Today's News-Wednesday, October 21, 2009

MISSING PERSON FOUND

A MISSING KLINGERSTOWN MAN WAS FOUND EARLY THIS MORNING NEAR HIS HOME. STATE POLICE REPORTED 65 YEAR OLD LESTER ROTHERMEL MISSING AROUND 11:30 TUESDAY NIGHT. CREWS AND A HELICOPTER LOOKED FOR HIM OVERNIGHT, AND HE WAS FOUND AROUND 6AM, APPARENTLY SAFE AND SOUND. ROTHERMEL IS REPORTED TO HAVE ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE.

GIRARDVILLE WOMAN CHARGED WITH STEALING FROM THE ELDERLY

A GIRARDVILLE WOMAN IS CHARGED WITH STEALING MONEY FROM AN ELDERLY WOMAN SHE BEFRIENDED. 37 YEAR OLD MICHELE ANN CONNORS WAS ARRAIGNED BEFORE DISTRICT JUDGE KILKER IN SHENANDOAH TUESDAY. CONNERS IS ALLEGED TO HAVE TAKEN MORE THAN $163 THOUSAND DOLLARS FROM 90 YEAR OLD MARY O'CONNELL, WHOM SHE BECAME POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR IN 2006. CONNORS MADE PURCHASES AND CASH WITHDRAWALS FROM O'CONNELL'S BANK ACCOUNT OF ABOUT $160-THOUSAND-DOLLARS AND 3 THOUSAND DOLLARS FROM THE PREPAYMENT OF O'CONNELL'S FUNERAL. SHENANDOAH POLICE AND SCHUYLKILL COUNTY DETECTIVES WERE PART OF THE INVESTIGATION.

HOME BURGLARY

STATE POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING A HOME BURGLARY IN NORTH UNION TOWNSHIP. SOMEONE BROKE INTO GAIL RENTSCHLER'S HOME AT 485 BUCK MOUNTAIN ROAD BY KICKING IN A SECOND STORY DOOR. ASSORTED JEWELRY VALUED AT OVER $18 HUNDRED DOLLARS AND TWO LARGE CONTAINERS FILLED WITH CURRENCY, VALUED AT ABOUT $600 DOLLARS. THE BURGLARY OCCURRED DURING MIDDAY MONDAY.

TEEN DRIVER SAFETY WEEK

THIS WEEK HAS BEEN DESIGNATED NATIONAL TEEN DRIVER SAFETY WEEK, AND ONE STATE LAWMAKER IS WORKING TO LIMIT DISTRACTIONS FOR TEEN DRIVERS AND PUT THEIR FOCUS BACK ON THE ROAD. ROSEANN CADAU REPORTS FROM HARRISBURG:

CADAU TEEN DRIVER

DON'T CUT THE BROKEN LIMBS JUST YET
　
AFTER LAST WEEK'S EARLY WINTER WEATHER, SNOW AND WIND CAUSED DAMAGE TO SOME TREES STILL FULL OF LEAVES. PENN STATE PROFESSOR OF FOREST RESOURCES JIM FINLEY SAYS WHILE THE SIGHT OF DAMAGED BOUGHS AND LIMBS MAY BE UNSIGHTLY, YOU SHOULDN'T RUSH INTO EXTREME PRUNING OR TREE REMOVAL:

