TODAY'S NEWS WED. NOVEMBER 23, 2011

LOCAL NEWS WED. NOVEMBER 23, 2011

HIDDEN CHEMICALS FOUND IN HOUSEHOLD CLEANERS

There's a dirty secret lurking in common household cleaning products. That's according to new independent lab testing on twenty popular products that found nearly all contained undisclosed toxic chemicals. Alexandra Scranton with Women's Voices for the Earth says consumers deserve to know what chemicals they're being exposed to, so they can avoid products that may cause allergic reactions or serious long-term health problems like cancer, birth defects, or pregnancy complications.

CHEMICALS

PINE GROVE FISH & GAME ROBBED BY TREASURER

Schuylkill Haven State Police have arrested 37 year-old Stacy Kassab of Pine Grove on charges related to the misappropriation of over two hundred thousand dollars. According to the police report, Kassab has admitted to stealing $211,526 from the Pine Grove Fish & Game Protective Association while she was serving as its treasurer. She failed to make deposits of money that she received on behalf of the club, and used the money for personal expenses and gambling. Kassab was arraigned before Magisterial District Justice Carol Pankake of Tremont on felony charges of receiving stolen property and theft by failure to make required disposition of funds received. She is free after posting ten percent of $25,000 bail.

POTTSVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDS TO OIL SPILL

The Pottsville Fire Department was dispatched to a report of spilled oil just after 2:00 p.m. Tuesday. When they arrived on scene on Mahantongo Street they found a home heating oil truck from Jack Rich & Keller Oil that had lost approximately fifteen gallons of oil. The driver reported that he was travelling from a delivery on Oak Road to a delivery on Howard Avenue when the hose came off the back of the truck and wrapped around the wheel of a passing car. By the time he realized what had happened, oil was spilling from the truck and the hose onto the roadway. The fire department began cleanup of the spill until they were relieved by a spill response crew from Jack Rich. Cleanup was completed with no oil reaching the storm drain system. No charges have been filed against the driver.

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN MAN FACES TRIAL AFTER SALE OF GRAVE MARKERS

Samuel T. Steffie, of Schuylkill Haven, has been charged with receiving stolen property and prohibited sale of veterans' markers after State Police at the Schuylkill Haven barracks arrested him for selling sixteen grave markers at U.S.S. Achey scrap yard. Steffie was scheduled for a hearing before Magesterial District Judge James Ferrier on Tuesday, but waived his right to the hearing and will face the charges in court. State Police charged Steffie after surveillance video and sale records indicated that he took the grave markers to the scrap dealer on July 11, 2011 and sold them as scrap. The value of the markers is $720.00, and they are the property of the Schuylkill County Department of Veterans Affairs. Steffie was remanded to Schuylkill County prison on $2,500.00 bail.