Today's News-Tuesday, May 4, 2010

DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES DEBATE

INCUMBENT CONGRESSMAN TIM HOLDEN AND DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGER SHEILA DOW-FORD PARTICIPATED IN A DEBATE MONDAY NIGHT IN POTTSVILLE, JUST TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE PRIMARY. THE REPUBLICAN HERALD AND THE ORWIGSBURG PUBLIC LIBRARY SPONSORED THE FORUM AT THE SOVEREIGN MAJESTIC THEATRE. AMONG THE QUESTIONS FIELDED BY THE CANDIDATES, TERM LIMITS. FIRST, DOW-FORD:

TERM LIMITS FORD

CONGRESSMAN HOLDEN RESPONDS:

TERM LIMITS HOLDEN

THE DEBATE, BEFORE A PACKED HOUSE, LASTED A LITTLE OVER AN HOUR.

HAVEN MEN CITED FOR HARASSMENT

TWO SCHUYLKILL HAVEN MEN ARE CITED FOR HARASSMENT FOLLOWING AN INCIDENT IN NORTH MANHEIM TOWNSHIP YESTERDAY. 73 YEAR OLD LAMAR GULDIN AND 59 YEAR OLD CURTIS GULDIN WERE APPARENTLY ARGUING ABOUT TRASH WHEN STATE POLICE ARRIVED YESTERDAY AFTERNOON.

U TURN RESULTS IN WRECK

A MUIR WOMAN WAS SERIOUSLY HURT DURING A SUNDAY CRASH IN FRAILEY TOWNSHIP. STATE POLICE SAY SARAH STEVENS OF DOUGLASSVILLE, GA. WAS APPARENTLY GOING THE WRONG WAY ON ROUTE 209, AND MADE A U TURN AT THE END OF THE CONCRETE DIVIDER. A CAR DRIVEN BY LARRY MILLER OF MUIR CRASHED INTO STEVENS' VEHICLE. 58 YEAR OLD DONNA MILLER OF MUIR WAS HURT. THE PASSENGERS IN STEVENS VEHICLE WERE NOT INJURED. THE CRASH HAPPENED BEFORE 10AM SUNDAY.

CENTRALIA CASE

HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - AN APPEALS JUDGE SAYS THAT WHILE HE SYMPATHIZES WITH RESIDENTS OF CENTRALIA, A TOWN DECIMATED BY A MINE FIRE, HE HAS NO JURISDICTION TO HEAR ARGUMENTS ABOUT WHY THEY SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO STAY IN THEIR HOMES. MOST HOMES IN CENTRALIA WERE DEMOLISHED IN THE 1980S AS AN UNDERGROUND FIRE THAT BEGAN IN 1962 THREATENED RESIDENTS WITH POISONING GASES AND DANGEROUS SINKHOLES. A FEW RESIDENTS HAVE REFUSED TO LEAVE, CLAIMING THE GOVERNMENT IS PART OF A CONSPIRACY TO SWIPE THE MINERAL RIGHTS TO ANTHRACITE COAL BENEATH THE TOWN. THEY SAY THE FIRE IS EITHER OUT OR HAS MOVED AWAY. SENIOR COMMONWEALTH COURT JUDGE KEITH QUIGLEY SAID MONDAY THE RESIDENTS' CLAIMS ARE UNIQUE AND MIGHT HAVE MERIT, BUT HE RULED AGAINST THEM ON JURISDICTIONAL AND PROCEDURAL GROUNDS.

DEBATE TWO

THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES FOR THE 17TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, INCUMBENT CONGRESSMAN TIM HOLDEN AND DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGER SHEILA DOW-FORD PARTICIPATED IN A DEBATE MONDAY NIGHT IN POTTSVILLE, JUST TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE PRIMARY. SPONSORED BY THE REPUBLICAN HERALD AND THE ORWIGSBURG PUBLIC LIBRARY, THE CANDIDATES COVERED A WIDE ARRAY OF QUESTIONS DURING THE HOUR-LONG FORUM AT THE SOVEREIGN MAJESTIC THEATRE. AMONG THE QUESTIONS FIELDED BY THE CANDIDATES, ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. FIRST, DOW-FORD:

