Today's News-Saturday, October 3, 2009

SCHOENEMAN COMPANY SOLD

A TEXAS-BASED COMPANY IS PURCHASING POTTSVILLE-BASED SCHOENEMAN BEAUTY SUPPLY FOR ABOUT $61 MILLION DOLLARS. SALLY BEAUTY HOLDINGS ANNOUNCED THE ACQUISITION YESTERDAY, STATING THE 43-STORE PROFESSIONAL BEAUTY STORE CHAIN IS PART OF THEIR GROWTH PLANS. ABOUT 500 PEOPLE WORK FOR SCHOENEMAN. EMPIRE BEAUTY SCHOOLS, RUN BY FRANKLIN SCHOENEMAN, IS NOT PART OF THE DEAL.

MATTA TO SUE FORMER EMPLOYER

A FORMER BANK EXECUTIVE IS SUING HIS FORMER EMPLOYER FOR DEFAMATION AND WRONGFUL TERMINATION. ROBERT MATTA, WHO WAS CEO OF MINERS BANK, WAS DISMISSED AFTER REPORTS SURFACED THAT HE WAS INVOLVED IN THE JUDGE'S CORRUPTION SCANDAL IN LUZERNE COUNTY. THE REPUBLICAN HERALD REPORTS THAT THE BANK, ITS CHAIRMAN AND THE LAW FIRM REPRESENTING THE BANK ARE NAMED IN THE SUIT. MATTA, AN ATTORNEY HIMSELF, TESTIFIED BEFORE A GRAND JURY IN JANUARY ABOUT A REAL ESTATE TRANSACTION HE HANDLED FOR ATTORNEY ROBERT POWELL, HAZLETON WHERE MONEY WAS TRANSFERRED FROM A CONSTRUCTION COMPANY TO A BUSINESS OWNED BY FORMER LUZERNE COUNTY JUDGE MICHAEL CONAHAN, WHO ALONG WITH MARK CIAVARELLA, ARE CHARGED WITH ACCEPTING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR PLACING JUVENILE OFFENDERS IN PRIVATE FACILITIES.

TWO ARRESTED IN HEISLER'S BURGLARY

TWO MEN HAVE BEEN CHARGED IN THE HEISLER'S DAIRY BAR BURGLARY FROM AUGUST. FRACKVILLE STATE POLICE REPORT RICHARD CANNAVACCIUOLO AND DAVID FERRAR BURGLARIZED THE WALKER TOWNSHIP BUSINESS, TAKING CASH AND CAUSING DAMAGE. BOTH MEN WERE ALSO CHARGED IN A STRING OF BURGLARIES IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY OVER THE PAST TWO MONTHS.

BUDGET

HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - DEMOCRATS IN THE PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE OF REPRENSENTATIVES ARE SENDING A TAX PLAN TO THE REPUBLICAN-CONTROLLED SENATE, HOPING TO END A THREE-MONTH-OLD BUDGET STALEMATE. THE HOUSE VOTED 103-TO-98 LATE FRIDAY TO ADVANCE AN ALTERNATIVE TO A BUDGET DEAL THEIR LEADERS MADE WITH THE SENATE AND GOV. ED RENDELL TWO WEEKS AGO. THE BILL WOULD ADD NEW TAXES ON NATURAL GAS EXTRACTION AND CERTAIN TOBACCO PRODUCTS. IT ALSO WOULD ELIMINATE A PLAN TO TAX SMALL GAMES OF CHANCE AND TICKETS TO SOME ARTS EVENTS. STATE REPRESENTATIVE TIM SEIP, ALONG WITH FELLOW COUNTY LEGISLATOR NEAL GOODMAN VOTED IN FAVOR OF THE MEASURE. SEIP SAYS IT HELPS THOSE WHO HELP US:

SEIP BUDGET VOTE

HOUSE REPUBLICANS, LIKE REPRESENTATIVE JERRY KNOWLES, WHO VOTED NO, SAY NO HIGHER TAXES ARE NECESSARY AND WARN THEY'LL CAUSE ECONOMIC HARDSHIP. THE BILL FACES A HOSTILE RECEPTION IN THE SENATE.

RATE CAPS TO EXPIRE

ONE STATE SENATOR IS REMINDING HER COLLEAGUES THAT -- WHILE PASSAGE OF THE STATE BUDGET IS ON THE TOP OF EVERYONE'S MIND -- ANOTHER DEADLINE IS LOOMING AT THE END OF THE YEAR, WHEN CAPS ON ELECTRIC RATES WILL EXPIRE. DON ROONEY HAS MORE:

