Thursday, February 25, 2010

Route 104 remains closed after fatal crash

MIDDLEBURG – Route 104 between Mount Pleasant Mills and Middleburg remains closed at this hour after a fatal crash.  Snyder County 911 says one person was killed in the accident that involved two cars and a farm tractor.  Two others reportedly sustained minor injuries. 

The crash occurred around 2:50p.m. south of Middleburg at the intersection of Route 104 and Summit Road.  Police remain on the scene and the road could be closed for several hours.  Motorists are asked to avoid the area and take an alternate route. (Sara Bartlett)

Gov candidate coming to Danville

DANVILLE – A Republican gubernatorial candidate will be in Montour County on Saturday.  Attorney General Tom Corbett will speak to the Montour County GOP President’s Day Dance on Saturday evening at the Danville Elks.  Corbett will be the guest speaker at 7:00p.m.

Northumberland County Commissioner Kurt Masser, a candidate for the 107^th District, will be the master of ceremonies at the event. Masser hopes to replace the retiring Bob Belfanti (D-107^th, Mount Carmel). 

Tom Marino, a 10^th Congressional District candidate, has also been invited.  He hopes to be the winning Republican in the primary to face off against incumbent Democrat Chris Carney (D-10^th, Dimock).

In New Berlin on Tuesday evening, a Republican in the race for the 85^th District in the State House, will be hosting a meet the candidates event.  Fred Keller will be at the Inn at New Berlin from 6 to 8 p.m.  

Keller is plant operations manager at Conestoga Wood Specialties and a former auditor for Middlecreek Township.  He hopes to replace the retiring Russ Fairchild (R-85^th, Winfield).

Burglars going to court

DANVILLE – Three men charged with burglarizing a store in Washingtonville in December will go to court.  19-year-old Thomas Appleman, 18-year-old Matthew Dowsett and 20-year-old Nathanule Yoder, all of Danville, were in District Court Wednesday and sent charges of burglary and theft onto court, waiving their rights to a preliminary hearing. 

The three men were apparently witnessed fleeing DeGreen’s Store in Washingtonville December 20^th.  Police caught up with three men a short time later in Danville and they were taken into custody.  (Ali Stevens)

What to do with Lewisburg High School

LEWISBURG – Discussions continue on what to do with the Lewisburg High School building and other facility plans in the Lewisburg Area School District.  Mindy Crawford of Preservation Pennsylvania will soon tour the district and offer insight on the facilities options. 

Crawford was a guest on WKOK’s On The Mark program and says she is looking forward to the visit and would like to see what all the different proposals are about. 

Most importantly, Crawford says she would like to talk to the people in the district to learn more. She says it’s imperative for the district to choose a solution that suits the majority of the people involved. 

Crawford says when talking with families in a school district, she often finds that people prefer the older buildings to modern ones because of the history and character it adds to their community.  You can hear more from Crawford on preservation efforts in the state from our Thursday On The Mark program online at www.wkok.com.  (Ali Stevens)

Sexting incident in Middleburg

MIDDLEBURG – A Middleburg woman has been charged for a “sexting” incident.  Police say 36-year-old Michelle Stahl posed nude and had a 13-year-old girl take a picture.  The teen then sent the picture to her own father, at the request of Stahl.  Stahl is charged with two counts of corruption of minors for the incident that took place recently.  (Ali Stevens)

Road projects getting underway

ALLENWOOD – Work will get underway next week on a road project along Route 15 in Allenwood.  PennDOT says an upgrade project will be done on Route 15 at Russell Road in Gregg Township, Union County. 

The project is near the entrance to the Allenwood Federal Prison Complex.  The road will be reconstructed with intersection improvements, including adding a turning lane for Russell road from northbound Route 15. 

