Monday, September 15, 2008
Skunk let into a house this morning in Northumberland County
MOUNT CARMEL – A Mount Carmel woman thought she was petting a neighbor’s cat, but it turned out to be a skunk. Mount Carmel police were called to the borough this morning after the woman was sprayed by the skunk and the animal ran into her home around 5 a.m. Northumberland County Emergency Services says as of 6:45 a.m. the police remained on the scene trying to remove the skunk. (Ali Stevens)
Perfect weather for the 2008 Central Susquehanna Valley Heart Walk
ELYSBURG – It was warm and sunny for the 2008 Central Susquehanna Valley Heart Walk to benefit the American Heart Association. Hundreds of walkers took part in the event at Knoebel’s Groves Amusement Resort in Elysburg Sunday afternoon.
Walkers came in teams from area hospitals, universities and other organizations. Also, heart survivors wore red caps during the walk, including a one-year-old girl and four-year-old boy. This year’s feature walker was Kathy Ireland of Lewisburg. At the age of 50, Ireland had a heart attack, despite her healthy eating habits, active lifestyle and being a non-smoker. She walked alongside dozens of other survivors of all ages.
After the walk, there were heart healthy snacks and fruit, and plenty of information on keeping your heart healthy. Organizers says they hope to reach the goal of $174,000. Co-chairs of this year’s Heart Walk, Tom and Diane Harlow, said they were thrilled with the turnout, the weather and the amount of people that enjoyed the day. All money raised supports programs and research done through the American Heart Association. (Ali Stevens)
Illegal trash dumping leads to charges
SUNBURY – A Sunbury man has been charged by state police with scattering rubbish on another man’s property. Investigators say the incident occurred early Friday morning along Cold Run Road in Upper Augusta Township. Police have charged Dante Diluzio of Sunbury, for illegally dumping household trash and rubbish on the property of Wayne Hauck. Diluzio must answer to the charges before district justice Carl Rice. (Terry Diener)
Snyder County man dead following accidental shooting
MIDDLEBURG – A 23-year-old Snyder county man is dead in what police describe as an accidental shooting. Investigators have not released the name of the victim, nor that of the 39-year-old woman who shot him. Selinsgrove State police do tell us the shooting occurred at 939 Salem Church Road in Center Township around 9:35 a.m. Saturday.
The man was shot in the back by a large caliber handgun, taken to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville and pronounced dead around 2:15p.m. by the Montour County Coroner. Snyder County’s District Attorney Michael Sholley says no decision has been made on whether charges will be filed in that shooting death on Saturday. (Terry Diener)
Suspect still sought in Union County Home Intrusion
WEST BUFFALO TOWNSHIP – In Union County, a man returning to his home in West Buffalo Township late Friday night with two of his friends, heard someone ransacking the house along Lindsay Lane east of Forest Hill Road.
State police at Milton say Carson Sampsell got a knife from the kitchen and his friend’s grabbed golf clubs. The suspect entered the kitchen and one of Sampsell’s friends struck the man with a golf club, staggering the suspect. Police say Sampsell jumped on the intruder’s back and tried to stab him. At that point the suspect ran out the kitchen door and fled across a field.
The suspect is described as approximately six feet tall, with a husky build and short dark hair. At the time of the incident he work dark pants and a short sleeved red shirt. Also, police say the man had a plastic garbage bag over his body with cut outs for his head and arms. Milton State Police continue their investigation into that Union County home intrusion. (Terry Diener)
Strong-arm robbery attempt has police searching for suspects in Selinsgrove
SELINSGROVE – Police in Selinsgrove are still looking for two men who were part of an attempted strong-arm robbery in the borough Saturday morning. Reports say two unknown males allegedly followed a 20-year-old female student in a parking lot, just off of University Avenue on the campus of Susquehanna University.
The incident happened just before 2 a.m. and police say the suspects ran from behind the victim and tried to take a duffle bag she was carrying. The female victim resisted and the two male suspects fled the scene. The student was not injured in the incident.
Police say they were able to track two sets of footprints to a nearby apartment complex and continue to investigate. The suspects are described as two males, both wearing black hooded sweatshirts and jeans. The one male was wearing dark colored jeans and is approximately 6 feet tall with a thin build.
The other male was wearing light or faded jeans and is a little shorter and is approximately 5’8’’ or 5’9’’ with a muscular build. Selinsgrove State Police and members of campus security assisted borough police at the scene. They ask anyone with information on this incident to contact them. (Sara Lauver)
“Agriculture and the Susquehanna River” is focus of recent Symposium
LEWISBURG – A crowd of nearly 100 people gathered Friday and Saturday to discuss and focus on a variety of issues facing “Agriculture and the Susquehanna River.” It was the third annual Susquehanna River Symposium and one of the speakers was Secretary of Agriculture, Dennis Wolff. He addressed the importance of agriculture for the state of Pennsylvania and says we are one of the largest suppliers to the National market.
Wolff says the state exports over a billion dollars worth of products a year. He says in the U.S., Agriculture will be exporting over 100-billion dollars this year. Wolff adds that the number one thing that is helping with the trade deficit is agriculture and says we have farmers that not only feed us very well, but also feed the world. It is a two-day educational event that was held on the campus of Bucknell University.
Rachel Ray features Reptiland on her website
ALLENWOOD – Rachel Ray is best known for her talk show and programs on the Food Network, however, she has a new feature called “Rach to the Rescue”. The crew from “Rach to the Rescue” was recently in Allenwood at Reptiland. Laura Brennan of Reptiland says they were there to tape a web program about undiscovered treasures across the country.
