Friday, September 3, 2010

Distraught person fired a gun in Sunbury

SUNBURY -- Sunbury Police say a distraught person fired a gun last night at the Chestnut Towers building. Police from surrounding municipalities also responded to the call at about 7:30 p.m. Sunbury Police say they secured the scene and began negotiations with the person, who was able to fire one round from a gun before what were described as mitigation tactics were completed.

A Sunbury Police officer sustained a minor injury while apprehending the suspect. The person was taken to Sunbury Community Hospital for evaluation. The nature of the injury sustained by the officer was not immediately disclosed.

The investigation will continue. Another resident was taken to Sunbury Community Hospital from the scene for non-related medical reasons. Northumberland County Communications says police were clear from the scene at about 8:30 p.m. (Matt Farrand)

Shik I: Shik schools open under new super

SUNBURY -- Students in the Shikellamy School District returned to class this week for 2010-2011. It's the first academic year on the job for Superintendent Robin Musto, who toured all the schools in the district on the first day.

Musto concedes that the opening day is as exciting for administrators and teachers it is for students, and admits to not being able to sleep the night before. However, the new superintendent also says challenges are ahead for teachers, administrators, and students.

Musto is focusing on way to keep students in grades 6 through 12 aware of the value of what goes on in the classroom, and ultimately keep them in school. Musto began as superintendent in July, after previously serving as assistant superintendent for the East Lycoming School District in Hughesville. (Matt Farrand)

Shik II: October 15th deadline looms for HVAC contractor

SUNBURY -- There's a chance that a component of new heating and cooling equipment being installed at the Beck Elementary School will not be delivered in time for the heating season. Reynolds Consulting Engineers told the board of the Shikellamy School District Thursday that a contractor might not be able to deliver a "chiller" unit in time to meet an October 15th deadline.

Supplemental heating equipment would have to be used if the unit is not ready by the delivery date, and likely be placed outside of the Beck Elementary School building. The project cost to the district would also be reduced if the contracted work by Silvertip Incorporated has not progressed sufficiently. (Matt Farrand)

Shik III: Shik "AP" students may be tested

SUNBURY -- Shikellamy High School students enrolled in Advanced Placement classes may soon be required to take exams to prove they can do college level work. The school board is discussing the value of mandatory standardized achievement tests for "AP" students, and how it could help students be more attractive to colleges or universities.

District officials are also looking for funds to defray the costs of the rigorous tests that would ordinarily be paid for by parents. It's estimated that $9,000 would cover tests for all advanced placement students.

Lower income "AP" students already qualify for state aid. Director of Education Dr. Pamela Emery says proof of achievement in the college level classes could also earn college credit, and reduce higher education costs for parents and students. (Matt Farrand)

Expansion in the works for Selinsgrove Borough

SELINSGROVE -- The borough building in Selinsgrove will be expanded. A feasibility study was completed recently and it was determined that renovation and expansion would cost $3.2 million for the 40-year-old building at the corner of Pine and High Streets. The building also houses the Selinsgrove Community Library, which will also be expanded to add more space. This week, the borough and the library came to an agreement to share the design costs associated with expansion.

Borough Manager John Bickhart says the concept is to expand the front of the building to connect with the Selinsgrove Commons, which is the lot used for downtown events and festivals at the corner of Market and Pine Streets. Once the project is complete, the building and Commons will be linked together on the same property, which is currently divided by an alley and parking lot.

E.I. Associates of Harrisburg will design the project at a cost of about $143,000. The borough is exploring several financing options including borrowing reserve funds already in place, bond issues and bank loans. No decision has been made. The library plans to raise the money through fundraisers and corporate donations.

The current schedule for the project is the design phase, getting underway now and taking about 6 months. The bidding phase is expected to get started after that and construction is scheduled to get underway in the Spring of 2011. Construction will take about a year to complete. (Ali Stevens)

Motorists encouraged to stop, enjoy Mifflinburg

MIFFLINBURG – The new Main Street Manager in Mifflinburg says her goal is to get more people to stop, enjoy the borough, and spend money there. Cherie Ross comes to the job from Oakland, Maryland where she developed senior housing, wrote grants, and worked with realtors to attract business.

Ross says Mifflinburg is similar to rural Maryland, as are her goals. She wants to convert those who would ordinarily pass through the borough without stopping into regular visitors. In addition to working with the Mifflinburg business community, Ross will also be working with newly hired Elm Street Manager Murry Zlotziver.

