Today's News-Saturday, March 27, 2010

BICENTENNIAL KICKING INTO HIGH GEAR


THE NEED FOR EFFECTIVE ACCESS TO THE JUDICIAL PROCESS, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY WAS BORN OF PARTS OF BERKS, NORTHAMPTON AND NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTIES IN 1811. NEXT YEAR, WE'LL OBSERVE OUR BICENTENNIAL. FRIDAY MORNING, A PACKED HOUSE AT THE COMMISSIONERS BOARD ROOM AT THE COURTHOUSE HEARD ABOUT ALL OF THE FESTIVITIES OF THE YEAR LONG CELEBRATION. AND, THE UNVEILING OF PLANS FOR THE COURTHOUSE COMMONS TO COMMEMORATE THE COUNTY BICENTENNIAL. THE COMMONS WILL BE CONSTRUCTED ON THE GRASSY AREA AT THE BASE OF THE COURTHOUSE ON LAUREL BOULEVARD AT A COST OF $400-THOUSAND-DOLLARS. FRANK ZUKAS AND DARLENE ROBBINS ARE CO-CHAIRING THE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN. ROBBINS TALKS ABOUT THE VARIED USES FOR THE COMMONS:


ROBBINS

THERE ARE VARIOUS LEVELS OF GIVING AVAILABLE FOR THE COURTHOUSE COMMONS, FROM MULTI-THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO THE PURCHASE OF A COMMEMORATIVE BRICK FOR $100-DOLLARS. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE COURTHOUSE COMMONS CAPITAL CAMPAIGN, LOG ON TO SCHUYLKILL200-DOT-COM.

TRIAL FOR HATE CRIMES SCHEDULED

DERRICK DONCHAK AND BRANDON PIEKARSKY NOW KNOW THE START DATE OF THEIR TRIAL SCHEDULED FOR FEDERAL COURT ON CHARGES OF COMMITTING HATE CRIMES IN CONNECTION WITH THE BEATING DEATH OF LUIS RAMIREZ. UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE A. RICHARD CAPUTO HAS SET THE DATE OF OCTOBER 4 AT 9:30 A.M. AT THE FEDERAL COURTHOUSE IN WILKES-BARRE AS THE TIME TO HEAR THE TRIAL. BOTH DEFENSE COUNCIL’S HAVE UNTIL MAY 15 TO FILE PRETRIAL MOTIONS IN THE CASE.

BILL TO BAN CELL PHONE USE WHILD DRIVING ON THE WAY

TALKING OR TEXTING ON YOUR HAND-HELD CELL PHONE WHILE DRIVING IN PENNSYLVANIA MAY SOON BE AGAINST THE LAW. SID MICHAELS HAS MORE ON LEGISLATION THAT IS ON ITS WAY TO THE FLOOR OF THE STATE SENATE FOR A FINAL VOTE.

Michaels

BICENTENNIAL

PLANNING HAS BEEN UNDERWAY FOR THE COUNTY'S BICENTENNIAL FOR WELL OVER A YEAR. FRIDAY MORNING, A LARGE GATHERING WAS HELD AT THE COMMISSIONER'S BOARD ROOM TO UNVEIL A PROPOSED COURTHOUSE COMMONS CAPITAL CAMPAIGN AND TO REVIEW MANY OF THE ACTIVITIES THAT WILL CELEBRATE 200 YEARS AS A COUNTY IN 2011. A FLAG CEREMONY SLATED FOR MARCH 1ST, FIREWORKS AT SWEET ARROW LAKE COUNTY PARK IN JULY AND A SEMI-FORMAL BALL IN OCTOBER ARE JUST SOME OF THE EVENTS PLANNED. THE COUNTY'S HISTORY, COVERING ALL 67 MUNICIPALITIES, WILL BE CHRONICLED DURING THE YEAR. MIKE MCCORD, REGISTER OF WILLS AND CO-CHAIR OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE:

MCCORD

FOR ALL THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE BICENTENNIAL, LOG ON TO SCHUYLKILL200.COM.


SCHUYLKILL RIVER FILM


THE SCHUYLKILL RIVER HAS A REMARKABLE HISTORY. NATIVE AMERICANS AND EARLY SETTLERS RELIED ON THE RIVER FOR FOOD AND WATER. REVOLUTIONARY WAR BATTLES WERE FOUGHT ALONG ITS BANKS AND COAL TRANSPORTED ALONG THE SCHUYLKILL CANAL HELPED FUEL THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION. A NEW PBS DOCUMENTARY "OUR NATIONAL HERITAGE EPISODE ONE: THE REVOLUTIONARY RIVER" WILL PREMIERE THIS EVENING AT THE SOVEREIGN MAJESTIC THEATRE AT 7PM. THE 47 MINUTE FILM WAS PRODUCED ON BEHALF OF THE SCHUYLKILL RIVER NATIONAL AND STATE HERITAGE AREA IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE WILLIAM PENN FOUNDATION, THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AND THE PA DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES. TICKETS ARE ONLY AVAILABLE IN ADVANCE BY CALLING CINDY KOTT AT 484-945-0200 OR AT CKOTT@SCHUYLKILLRIVER.ORG.

UNDATED (AP) - Governor Ed Rendell and three other Democratic governors have sent a letter to the U.S. attorney general saying they oppose the lawsuit their Republican attorneys general filed against the federal health care law. Rendell and his counterparts say in the letter that they think the legal challenge will fail.

BOOTHWYN, Pa. (AP) - Police in a Philadelphia suburb have made an arrest in the fatal beating and slashing of a young mother of two. Walter Martin is charged with murder in the death of Dana Felts at her home in Upper Chichester Township. Police say Martin and his girlfriend stole drugs and Felts' gambling winnings.

READING, Pa. (AP) - A same-sex couple that went to Massachusetts last year to get married can't get a divorce. A Berks County judge ruled he couldn't grant a divorce because Pennsylvania doesn't recognize same-sex marriages. The couple can't get divorced in Massachusetts because they are not residents.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A judge is refusing to undo former Philadelphia TV newsman Larry Mendte's felony plea for hacking into his co-anchor's e-mails. In his appeal, Mendte complained his lawyer failed to negotiate a misdemeanor plea. Mendte now works for a TV station in New York City.

BAGHDAD (AP) - Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's secular political alliance may be the top vote-getter in the parliamentary election, but the slim margin sets the stage for months of political wrangling. Allawi says he's open to bringing any of his rivals into a governing coalition. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says he'll challenge the results.

CHICAGO (AP) - A Chicago cab driver has been ordered held pending another hearing next week after he was charged with trying to provide funds to al-Qaida. Federal prosecutors say the man planned to send money to a terrorist leader in Pakistan who had said he needed cash to buy explosives.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - A Minnesota company that guarantees federal student loans says someone stole personal data on about 3.3 million people from its St. Paul headquarters. Educational Credit Management Corporation says the data includes names, addresses,
dates of birth and Social Security numbers, but no bank account or other financial information.

BAENGNYEONG ISLAND, South Korea (AP) - Possibilities are dwindling for the rescue of 46 sailors missing 20 hours after an explosion sank a South Korean military ship. Authorities continue searching the murky waters near the disputed sea border with rival
North Korea after one of South Korea's worst naval disasters, which occurred in bad weather and rough waves.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Time is running out on "24." Fox announced yesterday that its action-packed real-time show starring Kiefer Sutherland as anti-terrorism agent Jack Bauer will wind down at the end of its current eighth season on May 24.