Friday, February 5, 2010

Winter I: Snow gets slow start…but its comin’

STATE COLLEGE – AccuWeather says the snow storm in our region is getting a slow start—but it will arrive. Revised forecasts still call for a 4 to 8 inch accumulation by midday tomorrow. You get the latest AccuWeather at www.wkok.com. Newsradio 1070 WKOK will keep you informed with updated forecasts and announcements of cancellations, delays and postponements.

Winter II: Stocking up on the essentials before the snow

LEWISBURG – Grocery stores are a bit more crowded than a normal Friday afternoon as people prepare for what could be more than four inches of snow this weekend. At a Lewisburg store, Robert Ott is picking up a few of the essentials for him and his wife. He said they did need some medicine before the weekend.

Local nurse Alice Murray of Milton says she is stocking up, but not for herself. She has to work this weekend, but is raising a 4-year-old, so she is making sure she has everything she needs. In most people’s carts were the typical ‘snowed-in’ supplies….bread, milk, eggs, drinks few snacks and toilet paper. Residents are encouraged to get their essentials before the storm, as travel is not recommended because of slippery roads.

Winter III: Salt, shovels and…birdseed selling before the storm

LEWISBURG – What is flying off the shelves before today’s snow fall may not be what you think. Josh Franco is the Lawn and Garden Department Manager at Cole’s Hardware in Lewisburg, and says birdseed is a big seller because people love to watch the birds in the snow.

But, Franco said the normal winter tools, like shovels and salt, are also selling. Franco says other supplies selling are heaters and snow blowers. He says no matter the amount of snow, they will remain open to assist people with what they needs during the impending storm.

Expanding cardiac services at Evangelical Community Hospital by partnering with GMC

LEWISBURG – In response to growing cardiac needs in the Central Susquehanna Valley, Evangelical Community Hospital is expanding their cardiovascular services through a partnership with Geisinger Medical Center.

Richard Miller, vice president of strategic planning and business development at the hospital, says the expanded program will introduce services at Evangelical that include cardiac catheterization to diagnose heart disease, as well as angioplasty and the use of stents to open blocked arteries.

Miller says patients who currently travel to other facilities, including Geisinger, will soon be able to access these services at Evan. He says it’s a convenience to not only patients, but also their families that have to travel to visit them.

Geisinger physicians will perform the services along with technicians at Evangelical. Miller says this is part of the hospital’s strategic plan, where they are looking ahead five years and realize cardiac services are needed in the region and are a growing problem. They are pleased to be partnering with Geisinger and their expertise in the field. (Ali Stevens)

Working to make the Shikellamy Overlook a more family friendly state park

SUNBURY – The Shikellamy State Park Overlook has gotten bad publicity over the years due to reports of inappropriate behavior taking place in the park, including homosexual activity. The Friends of the Shikellamy State Park are hoping to change that image and are planning a number of events in the spring to bring more families to the park.

Frank Nanna, park manager, says one event includes restoring trails in the park with a state organization and local volunteers. On March 27^th, the Keystone Trail Association will be coming to the Overlook to work on trails in the park. The friends group will be providing meals to those wishing to volunteer and they hope to have a bonfire at the end of the evening, weather permitting.

Nanna says they have one ranger to patrol the park in Milton, the Shikellamy Marina and the Shikellamy Overlook, so they do what they can to keep the wrong people out of the park. However, the more families and volunteers they can find will absolutely improve the parks and make them a treasured resource that people look forward to visiting. More info at www.friendsofshikellamystatepark.org. (Ali Stevens)

GMC’s Steele: The rumors are not true

DANVILLE – Due to recent Internet reports that Geisinger President and CEO Dr. Glenn Steele was leaving, Steele decided to put the rumors to rest. Some reports on the Internet indicated that Steele was leaving Geisinger to head up Medicare. Steele issued a five-word email to the Scranton Times-Tribune, stating, “The rumors are not true”. That was all he said on the matter. (Ali Stevens)

An update from the GSVCC on Roundtable this weekend

SUNBURY – The Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce is back on Roundtable this weekend only this time not talking about what the chamber is doing—but rather—what they will do. The chamber is undergoing a visioning process.

Richard Smith Jr., the chief operations officer of Evangelical Community Hospital tells us, if you are doing some long term planning, you should think big and include all stakeholders. He said it is important that you help all of your constituents see how the strategic vision will benefit them.

