Today's News- Tuesday, April 14, 2009

TRIAL DATE SET
Jury selection in the consolidated cases against Shenandoah teens Brandon Piekarsky and Derrick Donchak will begin Wednesday, April 22nd. That's according to a press release from the Schuylkill County Court Adminstrator's office released Monday afternoon. The trial is expected to begin on April 27 or as soon as the jury selection is completed. Piekarsky, Donchak and Colin Walsh are charged in the beating death of Luis Ramirez, a Mexican illegal, at a Shenandoah playground last July. Walsh's name was not listed in the release, and President Judge William Baldwin declined comment when contacted by WPPA/T102 News yesterday. A juvenile is also accused of involvement in the death. Because of the intense media coverage expected for the trial, court officials have announced that no electronic recording devices will be allowed in the courtroom or on the floor where the trial will be held. The trial will be held in Courtroom Number 1.

THEFT AT FORMER RUTH STEINERT SHELTER
State police are investigating the theft of cat food and other items from the former Ruth Steinert Memorial SPCA shelter at the county airport. Sometime over the weekend, theives pried open the door of a trailer and took 500 cases of cat food, 5 animal traps and other items valued at over $11-thousand-dollars. Those items were used to care for 55 cats and kittens at the new Steinert shelter in Pine Grove, along with the 20 rescued cats that are being cared for from the Cats With No Name shelter earlier this year.

TWO FACE CHARGES OF EXTORTION
Two people are facing a host of charges relating to a case of taking money from an elderly woman in Frackville. Borough police arrested 20 year olds John and Christina Liptok, Pottsville, on charges of theft by extortion, theft by deception and criminal conspiracy and two misdemeanor counts. The Republican and Herald reports that the pair allegedly stole nearly $60-thousand-dollars from Theresa Beoris over a one year period between August 2007 and 2008. The pair reportedly borrowed money from Beoris, with the intention of paying it back. The Liptok's are alleged to have threatened the woman when she wouldn't give them any more money. John Liptok was committed to Sch County Prison after arraignment. Christina Liptok was able to post bail.

COUNTY COMPANY TO DEVELOP FORMER COKE PLANT IN HAMBURG
A Schuylkill County company is planning to rehabilitate the former Coca Cola bottling plant in Hamburg. Miller Brothers Construction announced the agreement with Advanced H20 of Washington to renovate and lease the plant along Route 61 for use as a private label water bottling facility. The 140 thousand square foot site has a new roof, new lighting and renovation of production space and offices. Advanced will install new bottling equipment. Thirty new jobs are expected to be created when the plant is fully operational. Miller Brothers is based in Schuylkill Haven.

5,000TH EAGLE SCOUT RECOGNIZED
A Tamaqua Eagle Scout has also earned a special distinction...the 5,000th young man to receive Scouting's highest honor in the Hawk Mountain Council. Officials from the Reading-based headquarters announced yesterday that Evan Whildin, Troop 743 in Summit Hill is the 5000th to earn that award since the first in 1921. Officials have been working on the 100th anniversary book about Hawk Mountain Council, and found they were close to the milestone. Whildin is a senior at Marian High School. Hawk Mountain Council covers Schuylkill, Berks and part of Carbon County. The commemorative book honoring Boy Scouts 100th anniversary will be released later this year.

TRESPASS CHARGES FILED AGAINST READING MAN
Port Carbon police were called to the 300 block of Coal Street for a domestic dispute Saturday night, and upon arrival learned that a Reading man had kicked in the front door of a residence to gain entry, and was reported to still be inside possibly with a knife. After police searched the residence of Theresa Competus, it was determined that Elbin Velazquez had fled the scene. Charges of Criminal Trespass will be filed against Velazquez in the office of District Judge David Plachko.

CHEMICAL LEAK
OSHA proposes $121,000 fine in Pa. chemical leak
PITTSBURGH (AP) - The manager of a western Pennsylvania chemical plant that had a toxic leak in October says the worker who caused the leak was fired. Indspec Chemical Corp. Petrolia plant manager Dave Dorko says the company plans to meet with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to work out a settlement. OSHA has proposed fining Indspec more than $120,000 for the leak, which led to an acid cloud and forced 2,500 people from their homes for a day. Dorko says Indspec wants to resolve things with OSHA and move on. The plant, has 260 workers and makes an industrial adhesive used to manufacture tires.

PITTSBURGH SHOOTINGS
Gag order sought on Pittsburgh police slayings
PITTSBURGH (AP) - The lawyer for the man accused of killing three Pittsburgh police officers says her client can't get a fair trial without a gag order. A hearing is scheduled Tuesday on the request by Assistant Public Defender Lisa Middleman, who represents 22-year-old Richard
Poplawski. She wants a judge to ban police and prosecutors from discussing the case publicly.
Meanwhile, Allegheny County officials say they'll ask a state agency to review how the 911 call was handled that preceded the fatal shootings. Poplawski's mother told a 911 operator that weapons were in the house in the April 4 call, but said they were all legal. The operator didn't ask further about the weapons, nor did she tell a dispatcher about them, so the officers weren't informed. The operator is on leave.

