Thursday March 4th, 2010 - News

LOCAL NEWS

COMMISSIONERS’ MEETING

STORM WATER IMPROVEMENT BIDS CAME IN FOR THE VILLAGE OF MARY D YESTERDAY AT THE WEEKLY COMMISSIONER’S MEETING. BIDS RANGED FROM $13, 217 TO $18,553. AN APPROVAL WAS GRANTED WITH MOTOROLA FOR A SERVICE MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT ON THE $2.248 MILLION DOLLAR CENTRACOM GOLD ELITE RADIO CONSOLE WHICH WAS INSTALLED LATE 2008 TO HELP THE COUNTIES LIFE SAFETY INSTITUTIONS. . THE AGREEMENT, WHICH COSTS $292,236, IS BASICALLY AN “INSURANCE POLICY” THAT COVERS ALL SOFTWARE UPGRADES AND ROUND THE CLOCK MAINTENANCE ON THE SYSTEM. THIS YEAR’S MEMORIAL DAY GRAVE FLAGS WERE APPROVED. 3880 FLAGS WILL BE ORDERED AT A CHEAPER COST FROM LAST YEAR, SAVING THE COUNTY $777,60. FINALLY THE SCHUYLKILL COUNTY INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY REQUESTED USE OF THE RECOVERY ZONE BONDS, THAT THE US TREASURY DEPARTMENT ENACTED IN THE STIMULUS ACT LAST YEAR. THESE 2 BONDS, DEVELOPMENT BONDS AND FACILITY BONDS, ARE GIVEN TO “RECOVERY ZONE” COUNTIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY HAS BEEN GRANTED THE ALLOCATION OF $3, 248,000 IN DEVELOPMENT BONDS AND $4,872,000 IN FACILITY BONDS. THESE BONDS ALLOW FOR LOWER BORROWING COSTS AND TAX INCENTIVES TO PROMOTE THE COUNTY’S ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND PROMOTE JOB CREATION.


VANDALIZED CARS

AN UNKNOWN SUSPECT VANDALIZED TWO VEHICLES OVER THE WEEKEND. BRADLEY HELLER, 44 OF LENHARTSVILLE, AND KIMBERLY HELLER, 41 OF LENHARTSVILLE, HAD THEIR VEHICLES PARKED AT 156 CHURCH HILL ROAD, GREENWICH TOWNSHIP IN BERKS COUNTY OVER THE WEEKEND. BRADLEY HELLER HAD BOTH DRIVER SIDE TIRES SLASHED AND THE BRAKE LINES CUT ON HIS 1997 JEEP WRANGLER., KIMBERLY HELLER, HAD HER INTERIOR SEAT COVERS SLASHED, HER BRAKE LINES CUT, AND AN UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE POURED INTO THE FUEL TANK. ANYONE WITH INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS CRIME IS TO CONTACT THE PSP OF HAMBURG AT 610.562.6885

HAWK MOUNTAIN/READING STOVE COMPANY THEFT

UNKNOWN SUSPECTS ROBBED THE HAWK MOUNTAIN GENERAL STORE AND THE READING STOVE COMPANY EARLY THIS WEEK. THO NO SIGNS OF FORCIBLE ENTRY, BOTH COMPANIES HAD MONEY STOLEN FROM THEIR PROPERTIES LOCATED ON SUMMER VALLEY ROAD IN WEST BRUNKSWICK TOWNSHIP IN SCHUYLKILL COUNTY EARLIER THIS WEEK. THE SUSPECTS DESTROYED AN ATM MADE OFF WITH 100 CARTONS OF CIGARETTES AT THE HAWK MOUNTAIN GENERAL STORE, AND THEN REMOVED A LOCK BOX FROM THE READING STOVE COMPANY. THE SUSPECTS WERE CAUGHT ON TAPE AND AN UNKNOWN VEHICLE WAS REPORTED TO BE IN THE AREA AND PARKED IN THE GRACE BIBLE CHURCH OF HAWK MOUNTAIN, LOCATED NEXT TO THE GENERAL STORE. ONCE OUTSIDE THE STORE, THE SUSPECTS FLED IN AN UNKNOWN DIRECTION, POSSIBLY NORTH TO COAL MOUNTAIN ROAD. ANYONE WITH INFORMATION CONCERNING THESE INCIDENTS IS TO CONTACT PSP SCHUYLKILL HAVEN AT 570.593.2000.

STATE NEWS

PHILADELPHIA BUDGET
Philly mayor seeks trash, soda tax to cure budget

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter hopes to
close next year's budget shortage through a soda tax and fees for
trash pickup.
Aides say the two-cents-an-ounce sweet-drink tax will raise $77
million a year and address the city's high obesity rate, especially
among children. The $300-per-year trash fee is expected to yield
$108 million annually.
Residents can offset the fees through a recycling program that
offers rewards of $100 to $400 a year based on neighborhood totals.
Nutter is to deliver his budget plan to the City Council on
Thursday.