ROONEY BOSCOLA

HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - DEMOCRATS IN THE PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ARE SENDING A TAX PLAN TO THE REPUBLICAN-CONTROLLED SENATE, HOPING TO END A THREE-MONTH-OLD BUDGET STALEMATE. THE HOUSE VOTED 103-TO-98 LATE LAST NIGHT TO ADVANCE AN ALTERNATIVE TO A BUDGET DEAL THEIR LEADERS MADE WITH THE SENATE AND GOV. ED RENDELL
TWO WEEKS AGO. THE BILL FACES A HOSTILE RECEPTION IN THE SENATE.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - THE WIDOW OF THE SMALL-PLANE PILOT KILLED IN A COLLISION WITH A HELICOPTER OVER THE HUDSON RIVER BETWEEN NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY IS SEEKING MORE THAN $1.3 MILLION IN DAMAGES IN A WRONGFUL-DEATH LAWSUIT. PAMELA ALTMAN IS SUING TOUR COMPANY LIBERTY HELICOPTERS, HELICOPTER OWNER MERIDIAN CONSULTING I AND MANUFACTURER AMERICAN EUROCOPTER.

PHILADEPHIA (AP) - THE HEAD OF TIME WARNER INC. SAYS HE'S NOT INTERESTED IN MAKING A BID FOR NBC UNIVERSAL. THAT COULD STRENGTHEN THE HAND OF PHILADELPHIA-BASED COMCAST CORP. AS IT EXPLORES WHETHER TO BUY A CONTROLLING STAKE IN THE PARENT OF THE NBC NETWORK AND UNIVERSAL STUDIOS.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - AN ALLEGHENY COUNTY JUDGE HAS REFUSED TO OVERTURN THE COUNTY JAIL WARDEN'S PLANS TO RESTRICT HOW WORKERS CAN TAKE VACATION DAYS. THE 480-MEMBER UNION OPPOSES WARDEN RAMON RUSTIN'S PLAN TO BAR THEM FROM TAKING VACATION TIME IN ONE-DAY
INCREMENTS STARTING IN JANUARY.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - THE PHILADELPHIA ZOO IS WELCOMING A BABY ORANGUTAN. A 16-YEAR-OLD SUMATRAN ORANGUTAN NAMED TUA GAVE BIRTH TO THE BABY ON YESTERDAY MORNING. ZOO KEEPERS AREN'T GETTING TOO CLOSE TO THE BABY YET. SINCE THEY'RE NOT SURE IF IT'S A BOY OR A GIRL, IT HASN'T BEEN GIVEN A NAME YET.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (AP) - TYPHOON PARMA IS RIPPING OFF ROOFS, TOPPLING POWER PYLONS AND SWELLING RIVERS IN THE MOUNTAINOUS NORTHERN PHILIPPINES. OFFICIALS SAY AT LEAST TWO PEOPLE ARE DEAD. THE TYPHOON IS THE COUNTRY'S SECOND IN EIGHT DAYS. IT'S HEADED
TOWARD TAIWAN, WHERE EVACUATIONS ARE UNDER WAY IN THE SOUTH.

ROME (AP) - ITALY'S PREMIER SAYS HE FEARS THE DEATH TOLL FROM MUDSLIDES IN SICILY COULD RISE TO 50. SO FAR 20 PEOPLE ARE KNOWN TO HAVE DIED WHEN RIVERS OF MUD UNLEASHED BY HEAVY RAINS FLOODED PARTS OF MESSINA. RESCUE TEAMS CONTINUE DIGGING THROUGH THE MUD. OFFICIALS SAY ABOUT 40 REMAIN MISSING.

PADANG, INDONESIA (AP) - SEARCH AND RESCUE EFFORTS CONTINUE IN WESTERN INDONESIA AFTER EARTHQUAKES THIS WEEK KILLED AT LEAST 715 PEOPLE AND DESTROYED BUILDINGS IN THE PADANG AREA OF SUMATRA. A SURVIVOR TRAPPED IN A COLLAPSED HOTEL SENT A TEXT MESSAGE SAYING HE AND OTHERS WERE ALIVE, BUT HOPES QUICKLY FADED AFTER SNIFFER DOGS
FAILED TO DETECT LIFE.

WASHINGTON (AP) - IN HIS WEEKLY RADIO AND INTERNET ADDRESS, PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA SAYS PASSAGE OF HIS HEALTH CARE PROPOSALS WOULD CREATE NEW JOBS BY MAKING SMALL BUSINESS STARTUPS MORE AFFORDABLE. BUT CONGRESSWOMAN CANDICE MILLER, SPEAKING FOR THE GOP, SAYS OBAMA'S HEALTH PROPOSALS WON'T HELP. SHE'S CALLING FOR TAX CUTS.

LONDON (AP) - RESEARCHERS FROM SHEFFIELD UNIVERSITY HAVE UNEARTHED A SMALLER PREHISTORIC SITE NEAR BRITAIN'S FAMOUS CIRCLE OF STANDING STONES AT STONEHENGE. THE SITE IS DUBBED "BLUEHENGE," AFTER THE COLOR OF THE 27 WELSH STONES THAT WERE LAID TO MAKE UP A PATH. THE STONES ARE GONE BUT THE HOLES REMAIN.