TODAY'S NEWS - THURSDAY APRIL 1, 2010

LOCAL NEWS - THURSDAY APRIL 1, 2010

There was a theft at Wiscount Sons and Auto Parts on Route 209 in Williams Twp Dauphin County earlier this week. Unknown persons broke through a side window before entering the business and removed a red jumper pack model JL4000, a red Mansfield model cordless drill and a jar of coins. Anyone with information regarding this burglary is to contact PSP of Lykens.

Richard Auker, 38 of Schuylkill Haven was charged with Summary Harassment on Monday. Auker, a former employee of Seltzer Insurance Group on Route 61 in West Brunswick Twp, communicated vulgar and threatening instant messages to Robert Seltzer, 61 of Orwigsburg. Seltzer is a current employee of the insurance company.

David Willis, 42 of 529 East Mahanoy Avenue in Girardville has multiple charges pending a burglary at 309 W. Main Street in Girardville in January. Willis removed copper piping from the home, owned by Stephen Christopher 51 of Haverstraw NY, subsequently causing damages to the property. The piping was then sold to a local scrap yard.

There was a Hit and Run at the intersection of State Road 61 and Brick Hill Road in West Brunswick Twp yesterday at 5:30pm. Karen Anthony of Duncott was driving her 1992 Chevrolet Cavalier and attempting to cross the intersection when an unknown white male driving a newer model Mustang, pulled out and collided with Anthony’s vehicle. The parties drove to Schaeffers Harley Davidson to exchange information when the Mustang then fled the scene. The Mustang should have blue paint transfer on its front bumper. If anyone has information regarding this hit and run, please contact the PSP of Schuylkill Haven.

There was a single vehicle crash on the Burma Road 1.8 miles north of Saint Clair yesterday afternoon around 3pm. Helen Dunsavage of Barnesville, Pa was traveling north when she lost control of her 2009 Ford Fusion and struck a tree. Dunsavage was then taken to the Good Samaritan Hospital for treatment. The Fusion had to be towed and a traffic citation will be filed.

Russo’s Pizza, 1353 Centre Turnpike in West Brunswick Twp, had an attempted burglary early yesterday morning. Unknown suspects tried to pry the rear door open and without success then attempted to smash the glass on the front entry door, which set off the company alarm system. The suspects fled the scene before they were able to enter the business. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the PSP of Schuylkill Haven.


STATE NEWS

GOVERNOR'S RACE-REFORMS
Candidates for Pa. governor discuss reforms

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The six candidates for Pennsylvania
governor found as much common ground as differences during a
freewheeling discussion about the need for reforms in Pennsylvania
state government.
The four Democrats and two Republicans - all men - fielded
questions from members of the audience and Harrisburg Area
Community College students during a 90-minute forum Wednesday
night. Most not only answered the questions but tried to squeeze in
a mini- speech in the 60 seconds allotted for answers.
The candidates in the May 18 primary are Republicans Sam Rohrer
and Tom Corbett, and Democrats Anthony Hardy Williams, Joe Hoeffel,
Dan Onorato and Jack Wagner.

GAMBLING ARRESTS
Mansion of ex-Pa. mayor's son-in-law searched

ABINGTON, Pa. (AP) - Local and federal authorities have been
searching the grounds of a suburban Philadelphia mansion owned by a
former mayor's son-in-law who was convicted of misdemeanor gambling
charges four years ago.
Police, accompanied by FBI agents, used a backhoe Wednesday to
dig up the lawn of the Montgomery County home of Joseph Mastronardo
and his wife, Joanna. She is the daughter of the late Philadelphia
mayor Frank L. Rizzo.
Search warrants were executed Wednesday morning and authorities
were still on the Abington property late into the afternoon. Police
declined comment, and a spokesman for the FBI referred all
questions to Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman,
who did not return a call seeking comment.
Mastronardo's attorney, Dennis J. Cogan, did not return a
message left at his office.
---
Information from: The Philadelphia Inquirer,
http://www.philly.com

CHARTER SCHOOL-NIGHTCLUB
Philly charter school says nightclub will close

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - School officials in Philadelphia say a
charter school will no longer allow a nightclub to operate on its
premises during nights and weekends.
District officials met with operators of the Harambee
(hah-RAHM'-bay) Institute of Science and Technology Charter School
yesterday.
The school had come under fire for allowing Club Damani to
operate in its cafeteria during off-hours. The club had been
serving alcohol despite an expired liquor license.
A statement from the district says Harambee officials have
removed all banquet supplies and equipment from the building.
Harambee is on spring break this week. A spokesperson could not
be reached for comment.