STARVATION DEATH CHARGES
Pa. social workers convicted in federal fraud case

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Four social workers have been convicted in a
fraud case stemming from the starvation death of a disabled
Philadelphia teenager.
A federal jury in Philadelphia returned the verdicts Wednesday
afternoon in the trial involving now-defunct MultiEthnic Behavioral
Health Inc.
Prosecutors say the company defrauded the city of millions of
dollars by not visiting needy families then covering it up with
false paperwork.
Two company co-founders were found guilty of all charges,
including wire and health care fraud. Two employees were convicted
on 17 of 20 counts.
The charges stem from the 2006 death of 14-year-old Danieal
(dan-YELL') Kelly. Officials say she suffered from maggot-infested
bedsores and weighed 42 pounds when she died.
Kelly's mother, Andrea, is serving 20 to 40 years in prison
after pleading guilty to third-degree murder.



PHILADELPHIA CASINO
Wynn gets a chance to revive Philly casino project

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania gambling regulators are
granting more time to a long-stalled casino project on
Philadelphia's waterfront to see whether developer Steve Wynn can
rescue it.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board issued the decision
Wednesday after Wynn made his first appearance before the panel.
Wynn's plans entail taking control of the Foxwoods Philadelphia
casino project. The 68-year-old Wynn has developed several landmark
casinos in Las Vegas.
In January, the board ordered Foxwoods Philadelphia to explain
rampant delays and financial troubles since its license was awarded
in 2006.
The board gave Wynn until March 31 to submit a financing plan
and until April 26 to submit construction and design details.
Wynn announced his intention to take over the project last
month, but has not yet sought board approval of his plans.


DISORDERLY TEENS
Teens arrested in 2nd Philly disruption in 2 weeks

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Philadelphia police arrested 18 juveniles
for disorderly conduct following disruptions by dozens of teens in
Center City for the second time in as many weeks.
Police say store owners called police at about 4:15 p.m.
Wednesday after a large fight broke out a few blocks south of City
Hall. About 40 youths scattered when police arrived. One teen was
charged with assault on an officer.
Lt. Frank Vanore says riot charges could be filed. He says
investigators believe the crowd may have been on the way to a
downtown mall.
On Feb. 16, more than a dozen teenagers were arrested and a
14-year-old boy taken to the hospital after a large crowd caused
chaos around City Hall and in a nearby department store. In
December, a horde of youths turned away from the mall rampaged
through the area, assaulting some holiday shoppers.



PA CORRUPTION SCANDAL
Witness says Dems saved $1 million-plus on e-mails

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A former campaign coordinator for
Democrats in the Pennsylvania House says using the Legislature's
taxpayer-supplied blast e-mail system saved his candidates more
than $1 million.
Dan Wiedemer told jurors in the public corruption case of a
former state lawmaker and three ex-aides that the blast e-mails
were only part of the public resources commandeered to run
elections while he served as executive director of the House
Democratic Campaign Committee.
He says the election efforts in 2006 alone were also bolstered
by more than 50 opposition research reports generated by state
workers. Wiedemer says those types of reports can cost more than
$2,500 apiece to purchase from private vendors.
Wiedemer is the latest witness to testify in the 4 1/2-week-old
criminal trial of former Rep. Mike Veon and three former aides.



ALLENTOWN CELL PHONE BAN
Eastern Pa. council passes driver-cell phone ban

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - Allentown council members have voted
unanimously to ban people from using hand-held cell phones and
similar devices to phone, text or browse while driving in the
eastern Pennsylvania city.
The measure approved 7-0 would go into effect 10 days after a
signature by Mayor Ed Pawlowski, who supports the bill. Offenders
could be fined $150 to $300, and a violation would be a primary
traffic offense, meaning police could use it as a reason to pull
over a motorist.
Skateboards, inline skaters and bicyclists would also be barred
from using cell phones while riding.
Exceptions would be made in cases of emergency, and hands-free
devices would be exempt.
Philadelphia, Erie and Harrisburg have passed similar bans.


STUDENTS RAPED
Conviction in rape of 2 Pa. university students

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. (AP) - A central Pennsylvania jury deliberated
for only half an hour Wednesday before convicting a man of raping
two univesity students a year ago.
Twenty-four-year-old Domenique Wilson of Philadelphia was
convicted of more than three dozen charges including rape, indecent
deviate sexual intercourse and unlawful restraint. He was charged
in the February 2009 attack on three Lock Haven students, two of
whom were raped repeatedly at knifepoint.
The victims and their families said in a statement that they
were grateful that justice had been served in the case.
Outside the courtroom, the defendant said he was innocent and
the trial had been unfair. Wilson, who once played for the
university's basketball team, is scheduled for sentencing June 7.
He is awaiting trial in a separate rape case in Philadelphia.



