Thursday, October 2, 2008

Senator says LYCO-1 plans to build a distribution center in  Pt. Twp.

POINT TOWNSHIP – Some Point Township residents are concerned about a possible $40-million allocation from the state for LYCO-1, a company that operates ethanol plants. Senator John Gordner was a guest on our “On the Mark” program on WKOK Thursday morning and disputed that rumor.  He says LYCO-1 is pursuing $40-million dollars, but no money has been awarded to them at this point.   Even if the funding is acquired, Gordner says the plan for LYCO-1 is not a production facility for ethanol.  He says those with LYCO-1 have assured him that the plan is for a distribution center only and not for the production of ethanol.

Gordner says the site in Point Township on Route 11 was chosen because there is rail transport in the area.  Gordner also says ethanol is an alternative energy source that Pennsylvania needs to take a look at.  (Ali Stevens)

FUTURES program brings environmental problems

LEWISBURG – Supporters of Northumberland County’s FUTURES program say locally mined  coal burns clean.  Others believe it comes with an environmental price tag.  Coordinator Samantha Pearson of the Local Action Network doubts the wisdom of using so-called clean coal.  Pearson says the waste and environmental damage to the area could only be cleaned up if the coal industry is revived in a major way.  Pearson suggests using local coal for filtration systems and in other ways it would not need to be burned and could be recycled. 

The FUTURES program announced this week depends on mining and sales of more anthracite, and sending largely to markets that include overseas steel producers.  Royalties collected would be used for development of solar, wind and biomass energy sources here at home.  (Matt Farrand) 

Great Stream Commons vandals waive right to preliminary hearing

LEWISBURG – Two men, accused of vandalism at the Great Stream Commons site in Union County, waived their right to a preliminary hearing Thursday.  19-year-old Randy Beamer of Allenwood and 21-year-old Jonathan Weigel of Williamsport are accused of stealing vehicles and driving them on the construction site before crashing them in August.  Both men face felony charges of vandalism and criminal conspiracy, among other charges.  Weigel remains in Lycoming County Prison on $75,000 bail.  Beamer is free on $50,000 bail.  Great Stream Commons is the site of the proposed Target Distribution warehouse. (Sara Bartlett)

A rural Danville man is behind bars, charged with sexually assaulting a young girl

DANVILLE – A Danville area man is locked up in the Montour County prison, charged with sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 16.  62-year-old Luther Pfleegor reportedly invited the girl to his home in late July and sexually assaulted her.  He’s charged with rape, statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault and another count.  Pfleegor was arraigned and bail was set at $10,000 cash.  (Ali Stevens)

SU professor and students continue to test wells around Monroe Marketplace

SELINSGROVE – For the past six months, an Assistant Professor and his students at Susquehanna University have been doing tests around the Monroe Marketplace to see if construction on the 750,000 square foot shopping center affects local wells.  Professor Ahmed Lachhab says from March to September, they did find a depletion in the water in the four wells, but the results could be because of the summer season.  He says the low levels of rain this summer can naturally lead to less water in the wells.  He says one well dropped 18 feet, while three others dropped around 8 or 9.

In January, developer of Monroe Marketplace, PREIT, said they would use around 38,000 gallons of water a day for construction.  This led to some concerns among residents who lived nearby the shopping center.  Lachhab says his students will continue to test the wells once every other week, and they should have complete results by March 2009. (Sara Bartlett)   

Watsontown fire reportedly started in a mattress
 

Pennsylvania’s U.S. senators support bailout bill

WASHINGTON (AP) - Pennsylvania's two senators joined a majority of their colleagues in voting to pass a $700 billion plan aimed at rescuing the ailing financial industry. Sens. Arlen Specter, a Republican, and Bob Casey, a Democrat, say they feared dire economic consequences if the bill wasn't passed.

Specter says he recognizes that the legislation is politically unpopular, but not voting for it risks what he calls "a very, very substantial economic downturn, which would affect many if not most Americans." Casey says he wants businesses to be able to get the credit they need to keep the economy rolling. He also says he's concerned about the thousands of Pennsylvanians who are unemployed.

The legislation is designed to allow the government to buy bad mortgages and other devalued assets held by troubled banks and financial institutions. It's next headed to the House, which rejected similar legislation Monday. The Senate legislation has some changes, such as $100 billion in tax breaks for businesses and the middle class.

