Wednesday, January , 2010

Michael Piecuch chosen as next Snyder County District Attorney

MIDDLEBURG – The Executive Director of Pennsylvania’s District Attorneys Association has been appointed as Snyder County District Attorney.  Michael Piecuch was one of four who showed interest in the position.  President Judge Harold Woelfel Jr. and Judge Michael Sholley made the decision Wednesday.  Piecuch lives outside of Selinsgrove and also serves as the Director and Legal Resource Prosecutor for the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Institute.  He will begin his responsibilities February 16^th after being sworn in. (Sara Bartlett)

Will Bob Run?  Veteran house member waiting for test results

MOUNT CARMEL – State Representative Bob Belfanti (D-107^th, Mount Carmel) has not yet make his decision about seeking reelection this year. Officials in Belfanti’s office tells us that the house member has not made his decision yet and is waiting to get medical tests back.  Belfanti was hospitalized last February with a severe case of pneumonia. 

He spent many months recovering, and finally returned to Harrisburg in the summer.  Belfanti has held the position, covering Northumberland, Montour and Columbia counties, since 1981 and also chairs the Labor Relations Committee.  Last month both State Representatives Merle Phillips (R-108^th, Sunbury) and Russ Fairchild (R-85^th, Winfield) announced that they would not seek reelection. (Sara Bartlett)   

$100-million facility set to open on Geisinger campus

DANVILLE – Geisinger Medical Center has started the media tours of their new Hospital for Advanced Medicine on the Danville campus.  The facility will officially open to patients February 9^th, a ribbon cutting ceremony is set for tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. Selected media are getting previews.  Geisinger president and CEO Glenn Steele will be the guest speaker. 

Today, Geisinger employees, their families and friends got to tour the new facility. Local TV and radio reporters got a preview too. The new building has nine floors and will feature an electronic intensive care unit, or EICU.  There are cameras and microphones inside intensive care rooms so doctors and nurses can monitor patients without being in the room with them.  The new hospital will concentrate on heart health and cardiovascular surgery.  (Ali Stevens)

Crews called to apartment blaze near Mount Carmel

MOUNT CARMEL TWP – Fire damaged a Mount Carmel Township apartment morning.  The News Item reports fire crews were called to the Brookwood Apartments around 8:30a.m.  Flames were contained to a second floor bedroom, but firefighters made quick work of the fire.

They were able to put out the blaze before it spread to more rooms or any of the adjoining apartments.  Joan Simmons and Shannon McGinley live in the apartment, but were not home when the blaze started.  No injuries were reported and the fire is still under investigation.    

OTM guest: Marcellus Shale severance tax not needed

SUNBURY – Should there be a tax on companies that want to drill in the Marcellus Shale?  That was one of the topics discussed on WKOK’s On The Mark program Wednesday with Senator Gene Yaw (R-23^rd, Williamsport). Yaw says for some, the consensus is that companies wanting to come to the Marcellus Shale and drill are making lots of money without contributing. 

Yaw says that is not the case and that companies are already paying employment taxes, sales taxes and they are renting or buying property so they are paying real estate taxes. Also, they have hundreds of vehicles registered here.  Yaw says businesses wanting to come and drill have many obstacles to face in this state and regulations they are not used to. 

Also, he says any other industry willing to pump billions of dollars into the economy would receive the royal treatment if they wanted to come to Pennsylvania.  And Yaw says there is another problem on the horizon regarding a severance tax and that will be once the severance tax is implemented, how will the money be divided up in the state. 

You can hear more from Senator Gene Yaw on WKOK’s Wednesday On The Mark program online at www.wkok.com.  (Ali Stevens)

Northumberland County’s assistant solicitor is named chief clerk

SUNBURY – The new chief clerk in Northumberland County is the current assistant solicitor.  Kymberley Best will succeed Rose Marquardt, who resigned and will work her last day as chief clerk on January 29^th.  Marquardt is moving on to pursue other opportunities as a Reverend in the Mount Carmel area. 

