Today's News- Monday, April 6, 2009

STIMULUS MONIES AID HOUSING AUTHORITIES

While Schuylkill County has been excluded in energy projects from the federal economic stimulus, the Pottsville and Schuylkill County Housing Authorities will benefit with over $2 million dollars for four projects. Congressman Tim Holden presented $992 thousand, 895 dollars to Craig Shields, PHA Executive Director, and $1.1 million to Tim Hale of the Schuylkill County Housing Authority this morning. Pottsville Housing projects include plumbing and new windows at the Michael Close Apartments, along with other projects. The Schuylkill County Housing Authority will replace plumbing at the Minersville High Rise, a new hot water boiler for the Schuylkill Haven High Rise, benefiting 110 families and the Island Housing Project’s 40 units will get new kitchens and bathrooms. Work will commence as soon as bids are awarded, and expect to be completed within the year.

SIX ESCAPE INJURY IN THREE VEHICLE CRASH
Six people escaped injury in a three vehicle crash on the Gordon Nagle Trail Sunday afternoon. State police at Schuylkill Haven say that Denise Hauptly of Pottsville was eastbound on Route 901, attempting to turn left onto Red Horse Road. Cars driven by Christopher Cinelli of Minersville and a 16 year old male from Schuylkill Haven were traveling behind. Cinelli broke hard to stop behind Hauptly's car and rear ended it. The teens vehicle hit Cinelli's. Thankfully, no one was hurt. The crash happened around 2:30 yesterday.

EGG HUNT THEFT
An event as festive as an Easter Egg Hunt was marred by theft Sunday in Seltzer City. The Ladies Auxiliary of the Seltzer Hose Company was being held at the borough playground. A dark blue vehicle, possibly a Jeep, dropped off 4 or 5 children to take part in the egg hunt, and 10 of the eggs were opened and money taken from them. The children were confronted by a neighbor near the playground and they fled the scene. State police are investigating the caper.

TWO INJURED IN NORTH MANHEIM CRASH
Two teenagers were injured in a one vehicle crash on North Greenview Road Sunday afternoon. Troopers from the Haven barracks indicate that a 17 year old Orwigsburg male was driving at a high rate of speed and lost control of the Ford Explorer while negotiating a curve. The SUV rolled over then struck a utility pole, ejecting a 16 year old boy from New Ringgold into a nearby field. The vehicle ended up in the middle of the road on its roof. The driver was taken to Schuylkill Medical Center South. The passenger was flown to Lehigh Valley Medical Center for treatment. The crash happened around 5pm yesterday.

EARLY SUNDAY INCIDENT IN NEW PHILADELPHIA
A Schuylkill Haven man faces charges of harrassment following an early Sunday morning incident in New Philadelphia. Frackville state police say that 40 year old Stanley Daniels Jr. became jealous of 44 year old Bonita Pavone because of who she left a New Philadelphia bar with. Daniels struck Pavone in the face. District Court in Port Carbon will handle the charges.

OFF DUTY OFFICER CUT IN EARLY SUNDAY INCIDENT
An off duty Ashland police officer was seriously hurt trying to break up a fight at an Ashland convenience store early Sunday. The Republican Herald reports that Richard Haraschack was attempting to stop the altercation at the Turkey Hill Minit Market on Centre Street around 3am when his neck was slashed by 26 year old Shawn Mulligan of Drums. The fight, between George Hepler and Genarro Delatorre, a police officer from Butler Township and Frackville, was in progress when Haraschack was injured. He was taken to St Catherine's Medical Center for treatment. Mulligan was arraigned charges of felony attempt to commit criminal homicide, aggravated and simple assault and other counts. Following arraignment, Mulligan was taken to Schuylkill County Prison in lieu of $250-thousand-dollars bail.

PITTSBURGH SHOOTING
Fight over urinating dog got police to Pa. ambush
PITTSBURGH (AP) - An ambush that resulted in the shooting deaths of three Pittsburgh policemen was precipitated by a 911 call from the gunman's mother over a dog urinating in the house. According to court papers, Richard Poplawski and his mother argued about his dog's accident Saturday morning, prompting her to threaten to evict him and to call police. Police have charged 23-year-old Poplawski with killing three officers and attempting to kill nine others during a four-hour siege. Poplawski has been arraigned in a local hospital, where he's recovering from gunshot wounds to his legs. Police say Poplawski was heavily armed and wearing a bulletproof vest when he killed the first two officers on sight. His mother opened the door for police, saw the shootings and then fled to the basement.

