TODAY'S NEWS - FRIDAY MAY 14, 2010

TODAY'S NEWS - FRIDAY MAY 14TH

LOCAL NEWS


A CRESSONA CONCRETE BEAM MANUFACTURER WILL BE MOVING OVERSIZED BEAMS THROUGH OUR AREA TO A JOB SITE IN NEIGHBORING CARBON COUNTY. TWENTY LOADS ARE REQUIRED FOR THE THE FIRST PART OF THE PROJECT ON THE PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE AT LEHIGHTON FROM NORTHEAST PRESTRESSED PRODUCTS. LOADS WILL MOVE AT 7 AND 9AM, BEGINNING TODAY THROUGH MAY 25TH, WEATHER PERMITTING. DELAYS OF 5 TO 10 MINUTES ARE TO BE EXPECTED ON ROUTES 901 AND 183, 183 AND 61 AND 61 AND 895. MOTORISTS SHOULD BE AWARE OF THESE OVERSIZED LOADS DURING THE MORNING COMMUTE.


THE AMERICAN LEGION OF GIRARDVILLE AND THE LODGE E PLURIBUS UNUM OF GIRARDVILLE ARE FACING DUEL CHARGES OF SELLING ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES TO NONMEMBERS AND SELLING MALT OR BREWED BEVERAGES FOR CONSUMPTION OFF PREMISES. THESE CHARGES WILL BE BROUGHT BEFORE AN ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE WHO HAS THE AUTHORITY TO IMPOSE PENALTIES RANGING FROM $50 TO $1000 FOR MINOR OFFENSES UP TO $5000 FOR MORE SERIOUS OFFENSES. IN ADDITION THE ALJ CAN ALSO IMPOSE A LICENSE SUSPENSION OR REVOCATION OF THE LICENSE FACED ON TEH SEVERITY OF THE CHARGE BROUGHT AND CAN ALSO MANDATE TRAINING FOR THE LICENSEE IN AN EFFORT TO EDUCATE THEM ON THE REQUIREMENTS OF BEING A LICENSEE.


AUDITOR GENERAL JACK WAGNER ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY THAT THE AUDITS OF TWO SCHUYLKILL COUNTY VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER RELIEF ASSOCIATIONS DETERMINED THAT THEY WERE IN COMPLIANCE WITH TESTED LAWS AND REGULATIONS. GORDON VFRA AND PORT CARBON VFRA ARE NON PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS ESTABLISHED TO AFFORD FINANCIAL PROTECTION TO VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS WHO SUFFER MISFORTUNE AS A RESULT OF THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THE FIRE SERVICE. THE DEPARTMENT OF THE AUDITOR GENERAL IS RESPONSIBLE FOR AUDITING VFRA FUNDS TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE SPENT ACCORDING TO STATE LAW. THE DEPARTMENT ALSO SONDUCTS WORKSHOPS TO HELP OCAL FIREFIGHTERS COMPLY WITH VFRA REGULATIONS.


STATE REPRESENTATIVE ROBERT E BELFANTI JR ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY THAT THE NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY CONSERVATION DISTRICT WILL RECEIVE A $3000 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION GRANT FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION. THE GRANT WAS AWARDED TO COORDINATE A DIGITAL NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP FOR TEACHERS, AS WELL AS INSTALL SIGNAGE, RAIN BARRELS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES FOR THE CENTER FOR OUTDOOR AREA LEARNING SITE. THE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1993 UNDER THE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ACT, A LAW THAT MANDATES THAT 5% OF ALL POLLUTION FINES AND PENALTIES COLLECTED BY DEP BE SET ASIDE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION. THE GRANTS CAN ALSO BE USED FOR PROJECTS RANGING FROM HANDS-ON LESSONS FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAMS TO ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION FOR RESIDENTS.


