Friday,
October
10, 2008
Plant that manufactures motor homes will close its doors
RIVERSIDE, CA –
Fleetwood Motor Homes of Paxinos will close their plant in early
December. That announcement was made at the plant today and
approximately 325 workers will be out of a job. The Paxinos
manufacturing facility will cease operations completely, with a full
line of products moved to the Decatur, Illinois manufacturing
complex. The plant in Paxinos opened in 1973 and was a leading
producer of manufactured RVs. Employees say they were notified
today that the plant is closing and their last day on the job will
be December 8th. (Ali Stevens)
Personnel issues reported in Point
Township Police Department
POINT TOWNSHIP – It appears Curt Brown’s three
years as Point Township Police Chief may be coming to an end.
Sources, that have remained unnamed, tell us Brown may resign at a
meeting Monday. If he doesn’t resign, disciplinary action is likely
and he may be asked to leave. This reportedly comes after a number
of personnel disputes in Point Township.
Brown became Chief in 2005 amid controversy of
former Police Officer Seth Cotner. Cotner filed a lawsuit claiming
the township Supervisors and Chief Brown deliberately tried to keep
him from becoming Police Chief after the resignation of Chief Gary
Steffen. In September of this year a judge dismissed all Cotner’s
charges against the township Supervisors and Chief Brown.
Since then, Brown has reportedly lost the
confidence of most of his officers and township supervisors. A
closed-door meeting is set for Monday. Point Township Patrolman
Joshua VanKirk and Sunbury Police Chief Steven Mazzeo say they have
no comment on the matter. Calls to Curt Brown, as well as Point
Township Supervisors Randy Yoxheimer and Todd Snyder have been
unreturned. (Sara Bartlett)
Shik Music
Department receives large donation
SUNBURY – During the regular meeting of the
Shikellamy School Board last night, the district’s music department
received a surprise gift from middle school parent Dave Woodring.
Woodring presented the district with a check for $15,000, earmarked
for the music departments at C.W. Rice and Sunbury Middle Schools.
Woodring explained that one of his passions has
always been music and that through his charitable donations; he
always tries to do something to help local underprivileged children.
He said, “The intent of this money is to introduce
children to music whose parents are unable to purchase or rent a
musical instrument due to financial difficulties.” Members of the
music department happily accepted the generous donation and stated
that the funds will help numerous music students in years to come.
(Lura Scott)
Consultant
supports use of wood for heating
NORTHUMBERLAND – The use of wood as a heating fuel
can reduce expenses incurred by a business. So says John Karakash of
Lewisburg’s Resource Professional Group. The consultant and advocate
for sustainable energy notes that using wood products for heating
could also reduce the demand for petroleum, as one-third of the oil
use din America is used for heating.
Karakash says a school system in Western
Pennsylvania is among his first clients to install a modern wood
burning system. He says they’ve saved as much as $100,000 annually
in heating costs since 1990. Karakash spoke to the Greater
Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce on Thursday. (Matt Farrand)
9th graders
“Create a Candidate” to learn about campaigns
MIDDLEBURG – 9th graders at Midd-West High School
are getting hands-on this election year. Charles Volchansky is a
Civics teacher at the school and is doing “Create a Candidate” with
his classes. He says they are lucky this year to have a vigorous
primary with two good candidates.
Two classes are running the McCain campaign, while
two are running the Obama campaign. Volchansky says are split into
four sections: advertising, fundraising, posters and pamphlets. With
these, they will learn how and what messages to send to the public
based on demographics and how much money is really spent in
campaigns.
Volchansky says the experiment is not to push the
kids to support one candidate or the other, but rather, by the end
of the election, learn to separate the “fluff” from the “stuff.”
This is the 13th year that Civic classes at Midd-West High School
have done “Create a Candidate.” (Sara Bartlett)
Crash injures
two near Forest Hill
MIFFLINBURG – A pair of motorists from Mifflinburg
sustained minor injuries after a two-vehicle crash near Forest Hill
in Union County. State Police say a vehicle driven by 54-year-old
Donna Swartzlander pulled into the path of a vehicle driven by
35-year-old Jason Royer.
The mishap occurred at the intersection of Forest
Hill and Shiveley Roads shortly after 2:00 p.m. Tuesday. Both
drivers were taken to Evangelical Community Hospital for injuries
received and vehicles had to be towed. (Matt Farrand)
Turbotville man
accused following fight
TURBOTVILLE – A Turbotville man is accused of
injuring another man with a skateboard, and damaging his vehicle
with a mop. State Police say 19-year-old Timothy Engel repeatedly
struck 22-year-old Richard Rolon of Milton on his arm as he
attempted to leave a residence on Paradise Street late last month.
