Sunday, February 7, 2010

Snowfall heavier to south of Central Susquehanna region

UNDATED – As predicted, the snowfall reported Friday and Saturday was heaviest to the south. Selinsgrove and Lewisburg with about 8” on the ground, while the Herndon area got about 11”. Westbound motorists on Interstate 80 had a detour to deal with through the evening hours Saturday. PennDOT says it took crews until nearly 5:00 p.m. Saturday to clean up enough of the wreckage of two tractor-trailers near milepost 215 to allow single lane driving conditions.

PPL Utilities reports no power problems in the region, though Lancaster County still had a dozen or so customers without power early in the early morning Sunday. (Matt Farrand)

Chocolate cake, jellybeans to belatedly honor Ronald Reagan

WEST MILTON – The SUN Area Council of Republican Women’s celebration President Ronald Reagan’s birthday will be a belated one. The 40^th US President would have been 99-years-old February 6^th, but snowfall postponed the festivities in his honor. It is now planned for February 20^th at the fire hall in Freeburg. Union County Vice-President Carolyn Conner says there will still be chocolate birthday cake and the former president’s favorite jellybeans.

US Senate candidate Peg Luksik was among many candidates originally confirmed to appear. The event is meant to be a birthday celebration; thus there will also be children’s games, such as “pin-the-tail on the elephant,” and signing of valentines for veterans at the VA Hospital in the Wilkes-Barre area.

Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 2 to 12, with a maximum donation of $20 per household. More information at 568-1217. (Matt Farrand)

The Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce is on Roundtable

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

Making 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. (Ali Stevens)

Remaining Centralia residents could soon be displaced by state

CENTRALIA – State officials say they will soon take possession of the remaining homes in Centralia. About a dozen residents still live in the Columbia County community in spite of toxic gas and sinkholes caused by an underground mine fire that continues to burn after nearly three decades. Meantime, journalist Joan Quigley says her book about the town is meant to address its history and politics before it all disappears. Quigley is the grandchild of anthracite miners from Centralia and interviewed residents who’ve left, and some who’ve stayed.

The former business reporter for the Miami Herald wondered why some residents stayed after most of the homes in Centralia were seized in the 1990’s by right of eminent domain. She says there was a sense of connectedness among Centralia residents that is rare these days, as generations had gone to the same schools, worked in the same places and worshiped at the same churches.

Quigley now lives near Washington, DC and worked for seven years on the book titled, “The Day the Earth Caved In - An American Mining Tragedy.” She was also a recent guest on WKOK’s “On the Mark” program (Matt Farrand)

Latest Pennsylvania news, sports, business and entertainment:

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Old Man Winter rewrote the record books in Philadelphia for the second time in six weeks, dumping more than 26.7 inches to become the second-largest snowfall in city history. Snow totals elsewhere neared 30 inches Saturday and near-whiteout conditions grounded flights at Philadelphia International Airport on Saturday and cut power to 190,000 customers in the western part of the state. Gov. Ed Rendell declared a disaster emergency, allowing officials to bypass bid and contract procedures, and said state National Guard forces had been deployed to help state police.

The blizzard easily outstripped the Dec. 19 snowstorm for second place in the city's record books. That storm, hitting two days before the official start of winter, dropped 23.2 inches on Philadelphia to become the city's third largest since records began in 1884. A total of 29.5 inches of snow was reported in Laurel Summit, Somerset County, and there was 28 inches in parts of Franklin and Cambria counties, 27 inches in York County and 26 inches in Blair County.

DONEGAL, Pa. (AP) - Storm-related accidents along one western section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike brought traffic to a halt for much of the day Saturday, reportedly stranding drivers for 12 hours or longer. Turnpike spokesman Carl DeFebo says the problem began late Friday when several tractor-trailers jackknifed just west of the Somerset interchange, about 60 miles east of Pittsburgh. He says a couple of hundred cars might have been idled along a five-mile stretch, and some drivers reported being stranded for 12 hours or longer.