A traffic signal upgrade, resurfacing, drainage improvements and curbing are also part of the project, estimated to cost more than $860,000.  Route 15 lane restrictions will be in effect during various phases of construction with minor delays possible.  Work will continue through mid-May.  (Ali Stevens)

Paying more at BU

BLOOMSBURG – Bloomsburg University is raising room and board fees by 5.5 percent for 2010-2011.  The council of trustees approved room and board fees at their quarterly meeting and says rates went up about $198 per semester. 

Jeff Long, interim vice president for Student Affairs, says Bloomsburg University’s room and board fees remain among the lowest of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s 14 universities.  Tuition for the 14 state universities will be set in July by the Board of Governors for the state system of higher education.  (Ali Stevens)

Snow…snow…snow

STATE COLLEGE – Pennsylvania is enjoying another winter storm, which will bring three to six inches of snow and very high winds. AccuWeather Meteorologist Eric Wilhelm calls it a ‘moderate storm’ with mostly light snow today and more snow into Friday. He says it will be enough to shovel and plow, but not a crippling storm by any means. Wilhelm says our area will experience the heavy winds, with gusts at 50 mph.

The National Weather Service says areas to our north and east will get six to ten inches of snow, with more than a foot in parts of northern Pennsylvania and Northeast Pennsylvania. A paralyzing blizzard will befall parts of New York and New England.

The Poconos have already received nearly 10 inches of snow this week, and the same amount is predicted for the Philadelphia area. In parts getting hit the hardest, State Transportation Secretary Allen Biehler is urging motorists to avoid unnecessary travel.

Transportation officials in Pennsylvania say they are prepared for the storm. State Transportation Secretary Allen Biehler is urging motorists to avoid unnecessary travel in a storm that's expected to bring snow and gusty winds of up to 50 mph to parts of Pennsylvania.

The National Weather Service is predicting about a foot of snow in Philadelphia starting at midnight, with the heaviest accumulations from midmorning through evening. Higher accumulations are expected in the Lehigh Valley and areas north and northwest.

Philadelphia officials said a snow emergency would be in effect at 9 a.m. Thursday, requiring vehicles to be removed from emergency routes. The School District of Philadelphia and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia said all public and parochial schools in the city would be closed. (AP/Sara Bartlett)

Haiti under siege long before January quake

LEWISBURG – The January 12th earthquake that killed thousands in Haiti was simply the most recent disaster in that nation’s troubled history. That was among ideas discussed Wednesday night during a panel discussion on the campus of Bucknell University.

Panelist and Associate Professor of English Michael Drexler says the rest of the world is still suspicious of Haiti, much as it was when slaves led the successful revolt establishing Haitian independence. He says comments made in the early days of the relief effort are evidence of fear of a strong American nation with African origins.

However, International Relations Professor Hilbourne Watson says there’s still hope for the people of Haiti, in spite of the recent quake. He says in spite of a culture where many are deprived of things we are accustomed to having, Haitians are a resilient people.

“Haiti Beyond the Headlines” drew faculty members and more than 200 students to the Elaine Langone Center. Organizers circulated a petition to urge the International Monetary Fund to forgive Haiti of its $890-million dollar debt. Participants also suggested that only reputable charities be used when donating for Haiti quake relief. (Matt Farrand)

Driver to be charged after crash

DANVILLE – A Washingtonville motorist will be charged after a two vehicle crash this (Wednesday) morning along Route 54 in Montour County. State troopers say 22-year-old Samantha Bardo failed to stop at a traffic signal at the intersection with Route 254, and struck a tractor-trailer heading westbound.

Bardo sustained what were described as minor injuries in the 9:55 a.m. crash, and was taken to Geisinger Medical Center. The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured. Valley Township and Washingtonville Borough Fire Departments assisted at the scene. (Matt Farrand)

PSP: Juveniles traded sneakers for stolen vehicle

NEW COLUMBIA – A 15-year-old and a 17-year-old from Cleveland say they traded a pair of tennis shoes for a late model sedan. They were allegedly driving the car at 92 miles per hour when Pennsylvania State Police stopped them Wednesday morning in White Deer Township, Union County.