IMMIGRATION DOW-FORD

CONGRESSMAN HOLDEN:

IMMIGRATION HOLDEN

THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES FOR THE 17TH DISTRICT ARE SLATED TO DEBATE ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - GOVERNOR ED RENDELL IS CALLING FOR TAX HIKES IN ORDER TO LIMIT THE NUMBER OF STATE EMPLOYEE LAYOFFS OR FURLOUGHS LIKELY TO RESULT FROM PENNSYLVANIA'S GROWING STATE BUDGET SHORTFALL. RENDELL SAYS SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE TO FILL A BILLION DOLLAR BUDGET GAP.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A REPORT COMMISSIONED BY A SUBURBAN PHILADELPHIA SCHOOL DISTRICT SAYS THERE'S NO EVIDENCE OF SPYING ON STUDENTS THROUGH AN ELECTRONIC LAPTOP TRACKING PROGRAM. BUT THE INDEPENDENT REPORT DOES CITE AN "OVERZEALOUS AND QUESTIONABLE USE OF TECHNOLOGY" BY LOWER MERION SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT LED TO THE CAPTURE OF 58,000 IMAGES TAKEN BY WEBCAMS ON LAPTOPS ISSUED TO STUDENTS.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA JURY HAS CONVICTED TWO TEENAGERS OF THE SHOOTING DEATH OF ANOTHER YOUTH IN HOMESTEAD ALMOST 3 1/2 YEARS AGO. TERRILL HICKS AND RAYMONT WALKER BOTH FACE
MANDATORY LIFE PRISON TERMS WITHOUT POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE IN THE 2006 KILLING OF KEVIN HARRISON.

NEW YORK (AP) - THE SUSPECT IN THE TIMES SQUARE BOMB PLOT HEADS
TO FEDERAL COURT IN MANHATTAN TODAY. AUTHORITIES STOPPED FAISAL
SHAHZAD LATE MONDAY BEFORE HE BOARDED A PLANE TO DUBAI. THE CHARGES ARE NOT YET PUBLIC.

BOSTON (AP) - MASSACHUSETTS GOV. DEVAL PATRICK HAS LIFTED A BOIL WATER ORDER FOR 2 MILLION BOSTON AREA RESIDENTS. AUTHORITIES SAY TESTS SHOWED THE WATER IN 29 COMMUNITIES IS NOW SAFE FOR DRINKING. THE ORDER WENT INTO EFFECT SATURDAY AFTER A CRUCIAL WATER MAIN FAILED.

NASHVILLE, TENN. (AP) - TENNESSEE RESIDENTS AND AUTHORITIES KNOW THEY'LL FIND WIDESPREAD PROPERTY DAMAGE IN FLOODED AREAS. BUT NOW THAT THE CUMBERLAND RIVER HAS CRESTED, NASHVILLE'S FIRE CHIEF SAYS HER CREWS SUSPECT THEY'LL FIND MORE PEOPLE AS THE FLOODWATERS RETREAT. SEVENTEEN PEOPLE HAVE DIED IN TENNESSEE'S FLOODS.

WASHINGTON (AP) - PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA IS ADAMANT THAT BP FOOT THE BILL FOR THE MASSIVE GULF COAST OIL SPILL. BUT WHILE A LAW PASSED AFTER THE EXXON VALDEZ SPILL MAKES THE OIL COMPANY LIABLE FOR CLEANUP COSTS, IT SETS A CAP OF $75 MILLION FOR OTHER KINDS OF DAMAGE. GULF FISHERMEN, THE TOURIST TRADE AND OTHER INDUSTRIES' LOSSES HAVE LIKELY GONE WELL BEYOND THAT.

NEW YORK (AP) - THE FORMER CBS TELEVISION PRODUCER WHO TRIED TO SHAKE DOWN DAVID LETTERMAN IS TO BE SENTENCED TODAY. A NEW YORK JUDGE IS TO SENTENCE ROBERT "JOE" HALDERMAN TO SIX MONTHS IN JAIL AND 1,000 HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE. HALDERMAN PLEADED GUILTY IN MARCH TO GRAND LARCENY.