INNOCENCE PROJECT
Innocence Project chapter coming to Pa.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A nationwide organization that has worked to exonerate hundreds of wrongfully convicted inmates has a new affiliate housed at Temple University. The Pennsylvania Innocence Project, based at Temple University's law school, opens its doors Monday. It will review petitions submitted from around the state by inmates who say they are serving time for crimes they did not commit. The group will start with about a dozen law students and a similar number of attorneys but hopes to expand statewide. Organizers say it will look not only at cases with DNA evidence but also those with questionable forensic evidence or other issues. The first Innocence Project was founded in 1992 in New York. The organization says there are now 50 such groups that have exonerated 400 inmates - more than half of those through DNA evidence.

ELDERLY NEWLYWED KILLED
Pa. man, 73, accused of killing wife of few weeks
JEROME, Pa. (AP) - A 73-year-old western Pennsylvania man has been charged with killing his 73-year-old wife of a few weeks. Authorities say William McTonic, of Jerome, was arraigned late
Friday on a charge of homicide in the shooting death of Ruth Anne Henderson-McTonic. He was taken to Somerset County Jail without bail. Police say relatives found the woman's body on the back porch of her home Friday morning, and she had been shot twice in the upper chest.
Conemaugh Township police chief Pete Barclay says the couple had been married for only a few weeks and were living in different residences. Authorities say in the criminal complaint that a daughter of the victim told them her mother had begun to end the relationship. They say McTonic became upset and threatened the woman and her family, and also threatened suicide.

ASTRONAUT ARRESTED
Experts to decide whether ex-astronaut was insane
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - A former astronaut accused of driving 1,000 miles to confront a romantic rival for the affections of another astronaut has been barred from traveling to Pennsylvania and two other states while her mental health is being evaluated. Lisa Nowak is charged in Florida with attempted kidnapping, burglary and battery with assault. She is accused of confronting the girlfriend of another former astronaut. Two Florida experts were appointed last week to determine by July whether Nowak was insane at the time of her arrest two years
ago. Circuit Judge Marc Lubet in Orlando also ruled Wednesday that under the terms of her pretrial release Nowak could travel to any state other than Alaska, California and Pennsylvania. Colleen Shipman, who authorities allege Nowak attacked with pepper spray, is a native of Beaver County.

DUPLEX FIRE
Trial to open in 2005 Pa. fire that killed 4
KITTANING, Pa. (AP) - Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in the trial of a former volunteer firefighter accused of starting a duplex fire that killed a mother and her three children
3 1/2 years ago. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against 54-year-old Frederick Anthony Robinson, who is accused of setting the Sept. 2, 2005 fire. The blaze killed a longtime friend of his, 40-year-old Crystal Johnson, and her three children, - who were 11, 5, and 2
years old. A state trooper testified in a November 2005 hearing that Robinson acknowledged setting the fire and said voices in his head told him to do it. A judge on Friday denied a bid to delay the trial so defense attorneys could seek a new arson expert witness. He also declined to allow testimony by an expert witness on false confessions.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - President Barack Obama meets with the president of Turkey this morning as he reaches out to NATO's only Muslim member nation. Obama wants Turkey to help him wind down the Iraq war and bring stability to the Middle East. He laid a wreath
today at the tomb of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey.

L'AQUILA, Italy (AP) - Firefighters aided by dogs are trying to rescue people from crumbled homes in central Italy where a strong earthquake has killed at least 20 people. Officials fear the death toll will rise. A number of buildings have collapsed.

HONG KONG (AP) - As the world stock market rally continues today, analysts warn that unexpectedly bleak economic data could quickly deflate confidence. Asian exchanges posted solid gains this morning and U.S. futures gained, suggesting more of the same for Wall Street today.

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (AP) - Authorities are defending the police response in the Binghamton shootings. They say if shots were still being fired, police would have entered the building immediately. Officials say the 13 dead victims were too seriously wounded to survive no matter what.

FARGO, N.D. (AP) - It probably wasn't the spring break some Fargo, N.D. students had in mind. But sandbag duty is over and it's back to school today after two weeks battling the Red River to
stave off a devastating flood.