Today's News-Thursday,November 10, 2011

Final Vote Count Changes Due to Absentees and Errors

The final election results for Schuylkill County looked different than the unofficial results posted immediately after the polls closed on Tuesday. Election Bureau Director Frannie Brennan said the numbers varied due to absentee ballots, and errors made by voters at the polls. The only election result that was affected was in Mahanoy City, where Robert J. Lewis defeated Larry Levy, Jr. after the final votes were counted. Many voters mistakenly cast ballots for three candidates for Commissioner instead of two. The instructions on the ballot directed voters to vote for no more than two, but it appears a large number of people cast votes for three. Those ballots have been declared invalid.

Shenandoah Man's Conviction Upheld

A man convicted on drug-related charges in 2009 has lost his appeal to have the conviction overturned. Kenneth Petusky claimed that there was insufficient evidence to support his conviction, but the three judge Superior Court panel rejected all his claims, and supported the actions of Judge William E. Baldwin and the jury which convicted Petuskey on June 1, 2009. As a result of this decision, Petusky must serve eight to sixteen years in a state correctional institution.

Strip Mine Cabaret Shuttered in Zoning Dispute

Action by a Schuylkill County judge yesterday has shuttered an adult entertainment business near Pine Grove. The Strip Mine Cabaret, owned by Dutchmen MX Park LLC, has been the subject of questions whether the property the club sits on is zoned for that purpose. Judge John Domalakes' injunction shuts the business, but allows for the owner to reapply for the variance it needs to operate that type of business from the Schuylkill County Zoning Board. The battle over Strip Mine Cabaret has been going on for several months.

Election Over, Signs Must Come Down

Now that the General Election is over, PennDOT is reminding candidates to remove their campaign signs from along state roads. According to the agency, leaving the signs in place pose several traffic risks, possible danger to animals, a nuisance to PennDOT workers when cutting the grass, and of course, against the law.

Pottsville accident damages Brok-Sel

Police were called to the Brok-Sel Market on West Market Street in Pottsville just after noon on Wednesday when Madeline C. Welsh drove her 2001 Lincoln Continental through the front window of the store. Welsh told police that her foot slipped off the brake pedal and hit the accelerator, causing the vehicle to move forward and strike the building. There was minor damage to Welsh's car, while Brok-Sel received moderate damage to one of the front windows. No charges have been filed against Welsh as a result of the accident.

Paterno and Spanier Fired at Penn State

Penn State University Board of Trustees announced the firings of President Graham Spanier and Head Football Coach Joe Paterno in the wake of the Sandusky sexual assault case. Joe Oliver reports

Texting While Driving Ban Signed into Law in PA

Don't text while driving in Pennsylvania. Its now law, as Jay Levan reports

ROME (AP) Italy is under intense pressure to prove it has the political will to act to stop the debt crisis from spreading as its borrowing rate remains well above the dangerous 7-percent mark. Passage of reforms and the resignation of Premier Silvio Berlusconi are expected Saturday. Greece's political leaders are haggling for a fourth day to appoint a caretaker prime minister.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) Rescue workers in eastern Turkey say they have rescued 25 people from flattened buildings after another powerful earthquake. The latest two rescues came today. The 5.7 magnitude earthquake in the same area devastated last month killed at least seven people.

WASHINGTON (AP) Senate Republicans are making another move today to blunt the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency. It's also seen as a test of the Democrats' support for environmental regulations. A resolution to block new regulations aimed at curbing power plant pollution downwind requires only a simple majority to pass.

WASHINGTON (AP) One thing Senate Democrats and Republicans agree on could mean help for unemployed veterans and companies doing business with the government. The legislation also includes the first, tiny slice of President Barack Obama's jobs plan that is likely to become law. It would include tax credits for hiring disabled vets.

LOS ANGELES (AP) There was more evidence in October that the pace of bank foreclosures is increasing. Foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac says 77,733 properties received an initial default notice last month. That's a 10 percent increase over September.

WASHINGTON (AP) Renewed worries about money have more baby boomers forgetting about retirement dreams. An Associated Press-LifeGoesStrong.com poll finds a baby boom generation planning to work into retirement years , with 73 percent planning to work past retirement, up from 67 percent this spring.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) About 2,000 students who demonstrated in State College, Pa., in support of fired coach Joe Paterno have been dispersed by police in riot gear. Crowds toppled a television news van and at least one photographer was hit with a rock. Police used pepper spray at times.

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) The fate of almost 450,000 lake trout and salmon in a Vermont fish hatchery is up to state and federal officials in the Connecticut River basin and New York today. The hatchery was contaminated by flooding from Tropical Storm Irene and contains invasive algae. Biologists worry that exposed fish could spread into the basin or lakes Ontario and Erie.

GENEVA (AP) A leading conservation group says three types of rhinoceros are either extinct or close to it. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has declared the Western Black Rhino of Africa officially extinct and worries about two other subspecies. The group says a quarter of all mammals are at risk of extinction.