Today's News Thursday January 12, 2012

Local News-Thursday, January 12, 2012

Environmental Regulations Are Job Creators, Not Job Killers

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Rep. Tobash Says There Are Record Crowds At The Farm Show

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Mootz Candies May Re-open If Lawsuit Is Successful

The owner of Mootz Candies, Joseph "Ned" Buckley, has indicated that he may re-open the iconic candy making business if he is successful in his bid to win a legal award from three contractors who erected Union Station. The suit alleges that the contractors negligently caused damage to the foundation of the building that houses Mootz Candies on South Centre Street in Pottsville while installing a retaining wall near Union Station. The damage caused cracks in the building, and it became necessary to close the business. Estimates for repair or replacement of the building are over two million dollars, and the estimated loss of business is approximately $750,000, so Buckley has sued for $2,750,000 in total losses. The City of Pottsville, owner of Union Station, is not named in the suit.

New Trial Request Will Be Heard Today For Donchak And Piekarsky

A panel of three federal judges will consider a request today for a new trial in the case of Derrick Donchak and Brandon Piekarsky of Shenandoah. Both men were sentenced to serve nine years in federal prison for the 2008 beating death of Luis Eduardo Ramirez Zavala. Defense attorneys will present their argument that their clients' rights to protection from double jeopardy were violated, and that other errors were committed during their Federal trial. If the appeal is successful, the existing convictions and sentences will be overturned, and a new trial will be scheduled.

Schuylkill County Commissioners Hear Public Input At Wednesday Meeting

The newly installed Schuylkill County Commissioners heard public comment for the first time during their Wednesday meeting. Vickie Macklin, CEO of Concerned Citizens of Schuylkill County, welcomed the commissioners and told them they will hear from her any time her group has concerns. She mentioned that the Commissioners might want to address the lack of parking around the courthouse. George Holmes, of Wayne Township, presented the commissioners with a copy of an ordinance from Lees County, Florida that regulates items that can be sold for scrap. This law is designed to make it unprofitable to steal copper wiring and other items. The commissioners also approved termination of leases for recycling areas in Orwigsburg and Pine Grove.

State and National News Thursday January 12, 2012

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Penn State University president Rodney Erickson faced a crowd of about 600 people in Pittsburgh last night to answer questions about a child sex abuse scandal and the firing of longtime football coach Joe Paterno. Many people cheered at the suggestion the board of trustees resign. Erickson is attempting to repair the school's image in the wake of the scandal.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - A Penn State administrator charged with failing to report an allegation of child sex abuse involving a former assistant football coach has been diagnosed with a recurrence of lung cancer. Athletic Director Tim Curley's wife says doctors are monitoring his condition after an illness first diagnosed in June of 2010 flared up again.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Federal authorities say they've seized 130 pounds of cocaine in three unattended duffel bags at Philadelphia International Airport. Customs and Border Protection officials say the bags arrived on a flight from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. No arrests have been made.

HANOVER, Pa. (AP) - Family members say a couple married for more than six decades died 12 hours apart in central Pennsylvania over the weekend. Eighty-one-year-old Richard Trimmer had been hospitalized after a fall when his children told him on Sunday his wife of 61-years, Nancy, had died in her sleep. Richard Trimmer was dead a few hours later, succumbing to lung cancer.

UNDATED (AP) - The Republican presidential candidates are working South Carolina today, getting ready for the primary in nine days. Frontrunner Mitt Romney hosts an early morning meeting with voters in Greer. Jon Huntsman attends a GOP breakfast on South Carolina's Daniel Island, Rick Perry has several events in the state and Rick Santorum will hold a town hall meeting in Charleston. Newt Gingrich has two afternoon events in Columbia.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Florida doesn't hold its presidential primary until Jan. 31, but the voting already has started, and candidate Mitt Romney will attend a rally in West Palm Beach later today. As of Tuesday, 424,000 Republican absentee ballots had been mailed to military personnel, overseas residents and other Floridians. About 84,000 have been returned.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The video shows four Marines urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters. The Marine Corps says it's not sure if the video is real or where it came from, but it's investigating. It says, "The actions portrayed are not consistent with our core values and are not indicative of the character of the Marines in our Corps."

NEW YORK (AP) - Some of the Occupy Wall Street protesters have no place to go if they're not camping out in New York City's Zuccotti Park. They've become a band of homeless Occupiers. About 100 protesters have been sleeping in various churches since Mayor Michael Bloomberg shut down their camp in November. The movement has spent about $20,000 keeping them fed and sheltered.

MEXICO CITY (AP) - Paramedics in Mexico City are drawing catcalls after one of them dropped a donor heart being rushed to the hospital. Police say after getting off a helicopter, the paramedic carrying the heart tripped, and the plastic-wrapped organ tumbled out of a cooler and onto the street. There's no word whether the heart could still be used.