Today's News-Wednesday, April 28, 2010

FIRE RULED ARSON

MONDAY'S FIRE IN MINERSVILLE THAT DAMAGED SEVERAL PROPERTIES AND LEFT 10 HOMELESS HAS BEEN RULED ARSON. INVESTIGATORS SAY THAT THE BLAZE, WHEICH STARTED ON THE PATIO OF 321 NORTH FRONT STREET, WAS DELIBERATELY SET. THE REPUBLICAN HERALD REPORTS THAT A NEIGHBOR, ED RAZCKA, SPOTTED THE FIRE FROM HIS PIEROGIE MAKING BUSINESS, AND ALERTED NEIGHBORS AROUND 4:30AM. NO ONE WAS INJURED. THE MASSIVE FIRE THAT HEAVILY DAMAGED FIVE BUILDINGS ON SATURDAY MORNING ON SUNBURY IS STILL BEING INVESTIGATED.

LAW ENFORCEMENT SYMPOSIUM

MEMBERS OF THE LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY LEARNED MORE ABOUT THEIR TRADE TUESDAY AT A SYMPOSIUM SPONSORED BY DISTRICT ATTORNEY JIM GOODMAN. SHERRY MARCHEFSKY HAS MORE.

LAW SYMPOSIUM

DON'T DRINK RAW MILK
　
THE RECENT SUSPENSION OF RAW MILK SALES AT TWO PENNSYLVANIA DAIRY FARMS UNDERSCORES CONCERNS ABOUT THE SAFETY OF UNPASTEURIZED MILK. A SPECIALIST IN PENN STATE'S COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES SAYS MANY CONSUMERS AREN'T AWARE OF THE RISK. GARY ABDULLAH HAS THE STORY.

RAW MILK

STS SHARED RIDE HOURS EXTENDED

PATRONS OF SCHUYLKILL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM'S SHARED RIDE VAN SERVICE CAN NOW RIDE LATER IN THE DAY, AS WELL AS ON SATURDAY. REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS CAN NOW RIDE WEEKDAYS FROM 7AM TILL 8PM, AND FROM 6:30AM TILL 2PM ON SATURDAY, ACCORDING TO MIKE MICKO, VICE PRESIDENT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR STS. THE EXTENDED HOURS ARE AVAILABLE TO RESIDENTS IN SCHUYLKILL HAVEN, CRESSONA, MINERSVILLE, PALO ALTO, PORT CARBON, POTTSVILLE AND ST CLAIR. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE SHARED RIDE PROGRAM, CALL STS AT 800-832-3322.

STATE PANEL TO HOLD HEARING ON SIZE OF LEGISLATURE

THE SENATE STATE GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE WILL HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING IN BEAVER COUNTY THIS WEEK TO HEAR TESTIMONY ON LEGISLATION THAT WOULD REDUCE THE SIZE OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE. HANSON QUICKEL HAS MORE FROM THE STATE CAPITOL:

QUICKEL LEGISLATURE

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - REVLON CHAIRMAN RONALD PERELMAN AND HIS PHILANTHROPIST FATHER ARE PLEDGING UP TO $27 MILLION TOWARD A LOCAL
BID FOR THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER AND DAILY NEWS AT A BANKRUPTCY AUCTION IN NEW YORK. THE AUCTION BEGAN LATE LAST NIGHT. THE TWO SIDES SPENT MOST OF THE DAY YESTERDAY HAGGLING OVER THE AUCTION RULES.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - THE UNION REPRESENTING STRIKING NURSES AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL STAFF AT PHILADELPHIA'S TEMPLE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL SAYS THE TWO SIDES HAVE REACHED A TENTATIVE AGREEMENT. NURSES AND OTHER STAFF HAVE BEEN ON STRIKE SINCE MARCH 31ST.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA MAN HAS BEEN SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR THE MURDER OF A TODDLER. JOSHUA TURNER WAS CONVICTED OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER LAST WEEK IN THE FALL 2008 DEATH OF 19-MONTH-OLD LEONARD MCINTIRE. THE JURY DECIDED AGAINST A POSSIBLE DEATH SENTENCE FOR TURNER.

HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - A CONSERVATIVE GROUP IS INVITING PENNSYLVANIA'S GUBERNATORIAL AND SENATE CANDIDATES TO A LANCASTER COUNTY SHOOTING RANGE TO SHOOT UP A JUNK CAR REPRESENTING POLICY IDEAS SUCH AS "OBAMACARE." THE COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION HAS INVITED BOTH REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES TO THE EVENT, BUT ONLY THE FOUR REPUBLICANS ARE EXPECTED TO ATTEND.

WASHINGTON (AP) - SENATE DEMOCRATS HAVE SCHEDULED ANOTHER PROCEDURAL VOTE TODAY ON THE FINANCIAL OVERHAUL LEGISLATION WHICH HAS TWICE BEEN BLOCKED BY REPUBLICANS. THE GOP WANTS ITS IMPRINT ON THE BILL AND HAS USED THE BLOCKING TACTIC IN HOPES OF NEGOTIATING SOME CHANGES. DEMOCRATS THINK INCREMENTAL CHANGES ULTIMATELY WILL FORCE SEVERAL REPUBLICANS TO RELENT AND BACK THE LEGISLATION.

DES MOINES, IOWA (AP) - PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA IS TRYING TO LINK THE NEED TO RESTRAIN WALL STREET TO PREVENTING ANOTHER FINANCIAL MELTDOWN. HE'LL TRY TO MAKE THAT POINT IN ILLINOIS AND MISSOURI TODAY. OBAMA IS CRITICIZING REPUBLICANS FOR REFUSING TO ALLOW THE FINANCIAL OVERHAUL BILL TO BE DEBATED IN THE SENATE.

WASHINGTON (AP) - A NEW REPORT SAYS SOUTH ASIA HAS PUSHED PAST THE MIDDLE EAST AS THE WORLD'S TOP TERROR REGION. STATISTICS COMPILED BY A U.S. INTELLIGENCE AGENCY SHOW AN INCREASE IN TERRORIST ATTACKS IN PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN TRIGGERED A SPIKE IN THE NUMBER OF CIVILIANS KILLED OR WOUNDED THERE LAST YEAR. THE REPORT SAYS THOUSANDS OF CIVILIANS - MOST OF THEM MUSLIM - CONTINUE TO BE SLAUGHTERED BY EXTREMISTS.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - EXPERTS HAVE SO FAR BEEN UNABLE TO STEM THE FLOW OF OIL FROM AN OFFSHORE WELL DAMAGED WHEN THE RIG EXPLODED AND SANK SO THE COAST GUARD IS CONSIDERING FIGHTING OIL WITH FIRE. THE BURNING COULD START AS EARLY AS THIS AFTERNOON, BUT IT MAY NOT WORK. ED OVERTON, A PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES AT LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY, SAYS IT'S HARD TO DO IN OPEN OCEAN WITH WINDS AND CURRENTS AND THE TARRY CONSISTENCY OF THE OIL.

WASHINGTON (AP) - GAY RIGHTS OPPONENTS GO BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT TODAY ASKING THAT THE ANONYMITY OF PETITION SIGNERS FOR A REFERENDUM IN WASHINGTON STATE BE UPHELD. GAY RIGHTS SUPPORTERS SOUGHT ACCESS TO THE PETITIONS UNDER THE OPEN RECORDS LAW. THE REFERENDUM SOUGHT TO OVERTURN THE STATE'S DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP RIGHTS. THE CASE WEIGHS THE RIGHT TO POLITICAL SPEECH, UNFETTERED BY FEAR OF INTIMIDATION, AGAINST TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT.