Today's News- Tuesday, March 3, 2009

SPECIAL ELECTION TODAY

The whirlwind campaign to replace the late Senator Jim Rhoades comes to a conclusion today as voters take to the polls to elect a new Senator to serve the 6 county 29th district. Rhoades died from injuries suffered in a car accident in October. Representative David Argall is the Republican nominee and Steve Lukach, county Clerk of Courts is the Democrat. Polls open at 7am and will remain open until 8pm. The shortened campaign has been contentious, both candidates using a media blitz to try and sway voters. For voters in Mechanicsville, there is a polling site change. The polls will now be located at the new Mechanicsville Fire Company at 921 East Norwegian Street, not at the old hose company. Listen through out the day for special election coverage, beginning with Step Up to the Mic on WPPA at 10am throughout the evening.
I-78 AND OTHER INTERSTATE TROUBLES DURING STORM

While only an inch or two of snow fell in the greater Schuylkill County area yesterday, travel became a nightmare for some. Blowing and drifting snow created white out conditions on regional interstates. I-81 south was closed for several hours throughout the morning as a truck crashed near the McAdoo exit. Two other crashes resulted as a part of the traffic backlog, but I-81 reopened by early afternoon. The biggest problems reported were on I-78 in northern Berks County, between Lenhartsville and Fogelsville, with multiple crashes reported in the westbound lanes. Traffic was shut down for hours, and reduced speed limits in force until midnight last night.

COALDALE MAN CONVICTED IN SEX ASSAULT

A 76 year old Coaldale man will serve time in jail after being convicted of sexual assault charges. A jury in Schuylkill County Court convicted Karl Otto of two counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and indecent assault along with other offenses for sexually assaulting a 7 year old boy in 2007. The Republican and Herald reports that Otto could see decades in prison and will face decades in prison and sanctions under Megan's Law. A pre sentence investigation will be conducted before Otto is sentenced.

READ ACROSS AMERICA

Kids celebrate Read Across America. Jay Levan has more:

READ ACROSS AMERICA (click to listen)

Philadelphia Daily News to be edition of Inquirer

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The Philadelphia Daily News will be labeled an "edition" of The Philadelphia Inquirer starting March 30. The newspapers announced the move Monday on their Web site, Philly.com. Company officials say the change won't affect staffing, content
or management. Daily News Publisher Mark Frisby says the change will make "significant savings in wire service fees and other costs." Each of the papers will continue to report to circulation auditors under the Inquirer heading, but the circulation will be combined for auditing purposes. Philadelphia Newspapers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week.

Toomey says he may run for Senate

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A conservative former congressman who nearly unseated Sen. Arlen Specter in 2004 now says he may want a rematch in next year's Republican primary. Pat Toomey issued a statement Monday afternoon saying that he's considering running for Senate.
In recent months, Toomey has curried speculation that he might run for governor next year, but this is the first time he's signaled an interest in taking on Specter for a second time. Toomey is currently president of the anti-tax Club for Growth in Washington.

Health insurer 'tax' faces long odds in Pa. Senate

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A 2 percent assessment on health insurers proposed by Gov. Ed Rendell faces long odds in the state Senate. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Jake Corman told the state's welfare chief Monday some insurers will see this as a tax and pass on the cost to consumers. The Republican said higher premiums could swell the ranks of the uninsured.
Corman spoke at a public hearing on Pennsylvania's rising welfare costs. Public Welfare Secretary Estelle Richman responded that she is working with insurers to find ways the companies can pay the assessment without raising premiums. Richman says the state needs the money now to fill a hole in the state's Medicaid budget. She says the assessment would qualify for federal matching funds, pushing the total revenue to $1 billion a year.

