Target Corp. distribution center still “on hold”

ALLENWOOD – There is no change in the status of the Target Corporation distribution center, once proposed for Gregg Township, Union County. The project that would have employed several hundred people is still on hold, according to Union County Commissioner John Showers.

Hopes that the project would again move forward were raised after improvements were completed at the intersection that would have directed traffic to the center. However, PennDOT’s upgrade of signals and resurfacing of Route 15 near the Allenwood Federal Prison Complex remained on the books in spite of Target’s decision to shelve the project. Plans to build the distribution center were initially announced in 2006, but were put on hold after the credit crunch and business slowdown of 2008. (Matt Farrand)

Swerving bus driver charged

KULPMONT -- Blood tests show the bus driver seen driving erratically last month in Kulpmont had taken three types of prescription medication. 37-year-old Melissa Tehansky of Coal Township was charged on counts including endangering the welfare of children, possession of misbranded drugs, driving under the influence and numerous traffic violations.

Tehansky, operating a Mount Carmel Area school bus, had just dropped off the last children on her bus route May 19th when she was seen swerving on Route 61, running a red light and striking a street sign. Police found she illegally possessed four types of prescription medications including anxiety pills, anti-depressants and opiate treatment pills. Tehansky was arraigned and released on $20,000 bail. (Sara Bartlett)

Ground broken: Amphitheater work begins in Sunbury

SUNBURY -- The dream of having a river front amphitheater is closer to being realized now that ground was broken Friday for the second phase of Sunbury's Riverfront Project. This is the river phase which will provide riverbank stabilization, repairs to the floodwall and more.

State Representative Merle Phillips (R-108th, Sunbury) has assisted with the project since its inception and says the idea began while boating one day. He says the tremendous resource of the Susquehanna River was being overlooked.

This is the river phase which will provide riverbank stabilization, repairs to the floodwall and the building of an amphitheater, boat launch and new access road. U.S. Congressman Chris Carney (D-10th, Dimock) also helped to break ground, he called the Susquehanna, "A gem," and the, "10th district's river." This second phase is about $7 million worth of work.

Money has been provided by the governor's Redevelopment Assistance Program, Growing Greener grants, a state assistance program for flood control and federal grants. A fish and boat commission grant is also pending. The first phase of the project involves beautification and improvements to Front Street and Merle Phillips park. Work there is expected to wrap up in September. (Sara Bartlett)

Second assault in a week

LEWISBURG -- For the second time this week, an inmate at the Lewisburg Penitentiary needed outside medical attention following an assault. An officer at the prison says an assault occurred during a fight with two individuals in an outside recreation area around 12:30 Friday.

Staff secured the area and there was no further incident. One inmate received injuries that required outside medical attention. Another assault where an inmate was taken to a local hospital occurred Tuesday morning. Both incidents remain under investigation by the FBI. (Sara Bartlett)

Jury selected for a federal prison inmate charged with killing another inmate

WILLIAMSPORT – A jury was selected this week for a federal prison inmate who is charged with killing his cellmate at the Allenwood Federal Prison complex. 48-year-old Gregory Morton was serving a 30-year sentence for robbing a bank in California, when he apparently strangled inmate Scott Lilly in their cell two years ago.

Morton’s trail is scheduled in U.S. Middle District Court in Williamsport in about three weeks. The prosecution claims Morton intentionally killed Lilly, but Morton says he was just defending himself. Lilly was strangled while serving a 72-month sentence for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. (Ali Stevens)

Another person charged in a hunting accident

DANVILLE – Another person has been charged in connection with the hunting accident this week in Montour County. 75-year-old Samuel Kelly is charged with failing to render aid at a hunting accident and recklessly endangering another person. Authorities say when his nephew Michael Kelly of Danville shot and wounded Jeff Blue, Samuel declined to help Blue and helped hide the shotgun involved.

Michael Kelly was charged with shooting Jeff Blue while they were turkey hunting Monday on Bald Top Mountain…Kelly is a convicted felon and is not permitted to own or use a gun. He was accused of shooting Blue in the face, chest and arms while turkey hunting near the Montour-Northumberland County line.

Latest Pennsylvania news, business. lottery and entertainment

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Education issues have been at the center of Gov. Ed Rendell's governing agenda since the former Philadelphia mayor took office 7 1/2 years ago. That doesn't appear to be changing during negotiations for what will be the final state budget of his administration. The Democratic governor tells reporters that he wants to maintain the size of the state's annual contribution to basic education funding. He says he is determined not to lose ground on gains Pennsylvania students have made, as reflected in higher standardized test scores.  Senate Republican budget negotiators, however, are warning that about $850 million in expected federal aid for low-income health care might not come from Congress. They say the governor needs to compromise if he wants a budget on time. Last year's budget talks were not resolved until October, 101 days into the fiscal year. Rendell says he feels strongly enough about education that, in his words, he's "ready for the 101 days if necessary."

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - State officials are defending a $30,000 research project aimed at illustrating the effect of Gov. Ed Rendell's policies from Republicans charges that the effort is a waste of taxpayer money. The project run by Philadelphia public relations consultant Kevin Feeley, who was Rendell's spokesman when he was the city's mayor. Feeley says it aims to put a face on Rendell's education, economic development and environmental programs, and would help illustrate the effects that cuts in the programs would have.  Republicans, however, called the contract a slap in the face as the governor warns of possible layoffs of state workers. Rendell chief of staff Steve Crawford said Friday the administration believes budget cuts come with a human toll and Feeley's work would help reinforce that point.

HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) - A labor agreement expected to lead to job losses at The Hershey Co. but expand one of its hometown plants has been approved by workers. Unionized workers at two plants in Hershey, Pa., overwhelmingly approved the deal in a vote last night. Union representatives say the vote was 1,317 to 95. The deal now faces board approval. The agreement allows the maker of Hershey's Kisses, Reese's and other candy to cut up to 600 jobs while leaving just administrative offices in the original factory built by company founder Milton Hershey. Across town, Hershey is pledging to invest $200 million into expanding its West Hershey plant and increase employment there from about 500 to 1,100. Hershey had threatened to move the expansion and jobs elsewhere if the union members at the factories rejected the deal.

PENFIELD, Pa. (AP) - Officials say a blowout at a natural-gas well in a remote area shot explosive gas and polluted water as high as 75 feet into the air before crews were able to tame it about 16 hours later. The gas never caught fire, and no injuries were reported, but state officials worried about an explosion before the well could be controlled. EOG Resources says the well was brought under control just after noon yesterday. EOG declined to explain how the accident happened, citing the ongoing investigation. But the company said in a statement that public safety and protection of the environment are of the utmost importance. The well is on the grounds of a hunting club in a heavily forested section of Clearfield County, near Interstate 80 and about 90 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger said in a statement it was a "serious incident" that will be fully investigated by his agency.

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) - A northeastern Pennsylvania courthouse official charged with taking bribes has resigned from his position. Luzerne County Clerk of Courts Robert Reilly resigned effective Thursday. Federal prosecutors have charged him with soliciting and accepting thousands of dollars in bribes in 2007. Reilly faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. A motion to delay a preliminary hearing indicates he is working with prosecutors on a plea agreement. Reilly is one of more than two dozen people in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties charged in a federal corruption probe.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Penn State University has signed president Graham Spanier to a three-year extension that will keep him at the school through 2015. Spanier is one of the longest-tenured university presidents in the country, having arrived at Penn State in 1995. He heads a university system overseeing 24 campuses around the state and a total of about 94,000 students. The university said in a statement that Spanier's new deal takes effect July 1, giving him a $700,000 annual salary. The new contract takes Spanier a year beyond a recently announced $2 billion capital campaign scheduled to end in 2014. It also means Spanier will likely have to deal again with questions about Hall of Fame football coach Joe Paterno's contract. The 83-year-old Paterno is signed through 2011.

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

Update on the latest in business:

Iran CB head denies report on euro sale

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - The head of Iran's central bank is denying the country plans to sell billions in euros as the currency weakens because of Europe's debt crisis. Central Bank Governor Mahmoud Bahmani was quoted in Sunday's edition of the state-run Iran newspaper as saying a report early last week in a local newspaper that Iran plans to replace 45 billion euros of its foreign currency reserves for U.S. dollars was "not correct."  Iran has been converting its roughly $83 billion in reserves to euros as the dollar was hit by the global financial meltdown. Bahmani also said the inflation rate in Iran has fallen to under 10 percent in May from 10.4 percent in April.

Oil spill closes more Gulf waters to fishing

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Fishing has been banned in more waters off Florida because of the creeping oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will close an additional 565 square miles to fishermen near Panama City, Fla., starting Saturday evening. NOAA spokesman Kim Amendola says the additional closure was necessary because forecasters anticipate oil from a leaking offshore well near Louisiana could drift into that area. About 33 percent of federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico are now closed to fishing because of the spill.  It began after the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded April 20 and ultimately sank, triggering an environmental disaster that has surpassed the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989.

Pennsylvania Lottery Numbers:

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

 Big 4

     7-9-4-6

 Cash 5

     05-17-23-42-43

 Daily Number

     7-4-0

 Evening Quinto

     5-0-9-6-4

Midday Big 4

     6-4-0-3

 Midday Number

     0-8-6

 Midday Quinto

     2-7-7-6-0

 Powerball

     18-34-40-48-59, Powerball: 25, Power Play: 4

Treasure Hunt

     01-15-16-20-27

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

Cuban says he'd back Weinstein deal for Miramax

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Billionaire investor Mark Cuban says he loved the idea of the Weinstein brothers participating in a bid for Miramax.  Cuban said on the sidelines of the Produced By Conference Saturday that he did not help block the Weinstein's bid last month to take back the Miramax label from Disney.  The Weinsteins founded Miramax in 1979, but sold it to Disney

for $80 million in 1993. Their next startup, The Weinstein Co., was founded with $1 billion in capital but hasn't been able to produce consistent hits. Cuban is the owner of the Dallas Mavericks and an investor in the Weinstein Co.  He says he wasn't consulted on the bid for Miramax, but added Harvey and Bob Weinstein were "better than anybody else" at understanding and selling the 600-plus film library of the company.

Jimmy Buffett laments the fouling of his paradise

PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Jimmy Buffett's timing is a little off.  The "Margaritaville" singer is synonymous with the white-sand beaches along the Gulf Coast that are now being fouled by leaked oil. He's planning to open a hotel in Pensacola Beach, Fla., in a week.  He took a walk Saturday along the beach with Fla. Gov. Charlie Crist and noted that his favorite memories of the area are of sunsets in the fall. He says he wants people in the area to know that he's there for them. He says if he's good for anything, it's "helping people forget their troubles for a couple of hours."  He says the people of the Florida Panhandle will get through the crisis together.

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