PRIEST SLAIN
Defendant in NJ priest's murder pleads not guilty

CHATHAM, N.J. (AP) - A janitor charged with murdering a popular
New Jersey parish priest has pleaded not guilty.
Jose Feliciano entered his plea through his attorney during an
arraignment Wednesday in state Superior Court in Morristown.
Feliciano was charged with murder in October after the Rev.
Edward Hinds was found on the floor of the rectory of St. Patrick
Parish in Chatham, Morris County.
Feliciano, of Easton, Pa., had worked for the parish for 17
years. He is being held on $1 million bail.
Prosecutors say he stabbed Hinds 32 times during the attack.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for June 2.



DU PONT-APPEAL
Millionaire killer John du Pont nears final appeal

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Millionaire murderer John du Pont's appeals
have nearly run out as the chemical-fortune heir fights his 1997
conviction for killing an Olympic wrestler at his Pennsylvania
estate.
The 71-year-old du Pont has been in prison since a Delaware
County jury deemed him mentally ill but still guilty of
third-degree murder.
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the verdict in 2000.
Now a U.S. appeals court in Philadelphia has rejected all but
one issue raised on appeal.
And the court won't hear arguments on the issue, involving his
use of a Bulgarian prescription drug before he fatally shot Olympic
gold-medal winner David Schultz in 1996. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court
instead wants only written briefs.
Du Pont is serving a 13- to 30-year prison term.


PEOPLE-BOBBY RYDELL
60s idol Rydell enters first-time offender program

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) - Sixties teen pop idol Bobby Rydell has
been accepted into a program for nonviolent first-time offenders
following a drunk driving charge.
Under the terms of the program the 67-year-old Rydell will be on
probation for a year and lose his license for two months.
Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Karen Ricca says
Rydell can apply to have the charge expunged from his record in a
year.
Police say Rydell's 1969 Bentley jumped a curb and struck a wall
in the Philadelphia suburb of Narberth in August. No injuries were
reported.
Prosecutors say Rydell's blood alcohol level was twice the legal
limit at the time of the crash.
Rydell had hits including "Wild One" and "Volare" and
appeared in the 1963 movie "Bye Bye Birdie."


NATIONAL NEWS


CHILE-EARTHQUAKE
Chile military rolls out post-quake aid effort

CONCEPCION, Chile (AP) - Chile's military has begun delivering
food to survivors of the massive earthquake over the weekend.
Soldiers filled trucks with plastic bags of cooking oil, flour
and canned beans, and municipal crews delivered the packages
yesterday to areas secured by troops from looters.
Survivors cheered as the troops arrived to deliver essentials
and restore order in streets still littered with rubble, downed
power lines and destroyed cars.
One woman says the aid is welcome after days of sleeping in
tents and sharing food with neighbors over a wood fire. But she
also said the neighborhood hadn't gone hungry because residents had
access to food from the military.
Saturday's magnitude-8.8 quake and tsunami ravaged a 435-mile
stretch of Chile's Pacific coast. Downed bridges and damaged or
debris-strewn highways made traveling difficult if not impossible
in many areas.
The official death toll reached more than 80 on Wednesday.


CLINTON-COSTA RICA
NEW: Clinton to meet with Latin American officials

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Rodham Clinton is in Costa Rica to press Latin American nations on
democracy and development.
Clinton arrived in the capital, San Jose, early Thursday morning
and will meet with officials from 16 Central and South American
nations at a conference aimed at promoting reform.
Costa Rica is the second to last stop on Clinton's weeklong,
six-country tour of the region. She has already visited Uruguay,
Argentina, Chile and Brazil. She wraps up her trip on Friday in
Guatemala.


TAIWAN-EARTHQUAKE
Major earthquake hits Taiwan

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - A powerful earthquake has hit southern
Taiwan, terrifying residents, disrupting communications and
triggering at least one large fire. Local news reports say several
people were injured.
No tsunami alert was issued. The quake was centered in the same
mountainous region that endured the brunt of the damage from a
devastating typhoon that killed about 700 people last August.
Buildings swayed as far north as the capital Taipei where the
temblor has caused power outages. Taiwan's cable news station TVBS
reports the island's high-speed rail service has been suspended.
Earthquakes frequently rattle Taiwan but most are minor and
cause little or no damage.
However, a 7.6-magnitude temblor in central Taiwan in 1999
killed more than 2,300 people. In 2006 a 6.7-magnitude quake south
of Kaohsiung severed undersea cables and disrupted telephone and
Internet service to millions throughout Asia.