Financial industry bailout proves catalyst for voter anger

SHAMOKIN – Whether the House of Representatives approves a bill to bailout the financial industry depends on the details of the senate plan. 10th District Congressman Chris Carney (D-10th, Dimock) says anger about all aspects of the bailout is real among voters.

Carney voted against the bailout rejected by the House earlier this week. He says debate on a new bill will likely start Thursday among the various caucuses and on the floor of the House. He says they’ll probably continue to work through the weekend and could vote some time before financial markets open on Monday. (Matt Farrand)

Coal royalties to pay for alternative, renewable energy sources

SHAMOKIN – It’s an attempt to revive the coal industry in Northumberland County and support alternative energy programs at the same time. Officials unveiled the Northumberland County FUTURES Program Wednesday in Shamokin. Venture financier Richard Caruso says it’s a timely plan that could help communities that were economically hurt by the decline of the coal after World War II.

The FUTURES program takes coal royalties collected for mining Northumberland County anthracite and finances energy programs including wind farms, solar energy and ethanol production. Markets for Northumberland County anthracite include the steel industries in India and China. The FUTURES program stands for Fossil Underwriting Technology to Utilize Renewable Energy Sources. (Matt Farrand)

Local Republican Committee member has high hopes for Palin

SUNBURY – As the first Vice Presidential debate gets underway tonight, Republican State Committee member in Northumberland County, Donald Ely, thinks John McCain’s running mate Governor Sarah Palin will stand her ground.

He says she should do well, even though what he calls the ‘liberal national media’ has been giving her a hard time. Ely says Palin can’t possibly know everything about foreign policy at this point in her career. The Vice Presidential debate will take place tonight at Washington University in St. Louis at 8:00p.m. (Sara Bartlett)

Fire destroys a barn near Beavertown

BEAVERTOWN – A barn was destroyed by fire yesterday near Beavertown. The blaze started around 1:30 at a 200-year-old barn on Quarry Road. The barn was destroyed and crews from Beaver Springs, Middleburg, Penns Creek, Kreamer, Bannerville and McClure battled the fire for about two hours. Mike and Lisa Schrader own the barn. Fire officials say the fire was electrical in nature. (Ali Stevens)

Serious crash in March leads to arrest of a Columbia County man

BLOOMSBURG – State Police have arrested a Columbia County man who caused a serious accident while he was fleeing from police. 19-year-old David Nolte of Bloomsburg was arrested Wednesday. He allegedly caused a serious three-vehicle crash on March 29th while fleeing police who were responding to a 9-1-1 call about a hit-and-run accident involving Nolte's minivan.

Four other motorists were injured in the accidents allegedly triggered by Nolte, including one victim who suffered permanent kidney damage, brain damage and was left in a coma for six weeks. Nolte is facing numerous charges from the incident. He is being held in the Columbia County Prison in lieu of $250,000 cash bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 9th. (Terry Diener)

Sunbury Ice Rink will soon open for the fall and winter season

SUNBURY – Friday is the official opening of the Sunbury Ice Rink. Mark Getz is manager of the ice rink and says they have had a busy few days getting the ice ready for skating. On Friday morning, WNEP TV will be doing a live program from the rink and then skating will be open from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Betz says the ice rink is also home for Bucknell, Susquehanna and Bloomsburg University ice hockey teams.

You can purchase a 2008/2009-season pass for the ice rink in the city treasurer’s office or at the skating rink. Individual admission is $3.00 for students and $5.50 for adults. Skate rentals are available for $2.00. Skating sessions are available every day of the week and various times. (Ali Stevens)

Breast Cancer Awareness and Pink Pinwheels in Lewisburg

LEWISBURG – October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and Evangelical Community Hospital teamed up with The Mercantile to hold the first ever “Pink Pinwheels in the Park” event in Lewisburg. The event included guest speaker, Heidi Floyd, an Ambassador with the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer.