WPXI-TV says some stranded drivers had banded together to turn off their cars to conserve fuel and had even set up "a makeshift bathroom system." National Guard forces used snowplows to distribute MREs, and local fire department crews were by to pass out water and granola bars. DeFebo says the road was expected to be cleared by evening, but traffic was being detoured in two places.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania's Democratic State Committee won't be making an endorsement in the contest for the gubernatorial nomination. Two separate votes Saturday failed to produce the necessary two-thirds majority for any of the candidates. State Auditor General Jack Wagner attracted the most support but fell far short of the total needed for an endorsement. Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato finished second. The state committee also endorsed former Philadelphia city controller Jonathan Saidel for nomination as lieutenant governor. Earlier Saturday, the committee voted overwhelmingly to endorse Republican-turned-Democrat U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter for nomination for a sixth Senate term.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The public corruption trial of a former Pennsylvania lawmaker has ended 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 said 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 appears 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.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A county judge says Pittsburgh officials have two weeks to produce documents related to protester arrests and police operational plans during September's Group of 20 economic summit. The Citizens Police Review Board says it needs the documents to thoroughly and fairly investigate citizen complaints of police misconduct. The group says it has 12 sworn complaints against police officers and more than 80 notices that other people plan to file complaints against police. City officials didn't immediately comment on Friday's ruling. Review board director Elizabeth Pittinger says the city cited national security in an effort to keep the documents, but she says it's a police issue. Police made nearly 200 arrests when protesters clashed with police on Sept. 24-25.

BROWNSVILLE, Pa. (AP) - A 30-day unpaid suspension has been lifted against a western Pennsylvania high school teacher who appeared next to a male stripper in a picture someone else posted on Facebook. Brownsville Area School District solicitor Jim Davis won't say specifically why the suspension was lifted effective Friday. But he says the teacher has a grievance pending and the school district is continuing to investigate. The unidentified female teacher reportedly posed in a suggestive way next to the stripper who was hired to perform at a bridal shower. The American Civil Liberties Union questioned the suspension saying the teacher's actions were private and legal. Davis says ACLU action didn't end the suspension, which began Jan. 12 and was for 30 school days.

Update on the latest in business:

PayPal halts certain payment transactions in India

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - The online payments service PayPal has taken the unusual step of suspending many transactions in India for more than a week. A spokesman for the service said Saturday that "personal payments" to and from India are being blocked. Transfers to banks in India are being suspended as well. The spokesman, Anuj Nayar, said PayPal is taking the step while it answers questions that have arisen about the service. He declined to elaborate. Nayar said the suspensions began Jan. 28. He wrote in a blog post that PayPal, which is owned by eBay Inc., hopes "to resolve the situation as quickly as possible."

Black farmers urged to lobby Senate ag panel

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - The head of the National Black Farmers Association is urging African-American farmers to strongly lobby lawmakers to get them to approve a $1.15 billion discrimination settlement. The proposal to pay claims filed by the farmers who say the U.S. Department of Agriculture discriminated against them was included in the budget President Barack Obama sent to Congress last week. NBFA founder John Boyd Jr. told about 200 supporters at a rally in Little Rock on Saturday that supporters now need to make sure the plan gets through. He urged them to "light a fire" under Sen. Blanche Lincoln, a Democrat and the new head of the Senate Agriculture Committee, who faces a tough re-election campaign this year.

G-7 seeks to calm global markets, sustain rebound

IQALUIT, Nunavut (AP) - Top finance officials of the world's seven major industrial countries are pledging to work to calm global markets and sustain a fledgling economic rebound. Ending a two-day meeting in the Canadian Arctic, the officials said they would continue to provide government stimulus to support a smooth transition to sustainable growth. Speaking for the group, Canadian Prime Minister Jim Flaherty said leaders of the Group of Seven major industrial countries also discussed strategies they will use to withdraw stimulus next year once a stronger rebound is in place. The meeting occurred as financial markets were roiled this week over fears that a European debt crisis could derail a global recovery from the deepest recession in decades.