Best will start her new position next week and will continue working as the assistant solicitor also.  Since the commissioners won’t need to hire an assistant solicitor, Best’s salary was raised from about $47-thousand annually to more than $68,000. (Ali Stevens)

$300,000 to support the Danville Area Community Center

DANVILLE – A grant totaling $300-thousand has been awarded to the Danville Area Community Center from the State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.  The money will allow a major upgrade to the pool and locker room areas at the center.  Also windows will be replaced and a family locker room will be added. 

The center will also have a capital campaign to raise the additional funding needed for the $1.2-million project. 

Knouse says she is “elated on behalf of the entire community” about this grant.  The Danville Area Community Center has been open for about 25 years and serves more than 3,000 area residents. 

Former bus driver not charged with duct-taping students

BLOOMSBURG – A former bus driver accused of duct taping two students mouths shut will not be charged by police.  The News Item reports bus driver Walter Slavinsky of Riverside passed a polygraph test about the incident on October 15^th on a Southern Columbia School District bus. 

The assistant district attorney in Columbia County determined there was not enough evidence to proceed with charges against Slavinsky.  Slavinsky was accused of putting duct-tape over the mouths of two students and made them keep the tape on until they reached their bus stops. 

Evan doctors and others head to Haiti

LEWISBURG – Local doctors are traveling to help earthquake survivors in Haiti, and a local church is coordinating their trip. Emergency medicine practitioner Dr. Bradley Moyer of Evangelical Community Hospital is among those taking medical supplies such antibiotics, bandages and gloves to the nation ravaged by the quake of January 12th.

Though not affiliated with the hospital, God’s Missionary Church of Penns Creek is raising funds that are certain to be used quickly. Checks can made out to “GMC World Mission, “ and sent to God’s Missionary Church, Box 69, Penns Creek, PA 17862. Progress of the group can be followed online at www.gmcinhaiti.blogspot.com (Matt Farrand)

Opinions wide ranging at community input meeting

LEWISBURG – It was a night for discussion rather than decision, as Lewisburg Area School District officials collected more information about how residents want school facilities set up to serve the next generation. Tuesday’s third community input session attracted more than 150 to the high school cafeteria.

District teacher Jason Cicoria gave the session high marks overall for keeping the welfare of students in mind, though he admitted that financial matters would likely be a big part of whatever decision is made. Among the options, multi-million dollar plans that would see a new high school built, either along Newman Road in Kelly Township, using the site of the Linntown School, or by renovating the current middle school.

Teacher Brian Campbell says the eight original scenarios, plus five more brainstormed during the two-hour session, offered plenty of choices for all grades. He hoped that projections of higher enrollment numbers would be accommodated, especially at the elementary school level.

But those numbers proved troubling to Bruce Platusich of Lewisburg, who says they are based on faulty growth models. Platusich is also concerned about the debt the district would incur as it looks at plans that range from $28 million to $56 million dollars. Meantime, Samantha Pearson of Lewisburg says the session was an important step, but there’s still room for other ideas.

Dozens of post-it notes, pro and con, were left for district officials to sift through. Those comments will be compiled along with the formal plans, then made available for public review starting Friday February 5th at the Eichorn Middle School.

There is a fourth community input session planned for Tuesday March 16th, and additional public hearings to follow. It’s hoped that the school board will set a date to vote on a final plan by the end of May. (Matt Farrand)

Selinsgrove school board stands by firing

SELINSGROVE – There was a big crowd at the Selinsgrove Area School District school board meeting last night. Many people were there in support of former guidance counselor Rob Whyne, who was terminated January 4th. Whyne had worked for the district for 15-years.

Whyne was fired after he allowed a student who graduated in June to return for additional course work in July. The student wanted to meet requirements to participate in NCAA sports, so Whyne arranged work for the student and then put a grade on the student’s transcript to send to college.