Troopers say the vehicle was originally stolen from a murder victim in Cleveland, but the juveniles were not involved in the homicide. Neither of the youths had a drivers license, both were turned over to juvenile court, and were jailed in Bellefonte. They face a variety of charges, including receiving stolen property, traffic offenses, and possession of a small amount of marijuana. (Matt Farrand)

A raise for NorCo employees

SUNBURY – A three percent salary increase has been approved for all non-union full-time employees in Northumberland County. The increase impacting about 125 workers was approved during Tuesday afternoon’s salary board meeting and is retroactive to the first pay period of 2010.

The three county commissioners and controller Chuck Erdman make up the salary board and unanimously agreed to the pay increases. The salary adjustments are expected to cost the county approximately $90,000 this year. (Ali Stevens)

Money secured for public transportation study

SUNBURY – A study on whether public transportation is right for our area can now be carried out. Keri Albright, Vice Chair of the North Central Pennsylvania Public Transportation Taskforce, says thanks to a recent $10,000 grant from Cherokee Pharmaceuticals, the group now has the money to more forward with the study. PennDOT, along with Northumberland, Union, Montour and Lycoming Counties also helped with funding.

Albright says the study is looking at whether public transportation is a need, as oppose to a social service. She says it’s an employment issue, and an independence issue to have public transportation. Albright says the study will take into consideration a number of issues, including how the transportation would work and where it is needed.

She says nothing in the report means action on the taskforce’s part, unless the community is willing to stand behind it. Albright says the taskforce has spoken to a number of consultants, and made recommendations on who should conduct the study. The study will begin in March and run through December. (Sara Bartlett)

A bi-partisan discussion on healthcare

UNDATED – The Pennsylvania State Director of “Organizing for America” was a guest on WKOK’s On The Mark program talking about the importance of a bi-partisan discussion on healthcare. First, Elizabeth Lucas talked about her organization, saying it was born out of the “Obama For America” campaign. She says it’s the grassroots arm of the White House working to advance the agenda of President Barack Obama.

Regarding the ongoing healthcare reform debate, Lucas says both parties are needed in the discussion. She says Obama has asked members of both parties to come with additional proposals at Thursday’s meeting, that are going to drive down costs for all Americans.

Lucas says the president did detail a plan for health insurance reform this past Monday that does bridge the gap between the house and senate bills that provides more accountability and affordability and additional tax cuts for middle class families. You can hear more from Elizabeth Lucas on healthcare reform from our Wednesday On The Mark program online at www.wkok.com. (Ali Stevens)

Students busted for drugs

TURBOTVILLE – State police have charged two teen girls for allegedly having marijuana on school property Tuesday afternoon. Troopers say an 18-year-old and 17-year-old, both seniors at Warrior Run High School in Northumberland County, were caught with marijuana on school grounds.

Charges are pending through the Northumberland County Juvenile Court for the 17-year-old and the Court of Common Pleas for the 18-year-old. Both will be charged with drug possession. (Ali Stevens)

New football field possible in Danville

DANVILLE – Danville High School football players may soon have a new practice field. The school board is considering building a $200,000 half-length field on a wooded area of land the district owns below the Danville Area Community Center. The Press-Enterprise reports the old high school practice field would be plowed over to make way for the consolidated elementary school.

The discussion came about when officials in the district realized the football stadium’s turf can’t handle the traffic of football, soccer and field hockey games along with football practices. The board voted 7 to 1 to have architects move ahead with plans on the field. (Ali Stevens)

Daycare Center hosts Chinese Auction

SELINSGROVE – A fundraiser will be held Saturday to help the Children’s Discovery Center of Selinsgrove provide equipment and supplies for the 100 families they serve in the Central Susquehanna Valley. The Children’s Discovery Center is hosting a Chinese Auction at Boscov’s Auditorium on Saturday from 10 to 1p.m. and they are still looking for donations of new items from area businesses for the event.