HUNTING DEATH-WIFE CHARGED
Pa. woman to be extradited to Canada
SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) - A northeastern Pennsylvania woman charged in her husband's death during a hunting trip has lost her fight to avoid extradition to Canada. Mary Beth Harshbarger maintains she thought she was shooting a bear when she fired the shot that killed her husband, Mark, during a 2006 hunting trip. Her lawyer, Paul Ackourey, said when his client shot her husband it was dark and foggy, and her husband was wearing dark clothing and was hunched over. Canadian officials have charged the Wyoming County woman with criminal negligence causing death for the shooting near Buchans Junction, Newfoundland. They say it was too dark to fire a gun safely. A federal judge denied Harshbarger's extradition appeal Monday and ordered her to turn herself in to U.S. marshals by 3 p.m. on April 27.

FATAL FIRE-SMOKING
Smoking may be cause of fatal Pa. house fire
STROUDSBURG, Pa. (AP) - A northeastern Pennsylvania woman is dead after a fire in her home. The Monroe County coroner identifies her as 77-year-old Norma Joan Sallade of Jackson Township. The fire broke out in her home Monday afternoon. State police say Sallade was home alone at the time and they believe she had been smoking. She was found lying on a couch.
An autopsy is planned today.

PHILADELPHIA NEWSPAPERS
Lenders agree to let Philly papers hire adviser
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The chief executive of Philadelphia's two major daily newspapers is defending the bonus he received in late 2008, weeks before the company filed for bankruptcy. Brian Tierney says lenders' criticism of the payout is "disingenuous." Brian Tierney's comments followed a bankruptcy court hearing Monday at which senior lenders agreed to let Philadelphia
Newspapers keep using its cash to fund operations through May 22. The lenders also agreed to let the company hire New York-based investment banking firm Sonenshine Partners LLC at a cost of $75,000 a month to assist with the Chapter 11 reorganization. Philadelphia Newspapers operates The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News.

OBIT-KALAS
Phillies announcer Harry Kalas dead at 73
WASHINGTON (AP) - Longtime Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas has died at age 73. Team president David Montgomery announced the death Monday a short time after Kalas passed out in the broadcast booth before a game in Washington against the Nationals.
Montogomery's voice was cracking as he said that "we have lost our voice." Kalas had been with the Phillies since 1971 and was known for his distinctive "Outta here!" home run call. Kalas lent his sonorous voice to everything from puppies to soup. He did work for NFL Films, was the voice for Chunky Soup commercials and Animal Planet's annual tongue-in-cheek Super Bowl competitor, the Puppy Bowl.

SUBWAY ALTERCATION-DEATH
Philly subway death trial delayed
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A judge says he will rule May 27 on whether to suppress a statement made to police by one of five teenagers charged in a fatal attack on a Philadelphia subway platform. Prosecutors say 17-year-old Kinta Stanton should be charged as an adult in the March 2008 attack on 36-year-old Starbucks manager Sean Conroy, which triggered a fatal asthma attack. They say the case should move to adult court because Stanton is now charged in
an apparently accidental shooting of a friend. Defense lawyer Lonny Fish says his client had nothing to do with that shooting and he was ready to go to trial Monday. But that couldn't happen because the judge needs to rule first on whether Stanton's statement to police can be used in court. Four others charged in the beating death are being tried as adults. One has pleaded guilty.

DIVER DROWNS
Pennsylvania tourist drowns in diving accident
LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA, Fla. (AP) - Authorities say a tourist from Pennsylvania has died while scuba diving with her husband off Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. The Broward Sheriff's Office says 58-year-old Mary Darnley was diving with her husband Saturday morning when the pair began to swim to shore. She never made it. Other nearby divers found her body floating in the water. She was pronounced dead a short time later at a hospital. Authorities say the medical examiner has ruled Darnley's death an accidental drowning. They say Darnley and her husband are from Eighty Four, Pa.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is slated to give a major economic speech today at Georgetown University. But aides say it's not expected to contain significant policy announcements. They say it will outline how the administration has dealt with the economic challenges and what still needs to be done.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Prosecutors say an 8-year-old Northern California girl may have been raped and molested before she was killed and her body put in a suitcase. Melissa Huckaby, a
28-year-old Sunday school teacher, is scheduled to be arraigned in Stockton today on charges of kidnapping and murdering Sandra Cantu.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Micro cars may give motorists top-notch fuel efficiency at a competitive price but are there safety tradeoffs? The insurance industry says yes. Crash tests reveal drivers of 2009 versions of the Smart "fortwo," Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris could face significant injuries in severe front-end crashes with larger vehicles.

BANGKOK (AP) - Police in Thailand say they'll be questioning four protest leaders who led rioting in the streets of Bangkok. The four have called off a rally and turned themselves in. Protests that led to cancellation of an Asian summit erupted into rioting.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Is Bo a rescued dog or not? Did President Barack Obama keep or break a campaign promise in picking the purebred as the family's new pet? Those questions will likely be
answered soon. The 6-month-old Portuguese water dog will make his official White House debut today.