Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Nice weather for the 7th annual Merle Phillips Charity Golf Classic
SELINSGROVE – The weather was nice for the 7th annual Merle Phillips Charity Golf Classic on Monday to benefit the Toys for Tots program. The tournament raised more than $50,000, which will go to buy toys for needy children in the area. The event was started in 2003 by State Representative Merle Phillips (R-108th, Sunbury).
In the past six years, more than $246,000 has been raised for the Toys for Tots program, which is coordinated by the Susquehanna Valley Marine Corps League. Toys are distributed to needy families in Northumberland, Montour, Union, Snyder and Columbia Counties. The invitational was attended by more than 140 local business leaders with each participating team paying an entry fee of $750, which was donated to toys for tots. (Ali Stevens)
Former alumni association treasurer sentenced to probation
MILTON -- A former treasurer of two Milton area community organizations will spend seven years on probation, after stealing a total of almost $20,000 from them. 61-year-old Dale Kriner was sentenced Monday in District Court on charges of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property.
Kriner wrote checks to himself totaling nearly $10,000 from the Milton Harvest Festival while working as treasurer. He also made unauthorized transactions involving about the same amount from the Milton High School Alumni Association.
Kriner had financial troubles, and gave some of the money to a man he thought was trying to get to the United States from Nigeria. He has also reportedly repaid the Harvest Festival, and has arranged a payment plan with the Alumni Association. (Matt Farrand)
Three people injured in a crash on Old Turnpike Road in East Buffalo Township
LEWISBURG – Three people were injured in a crash Sunday morning on Old Turnpike Road in East Buffalo Township, Union County. Police tell us 18-year-old Doris Attinger pulled from a business and into the path of a vehicle driven by 25-year-old Sean Sutton of Northumberland.
Sutton, Attinger and a passenger, 20-year-old Whitley Reichenbach of Northumberland, were taken to Evangelical Community Hospital for treatment of unknown injuries. Sutton’s three-week-old baby was not injured in the crash. Old Turnpike Road was down to one lane around 9:35 Sunday morning while the crash scene was cleared. Attinger will be cited for causing the accident. (Ali Stevens)
Two teens remain hospitalized following a crash on Saturday night
SELINSGROVE – Two Selinsgrove high school students remain in critical condition today following a crash on Penns Drive in Snyder County Saturday night. Following the Selinsgrove High School Prom, 17-year-old Seth Lauver was driving his passenger and prom date, 17-year-old Alexandra Mullen, along Penns Drive near the Kratzerville Bridge.
Another vehicle was pulled over and someone was changing a tire and Lauver swerved to miss the vehicle, but struck it before the vehicle flipped onto its roof. Lauver sustained a serious spinal cord injury, while Mullen sustained injuries to her liver and spleen. State police say the motorist changing the tire was illegally parked.
A third vehicle, driven by 22-year-old Tiffany Sechrist of Selinsgrove, was struck in the accident. Sechrist was assisting at the scene and was not injured. Lauver is a standout athlete, playing football and baseball at Selinsgrove Area High School. He was a member of the championship football team, playing as a fullback in his junior year. (Ali Stevens)
Sunbury police still investigating a gun pointing incident
SUNBURY -- Sunbury police say they are still investigating what was reported as a 'gun pointing' incident Saturday night. No arrests yet and Sunbury police chief Stephen Mazzeo says they are sifting through multiple versions of the incident from various people.
Some of the reports conflict, so he said its hard to say if, or when charges will be filed. Police from a half-dozen agencies were summoned to Sunbury around 9pm on the report of a man with a gun near 1115 Miller Street.
The gun pointing incident reportedly followed a dispute between two men. At the time, police in the area were asked to be on the look out for one or more suspects in that incident. The police response at that location--slowed an ambulance call at a neighboring home.
A fall victim summoned an ambulance, but police say the crew could not respond immediately because the neighboring home was where police feared there may be a suspected gunman. The all clear was sounded after midnight, Sunday morning, after that gunplay incident reported in Sunbury.
Widening and resurfacing of Route 15 to begin next week
WINFIELD – A major widening and resurfacing project will get underway next week on Route 15 in Winfield. PennDOT reports the project will take place from the Snyder-Union County line on Route 15 to just north of the intersection of Route 304 in Winfield.