Source in Iran views Obama's chopper blueprints

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Navy is investigating how an unauthorized user in Iran gained online access to blueprints and other information about a helicopter in President Barack Obama's fleet. The security breach was discovered last week by employees of Tiversa, a data monitoring firm based in Cranberry Township, Butler County, Pa. A company spokesman says potentially sensitive information about the helicopter had been viewed by a "malicious" source in Iran. Navy spokesman Lt. Clayton Doss said the service was aware of media reports of a "security breach" on the presidential helicopter program and that it is "looking into the matter."
It appears the Navy was made aware of the issue even months before Tiversa said it alerted the government of its initial findings.

Pa. boy, 11, moves to new youth detention center

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A western Pennsylvania 11-year-old boy accused of killing his father's pregnant fiancee has been moved to a new juvenile detention center in Erie. Jordan Brown was moved early Monday from a facility northwest of Pittsburgh to the facility in Erie. Last week, Brown was moved from the Lawrence County Jail to the juvenile facility in neighboring Beaver County. However, it would have cost about $4,500 a week to keep him there. Brown's attorney says the Erie facility is cheaper and better equipped to serve the boy's needs. Brown is accused of killing 26-year-old Kenzie Marie Houk and her unborn son. Police say that on Feb. 20, Brown shot Houk in the back of the head while she slept in their farmhouse about 50 miles north of Pittsburgh.

Obama nominates Rendell aide for USDOT post

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - President Obama has nominated a top aide to Gov. Ed Rendell to a key post in the U.S. Department of Transportation. Roy Kienitz, a deputy chief of staff for the
governor, was nominated Friday to be the department's undersecretary for policy. Kienitz has worked for Rendell throughout the six years of his administration, specializing in transportation, energy and environmental issues. He previously served as secretary of Maryland's Department of Planning and as director of the Surface Transportation Policy Project, a Washington-based nonprofit group that advocates for transportation reform.

John Allison named Wichita schools superintendent

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - The Wichita school district has named a suburban Pittsburgh superintendent as its new leader. On Monday night, the school board voted 7-0 to pick John Allison as superintendent of the district of almost 50,000 students. He has worked in school districts in Kansas and Texas throughout his career. He currently is the superintendent of the Mt. Lebanon, Pa., school district. Allison and Wichita's Assistant Superintendent Denise Wren were announced as finalists Friday. They met with district employees, students and parents in a series of public forums Saturday. Allison said his leadership roles in several different districts
would give him perspective.

Sword-wielding drunken Pa. man clashes with police

EASTON, Pa. (AP) - A man from Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley is accused of wielding a 15-inch "ninja type" sword while drunk, advancing toward a police officer and leveling the weapon at the officer's chest. It happened Saturday night in the city of Easton, about 50 miles north of Philadelphia. Police say an officer pointed a gun the 26-year-old Catasauqua man to get him to drop the weapon. Court papers say he wrestled an officer to the ground and police used a Taser on him in the course of subduing him. He was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, public drunkenness, resisting arrest and other offenses. He is jailed in lieu of $20,000 bail.

Philly police find man's body in wooden crate

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Police in Philadelphia have accused a landlord of killing a tenant and stuffing his body into a large wooden crate. Police Lt. Frank Vanore says 27-year-old Miguel Davilla beat Roben Woodson to death on Saturday night. Davilla then allegedly stuffed Woodson's body into a box inside a home in the city's Fairmount neighborhood. Vanore says police were called to the house on Sunday night and discovered the body of Woodson, 55, in the crate. Davilla was arrested at the scene and charged with murder. Police say he is the owner of the property.

18-month-old girl among 3 Pa. shooting victims

PITTSBURGH (AP) - An 18-month-old girl is among three people wounded by gunfire in Pittsburgh's Homewood neighborhood. Police Chief Nate Harper says Monday's shooting was the result of a botched drug deal. He says the infant's wounds aren't life-threatening. The three victims, all from Kittanning, were hospitalized. Harper says two women and a man are being questioned. He says they were in the car that police think the shots were fired from. He says police are looking for as many as two other people.