There will be baked goods and other snacks for sale. Children’s Discovery Center is a non-profit child daycare agency and the money raised at the event is used to supplement the cost of meals served at the center and keep the fees charged to parents at a reasonable cost. The public is encouraged to attend and participate in the Chinese Auction with drawings for items starting at 1 p.m. at the Susquehanna Valley Mall. (Ali Stevens)

Latest Pennsylvania news, lottery, business and entertainment

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - The speed limit on all northeastern Pennsylvania interstates has been reduced to 45 miles per hour due to the winter storm making its way through the region.  Hundreds of members of the Pennsylvania National Guard are prepared to help deal with the heavy snow and gusting winds expected in parts of the state. By early Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service said Pittsburgh had recorded its snowiest month since records started in 1884. The city's 40.4 inches for February beats the previous monthly record of 40.2 inches in January 1978.  In southeastern Pennsylvania, PECO spokesman Ben Armstrong said crews were standing by to respond to any weather-related outages expected to come in the evening and overnight.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The judge overseeing the trial of a former Pennsylvania legislative leader and three aides is warning lawyers they will be held in contempt if their courtroom behavior doesn't improve.  Dauphin County Judge Richard Lewis on Thursday told lawyers there has been too much rude, obstructive and obnoxious behavior in the corruption trial of former House Democratic Whip Mike Veon and three ex-aides.  Lewis says both defense lawyers and prosecutors are to blame for the length of the trial, which is nearing the end of the fourth week of testimony. About half of the roughly 30 expected prosecution witnesses have taken the stand.  He's warning the lawyers they could be fined or jailed if misbehavior continues.  Lewis says tough questions are allowed, but he won't tolerate intimidation of witnesses.

YORK, Pa. (AP) - An elderly Pennsylvania woman won't get jail time in the hit-and-run death of an 11-year-old boy from Baltimore last year.  Seventy-nine-year-old Fern Ness pleaded guilty Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge in the Memorial Day weekend death of Derek Johnson II in York County. She was sentenced to two years probation and community service.  Investigators say Johnson was thrown more than 60 feet after Ness hit him as he was riding his bicycle near Jacobus. Prosecutors say the boy slide into Ness' path while trying to stop his bike at an intersection. Ness told investigators she didn’t know she'd hit the boy, who was visiting family in Pennsylvania.  A defense attorney apologized to Johnson's family in court on Ness' behalf.

