He'll swear in the state Senate that will try him later this month. Some had speculated the governor might not gavel in the session, so there would be no Senate to try him.

DALLAS (AP) - Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin says he calmly chatted with a gunman in another car but was "very afraid." A Dallas police report says Irvin was stopped at a red light Monday night when two men in a truck pulled up next to him and the driver flashed a gun. It turned out the man was a Cowboys fan so Irvin says they talked football.