Smith says it is the consensus of strategy on which the upcoming Strategic Thinking Conference will focus. It is entitled Looking before We Leap. Smith, along with Charlie Ross, the CEO of the GSVCC are on our Roundtable this weekend—along with other guests—talking about the chamber’s strategic initiatives. You can hear 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

Woman charged with hitting a horse and buggy and fleeing the scene will go to court

MILTON – A woman charged with crashing into a horse and buggy on Route 54 and then fleeing the scene was in District Court this week in Milton. 35-year-old Jessica Fenstermacher of Boyertown struck the horse drawn buggy on December 27^thon Route 54 near Seagrave Road in Delaware Township around 7:30 p.m. 27-year-old Levi Glick, the operator of the buggy, and his wife and two children were taken to the hospital for various injuries.

Fenstermacher left the scene of the accident and claims she heard about it on the news the next day and contacted police. She’s charged with leaving the scene of an accident and careless driving. Fenstermacher waived her right to a preliminary hearing on Thursday, with charges against her bound over for court. (Ali Stevens)

Another SnyCo mugging—this time teen in Selinsgrove beaten and robbed

SELINSGROVE – In Snyder County, for the second time in a week, a teenager is beaten-up and robbed by thieves. This time in the borough of Selinsgrove, last night around 11p.m., a 19-year-old walking on 8th Street was attacked from behind and severely assaulted.

Police say it happened near Pear Street, the victim had just stepped out of his vehicle when five males repeatedly punched and kicked him. They robbed him of his wallet and took off on 8th Street toward Market Street. The victim was robbed of $20 and ended up in the hospital.

The victim was released from the hospital this morning. No further description of the suspects is available and police in Selinsgrove are asking for the publics help. Call them at 374-8655 if you may have information that would help police.

Snyder County house fire

PERRY TWP – Fire crews remained on the scene of a Snyder County house fire for over two hours Thursday. The fire broke out at the Becky Swartz home along Route 104 just before 11:00a.m. The fire started in the chimney, and destroyed a good portion of the house. Swartz, four children and a friend all got out of the house in time and no injuries were reported.

A portion of Route 104, at the intersection with Route 35, was closed for a time Thursday while fire crews went to work putting out the blaze. Freemont, Freeburg, Middleburg and Richfield crews all responded to the scene. (Sara Bartlett)

Observation room planned for Beck Elementary School

SUNBURY – Reading teachers may soon no longer have to travel from the Shikellamy School District to Williamsport for evaluation. Likewise, parents of local students involved will no longer face the same inconvenience.

Education Director Dr. Pamela Emery says the district can be reimbursed for building an observation room with a one-way window, to be used for watching teachers at work. It would save time and money for teachers and parents. Shippensburg University is offering part of a federal grant of as much as $6,000 for the facility. It is likely to be at the

Beck Elementary School, and also to be used by Shippensburg students working on education degrees. The school board is expected to approve the project if cost estimates prove to be entirely covered by the grant. Dr. Emery says the room would likely have other uses when not being used by student teachers. (Matt Farrand)

Police arrest Danville man connected with robbery

DANVILLE – Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the robbery of a Montour County convenience store in Danville last week. 23-year-old Joshua Marr of Danville faces charges of robbery, theft, receiving stolen property and possession of instruments of crime.

Last Thursday around 11:00p.m. Marr reportedly went into the store along McCracken Road in Danville and demanded money from the clerk. He then fled the scene. Police made the arrest Thursday and Marr is now in Montour County Prison on $50,000 bail. (Sara Bartlett)

Shikellamy State Park Marina remains closed after flooding

SUNBURY – The Shikellamy State Park Marina is still closed after high waters covered the park last week during flooding. Park manager Frank Nanna and says the river reached 23.5 feet at Sunbury and that has a big impact on the marina.

He says it is now too dangerous for people to go there. He says they have signs warning people to stay away. There is plenty of debris scattered across the park that must be cleared. Nanna says the main road to the marina closes anytime the river reaches 17 feet or more.

Also closed is the Milton State Park, which was also flooded. Nanna says they have four workers cleaning up both parks to get things back to normal. They hope to have the parks opened sometime next week and appreciate park visitor’s patience while they work to get the parks cleaned up. (Ali Stevens)

Coal Township Commissioner will run for state house

COAL TOWNSHIP – A Coal Township Commissioner wants to run for state representative in the 107th legislative district, now that Representative Bob Belfanti plans to retire. Democrat George Zalar has thrown his hat into the ring and says if elected, he will have big shoes to fill.

Zalar says Belfanti has done a fantastic job in the 107th District and says there aren’t enough people in Harrisburg like Belfanti. Zalar has received the endorsement from Bob Belfanti himself and feels very honored by that. Zalar feels strongly about mine reclamation efforts and preserving the area we live in.