The project consists of widening, milling, resurfacing, traffic signal upgrades and new pavement markings. There will be an addition of a center left-turn lane and a railroad crossing upgrade. There will be several lane shifts while construction is ongoing. The $3-million project will get underway on Tuesday, June 1st and continue through November 19th. (Ali Stevens)
Sunday burglary nets video game equipment
MIDDLEBURG -- A break-in at a youth program clubhouse is being investigated by Middleburg Police. A burglar or burglars entered the Solid Rock Youth Zone on West Market Street some time Sunday, and took nearly two dozen video game cartridges, five controllers and a flat screen monitor. Middleburg Police say the items are worth about $1,600, and anyone with information is to call them at 837-0321. (Matt Farrand)
Latest Pennsylvania news, lottery, business and entertainment
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - An grand jury that investigated the Pennsylvania legislative corruption scandal known as "Bonusgate" is recommending sweeping changes to how the Legislature conducts business.The 34-page report obtained Monday by The Associated Press calls for a host of changes to how the General Assembly spends money, hires and supervises employees and conducts its annual state budget debate. The report says the Legislature is overstaffed, replete with wasteful printing and computer costs and is, in some respects, living in a time warp that reflects practices other states outlawed decades ago. The grand jury spent the past two years investigating the illegal use of public resources and legislative employees toperform campaign work. Its report says it's "beyond dispute" that electioneering has consumed an enormous amount of time by state-paid workers.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania appeals court is handing a victory to a newspaper that's trying to get information about East Stroudsburg University's foundation. A Commonwealth Court panel ruled unanimously Monday the Pocono Record is entitled to a list of donations to the foundation and for meeting minutes of the foundation's board that pertain to raising and disbursing money. The court says the foundation can redact the names of the donors but not the financial information. But the paper lost its request to get its legal costs paid by the foundation. The judges also decided that the Office of Open Records doesn't have legal standing to participate in an appeal of one of its decisions, so it quashed the office's legal brief in the case.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum is not yet a candidate for president, but he's holding open that possibility as he advocates repealing the national health-care program and criticizes President Barack Obama. Santorum, who was ousted by Democrat Bob Casey in 2006, spoke Monday before a group of mostly lobbyists and other political insiders at a Pennsylvania Press Club luncheon in Harrisburg. Santorum calls the health-care program "Obamacare" and is criticizing the Democratic president for refusing to work with Republicans on the bill. He also criticizes the administration for taking too soft a stance with Iran, which he calls the greatest threat to world peace. The 52-year-old Santorum is among a number of Republicans weighing a 2012 White House bid. He's not ruling out the prospect but says he's a long way from making a decision.
SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) - Reciting Plato is hard enough. Try doing it dressed in a toga in the middle of a crowded student center at lunchtime. No wonder University of Scranton honors students dread The Trivium, an intensive study of grammar, logic and rhetoric that's unlike anything being taught at an American university today. Call it a marriage of philosophy, communications and critical thinking. Students at the Jesuit university read the classics, of course. But they also learn how to communicate their ideas clearly, confidently and effectively - even under such extreme circumstances as those professor Stephen Whittaker has conjured in his gleefully sadistic mind. For the class finale, students don togas and gather in the busiest spot on campus for a public retelling of a Platonic dialogue.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Update on the latest in business
WALL STREET
Financial stocks lead market lower
NEW YORK (AP) - Financial companies have dragged stocks lower on
uncertainty about the U.S. government's financial overhaul plan and
debt problems in Europe.
Investors are worried about limits that could be placed on U.S.
banks in a final version of the financial overhaul bill.
And the rescue of a Spanish bank raised investors' anxiety about
Europe's economy. They're worried that there could be more bank
bailouts in Europe if a wave of bad debt cascades through financial
markets.
The Dow Jones industrial average registered its lowest close
since February, tumbling nearly 127 points to 10,066. The broader
S&P fell 14 to 1,073, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq dropped
15 to 2,213.
WORLD MARKETS
Asian stocks slide
SINGAPORE (AP) - Asian stock markets tumbled today, extending a
Wall Street sell-off as the sliding euro hit exporters amid a new
wave of pessimism about the global economy's health.