Heidi is a cancer survivor and says she was diagnosed when she was pregnant with her fourth child. She says that her choices for treatment while pregnant were very slim, but through the Vera Bradley Foundation she was able to find help. Floyd received chemotherapy throughout her pregnancy and gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

She credits the survival of her and her son on advances in technology through research that is funded by such events. Nearly 100 attended the Pinwheels in the Park luncheon and money will benefit the Vera Bradley Foundation and Evangelical’s Thyra M. Humphrey Center for Breast Health. Also, 10 percent of proceeds from Vera Bradley’s Pink Pinwheel merchandise will go to breast cancer research. (Sara Lauver)

No word when homicide charges will be filed for Lewisburg man

LEWISBURG – Mums the word from police and the Union County D-A on what homicide charges will be filed against the Lewisburg man accused of shooting and killing a woman in the borough are expected to be filed. 46-year-old Roderick Sims, of Lewisburg, already faces charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault and burglary.

Police say he broke into 55 South Water Street Saturday night and shot his estranged fiancé 27-year-old Charity Spickler. Sims has a preliminary hearing for his initial charges November 13th in Union County. Spickler, a mother of four, died at Geisinger Medical Center Monday. Her funeral service, originally to be held in Middleburg, has been postponed and arrangements will be announced at a later date. (Sara Bartlett)

One teen dead; five injured after Columbia County crash

BERWICK – A 16-year-old boy was killed and five other 16-year-olds injured after a crash Tuesday evening in Columbia County. Steven Geraci, of West Hazelton, was a passenger in a vehicle driving along Scotch Valley Road in Beaver Township. The vehicle traveled off the roadway and hit a cinder block garage. Geraci was pronounced dead on the scene.

A passenger in the vehicle, Paul Penkala of Hazelton, was taking to Geisinger Medical Center and is listed in critical condition, and another passenger, Steven Scatton, of West Hazelton, was taken to Wilkes-Barre General Hospital with what were described as major injuries. The driver and two other passengers were treated and released from the hospital. (WKOK)

Nuclear power plant near Berwick looks to expand

BERWICK – PPL says they’ve taken another step in the ongoing evaluation of developing a new nuclear power plant near Berwick. PPL has submitted an application to the U.S. Department of Energy for a federal loan guarantee for the project.

Joe Scopelliti of PPL says the design has to be certified, which is expected in 2012 and a license will be submitted in this fourth quarter. He says it takes about three years just to get approval for a project, so that’s why they are starting now.

And why is a new nuclear plant needed? Scopelliti says they have projected that the region will be using more power in the future. That means they need to get started now since the project takes so long to complete. If all is finished, it will be 2016 before construction is underway or completed.

Scopelliti says the new plant will provide an enormous amount of power, providing enough power to cover more than one million homes. And he says the project will be an economic benefit to the area, offering thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of new permanent jobs.

The new plant would be located near the company’s existing two-unit Susquehanna nuclear power plant. That facility has a 25-year history of safe operations. PPL has not made a final decision to move forward with construction of the Bell Bend plant. They will reassess the power market in several years, once all steps are completed. (Ali Stevens)

Jack and Jill Tourney raises over $37,600

SELINSGROVE – The Jack and Jill golf tournament Monday raised $37,600. Mel Purdy, Co-founder of the event, says the first annual tourney was a success, with 100 golfers in all. The money was raised for Arnie’s Army Cancer Foundation and the Breast Cancer Coalition. Purdy says most people don’t realize that one in eight women and one in six men are at risk for developing breast or prostate cancer.

She says until there is a cure, they will continue to hold this golf tournament in order to raise awareness. She is also reminding women during October, which is breast cancer awareness month, to get a mammogram and do self-breast checks, while men should get blood tests and a prostate exam. (Sara Bartlett)

Registered sex offender jailed for not giving his address to police

DANVILLE – A Danville man, who is a registered sex offender, is behind bars after failing to give police his address. 44-year-old Samuel Swartzlander of Ash Street in Danville had told authorities earlier this month that he was living on Ferry Street, but was actually living with a woman on Ash Street. The Press-Enterprise reports Swartzlander moved to Ash Street in July to live with a woman and told police he hadn’t updated his address.

He said he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to be around the woman’s children. Swartzlander was found guilty of aggravated indecent assault in Northumberland County in the year 2000. Sunbury police charged Swartzlander with assaulting a child under the age of 16. The owner of the home on Ferry Street alerted police that Swartzlander was no longer there. (Ali Stevens)

Was Abraham Lincoln truly depressed?

LEWISBURG – Presidential historians continue to debate whether Abraham Lincoln was truly depressed. Author Doris Kearns Goodwin says America’s 16th President may have suffered pangs of depression when younger, but it largely passed by the time he made it to the White House.