The 40-year-old not only serves as Coal Township Commissioner, but also works as Business Agent for Iron Workers Local 404. He has lived in Coal Township his whole life and served as commissioner for 10 years. He lives in Coal Township with his wife Amy and two children. (Ali Stevens)

PA Tourism Industry fighting against budget cuts

LEWISBURG – The Pennsylvania Tourism Industry continues to fight state budget cuts. Executive Director of the Susquehanna River Valley Visitors Bureau, Andrew Miller, says grant funding in our area from the state for tourism was cut drastically, nearly $70,000, in this year’s budget.

Miller says a report in 2006 showed over $300 million in visitor spending comes into Snyder, Union and Northumberland Counties yearly. Miller says with tourism being the number two industry in the commonwealth, it needs to be financially supported.

He says they would like to see a line item in the budget, so they don’t have to worry about cuts year and year. He also says there is an ongoing discussion on some funds for tourism even coming from the upcoming table games in the commonwealth. Miller says they are also keeping an eye on gubernatorial candidates to find out their views on the tourism industry.

Miller is a member of the Pennsylvania Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus, a group strongly opposed to the recent round of budget cuts put into place by Governor Ed Rendell’s administration. More information is available at www.patourismequalsjobs.com. (Sara Bartlett)

Local congressional candidate worked closely with casino owner Louis DeNaples

SUNBURY – Tom Marino of Williamsport announced earlier this week that he was seeking the 10th District congressional seat, currently held by Chris Carney (D-10th, Dimmock). Marino was a recent guest on WKOK’s On The Mark program and talked about his publicized relationship with casino owner Louis DeNaples, who was once charged with perjury.

Marino admitted that he worked closely with Louis DeNaples as a business law attorney, but not while he was working as a U.S. Attorney, as the Democratic Party has indicated. Marino says while working as U.S. Attorney, if there were any investigations that came through his office involving some he knows, he must recuse himself, which he did.

However, some say there is still a conflict of interest because Marino worked as a U.S. Attorney when Louis DeNaples was being investigated by the state for perjury charges and then Marino went to work for DeNaples after his term was up. Marino says he’s been a prosecutor for 18 years and he treats everyone equally and once he recused himself, he had no knowledge of the ongoing investigation.

DeNaples was charged in February 2008 with lying to the State Gaming Control Board about his connection to organized crime. Perjury charges against him were dropped in April of last year. You can hear more from Tom Marino from WKOK’s Tuesday On The Mark program online at www.wkok.com. (Ali Stevens)

State police investigate the thefts of two trucks from a car dealership in Hummels Wharf

HUMMELS WHARF – State police are investigating the theft of two vehicles from a car dealership in Hummels Wharf. Troopers tell us a new gray Toyota 4 Runner valued at $36,000 was taken from the dealership on sometime early Wednesday.

Also, a 1995 red and white Ford 250 pickup was stolen during the same time frame. The vehicle is valued at $8,900 and has a plow on the front of it. Anyone with information on the vehicle thefts is asked to contact State Police at Selinsgrove. (Ali Stevens)

Latest Pennsylvania news, lottery, business and entertainment

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Road crews, school districts and airports across Pennsylvania are preparing for a storm that could drop a foot of snow in some areas. Snow is expected to start falling across the state Friday afternoon and into the evening. Southwest Airlines has canceled flights out of Philadelphia International Airport from Friday afternoon into Saturday. Airport spokeswoman Victoria Lupica says airline isn't experiencing delays right now and that other airlines haven't canceled flights at this point. But she says 400 workers are at the ready to do snow removal. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation says it has 600,000 tons of salt on hand and 54,000 workers ready to keep the state's roads clear. School districts in some areas have also announced early dismissals.

SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) - Ten graduate students from India are homeless after a fire in a northeastern Pennsylvania apartment building. No injuries were reported from Thursday afternoon's fire in Scranton. Two University of Scranton students were home at the time of the blaze but made it to safety. The eight other residents of the three-story building were attending classes at Marywood University when the fire broke out. Officials at both schools say they are arranging temporary housing for the displaced students. Fire officials are investigating the cause of the fire.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The public corruption trial of a former Pennsylvania lawmaker is over for the week, with the prosecution's first witness still on the stand. Defense cross-examination of former House Democratic aide Mike Manzo continued Friday with Manzo saying he participated in a meeting with caucus lawyers about destroying evidence. Manzo also says a large number of leave slips were destroyed and that he deleted information on his work computer after news of a massive bonus program surfaced in 2007. Prosecutors say they expect to call 20 to 30 witnesses, and it now looks as if the case could take longer than the month that was originally estimated. Former House Democratic whip Mike Veon and three aides are on trial for theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest.