FINLEY

FINLEY SAYS IF THE DAMAGED LIMBS ARE OUT OF YOUR REACH, IT'S TIME TO CALL A PROFESSIONAL ARBORIST. YOU CAN FIND FREE INFORMATION ON PRUNING AND OTHER ASPECTS OF TREE CARE ONLINE FROM PENN STATE COLLEGE OF AG SCIENCES PUBLICATIONS AT PUBS DOT C-A-S DOT P-S-U DOT E-D-U.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - AN ANTI-ISLAMIC DUTCH LAWMAKER'S VISIT TO TEMPLE UNIVERSITY WAS CUT SHORT AFTER A QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION TURNED NASTY. GEERT WILDERS CALLS THE MUSLIM HOLY BOOK, THE QURAN, "AN EVIL BOOK" THAT PROMOTES VIOLENCE AND INTOLERANCE. SOME IN THE CROWD SHOUTED JEERS AND THE DUTCH POLITICIAN WAS ESCORTED OUT OF THE LECTURE HALL.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A FRIEND OF IMPRISONED FORMER STATE SEN. VINCENT FUMO ADMITS THE POWERFUL LAWMAKER STEERED HIM NEARLY $290,000 IN STATE FUNDS THROUGH PHONY SENATE CONTRACTS. S. MICHAEL PALERMO ENTERED A PLEA DEAL YESTERDAY IN PHILADELPHIA. HE IS LIKELY TO GET FIVE YEARS PROBATION UNDER TERMS OF A PLEA WHEN HE'S SENTENCED ON JANUARY 22.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - AUTHORITIES SAY A FORMER AIRPORT SCREENER HAS ADMITTED STEALING LAPTOP COMPUTERS AND A VIDEO-GAME SYSTEM FROM
PASSENGERS' CHECKING LUGGAGE IN PHILADELPHIA. OFFICIALS SAY A BAGGAGE HANDLER SPOTTED T.S.A. OFFICER TROY DAVIS REMOVING A LAPTOP FROM A SUITCASE. HE HAS PLEADED GUILTY TO THEFT CHARGES AND WILL BE SENTENCED JANUARY 19.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - MICROSOFT CO-FOUNDER AND PHILANTHROPIST BILL GATES IS ONE OF ELEVEN RECIPIENTS OF THE 2010 FRANKLIN INSTITUTE AWARDS. GATES WAS NAMED THE WINNER OF THE BOWER AWARD FOR BUSINESS LEADERSHIP. THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE SCIENCE MUSEUM IN PHILADELPHIA GIVES THE AWARDS ANNUALLY. PREVIOUS WINNERS INCLUDE ALBERT EINSTEIN AND THOMAS EDISON.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - TONIGHT IS GAME 5 OF THE NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES AND THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES ARE JUST ONE WIN AWAY FROM CLOSING OUT THE LOS ANGELES DODGERS. IF THE PHILLIES WIN, IT WOULD BE THE SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR THAT THEY SECURED A BERTH IN THE WORLD SERIES. THE DEFENDING CHAMPIONS ARE SENDING COLE HAMELS TO THE MOUND TO START TONIGHT.

KABUL (AP) - THE STAGE IS SET IN AFGHANISTAN FOR A PRESIDENTIAL RUN-OFF ELECTION. THAT'S AFTER BOTH TOP CANDIDATE AGREED TO TAKE PART IN THE NOV. 7 VOTE. THE HIGH-STAKES SHOWDOWN COMES IN THE FACE OF TALIBAN THREATS AND APPROACHING WINTER SNOWS. DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES SAYS THE RUNOFF IS A POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT BUT WON'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION.

PARACHINAR, PAKISTAN (AP) - PAKISTANI SOLDIERS APPEAR TO BE GAINING GROUND IN A BATTLE TAKING PLACE IN THE HOMETOWN OF PAKISTAN'S TALIBAN LEADER. INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS ALSO SAY PAKISTANI FORCES ARE MOVING AHEAD WITH A MAJOR ASSAULT ON A MILITANT BASE NEAR THE AFGHAN BORDER. IT'S PART OF PAKISTAN'S FIVE-DAY-OLD OFFENSIVE.

WASHINGTON (AP) - THE GOOD NEWS IN A NEW GOVERNMENT WATCHDOG REPORT IS THAT THE $700 BILLION FINANCIAL INDUSTRY BAILOUT PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN RESCUING THE ECONOMY. THE BAD NEWS IS THAT THE BAILOUT CAME AT GREAT COST TO TAXPAYERS, TO THE INTEGRITY OF THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM AND TO THE PUBLIC'S PERCEPTION OF THE GOVERNMENT.

MONROE, N.Y. (AP) - POLICE SAY A 15-YEAR-OLD BOY IS BEING HELD IN A PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL AFTER HE ALLEGEDLY PLANNED AN ATTACK AT A HIGH SCHOOL. POLICE SAY THE TEEN HAD STOCKPILED GASOLINE, PROPANE, FUSES AND A MACHETE. THE ATTACK HAD BEEN PLANNED FOR THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE COLUMBINE HIGH SCHOOL KILLINGS.

GENEVA (AP) - SWISS AUTHORITIES SAY THEY ACTED CORRECTLY WHEN THEY TIPPED OFF THE U.S. AND SET IN MOTION THE ARREST OF ROMAN POLANSKI IN HIS DECADES-OLD CHILD SEX CASE. A MINISTRY SPOKESMAN SAYS SWISS OFFICIALS ASKED THEIR AMERICAN COUNTERPARTS IF THEIR ARREST WARRANT WAS STILL VALID. AFTER RECEIVING U.S. CONFIRMATION, HE SAYS SWITZERLAND WAS OBLIGED BY TREATY TO MAKE THE ARREST.