Today's News-Monday, June 7, 2010

MOTORCYCLIST INJURED IN CRASH
A Bethel man was injured when he crashed his motorcycle Saturday night in Wayne Township. State police report 27 year old Brandon Ritchie was turning his motorcycle right onto Route 183 from Roure 895 and 52 year old Linda Merkel of Auburn was northbound on 183. Ritchie's cycle turned into Merkel's path of travel, then continued on another 33 feet before coming to rest on its side. Ritchie had to be flown to Reading Hospital for treatment. Merkel was not hurt. The crash happened around 6pm Saturday night.

MISSING MAN
State police report that a Pottsville man has been reported missing. 27 year old Michael Hossler was last seen Saturday morning around 7:30am, as he was attending the World War Two weekend at the Reading Airport. Troopers say Hossler was wearing a World War Two military uniform. He's described as being 6 feet tall, 370 pounds with dark brown hair and wearing glasses. Anyone who knows of Michael Hossler's whereabouts is asked to call Schuylkill Haven state police at 593-2000.

TWO ESCAPE INJURY IN ROUTE 61 CRASH
Two women escaped injury in a crash yesterday morning in North Manheim Township. Therese Hohman of Orwigsburg was stopped at a traffic sign on East Main Street, attempting to turn onto Route 61 when her car was rear ended by Margaret Dooner's car, which was travling behind Hohman's car. The accident happened before 10am Sunday, according to state police.

MISSING TEEN
A teenaged girl from Schuylkill Haven has been missing since Thursday, and police are asking for your help. 17 year old Alexis Gehring was reportedly last seen near Haven High School Thursday, and did not show up for school on Friday. The teen is described to as being 5 feet 1 inch tall, 105 pounds with brown hair and eyes. Anyone with information about Alexis Gehring's whereabouts should call Schuylkill Haven police at 385-9111.

MISSING MAN
State police at Schuylkill Haven are investigating a missing person's report this morning. 29 year old Lee Alan Fisher of Tower City was last seen at his home on East Grand Avenue the afternoon of May 30th. He has not been heard of or seen since. Fisher is described as being 6 feet 1 inches tall, 165 pounds with brown hair and eyes. He has several tatoos, including USMC on his left arm and the name Morgan on his right forearm. Call 593-2000 if you have any leads in this missing persons case.

ONE CAR CRASH LAST NIGHT IN MAHANOY TOWNSHIP
A Mahanoy City man and woman escaped serious injury in a crash last night. 21 year old Holly Reeves was driving south on State Route 339 when she over compensated to regain control of her car. The vehicle struck a rock embankment and rolled over. Reeves and her passenger, Joshua Mooney, had minor injuries but refused medical treatment.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - State officials are inspecting the equipment at the northcentral Pennsylvania gas well that spewed explosive gas and polluted water for 16 hours last week.
Investigators aren't saying whether well driller EOG Resources of Houston committed any violations.

YORK, Pa. (AP) - Police have charged a man with killing a fellow guest at a central Pennsylvania motel last month. Northern York County Regional Police allege that Tracey Bradley choked
72-year-old Lee Choppin to death during a robbery at the Motel 6 on Route 30 in Manchester Township. Bradley was arrested Friday in Lancaster.

EMMAUS, Pa. (AP) - Authorities in eastern Pennsylvania say a woman was found strangled a few blocks from her home, and her boyfriend is charged in the homicide. Officials say the body of
Donya Abdulrazzak was found on a walking path in Emmaus on Friday. Darius Maurer was arraigned on criminal homicide charges over the weekend.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Thousands of paddlers have joined forces in Pittsburgh's Allegheny River to break the world record for the largest flotilla of kayaks and canoes. Participants braved heavy
downpours to gather in the river over the weekend. Organizers estimate that 1,700 to 1,800 boats took part in the event.

BHOPAL, India (AP) - An Indian court has convicted seven former senior employees of Union Carbide's Indian subsidiary for their roles in the Bhopal gas tragedy. An estimated 15,000 people died as a result of breathing tons of gas that leaked from a pesticide plant on Dec. 3, 1984. The former employees face up to two years in prison for "death by negligence." The verdicts are likely to be appealed.

GULF SHORES, Ala. (AP) - Residents along the Gulf Coast are realizing it's going to be a long time before their home areas are clean again. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen plans to give an update on the oil containment effort this morning at the White House. He warned Sunday that the overall battle is likely to stretch into the fall. Meanwhile, BP says the cost of the company's response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has reached about $1.25 billion, not including construction of the protective berms.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Physicians for Human Rights wants the White House to investigate whether medical personnel were on hand to test and refine harsh interrogation techniques on terrorist detainees. The prominent group says the medical staff worked under the guise
of safeguarding the detainees' health. The government denies the allegation.

ELMWOOD PARK, N.J. (AP) - The two New Jersey men allegedly headed to Somalia for terrorist training are expected in court later this morning. Mohamed Mahmood Alessa, 20, and Carlos Eduardo Almonte, 24, are the latest of several U.S. Muslims accused of joining or trying to join terrorist groups, radicalized with help from fellow Americans preaching violent jihad over the Internet.

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) - Police say an unemployed postal worker went on a 5-mile shooting rampage in central Florida. Fifty-one-year-old Robin Parks of Auburndale tells the Polk County,
Fla., sheriff's deputies he was shooting to protect himself after a confrontation at a bar. Sheriff Grady Judd says Parks had a blood-alcohol level of 0.22. He was arrested and ordered held
without bond. Two people were injured.