Today's News-Thursday, May 6, 2010

COUPLE JAILED FOR HAVING ANIMALS AGAIN

A MAN AND WOMAN, OUT ON PAROLE AFTER THEY PLEAD GUILTY LAST YEAR TO MISTREATING ANIMALS, ARE BACK IN THE NEWS AGAIN. WE BROKE THE STORY YESTERDAY MORNING ABOUT ANDREW OXENRIDER AND VIRGINIA JUSTINIANO, WHO ARE REPORTED TO HAVE HAD DRUG PARAPHERNALIA AND ANIMALS IN A PINE GROVE AREA HOME. DISTRICT ATTORNEY JIM GOODMAN TOLD WPPA/T102 NEWS THAT A TIP LED POLICE TO THE HOME ON TREMONT ROAD, WHERE THEY FOUND SEVERAL ANIMALS AND DRUG RELATED MATERIALS. OXENRIDER AND JUSTINIANO WERE JAILED ON PROBATION VIOLATIONS. STATE POLICE WILL BE FILING FORMAL CHARGES AGAINST THEM. SPCA OFFICIALS TOOK SOME ANIMALS INTO THEIR CARE FROM THE HOME.

THEFT SUSPECTS ARRAIGNED

SIBLINGS FROM PHILADELPHIA WERE IN COURT WEDNESDAY ON BURGLARY AND THEFT CHARGES RELATING TO A ROBBERY IN ASHLAND LAST MONTH. THE REPUBLICAN HERALD REPORTS 23 YEAR OLD JOSEPH WETZEL AND 26 YEAR OLD LINDA TODD OF PHILADELPHIA APPEARED BEFORE DISTRICT JUDGE BERNADETTE NAHAS TO FACE THE CHARGES OF TAKING CASH, LOTTERY TICKETS AND MORE THAN 1 THOUSAND PACKS OF CIGARETTES FROM SMOKIN JOES ON CENTRE STREET APRIL 3RD. A THIRD MAN, 28 YEAR OLD KEVIN CLARK, ALSO OF PHILADELPHIA, HAD HIS HEARING CONTINUED UNTIL NEXT WEEK ON THE SAME CHARGES. WETZEL AND TODD ARE LOCKED UP IN THE COUNTY PRISON.

COMMISSIONERS MEETING

SHERRY MARCHEFSKY HAS THIS REPORT FROM WEDNESDAY'S COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MEETING:

COMMISSIONERS 5.05.10

ENVIRONTHON

FORTY SEVEN TEAMS OF STUDENTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTY COMPETED IN THE 2010 ENVIROTHON AT THE SCHUYLKILL COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS YESTERDAY. THE 31ST ANNUAL COMPETITION, COORDINATED BY THE SCHUYLKILL CONSERVATION DISTRICTS, TESTS TEAMS ABOUT THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF THE ENVIRONMENT. THE ENVIROTHON REVOLVES AROUND FIVE SUBJECT AREAS, AQUATICS, FORESTRY, SOILS, WILDLIFE AND A CURRENT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE, THIS YEAR, GROUNDWATER. SEVEN SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND FIVE PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS PARTICIPATED. BLUE MOUNTAIN STUDENTS AT THE ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL CLAIMED FIRST PLACE IN THEIR RESPECTIVE CATEGORIES.

CAREER FAIR

THE SECOND ANNUAL SCHUYLKILL COUNTY CAREER FAIR WAS HELD AT POTTSVILLE'S MARTZ HALL WEDNESDAY. SHERRY MARCHEFSKY REPORTS:

CAREER FAIR

DETAILS ON CRASH

POTTSVILLE POLICE HAVE RELEASED THE IDENTITIES OF THOSE INVOLVED IN A CRASH ON ROUTE 61 TUESDAY AFTERNOON. A JEEP DRIVEN BY STEVEN CUTHBERTSON OF AMBLER, PA WAS NORTHBOUND. HIS VEHICLE HYDROPLANED ON THE WET ROADWAY AND STRUCK A SOUTHBOUND CAR DRIVEN BY ONEIL MALCOM OF PHILADELPHIA. THREE PASSENGERS IN MALCOM'S CAR WERE TREATED FOR THEIR INJURIES. THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES.

HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - DOCTORS FOR MOST OF PENNSYLVANIA'S SIX GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES SAY THEY'RE IN EXCELLENT PHYSICAL CONDITION, BUT THREE HAVE CONFRONTED SERIOUS MEDICAL PROBLEMS. AN AP REVIEW HAS FOUND ATTORNEY GENERAL TOM CORBETT HAD A MILD HEART ATTACK IN 1997, STATE AUDITOR GENERAL JACK WAGNER HAD PROSTATE CANCER SURGERY IN 2001 AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY COMMISSIONER JOE HOEFFEL HAS DIABETES.

JOHNSTOWN, PA. (AP) - TWO MEN VYING TO REPLACE THE LATE CONGRESSMAN JOHN MURTHA SPARRED LAST NIGHT AT A DEBATE OVER JOBS. OTHER TOPICS BETWEEN DEMOCRAT MARK CRITZ AND REPUBLICAN TIM BURNS INCLUDED THE WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA ECONOMY AND WHICH CANDIDATE IS RUNNING THE MORE NEGATIVE CAMPAIGN.

ALLENTOWN, PA. (AP) - A NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA STORE SAYS IT HAS VIDEO OF THE SUSPECT IN THE FAILED TIMES SQUARE CAR BOMBING BUYING FIREWORKS THERE. THE PRESIDENT OF PHANTOM FIREWORKS SAYS FAISAL SHAHZAD BOUGHT FIREWORKS FROM THE COMPANY'S SHOWROOM IN MATAMORAS WITHIN THE LAST EIGHT WEEKS, BUT THEY WEREN'T POWERFUL ENOUGH TO DETONATE A BOMB.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - PENNSYLVANIA'S AARON KELLY HAS BEEN BOOTED OFF AMERICAN IDOL. THE HIGH SCHOOLER FROM TINY SONESTOWN IN NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA WAS DONE IN FOLLOWING HIS MEEK INTERPRETATION OF FRANK SINATRA'S "FLY ME TO THE MOON" ON TUESDAY'S SHOW.

NEW YORK (AP)- THE SUSPECT IN THE ATTEMPTED BOMBING IN TIMES SQUARE REHEARSED THE PLOT TWO DAYS EARLIER. FAISAL SHAHZAD ALLEGEDLY EVEN DROPPED OFF A GETAWAY CAR BLOCKS FROM THE SITE. HE IS IN CUSTODY, CHARGED WITH TERRORISM AND WEAPONS.

ON THE GULF OF MEXICO (AP) - HOPES ARE RESTING ON 100-TON CONCRETE-AND-STEEL CONTRAPTION TO STOP THE OIL GUSHING INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO. THE CONTAINMENT BOX IS ON ITS WAY TO THE DISASTER AND IS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE SOMETIME TODAY. MEANWHILE, BP'S CHIEF EXECUTIVE SAYS THE OIL LEAK WILL BE STOPPED BUT IT'S TOO EARLY TO SAY WHEN THAT MIGHT HAPPEN OR HOW MUCH IT WILL ULTIMATELY COST.

ABOARD THE HSWMS CARLSKRONA (AP) - RUSSIAN SPECIAL FORCES HAVE FREED 23 RUSSIAN SAILORS HELD BY SOMALI PIRATES. THE TROOPS RAPPELLED ONTO THE DISABLED OIL TANKER TO FREE THEIR COUNTRYMEN. THE PIRATES ARE UNDER ARREST.

ATHENS, GREECE (AP) - GREEK BANK WORKERS ARE STAGING A 24-HOUR STRIKE TO PROTEST THE DEATHS OF THREE COLLEAGUES IN MASSIVE DEMONSTRATIONS AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT'S NEW HARSH AUSTERITY MEASURES. THE WORKERS WERE TRAPPED IN A BANK TORCHED BY PROTESTERS. THE DEATHS ARE THE FIRST FROM DEMONSTRATIONS IN NEARLY 20 YEARS.

KABUL (AP) - NATO SAYS AN ALLIED SOLDIER HAS DIED AFTER A SMALL-ARMS ATTACK IN SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN. THERE ARE NO FURTHER DETAILS. SEVEN NATO SOLDIERS HAVE BEEN KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN SO FAR THIS MONTH. MEANWHILE, A REPORT HAS FOUND THAT THE WAR SUFFERS FROM A LACK ATTENTION TO THE COUNTRY'S POLITICS.