Today's News-Wednesday, January 7, 2009

ICE

Freezing rain continues to fall across the region, and the morning commute is going to require extra time. Freezing rain and rain will continue through early afternoon. PPL Utilities are not reporting any service interruptions in Schuylkill County at present, but surrounding counties are reporting sporadic outages. Road crews continue to tackle the icy roads, but many still have tricky spots and walking can be treacherous. For a check on Interstate road conditions, call the PennDOT hotline at 888-783-6783.

NEW ELECTION BUREAU DIRECTOR

Schuylkill County is promoting from within to fill the Election Bureau Director's position. The Republican and Herald indicates that long-time county employee Frannie Brennan will be appointed to the job vacated by Betty Dries. Brennan has worked in several county departments during her 30 plus year career, and has been in the election bureau since 1994. Her appointment is expected to be made official at the Commissioner's meeting Friday morning.

DRIVER ESCAPES CRASH AND FIRE

A Pottsville man escaped injury when his truck crashed and caught fire yesterday morning in Cass Township. 37 year old George Chalinsky was driving west on Woodside Road before 6am when he lost control of his Dodge Ram pickup. The truck crossed over the road and landed in a wooded area at 71 Woodside Road where the truck caught fire. A corrections officer from SCI Frackville, William Bowers rescued Chalinsky from the burning vehicle.

LANSFORD WOMAN CHARGED IN STABBING

A Lansford woman is charged with stabbing a Tamaqua man. Police say that 27 year old Nicole Caballero slashed 38 year old Eric Welker on the head with a pocket knife Saturday night at his home on Hunter Street in Tamaqua. Caballero reportedly threatened another man as well. She is charged with terroristic threats, criminal and defiant trespass in the incident.

FARMERS CAN IMPROVE WATER QUALITY

FARMS PLAY A BIG PART IN THE BATTLE TO KEEP PENNSYLVANIA'S RIVERS AND STREAMS CLEAN, AND A SPECIALIST IN PENN STATE'S COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES SAYS A NEW PROGRAM WITH A FUNNY NAME CAN HELP FARMERS DO THEIR PART TO CONTROL POLLUTION. GARY ABDULLAH HAS THE STORY:

ABDULLAH

Alcoa to cut 13 percent of its work force

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Aluminum producer Alcoa Inc. says it's cutting about 13 percent of its global work force and slashing spending and output due to the economic downturn. The Pittsburgh-based company says 1,700 contractors also will be cut and that it's implementing a global salary and hiring freeze. As a result of its actions, Alcoa expects fourth-quarter charges
of between $900 million and $950 million. The company expects to report quarterly results Jan. 12.

Ex-Erie police officer guilty of stealing drugs

ERIE, Pa. (AP) - A former Erie police officer is guilty of stealing cocaine from the evidence room.
Forty-seven-year-old Lt. Robert Liebel pleaded guilty to all nine charges against him, including theft and possession of cocaine, on Tuesday in Erie County Court. The 22-year veteran was arrested in February after Erie police conducted a sting operation. The drugs were taken in 2007 and 2008. Liebel will be sentenced on March 3. He was fired in May and is enrolled in a drug rehabilitation program.

Matthews said to be weighing TV contract offer

WASHINGTON (AP) - The brother of MSNBC political commentator Chris Matthews says he would be surprised if the host of "Hardball" decided to run for a Senate seat in Pennsylvania.
Jim Matthews says his brother loves his job and is currently weighing a contract offer from the network. Jim Matthews, a Democrat, is chairman of Pennsylvania's Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. There's been speculation that Chris Matthews would challenge Republican Sen. Arlen Specter in November 2010. There have been published reports that Matthews has privately discussed the possibility. A publicist at the network has declined to comment. The 63-year-old Chris Matthews is a Philadelphia native. He ran for a northeast Philadelphia congressional seat in 1974, but lost the Democratic primary. His brother says if Matthews were to become a candidate, he would take himself off the air.

Pa. boy charged in school attack plot due in court

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) - The 15-year-old southeastern Pennsylvania boy accused of plotting a massacre at his high school is due in court Wednesday morning. The arraignment of the Pottstown High School student is before a district judge in Pottstown, about 30 miles west-northwest of Philadelphia. The boy has been held in a mental hospital. Prosecutors have charged the boy as an adult. Defense lawyer Stephen Heckman is trying to get the attempted murder and other charges transferred to juvenile court. Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman plans to answer reporters' questions about the case Wednesday afternoon.

NE Pa. judge defies county hiring freeze

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) - A northeastern Pennsylvania county and the county's top judge are fighting in court over the budget. Luzerne County decided last month to lay off more than 100
employees, including more than 50 in the court system. President Judge Mark Ciavarella Jr. sued the county, saying any judicial budget cuts would cause "irreparable harm." Since then, Ciavarella has hired five new employees despite a county hiring freeze. On Tuesday, lawyers for the county said in court papers that Ciavarella inflated the budget to provide jobs for his relatives, friends and political associates.

