Saturday, January 16, 2010

Russ & Merle retirement prompts congressional reaction

SUNBURY – State House members with more than 50 years of combined service say their current terms will be their last. Neither Merle Phillips (R-108th, Sunbury), nor Russ Fairchild (R-85th, Lewisburg) will be seeking reelection this year. The decision was announced in a joint statement issued Friday morning. The two say they trust voters will elect leaders capable of good local representation in November.

U.S. Congressman Chris Carney (D-10th, Dimock) joined the chorus of well wishers--issuing a statement, "Reps. Merle Phillips and Russ Fairchild have been dedicated advocates for the people of our region and I was sorry to learn today that they would not seek reelection. Their dedication and service in the General Assembly will be sorely missed. I look forward to continuing to work with them and their successors on the Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway and other matters of importance to our region."

Snyder County Commissioner Malcolm Derk wished both men well. He also shared their disillusionment with political partisanship in Harrisburg. Derk is in his first term as commissioner, and is also running for the Republican nomination to represent the 10th District in Congress. He challenged Fairchild for the 85th District GOP nomination in 2006.

Whoever follows the two Republicans in the House will inherit an expensive problem, state employee pension costs. That’s according to Democrat Steve Connolley, who says the bills for spending endorsed by Phillips and Fairchild will come due in 2011 and 2012. Connolley ran without success against Fairchild a number of times, and continues to be active in local politics.Connolley says he'll announce in the next week if he plans to run again.  (Matt Farrand)

Chairman of the Milton Harvest Festival behind bars

MILTON – A Milton man who has been chairman of the Milton Harvest Festival for 20 years, is behind bars charged with stealing from the Milton High School Alumni Association. Dale Kriner was arraigned in Milton Friday on charges including theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, receiving stolen property and several other counts.

He’s accused of taking money from the Milton High School Alumni Association and also has admitted to taking money from the Milton Harvest Festival. Kriner served as treasurer of both organizations and allegedly wrote checks to himself totaling about $10,000. He was sent to the Northumberland County Prison on $15,000 bail. (Ali Stevens)

Two DUI arrests after a sobriety checkpoint overnight

AUGUSTAVILLE – State police arrested two people for DUI overnight during a sobriety checkpoint. Troopers from Milton, Selinsgrove and Stonington Barracks participated in the checkpoint, set up on Route 890 in Augustaville. In addition to the two DUI arrests, six traffic citations were issued. The checkpoint started late last night and remained in place until early this morning. (Ali Stevens)

Three people are injured in a crash in Northumberland County

DALMATIA – Three people were injured in a crash Friday evening in Lower Mahanoy Township, Northumberland County. State police say a 17-year-old from Elizabethville, who hasn’t been identified, was traveling west on McKees Road and lost control of the vehicle. The car struck a dirt embankment and flipped onto its roof.

The girl was taken to Geisinger Medical Center for treatment of moderate injuries. Her two passengers were also injured. They were 22-year-old Raymond Miller III of Elizabethville and 18-year-old Bethany Harris of Dalmatia. They were both taken to Geisinger Medical Center for treatment of moderate injuries and their conditions are not known. The driver will be cited for speeding and causing the accident. (Ali Stevens)

Police search for man missing since Christmas

SUNBURY – Sunbury Police are searching for a man who has been missing since Christmas Day. 21-year-old Robert Chappell of Sunbury was last seen leaving his sister’s residence in Northumberland Borough. Police say Chappell has not gathered any of his belongings from his Sunbury residence.

According to a news release issued this morning, Chappell may be with a female named Erin. Chappell is described as 5’9”, 165-pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information should call police at 286-6558. (WKOK Staff)

Russ and Merle Retire I: Announcement made Friday

SUNBURY – Both Merle Phillips (R-108th, Sunbury) and Russ Fairchild (R-85th, Lewisburg) have announced they would not be seeking reelection. A joint statement issued this morning indicates the two are making this term—their last terms in office. Despite the loss in seniority, they two say, come November; they trust voters will elect leaders capable of good local representation.

For Phillips, the announcement comes after nearly 30-years representing the 108th District. The republican he has served since March of 1980. Also a republican, Russ Fairchild of Lewisburg was first elected in 1988 and has served just over 21-years. The two say they will be forever grateful to the voters for their faith, confidence and support over the years.

The two said they feel fortunate and honored to serve the people of their respective districts and will serve out their final terms energetically. The statement issued today also says the two have grown increasingly frustrated with the ‘dynamics of government’ lately and the bitter partisan disputes.

Russ and Merle Retire II: State Senator reacts

HARRISBURG – Following the news that State House Representatives Merle Phillips (R-108th, Sunbury) and Russ Fairchild (R-85th, Winfield) will not seek reelection, State Senator John Gordner (R-27th, Berwick) is praising the two for their great work in Harrisburg and in the Central Susquehanna Valley. Gordner says both have a tremendous amount of respect in Harrisburg and their home districts.