Goodwin believes Lincoln acted as his own psychologist as president, and was not only able to shake his own gloom, but lift the spirits of those around him. He also managed to turn political foes within the new Republican Party into allies. The award-winning author spoke before over 1,000 people Tuesday at Bucknell University, part of an on-going series titled “Citizen and Politics in America. (Matt Farrand)

Latest Pennsylvania news, sports, business and entertainment:

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Gov. Ed Rendell's top budget adviser is expected to appear before a state Senate committee as the state's revenue picture darkens.  The Senate Appropriations Committee is holding a public hearing Monday and asked Rendell's budget secretary, Mary Soderberg, to discuss the state's revenue performance and outlook.  This week, the state Revenue Department reported that the state's revenue collection in the July-September quarter was 4.7 percent below estimates.  The $5.8 billion collected over those first three months of the fiscal year are 2 percent behind last year's collections.  Last month, Rendell ordered an immediate hiring freeze, a ban on out-of-state travel and other spending cuts to save $200 million in light of the weakening national economy.

SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) - There's something about Scranton that must be special for this bear: He keeps returning.  Pennsylvania Wildlife Conservation Officer Mark Rutkowski says the bear he caught near a Scranton elementary school is the same one he caught on Labor Day in Scranton - and the same one he tagged in April in nearby Moosic.  Charles Sumner Elementary School Principal Dan Williams saw an educational opportunity in Wednesday's event and allowed children to watch from a distance as the bear was in the branches of a tree.  Children were turned away during the final minutes when Rutkowski tranquilized the bear and it fell to the ground.  Rutkowski says bears show up in cities in search of food and climb trees as a defense mechanism.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Harrisburg's City Council will have months to consider an offer of $215 million from a private investor group to operate parking garages, lots and street meters.  The investors said Wednesday it would give the council until at least April to consider its offer, which is supported by Mayor Stephen Reed.  One council member, Dan Miller, is pressing for a vote to reject the plan. He cites a letter from the Dauphin County Tax Assessment Office saying the cash-strapped city would have to pay property taxes on the parking garages if a private company operates them.  Reed says he believes the county is wrong, and council president Linda Thompson says she will not schedule a vote right away because the proposal needs more study.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania's attorney general has filed bribery charges against a former purchasing agent at the state's student loan agency and a print shop owner.  Attorney General Tom Corbett says the two men were charged in an ongoing investigation into alleged bribery and bid manipulation for printing work and supplies at the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency.  Daniel Snyder of DRS Printing Services is accused of giving more than $30,000 in payments and other gifts to the loan agency's purchasing agent Kyle Andrew Becker. Corbett says Becker gave Snyder inside information about other competitors' bids in return for the alleged bribes.  The loan agency's officials say Becker resigned in May 2007 as it conducted an internal investigation. 

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Here are the winning numbers selected Thursday in the midday Pennsylvania State Lottery drawing:

            Daily Number

     8-7-9

            Big 4

     3-2-7-9

            Quinto

     0-9-5-3-0

            Treasure Hunt

     8-9-10-12-25

     (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

B'way theaters set to dim lights for Paul Newman

NEW YORK (AP) - Broadway theaters will dim their lights Friday at curtain time for Paul Newman, who died last week at age 83.  Newman appeared in five Broadway productions, starting in 1953 in William Inge's "Picnic." He then appeared in Joseph Hayes' thriller "The Desperate Hours," in 1955, followed by Tennessee Williams' "Sweet Bird of Youth" in 1959.  Newman co-starred with his wife Joanne Woodward in James Costigan's comedy "Baby Want a Kiss" in 1964. His last Broadway appearance was as the stage manager in a 2002 revival of Thornton Wilder's "Our Town," for which he received a Tony nomination.  The Broadway League, the trade association for Broadway theaters and producers, says lights will be dimmed for one minute at 8 p.m. EDT.

Rosie O’Donnell to host variety show

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Rosie O'Donnell will try to revive the TV variety show next month. Variety reports that O'Donnell will host "Rosie's Variety Show" live from New York the night before Thanksgiving. It'll feature celebrity guests, musical acts, comedy skits and a contest that both the people at home and those in the studio audience will get to take part in. Variety reports that if the show gets good ratings, O'Donnell could get a variety series in the new year.