TOBYHANNA, Pa. (AP) - Officials have named a stretch of highway in honor of a Pennsylvania state trooper killed in a gun battle last year with a man who kidnapped his son. Officials unveiled a sign Thursday dedicating part of Route 611 in northeastern Pennsylvania to slain Trooper Joshua Miller. Miller was killed in a June shootout with Daniel Autenrieth, who violated a protection from abuse order and kidnapped his 9-year-old son before leading police on a 40-mile high-speed chase. The pursuit finally ended when police cornered Autenrieth and exchanged fire with him while other officers rescued the boy. Autenrieth was killed in the gun battle and another trooper wounded. Tobyhanna is about 85 miles north of Philadelphia.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - More grant money is available for the hundreds of thousands low-income families that are seeking help paying for winter heat in Pennsylvania. State officials said Thursday that there is now more money for both cash grants and crisis grants through the federally funded LIHEAP program. The amount of the cash grants to help pay winter heating bills for the most vulnerable families is being increased by $100 to an average of $426 for the current season. Also, many families will be eligible to receive an additional crisis grant, up to a maximum of $400. Crisis grants can help a family afford a heating emergency, such as a fuel shortage, a furnace breakdown or a utility termination.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Rep. Mike Veon's defense attorney is attacking the accuracy of a key prosecution witness' testimony as well as his motivation to keep prosecutors happy. Witness Mike Manzo was cross-examined Thursday regarding what he knows about the use of bonuses to motivate legislative employees to campaign. Manzo was questioned repeatedly about a Jan. 8 letter from prosecutors to defense attorneys that laid out new information he's been providing. Questions about the accuracy of his statements led to a suspension for several hours while he and the presiding judge reviewed what Manzo had previously said both in court and other settings. His cross-examination is expected to continue Friday.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Federal appellate judges deciding if schools can discipline students for Internet speech posted off-campus have reached different rulings in two Pennsylvania cases. One 3rd U.S. Circuit Court panel upheld the suspension of a Schuylkill County eighth-grader who posted sexually explicit material along with her principal's photograph on a fake MySpace page. But a different three-judge panel says school officials in Mercer County can't reach into a family's home and police the Internet. That case also involves a MySpace parody. The American Civil Liberties Union represents both students on free-speech grounds. ACLU lawyer Vic Walczak says the case law was already unclear - and now appears to be in chaos. The Supreme Court has not weighed the issue.

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) - A northeastern Pennsylvania woman who marketed "gothic kittens" with ear and neck piercings over the Internet has been convicted of animal cruelty. A Luzerne County jury on Wednesday convicted 35-year-old dog groomer Holly Crawford of one misdemeanor count and one summary count of animal cruelty, but acquitted her of two separate counts. She will be sentenced March 31. Crawford was charged in December 2008 after animal welfare officers took several kittens and a cat from her home. Deputy District Attorney David Pedri told jurors that Crawford inflicted pain upon three black kittens because, he alleged, "she thought it was neat" to sell gothic kittens on the Internet. Defense attorneys argued that parents allow children to get pierced ears at young ages, and it would be wrong to hold cat owners to a higher standard. He said it is less painful than ear and tail docking on pets or declawing cats, where no anesthesia is used.

Update on the latest in business

Dow: 10,012.23, up 10.05

S&P 500: 1,066.19, up 3.08

NASDAQ: 2,141.12, up 15.69

NEW YORK (AP) - One analyst says Wall Street has "entered the worry, fear camp." Rob Lutts says it doesn't take much to send investors "running for the hills." Stocks have fallen today over mixed labor news -- the jobless rate fell in January, but employers cut 20,000 jobs. In afternoon trading, the Dow was down more than 150 points.

LANHAM, Md. (AP) - President Barack Obama says an unexpected drop in the unemployment rate is "cause for hope but not celebration." Obama said that "these numbers will continue to fluctuate for months to come." The Labor Department says the jobless rate fell to 9.7 percent last month, its lowest level since August.

WASHINGTON (AP) - A survey of businesses has found that employers dropped 20,000 jobs last month -- far exceeding the 5,000 economists had expected. The government now estimates 8.4 million jobs vanished in the Great Recession, and economists think the nation would be lucky to get back 1.5 million of them this year.

LANHAM, Md. (AP) - President Barack Obama is making another pitch to create more jobs. He asked Congress today to temporarily expand two lending programs for small businesses owners. Obama wants businesses to be able to refinance their commercial real estate loans under the Small Business Administration.

