Today's News-Monday, February 22, 2010

FATAL CRASH IN COLUMBIA COUNTY

TWO PEOPLE ARE DEAD FOLLOWING A HEAD ON COLLISION IN NEIGHBORING COLUMBIA COUNTY YESTERDAY. BLOOMSBURG STATE POLICE REPORT THAT 43 YEAR OLD BRYAN FOLEY OF RINGTOWN WAS NORTHBOUND ON ROUTE 42 NEAR ARISTES WHEN HIS VEHCILE CROSSED INTO THE SOUTHBOUND LANE, CRASHING HEAD ON INTO THE VEHICLE OPERATED BY 56 YEAR OLD GERTRUDE TROUP OF HEGINS. BOTH DRIVERS WERE PRONOUNCED DEAD AT THE SCENE BY THE COLUMBIA COUNTY DEPUTY CORONER. THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED EARLY SUNDAY MORNING.

POTTSVILLE TEEN INJURED IN SATURDAY NIGHT CRASH

A POTTSVILLE TEENAGER REMAINS IN CRITICAL CONDITION FOLLOWING A CRASH ON TUMBLING RUN ROAD LATE SATURDAY NIGHT. FRACKVILLE STATE POLICE SAY 18 YEAR OLD KEVIN STOCK WAS EASTBOUND AROUND 10:45PM WHEN HE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE HE WAS DRIVING AND SMASHED INTO A TREE, THEN SPUN AROUND. STOCK WAS FLOWN TO LEHIGH VALLEY HOSPITAL.

HIT AND RUN IN GIRARDVILLE

STATE POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR THE DRIVER OF AN SUV INVOLVED IN A HIT AND RUN CRASH IN GIRARDVILLE LAST NIGHT. THE VEHICLE, A DARK COLORED CHEVY BLAZER OR JEEP CHEROKEE CLIPPED A PARKED CAR ON WEST MAIN STREET, DAMAGING THE DRIVER'S SIDE MIRROR. TROOPERS REPORT THAT THE MIRROR ON THE FIRST VEHICLE WILL BE MISSING GLASS FROM THE PASSENGER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. ANYONE WITH INFORMATION SHOULD CALL THE FRACKVILLE BARRACKS AT 874-5300.

TWO VEHICLE CRASH IN PINE GROVE TOWNSHIP

A PINE GROVE MAN IS FACING A HOST OF CHARGES FOLLOWING A CRASH IN PINE GROVE TOWNSHIP SUNDAY AFTERNOON. 23 YEAR OLD JESSE RHEN WAS DRIVING EAST ON SWEET ARROW LAKE ROAD. HIS VEHICLE TRAVELED INTO THE PATH OF 23 YEAR OLD ANYA ZELINSKY'S CAR, STRIKING IT HEAD ON. STATE POLICE SAY THAT RHEN WAS DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE AND WILL BE CHARGED IN THE INCIDENT. RHEN HAD MINOR INJURIES, ZELINSKY SUFFERED MORE SERIOUS INJURIES IN THE CRASH.

SEIP MAKES IT OFFICIAL

125TH DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE TIM SEIP IS RUNNING FOR A THIRD TERM IN HARRISBURG. REPORTER SHERRY MARCHEFSKY REPORTS FROM PINE GROVE:

SEIP ANNOUNCEMENT

ROAD WORK

MOTORISTS SHOULD BE AWARE OF VARIOUS ROAD WORK BEING DONE BY PENN DOT CREWS ACROSS THE REGION THIS WEEK. CRACK SEALING, BRUSH CUTTING AND BRIDGE REPAIRS WILL GET UNDERWAY THIS MORNING IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS: NEW CASTLE, DELANO, RUSH, FOSTER, HEGINS, WEST PENN, UNION, NORTH MANHEIM AND CASS TOWNSHIPS. TRAFFIC DELAYS AND DETOURS MAY RESULT, SO ALLOW A BIT OF EXTRA TIME FOR TRAVEL IN THOSE WORK AREAS.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - THREE YOUNG PITTSBURGH-AREA RESIDENTS ARE DEAD AFTER THE CAR THEY WERE IN WENT OFF I-376, PLUNGED DOWN AN EMBANKMENT AND CRASHED INTO SOME TREES. THE VICTIMS OF THE ACCIDENT EARLY SUNDAY WERE IDENTIFIED AS DEREK PHILLIPS AND DAVID RIZZO -BOTH 20 - AND 18-YEAR-OLD TARA SCHULZ. THE 18-YEAR-OLD DRIVER ANDANOTHER PASSENGER SURVIVED.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - PITTSBURGH POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR THE HIT-AND-RUN DRIVER WHO STRUCK AND KILLED A 30-YEAR-OLD WOMAN IN THE CITY'S HOMEWOOD SECTION. TWO OTHER WOMEN WERE LEFT INJURED EARLY YESTERDAY MORNING BY WHAT WAS DESCRIBED AS A DARK-COLORED SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - PHILADELPHIA POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING A FATAL PIT BULL ATTACK. BARBARA ERB TOLD THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER THAT SHE WAS ARGUING WITH HER 38-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER, CHRISTINE STAAB, WHEN STAAB FELL AND THE DOG LEAPED ON HER. ERB SAID SHE COULD NOT GET THE ANIMAL TO RELAX ITS GRIP ON HER DAUGHTER. WHEN OFFICERS ARRIVED THEY SHOT AND KILLED THE DOG.