PA Lottery

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

Big 4

5-4-0-4

Cash 5

01-13-16-17-31

Daily Number

7-6-2

Evening Quinto

0-3-7-2-7

Midday Big 4

7-7-1-6

Midday Number

5-4-4

Midday Quinto

9-6-7-2-8

Powerball

14-22-52-54-59, Powerball: 4, Power Play: 3

Treasure Hunt

01-03-11-20-28

Karina Smirnoff, others party on Super Bowl eve

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Dancing with the Star's Karina Smirnoff is staying quiet about who she wants to win the Super Bowl because she doesn't know who is going to be on the next season of the show. Smirnoff said Saturday that she didn't want to say anything she would regret about the Super Bowl. Her comments came at the home of director Michael Bay, who was hosting a Super Bowl party. The party was a fundraiser for The Giving Back Fund, a foundation that tries to cultivate philanthropists within the entertainment and sports communities. Ed Westwick and Jessica Szohr of "Gossip Girl" showed up, as did "90210" actress AnnaLynne McCord and musician Gavin DeGraw, who raved about Avatar being his favorite movie. He says it was an amazing film.

Rihanna, Mark Sanchez raise money for charities

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) - She lost a young friend to leukemia, but singer Rihanna is still working to get help for those who suffer from the disease. Rihanna was among the celebrities who submitted a request for funding to Pepsi's Refresh Project, which doles out $20 million to various causes. Rihanna is trying to raise funds for DKMS, which tries to find bone marrow donors for those suffering from leukemia. Rihanna was active last year in trying to find donors for a 6-year-old girl who died last month. She was at kickoff for the project Friday night during Super Bowl festivities in South Florida along with New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez and other players and celebrities.