EARLIER THIS WEEK UNKNOWN SUSPECTS BURGLARIZED THE PROPERTY OF PINE CREST TREE FARM , ESTATE OF MARY LEE CALAI, 85 NORTH MARKET STREET IN NEW RINGOLD. THE SUSPECTS REMOVED VARIOUS ITEMS FROM THE BARN INCLUDING TWO GAS POWERED GENERATORS, TWO ELECTRIC AIR COMPRESSORS, A PRESSURE WASHER, ASSORTED POWER TOOLS AND VARIOUS ANTIQUES., THE PERPETRATORS MADE OFF WITH APPROXIMATELY $1500 BEFORE THEY FLED THE SCENE. ANYONE WITH INFORMATION ON THIS THEFT IS CO CONTACT THE PSP OF FRACKVILLE

STATE NEWS

AP-PA--Right Now,1623

Latest Pennsylvania news, sports, business and entertainment:

PENNSYLVANIA SENATE POLL
Sestak gains ground on Toomey in Pa. Senate poll

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A new poll shows Republican Pat Toomey
has lost ground to Democratic congressman Joe Sestak, a potential
opponent in Pennsylvania's fall general election for U.S. Senate.
The Quinnipiac (KWIHN'-uh-pee-ak) University poll also shows
Toomey continues to lead Democratic incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter.
Against Specter, Toomey leads 47 percent to 40 percent. Against
Sestak, the former Lehigh Valley congressman gets 42 percent while
Sestak gets 40 percent. Toomey led Sestak a month ago, 42 percent
to 34 percent.
Quinnipiac says the Sestak-Specter Democratic primary is too
close to call. The vote is Tuesday.
Toomey is considered the front-runner for the GOP nomination.
The telephone poll of 1,161 Pennsylvania voters was conducted
during the week that ended Monday. The sampling error margin is
plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

PENNSYLVANIA FORECLOSURES
Pa. foreclosure rate shows no sign of easing

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The high number of Pennsylvania homes
entering the foreclosure process isn't easing.
New figures from foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac Inc. show
more than 5,500 Pennsylvania homes received at least one
foreclosure filing in April.
That's down less than 3 percent, or about 150, from March, but
it was one of the highest monthly totals since RealtyTrac began
collecting the data in April 2005.
More than 1,400 of those properties were seized.
Nationally, foreclosure filings dropped at a faster rate of 9
percent from March to April.
Pennsylvania's foreclosure rate is two-fifths the national rate,
with one in every 1,000 homes receiving a foreclosure filing last
month.

PHILADELPHIA BUDGET
Philly council approves budget, property tax hike

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Philadelphia's City Council has given its
approval to a tentative budget that includes a 9.9 percent property
tax hike and a $300 garbage fee for small businesses and multi-unit
homes.
But the council did not give its OK to a proposed tax on soda
that Mayor Michael Nutter has been pushing.
Nutter had lobbied hard for the proposed soda tax as part of his
$3.9 billion budget plan.
The mayor says the city is facing a budget deficit of up to $150
million in the coming fiscal year.
The tentative budget approved by City Council includes $17
million in spending cuts and a new tax on cigars and smokeless
tobacco.

SWIM CLUB-MINORITIES
Pa. swim club accused of race bias sold at auction

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A suburban Philadelphia swim club accused of
racial discrimination has been sold at a bankruptcy auction.
The Huntingdon Valley-based Valley Club was sold for $1.46
million Thursday to the Congregation Beth Solomon of Northeast
Philadelphia.
The club filed for bankruptcy in November following
discrimination lawsuits and a critical state report.
Last summer, the club revoked the memberships of 56 mostly black
and Hispanic day campers, saying there were too many children and
that many couldn't swim.
The club said the decision was made out of safety considerations
and that race had nothing to do with it.
Once the sale is cleared by the court, the club's bankruptcy
trustee says, the money will be parceled out to the claimants.
---
Information from: The Philadelphia Inquirer,
http://www.philly.com

PHILLY PRINCIPAL RESIGNS
Principal at troubled Philly high school resigns

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The principal of a Philadelphia high school
plagued by violence against Asian students has resigned amid
questions over her certification.
LaGreta Brown had been principal at South Philadelphia High
School for less than a year.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education says Brown holds a
state principal certificate, but that it is currently inactive.
The district says Brown had agreed to resign after the end of
the school year, but decided to leave after The Philadelphia
Inquirer raised questions about her certification.
Brown says the controversy was impeding the educational process.
The current principal at Springfield Township High School, Otis
Hackney III, will succeed Brown after a retired principal first
serves on an interim basis.
In December, seven Asian students were taken to hospitals after
a series of racial attacks at the school.
---
Information from: The Philadelphia Inquirer,
http://www.philly.com

