Today's News-Friday, April 10, 2009

PORT CARBON CONVENIENCE STORE ROBBED

Another area convenience store was robbed last night. Before midnight, two men entered the Turkey Hill Minit Market at 216 Pike Street, Port Carbon. They presented a handwritten note stating "I have a gun, you have 5 minutes to give me all the money from the register." The clerk was unable to open the register. They then demanded 4 cartons of cigarettes, and the bandits fled on foot. Both thieves are described as being white males, about 5 feet 6 inches tall, one of husky build wearing a goatee, sunglasses, blue jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, the other wearing a brown hooded coat and a baseball cap. If you have any information on the would be robbers, call Port Carbon police at 622-5411 or the Schuylkill County Comm Center at 628-3792.

CELLPHONE POLICY IMPLEMENTATION POSTPONED

Schuylkill County officials have postponed the implementation of a cell phone and electronic device policy in order to rework the language of it. That's according to Commissioner Chairwoman Mantura Gallagher, who issued a press release late Thursday afternoon. We first told you about the new policy, which prohibited cell phones, video and audio recording devices from the county courthouse and courtrooms. Gallagher states that the sole purpose of the policy is ensure complete safety and security in the courtroom and for county employees during the upcoming Shenandoah three trial. The policy, when adopted, will allow cell phones on the lower levels of the courthouse, but ban them on the second and third floors of the courthouse. The policy, which can be viewed on our website (click to view), allowed for county employees to still have cell phones, but put in quiet mode, and provided for certain exceptions. The revised policy will be presented to the Commissioners for approval in the coming weeks.

THREE INJURED IN GILBERTON CRASH

For the second day in a row, three people were hurt in a crash on Route 924 in Gilberton. Frackville state police say that 54 year old Elaine Yodis and 82 year old John Yezulinas, both of Shenandoah, were westbound on 924 in the right hand lane. 28 year old Darryl Herner of Hegins was in the left lane. Yodis attempted to pass Yezulinas' vehicle and rear ended Herner's vehicle. Yodis' car began to spin and struck Yezulinas's truck. Both drivers and a passenger in the pickup were taken to Schuylkill Medical Center East for treatment. The crash happened around 8:50am Thursday.

GOOD FRIDAY

Today is one of the most solemn days on the Christian calendar...Good Friday, and its being observed in churches all across the region with midday and evening services and the dramatic Stations of the Cross, marking Jesus Christ's last hours before the crucifixion. Christian tradition indicates that the Son of God was marched through the streets of Jerusalem carrying the cross on which his body hung for three hours before his death. Easter Sunday services will bring worshippers out in droves to celebrate Christ's resurrection.

MESSY CONCRETE IN SHAMOKIN
A sensor failed on a concrete truck as it traveled through Shamokin Thursday creating quite a mess. The truck dumped concrete for approximately a half-mile, traveling from the area of Ninth Street, along Sunbury Street, eventually pulling over just before the Cameron Bridge at Route 61. The News Item reports, emergeny responders spent several hours washing away concrete from the streets, including under vehicles. The remaining gravel had to removed, as well.

PITTSBURGH SHOOTING
3 slain Pittsburgh officers called heroes
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl says the hree city police officers killed when they answered a call are heroes. Ravenstahl says Eric Kelly, Stephen Mayhle and Paul
Sciullo (SHOO'-lo) II died as they lived: serving and protecting the public. He says the best way to honor them is to protect and serve one another. All three were shot Saturday morning after responding to a domestic dispute between a woman and her son. Twenty-two-year-old Richard Poplawski is jailed on homicide and related charges. Thousands of mourners, including law enforcement officers, dignitaries and family from around the country gathered Thursday at
the Petersen Events Center at the University of Pittsburgh for a memorial service. More than 1,000 police patrol vehicles from across the country rolled into Pittsburgh for the event.

LABOR SECRETARY-CHARGE
Vito pleads guilty to public drunkenness charge
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania's acting secretary of the Department of Labor and Industry has paid $329 in fines and costs and has pleaded guilty to a charge of public drunkenness. Sandi Vito paid the fine at a Harrisburg district judge's office to resolve charges that stemmed from her arrest after drinking at a hotel bar last month. The 43-year-old Vito entered a rehabilitation facility and has since returned to her $136,000-a-year position. She is awaiting Senate confirmation to serve in the post on a permanent basis. Gov. Ed Rendell tapped her for the job in February 2008 and has said her personal difficulties aren't a reflection of her work performance.

CATHOLIC COLLEGES-BIRTH CONTROL
Pa. bishop still worried about condoms on campus
SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) - A Roman Catholic bishop in northeastern Pennsylvania isn't satisfied with the response he got from higher education leaders about birth control. Roman Catholic teachings forbid artificial birth control. Scranton Bishop Joseph Martino wants to be sure that Marywood University, the University of Scranton, Misericordia University and King's College aren't providing contraceptives or encouraging their use. The presidents of those four institutions have said they don't provide condoms or other contraceptives. But in Thursday's edition of diocesan newspaper the Catholic Light, Martino and Auxiliary Bishop John Dougherty say that Marywood's Web site advises foreign students to bring condoms to campus. And they say there's been a published report of a birth-control pamphlet available at King's College.

STUDENT STABBING
Pa. college student arrested in classmate's death
GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) - A 21-year-old Gettysburg College senior is held without bail in the Adams County Prison, charged with criminal homicide in the death of his ex-girlfriend.
Kevin Robert Schaeffer of Oley, Pa., is accused of killing 19-year-old Emily Rachel Silverstein, a sophomore at the private, liberal-arts college. The Roosevelt, N.J., woman was found inside
Schaeffer's off-campus apartment. Schaeffer is also charged with aggravated assault, possessing an instrument of crime and tampering with evidence. District Attorney Shawn Wagner declined to discuss a motive. An autopsy is scheduled Friday.