PENN VALLEY, Pa. (AP) - The suburban Philadelphia teen who filed a webcam spying lawsuit against his school district says an administrator's denial of wrongdoing doesn't address his claims.  Harriton High School sophomore Blake Robbins insists an assistant vice principal did take advantage of a security program to monitor his activity at home. The administrator, Lindy Matsko, says she didn't monitor students or authorize others to do so.  But Robbins told reporters Wednesday that Matsko didn't deny confronting him about a picture the webcam took.  The lawsuit filed last week claims Matsko talked to Robbins about "improper behavior" at home, citing images from the school-issued laptop's camera.  Robbins says officials mistook candy for pills and thought he was selling drugs.  District officials have said they only remotely activated webcams to locate missing laptops.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The presiding judge in the trial of the former No. 2 ranking House Democrat says he doesn't think he has the authority to impose time limits on the prosecution or restrict how many witness will be called. Dauphin County Judge Richard Lewis said he was slightly encouraged by a faster pace Wednesday in which three new witnesses took the stand in the theft, conspiracy and conflict-of-interest case against former Rep. Mike Veon and three of his ex-aides. The attorney general's office says it has about a dozen witnesses left, along with some investigators. Prosecutors say they're hopeful their case can be wrapped up by March 5. The trial is currently in its fourth week of testimony, and once prosecutors are done the defendants will be allowed to put on their own case.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A Pennsylvania educator named in a webcam spying lawsuit says she never monitored students through webcams or authorized anyone else to do so. Harriton High School vice principal Lynn Matsko responded to last week's lawsuit through a statement Wednesday. She did not take questions. She did not address a lawsuit's accusation that she talked to a student about "improper behavior" at home, citing images from his school-issued laptop's camera. The student, Blake Robbins, says that the Lower Merion School District photographed him in his bedroom. District officials have said they remotely activated webcams to locate 42 missing laptops without notifying students. Robbins' lawyers asked again Wednesday for all the photographs and screenshots the district obtained.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Federal authorities in Pittsburgh say they've arrested 26 Crips gang members responsible for drug trafficking, robbery, attempted murder, intimidation and retaliation. Authorities say two Crips factions from different neighborhoods recently formed an alliance to protect their turf from other gangs so they could carry out their illegal activities. An indictment released Wednesday says the defendants were well-organized - even raising money for lawyers and bond for members in jail while looking out for their families. Acting United States Attorney Robert Cessar says the gang is one of the most violent in southwestern Pennsylvania, but has preyed upon the community for the last time.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A hospital official that helped rescue 53 children from an earthquake-ravaged Haitian orphanage says 12 children staying in a Pittsburgh-area group home did have legal paperwork to begin the adoption process. Despite that, the federal government has asked the American Red Cross to trace the family ties of those children because they may not have neatly qualify for "humanitarian parole." Homeland Security officials were establishing those guidelines the day the children left Haiti. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center consultant Leslie McCombs says the children all had documents signed by at least one parent and Haitian court officials surrendering custody. What they didn't have was American families waiting for them, which is now required for Haitian orphans to be allowed into the United States.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A new Pennsylvania State Police policy is drawing criticism from open-government advocates and raising concern among judges and defense lawyers. The policy requires troopers to withhold names and other information about alleged victims and witnesses from citations they issue for certain minor crimes. Critics say that makes extra work for district justices and imposes a level of secrecy for minor offenses that far exceeds common practice for more serious crimes. They also say it also could impede defendants' ability to defend themselves in court. The policy applies non-traffic summary offenses, such as retail theft, disorderly conduct or harassment. Spokesman Jack Lewis says state police lawyers were concerned that disclosing victims and witnesses' names might place their safety at risk.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A new poll shows the economy passing health care as the issue most important to Pennsylvanians. A Franklin & Marshall College poll released Wednesday shows 30 percent of registered voters are most concerned about the economy, employment and the Wall Street bailout when considering candidates for U.S. Senate. That's up from 24 percent in January. Health care was No. 1 in January at 29 percent, but dropped to No. 2 at 21 percent in February. In the Senate race, Democrats favor incumbent Arlen Specter 2-1 over primary challenger Joe Sestak. Matched against Republican challenger Pat Toomey, Specter appears to hold a slim lead among registered voters while Sestak appears to be tied. The telephone survey carried a sampling error margin of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

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

Updates on the latest in business

Dow: 10,321.03, down –53.13

S&P 500: 1,102.94, down –2.30

NASDAQ: 2,234.22, down 1.68

NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks have been in retreat today, with the key averages seeing losses of more than 1 percent. Investors are growing concerned about heavy debt levels in Europe and signs of a stagnant job market.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans today have clashed in their health care summit. While noting the need to move, by holding to long entrenched positions both sides still appear far apart.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Rates for 30-year home loans have risen above the 5 percent level for the first time in three weeks. Freddie Mac says the average for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage is at 5.05 percent this week, up from 4.93 percent last week.

NEW YORK (AP) - Wal-Mart wants suppliers to reduce 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions by the end of 2015. The discounter's push is aimed at eliminating what it says is the equivalent of 3.8 million cars off the road for a year.