PARKING GARAGE PLUNGE
No defects found on SUV that fell from Pa. garage

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Investigators say they found no mechanical
defects on a sport utility vehicle that plunged from the sixth
floor of a parking garage in downtown Pittsburgh, injuring two
people.
Pittsburgh police say they inspected the Jeep and found no
mechanical issues to explain last week's accident.
A husband and wife who were inside the vehicle are in stable
condition, but their names have not been released.
Police say the vehicle smashed into a parked van, crashed
through a metal barrier and fell last Thursday night.
Police say the SUV landed on top of a portable toilet and got
wedged in an alley between two buildings.

VICTIM IN VEHICLE
W. Pa. police say 2nd victim found in parked car

ELLSWORTH, Pa. (AP) - Police are questioning a man after finding
two bodies in a car in a western Pennsylvania township.
A woman's naked body was found yesterday in the backseat of a
bloody parked car in Fallowfield Township, not far from her home in
Ellsworth. A man's body was in the trunk.
State police and the Washington County coroner identified the
dead woman as 25-year-old Lynna Flippen, but were waiting to
contact relatives before releasing the dead man's name.
State police say Flippen called them before 5 a.m. saying she
needed help. When police arrived at her home, they found an open
door and blood but nobody inside.
The car was found about 8 a.m.
Police have not charged the man they are questioning.

AMPUTEE MOM-ASSAULT
Police: Pa. man hits amputee mom defending child

UNIONTOWN, Pa. (AP) - A western Pennsylvania man has been jailed
on charges that he hit his amputee mother in her wheelchair as she
tried to protect her 4-year-old grandson from an attack.
Eighteen-year-old Dontay Bradley Jr., of Uniontown, is charged
with simple assault, terroristic threats, reckless endangerment and
harassment.
Uniontown police say Bradley punched his mother in the face when
she moved her wheelchair between Bradley and her 4-year-old
grandson Tuesday night. Police say Bradley threatened to harm the
boy and had a clothes iron in his hand as he approached the boy.
Police did not immediately clarify how Bradley is related to the
boy, or whether the iron was hot at the time.
Online court records don't list an attorney for Bradley.

TEACHER-STUDENT SEX CHARGE
Ex-teacher facing student sex charges in Pa.

POTTSTOWN, Pa. (AP) - A former suburban Philadelphia culinary
arts teacher is facing charges he had an inappropriate sexual
relationship with a 16-year-old student.
Forty-four-year-old Raymond Brown, of Horsham, waived a
preliminary hearing on charges including corruption of minors.
Prosecutors say he began a relationship with the girl last year
while he was giving her driving lessons.
According to a criminal complaint, the student told police she
and Brown would devise cover stories to allow them to spend the
night together.
Brown was fired in January from his job at the Pickering Campus
of the Center for Arts and Technology in Phoenixville, where he'd
worked since 1998. He was arrested in March.
Defense attorney David Ennis declined comment outside court.
---
Information from: The Philadelphia Inquirer,
http://www.philly.com

MORTGAGE FRAUD
Pa. man admits role in mortgage firm fraud

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - A Pennsylvania man has admitted his role in
a $136 million fraud scheme that bankrupted a New Jersey-based
mortgage company.
Leroy Hayden was servicing manager for U.S. Mortgage Corp. He's
pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy.
The 47-year-old East Stroudsburg resident faces up to five years
in prison when he's sentenced July 27.
Pine Brook-based U.S. Mortgage underwrote mortgages and serviced
loans for credit unions.
Hayden admitted conspiring with his boss to fraudulently sell
Fannie Mae hundreds of loans belonging to various credit unions and
to falsifying records to conceal the sales.
Company president Michael McGrath pleaded guilty last year,
saying he used the proceeds for personal investments and to prop up
his company.

