Today's News-Thursday, September 24, 2009-UPDATE

SIMPLE ASSAULT IN SELTZER

A POTTSVILLE MAN IS JAILED ON SEVERAL COUNTS RELATING TO AN INCIDENT IN SELTZER LAST NIGHT. THOMAS KELLY IS ACCUSED OF BEATING UP MORGAN NATALE ABOUT THE FACE AND HEAD AND CUTTING HER RIGHT ANKLE. NATALE WAS TAKEN TO SCHUYLKILL MEDICAL CENTER SOUTH FOR TREATMENT. KELLY WAS ARRAIGNED ON SIMPLE ASSAULT, HARASSMENT AND DISORDERLY CONDUCT CHARGES. THE INCIDENT HAPPENED AROUND 8PM.

NEW PHILLY DRIVER JAILED ON CRASH AND OTHER CHARGES

A NEW PHILADELPHIA MAN IS JAILED ON NUMEROUS COUNTS FOLLWING A CRASH IN POTTSVILLE. 36 YEAR OLD JEFFREY MYERS FAILED TO STOP AT A RED LIGHT AND COLLIDED WITH A VEHICLE AT 12TH AND MARKET STREETS. HIS CAR CRASHED INTO 40 YEAR OLD SUSAN HANEY'S VEHICLE. HANEY HAD TO BE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL FOR TREATMENT. MYERS WAS CHARGED FOR BEING INVOLVED IN A CRASH WHILE NOT PROPERLY LICENSED BECAUSE OF BEING A HABITUAL TRAFFIC OFFENDER. MYERS IS JAILED IN LIEU OF BAIL.

POWER OUTAGE CREATES 10 SECOND INTERRUPTION

A 10 SECOND POWER INTERRUPTION AT PPL'S FISHBACH SUBSTATION YESTERDAY MORNING AROUND 11AM HAD ABOUT A THOUSAND CUSTOMERS OF THE UTILITY IN THE DARK WEDNESDAY. THAT'S ACCORDING TO MARTHA HERRON OF PPL UTILITIES.

MELEE ON MARKET STREET

THREE PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED DURING A LARGE FIGHT TUESDAY NIGHT IN POTTSVILLE. CITY POLICE RESPONDED EN MASSE TO A WEST MARKET STREET BUSINESS WHERE ABOUT 10 PEOPLE WERE INVOLVED. ONCE INSIDE THE LAUNDROMAT IN THE 11-HUNDRED BLOCK OF WEST MARKET, 22 YEAR OLD JOEL MARTINEZ-COLON WAS DETAINED BY POLICE. HIS BROTHER, 17-YEAR-OLD LUIS HADDOCK YELLED AT POLICE TO LET HIS BROTHER GO AND A FIGHT WITH POLICE ENSUED. OFFICERS SUBDUED HADDOCK WITH A TASER. THE BOYS MOTHER, NORMA COLON ATTEMPTED TO DISARM THE OFFICER AND WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY, ALONG WITH HER TWO SONS. THE INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THAT JOEL MARTINEZ-COLON WAS THREATENING THE ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD, SHOUTING OBSCENITIES. THE JUVENILE WAS TAKEN TO A BERKS COUNTY JUVENILE FACILITY ON AGGRAVATED ASSAULT CHARGES. MARTINEZ-COLON WAS CHARGED AND RELEASED ON BAIL. HIS MOTHER WAS REMANDED TO THE SCHUYLKILL COUNTY PRISON.

PARISHONERS SUE DIOCESE OF ALLENTOWN

SEVERAL PARISHONERS OF THE FORMER ST GEORGE'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN SHENANDOAH ARE TAKING THE DIOCESE OF ALLENTOWN TO COURT OVER THEIR FORMER CHURCH. THE BUILDING, CLOSED IN 2006, IS DETERIORATING, AND THE FOUR MEMBERS ARE ASKING THE COURT TO BLOCK THE REMOVAL OF RELIGIOUS ARTIFACTS FROM THE BUILDING BEFORE ITS TORN DOWN, CITING AN INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT WITH LITHUANIA TO PRESERVE THE PROPERTY ACCORDING TO THE REPUBLICAN HERALD. THE BUILDING NEEDS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF WORK. THE SUIT SEEKS TO FORCE THE DIOCESE TO MAINTAIN THE BUILDING UNTIL A FINAL DETERMINATION CAN BE MADE ON ITS FATE. PLEAS HAVE ALSO BEEN MADE TO THE VATICAN TO STOP DEMOLITION. ST GEORGE'S IS THE OLDEST LITHUANIAN PARISH IN THE UNITED STATES.

COMMISSIONERS ON THE ROAD

HEATED EXCHANGES CONTINUE BETWEEN THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AND THE COUNTY CONTROLLER. THE WEEKLY COMMISSIONERS SESSION WAS HELD IN SCHUYLKILL TOWNSHIP WEDNESDAY, AND BILLS APPROVED FOR PAYMENT BY THE BOARD ARE BEING HELD UP BY COUNTY CONTROLLER MELINDA KANTNER. CITING THE LACK OF CONTRACTS FOR THE $30-THOUSAND-DOLLARS OR SO IN BILLS TO VENDORS, KANTNER HAS NOT ISSUED PAYMENTS FOR THEM. IN OTHER BUSINESS, THE EXACT PRICE TAG OF A PROPOSED PRISON PRE-RELEASE CENTER CAUSED AN EXCHANGE BETWEEN PRESIDENT JUDGE WILLIAM BALDWIN AND COMMISSIONER FRANK STAUDENMEIER DURING THE PRISON BOARD MEETING. THE FACILITY WOULD RELIEVE OVERCROWDING AT THE COUNTY PRISON, BUT COST ESTIMATES TO CONSTRUCT IT RANGE BETWEEN $3 AND $5 MILLION DOLLARS. STAUDENMEIER HAS BEEN OPPOSED TO BUILDING IT BECAUSE OF THE PRICE, BUT JUDGE BALDWIN AND THE MAJORITY COMMISSIONERS HAVE SUPPORTED ITS CONSTRUCTION. THE STATE SENATE IS EXPECTED TO APPROVE THE PURCHASE OF THE LAND FOR THE PRE-RELEASE CENTER THIS WEEK.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A JUDGE HAS UPHELD MURDER CHARGES AGAINST FOUR SUSPECTS IN THE SLAYING OF A MAN AND A WOMAN IN AN UPSCALE PHILADELPHIA APARTMENT COMPLEX. PROSECUTORS SAY KEITH EPPS AND THREE OTHER ALLEGED GUNMEN ARE CHARGED IN THE JUNE 27 SLAYINGS OF NIGHTCLUB PARTY PLANNER RIAN THAL AND FRIEND TIMOTHY GILMORE DURING A BOTCHED DRUG ROBBERY.

HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - PENNSYLVANIA SENATE PRESIDENT JOE SCARNATI SAYS NOT TO EXPECT THE STATE'S BUDGET TO BE DONE BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK. HE SAID YESTERDAY THAT LEGISLATIVE STAFF MEMBERS CONTINUE TO WORK TO WRITE BILLS THAT WOULD IMPLEMENT THE NEARLY $28 BILLION BUDGET DEAL ANNOUNCED LATE LAST WEEK. SCARNATI DOES NOT EXPECT LEGISLATIVE ACTION TO BE COMPLETED BEFORE FRIDAY, OCT. 2.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - PITTSBURGH POLICE SAY 14 PEOPLE FROM GREENPEACE WERE ARRESTED YESTERDAY ON TWO OF THE CITY'S BRIDGES. THE ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP UNFURLED A BANNER BELOW THE WEST END BRIDGE TO PROTEST THE GROUP OF 20 SUMMIT. THE BANNER WARNED OF THE DANGER TO EARTH'S CLIMATE FROM CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS. THE BANNER REMAINED VISIBLE FOR A COUPLE HOURS.

STATE COLLEGE, PA. (AP) - PENN STATE'S STUDENT-RUN INTERFRATERNITY COUNCIL SUSPENDED THE PHI GAMMA DELTA FRATERNITY WHERE A STUDENT WAS LAST SEEN BEFORE HE WAS FOUND DEAD IN A CAMPUS STAIRWELL. THE BODY OF 18-YEAR-OLD FRESHMAN JOSEPH DADO, OF LATROBE, WAS FOUND MONDAY IN A CONCRETE STAIRWELL. A CORONER HAS RULED HIS DEATH AN ACCIDENT.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - THE HEAD OF A PHILADELPHIA DAY CAMP IS HAILING A STATE PANEL'S FINDING THAT THERE WAS REASON TO BELIEVE A SUBURBAN SWIM CLUB DISCRIMINATED AGAINST THE MOSTLY BLACK AND HISPANIC CHILDREN. THE VALLEY CLUB OF HUNTINGDON VALLEY IS VOWING TO APPEAL, SAYING THE RULING WOULD NOT BE SUPPORTED BY "A FULL AND THOROUGH REVIEW OF THE EVIDENCE."

BAGHDAD (AP) - SADDAM HUSSEIN'S HOMETOWN OF TIKRIT IS LOCKED DOWN AS IRAQI AUTHORITIES SEARCH FOR ABOUT 15 FUGITIVES WHO ESCAPED FROM PRISON. AN IRAQI MILITARY SPOKESMAN SAYS SIX OF THE ESCAPED INMATES ARE CONSIDERED DANGEROUS. A CURFEW HAS BEEN IMPOSED AND AUTHORITIES ARE DISTRIBUTING WANTED POSTERS.

PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN (AP) - NINE MEMBERS OF AN ANTI-TALIBAN CITIZEN'S GROUP, INCLUDING PROMINENT TRIBAL ELDERS, HAVE BEEN GUNNED DOWN IN A MILITANT AMBUSH. THE ATTACK IN VOLATILE NORTHWEST PAKISTAN ALSO WOUNDED SIX. A GUNBATTLE CONTINUES TO RAGE WITH ARMED LOCAL RESIDENTS AND SECURITY FORCES SHOOTING IT OUT WITH THE MILITANTS.

BANGKOK (AP) - NEW RESEARCH ON AN AIDS VACCINE IS SURPRISING SCIENTISTS WHO HAD BEGUN TO DOUBT IT WAS POSSIBLE. FOR THE FIRST TIME, AN EXPERIMENTAL VACCINE HAS PREVENTED INFECTION WITH THE VIRUS, CUTTING THE RISK BY MORE THAN 31 PERCENT IN THE WORLD'S LARGEST TRIAL OF MORE THAN 16,000 VOLUNTEERS IN THAILAND.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - SOME NEW RESEARCH COULD CHANGE THE STANDARD OF CARE FOR YOUNGER ADULTS WITH ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA. SCIENTISTS SAY PATIENTS WITH THE COMMON FORM OF LEUKEMIA HAD A BETTER CHANCE
OF REMISSION IF THEY GOT A DOUBLE DOSE OF A LONG-USED CANCER DRUG.
MEXICO CITY (AP) - AN EARLY MORNING EARTHQUAKE HAS RATTLED AN
AREA OFF THE COAST OF MEXICO. THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY SAYS THE
QUAKE WITH A PRELIMINARY MAGNITUDE OF 6.4 STRUCK ABOUT 170 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF PUERTO VALLARTA AT 3:16 A.M., EASTERN TIME. IT
OCCURRED AT A DEPTH OF ABOUT 2.5 MILES.