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

Pennsylvania Lottery Numbers

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

 Midday Big 4

     2-8-8-8

 Midday Number

     3-2-6

 Midday Quinto

     2-3-4-7-6

 Treasure Hunt

     06-08-13-16-28

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

Big 4 3-3-0-7

Cash 5 16-19-20-30-42

Daily Number 4-5-2

Evening Quinto 2-0-2-5-8

Megaplier 4

Midday Big 4 6-5-0-9

Midday Number 7-2-4

Midday Quinto 5-2-7-3-7

Powerball 04-17-35-50-57, Powerball: 12, Power Play: 2

Treasure Hunt 02-06-14-26-27

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

Conan on Twitter

UNDATED (AP) -- It took only three hours for Conan O'Brien to get 300,000 followers after he posted a photo on Twitter of him with a monkey on his back and the tweet "Today I interviewed a squirrel in my backyard and then threw to commercial. Somebody help me." The Hollywood Reporter says by this morning, O'Brien had nearly a quarter million followers and they were coming in at a rate of 1,000 a minute.

NBC: Friday's men's hockey game will be live

NEW YORK (AP) - NBC says it will broadcast the U.S. Olympic men's hockey team's   next game live across all time zones.  The network aired the Americans' 2-0 victory over Switzerland on Wednesday live in the Eastern and Central time zones. It was on a one-hour tape delay in the Mountain time zone and two-hour delay for the West Coast. It wasn't immediately clear why the network didn't show the game live across the United States.  The United States will play the winner of the Czech Republic-Finland game on Friday in a semifinal at the Vancouver Games.

Child support trial set in Palin, Johnston case

PALMER, Alaska (AP) - A judge in Alaska has set a date for the child support trial of Bristol Palin and the father of her son but urged the two to work out a resolution before then.  Bristol Palin attended the 20-minute hearing Thursday at Palmer Superior Court but Levi Johnston did not appear or participate by phone.  The judge told Johnston's lawyer it would have been better if Palin's former fiance had participated.  The 19-year-old daughter of Sarah Palin is seeking nearly $1,700 a month in child support from Johnson, who is a current Playgirl model. Palin's lawyer is seeking to subpoena Playgirl and media outlets to find out how much Johnston made last year. The judge set a trial  date for Sept. 23 and told Johnston’s lawyer to get his client's financial information to the  court. He says it was past due.

Malaysia may hold conference on caning women

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Malaysia may organize an international conference on whether caning is an appropriate punishment for women under Islamic law. Women's Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil says she'll seek Cabinet approval to hold such a conference. Malaysian prison authorities have caned three unmarried Muslim women this month after a Shariah, or Islamic, court found them guilty of having "sex out of wedlock." The three women reportedly had turned themselves in to Islamic authorities after becoming pregnant by their boyfriends. Government-linked media said the women defended the punishment because it gave them a chance to repent. Women sentenced to caning are struck on the back with a light rattan stick while fully clothed.

Teen crooks accidentally call 9-1-1

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Someone called the cops on a couple of Florida teenage girls breaking into cars. That someone happens to be one of the teens herself. Police in Daytona Beach report one of the girls accidentally called 911 from a cell phone. Dispatchers listened as the girls talked about busting into cars near a night club. Officers responded in an unmarked car. Police report arresting a 13-year-old who tried run and her 19-year-old friend.

Jay Leno adds Lambert, Harper to 'Tonight' return

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Jay Leno is pumping more music into his "Tonight Show" return. Leno is back as host of NBC's late-night show at 11:35 p.m. EST Monday, March 1. NBC said Wednesday he'll be joined the first two weeks by Adam Lambert, Robin Thicke, Ben Harper, Ryan Bingham and Lifehouse. Leno's previously announced guests include Jamie Foxx, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Olympic champions Lindsey Vonn, Shaun White and Apolo Anton Ohno. NBC says Brett Favre has been added as a guest for the March 4 show. Leno is returning to "Tonight" after a short, unsuccessful stint as a prime-time host. He's reclaiming the show from Conan O'Brien, who left when NBC tried to move him to a midnight slot.

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