Feds fine nuke plant operator $65K over guard naps

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Federal regulators are proposing a $65,000 fine against the operator of a Pennsylvania nuclear plant where security guards routinely napped on the job. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced the fine against Exelon Nuclear on Tuesday after completing a special investigation of the Peach Bottom plant in south-central Pennsylvania. The NRC says multiple guards were "deliberately inattentive" on several occasions, and the incidents weren't reported to plant supervisors. Exelon ended its contract with an outside security company for
Peach Bottom in 2007 after a videotape surfaced of sleeping guards in a "ready room" at the plant. Exelon Nuclear spokeswoman Beth Archer says the company will pay the fine. Archer says Exelon's monitoring of plant security has improved since the company established an in-house security force.

Lawsuit over W.Pa. inmate's death settled

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (AP) - A prison health care provider and the family of a western Pennsylvania man who died in a prison have settled a lawsuit. John Margo claimed his son, 23-year-old James Margo, started to go through heroin withdrawal at the Bedford County Prison when he was jailed in June 2002. The suit claimed medical personnel did nothing to help him. He died July 5, 2002. A lawyer for PrimeCare Medical Inc. says terms of the settlement can't be released. PrimeCare has denied responsibility throughout the case. Margo had been in prison for a parole violation in a drug case.

Body found in burned Erie house after shooting

ERIE, Pa. (AP) - Erie police say investigators have found a body in a home destroyed by fire and they believe it's that of a man who shot at police when they responded to a reported domestic
disturbance. Lt. Kirk Werner says they believe the body is 42-year-old Robert Daniels, but an identification hasn't been made. Police say Daniels shot them before setting the house on fire
early Tuesday morning after they responded to a reported domestic disturbance. The shooting set off a manhunt that led to traffic and school closures and residents being asked to stay in their homes. The fire also destroyed a neighboring home.

Richardson donor also gave to Rendell's campaigns

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A campaign donor who is the target of an federal investigation that forced New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to withdraw from consideration for U.S. Commerce secretary also gave generously to Gov. Ed Rendell's campaigns. David Rubin gave $40,000 to Rendell's campaign committees between 2001 and 2005. His Beverly Hills, Calif.-based company, CDR Financial Products Inc., also continues to hold a $45,000-a-year contract as an adviser to the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Authority. A federal grand jury is probing state contracts in New Mexico to see whether they are related to $100,000 Rubin and his company gave to Richardson in 2003 and 2004. Rendell spokesman Chuck Ardo says questions about the
contributions to the governor are "much ado about nothing."

Prosecutor: Harrison's gun used in April shooting

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham says law enforcement will keep tabs on a shooting victim's lawsuit against Indianapolis Colts star Marvin Harrison.
She says authorities can't determine who shot the victim with Harrison's gun but hope the civil proceeding uncovers new evidence. Abraham says five bullet casings found at the North Philadelphia shooting scene came from Harrison's handgun. But investigators have conflicting witness accounts of who fired it. The All-Pro wide receiver is originally from Philadelphia. He
has played 12 seasons with the Colts and is the franchise's record-holder in every major receiving category.

US fire service urges smoke detector check

WASHINGTON (AP) - A rash of fatal fires during the holidays has prompted the U.S. Fire Administration to urge everyone to install, maintain and check their smoke detectors.
Fire Administrator Gregory Cade says there have been more than 200 fire deaths since Thanksgiving, including multiple fatalities in Baltimore; Washington; Philadelphia; Ringling, Okla.; Mount Sterling, Ky.; and Oswego County, N.Y. Cade says those tragedies are unacceptable and might have been prevented by smoke alarms. He plans to discuss the problem further at a news conference Wednesday in Washington.

JERUSALEM (AP) - The U.N. says it's "99.9 percent" certain Hamas militants weren't using its school to attack Israeli troops. An Israel strike near the school where hundreds of Palestinians
were staying killed at least 40 people. Israel says militants fired mortar shells at troops from outside the school, drawing return fire.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Justice Department says federal courts shouldn't second-guess the military in its handling of detainees. Four men held at a military base in Afghanistan are asking a
federal judge for the right to sue for their release -- the same right given to Guantanamo detainees. A hearing today will test whether the Supreme Court decision affording that right will
stretch beyond the walls of the military prison in Cuba.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Safety experts say wind is likely a factor in the Continental Airlines accident last month in Denver. But they say it probably wasn't the only thing that made the jet skid of the runway and erupt in flames. They say mechanical failure or human error also could have played a part.

WASHINGTON (AP) - For the first time since 1981, every living U.S. president and the president-elect will meet at the White House today. The White House says Barack Obama suggested the idea of a presidential gathering when he met President George W. Bush in the
Oval Office in November.

WASHINGTON (AP) - He'll be moving into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue soon, but President-elect Barack Obama had to settle for his second choice in digs when he came to Washington. So who is booking up the Blair House, the White House's guest quarters, before Obama's
inauguration? According to The Washington Post, it's former Australian Prime Minister John Howard.