He also says he has never seen two House members work more closely together. Gordner credits both Fairchild and Phillips for their work on the CSVT and to help stop tolling on I-80. He calls them major transportation issues in our area that both took on with full steam.

Gordner says their replacements have big shoes to fill. He says someone who wants to run will have to be willing to get their hands dirty and get deep into issues. Gordner says the area is lucky to have both Fairchild and Phillips advocating for our area as they finish out their terms, and says he wishes them only the best for their future endeavors.

Russ and Merle Retire III: Governor comments

HARRISBURG – Governor Ed Rendell has released a short statement following the this will be the last terms for State Representatives Merle Phillips (R-108th, Sunbury) and Russ Fairchild (R-85th, Lewisburg). The Governor says:

“Although Representatives Phillips and Fairchild don’t agree often with some of the programs that I put forth, I believe both individuals are of high integrity, and I have enjoyed working with them on projects in their area.”

Russ and Merle Retire IV: Political bombshell prompts reaction

SUNBURY – State House members with more than 50 years of combined service say their current terms will be their last. Neither Merle Phillips (R-108th, Sunbury), nor Russ Fairchild (R-85th, Lewisburg) will be seeking reelection this year. The decision was announced in a joint statement issued Friday morning. The two say they trust voters will elect leaders capable of good local representation in November.

Whoever follows the two Republicans in the House will inherit an expensive problem, state employee pension costs. That’s according to Democrat Steve Connolley, who says the bills for spending endorsed by Phillips and Fairchild will come due in 2011 and 2012. Connolley ran without success against Fairchild a number of times, and continues to be active in local politics.Connolley says he'll announce in the next week if he plans to run again. (Matt Farrand)

Teen boy remains in critical condition after being hit by a pickup truck

NORTHUMBERLAND – A Northumberland boy remains in critical condition at Geisinger Medical Center after he was struck by a pickup truck on Monday. The accident took place along Route 11 as the boy was walking to his school bus stop in Northumberland just before 7 a.m.

16-year-old Jalen Threet stepped off the curb to cross Water Street near Wheatley Avenue when he was struck in the head by a passing pickup truck. Threet is being treated for a head injury at Geisinger and is expected to recover. The driver of the pickup has not been charged. (Ali Stevens)

Frackville man convicted of drug dealing in Northumberland County

SUNBURY – A Frackville man accused of selling cocaine to a confidential police informant has been convicted in Northumberland County Court. Joseph Yutko was on trial this week on charges of criminal conspiracy, delivery and possession of cocaine for an incident in August of 2008.

Police say a Mount Carmel police officer working with the Northumberland Montour Drug Task Force was able to buy cocaine from Yutko in Mount Carmel Township. Yutko was arrested and more than $300 was confiscated along with marijuana and cocaine. Yutko will be sentenced within 90 days. The Commonwealth is seeking a mandatory sentence due to the amount of cocaine found with Yutko at the time of the arrest. (Ali Stevens)

How was the porno discovered in the Sheriff’s Department? Commissioner explains

SUNBURY – Commissioner Frank Sawicki couldn’t talk much about the pending lawsuit in Northumberland County regarding Vinny Clausi accusing Sheriff’s Department employees of looking at pornography, however he did tell us how the pornography was discovered.

Sawicki was a guest on our On The Mark program and was asked by a listener if the attack on the Sheriff’s office by Commissioner Clausi was a “witch hunt” similar to the recent attacks Clausi made against the former warden at the Northumberland County Prison, who retired last year. Sawicki says this was not a “witch hunt” and explained how the pornography was discovered.

He says they discovered many people were listening to the radio online and that caused download time to be extremely slow. They then asked employees to stop listening to the radio online, but the download time was still very slow. That’s when they ran a scan on all systems and the porn was discovered.

Two employees from the sheriff’s office, Michael Boris and Joe Jones, were both terminated for leaving their computers logged in under their names, but it’s not known if they are the ones who looked at the porn. They are suing Commissioner Clausi for $200,000 and an apology for what they called a defamation of character.

Other’s involved in the suit have dropped out, after Clausi made an apology to several of the Sheriff’s office employees. You can hear more from Frank Sawicki on our Friday On The Mark program online at www.wkok.com. (Ali Stevens)

Learning more about the Revitalizing River Towns initiative

SELINSGROVE – SEDA Council of Governments has teamed up with the Susquehanna Greenways Partnership on an effort called, “The Revitalizing River Towns Initiative. SEDA-COG’s Tom Grbenick of the Community Resource Center was a guest speaker at the Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce’s monthly meeting Thursday.

Grbenick says the river-towns initiative focuses on communities along the river and ways to revitalize them and keep them unique. Grbenick says the middle Susquehanna Valley is unique in that there are several small towns within 5 or 10 minutes of each other, also nestled along the river. Grbenick says river towns need to be the focus now because now is the time to plan for the future.

