TODAY'S NEWS: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2011

HALCOVAGE ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR COMMISSIONER

A FOURTH REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE HAS ENTERED THE RACE FOR SCHUYLKILL COUNTY COMMISSIONER. GEORGE HALCOVAGE JR, OF POTTSVILLE, ANNOUNCED HIS CANDIDACY MONDAY AFTERNOON IN GARFIELD SQUARE. 53-YEAR-OLD HALCOVAGE IS THE PRESIDENT OF MORGAN & HALCOVAGE INSURANCE AGENCY, MINERSVILLE, AND SERVES NUMEROUS ROLES THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY.

DEFENSE BEGINS CASE IN CIAVARELLA TRIAL

PROSECUTION RESTED MONDAY MORNING AFTER FOUR AND A HALF DAYS OF TESTIMONY IN THE KIDS-FOR-CASH TRIAL OF FORMER LUZERNE COUNTY JUDGE, MARK CIAVARELLA. FEDERAL PROSECUTORS DID NOT CALL ANY OF THE JUVENILES CLAIMED TO BE WRONGFULLY IMPRISONED, WHICH LEAVES LITTLE EVIDENCE CIAVARELLA WAS IMPRISONING JUVENILES ON MINOR OFFENSES TO BOOST DETENTION FACILITY NUMBERS. THE STANDARD SPEAKER REPORTS THE DEFENSE PROCEEDED WITH THEIR CASE CALLING GINA CARRELLI, A POLITICALLY CONNECTED WITNESS THAT TESTIFIED SHE SAW POWELL, CO-OWNER OF THE DETENTION FACILITIES, PASS AN ENVELOPE OF CASH TO AN ELECTED OFFICIAL IN 2006. CARRELLI DID NOT SPEAK OUT ABOUT WITNESSING THIS EXCHANGE UNTIL CONTACTED BY CIAVARELLA'S ATTORNEY. THE DEFENSE COULD REST AS EARLY AS TODAY WITH CIAVARELLA TESTIFYING IN HIS OWN DEFENSE.

ASSAULT CHARGES

A MINERSVILLE MAN IS BEHIND BARS UNABLE TO POST $5,000 BAIL AFTER ASSAULTING HIS DAUGHTER WEDNESDAY EVENING. 40-YEAR-OLD DAVID LECHER WAS ARRESTED AFTER STRIKING HIS DAUGHTER'S HEAD INTO DRYWALL CAUSING A HOLE IN THE WALL. THE GIRL SUFFERED A FRACTURE TO HER LEFT ARM AND AN INJURY TO HER LEFT LEG WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL TREATMENT.

BANNING BATH SALTS

LEGISLATION THAT WOULD BAN SPECIFIC TYPES OF BATH SALTS COULD BE HEADED TO THE HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE TODAY. THE NEWS ITEM REPORTS, THE BANNING OF SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA, BATH SALTS, AND SALVIA ARE THREE SEPARATE BILLS THAT MAY BE CONSIDERED. A NATION WIDE BAN HAS BEEN PROPOSED BY U.S SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER.STATEWIDE BANDS ARE BEING CONSIDERED IN KENTUCKY AND MISSISSIPPI. IF PENNSYLVANIA ENACTED SUCH A BAN, IT WOULD JOIN FLORIDA, LOUISIANA, NORTH DAKOTA, ISRAEL AND THE EUROPEAN UNION IN PUTTING SUCH A MEASURE INTO EFFECT.

MAN ESCAPES INJURIES IN CAR CRASH

A PINE GROVE MAN ESCAPED INJURIES AFTER SLIDING OF THE ROADWAY AND HITTING TWO TREES MONDAY. 18-YEAR-OLD JACOB SAMPSON WAS NEGOTIATING A LEFT CURVE ON SWEET ARROW ROAD IN WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP WHEN HE HIT A PATCH OF ICE. SAMPSON'S CAR THEN SLID OF THE ROAD AND STRUCK TWO TREES WHICH CAUSED HIS VEHICLE TO SPIN 180 DEGREES. SAMPSON WAS WEARING A SEAT BELT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED FROM THE SCENE.

HAVEN CELEBRATES HOODIE-HOO DAY

IT'S TIME TO CHASE AWAY WINTER AND BRING IN SPRING AND THE BOROUGH OF SCHUYLKILL HAVEN WILL DO JUST THAT BY CELEBRATING HOODIE HOO DAY THIS FRIDAY. THIS FUN EVENT WAS FOUNDED IN THE 1980’S BY TOM AND RUTH ROY. STARTING AT NOON, LOCAL GROUPS WILL GATHER ON THE FRONT LAWN OF THE SCHUYLKILL HAVEN HI-RISE, WAVING THEIR HANDS OVER THEIR HEAD AND CHANTING “HOODIE-HOO”. THE FIRE ALARM SIRENS WILL ALSO SOUND STARTING THE FESTIVITIES.

