Saturday, February 27, 2010

Bloomsburg woman killed in crash

Police officer dog bit during Norry fugitive bust

NORTHUMBERLAND – Two people were taken into custody (including a fugitive sex offender) and a dog bit a police officer, during a violent incident this week in Northumberland. The incident happened Wednesday evening at a home in the 500 block of Queen Street.

Officers tell us they went to the home to arrest 25-year-old Maurice Whitchsett Jr. They say he was no known address but was staying with a woman who rents a home there. He was found hiding in the attic of the home and in the process of taking him into custody; police say they arrested 20-year-old Nicole Hafer of Northumberland.

In an ensuing struggle with her, her pet pit bull attacked and bit a Sunbury police officer. The officer sustained a leg wound and did receive medical treatment. The state Department of Health is in on that aspect of the investigation.

The fugitive was jailed and Hafer was arrested for aggravated assault on a police officer, hindering the apprehension of a suspect, resisting arrest and recklessly endangering another person. He is wanted in Texas as a convicted sex offender on $50,000 bail. She was jail on $25,000 bail. The dog was subdued with the use of a Taser.

A fresh coating of snow

UNDATED – Another 1-2 inches of snow fell overnight in our region, and is continuing though AccuWeather says it will taper off later this morning or early afternoon.  We may see a few flakes into the afternoon and evening.  Some roads, especially side and rural roads may be snow covered, causing some slippery travel so motorists are asked to use caution.  Following road closures Friday in northeastern Pennsylvania, all travel restrictions are now lifted.  Our area got significantly less snow than northern regions from the storm that started Thursday. 

Boil water advisory in Beavertown

BEAVERTOWN – A boil water advisory is in effect for Beavertown while a water leak is being repaired on Zechman Street.  All residents east of Zechman Street to the borough line are advised to boil their water until further notice. 

Local trainer says good health starts with the…foot

WATSONTOWN – Experts at Geisinger Medical Center and elsewhere say sugary soft drinks are largely what is driving the obesity rate among local children to 42%. That’s measurably higher than the national average. However, a local fitness expert says the sedentary lifestyle lived by many in the area is as big a factor as too many sodas and juice boxes.

Michelle Simons of Lewisburg says many kids are simply stuck in front of computer screens and watching video. Simons now runs a fitness related business based in Lewisburg, but has also coached college basketball, following a distinguished playing career.

She says fitness starts with strong feet, thanks to nerve receptors there that contribute to balance, awareness, and thus strength. Simons spoke last week at the annual meeting and awards ceremony of the Central Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce. (Matt Farrand)

Wolfgang trial delayed

SUNBURY – The trial has been delayed for the Mount Carmel man charged with killing his wife and dumping her body in a creek. The trial was set for mid-March, but has been delayed until late summer or early fall. The Northumberland County District Attorney’s office tells us the trial has been postponed for Steven Wolfgang, who is charged with killing his wife Sherry Wolfgang of Mount Carmel in January of 2007.

President Judge Robert Sacavage ruled Wolfgang competent to stand trial last week, so the D-A’s office says additional testing needs to be done, since the prosecution is seeking the death penalty. Wolfgang is charged with an open count of homicide after police say he killed his wife and put her body in a box before dumping it in a creek. (Ali Stevens)

Encore ‘mental health update’ with the Dr’s Paolucci

SUNBURY – This weekend on our Roundtable program we have an encore broadcast of one of our award winning ‘mental health updates.’ Dr.s Stephen Paolucci and Susan Paolucci are the guests on the program recorded on the Geisinger campus in Danville—in 2009. We discuss new medicines, the fight against stigma and the federal health care legislation.

Susan Paolucci, a staff psychiatrist at Geisinger tells us, so far mental health coverage has been carved out of the Washington DC discussions, and that is not ideal. Dr. Stephen Paolucci, the head of the division of psychiatry is the other guest on the program. We discuss the importance of the electronic health record when it comes to mental health care and mental health research.