BIDEN-SON HOSPITALIZED
Del. governors visits Biden in hospital

DOVER, Del. (AP) - Delaware Governor Jack Markell says state
Attorney General Beau Biden shows no evidence of having suffered a
stroke.
Markell and his wife, Carla, visited Biden yesterday at the
Philadelphia hospital where he was taken after suffering a mild
stroke on Tuesday.
Markell says Biden looks and sounds great.
Biden's wife, Hallie, sent a message to her husband's campaign
supporters saying he will soon be back up and running at full
speed.

GAME FIXING CHARGES
Ex-coach accused of trying to fix youth basketball

ENOLA, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania State Police are accusing a
former church-league basketball coach in the Harrisburg suburb of
Enola of trying to bribe referees to rig games in his favor.
Investigators filed charges against 45-year-old Michael Kman for
allegedly trying to get the officials to help the Our Lady of
Lourdes Roman Catholic Church boy's basketball team last year.
Court records say Kman contacted two referees and offered them
$2,500 to fix two games, and promised more if they showed they
could be trusted with lower-level contests.
Investigators say Kman admitted to trying to influence the
officials and expressed frustration that his team hadn't been
getting a fair game.
Kman is declining comment. He's charged with solicitation to rig
a publicly exhibited contest, rigging a publicly exhibited contest,
and harassment.



NATIONAL NEWS AP-Right Now

Update on the latest news, sports, business and entertainment:


TIMES SQUARE-MONEY NETWORK
Money transfer 'hawala' trouble anti-terror probes

NEW YORK (AP) - South Asians often use an informal network of
brokers, called an "hawala," to transfer money over long
distances when it is too inconvenient or dangerous to send cash by
courier.
The centuries-old system is used to move billions of dollars in
and out of countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan and Somalia - often
to the chagrin of U.S. law enforcement.
A law enforcement official told The Associated Press that terror
suspect Faisal Shahzad is believed to have tapped into such a
network to help fund a plot to detonate a car bomb in Times Square.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the
investigation is ongoing.
Authorities say three men helped get money to Shahzad although
they might not have known how the money was going to be used.

TIMES SQUARE PROBE
Four held in Times Square bomb probe

WATERTOWN, Mass. (AP) - Four people are now being held in the
investigation of the attempted bombing at New York's Times Square.
Three men believed to have given money to the suspect were
arrested today, two in the Boston area and the third in Maine.
Investigators say it's not yet clear whether the three men knew how
the money was going to be used. They're being held on
administrative charges for immigration violations.
The fourth suspect is being held in Pakistan. A senior military
official in Washington says that suspect is claiming to be an
accomplice of Faisal Shahzad. The official was unable to say what
information the suspect may have provided.

INDONESIA TERROR PLOT
NEW: Indonesian police uncover plot to kill president

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Indonesian police say they have
uncovered a plot by Islamic militants to assassinate the president
and other officials and declare an Islamic state.
National police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri said Friday
that the elaborate plot was revealed during interrogations of
dozens of suspects arrested since a February raid on a terrorist
training camp in western Indonesia.
He said the focus of the plot was to attack an Independence Day
ceremony on Aug. 17.

GULF OIL SPILL
UPDATE: BP tries to insert siphon tube

UNDATED (AP) - BP is trying to thread the needle to reduce the
amount of oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. Undersea robots are
trying to insert a small tube into the jagged pipe the oil is
escaping from. The smaller tube will be surrounded by a stopper to
keep oil from leaking into the sea. The plan is for the tube to
siphon the oil to a tanker at the surface.

GULF OIL SPILL-LITIGATION
US seeks $10 million for oil spill legal costs

WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House is asking Congress to approve
$10 million for potential litigation costs arising from the oil
spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
It's part of a larger legislative package the administration
sent to Capitol Hill this week including help for fishermen and a
proposal to raise limits on how much BP might have to pay for
economic damages from the spill.
A letter from the Office of Management and Budget to
congressional leaders says the $10 million would help the Justice
Department pay unspecified litigation costs the administration
might not be able to recover from BP or from an emergency cleanup
fund.
The White House wants to make BP pay all costs, but the request
is the latest indication that some burden may fall on taxpayers.