STATE NEWS:
ALLENTOWN, PA. (AP) - WORKERS HAVE REMOVED A 4-FOOT-LONG SECTION OF CAST-IRON NATURAL GAS PIPE SUSPECTED OF CAUSING LAST WEEK'S EXPLOSION AND FIRE THAT KILLED FIVE PEOPLE IN ALLENTOWN. THE MORNING CALL REPORTS A SECOND SECTION OF PIPE HAS YET TO BE REMOVED. GOVERNOR TOM CORBETT VISITED THE SITE YESTERDAY, SAYING IT SHOWS PENNSYLVANIA NEEDS TO FOCUS MORE ON ITS AGING GAS, WATER AND SEWER LINES.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - PITTSBURGH'S PUBLIC SAFETY CHIEF SAYS THE CITY WILL APPEAL AFTER AN ARBITRATOR ORDERED THE REINSTATEMENT OF A PARAMEDIC WHO WAS FIRED AFTER A SNOWBOUND MAN DIED DURING A 30-HOUR WAIT FOR AN AMBULANCE. JOSIE DIMON WAS A CREW CHIEF DURING A BLIZZARD LAST WINTER. SHE WAS FIRED AFTER RECORDINGS REVEALED HER
SAYING THAT A MAN SUFFERING FROM ABDOMINAL PAIN SHOULD WALK TO AN AMBULANCE THAT COULDN'T GET TO HIM THROUGH THE SNOW.

SCRANTON, PA. (AP) - THE DEFENSE COULD REST ITS CASE AS EARLY AS TODAY IN THE TRIAL OF A FORMER LUZERNE COUNTY JUDGE MARK CIAVARELLA, WHO'S ACCUSED IN AN ALLEGED BRIBERY AND EXTORTION SCHEME TO SEND YOUTH OFFENDERS TO PRIVATELY OWNED JUVENILE DETENTION CENTERS. CIAVARELLA IS EXPECTED TO TAKE THE STAND IN HIS OWN DEFENSE.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - TENANTS FORCED OUT OF A PHILADELPHIA
APARTMENT BUILDING HIT BY FIRE LAST MONTH SAY THEY'VE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GO INTO THE BUILDING TO RETRIEVE THEIR BELONGINGS AHEAD OF THE STRUCTURE'S PLANNED DEMOLITION. THEY PICKETED OUTSIDE THE WINDERMERE COURT APARTMENTS YESTERDAY, WITH SOME SAYING THIEVES HAVE BEEN RANSACKING THE UNITS WHILE RESIDENTS ARE BARRED FROM
GOING IN.


NATIONAL NEWS:
CAIRO (AP) - A MEMBER OF A COMMITTEE APPOINTED BY EGYPT'S RULING MILITARY TO AMEND THE CONSTITUTION SAYS RADICAL CHANGES ARE NOT PLANNED AND THAT RESTRICTIONS ON FREEDOMS WILL BE REMOVED. HE SAYS THE NEW DOCUMENT WILL BE ONLY TEMPORARY UNTIL DEMOCRATICRULE IS ESTABLISHED.

WASHINGTON (AP) - SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON HAS A WARNING FOR REPRESSIVE STATES IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND ELSEWHERE. IN A MAJOR POLICY ADDRESS TO BE DELIVERED TODAY, CLINTON SAYS CURBS ON INTERNET FREEDOM WILL NOT HOLD BACK GROWING POPULAR DEMANDS FOR REFORMS SEEN RECENTLY IN TUNISIA AND EGYPT. SHE PLANS TO PLEDGE U.S. SUPPORT FOR CYBER DISSIDENTS TRYING TO PROMOTE DEMOCRACY.

SANAA, YEMEN (AP) - A FIFTH DAY OF PROTESTS IS UNDER WAY IN YEMEN. AROUND 3,000 PEOPLE ARE DEMANDING POLITICAL REFORMS AND THE OUSTER OF THE COUNTRY'S U.S.-ALLIED PRESIDENT. A SMALL CONTINGENT OF POLICE TRIED TO DISPERSE THE DEMONSTRATORS USING TEAR GAS AND BATONS BUT THE PROTESTERS HAVE CONTINUED THEIR MARCH.

DENVER (AP) - MORE THAN 150 SCHOOL DISTRICTS FROM 40 STATES HAVE SENT ADMINISTRATORS AND UNION LEADERS TO A U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SUMMIT IN DENVER. THE MEETING KICKING OFF TODAY IS BILLED AS THE NATION'S FIRST LARGE EFFORT TO HAVE SCHOOL LABOR AND MANAGEMENT TALK ABOUT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, RATHER THAN LABOR CONTRACTS.

PASADENA, CALIF. (AP) - NASA SCIENTISTS ARE GETTING A SERIES OF VALENTINES FROM A SPACECRAFT CALLED STARDUST. THE SPACECRAFT IS BEAMING BACK PICTURES TAKEN DURING A VALENTINE'S DAY RENDEZVOUS WITH A COMET. THE PROCESS TAKES SEVERAL HOURS. THE STARDUST CRAFT ZIPPED WITHIN 112 MILES OF COMET TEMPEL 1 LAST NIGHT. IT'S THE SECOND SPACECRAFT TO VISIT THE ROCK. AN EARLIER MISSION PUNCHED A HOLE IN IT.