They’ll jointly talk with business owners about where the direction the borough needs to take. Cherie Ross was recently hired to succeed the retiring Becky Hagenbaugh, and says the architecture and culture of Mifflinburg are among the features of the borough that impressed her initially. (Matt Farrand)

Sunbury Mayor questions councilman's city residency

SUNBURY -- Sunbury Mayor David Persing says he is just trying to follow state law, after sending a memo to Councilman Joe Bartello regarding residency requirements. By law, a councilmember is required to live in the city. Persing says he knew Bartello had moved out of the city limits, but assumed he would move back in a few days.

The law officially reads that a councilman 'shall have been residents of the city wherein they shall be elected throughout one year next before their election, and shall reside therein throughout their terms of service.' Bartello moved to the Oaklyn area, just outside of Sunbury, three months ago.

Persing's memo to Bartello states that he has until Monday to show proof of residency in the city of Sunbury. It goes on to say that if he does not have proof, the Mayor will assume he is no longer interested in being a City Councilman and declare the position open for a replacement. (Sara Bartlett)

Accused yoga master killer back in Union County

LEWISBURG -- The man accused of killing yoga teacher Swami Sudharman is back in Union County. 33-year-old Joel Snider of St. Louis, Missouri was extradited from Maryland and appeared at the Union County Courthouse Thursday. Snider is facing homicide charges following the July 5th shooting of 70-year-old Sudharman at his Integral Yoga Center in New Berlin.

Following the incident, details of Snider's methodical plan started to be revealed, including e-mails to another yoga teacher detailing the killing Snider was about to undertake. Snider is being held in Union County Prison, and will appear in court next week. Union County District Attorney Pete Johnson has recused himself from the case, due to his friendship with Sudharman. A state prosecutor may take over the case. (Sara Bartlett)

SU's film series will focus on sustainable living

SELINSGROVE -- 'A Sustainable Future' is the theme for the 2010-2011 academic year at Susquehanna University. Kathy Straub, Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, came up with the theme, and says the university has already started many activities to reflect it.

The dining halls use recyclable napkins and cleaning products with no chemicals. Also, the director of dining services is using more and more locally grown foods. In addition to the university's car share program, they will begin a bike share program on campus.

In connection with the theme, the university is also having a film series free and open to the public. The films begins Thursday with the showing of Food Inc. Straub says there are 13 films to follow through December. Films include ones about the coffee industry, over fishing, carbon footprints and where food comes from.

There will be discussions following each film, and on some occasions, the filmmakers will take part. All of the films will be shown at 7:30p.m. on campus. For a complete list and more information on Susquehanna University's 'Sustainable Future' theme, go to www.susqu.edu. (Sara Bartlett)

McAlisterville man jailed after sexually assaulting toddler

LIVERPOOL -- Charges have been filed against a McAlisterville man, accused of sexually assaulting a 2-year-old girl in Liverpool. 24-year-old William Gibson was arraigned on Tuesday on charges of aggravated indecent assault, endangering the welfare of a child and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child.

State Police say Gibson assaulted the 2-year-old on May 11th at a home on North Front Street in Liverpool. Gibson was sent to the Juniata County Prison on $20,000 bail, where he was already being held on unrelated criminal charges. (Ali Stevens)

Latest Pennsylvania news, business and entertainment

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak says he's revoked a request he made for a taxpayer-paid grant that raised questions about whether it complies with House rules. Sestak says he pulled the request this week for money to help develop a wind energy turbine prototype. He did so after the Morning Call of Allentown first reported that the man who heads the nonprofit applicant also heads the for-profit company that would manufacture the turbine. A new House rule prohibits the grants, called earmarks, from benefiting for-profit companies. Sestak is the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania. Drew Devitt's grant application to Sestak's office didn't explain his link to the for-profit New Way Energy. However, the connection is evident in a separate letter on April 12 to the Department of Energy in which Sestak discusses the turbines.

GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) - A judge says foster parents who have raised a toddler since before her mother was murdered last year can adopt the girl, instead of grandparents who didn't know the child existed before the murder. Dennis and Carolyn Konopka, of North Huntingdon, Westmoreland County, at first challenged the adoption by a couple who've had custody of their granddaughter since she was three months old. Their mentally challenged 21-year-old daughter Megan was murdered in September 2009 in McKean County, where child welfare workers had placed the baby with her now-adoptive parents nine months before. A McKean County family court judge has allowed the Konopkas to visit the child. Carolyn Konopka says they won't appeal the adoption because they can't afford it and are content that the adoptive parents are loving. The couple's attorney says the issue was settled amicably.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - A key industry group is renewing its criticism of strict water quality standards developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to curb mountaintop removal coal mining. The National Mining Association says the EPA used bad science to develop the standards it introduced April 1. Among other things, the organization says the study underpinning the standards violated EPA guidelines by relying on field data rather than laboratory findings. The EPA policy is aimed at sharply reduce the practice of filling valleys with waste from mountaintop removal and other types of surface mines in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia and Tennessee. The practice is considered highly efficient by mine operators, but terribly destructive by environmentalists.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The mean streets of the City of Brotherly Love are once again coming to a television near you. "Wreck Chasers" is a reality show about the city's notoriously aggressive tow truck drivers. It's shooting in Philadelphia and is slated to premiere in late October on the TLC network. Production crews are following several drivers with one as-yet-unidentified Philadelphia towing company as they race to beat the competition to wrecks. Jim Kowats, the show's executive producer, says filming started in May. The show is the second series currently focusing on the trials and tribulations of Philadelphia motorists. "Parking Wars," in its third season on the A&E cable network, features Philadelphia Parking Authority employees at work.

GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) - The National Park Service says first lady Michelle Obama and her daughters traveled up from Washington, D.C. to visit the Gettysburg Battlefield. Gettysburg National Military Park Superintendent Bob Kirby told the Gettysburg Times the first lady visited the park on Wednesday with daughters Malia and Sasha. Kirby said Obama requested privacy for a personal trip to see the site of the Civil War's bloodiest battle.

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

U.S. stocks rise...most Asian markets climb...jobs report out today

NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks have rallied in recent days on signs that the economy is still growing. In the latest session, the Dow was up 51 points to 10,320. The S&P was up about 10, while the Nasdaq composite gained 23 points.

BEIJING (AP) - Most Asian stock markets climbed today. Japan's Nikkei rose 0.6 percent and South Korea's Kospi edged up 0.2 percent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index added 0.2 percent. China's benchmark Shanghai Composite Index closed flat. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.2 percent. Markets in New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan also advanced. India's Sensex was flat.

BANGKOK (AP) - Oil prices fell below $75 a barrel Friday in Asia as investors awaited a report on U.S. employment that will influence guesses about the strength of future energy demand from the No. 1 economy. Benchmark oil for October delivery was down 19 cents at $74.84 a barrel at late afternoon Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $1.11 to settle at $75.02 on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The August unemployment report due out today isn't expected to inspire much confidence in the economy. The jobless rate is expected to increase to 9.6 percent from 9.5 percent, the first rise since April.

LONDON (AP) - BP says so far it's spent $8 billion responding to the disastrous oil well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico. The company says the total includes $399 million paid to settle 127,000 claims from businesses and others affected by the oil spill. BP says more than 28,000 people and 4,000 vessels are still engaged in responding to the spill.

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

Judge punishes Michigan juror for Facebook post

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (AP) - A Detroit-area woman who was removed from a jury for declaring the defendant guilty on Facebook before the trial was over has been ordered to pay $250 and write an essay about the constitutional right to a fair trial. Hadley Jons of Warren, Mich. told a judge on Thursday that she is "very sorry." The 20-year-old woman was a juror in a case of resisting arrest. On Aug. 11, she wrote on Facebook that it was "gonna be fun to tell the defendant they're GUILTY." The trial wasn't over. The defense team discovered the post and Judge Diane Druzinski removed Jons from the jury the next day. Druzinski told Jons that she violated her oath to be fair and impartial. The five-page essay is due Oct. 1.

Jerry Lewis may 'smack' and 'spank' Lohan and Hilton

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton should stay far away from Jerry Lewis. He tells "Inside Edition" that if he sees Lohan he'll "smack her in the mouth" and will tell her "you deserve this and nothing else." And if she doesn't straighten up, he says, he'll put her over his knee and spank her. He doesn't have any sympathy for Hilton either. He says Hilton and Lohan are "begging for help." He says celebrities who "give nothing in return" need a "spanking and a reprimand."

White House: Obama's Christianity is 'mainstream'

WASHINGTON (AP) - White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says President Barack Obama is a "committed, mainstream Christian" - contrary to the claims of Fox News Channel host Glenn Beck. Beck recently claimed that Obama practices a version of Christianity that is not recognized by most people. Beck says this "liberation theology" is all about "oppressors" and "victims." Gibbs was asked about Beck's assertions Thursday at the White House press briefing. Gibbs said, "I can only imagine where Mr. Beck conjured that from."

Your kitchen would fail a health inspection

CYBERSPACE (AP) - Sure, you shake your head when you hear about some local eatery failing a health inspection. But could YOUR kitchen cut the mustard when it comes to the same kind of test? A new study indicates that one in seven home kitchens would flunk the kind of health inspection restaurants usually get. Wanna find out if your home is cleaner than the your typical "greasy spoon?" Take the test, which is posted on the website of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

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