You can hear the encore Roundtable (Sunday) on Eagle 107 (107.3FM) at 6a.m., 100.9 (100.9FM), The Valley, at 6a.m., Newsradio 1070 WKOK (1070AM) at 9a.m., Talkradio 1380 WMLP (1380AM), 11a.m., 94KX WQKX (94.1FM) at 11p.m., and anytime, at www.wkok.com.

Former congressman: Specter needs to retire

DANVILLE – Former Congressman John Peterson believes it’s time for Arlen Specter to retire. The conservative, formerly from the 5th District, says it’s time for a change and he believes Pat Toomey is the right choice.

Peterson says no one should be elected to congress at the age of 80 and despite being friends with Specter for 40 years, Peterson says now is the time for him to go. Peterson believes Toomey will win the seat held by Specter for 30 years. Peterson also talked about President Barack Obama’s Healthcare Summit.

He says American’s want reform other than what Obama wants. Peterson believes Obama’s plan is a socialized takeover of the healthcare system, where the government will determine what healthcare you get and how much it will cost. Peterson says American’s want market based reforms that will cut costs and improve efficiency with more preventative care. (Matt Bowen)

Gordner questions the A-G’s audits

HARRISBURG – Senator John Gordner (R-27th, Berwick) says he questions performance audits done by Auditor General Jack Wagner regarding mass transit agencies such at the Port Authority. Gordner says a good portion of the revenue is based on the tolling of I-80, which doesn’t exist.

Gordner says tolling hasn’t happened to date, and come July of this year, if the tolling of I-80 hasn’t occurred, there will be about a 50 percent reduction in monies that are available to PennDOT and mass transit agencies. Gordner and many other area politicians are strongly opposed to the tolling of Interstate 80, with a decision looming on whether or not it can be done.

However, the governor has budgeted proceeds from the tolling of I-80 for various projects in the proposed budget, totaling about $460-million in revenue. Gordner is an outspoken critic of this, along with Congressman Chris Carney (D-10th, Dimock) and State Representative Merle Phillips (R-108th, Sunbury). (Ali Stevens)

Latest Pennsylvania news, lottery, business and entertainment

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Crews have reopened the Pennsylvania Turnpike in both directions after as many as 20 tractor-trailers were involved in crashes that forced the shutdown of a 60-mile stretch of highway. Spokesman Carl DeFebo says the turnpike had reopened to all traffic by 3 p.m. Friday. A long stretch of the turnpike had been closed in central Pennsylvania since around 8 a.m. when wintry weather led to a series of crashes in the westbound lanes. Officials reported two people sustained non-life threatening injuries. DeFebo says emergency personnel helped motorists from a total of about 90 vehicles. Many were transported to service plazas for food, water and shelter. PennDOT lifted most speed and vehicle restrictions related to the storm by Friday afternoon and utility companies across the state were reporting few outages.

