Today's News-Friday, July 2, 2010

ROBBERY SUSPECT RETURNED TO COUNTY
A Cressona man, accused in the armed robbery of a Schuylkill Haven convenience store has been returned to Pennsylvania. 26 year old WIlliam Kistler allegedly held up the Red and White Market on Wednesday morning, then fled to Virginia. Kistler was arraigned Thursday night on a host of charges, including robbery, receiving stolen property, terroristic threats, theft of a motor vehicle and other counts. Following arraignment, Kistler was taken to county prison on more than $100 thousand dollars bail. He awaits a preliminary hearing.


DEADLY FORCE JUSTIFIED
Deadly force was justified by police in the shooting death of a Tuscarora man, 41 year old Scott Mackelvey. That was the conclusion of a month long investigation by the Schuylkill County District Attorney's office. Detective Dennis Clark and Assistant DA Doug Taglieri joined District Attorney Jim Goodman Thursday to describe the investigation in detail. Twenty four shots were fired by two state police officers, Corporal Leo Luciani and Trooper John Sleboda, and off duty St Clair officer Frank DiMarco that claimed the life of Mackelvey, who went on a drunken odyssey, stealing a truck tractor, leading from Barnesville to the Wildcat development in Walker Township, where he rammed a stolen truck against a state police cruiser and ignored repeated commands by police to stop. Mackelvey's reckless behavior warranted the action by police:

GOODMAN 1

The case is now closed.

TRUCK CRASH
A York Haven man suffered minor injury when his tractor crashed on Interstate 81 early Thursday. 31 year old Jeremy Stum was northbound in Ryan Township when his rig drifted off the road, striking a guiderail and concrete wall, ending up in a ditch. The crash happened at 3am yesterday.

BUCKLE UP
State and local police will be out in full force, watching for speeders, aggressive and drunk drivers, this holiday weekend. The official holiday enforcement period runs from today through Monday. Motorists should be aware of the many single lane, reduced speed construction zones on Pennsylvania roadways and use extra caution. Headlights are required to be on in all work zones, and fines are doubled if there are workers present. Allow extra time for travel, and as always, wear your seatbelts.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The state budget deal is in real jeopardy after talks among Legislative leaders broke down over the creation of an independent fiscal office. House Democratic leaders tell the AP that Senate Republicans have broken off negotiations. The main budget bill is sitting on Governor Ed Rendell's desk while he awaits the additional legislation.

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. (AP) - A former official in two suburban Philadelphia communities is charged with embezzling nearly $200,000 in tax dollars. Prosecutors say Linda Ann Marie Palermo used the money to pay her mortgage, take a vacation to Mexico and buy a Corvette. They say she was stealing from the Lower Gwynedd and West Conshohocken Municipal Authorities, where she collected water and sewer payments.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Another Penn State review has cleared a leading climate scientist of a research misconduct allegation stemming from leaked e-mails about global warming. The report says professor Michael Mann didn't seriously deviate from accepted academic research practices.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A Philadelphia philanthropist has pledged nearly $6 million to save a historic ocean liner currently rusting away on the city's waterfront. H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest will donate up to $5.8 million to the SS United States Conservancy to purchase and maintain the ship while it focuses on turning the ship into a stationary mixed-use retail and entertainment complex.

WASHINGTON (AP) - There are concerns that the economic rebound is stalling. Jobless figures to come out later this morning forecast a rise in unemployment, from 9.7 in May to 9.8 in June.
Ryan Sweet, senior economist at Moody's Economy.com, says "The economy is losing some momentum."

TOKYO (AP) - On Monday, Toyota will begin recalling some 270,000 vehicles that may have faulty engines. Toyota says seven luxury Lexus sedan models as well as the popular Crown could stall when the car is running.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden plan to lead a memorial service today for West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd, who died Monday at age 92. Byrd's casket has been lying in the Capitol in Charleston overnight, for viewing by the public.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico (AP) - A fire fight near the U.S.-Mexico border has ended with 21 people dead, some six wounded and nine people in custody. The gun battle between rival drug and migrant trafficking gangs happened Thursday, about 12 miles from Nogales, Arizona.

WASHINGTON (AP) - A blind person one day may be able to drive a car. The National Federation of the Blind and Virginia Tech plan to demonstrate a prototype vehicle next year that's equipped with technology to help a blind person drive a car independently. The
car uses sensors.