Today's News-Friday, January 29, 2010

TWO WOMEN ACCUSED IN ATTEMPTED BURGLARY IN GIRARDVILLE

TWO WOMEN ARE CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED BURGLARY. 22 YEAR OLD ROCHELLE HAUZE AND 21 YEAR OLD AMBER MCCRACKEN WERE ARRAIGNED YESTERDAY. THEY REPORTEDLY ENTERED THE HOME OF MARGARET HENNESSY ON A STREET DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF JANUARY 20TH, WEARING STOCKING MASKS AND DARK CLOTHING. HENNESSY'S GRANDSON INTERRUPTED THEIR BREAK-IN. MCCRACKEN WAS LATER SEEN BY THE VICTIM'S FAMILY, AND TOLD AUTHORITIES THAT SHE WAS HELD AT KNIFEPOINT BY THE BURGLAR'S, WHICH WAS UNTRUE. HAUZE AND MCCRACKEN LATER ADMITTED TO THE BREAK-IN, LOOKING FOR CASH AND PRESCRIPTION DRUGS. BOTH ARE JAILED IN THE COUNTY PRISON, AWAITING A PRELIMINARY HEARING.

ST LUKE'S TO CUT 30 JOBS

FINANCIAL LOSSES RESULT IN THE LOSS OF 30 JOBS AT ST LUKE'S HOSPITAL IN COALDALE. INFORMATION FROM HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT SAY THE FACILITY LOST $1.1 MILLION DOLLARS IN THE LATTER HALF OF 2009 DUE TO THE ECONOMY. THE JOBS THAT WILL BE CUT ARE FULLTIME, PARTTIME AND PER-DIEM POSITIONS. OTHER POSITIONS HAD BEEN CUT EARLIER. ST LUKE'S EMPLOYS OVER 320 PEOPLE.

BOTTLE BOMBS FOUND IN MAILBOXES

BUTLER TOWNSHIP POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING BOTTLE BOMBS FOUND IN MAILBOXES AT SEVERAL HOMES. SINCE TUESDAY, SEVEN SUCH DEVICES HAVE BEEN FOUND. A REWARD IS BEING OFFERED FOR ANYONE WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THE CRIMES. CALL BUTLER TOWNSHIP POLICE AT 875-4131, OR THE POSTAL INSPECTOR MICHAEL BOND AT 717-257-2330.

VOICE OF DEMOCRACY CEREMONY

VETERANS IN OUR AREA HAVE BEEN WORKING FOR YEARS TO ENCOURAGE MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO WRITE ABOUT PRIDE IN THEIR COUNTRY IN THE VOICE OF DEMOCRACY AND PATRIOTS PEN COMPETITION. THURSDAY, THEY WERE HONORED BY THE SCHUYLKILL COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. SHERRY MARCHEFSKY REPORTS FROM THE COUNTY COURTHOUSE:

VOICE OF DEMOCRACY

MINERSVILLE MAN CHARGED IN BURGLARY

A MINERSVILLE MAN IS CHARGED IN A CONVENIENCE STORE BURGLARY. THE INVESTIGATION BY MINERSVILLE POLICE CULMINATED IN THE ARREST OF MICHAEL REED, 135 SUNBURY STREET. HE'S CHARGED WITH BURGLARY, CRIMINAL TRESPASS AND THEFT FOR TAKING CASH, CIGARETTES AND LOTTERY TICKETS, TOTALING NEARLY $8 THOUSAND DOLLARS FROM THE MINERSVILLE GENERAL STORE LAST YEAR, ACCORDING TO THE REPUBLICAN HERALD. A TIP FROM AN INFORMANT LED TO SOME OF THE EVIDENCE FROM THE BURGLARY AT FRANK VANNICOLO'S HOUSE. REPORTS SAY REED AND HIS GIRLFRIEND BROKE INTO THE STORE USING A PRY BAR. VANNICOLO WAS ALREADY CHARGED FOR HIS ROLE IN THE BURGLARY.

ZELIENOPLE, PA. (AP) - THE POLICE CHIEF IN THE WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA TOWN WHERE TWO TEENAGE FIREFIGHTERS AND A THIRD TEEN DIED WHEN THEIR SUV WENT INTO AN ICY POND SAYS AUTOPSIES WON'T BE DONE, BUT TOXICOLOGY TESTS WILL BE. THE POLICE CHIEF IN ZELIENOPLE SAYS IT'S NOT UNUSUAL FOR AUTOPSIES NOT TO BE PERFORMED IN CRASHES IN BUTLER COUNTY.

BETHLEHEM, PA. (AP) - POLICE ARE SEEKING WITNESSES OF A TWO-CAR CRASH THAT KILLED THREE PEOPLE IN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA. POLICE IN BETHLEHEM SAY THREE PEOPLE IN A CAR DIED EARLY THURSDAY MORNING AFTER COLLIDING WITH A PICKUP TRUCK.

HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - GOV. ED RENDELL SAYS HIS ADMINISTRATION IS TAKING NEW STEPS TO ENSURE PUBLIC SAFETY IS BEING PROTECTED AMID A RUSH TO DRILL FOR NATURAL GAS BENEATH PENNSYLVANIA. RENDELL SAID THURSDAY HIS ADMINISTRATION IS HIRING MORE INSPECTORS TO MONITOR A GROWING NUMBER OF WELL SITES AND WRITING TOUGHER RULES TO PREVENT GAS FROM LEAKING INTO NEARBY HOMES AND WATER WELLS.

EXETER, PA. (AP) - A NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA MAN WHO WAS SEVERELY BURNED WHEN HIS HOUSE BLEW UP HAS NOW BEEN CHARGED WITH CAUSING THE EXPLOSION. DAVID LAMOREAUX WAS ARRAIGNED THURSDAY ON CHARGES OF ARSON, RISKING A CATASTROPHE AND OTHER OFFENSES FOR LAST SUMMER'S EXPLOSION THAT LEVELED HIS HOUSE IN EXETER AND DAMAGED MORE THAN A DOZEN NEARBY HOMES AND A SCHOOL.

BETHLEHEM, PA. (AP) - POLICE IN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA SAY A MAN FRUSTRATED WITH BANK OVERDRAFT CHARGES THREATENED TO ROB THE BRANCH
AND INVITED A TV STATION TO FILM HIM DOING IT. POLICE SAY 40-YEAR-OLD FRANCIS COLEMAN CALLED WFMZ ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT TO SAY HE WAS UPSET WITH A BANK OF AMERICA BRANCH IN BETHLEHEM. THE STATION REPORTED THE THREAT TO POLICE, WHO WENT TO COLEMAN'S HOME AND ARRESTED HIM.

WICHITA, KAN. (AP) - THE CASE A MAN WHO HAS OPENLY CONFESSED TO KILLING A KANSAS ABORTION PROVIDER COULD GOT TO THE JURY TODAY AFTER CLOSING ARGUMENTS. SCOTT ROEDER'S DEFENSE ATTORNEYS ALREADY HAVE LOST THEIR BID FOR A LESSER CHARGE BASED ON THEIR CLIENT'S BELIEF THAT HE WAS SAVING UNBORN CHILDREN. ROEDER IS CHARGED WITH FIRST-DEGREE MURDER IN THE DEATH OF DR. GEORGE TILLER AT HIS CHURCH.

LIEGE, BELGIUM (AP) - WHAT IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN A GAS EXPLOSION AT AN APARTMENT BUILDING IN BELGIUM HAS NOW KILLED 11 PEOPLE. SEARCHERS PULLED TWO MORE BODIES FROM THE RUBBLE OF A COLLAPSED APARTMENT BLOCK TODAY. OFFICIALS SAY THEY HAVE IDENTIFIED ONLY THREE VICTIMS SO FAR. THE FORCE OF THE EXPLOSION EARLY WEDNESDAY CAUSED THE FIVE-STORY APARTMENT BUILDING TO COLLAPSE.

TOKYO (AP) - INDUSTRY ANALYSTS SAY TOYOTA COULD SEE ITS MARKET SHARE DROP TO THE LOWEST IT'S BEEN IN FOUR YEARS, THANKS TO AN EXPANDING RECALL DUE TO FAULTY GAS PEDALS. TOYOTA'S STOCK VALUE FELL FOR THE SIXTH STRAIGHT TRADING DAY TODAY IN TOKYO. THE ISSUE HAS LOST MORE THAN 10 PERCENT OF ITS VALUE OVER THE LAST WEEK.

WASHINGTON (AP) - PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA TODAY WILL BE PROMOTING A RETOOLED BUSINESS TAX CREDIT DESIGNED TO GIVE BUSINESSES INCENTIVES TO HIRE NEW WORKERS. HIS PROPOSAL WOULD GIVE COMPANIES A $5,000 TAX CREDIT FOR EACH NET NEW WORKER HIRED IN 2010. IT DREW A COOL RECEPTION FROM CONGRESS LAST MONTH DESPITE THE NATION'S HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT RATE.

WASHINGTON (AP) - THERE ARE SIGNS THAT THE ECONOMY HUMMED RIGHT ALONG IN THE FINAL THREE MONTHS OF 2009. BUT SOME ANALYSTS SAY IT WAS GIVEN A BOOST BY TEMPORARY FACTORS LIKE THE GOVERNMENT STIMULUS WHICH WON'T LAST FOREVER. ANALYSTS SURVEYED BY THOMSON REUTERS ESTIMATE THE GOVERNMENT WILL REPORT 4.5 PERCENT GROWTH TODAY.