The video is now posted online and features owner Clyde Peeling. You can find it at www.rachelrayshow.com. (Rachel Ray Show) Reptiland is located on Route 15 in Allenwood and is open daily, year-round. They feature animals such as crocodiles, snakes, frogs, birds and lizards, just to name a few. Fortunately for the animals, they weren’t there to do a cooking show. (Ali Stevens)
Doctor recommends taking initiative to stop suicide
DANVILLE – This is Suicide Prevention Week. Dr. Stephen Paolucci of Geisinger Health Systems is pointing to progress made, in spite of alarming increases in suicide historically. He notes the suicide rate rose in the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s, but is now fairly stable. Dr. Paolucci says though teens attempt suicide most often, more effective help is now available.
Paolucci recommends watching for changes in behavior, including increased drug or alcohol use, and taking the initiative to talk to someone about how they feel. Local suicide hotlines include one sponsored by Northumberland County Mental Health Services at 1-800-222-9016.
Latest Pennsylvania news, sports, business and entertainment:
CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) - People traveling from New Jersey to Philadelphia are now paying more to make the trip. The Delaware River Port Authority has raised tolls on its four bridges and fares on the PATCO commuter train line. As of Sunday, bridge tolls for cars are now $4, up from $3. And rides on PATCO have gone up by 10 percent. Commuters should brace for more regular increases from the agency. It's already approved increases in two years and plans smaller inflation-based toll and fare increases every two years after that.
SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) - A site in Scranton devoted to telling the story of steam railroading in America finds itself beset by troubles 22 years after it became part of the National Park Service. Annual visits to Steamtown National Historic Site have dropped below 100,000 for three straight years, down from more than 200,000 in the 1990s. Restoration of locomotives and other equipment has been stalled amid budget woes. And there are new calls for at least partial privatization of Steamtown's operation. Steam enthusiast Donald Pevsner, a transportation lawyer and consumer advocate, says taxpayers are not receiving their money's worth for the estimated $176 million that has been put into Steamtown since 1986. But Steamtown superintendent Harold "Kip" Hagen Jr. says critics usually don't have all the facts. He says, however, he agrees with some of the improvements that Pevsner proposes, including more aggressive restoration of the locomotives and rolling stock and a beefier excursion schedule.
PITTSBURGH (AP) - A state plan that would reward hospitals that reduce deadly infections contracted in them could be delayed because criteria is still being developed. Because of that, the Legislature has not set aside payment money. The program is designed to reduce the more than 2,500 deaths annually attributed hospital germs. A payment plan intended to take effect Jan. 1 would pay hospitals that cut infections by at least 10 percent. State officials are developing benchmarks that would help set payment amounts. Hospitals have collected infection data using different systems. The plan requires hospitals to use a federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention system.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Some Pennsylvania families who need government help collecting child support are fighting a new 25-dollar-a-year annual fee for the program. The per-child fee may seem small, but state Rep. Kate Harper says it's a big deal for single parents struggling to feed, clothe and shelter their children. The Department of Public Welfare plan affects custodial parents who get at least two thousand dollars a year and have never gotten cash welfare benefits. Harper hopes the outcry will persuade her Legislature to repeal the fee - but that's a tough sell in an election year. The fee is required under the 2005 federal Deficit Reduction Act (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Pennsylvania Lottery numbers
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Here are the winning numbers selected Friday in the Pennsylvania State Lottery:
SUNDAY NIGHT Daily Number 2-1-1
Big 4 3-2-0-7
Quinto 5-1-7-9-4
SUNDAY MIDDAY Daily Number 6-8-5
Big 4 9-6-9-2
Quinto 2-0-0-6-8
Treasure Hunt 5-8-15-17-18
The winning numbers drawn Sunday in the "Pennsylvania Cash 5" game were: 10-14-20-26-40.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Ike-Evacuees
WASHINGTON (AP) - The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency says Southern Baptists are helping care for thousands of people driven from their homes in Houston and Galveston, Texas, by Hurricane Ike. FEMA chief David Paulison says the Red Cross is working with the Baptists and other volunteers to feed and house 40-thousand evacuees in 260 shelters. Other Christian groups rushing aid to the stricken area include the Salvation Army, Samaritan's Purse, Operation Blessing, World Vision and Convoy of Hope.
BARTERING BAKED GOODS
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - The old truck certainly isn't cherry – but the payment was peachy. Cherry and apple, too. When Chris Seubert couldn't unload his 1972 Chevy pickup for cash, he came up with a sweet deal. He traded his truck for one homemade pie a month from Anne Gordon. The deal lasted two years. Gordon recently made her last "pie-ment," a piping hot peach pie with a "24" baked in the middle. Gordon tells a Eugene, Oregon, paper (Register-Guard) her pie deals didn't end with the truck. She says she also traded a pie for a discount tune-up at a local repair shop.
SENIOR PLANE BUILDER
CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) - Arnold Allen gave up flying at age 90. But he hasn't given up airplanes. While he no longer sits in the pilot's seat, the 93-year-old Allen is still building planes. Over the years, he has built or restored 15 airplanes. He currently has three in various stages of construction in a hangar in Clearwater, Florida. The retired schoolteacher tells the St. Petersburg Times he also has plans for one more solo flight. He says he wants to pilot one of his planes coast-to-coast for his 100th birthday.
"SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE"
NEW YORK (AP) - Who else could have played GOP vice presidential pick Sarah Palin? Tina Fey returned to "Saturday Night Live" for an opening sketch on the presidential race. Fey teamed-up with her former "Weekend Update" co-host Amy Poehler, who continues her role as Hillary Clinton. Many people have commented on how Palin looks like Fey. The bit was for the season debut of SNL. In the sketch, "Palin" and "Clinton" plead for an end to sexism in the presidential campaigns. Poehler's Clinton brags about her foreign policy experience. But Fey's Palin boasts, "I can see Russia from my house!" Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps was the host of SNL.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)