Today's News Tuesday January 10, 2012

Local News-Tuesday, January 10, 2012

PennDOT Announces Road Work In Schuylkill County

Sean Brown, Safety Press Officer for PennDOT's Engineering District Five, has announced the roadwork schedule for the week of January 9 through 13. Crews will be doing shoulder work on Route 209 between Port Carbon and Middleport; sealing cracks on Route 895 between New Ringgold and Andreas; maintenance work on Route 339 between Mahanoy City and Brandonville, and Route 125 between Tremont and Ravine; and crack sealing on First Street between the Luzerne County line and Nuremburg. Work on Interstate 81 continues, with pothole patching and crack sealing going on southbound between Exit 131 (Rte. 54) and Exit 124 (Rte. 61); and northbound between the Lebanon County line and Exit 104 at Ravine. Motorists should be prepared for possible lane restrictions and traffic delays in these areas.

Rep. Knowles Will Seek Reelection In 124th District

State Representative Jerry Knowles has made it official. He will seek re-election to the Pennsylvania State House from the 124th District. The official announcement came in a press release on Monday January 9. Rep. Knowles stated in the release "While Republican leadership ended (Governor) Rendell's out-of-control spending, there is still much to be done to get our state back on track. As a former small business owner, I will continue to fight for taxpayers and work with our industrial community, business leaders, and local governments to recruit and retain good jobs in Berks, Carbon, and Schuylkill Counties." Knowles was originally elected to the State House in a June 2009 special election to fill out the term of Senator Dave Argall.

Pepsi Waiting For Return Of Trucks From New Jersey

The three trucks and trailer that were stolen from the Pepsi bottling plant south of Schuylkill Haven over the weekend are still in possession of New Jersey police while their investigation continues. Dennis Marchalonis, who is the Security Manager for Pepsi's Northeast Region, said that they expect to have them back in the next day or two. He said that this has happened to Pepsi several times in the last few years in the northeast region. The trucks were always recovered, but the product that was on them had been sold by the thieves. It appears that the product from the latest thefts was not removed from the trucks. The Auto Theft Task Force of the Pennsylvania State Police is assisting New Jersey Police with the investigation.

Shenandoah Man Pleads Guilty To Child Pornography Charges

A Shenandoah man has filed a guilty plea in Federal Court to charges that he used his computer to produce child pornography. Jonathan Binns made his plea before Senior U.S. District Judge Edwin M. Kosic in Scranton on Monday, but he will not know his sentence until after the U.S. Probation Office completes a presentence report. Binns was indicted by a federal grand jury in January of 2011, and was accused of producing and possessing child pornography. He faces a maximum sentence of thirty years in jail, but must serve a mandatory fifteen years minimum sentence. After his federal case is complete, Binns may also face charges at the county level related to sexual assault against two girls in Shenandoah in 2010.

State and National News Tuesday January 10, 2012

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Sue Paterno says she and husband Joe Paterno gave $100,000 last month to Penn State, split between a library and an undergraduate fellows program that bear the family name. Sue Paterno says it was an annual gift to the Paterno Liberal Arts Undergraduate Fellows Program and the Paterno Library.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - Authorities in eastern Pennsylvania have identified a man found shot to death in Allentown a week into the new year. The Lehigh County coroner's office says Hagos Mezgebo was shot early Saturday and was later found dead on the sidewalk four blocks from his home.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Arlen Specter is out of office, but Pennsylvania's longest-serving U.S. senator isn't done trying to make an impact on public debate. The pilot episode of a political-affairs show he's hosting will air Friday night on Maryland Public Television.

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) - Most of the Republican presidential candidates are out today, trying to secure more votes as New Hampshire voters go to the polls in the nation's first presidential primary. Polls suggest that Jon Huntsman may be on the rise in the Granite State, but Mitt Romney is the overwhelming favorite.

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) - Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum says he'll be pleased if he finishes in the middle of the pack in today's New Hampshire primary. He tells Fox News Channel that would be proof he's "climbed up and reached the pack." Newt Gingrich tells CNN he expects to finish in the "top three or four"

BEIRUT (AP) - Syrian President Bashar Assad says he's not going anywhere. In his first speech since June, Assad insisted he still has his people's support and he's promising to respond to threats against him with an "iron hand." Assad once again claimed that a foreign conspiracy and terrorists are behind the unrest in his country.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Police in Columbia, S.C. have found a shovel and what appear to be bloody clothes and a blanket at the home of a woman whose toddler has been missing since Thanksgiving. Search warrants show that 22-year-old Zinah Jennings' home was searched after her stepfather told police he saw her in the backyard with a shovel about the time Amir Jennings disappeared. The items are being analyzed.

NEW YORK (AP) - A New York City school employee has lost her job for faking her daughter's death so she could go to Costa Rica. Joan Barnett allegedly told school officials her daughter died in the Central American country. The Daily News says a school official became suspicious and a Costa Rican government official confirmed the document was a fake. Barnett pleaded guilty to charges in the fall.