He says areas like Reading and Bethlehem are changing quickly and we need to plan how we would like our river-towns to look in the future. Some of the 10 river towns that are part of the initiative include Sunbury, Catawissa, Selinsgrove, Danville, Watsontown and many others. You can visit SEDA-COG’s website to learn more at www.seda-cog.org. (Ali Stevens)

Latest Pennsylvania news, lottery, business and entertainment

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A Dauphin County-based Pennsylvania Air National Guard unit is heading to Haiti to help with earthquake relief efforts. Gov. Ed Rendell says the 193rd Special Operations Wing has been called upon to provide rapid response capabilities. He says about 50 airmen, two cargo planes and one airborne radio and television station have been deployed as part of the mission. One of the three C-130 planes left Middletown, late Thursday; the other two departed Friday.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Two sisters who run an orphanage in Haiti have received permission to bring 150 Haitian children to Pittsburgh. Jamie and Ali McMutrie are from the Pittsburgh suburb of Ben Avon. They have lived in Port-au-Prince since 2007 and run an orphanage called BRESMA. The three-house orphanage was mostly destroyed by Tuesday's massive earthquake. Former federal prosecutor Mary Beth Buchanan said Friday that the sisters have gotten permission to bring the children to Pittsburgh. Buchanan says the only remaining hurdle is getting approval to land a plane in Haiti. She says she doesn't know when that could happen. Allegheny County officials say they are mobilizing workers and volunteers to prepare for the arrival of the children.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A defense lawyer in the Pennsylvania legislative corruption case says a prosecutor had improper contact with one of his clients. In a loud and profane confrontation inside a Harrisburg courtroom after a hearing Friday, attorney Bryan Walk accused Senior Deputy Attorney General Patrick Blessington of violating rules for lawyer conduct by encouraging one of Walk's clients to hire a different lawyer. The outbreak came after a daylong hearing in which lawyers argued over the remaining pretrial issues in the corruption case against former Beaver County Rep. Mike Veon and three former House Democratic aides. Walk says the dispute involves a female client he won't name. Walk also represents defendant Brett Cott, a former Veon aide. A spokesman for the attorney general's office says the accusation against Blessington isn't true.

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

Weekend BusinessMinute

NEW YORK (AP) - Stock prices fell broadly Friday. The Dow lost 101 points to 10,610. The S&P dropped 12 to 1,136. And the Nasdaq fell 29 to 2,288.

WASHINGTON (AP) - A House committee is broadening its probe of secretive bank bailouts to include former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has invited Paulson and former New York Fed Chairman Stephen Friedman to testify about their roles in the AIG bailout.

NEW YORK (AP) - The price of oil fell for a fifth straight day. Benchmark crude for February delivery slid $1.39 cents to settle at $78 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is preparing to split the company's Class B shares next Thursday. It is part of its plan to buy Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. Shareholders will vote on the 50-for-1 stock split on Wednesday.

REDMOND, Wash. (AP) - Microsoft says it will give at least $1.25 million in cash and in-kind donations to relief efforts in Haiti. The world's largest software maker says its disaster response team is talking to humanitarian relief agencies about how to help.

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

Pennsylvania Lottery Numbers

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

Big 4 1-8-3-6

Cash 5 04-11-20-27-41

Daily Number 8-5-9

Evening Quinto 8-2-7-5-5

Midday Big 4 4-1-9-0

Midday Number 7-4-0

Midday Quinto 5-9-4-8-7

Super 7 04-08-09-11-18-22-25-44-49-58-66

Treasure Hunt 10-12-15-26-28

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

Deal near for O'Brien to leave 'Tonight'

LOS ANGELES (AP) - NBC is nearing a deal with "Tonight" host Conan O'Brien to leave the network, freeing Jay Leno to reclaim the late-night show he stewarded for 17 years. A person familiar with the negotiations says top NBC Universal executives and representatives for O'Brien on Friday were close to settling details of his departure. The person, who did not have the authority to discuss the issue, spoke on condition of anonymity. The person says Universal Studios president and COO Ron Meyer is among those involved in the talks. The focus is on how much O'Brien, who has time left on his NBC contract, would be paid for leaving and what limits NBC may put on his future employment at another network.

Woods looking to help Haiti relief effort

IRVINE, Calif. (AP) - Tiger Woods plans to help with relief efforts in earthquake-ravaged Haiti by supporting groups providing resources to children. The president of the Tiger Woods Foundation says he hasn't received any information from rap mogul Russell Simmons, who has said on Twitter that Woods is providing $3 million to help with the recovery. Foundation president Greg McLaughlin says Woods' staff is evaluating the best way to help the Haitian people. McLaughlin says supporting groups aimed at youth services would be consistent with what Woods' foundation has done previous with relief efforts of Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami in Indonesia.

Obama to honor MLK at Kennedy Center celebration

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is joining the lineup for the Kennedy Center's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration. The White House says Obama will speak during the first part of Monday evening's show. He will then join his family in the presidential box for his first King holiday as president. Singer India. Arie will perform along with Georgetown University's Let Freedom Ring Choir. Free tickets for the 6 p.m. event will be handed out beginning Monday morning at the Kennedy Center's Concert Hall.