Last night supporters of Whyne presented a 150-signature petition in support of his reinstatement, however the board voted 8 to 0 against it. Board President Eric Rowe says a policy states the district has no responsibility to educate alumni and Whyne violated that policy. (Ali Stevens)

Special meeting will be called to discuss a disputed wind lease

SUNBURY – The Northumberland County Commissioners had hoped to take public comment and do some negotiating in public Tuesday, but one of the key parties in a controversial wind turbine lease, wasn’t present. The Penn Wind Company of Sunbury wasn’t at the meeting but a motion was passed to invite them to a future evening meeting so the public can monitor the negotiations.

It was evident; Commissioner Frank Sawicki and Commissioner Vinny Clausi are sharply divided over terms of the lease. Clausi said the wind company will reap millions of dollars in profits and only share a fraction of that with the county taxpayers. Sawicki said the issue is simple—a straight lease for a set number of dollars each year—or an agreement to share a portion of the electricity proceeds.

The commissioners meeting room was packed and there were a few interruptions—to one of which Sawicki yelled for a visitor to, “Shut up,” a remark for which he later apologized. The special meeting will be held later this year.

Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way grateful to donors

SHAMOKIN DAM – The Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way held their annual meeting Tuesday and awarded their Volunteer of the Year and Business of the Year awards. Terry Scheneck is an employee at Boscov’s.

Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way Executive Director Keri Albright says he was a great winner for Volunteer of the Year, because he worked tirelessly to promote the GSVUW and encourage employees to give. Business of the Year was awarded to National Beef of Shamokin Dam. They were represented by Diane Peifer and Joelly Clemente.

In the last five years, National Beef has pledged nearly $70,000 to the Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way. They are just one of the 4,500 employees in 95 workplaces that helped raised money. The Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way is at 80% of their $765,000 goal, having raised over $600,000. (Sara Bartlett)

PPL puts program in place for RTS customers

UNDATED – There are about 20,000 PPL customers who remain on a lower “residential thermal storage rate.” Many of those folks are unhappy because their special rate—and all their expensive special equipment—is about to become history.

This lower rate was put in place in the 1980’s and 90’s, and was discontinued for new customers in 1995. General Manager of PPL Corporate Communications, Dan McCarthy, says the rate provided a much less expensive price for electric use, with special heating equipment, which uses electricity primarily during off peak hours.

The equipment heats water during the day and uses that water to circulate through the home during off-peak hours. The rate was an experimental process promised to the customers for at least 10 years. Now, McCarthy says because there have been significant changes in the way electricity is priced, these kind of special rates can not be subsidized by other customers.

There are special programs in place for these customers including a discount this year and in 2011, a rebate program to replace their heating system and a free timer if they want to go to an off-peak electricity supply. You can hear more from Dan McCarthy online at www.wkok.com. Click here for our 2010 Electric Choice page. (Sara Bartlett)

Wrestlers more susceptible to certain illnesses

DANVILLE – As wrestling season continues, a Geisinger Medical Center Sports Medicine Doctor is reminding athletes about the dangers of MRSA, Staph infections and even herpes. Dr. Matthew McElroy says warm wrestling rooms are the perfect place for the disease to spread. McElroy says the best way to avoid the spread of these germs is good hygiene.

He says washing hands frequently, as well as showering before and after practice. In addition, the staff should clean mats and other equipment. McElroy says recently over half of an area college’s wrestling team came down with herpes, which underscores the need for cleanliness and hygiene on and around equipment that wrestlers come in contact with often.

Latest Pennsylvania news, lottery, business and entertainment

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Fifty-three orphans rescued from Haiti have begun their new lives. They arrived in Pittsburgh Tuesday morning after a daring mission that involved officials in the White House, the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and even Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell. Rendell was required to fly along with more than two tons of equipment and medical personnel to the earthquake-torn Caribbean nation to help get the orphans out of Haiti. The children, aged 11 months to 12 years, went from the Pittsburgh airport to the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, where they received medical examinations before being placed in foster homes to await adoption. All but seven have already been placed with families and officials say hundreds of people have expressed interest in adopting them.