Renewed worries about Europe's debt problems and a shaky euro
rattled already anxious investors, who grew more uncertain about
the outlook for the U.S. and global economies.
The weekend rescue of a small Spanish bank exacerbated investor
pessimism about Europe's financial health. The Bank of Spain
stepped in to rescue Cajasur after it failed to complete a merger.
It was only the second time Spain's central bank had saved a
regional lender.
Some investors consider Asian equities oversold given the
region's strong economic growth and low government debt.
OIL PRICES
Crude falls
SINGAPORE (AP) - Oil prices fell to near $69 a barrel today in
Asia as plunging regional stock markets and a weaker euro rattled
the confidence of commodity investors.
Oil has plummeted 21 percent from $87.15 a barrel earlier this
month as a falling euro made dollar-based crude more expensive for
investors holding the European currency.
Investor concern that Europe's debt crisis could undermine
global economic growth has also hurt stock markets, which oil
traders watch as a measure of overall confidence.
DAY AHEAD-ECONOMY
Reports due on home prices, consumer confidence
NEW YORK - Among the economic data to be released today are a
couple of new reports on home prices and a look at the consumer
sector.
Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller releases its index of home prices
for March and the first-quarter at 9 a.m., Eastern time. An hour
later, The Conference Board releases its Consumer Confidence Index
for May and the Federal Housing Finance Agency releases its March
home price index.
Economists expect to see a three-percent gain in the
Case-Shiller index, and a rise in consumer confidence from a
reading of 57.9 in April to 58.3 this month.
THRIFTS-EARNINGS
Thrifts post 1Q net income of $1.82B
WASHINGTON (AP) - The federal government says U.S. thrifts
posted first-quarter net income in the latest sign the industry is
stabilizing as the economy recovers.
The Office of Thrift Supervision says savings and loans had net
income of $1.82 billion in the January-March period, compared with
a net loss of $1.62 billion a year earlier.
The agency says the industry's net income in the latest quarter
was the highest since the April-June quarter of 2007.
It says about 60 percent of thrifts posted an increase in net
income compared with the previous three months. But it says the
number of "problem" thrifts rose to 50 as of March 31 from 43
three months earlier.
FINANCIAL OVERHAUL
Senate: Exclude car dealers from consumer rules
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate has urged congressional negotiators
blending a vast financial regulation bill to exclude auto dealers
from the oversight of a proposed government consumer protection
agency.
The nonbiding 60-30 vote Monday comes as lawmakers assemble
Senate and House legislation setting new controls on Wall Street.
The Senate passed its version of the bill last week; the House
acted in December.
The House bill provides an exemption for auto dealers, as well
as for other businesses.
Auto dealers argue that they only process loans for car buyers
and other lending institutions administer and service them. The
White House and the Pentagon have argued against an exception,
saying soldiers are especially prone to car loan schemes.
CREDIT MARKETS
Interest rates dip as investors seek safety
NEW YORK (AP) - Interest rates are dipping in the bond market as
fresh worries about Europe's economy leads investors to buy up
Treasurys.
Traders remain skittish about the strength of Europe's economy.
Spain's bailout of a regional bank over the weekend has renewed
concerns that the continent's economy could falter further under
mounting debt and slow a global recovery.
With investors still unsure about the pace and size of a
rebound, they continued their recent trend of buying up Treasurys.
The price for a 10-year Treasury note rose 25 cents yesterday.
Its yield, which is often used as a benchmark for consumer loans,
fell to 3.22 percent.
SPAIN-FINANCIAL CRISIS
IMF delivers harsh report on Spanish economy
MADRID (AP) - The IMF says Spain needs speedy and far-reaching
reforms to emerge from its financial crisis.
The fund's latest periodic analysis of the country's economic
evolution, called Article IV Consultation, is based on a weeklong
appraisal.
It says that while Spain's economy is beginning to recover, the
trend is weak. The fund recommends the government urgently and
radically reform the labor market and consolidate the banking
sector.
The IMF says, though, that Spain has taken many important
measures and called some of them "bold." It says the country's
banking sector is sound, if under pressure.
Spain's Finance Ministry says the IMF's findings coincide with
its own analysis.