TOKYO (AP) - One auto industry analyst says the CEO of Toyota should have answered questions about a massive recall a week ago. The expert, who has written books on Toyota and Honda, says the CEO has a responsibility to address concerns and give the U.S. government an explanation. Akio Toyoda appeared at a news conference today, after a week of silence.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - These Pennsylvania lotteries were drawn on Friday:

Daily Number

8-2-8

Big 4

3-1-6-1

Quinto

6-4-0-3-9

Treasure Hunt

04-06-07-23-25

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - These Pennsylvania lotteries were drawn on Thursday:

Big 4 8-5-7-9

Cash 5 14-15-27-28-38

Daily Number 8-9-4

Evening Quinto 8-0-4-4-7

Midday Big 4 8-2-2-8

Midday Number 7-8-5

Midday Quinto 2-9-4-0-0

Mix and Match 13-09-15-08-19

Treasure Hunt 15-21-22-25-26

MICHAEL JACKSON'S DOCTOR

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Monday's the day a case in Michael Jackson's death will be filed by prosecutors in Los Angeles County. But a spokeswoman isn't saying what type of case it will be or who will be charged. Lawyers for Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray expect he will be charged with involuntary manslaughter. Murray gave Jackson a powerful anesthetic and sedatives before he died last June. Today's announcement came after prosecutors and Murray's attorney each accused each other of grandstanding on the question of whether Murray would surrender today.

SUPER BOWL - ADS

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Clydesdales will be appearing in an Anheuser-Busch commercial during the Super Bowl after all. The brewer didn't like the first proposed commercials. But some different versions were produced and the brewer asked fans to vote on which ad they liked. The one that will air during the fourth quarter of the game tells the story of a friendship between a young Clydesdale and a young steer. Other commercials you'll see include a GoDaddy.com spot full of their trademark beautiful women, a Hyundai ad starring Brett Favre, and one featuring a guy who builds a house out of Bud Light cans.

SUPER PREDICTION

UNDATED (AP) - The Saints win! If you believe a video game. "Madden NFL 10" predicts New Orleans will defeat the Indianapolis Colts 35-31. The winning play will be a touchdown pass from Saints QB Drew Brees late in the fourth quarter. Electronic Arts says their video game soothsayer also predicts Brees will be the MVP. As for accuracy, EA says their popular Madden NFL game has gotten the winner right in five of the last six Super Bowls.

Obama says he prays for more civility in politics

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama says he's praying for a return to civility in politics. The president used Thursday's National Prayer Breakfast to decry a politics of shouting pundits and lawmakers who pour spite on each other -- and on him. Obama said such demonization "poisons the well" of public opinion, adding to voter frustration and anger and giving the parties little room to negotiate. He says empowered by faith, Americans need to find their way back to civility. Also addressing the prayer breakfast was Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. He called for religious tolerance and the "moral autonomy" of individuals to seek their "own truth."

CARRIE UNDERWOOD, QUEEN LATIFAH - "PANTS ON THE GROUND"

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - This could go viral: Carrie Underwood and Queen Latifah singing, "Pants on the Ground." Egged on by Latifah, the two of them sang a few lines of it at yesterday's Super Bowl preview news conference. It happened after a reporter asked Underwood's opinion of the song, since it came out of "American Idol" and so did she. Underwood says, "Pants on the Ground" is "music with a message." On Sunday, Underwood will sing the national anthem and Queen Latifah, "America the Beautiful."

CLOTHES LINES

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Maryland state lawmaker Galen Clagett isn't worried about airing the dirty laundry. He's more concerned about the clean laundry. He wants folks to be able to air dry their clothes. Under his proposal, local governments and homeowner associations couldn't ban clotheslines. Clagett's bill would still allow reasonable restrictions for laundry drying but wouldn't include condos. Clothes line advocates say it saves energy and can even make your duds smell fresher.

Handyman Nearly Shot

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - A Colorado handyman who was mistaken for a burglar and nearly shot by a police officer says he forgives the officer but thinks the situation went "a little overboard." Kevin Rogers says he and a colleague were changing the door locks Wednesday at a woman's house in Colorado Springs when police officers arrived on a report of a burglary in progress. Rogers says he was in the woman's garage getting pliers when an officer ordered him to put up his hands. Rogers says that at almost the same time he put his hands up, the officer fired a shot but missed him. Colorado Springs police say they can't comment on the case because the district attorney's office is investigating. The woman who hired Rogers was not home at the time.