ZELIENOPLE, Pa. (AP) - Police have identified a man they say barricaded himself in his western Pennsylvania basement apartment for five hours during a standoff and then committed suicide. Police say 26-year-old Richard Weaver died Tuesday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head at the home Zelienople, about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh. The couple who rented out the basement called police Tuesday morning after a rifle slug came up through the floor of their home and exited through the roof. State police entered the basement after noon and found Weaver dead. They're trying to figure out why he fired his gun in the first place and why he shot himself.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out a ruling that had set aside the death sentence of Mumia Abu-Jamal, convicted of killing a Philadelphia police officer in a racially tinged case. The justices ordered the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia to revisit its 2008 ruling that the former Black Panther deserved a new sentencing hearing because of flawed jury instructions at his 1982 trial. The Supreme Court pointed to its ruling in an Ohio case last week, when it said a neo-Nazi killer did not deserve a new sentencing hearing on those grounds. The 3rd Circuit could still order a federal trial court to consider Abu-Jamal's case anew on other still-pending defense claims. A mostly white Philadelphia jury convicted Abu-Jamal of killing white Officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981 after the patrolman pulled over Abu-Jamal's brother in an overnight traffic stop.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A judge in the public-corruption trial of a former leader of the Pennsylvania Legislature and three former aides has issued an order that opens the door for prosecutors to use e-mail evidence they consider vital to their case. Dauphin County Judge Richard Lewis said e-mail evidence can be established as authentic under a 2005 Superior Court decision, which was a less stringent standard than defense attorneys had sought. He also said prosecutors will not necessarily have to provide entire e-mail "threads" that might provide more context. The judge issued the order at the end of a daylong process in which six jurors were seated. Six more jurors and four alternates remain to be chosen. Former state Rep. Mike Veon and three of his former aides are accused of diverting state-government resources for campaigning and other illegal purposes. Opening statements and testimony are scheduled to begin February 1st.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Members of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation say they been told that the U.S. Transportation Department will decide "very soon" on the state's proposal to turn Interstate 80 into a toll road to raise more money for roads and bridges. U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., says he told Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and other officials in a meeting Tuesday in Washington that the tolls would "effectively reroute prosperity around Pennsylvania." U.S. Rep. Chris Carney, D-Pa., said the tolls would also be a burden on working families who use the highway. Also at the meeting were Democratic Reps. Kathy Dahlkemper and Paul Kanjorski. The Federal Highway Administration in September 2008 rejected an earlier tolling proposal by state transportation and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission officials.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Penn State president Graham Spanier said Tuesday he is not a candidate to become the NCAA's next president. The NCAA is continuing its search to replace the late president Myles Brand, who died of pancreatic cancer in September. Spanier's name had been mentioned a possible successor. Spanier is one of higher education's longest-serving top administrators, having been named Penn State president in 1995. He is under contract at the school through 2013. Spanier oversees one of the most extensive university systems in the nation with 24 Penn State campuses educating more than 94,000 students. He made $590,000 in base salary, plus any bonuses in 2008, according to state records released last year.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Update on the latest in business

WALL STREET Stocks rise

NEW YORK (AP) - Investors took stock prices higher as the shortened trading week began on Wall Street. The Dow gained 116 points to 10,725. The S&P rose 14 points to 1,150. And the Nasdaq added 32 points to 2,320. The market was closed Monday for the holiday. Investors were said to be betting that the special election in Massachusetts would take away power from Senate Democrats and make it harder for President Barack Obama to make changes to health care.