NURSES-CONTRACT DISPUTE
Temple nurses, other staff go on strike

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Several hundred striking Temple University
Hospital nurses and staff members took part in a noontime rally
outside the hospital that blocked traffic on Broad Street for a
while.
The 1,500 workers went on strike this morning after
overwhelmingly rejecting a contract offer on Monday. They've been
without a contract since September.
Officials from the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and
Allied Professionals say contract offers from the hospital contain
wage freezes and increased health care costs.
Temple University Hospital CEO Sandy Gomberg says the hospital
has hired about 850 temporary workers and patient care will not be
disrupted. About 3,000 hospital staffers are not be affected.
The union represents about 1,000 nurses and 500 other workers
such as respiratory therapists and social workers.

YORK SPRINGS SHOOTINGS
Pa. man to have trial in deaths of wife, adult son

GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) - A south-central Pennsylvania man has been
ordered to stand trial on charges of killing his wife and adult
son.
A district judge yesterday sent criminal homicide and weapons
charges against 68-year-old Richard Lehman to Adams County Court in
the March 21 shooting deaths of 62-year-old Linda Lehman and
33-year-old Travis Lehman.
Adams County District Attorney Shawn Wagner says Lehman will be
charged with first-degree murder . He will decide by a scheduled
May 20 arraignment whether to pursue the death penalty.
At yesterday's hearing, authorities played a 911 call they say
Linda Lehman made seconds before she was killed, and a voice they
say is the defendant's then says "I just shot my wife and kid."
After the hearing, Richard Lehman was asked the reason for the
murders and said "Abuse." He is being held without bail at Adams
County Prison.
---
Information from: York Daily Record, http://www.ydr.com

ALLENTOWN BOY SHOT
Pa. man to face charges in son's shooting death

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - An eastern Pennsylvania judge has ruled
that a man must face involuntary manslaughter charges in the death
of his 8-year-old son, who shot himself with a gun that prosecutors
say the father put in a backpack.
Twenty-six-year-old Jose Alvarado of Allentown also faces
charges of endangering the welfare of a child and drug counts. His
bail was reduced from $2 million to $150,000.
Detective Glenn Granitz Jr. testified that the 9mm semiautomatic
weapon had a safety feature and a built-in gunlock, but neither was
used before the Jan. 8 shooting that killed Jose Alvarado Jr.
Defense attorney Eric Dowdle argued Wednesday that his client
could not have foreseen the shooting. But prosecutors say it was
inevitable that the boy would find the gun, which was registered to
the boy's mother. She has not been charged.
---
Information from: The Morning Call, http://www.mcall.com

GRANDFATHERS KILLED
Man gets 7 to 20 years in Pa. crash that killed 2

LEBANON, Pa. (AP) - A man has been sentenced to seven to 20
years in prison in a crash last fall that killed two central
Pennsylvania men, including one of the grandfathers of a boy who
lost both within hours.
Twenty-nine-year-old Richard Finch, formerly of Cape Coral,
Fla., pleaded guilty to homicide by vehicle while driving under the
influence of alcohol as well as aggravated assault by vehicle while
DUI and involuntary manslaughter.
The Sept. 1 crash on Route 443 in Union Township killed
67-year-old John Kroh Sr. of Tremont and 70-year-old John Becker of
Pine Grove and injured two other people.
Kroh's grandson, 3-year-old Jason Kroh Jr., was unharmed. The
child's other grandfather, 47-year-old Robin Lucas of Tremont, died
in a single-car crash a dozen miles away 15 hours later.
---
Information from: The Patriot-News,
http://www.pennlive.com/patriotnews

MISSING PROSECUTOR
Pa. DA forms review board for missing prosecutor

BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) - The Centre County district attorney has
formed a panel of investigators to look into the disappearance of a
former county prosecutor nearly five years ago.
Ray Gricar was reported missing by his girlfriend on April 15,
2005, after going for a drive on his day off. His car was found at
an antiques market in Lewisburg.
Current District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller said yesterday in a
statement that the new review board will be made up of seasoned
investigators from the county. She calls the board an extension of
her review of the investigation.
Police said this week were no new leads and that tips have dried
up. Parks Miller said police and the board will continue to
investigate and will treat Gricar's disappearance as a significant
case.

LUZERNE COUNTY CORRUPTION
Ex-school employee sentenced for taking kickbacks

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) - A former employee at a northeastern
Pennsylvania technical school will spend six months in federal
prison for taking kickbacks from a contractor.
Thirty-three-year-old Jeffrey Piazza was sentenced yesterday
after admitting to taking thousands of dollars in payments from a
technology contractor while he worked at the Wilkes-Barre Area
Career and Technical School.
Piazza pleaded guilty to mail fraud charges in December.
Prosecutors say he conspired with the contractor to boost the cost
of equipment and receive the price difference as a kickback.
At his sentence, Piazza blamed the crime on personal weakness.