GULF OIL SPILL-WASHINGTON
Coast Guard says BP doing all it can to stop spill
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Coast Guard says BP is exhausting every
technical means possible to stop the flow of oil in the Gulf of
Mexico.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Coast Guard Admiral
Thad Allen said that federal law dictates that BP is responsible
for the clean up, and that the government is responsible for
overseeing that effort.
Allen says that pushing BP out of the way would raise the
question of who would take over.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has said he is not completely
confident that BP knows what it's doing.
Millions of gallons of oil have spewed from the well that blew
out after a drilling rig exploded April 20 off the Louisiana coast.
MINE EXPLOSION-CONGRESS
MSHA probes whether Massey warned of inspections
BECKLEY, W.Va. (AP) - The head of the federal Mine Safety and
Health Administration says investigators are looking into
allegations that Massey Energy illegally warns workers when safety
inspectors arrive.
Relatives and colleagues of 29 miners killed in a West Virginia
mine in the nation's worst coal mining disaster in 40 years made
the allegations yesterday before the U.S. House Education and Labor
Committee in Beckley.
Such warnings would violate federal mining regulations, and MSHA
chief Joe Main says it's being evaluated as a potential crime by
another federal agency. The Justice Department has confirmed that
it's investigating possible crimes connected to the Upper Big
Branch explosion.
Massey insists that it doesn't put profits ahead of safety.
TOYOTA-RECALL
Toyota stops sale of Lexus LS as it awaits part
NEW YORK (AP) - Toyota has stopped sales of the Lexus LS sedan
for about three weeks while it works to get parts to dealers to fix
a problem with the vehicle's steering system.
Toyota has recalled about 3,800 2009 and 2010 LS 460 and LS 600h
sedans in the U.S. to fix a problem in which the steering wheel
briefly shifts out of alignment with the wheels when it is turned
to the extreme right or left and then re-centered. Toyota says it
will remedy the problem by replacing the computer processor in the
vehicle's variable gear ratio steering system.
Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons says Lexus dealers will stop
selling the LS until they receive the new computer chips for
installation. He says the new parts are likely to begin arriving in
mid-to-late June.
SPACE SHUTTLE-LAYOFFS
Rocket contractor lays off more engineers in Utah
CLEARFIELD, Utah (AP) - ATK Space Systems has completed a fourth
round of layoffs in Utah related to the phase-out of the space
shuttle program.
The company says last week's 247 layoffs also were due to the
end of a Minuteman ballistic missile program.
Since October, ATK has laid off about 1,500 engineers,
technicians, factory workers and others in Utah, leaving about
3,000 employees.
ATK is assembling more powerful booster rockets for the next
generation of space vehicles, but funding remains in doubt in
Congress, which is holding a hearing tomorrow on the Constellation
program.
FDA-SWINE FLU TEST
FDA approves swine flu test for permanent use
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Food and Drug Administration says it has
approved the first diagnostic test for 2009 swine flu under its
traditional approval system.
The FDA previously cleared several tests on a limited basis for
use during the declared public health emergency related to swine
flu.
The new Simplexa Influenza test from Focus Diagnostics in
Cypress, Calif., uses specimens from nasal swabs to detect the H1N1
virus.
The federal government estimates between 43 and 88 million cases
of swine flu occurred between April last year and March 2010.
WAL-MART-IPHONE PRICE CUT
Wal-Mart cuts iPhone 3GS price in half
SEATTLE (AP) - Wal-Mart says it's cutting the price of the most
up-to-date iPhone in half. That's another sign Apple is getting
ready to unveil a new model.
Wal-Mart says that starting Tuesday the iPhone 3GS with 16
gigabytes of storage space will cost $97 with a two-year contract
with AT&T. It currently costs $197.
Leaked prototypes for an updated iPhone surfaced on blogs
recently. The price cut could signal retailers are clearing the
shelves to make room for a new Apple smart phone.
Apple declined to comment on whether it's planning to release a
new iPhone soon, or whether it will also sell the iPhone 3GS for
less.
The company's annual developer conference kicks off June 7.
Apple unveiled the iPhone 3GS at the same event last year.