UNION DALE, Pa. (AP) - It could be another day before 57 students at a Philadelphia high school and their chaperones can get home after getting stranded by a strong winter storm during a class trip. The students from Calvary Christian Academy were staying in a hastily assembled Red Cross shelter Friday in northeastern Pennsylvania while they wait for one of their vehicles to be repaired. After being forced to cut short a ski trip to the Elk Mountain resort their buses got stuck in 4-foot snowdrifts Thursday night. Emergency workers transported everyone to a church in Union Dale, about 35 miles northeast of Scranton. Seventeen-year-old Sarah Miller says it's been a bonding experience for the senior class. It was already a star-crossed trip - one boy broke his collarbone while skiing and two girls were also hurt.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - More legal fireworks accompanied the end of the fourth week of testimony in Pennsylvania's legislative corruption trial. Judge Richard Lewis cautioned defense attorney Dan Raynak not to "push it" at the end of the day Friday after Raynak complained about a prosecutor's reaction to a witness' testimony. At issue is whether prosecutors in the theft, conspiracy and conflict-of-interest trial of former Rep. Mike Veon will be able to delve into the prior conviction of another former state representative for using his staff to campaign. If Lewis allows jurors to hear details of former Rep. Jeff Habay's case, it could help prosecutors argue that a recent case demonstrated to lawmakers and their staff the legal hazards of using public resources for political campaigns. Three former aides are on trial with Veon.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) - The Sierra Club and the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy are threatening to sue Consol Energy if it doesn't meet federal water-quality standards within 60 days. The Canonsburg, Pa.-based coal company is developing long-term plans to build mine water treatment plants in the Dunkard Creek watershed, with the first operating by May 2013. The 43-mile long creek runs along the Pennsylvania-West Virginia border and was the site of a massive fish kill last fall. Consol stopped discharging water from the Blacksville No. 2 mine after that. Regulators say golden algae killed the fish, but pollutants created conditions that helped it bloom. Sierra Club's Jim Kotcon says Consol must act faster. He says the creek can't afford years of continuing pollution.

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

Stocks manage gain...Home sales weak...Crude near $80

NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks managed to close slightly higher, capping a volatile week for the market. The Dow rose 4 points to 10,325. The S&P gained nearly 2 points, while the Nasdaq composite was up 4 points.

WASHINGTON (AP) - January sales of previously owned homes were much weaker than expected, falling more than 7 percent. One economist says as government stimulus efforts are winding down, housing is weaker than had been thought.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House is considering a possible policy to give an advantage in bidding on government contracts to companies offering a so-called "living wage" and generous benefits. Business groups opposing the idea say it would shut out smaller businesses from competing for more than $500 billion a year in federal contracts while increasing government procurement costs.

NEW YORK (AP) -Benchmark crude for April delivery gained $1.49 to settle at $79.66 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Prices traded as high as $80.05 a barrel earlier in the day.

NEW YORK (AP) - JetBlue says a technical issue with its central computer system that led to an hour-long grounding of flights nationwide has been resolved. The carrier had already canceled most of its flights out of the New York area today because of a snowstorm.

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

Pennsylvania Lottery Numbers

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The winning numbers in Friday evening's drawing of the Pennsylvania Lottery's "Big 4" game were: 4-9-0-0

The winning numbers in Friday evening's drawing of the Pennsylvania Lottery's "Evening Quinto" game were: 1-6-1-6-2

The winning numbers in Friday evening's drawing of the Pennsylvania Lottery's "Daily Number" game were: 8-2-1

The winning numbers in Friday evening's drawing of the Pennsylvania Lottery's "Cash 5" game were: 03-04-27-34-41

The winning numbers in Friday evening's drawing of the Pennsylvania Lottery's "Super 7" game were: 12-19-26-30-37-43-50-60-72-75-76

These Pennsylvania lotteries were drawn on Friday midday:

Midday Big 4 9-9-3-7

Midday Number 1-9-6

Midday Quinto 1-7-7-4-7

Treasure Hunt 01-02-07-17-29

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

Gatorade drops Tiger Woods

NEW YORK (AP) - Add Gatorade to the list of endorsement deals that Tiger Woods has lost. A spokesperson for the drink, sold by PepsiCo Inc., confirmed late Friday that it had ended its relationship with the golfer. "We no longer see a role for Tiger in our marketing efforts and have ended our relationship," a Gatorade spokeswoman said. "We wish him all the best." The spokewoman said Gatorade would continue its relationship with the Tiger Woods Foundation. Gatorade discontinued its Tiger Woods-brand drinks in November, a decision made before Woods' marital problems and infidelities became known.

Olympics make men cry

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- OK guys, you can admit it. You can confess to crying while watching the Olympics. You're not alone. A survey conducted by NBC shows 25 percent of the men watching the games have cried at some point. A total of 35 percent of the whole audience admitted to crying or getting teary-eyed. The survey also shows that a third of the viewers have put off paying their bills or doing the laundry to watch. And two-thirds are staying up past their bedtimes, making 42 percent of them "more tired than normal."