WORLD MARKETS Asia stocks fall amid fears of China lending curbs

BANGKOK (AP) - Asian stock markets are mostly lower today amid renewed fears of Chinese lending curbs and jitters about U.S. corporate earnings that have provided mixed signals about the strength of economic recovery. China's Shanghai benchmark tumbled nearly 3 percent after investors interpreted a speech Tuesday night by Premier Wen Jiabao as a sign the flow of easy credit will be further stanched. In Tokyo, the Nikkei surrendered early gains to fall 0.3 percent. Japan Airlines slumped 60 percent to 2 yen after filing for one of the country's largest bankruptcies on Tuesday. JAL shares will be removed from the stock exchange on Feb. 20. The Shanghai index slid 2.8 percent, which also knocked Hong Kong stocks lower. The Hang Seng fell 1.3 percent. Elsewhere, Singapore's market was off 0.5 percent, Taiwan retreated 0.3 percent and Thailand's stock measure lost 1.2 percent. South Korea's Kospi bucked the trend, advancing 0.2 percent and India's Sensex was up 0.1 percent.

OIL PRICES Oil slips to below $79

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Oil prices slipped below $79 a barrel today in Asia amid expectations of a dismal U.S. crude inventory report. Benchmark crude for February delivery fell 68 cents to $78.64 a barrel at early afternoon Kuala Lumpur time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $1.02 to settle at $79.02 on Tuesday. Victor Shum, an energy analyst with consultancy Purvin & Gertz in Singapore, says crude's sharp rise Tuesday was driven by the Dow Jones industrials' 1.1 percent gain but fundamentally, the oil market remains weak and investors are cashing out.

ECONOMY-DAY AHEAD Reports due on housing starts, PPI

WASHINGTON (AP) - After a slow start to the week, economic reports rev up a bit today. Before the opening bell, the Commerce Department reports on December housing starts. Analysts are looking for a steady showing. The National Association of Home Builders yesterday said its housing market index dropped to the lowest level since last summer. The drop reflects fears that demand for new homes will be weak despite the extension of a federal tax credit for buyers. Also today, the government releases the December Producer Price Index. The gauge of inflation at the wholesale level is expected to be flat from the previous month.

EARNS-IBM IBM profit rises, revenue growth resumes

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - IBM reported quarterly results after the closing bell. The technology giant saw its shares slip in after-hours trading after telling of a 9 percent increase in profit in the last quarter. IBM's revenues grew for the first time in a year and a half. It also offered a slightly better forecast for this year. Previously, it had already told investors it was "well ahead" of the pace it would have needed to reach its previous target. IBM's revenue in services and software rose, while hardware fell. However, the hardware division's decline wasn't as steep as in previous quarters. IBM's results don't always track with the direction of the overall economy, but the higher revenue is a sign that corporations are resuming to normal patterns of spending on technology. IBM also said it signed $18.8 billion in new services contracts in the quarter, up 9 percent from a year earlier. Revenue from those contracts mostly will be booked in the coming years.

FED-AIG Bernanke asks GAO to review Fed role in AIG rescue

WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has taken the unusual step of asking Congress' investigative arm to conduct a "full review" of the Fed's role bailing out AIG. The Fed chief's move is aimed at defusing criticism of the government's $182 billion rescue of the insurance giant. The bailout sparked public outrage and demands in Congress for more information. That was after it was revealed that millions in bonuses would go to employees in the AIG division most responsible for the company's need for a bailout. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is probing the bailout. Lawmakers want to know more about billions in payments AIG made to Goldman Sachs and other Wall Street firms that did business with the insurer. Some lawmakers want to know why those firms were fully paid and why concessions weren't demanded.

CHINA-GOOGLE Google postpones mobile phone launch in China

BEIJING (AP) - Google says it has postponed the launch of its mobile phone in China amid a dispute with the government over Internet censorship. A Google spokeswoman in Beijing (Marsha Wang) says the formal launch of the phone scheduled for today was postponed. The announcement came as the Chinese government said Google must obey the country's laws and traditions. It was the government's first direct response to Google's threat to pull out of the country over censorship and e-mail hacking. The Google spokeswoman declined Tuesday to give a reason for the postponement of the phone launch or to say when it might take place.