HOSPITAL CLOSING
Judge throws out suit to reopen Pa. hospital

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A western Pennsylvania judge says residents
opposed to the closing of a community hospital have no legal
standing to sue to reopen it.
That is the decision from Allegheny County Common Please Judge
Gene Strassburger. In his ruling, Strassburger threw out the
lawsuit by a group called "Save Our Community Hospitals."
UPMC closed the 123-bed hospital Jan. 31 because it was losing
money. Opponents protested the closing, saying the hospital was a
vital community resource and the town's largest employer.
---
Information from: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,
http://www.post-gazette.com

GEITHNER-MANUFACTURING
Treasury Sec Geithner tours Pa. steel plant

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says the
economy is getting stronger but there is still work to be done.
Geithner was in western Pennsylvania yesterday and toured a
suburban Pittsburgh steel plant before meeting with officials at
the United Steelworkers headquarters.
Geithner says the steelworkers he met at an Allegheny
Technologies Incorporated plant in Washington, Pa., expressed
frustration for having to bail out failing financial institutions.
Geithner says many Americans feel that way, but the administration
had to make tough choices in order for the economy to improve.
Citing his visit to the plant, the secretary told reporters
manufacturers will play an important role in helping the economy
rebound.

PHILADELPHIA-FAILING SCHOOLS
Philly picks 14 schools for extreme makeovers

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Education officials in Philadelphia have
chosen 14 of the city's worst-performing public schools to undergo
major overhauls.
Nine schools will be academically redesigned and run by outside
providers starting this fall. The other five will be remade and
managed by the school district.
Staff at all 14 schools will have to reapply for their jobs, and
no more than half will be rehired. Those not rehired will be placed
elsewhere in the district.
Teachers union president Jerry Jordan criticized district
officials for bringing in outside managers.
Superintendent Arlene Ackerman Tuesday called the "Renaissance
Schools" initiative a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to dream
big."


NATIONAL NEWS


SEVERE WEATHER
New England flooding drowns homes and dreams

WEST WARWICK, R.I. (AP) - Officials hope that a section of
Interstate 95 closed by flood waters in Rhode Island can be
reopened later today. The highway is the primary link between New
York and Boston.
Days of torrential rain in New England have ended but
meteorologists say some rivers won't return to their banks until
the weekend.
The worst of the flooding has been in Rhode Island. It's seen
its worst flooding in 200 years.
High water has forced evacuations, isolated communities,
overwhelmed sewer systems and forced evacuations. Officials fear
some businesses already weekend by the recession will be condemned
because of flood damage.
Flooding has also damaged bridges in the region. It's feared a
200-foot bridge in Coventry, R.I. may collapse because its
abutments washed out.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is set to tour the
damage on Friday. President Barack Obama has already declared most
of Rhode Island a disaster area.

FUEL EFFICIENCY
NEW: Fuel efficiency rules aimed at advanced vehicles

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration is setting tough new
gas mileage standards for cars and trucks.
Final rules for fuel economy that are set to be signed Thursday
are aimed at getting more miles to the gallon from the next
generation of gas-electric hybrids, efficient engines and electric
cars.
For 2016 model-year vehicles, fuel efficiency targets are being
set at 35.5 miles per gallon combined for cars and trucks, an
increase of nearly 10 mpg over current standards.
The Environmental Protection Agency is setting a tailpipe
emissions standard, the first rules ever for vehicle greenhouse gas
emissions.
President Barack Obama says the new fuel-efficiency requirements
will save 1.8 billion barrels of oil.

US-AFGHANISTAN PARTNERS
NEW: AP Exclusive: US aid going to Afghanistan partners

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Associated Press has learned that the
Pentagon is pouring millions of dollars into equipment and training
for its smaller partner nations in the war in Afghanistan.
The move is part of an effort to encourage some countries not to
abandon the increasingly unpopular conflict.
The funding will be as much as $50 million and is part of a $350
million Pentagon program designed to improve the counterterrorism
operations of American allies.
Senior defense officials tell the AP that another $150 million
in equipment and training will go to Yemen, a country seen as a
growing haven for terrorists linked to al-Qaida.
The officials provided details about the program on condition of
anonymity because the spending totals have not yet been released.