AFGHANISTAN
5 Pakistani road workers shot dead in Afghanistan

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) - An Afghan official says five
Pakistani road construction workers have been shot dead in the
southern city of Kandahar.
The city's deputy police chief, Mohammad Shah Faroqi, says the
workers were traveling to their construction site when two gunmen
on motorbikes opened fire on their minivan Thursday morning. Five
of the laborers died and one was wounded.
The Pakistanis work for Saita Construction Co., a Japanese
joint-venture with a contract to repair the road from Kandahar to
Punjwai district.
Taliban insurgents dominate much of southern Afghanistan and
often attack aid projects launched by the government and NATO
forces.


PAKISTAN
30 militants, 1 soldier killed in Pakistan battle

KHAR (AP) - Officials say Pakistani security forces have killed
at least 30 militants after coming under attack in a troubled
tribal region in the northwest.
Two government and security officials said Thursday one of their
soldiers also died and four were wounded in the overnight gunbattle
in Chamarkand area of the Mohmand region near the Afghan border.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not
authorized to speak to media on the record.
The attack happened not far from the Bajur region where the
military this week announced it had cleared the one-time the
militant stronghold after a successful operation.



GERMANY-TERROR TRIAL
Verdict expected in German terror trial

DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) - A court is expected to deliver its
verdict in the trial of four men who have acknowledged
participating in a foiled 2007 plot to attack U.S. targets in
Germany.
Thursday's scheduled verdict at the Duesseldorf state court
comes at the end of a trial that opened last April.
Prosecutors are seeking prison sentences of up to 13 years for
the men - two German converts to Islam and two Turkish citizens.
The men were arrested in 2007. They are suspected of operating
as a German cell of the radical Islamic Jihad Union, and are
charged with plotting bombing attacks in Germany against American
citizens and facilities including the U.S. Air Force's Ramstein
base.
All four defendants have confessed. There are no formal pleas in
German trials.


KOREAS-DEFECTOR
SKorea: NKorea crossed border to hunt for defector

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korea's military says several
North Korean soldiers crossed the border into the South this week,
apparently to pursue a defecting soldier.
Military spokesman Park Sung-woo said Thursday the North Korean
soldiers crossed the border about an hour after a fellow soldier
fled to the South on Tuesday. He says they retreated after South
Korean soldiers fired warning shots.
Park says North Korean soldiers did not return fire.
He says the defector is being questioned.
More than 18,000 North Koreans have defected to South Korea
since the 1950-53 Korean War. They rarely cross the heavily armed
border and instead defect via China and other countries.
The last soldiers to defect were in 2008.


FAMILY ATTACKED
DA to seek death penalty in Calif. family killings

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - Orange County prosecutors will seek the
death penalty for a man who's charged with murdering his
ex-girlfriend's father and sister nearly three years ago.
District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said Wednesday he plans to
pursue the death penalty for 25-year-old Iftekhar Murtaza
(IF'-tek-har mur-TAH'-zah).
Prosecutors say Murtaza thought 18-year-old college student
Shayona Dhanak (sheye-OH'-nah DAH'-nahk) broke up with him because
of her parents, who disapproved of the relationship.
Murtaza and two co-defendants are accused of beating and
stabbing the woman's father, sister and mother and setting fire to
the family's Anaheim Hills home. Her mother survived.
Authorities say Murtaza was arrested while trying to flee the
country on a flight to India.
Murtaza's attorney, Jeremy Phillips, has said his client is
innocent and is being inaccurately portrayed as a spurned and
obsessed boyfriend.


JAPAN-TOYOTA
Prius tops Japan February sales amid Toyota woes

TOKYO (AP) - The Prius hybrid remains the top selling car in
Japan despite Toyota's global recall woes, according to industry
numbers for February.
The Japan Automobile Dealers Association released data on
Thursday that showed Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius was No. 1 on the
sales rankings for vehicle nameplates last month, with more than
27,000 sold.
The Prius has now been Japan's top-selling model for 10 straight
months.
Its sales are getting a lift from tax breaks and other
government incentives plus the car's reputation for delivering
superb mileage by switching between a gasoline engine and an
electric motor.



BASEBALL CARD LAWSUIT
MLB licenser settles card maker lawsuit

NEW YORK (AP) - Major League Baseball's licensing wing has
settled a lawsuit it filed against a baseball card maker for
allegedly stealing trademarks.
Major League Baseball said Wednesday that The Upper Deck Co.
Inc. had settled the trademark lawsuit by agreeing to pay its
licensing wing more than $2.4 million on sales of unlicensed cards
in 2009.
Upper Deck also agreed to pay MLB licensing agent Major League
Baseball Properties an undisclosed sum for sales in 2010.
The lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan had alleged that
Upper Deck sold baseball cards featuring professional baseball
players even though the company was no longer licensed to show MLB
trademarks.
Robert Lloyd Raskopf, a lawyer for the Carlsbad, Calif.-based
Upper Deck said, "we're very pleased we were able to resolve it."