HAITI-MONEY TRANSFERS Vital cash transfers to Haiti slow to trickle

MIAMI (AP) - Cash transfers worth nearly $1.9 billion each year to Haitians from relatives living in the U.S. and elsewhere have slowed to a trickle because of earthquake damage. Money transfer firms contacted Tuesday say their businesses are now operating on a limited basis in Haiti, mostly outside of the heavily damaged capital of Port-au-Prince. Haiti's banks have been closed since last week's earthquake, leaving people with few options for obtaining much-needed cash. The bank closures also make it hard for money transfer offices that are open to get currency to pay the transfers. The Inter-American Development Bank says more than one-third of Haitians receive cash from overseas. Most of the money goes for basics like food and clothing.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Pennsylvania Lottery Numbers

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - These Pennsylvania lotteries were drawn on Tuesday:

Big 4 6-4-4-9

Cash 5 04-06-19-22-40

Daily Number 3-0-3

Evening Quinto 8-8-6-9-0

Midday Big 4 3-6-5-6

Midday Number 1-1-4

Midday Quinto 4-2-2-4-4

Super 7 20-24-27-40-46-57-62-63-67-71-74

Treasure Hunt 02-04-07-09-11

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Hair Fight

MESQUITE, Texas (AP) - A 4-year-old Texas boy disciplined for having long hair has returned to his class with a brand new 'do. Pre-kindergartner Taylor Pugh rejoined his classmates at his suburban Dallas elementary school on Tuesday. Elizabeth Taylor says her son's hair is still long, but now she's styled it in a double French braid pinned up at the base of his neck. The school principal approved the style. The boy typically wears his hair long and had been kept separate from classmates at Floyd Elementary School in Balch Springs since late November. The long hair violates the school district's dress code. It says boys' hair must be kept out of the eyes and cannot extend below the bottom of earlobes or over the collar of a dress shirt.

Military Weapons-Bible Passages

WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. military officials say combat rifle sights that carry Bible references don't violate a ban on proselytizing by American troops. The inscriptions are at the end of the stock number of the telescoping sights, which allow troops to pinpoint the location of the enemy. The company that makes the equipment says the U.S. military has been a customer since 1995. And it says it's never received any complaints about the New Testament citations. But the Military Religious Freedom Foundation says the Taliban could use the sights for propaganda, accusing American troops of being Christian crusaders invading Muslim countries. The foundation's president says he's received complaints from active-duty and retired members of the military. The U.S. Central Command says the sights aren't distributed beyond the U.S. troops. Photos on a Defense Department Web site, however, show Iraqi forces training with rifles equipped with the inscribed sights.

Supreme Court rejects appeal to Bible ban in show and tell

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court has refused to hear the appeal of a kindergartner's mother who wasn't allowed to read Scripture during show and tell, even though the Bible is her son's favorite book. The Marple Newtown School District in suburban Philadelphia told plaintiff Donna Kay Busch in 2004 that she could not read Bible passages during the class's "All About Me" program. Busch argued that the class heard stories related to Passover, Christmas and other religious holidays, but lower courts ruled there was a "significant difference" between that and reading Scripture. The school did let the boy discuss a poster that included references to his church, family and pets.

RADIO STATION SWITCHES TO ALL-ELVIS FORMAT

RICHMOND, Ky. (AP) - A radio station in central Kentucky is playing all Elvis, all the time. WELV in Richmond, Kentucky, switched formats on January 8, Elvis' birthday. General manager Sean Hamilton tells The Richmond Register listeners will hear not just Elvis' music, but interviews and live music. People outside the listening area can tune in on the Internet at www.wlfxfm.com.