'Precious' wins big at 41st NAACP Image Awards

LOS ANGELES (AP) - "Precious" has been named outstanding motion picture and outstanding independent film at the 41st NAACP Image Awards. The heart-wrenching film is about an illiterate and abused teen who finds hope in a Harlem classroom. Stars Mo'Nique and Gabby Sidibe, screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher and director Lee Daniels also won. The Image Awards honor diversity in the arts and outstanding achievements in film, television, music and literature.

Other winners included Keri Hilson, Maxwell, "Brothers" star Daryl "Chill" Mitchell and Chris Rock. Hilson was named outstanding new artist, Maxwell won for male artist, Mitchell took the award for actor in a comedy series and Rock accepted the documentary award for his film "Good Hair." Actor-producer Tyler Perry was honored with the Chairman's Award for his philanthropy and career achievements. Wyclef Jean received the Vanguard Award for raising funds and cultural awareness after the earthquake in Haiti. Environmental activist Van Jones received the President's Award.

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

Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers held the Philadelphia 76ers to one field goal over the final 3:40 of a 99-90 victory Friday night. Samuel Dalembert had 24 points and 11 rebounds for the 76ers, and Andre Iguodala chipped in with 13 points and 10 assists.

When No. 7 Villanova visits fourth-ranked Syracuse tonight in a game featuring the Big East's top teams, Andy Rautins will be a prime focus of the Wildcats. Rautins is Syracuse's second-leading scorer at 11.8 points per game.

Lastings Milledge says he is determined to make this his breakout season. The Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder says he has put the problems that plagued him with the New York Mets and Washington Nationals behind him and is ready to show the club he can be a productive everyday player.

Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers have Casey Hampton locked up with a contract deal, they're looking to do the same with safety Ryan Clark before he can become an unrestricted free agent in one week. Clark has said previously he wants to stay with the Steelers and continue to play alongside strong safety Troy Polamalu.

Minnesota coach Brad Childress says he's willing to wait the entire off-season to get a definitive answer from Brett Favre on whether his quarterback will return for a 20th NFL season. Childress said he spoke with the Favre twice this week, but football was not the primary topic.

Despite his public apology last week for his marital indiscretions, Tiger Woods has lost another sponsor. Gatorade became the third major sponsor to drop Woods, joining Accenture and AT&T in severing ties with the world's No. 1-ranked golfer.

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

Due to the weather, both the Bucknell men and women’s basketball games against Army have had time changes. The women now play tomorrow at 2pm at Sojka Pavilion, looking for the number 6 spot in the Patriot League.

Meanwhile the men will now play at Army tonight at 7pm. The Bison are tied for second place in the Patriot League, and could place at best 2nd and lowest 4th after today’s game. You can hear this game on our sister station Eagle 107, the pregame show at 630, tip off is at 7.

The District 4 wrestling tournament Class AAA at Selinsgrove High School will begin at 10am, you can hear that here on Newsradio 1070 WKOK. Class AA, at Williamsport High School, also begins at 10am, and will wrap up tomorrow.

High School Basketball…District 4 games today

BOYS

Class A
Mansfield vs. Lourdes Regional, at Mansfield University, 2:30 p.m.
Sayre vs. Benton, at Troy High School, 7:30 p.m.

Class AA
Hughesville vs. Southern Columbia, at Montoursville High School, 7:30 p.m.

Class AAA
Mifflinburg vs. Midd-West, at Milton High School, 7:30 p.m.

GIRLS
Class AAA
Shikellamy vs. Montoursville, at Milton High School, 6 p.m.
Shamokin vs. Milton, at Shikellamy High School., 5 p.m.

Class AA
Sayre vs. Loyalsock, at Troy High School, 6 p.m.
Troy vs. Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech, at Montoursville High School, 6 p.m.