Troopers allege he then took the mop and began to hit the vehicle
with it. Engel will face charges of simple assault, harassment and
criminal mischief. (Matt Farrand)
Furniture
missing after theft from storage unit
VALLEY TWP. – Furniture valued at about $1,200 is
missing after someone broke into a storage unit in Montour County in
September. State Police say the theft from the padlocked unit on Red
Roof Road in Valley Township was not discovered until this week. A
Danville woman owned the furniture. Troopers have no suspects and
request anyone with information to call the Milton State Police
station. (Matt Farrand)
Support sought
for community college
NORTHUMBERLAND – Proponents of a local two-year
college say as technology grows, so does the need for technicians.
Former Shikellamy School District assistant superintendent Dan Perna
says technical classes in high school are okay, but will not be
enough in the future. That’s where a local community college fits
in.
Dr. Perna and President Lenaire Alhum of the
Susquehanna Valley Community Education Project addressed the monthly
meeting of the Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce
Thursday, and are encouraging business owners and private citizens
to write their legislators, and express their support for a
community college in the immediate area. (Matt Farrand)
More charges
filed in Beaver Springs burglary
BEAVER SPRINGS – Another man was arrested in
connection with a Beaver Springs burglary. 18-year-old Robert
Hannick, of Beaver Springs, is charged with burglary, theft and
criminal mischief after breaking into and stealing from a
convenience store last month. He was released on $25,000 bail.
18-year-old Curt Zechman of Beaver Spring was
charged earlier this week in the same incident. Police also say more
charges are now filed against Zechman after he allegedly broke into
a restaurant the same week as the convenience store burglary.
Additional charges of burglary, theft and criminal mischief will be
filed against Zechman. (Sara Bartlett)
Danville woman
sentenced to jail for her role in a local drug ring
WILLIAMSPORT – A Danville woman has been sentenced
to 30 months in prison for her role in a local drug ring.
37-year-old Wendy Barrett was sentenced Tuesday in Middle District
Court in Williamsport on charges of delivery and possession of
cocaine and heroin.
Barrett plead guilty in May of last year to
getting heroin in New Jersey and bringing it to the Danville area.
She was one of 12 people indicted for the drug distribution ring in
Columbia, Montour, Northumberland and Union Counties. She was also
given three years of supervised release. (Ali Stevens)
Milton man
charged with statutory sexual assault
MILTON – A Milton man is charged with statutory
sexual assault for having sex with a teen girl, who gave birth to
his child. State police say 20-year-old Richard Rolon has been
charged with corruption of minors for having a sexual relationship
with a 16-year-old girl. State police were notified after the girl
gave birth at Geisinger Medical Center. (Ali Stevens)
Jury to be
selected in Union County pornography case
LEWISBURG – Jury selection will get underway
October 27th in the pornography case against retired Bucknell
University professor 73-year-old Jack Harclerode. In Union County
Court Wednesday, Harclerode’s attorney, Pete Campana, requested a
motion for a change of venue saying he believes media reports have
been sensationalized and that may lead to a biased jury.
Judge Louise Knight said she would also decided on
the 27th if a change of venue is needed. Harclerode is charged with
having nearly 250 pornographic images on his personal computer.
Meanwhile, Judge Knight postponed trial for involuntary deviate
sexual intercourse charges against Harclerode. He is charged with
allegedly sexually assaulting a young boy in his Bucknell office
between 1992 and 1995.
Harclerode also faces charges in Columbia County
for sexually assaulting a young boy at a campground in 2006. He will
appear in Columbia County Court today and is expected to withdrawal
his guilty plea to first-degree indecent assault.
McClure man
missing after teen soliciting charge filed
MCCLURE – A McClure man, who was charged for
soliciting sex from a 14 and 15-year-old boy in Hershey this week,
is now reported missing. State police say 63-year-old Rodney Snyder
was arrested Tuesday in Dauphin County after police say he was found
with an adult male prostitute and the two young boys.