COCKFIGHTING RAID
Cockfighting birds seized, eastern Pa. man charged
READING, Pa. (AP) - An eastern Pennsylvania man is being held on cruelty-to-animals charges after police seized cockfighting birds at his auto repair garage. Authorities say 32-year-old Reinaldo Toro-Luciano of Reading surrendered and was arraigned on Thursday and was held in lieu of $10,000 bail. It wasn't clear whether he has an attorney. State police seized 11 roosters and hens in a raid on the garage and say five of the birds were groomed for fighting. Troopers
report finding paraphernalia including syringes, nail clippers, vitamins, supplements and an incubator. Authorities say Toro-Luciano told police he leases the building for his auto repair shop but also acknowledged caring for the birds. They've been turned over to the Humane Society.

AMERICAN ESCROW
Pa. official warns of defunct escrow company
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania's attorney general says a Chicago-based escrow company that abruptly halted operations last month may have left homeowners holding the bag.
Attorney General Tom Corbett said Thursday that some consumers depended on American Escrow to pay their property taxes and homeowners insurance. He says the company's customers should check with their local tax boards and insurance companies to make sure
their bills are paid. Corbett says Pennsylvania consumers who lost money due to the abrupt closure of American Escrow should get in touch with his agency's Bureau of Consumer Protection.

FOOD AND SHELTER-PA
US stimulus gives Pa. over $3.7M for food, shelter
WASHINGTON (AP) - The federal economic stimulus is providing more than $3.7 million to Pennsylvania for emergency food and shelter programs. Most of the money is going to local governments based on measures of unemployment and poverty. Those grants range from a
little over $6,000 for Potter County to more than $488,000 for Philadelphia. Also, Pennsylvania is getting more than $724,000 to serve areas that do not qualify based on the formula. The money can be used for mass shelter, mass feeding, food banks and one-month assistance with rent, mortgage and utility payments to prevent evictions. It can also be used for transition assistance from shelters to stable living conditions. U.S. Sens. Arlen Specter and Bob Casey announced the funding Thursday.

DECOMPOSING IN APARTMENT
Pa. woman accused of killing father seeks plea
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) - The lawyer for a suburban Philadelphia woman charged in the murder of her father and attempted dismemberment of the body says he's hoping to work out a plea bargain. Martin Mullaney says 22-year-old Christina Rubin of Jenkintown is remorseful and there's evidence that her father abused her. Montgomery County prosecutors say Rubin paid $1,000 to her boyfriend to kill her father, 46-year-old Marc Rubin. Prosecutors say he was shot dead Nov. 28, but his body was left in his apartment for more than a week. The body was dumped in New Jersey's Pine Barrens on Dec. 7 and found the next day. Prosecutors allege the body was dumped after an attempt to cut it up with a chain saw failed. Rubin's boyfriend and another man are also charged.

SUBWAY ALTERCATION-DEATH
Teen charged in Philly subway death is in jail
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - One of five teens charged in the death of a Starbucks manager on a Philadelphia subway concourse is back in jail. Seventeen-year-old Kinta Stanton was part of a gang of teenagers who allegedly jumped Sean Patrick Conroy in a downtown concourse in
March 2008. Authorities say the assault broke four of Conroy's ribs and left him gasping for air, triggering an asthma attack that killed him. On Wednesday, police say, Stanton was playing with a gun in the basement of a North Philadelphia row house when the weapon discharged. The blast struck a 17-year-old friend in the torso, critically injuring him. Another teen in the room was uninjured. Police have charged Stanton with aggravated assault, simple assault and numerous weapons counts.

GAS DRILLING
AP: Pa. officials say drilling lease falls through
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A natural gas exploration company has told Pennsylvania officials it won't sign leases worth $31 million for the right to drill on state forest land. The revelation potentially means more budget trouble for Gov. Ed Rendell. Spokeswoman Chris Novak of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said Thursday that she didn't know why Seneca Resources Corp. made the decision. In December, Rendell announced plans to tap most of the $190 million that exploration companies had bid last year for the right to drill on 74,000 acres of state forest. Rendell says he needs the money to help fill a gaping shortfall
in the state's budget. Seneca has executed leases on two other tracts on which it bid successfully.

L'AQUILA, Italy (AP) - It's a day of mourning across Italy for the victims of the devastating earthquakes in the central town of L'Aquila. At least 287 people were killed. The Vatican's secretary of state will preside over a special Mass.

MENA, Ark. (AP) - A small Arkansas town near the Oklahoma border will have to pick up the pieces today after a deadly tornado. At least three people died and another two dozen were hurt in Mena. Officials are still gathering damage reports.

UNDATED (AP) - Wildfires fueled by high winds and dry conditions have scorched land and destroyed homes across North Texas. And daybreak will give Oklahoma authorities a better idea of the destruction from wildfires there. Oklahoma officials say about 100 structures have been damaged or destroyed.

JERUSALEM (AP) - Good Friday observances are under way in the Holy Land. Hundreds of Christian clergymen, worshippers and pilgrims are at Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Christian tradition says Jesus was crucified and resurrected.

SAN FERNANDO, Philippines - A Good Friday ritual in the Philippines continues as people re-enact Jesus Christ's crucifixion by having themselves nailed to crosses. The yearly tradition has
become a tourist attraction but church leaders discourage the rites.