GOOGLE-AD COMMISSIONS
Google opens up, divulges its ad commission rates
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) - Google has finally revealed one of
its financial secrets. It is spelling how it splits the money with
other websites that show its online ads.
The Internet search leader's partners get 68 percent of the
revenue from ads placed alongside articles and other content on Web
pages. Websites keep 51 percent of the revenue from Google's ads
shown next to search results. The breakdown appeared Monday on one
of Google's blogs.
Google has always said its advertising partners keep most of the
revenue, but has faced criticism for not being more specific about
the commission rates.
Most of the ads that Google sells appear next to its own search
engine and other services that it owns. The company keeps all that
revenue.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Pennsylvania Lottery Numbers
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - These Pennsylvania lotteries were drawn Monday:
Big 4
2-5-9-1
Cash 5
02-15-16-27-35
Daily Number
9-7-0
Evening Quinto
6-4-5-8-2
Midday Big 4
0-7-2-1
Midday Number
3-2-7
Midday Quinto
8-5-1-5-7
Mix and Match
11-14-09-10-01
Treasure Hunt
04-11-16-18-23
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Recalled sprouts sold to Wal-Marts in 15 states
WASHINGTON (AP) - Alfalfa sprouts recalled because of salmonella poisoning were sold to more than 400 Wal-Mart stores in 15 states. A spokeswoman for Wal-Mart said Monday the raw sprouts were sold by Caldwell Fresh Foods of Maywood, Calif. The 15 states where Wal-Mart stores bought the tainted sprouts are Alabama, California, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon and Wisconsin. The federal Centers for Disease Control said last week that the sprouts appear to have sickened at least 22 people in 10 states, including a baby in Oregon. Eleven of those sickened were in California. The sprouts were sold in at least seven other stores in California, including Trader Joe's.
BIRD FLAP-AIRPORT
ROMULUS, Mich. (AP) - Some frequent-flyers are ruffling the feathers of officials at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. But these flyers aren't passengers, they're birds. Wayne County Airport Authority spokesman Scott Wintner says they don't know how the birds got into the mile-long terminal. But the sparrows and starlings like it there just fine. There are no predators in the terminal. But there are fountains to splash in and plenty of crumbs to eat. There are even fake trees. The Detroit Free Press reports the birds don't pose an immediate safety risk. But officials are going to try to chase them away with loud recordings of scary bird calls.
Conn. graduation case goes before federal judge
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) - A Connecticut school official is defending a decision to hold two public high school graduations at a megachurch next month. Two students are suing Enfield schools, saying holding the ceremonies at The First Cathedral in Bloomfield would be an unconstitutional government endorsement of religion. Enfield Board of Education Chairman Gregory Stokes, who is pastor of another church, testified in federal court Monday that the megachurch was chosen because it offered enough space at the right cost. But attorneys for the students who are suing say the megachurch was chosen after intense lobbying by the Family Institute of Connecticut, a conservative Christian group. The hearing before Judge Janet Hall is expected to last through Wednesday.
GOP tries to upend Republican candidate's campaign
RALEIGH, North Carolina (AP) - Republican officials anxious to derail the campaign of GOP congressional candidate Tim D'Annunzio are circulating documents from the North Carolina man's 1995 divorce that depict him as a pot smoker who called himself the Messiah. In the divorce records, D'Annunzio's wife also said he had traveled to New Jersey to raise his stepfather from the dead, believed God would drop a 1,000-mile high pyramid as the New Jerusalem on Greenland and found the Ark of the Covenant in Arizona. A judge wrote in a child support ruling a few years later that D'Annunzio was a self-described "religious zealot" who believed the government was the "Antichrist." D'Annunzio, who has received Tea Party support, declined Monday to discuss the specifics of his past and refused to confirm or deny the details of the court documents.
Huge Helmets
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - The larger batting helmets that minor league players are required to wear this season are promising extra safety but aren't winning any fashion points. The Rawlings S100 helmet is built to withstand a fastball to the head at 100 mph. But it's a few inches bigger than major league models, and that brings up a style-or-safety debate. The new helmets are optional in the majors, and New York Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli is the only big leaguer who regularly wears one. Minor leaguers have no choice, starting this year. Some players say the helmets feel safe, but make them look like creatures from outer space.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)