Snyder was arraigned and posted $250,000 bail, but
has not been in contact with his family since then. Due to recent
events, the family believes Snyder may be in danger and filed a
missing persons report. Anyone who may know of Snyder’s whereabouts
is asked to call State Police at Selinsgrove. (Ali Stevens)
Latest
Pennsylvania news, sports, business and entertainment:
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Serious crime in
Pennsylvania fell by more than 2 percent last year while overall
crime numbers were also down slightly, state police said. The
Uniform Crime Report's so-called "crime index" offenses - including
murder, rape, robbery and other serious crimes – fell from about
345,000 in 2006 to 338,000 last year, police said Thursday. That was
a decrease of 2.2 percent. The number of murders fell from 736 to
727, while robberies were down 7 percent. Juvenile arrests decreased
6 percent, but drug abuse violations were up by nearly 1 percent and
driving-under-the-influence arrests rose 4.4 percent. Nearly 79
percent of those arrested for driving under the influence were male,
police said. The total number of crimes reported to state police
last year was 995,000, a drop-off of just under 1 percent from 2006.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - New laws added to
Pennsylvania's books authorize the repair of 411 bridges and provide
for a new system to review the deaths of children. Among the 10
bills Gov. Ed Rendell signed into law on Thursday are licensing
mandates for acupuncturists and municipal rules for amateur radio
antennas. Other new laws crack down on out-of-state recreational
vehicle dealers and require registration for online auctioneering
trading assistants.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A watchdog group says a
lack of voting machines and poll workers could leave some
Pennsylvania voters facing long lines on Election Day. The
Washington-based Advancement Project says the surge in voter
registration and expected larger-than-usual turnout may overwhelm
the resources of some precincts. The group focused on Montgomery,
Berks and Philadelphia counties and used publicly available data to
analyze the effects of a large turnout on precincts in those
counties. It did not include the additional machines that many
counties are leasing or buying this year. It found that even if only
an additional 5 percent new or infrequent voters turn out, there
would be more voters per machine than state officials recommend at
most precincts in Montgomery and Berks counties.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Democratic presidential
nominee Barack Obama is returning to Pennsylvania, a key
battleground state. Obama will make four campaign stops in
Philadelphia on Saturday while his running mate, Joe Biden, travels
to Biden's hometown of Scranton for a rally Sunday. Biden will be
joined by former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham
Clinton. GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, the Alaska
governor and self-described "hockey mom," will be in Philadelphia on
Saturday evening to drop the ceremonial first puck when the Flyers
open their NHL season against the New York Rangers. Palin will also
attend a private fundraising dinner in Pittsburgh on Friday evening
and a rally in Johnstown on Saturday morning. Republican John McCain
campaigned with Palin in Bethlehem on Wednesday.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All
Rights Reserved.)
HARRISBURG, Pa.
(AP) - Here are the winning numbers selected Thursday night in the
Pennsylvania State Lottery:
Daily Number 9-9-9
Big 4 3-2-2-0
Quinto 0-8-4-7-4
Here are the winning numbers selected Thursday in
the midday Pennsylvania State Lottery drawing:
Daily Number 7-9-7
Big 4 9-3-8-9
Quinto 9-7-6-5-6
Treasure Hunt 9-15-25-29-30
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All
Rights Reserved.)
MONSTER SQUASH
NEW YORK (AP) - It's a squash that -- well -- just
might squash you. Gardener Rolan Udugampola has grown a
5-foot-3-inch tall yellow squash in his New York City backyard. He
says the monster veggie is taller than his wife and tastes good,
too. And it's not just his green thumb that makes for giant yellow
squash. The Staten Island gardener credits free compost from the
city's Sanitation Department. He says the fertilizer is amazing.
IN THE NEWS: FTC
WARNS "PHISHING" SCAMS ON RISE
NEW YORK (AP) - Something else to worry about in
these tough economic times, as if we needed something else to fret
over. The government is warning that e-mail efforts to separate you
from your hard-earned money may be on the rise during the current
money crisis. The Federal Trade Commission says it's likely that
would-be thieves will step-up "phishing" attempts. For those not
familiar with the term, that's when a scammer sends e-mails
disguised as being from an official financial institution, like a
bank or mortgage company. They try to get you to part with personal
information like account numbers or passwords, then use that data to
swipe your identity or access your funds. To avoid phishing scams,
be careful about responding to e-mails that seem to come from
financial institutions, especially if they try to get you to give
them information they should already have, such as passwords. At the
same time, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation says it is
getting reports about a bogus e-mail that claims to be from the
FDIC. It tries to lure victims in with the subject line: "Funds
wired into your account are stolen."
Scientists: Va.
shark's pup a 'virgin birth'
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Scientists are confirming the
second case of a "virgin birth" in a shark. The Journal of Fish
Biology reports that scientists say DNA testing proves that a pup
carried by a female Atlantic blacktip shark in the Virginia Aquarium
& Marine Science Center contained no genetic material from a male.
The first documented case of asexual reproduction, or
parthenogenesis, among sharks involved a pup born to a hammerhead at
an Omaha, Neb., zoo. Shark scientist Demian Chapman says "it is
quite possible that this is something female sharks of many species
can do on occasion." Scientists say absent the chromosomes present
in the male sperm, the offspring of an asexual conception may be at
a disadvantage for surviving in the wild. Virgin birth has been
proven in some bony fish, amphibians, reptiles and birds, and has
been suspected among sharks in the wild.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated
Press. All Rights Reserved.)