CHINA-US
NEW: China's Hu to attend nuclear summit in Washington

BEIJING (AP) - China has announced that President Hu Jintao will
take part in a summit on nuclear security in the United States on
April 12-13, signaling an end of strained relations between the
countries.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Thursday that Hu would
stop in Washington on his way to South America.
Previously, it had not been clear if Hu would attend the summit,
or stay away because of Chinese unhappiness over U.S. arms sales to
Taiwan and a meeting between Obama and exiled Tibetan leader, the
Dalai Lama.


ABORTION SHOOTING
NEW: Kan. abortion doctor's killer faces life sentence

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - The activist convicted of killing one of
the few doctors in the U.S. who performed late-term abortions is
returning to a Kansas court for sentencing.
Scott Roeder faces a life sentence for the first-degree murder
of Dr. George Tiller. The only thing in doubt is how much time the
52-year-old Kansas City, Mo., man must serve before he's eligible
for parole. A judge will decide Thursday whether it will be 25 or
50 years.
Roeder is expected to speak at the hearing, and some of his
supporters have been called as character witnesses.
Tiller was shot last May at the Wichita church where the doctor
was serving as an usher. Roeder has admitted killing Tiller, saying
the slaying was justified to save the lives of unborn children.

FORT HOOD SHOOTING
Ft. Hood suspect apparently being moved to jail

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - The Army officer accused in the Fort Hood
shooting rampage is apparently being moved from a hospital to jail.
An attorney for Maj. Nidal Hasan (nih-DAHL' hah-SAHN') says
doctors at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio gave Hasan a
"discharge physical" Wednesday evening.
Attorney John Galligan says he has no official word on whether
Hasan is being moved. But he noted that Wednesday was the first day
of contract between Fort Hood and Bell County for a 24-hour guard
and special medical support for Hasan at the county's jail.
A message left with Brooke Army Medical Center was not returned.
Hasan is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 of
attempted premeditated murder in the Nov. 5 shootings. He was shot
by civilian police, leaving him paralyzed.


CENSUS-HISPANICS
Poll: Close to 9 in 10 Latinos to fill out census

WASHINGTON (AP) - A group of Latino clergy may be calling for a
census boycott, but a new poll says about 85 percent of Hispanics
say they intend to participate.
Ten years ago, the mail participation rate among Hispanics was
roughly 69 percent.
The poll shows the hardest-to-reach aren't immigrants but rather
Hispanics born in the U.S. The poll shows 91 percent of immigrants
say they'll participate, compared with 78 percent for U.S.-born
Hispanics.
The executive director of the National Association of Latino
Elected and Appointed Officials sees a similar pattern in Hispanic
voting. Arturo Vargas says immigrants are optimistic, while people
who have been here for generations feel beaten down by poverty,
unemployment or discrimination.

CHURCH ABUSE-LETTER
1963 letter indicates former pope knew of abuse

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A 1963 letter to then-Pope Paul VI indicates
the Vatican was aware of clergy abuse in the U.S. nearly five
decades ago.
In the letter, obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday,
the head of a Roman Catholic order that oversaw treatment of
pedophile priests tells the pope he recommends removing pedophile
priests from active ministry.
The letter is a summary of the Rev. Gerald M.C. Fitzgerald's
thoughts on problem priests that appears to have been requested by
the pope after Fitzgerald's 1963 visit to the Vatican. Fitzgerald
headed the New Mexico-based Servants of the Holy Paraclete.
The letter was among several hundred pages of Paraclete
documents given to the AP by attorneys for California clergy abuse
victims who obtained the document during litigation. The documents
were first made public last year after attorneys pursuing clergy
abuse claims in Los Angeles got them unsealed.
A message left with the Paraclete was not immediately returned.



DRUG WAR MEXICO
18 gunmen killed in attacks on Mexican army bases

VILLAHERMOSA, Mexico (AP) - Mexican authorities say more than a
dozen gunmen have been killed in a rare attack targeting two army
bases in northern Mexico.
Officials say the attacks mark a serious escalation in the
already deadly drug war. Gunmen frequently shoot at soldiers on
patrol, but they seldom target army bases.
The cartel gunmen attacked in unit-size forces armed with
bulletproof vehicles, dozens of hand grenades and assault rifles.
One soldier suffered slight injuries in the coordinated attacks.

SODA TAX
Study: Small soda taxes don't dent obesity

ATLANTA (AP) - A new study shows small taxes on soda do little
to reduce soft drink consumption or prevent childhood obesity.
The study is based on a 2004 health survey of children. It found
that soda taxes, averaging about 4 cents on the dollar, didn't make
much difference in consumption except among low-income children.
Even so, researchers believe larger taxes would make a
difference. Currently, about 30 states have soda taxes.