Today's News-Friday, July 3, 2009

NEWS-Friday, July 3, 2009

FIRE DISPLACES 6

A DOUBLE HOME IS DAMAGED AND PEOPLE LEFT HOMELESS AFTER FIRE RIPPED THROUGH IT THURSDAY AFTERNOON IN BUTLER TOWNSHIP. CREWS WERE CALLED OUT AROUND 3:40 PM, ACCORDING TO ENGLEWOOD FIRE CHIEF ED BENESHUNAS:

BENESHUNAS

JOSEPH AND SUE PICKLO AND THEIR TWO CHILDREN LIVED AT 112 NORTH SIXTH STREET AND JACK AND ANNA BARNHART RESIDED AT 110 NORTH SIXTH. THE STATE POLICE FIRE MARSHAL WILL INVESTIGATE. NO ONE WAS INJURED.

SHEN TEENS DENIED WORK RELEASE

TWO BOYS FACING PRISON TIME FOR CONVICTIONS RECEIVED IN THE SHENANDOAH BEATING CASE ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR WORK RELEASE ACCORDING TO A JUDGES RULING. DERRICK DONCHAK AND BRANDON PIEKARSKY ARE SLATED TO REPORT TO SCHUYLKILL COUNTY PRISON IN JUST A LITTLE OVER TWO WEEKS. AND JUDGE WILLIAM BALDWIN HAS ORDERED THAT THE TWO CANNOT LEAVE THE COUNTY PRISON DURING THE HALF YEAR TO NEARLY TWO YEAR SENTENCE ACCORDING TO THE REPUBLICAN AND HERALD. BOTH TEENS WERE FOUND GUILTY OF SIMPLE ASSAULT AND ALCOHOL RELATED COUNTS IN THE DEATH OF LUIS RAMIREZ LAST JULY IN SHENANDOAH. PIEKARSKY AND DONCHAK WILL BEGIN SERVING THEIR SENTENCES ON JULY 19TH.

REED REBURIED

A 13-YEAR-OLD PENNSYLVANIA BOY KILLED IN 1985 HAS BEEN LAID TO REST WITH HIS KILLER IN PRISON. DAVID REED WAS REBURIED THURSDAY AT SCHUYLKILL MEMORIAL PARK. JOSEPH PAUL GEIGER WAS 20 WHEN HE PUNCHED REED BECAUSE HE SUSPECTED THE BOY WAS STEALING HIS MARIJUANA PLANTS. HE DIDN'T GET HELP WHEN THE BOY HIT HIS HEAD ON A METAL WALL BUT INSTEAD HID THE BODY IN THE WOODS. WHEN THE BODY WAS FOUND MONTHS LATER, AUTHORITIES INITIALLY THOUGHT THE BOY MIGHT HAVE SUCCUMBED TO AN UNDIAGNOSED CASE OF DIABETES. STATE POLICE EXHUMED THE BODY IN JANUARY 2008 AFTER TURNING UP NEW EVIDENCE AND ARRESTED GEIGER IN AUGUST. GEIGER IS NOW 44 AND SERVING A 1- TO 2-YEAR SENTENCE AFTER PLEADING GUILTY IN FEBRUARY TO INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER AND THREE LESSER CHARGES.

NEWMANSTOWN MAN HURT IN I-81 CRASH

A NEWMANSTOWN MAN HAD MINOR INJURIES IN AN EARLY MORNING CRASH ON I-81 NEAR SCHUYLKILL MALL THURSDAY. THAT’S ACCORDING TO STATE POLICE AT FRACKVILLE WHO SAY THAT 45 YEAR OLD RAY SHENK LOST CONTROL ON THE WET ROADWAY WHILE TRAVELING SOUTHBOUND. HIS CAR HIT AN EMBANKMENT AND SLID ABOUT 200 FEET ON ITS ROOF BEFORE STOPPING. SHENK REFUSED TREATMENT FOR HIS INJURIES. THE ROADWAY WAS SHUT FOR ABOUT AN HOUR.

FOURTH OF JULY

MANY PEOPLE ARE BEGINNING A LONG WEEKEND OF PICNICS AND PARTIES TO OBSERVE THE FOURTH OF JULY TODAY. ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SUMMER HOLIDAY IS FIREWORKS. WHILE WE “OOH AND AHH” WITH THE AIR AND GROUND SPECTACLES THAT DOT THE REGION, PEOPLE ALSO TRY THEIR HAND AT SHOOTING OFF FIREWORKS, MANY OF THEM ILLEGALLY. THOUSANDS ARE INJURED ANNUALLY, AND ITS NOT PRETTY ACCORDING TO SCHUYLKILL MEDICAL CENTER E.R. PHYSICIAN DR KYLE KAULBACK.

KAULBACK

LET THE FIREWORKS TO THE PROFESSIONALS. TONIGHT FIREWORKS DISPLAYS WILL BE HELD IN ASHLAND, MAHANOY CITY AND HERE IN POTTSVILLE. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

PITTSBURGH (AP) - PITTSBURGH STEELERS OWNER DAN ROONEY IS MAKING HIS FIRST OFFICIAL TRIP AS U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRELAND. ROONEY IS TO MEET WITH IRELAND PRESIDENT MARY MCALEESE TODAY. ROONEY IS A LIFELONG REPUBLICAN WHO HELPED BARACK OBAMA WIN PENNSYLVANIA IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION LAST YEAR.

HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - UNTIL THE GOVERNOR AND LEGISLATURE AGREE ON A STATE BUDGET, PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL DISTRICTS WON'T KNOW HOW MUCH STATE MONEY THEY'LL RECEIVE IN THE FISCAL YEAR THAT STARTED THIS WEEK. GOV. ED RENDELL WANTS TO PROVIDE $418 MILLION MORE IN BASIC EDUCATION FUNDING THAN A RIVAL REPUBLICAN PROPOSAL.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - FORMER PENNSYLVANIA SEN. VINCENT FUMO IS SEEKING A NEW TRIAL. FUMO ALLEGES THE JURY THAT FOUND HIM GUILTY OF DEFRAUDING THE SENATE AND OTHERS WAS TAINTED. HE SAYS JURORS KNEW ABOUT HIS PRIOR PROSECUTIONS ON CORRUPTION CHARGES AND ONE JUROR GOT UPDATES FROM A CO-WORKER ON NEWS COVERAGE OF THE TRIAL.

ALLENTOWN, PA. (AP) - A FORMER PENNSYLVANIA JUDGE WHO PLEADED GUILTY TO CORRUPTION CHARGES DENIES HE ACCEPTED THE MONEY TO SEND YOUNG OFFENDERS TO PRIVATE DETENTION CENTERS. FORMER LUZERNE COUNTY
JUDGE MARK CIAVARELLA ADMITTED IN PLEADING GUILTY PREVIOUSLY THAT
HE TOOK KICKBACKS IN EXCHANGE FOR RULINGS THAT BENEFITED THE CENTERS.

GETTYSBURG, PA. (AP) - GETTYSBURG NATIONAL CEMETERY IN PENNSYLVANIA WILL BE A SEA OF RED, WHITE AND BLUE THIS JULY 4. A NON-PROFIT GROUP PLANS TO MARK THE HOLIDAY BY PLACING BOUQUETS AT THOUSANDS OF GRAVES AT THE HISTORIC VETERANS CEMETERY IN SOUTH-CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.