ARCTIC DRILLING
Court OKs approval of Shell Arctic drilling plan

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - An environmental group challenging
Shell Oil's plans to drill exploratory wells off Alaska's coast
calls a federal appeals court decision disappointing, given the
catastrophic Gulf of Mexico spill.
A federal appeals court in Portland, Ore. ruled that the federal
government met its obligations to consider the potential threat to
wildlife and the risk for disaster before it approved the project.
Environmental groups say oil companies are increasing risk by
going for deep water oil. And they contend Shell would be
ill-equipped to deal with a spill similar to BP's in Arctic waters.
A Shell spokesman says the exploration plan has concluded that a
large oil spill would be rare.

HEALTH CARE CHALLENGE
Small business lobby joins challenge to health law

WASHINGTON (AP) - The National Federation of Independent
Business is joining a federal lawsuit filed in Florida by 20 state
attorneys general and governors against the health care overhaul.
The nation's most influential small business lobby is joining a
court challenge that argues that Americans cannot be required under
the Constitution to obtain insurance coverage.
All but one of the state attorneys general are Republicans, and
the case coincides with an election year.
With 350,000 members, the NFIB boasts a far-reaching network of
local activists.
One of its pillars of the new health care law is the
requirement, effective in 2014, that most Americans carry health
insurance.
The Obama administration argues that the coverage requirements
rest on a solid constitutional foundation: the power of Congress to
regulate interstate commerce.

AFGHANISTAN
NEW: Protesters say NATO attack killed Afghan civilians

KABUL (AP) - Eastern Afghanistan is the scene of an angry
protest today against a coalition raid that allegedly killed
civilians.
Hundreds of protesters brandished sticks, threw stones and
burned an American flag as they accused NATO forces of killing
civilians in an overnight raid. The alliance says eight insurgents
were killed in the attack.
More than 500 people poured into the streets to protest the raid
that they claim killed at least nine civilians. A government
administrator says a father and his four sons and four members of
another family were killed in the NATO operation.
Alliance spokesman Col. Wayne Shanks revised NATO's original
version of events, saying militants had not fired rocket-propelled
grenades at coalition forces, as had been first believed. He said
the alleged insurgents had fired machine guns.

FAILED DRUG WAR
US drug war has met none of its goals

MEXICO CITY (AP) - Forty years and $1 trillion later, the U.S.
drug czar says the war on drugs hasn't been successful.
Gil Kerlikowske (kur-lih-KOW'-skee) says that, if anything, the
concern about drugs and drug problems has "magnified,
intensified."
President Barack Obama this week announced a new policy to treat
drug use as a public health issue. But his administration has also
increased spending on interdiction and law enforcement.
Kerlikowske says "nothing happens overnight" and that it will
take time for the spending to achieve its goals.
Former czar John Walters says judging the drug war is
complicated -- marijuana and prescription drug abuse are climbing,
while cocaine use is way down. Seizures are up, but so is
availability.

CAVALIERS-CELTICS
Celtics advance, eliminate LeBron, Cavs in 6 games

BOSTON (AP) - The Boston Celtics advanced to the Eastern
Conference finals with a 94-85 victory over Cleveland in Game 6 on
Thursday night, sending LeBron James and the Cavaliers into an
early offseason destined to define the future of the franchise -
and the rest of the NBA, too.
The LeBron watch began at 10:53 p.m., when Rajon Rondo dribbled
out the last 14 seconds and the Celtics began celebrating. James is
eligible to opt out of his contract this summer, a move that would
make the two-time MVP - and zero-time NBA champion - a free agent
and set off a scramble for his services from New York to Los
Angeles and, of course, back in Cleveland.
Kevin Garnett scored 22 points and added 12 rebounds, and Rondo
had 21 points and 12 assists for Boston, which will open the
conference finals in Orlando on Sunday.

INDIA-ELECTROCUTION
28 die as bus touches high-voltage wire in India

NEW DELHI (AP) - Police say 28 people have been killed in
central India after the bus they were traveling in touched a
high-voltage wire and caught fire.
Police officer Ram Pyari Dhurwey says the accident occurred
Friday in Mandla district in Madhya Pradesh state.
It was the second such accident in India in as many days. At
least 15 people were killed in eastern Bihar state on Thursday when
they truck they were riding in touched a high-voltage wire.