WILKES-BARRE, PA. (AP) - LAWYERS FOR A TEEN ACCUSED OF FATALLY SHOOTING HIS 80-YEAR-OLD GREAT-GRANDFATHER ARE SEEKING TO HAVE POLICE INTERVIEWS WITH THE BOY EXCLUDED FROM HIS TRIAL IN LUZERNE COUNTY. CODY LEE CLAIMS HE'D BEEN WANDERING IN THE WOODS FOR HOURS AND WAS TOO COLD TO THINK CLEARLY WHEN STATE POLICE INTERROGATED HIM IN DECEMBER.

KABUL (AP) - THE AFGHAN CABINET PUTS THE DEATH TOLL FROM A NATO AIRSTRIKE AT 33 CIVILIANS, INCLUDING FOUR WOMEN AND ONE CHILD. THE AFGHANISTAN COUNCIL OF MINISTERS IS CONDEMNING THE ATTACK AND CALLING IT "UNJUSTIFIABLE." NATO HAS CONFIRMED ITS PLANES FIRED ON WHAT IT BELIEVED WAS A GROUP OF INSURGENTS, BUT THE MILITARY ALLIANCE LATER DISCOVERED THAT WOMEN AND CHILDREN WERE HURT.

WASHINGTON (AP) - DAYS BEFORE A BIPARTISAN HEALTH CARE SUMMIT, THE WHITE HOUSE WILL REVEAL PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA'S NEWEST PROPOSAL TO REWORK THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM. OBAMA WILL SUGGEST GIVING FEDERAL AUTHORITIES THE POWER TO LIMIT RATE HIKES BY HEALTH INSURERS. RECENT PREMIUM HIKES OF AS MUCH AS 39 PERCENT SOUGHT BY ANTHEM BLUE CROSS IN CALIFORNIA HAVE GIVEN OBAMA A NEW ARGUMENT FOR HIS SWEEPING HEALTH CARE REMAKE.

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA. (AP) - ENDEAVOUR HAS A FEW DINGS ON IT, BUT IS NO WORSE FOR WEAR AFTER ITS TWO-WEEK, 5.7 MILLION-MILE JOURNEY.  THE SHUTTLE AND ITS SIX ASTRONAUTS LANDED SAFELY YESTERDAY, IN A RARE NIGHTTIME TOUCHDOWN. THE CREW INSTALLED THE LAST MAJOR PIECE OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, A ROOM NAMED TRANQUILITY, WHICH CAME WITH A DOMED OBSERVATION WINDOW.

BERLIN (AP) - PEOPLE BOOKED FOR LONG-HAUL FLIGHTS ON LUFTHANSA MAY WANT TO DOUBLE CHECK THEIR FLIGHTS. THE GERMAN AIRLINE HAS CANCELED ABOUT 800 FLIGHTS, MANY OF THEM TO THE U.S., AFTER MORE THAN 4,000 PILOTS BEGAN A FOUR-DAY WALKOUT. SO FAR, ABOUT 10,000 PASSENGERS HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY THE CANCELLATIONS. LUFTHANSA EXPECTS THE STRIKE COULD COST SOME $34 MILLION A DAY.

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (AP) - ROGER FEDERER REPORTEDLY BELIEVES THE WORST IS OVER FOR HIS "GOOD FRIEND" TIGER WOODS. FEDERER, WHO WAS IN THE UAE TO PLAY THE DUBAI CHAMPIONSHIPS, TOLD THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAILY THE GULF NEWS, "WHAT'S HAPPENED TO HIM HAS BEEN HARD TO WATCH OVER THE LAST THREE MONTHS." WOODS ON FRIDAY ADMITTED CHEATING ON HIS WIFE AND SAID HE WAS "DEEPLY SORRY."