Today's News-Thursday, September 23, 2010

TWO MORE PLEAD GUILTY IN MURDER CASE
POTTSVILLE, PA. (AP) - TWO MORE MEN HAVE ADMITTED BEATING A FORMER FRIEND TO DEATH LAST YEAR IN A RURAL PART OF SCHUYLKILL COUNTY. JEFFREY GOMBERT, OF HAZLETON, AND ANDREW TUTKO, OF MCADOO, PLEADED GUILTY YESTERDAY IN SCHUYLKILL COUNTY COURT IN THE DEATH OF 21-YEAR-OLD ANTHONY LOCASCIO. THE 20-YEAR-OLDS PLEADED GUILTY TO CHARGES INCLUDING
THIRD-DEGREE MURDER, JOINING TWO OTHER MEN WHO PLEADED MONDAY IN THE SEPTEMBER 2009 BEATING. THEY HAD BEEN SCHEDULED TO GO ON TRIAL MONDAY. LOCASCIO'S BODY WAS DISCOVERED IN A WOODED AREA NEAR BRANDONVILLE. AUTHORITIES SAY THE SUSPECTS BEAT THE HAZLETON MAN WITH A BASEBALL BAT AND LEFT HIM TO DIE BECAUSE HE'D TALKED TO POLICE ABOUT ANOTHER CRIME.

FALL BEGINS

THE SUMMER SEASON WENT OUT WITH A BANG LAST NIGHT AS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS RUMBLED THROUGH THE REGION. SOME LOCALIZED FLOODING WAS REPORTED BY THE STORMS, ALONG WITH HAIL. FALL BEGAN AT 11:09PM WEDNESDAY NIGHT, BUT WARMER TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE WEEKEND.

WOMEN ACCUSED OF STEALING FROM ELDERLY

TWO WOMEN FROM KLINE TOWNSHIP ARE ACCUSED OF STEALING MONEY FROM AN ELDERLY WOMAN WHOM THEY CARED FOR. REBECCA KEEFER AND SARA FLETCHER WAIVED THEIR RIGHT TO A PRELIMINARY HEARING WEDNESDAY ON CHARGES OF FORGERY, THEFT BY UNLAWFUL TAKING AND OTHER COUNTS FOR ALLEGEDLY TAKING MONEY FROM MARY RUSSO OF KELAYRES IN JULY. THE ACCUSED REPORTEDLY STOLE CHECKS FROM THE VICTIM AND BOUGHT MERCHANDISE AT THE WALMART STORE IN HOMETOWN.

FOUR CHARGED IN THEFT

A LONG-TERM INVESTIGATION BY AUTHORITIES HAS LED TO CHARGES BEING FILED AGAINST FOUR MEN FOR STEALING MORE THAN 45-THOUSAND-DOLLARS IN CAMERA EQUIPMENT FROM A HUMBOLDT INDUSTRIAL PARK BUSINESS. THE THEFT TOOK PLACE AT PITT-OHIO EXPRESS IN OCTOBER, 2005. STEVEN HUTNYAN OF BARNESVILLE, JOSEPH TEDESCO OF PARDEESVILLE, STANLEY ARTHUR OF HARLEIGH AND DOMINICK PETRUZZI OF HAZLETON WERE TRACED TO THE THEFTS WHEN THEY ATTEMPTED TO SELL THE STOLEN CAMCORDERS TO A CONFIDENTIAL INFORMANT. THE MEN WERE RELEASED ON THEIR OWN RECOGNIZANCE AFTER ARRAIGNMENT.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - FAST-MOVING STORMS HAVE CAUSED POWER OUTAGES, DOWNED TREES AND DAMAGED BUILDINGS IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. THE STORMS BLEW THROUGH PITTSBURGH JUST AFTER 4 P.M. YESTERDAY. SOME POWER OUTAGES WERE REPORTED SOUTH OF THE CITY AND THERE WERE SOME
TREES DOWN ACROSS THE AREA.

HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL HOPEFUL DAN ONORATO SAYS HIS REPUBLICAN RIVAL, TOM CORBETT, IS BEING INCONSISTENT ON THE NATIONAL HEALTH CARE OVERHAUL. AS STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL CORBETT PUT PENNSYLVANIA AMONG THE 20 STATES THAT HAVE SUED TO BLOCK THE NATIONAL HEALTH CARE OVERHAUL. BUT CORBETT PRAISES THE LAW IN A RECENT POSTING ON HIS CAMPAIGN WEBSITE.

HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - A LEADING STATE SENATOR IS PROPOSING A SET OF CHANGES TO PENNSYLVANIA'S RIGHT-TO-KNOW LAW. THE SENATE GAVE INITIAL CONSIDERATION YESTERDAY TO THE 16-PAGE BILL SPONSORED BY MAJORITY LEADER DOMINIC PILEGGI. HE WANTS TO CLARIFY THAT COUNTY 911 AGENCIES HAVE TO DISCLOSE THE TIME OF CALLS THEY RECEIVE AND THE LOCATION OF THE INCIDENT.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - PHILANTHROPIST RAYMOND PERELMAN IS MOUNTING A SOLO BID OF AT LEAST $50 MILLION AS HE FIGHTS CREDITORS FOR CONTROL OF PHILADELPHIA'S TWO LARGEST NEWSPAPERS. THE 93-YEAR-OLD PERELMAN SAYS HE BELIEVES THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER AND PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS ARE ICONIC CITY INSTITUTIONS THAT SHOULD REMAIN IN LOCAL HANDS. THE AUCTION IS TODAY.

WASHINGTON (AP) - CREDIT-STARVED SMALL BUSINESSES COULD SOON SEE MORE BORROWING POSSIBILITIES AND A TAX CUT. LEGISLATION TO HELP STRUGGLING SMALL BUSINESSES WITH EASIER CREDIT AND OTHER INCENTIVES TO EXPAND AND HIRE NEW WORKERS IS SCHEDULED FOR A HOUSE VOTE TODAY. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA IS EXPECTED TO SIGN THE $30 BILLION BILL.

WASHINGTON (AP) - THE SIX MONTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HEALTH CARE OVERHAUL TODAY BRINGS SOME NEW BENEFITS ONLINE. INSURANCE PLANS CAN
NO LONGER SET LIFETIME CAPS ON MEDICAL COSTS. PARENTS CAN KEEP THEIR ADULT CHILDREN ON THEIR HEALTH PLANS UNTIL AGE 26. AND INSURERS CAN NO LONGER DENY COVERAGE TO CHILDREN WITH PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS.

WASHINGTON (AP) - AS MORE BENEFITS BEGIN TO TAKE EFFECT, REPUBLICANS ARE VOWING TO REPEAL THE HEALTH CARE OVERHAUL AS PART OF THE "PLEDGE TO AMERICA" BEING UNVEILED TODAY. GOP LAWMAKERS ARE UNVEILING THEIR PROMISES ON THE SIX-MONTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE OVERHAUL. THE PLEDGE ALSO INCLUDES TAX AND SPENDING CUTS AND WELL AS REDUCED GOVERNMENT REGULATION.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA TURNS HIS ATTENTION
TO INTERNATIONAL STATECRAFT TODAY WHEN HE MAKES HIS SECOND SPEECH
TO THE UNITED NATIONS. OBAMA PLANS TO EMPHASIZE EFFORTS HIS ADMINISTRATION IS MAKING TO PROMOTE PEACE AND STABILITY FROM IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN TO THE MIDDLE EAST WHILE COUNTERING NUCLEAR CONCERNS IN IRAN AND NORTH KOREA.

WASHINGTON (AP) - A NEW POLL SHOWS INDEPENDENT VOTERS ARE GETTING SURLY AND THE GLOOMY MOOD THAT SWEPT REPUBLICANS FROM CONGRESSIONAL CONTROL IN 2006 COULD WORK AGAINST DEMOCRATS THIS FALL. AN ASSOCIATED PRESS-GFK POLL THIS MONTH FINDS 58 PERCENT OF INDEPENDENTS AND 60 PERCENT OF REPUBLICANS SAYING POLITICS IS MAKING THEM ANGRY.