	Here is the latest from Newsradio 1070 WKOK

Sunday, February 7, 2010 Snowfall heavier to south of Central Susquehanna region UNDATED – As predicted, the snowfall reported Friday and Saturday was heaviest to the south. Selinsgrove and Lewisburg with about 8” on the ground, while the Herndon area got about 11”. Westbound motorists on Interstate 80 had a detour to deal with through the evening hours Saturday. PennDOT says it took crews until nearly 5:00 p.m. Saturday to clean up enough of the wreckage of two tractor-trailers near milepost 215 to allow single lane driving conditions. PPL Utilities reports no power problems in the region, though Lancaster County still had a dozen or so customers without power early in the early morning Sunday. (Matt Farrand) Chocolate cake, jellybeans to belatedly honor Ronald Reagan WEST MILTON – The SUN Area Council of Republican Women’s celebration President Ronald Reagan’s birthday will be a belated one. The 40^th US President would have been 99-years-old February 6^th, but snowfall postponed the festivities in his honor. It is now planned for February 20^th at the fire hall in Freeburg. Union County Vice-President Carolyn Conner says there will still be chocolate birthday cake and the former president’s favorite jellybeans. US Senate candidate Peg Luksik was among many candidates originally confirmed to appear. The event is meant to be a birthday celebration; thus there will also be children’s games, such as “pin-the-tail on the elephant,” and signing of valentines for veterans at the VA Hospital in the Wilkes-Barre area. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 2 to 12, with a maximum donation of $20 per household. More information at 568-1217. (Matt Farrand) The Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce is on Roundtable 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 Making 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. (Ali Stevens) Remaining Centralia residents could soon be displaced by state CENTRALIA – State officials say they will soon take possession of the remaining homes in Centralia. About a dozen residents still live in the Columbia County community in spite of toxic gas and sinkholes caused by an underground mine fire that continues to burn after nearly three decades. Meantime, journalist Joan Quigley says her book about the town is meant to address its history and politics before it all disappears. Quigley is the grandchild of anthracite miners from Centralia and interviewed residents who’ve left, and some who’ve stayed. The former business reporter for the Miami Herald wondered why some residents stayed after most of the homes in Centralia were seized in the 1990’s by right of eminent domain. She says there was a sense of connectedness among Centralia residents that is rare these days, as generations had gone to the same schools, worked in the same places and worshiped at the same churches. Quigley now lives near Washington, DC and worked for seven years on the book titled, “The Day the Earth Caved In - An American Mining Tragedy.” She was also a recent guest on WKOK’s “On the Mark” program (Matt Farrand) Latest Pennsylvania news, sports, business and entertainment: PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Old Man Winter rewrote the record books in Philadelphia for the second time in six weeks, dumping more than 26.7 inches to become the second-largest snowfall in city history. Snow totals elsewhere neared 30 inches Saturday and near-whiteout conditions grounded flights at Philadelphia International Airport on Saturday and cut power to 190,000 customers in the western part of the state. Gov. Ed Rendell declared a disaster emergency, allowing officials to bypass bid and contract procedures, and said state National Guard forces had been deployed to help state police. The blizzard easily outstripped the Dec. 19 snowstorm for second place in the city's record books. That storm, hitting two days before the official start of winter, dropped 23.2 inches on Philadelphia to become the city's third largest since records began in 1884. A total of 29.5 inches of snow was reported in Laurel Summit, Somerset County, and there was 28 inches in parts of Franklin and Cambria counties, 27 inches in York County and 26 inches in Blair County. DONEGAL, Pa. (AP) - Storm-related accidents along one western section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike brought traffic to a halt for much of the day Saturday, reportedly stranding drivers for 12 hours or longer. Turnpike spokesman Carl DeFebo says the problem began late Friday when several tractor-trailers jackknifed just west of the Somerset interchange, about 60 miles east of Pittsburgh. He says a couple of hundred cars might have been idled along a five-mile stretch, and some drivers reported being stranded for 12 hours or longer. WPXI-TV says some stranded drivers had banded together to turn off their cars to conserve fuel and had even set up "a makeshift bathroom system." National Guard forces used snowplows to distribute MREs, and local fire department crews were by to pass out water and granola bars. DeFebo says the road was expected to be cleared by evening, but traffic was being detoured in two places. HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania's Democratic State Committee won't be making an endorsement in the contest for the gubernatorial nomination. Two separate votes Saturday failed to produce the necessary two-thirds majority for any of the candidates. State Auditor General Jack Wagner attracted the most support but fell far short of the total needed for an endorsement. Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato finished second. The state committee also endorsed former Philadelphia city controller Jonathan Saidel for nomination as lieutenant governor. Earlier Saturday, the committee voted overwhelmingly to endorse Republican-turned-Democrat U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter for nomination for a sixth Senate term. HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The public corruption trial of a former Pennsylvania lawmaker has ended 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 said 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 appears 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. PITTSBURGH (AP) - A county judge says Pittsburgh officials have two weeks to produce documents related to protester arrests and police operational plans during September's Group of 20 economic summit. The Citizens Police Review Board says it needs the documents to thoroughly and fairly investigate citizen complaints of police misconduct. The group says it has 12 sworn complaints against police officers and more than 80 notices that other people plan to file complaints against police. City officials didn't immediately comment on Friday's ruling. Review board director Elizabeth Pittinger says the city cited national security in an effort to keep the documents, but she says it's a police issue. Police made nearly 200 arrests when protesters clashed with police on Sept. 24-25. BROWNSVILLE, Pa. (AP) - A 30-day unpaid suspension has been lifted against a western Pennsylvania high school teacher who appeared next to a male stripper in a picture someone else posted on Facebook. Brownsville Area School District solicitor Jim Davis won't say specifically why the suspension was lifted effective Friday. But he says the teacher has a grievance pending and the school district is continuing to investigate. The unidentified female teacher reportedly posed in a suggestive way next to the stripper who was hired to perform at a bridal shower. The American Civil Liberties Union questioned the suspension saying the teacher's actions were private and legal. Davis says ACLU action didn't end the suspension, which began Jan. 12 and was for 30 school days. (Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Update on the latest in business: PayPal halts certain payment transactions in India SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - The online payments service PayPal has taken the unusual step of suspending many transactions in India for more than a week. A spokesman for the service said Saturday that "personal payments" to and from India are being blocked. Transfers to banks in India are being suspended as well. The spokesman, Anuj Nayar, said PayPal is taking the step while it answers questions that have arisen about the service. He declined to elaborate. Nayar said the suspensions began Jan. 28. He wrote in a blog post that PayPal, which is owned by eBay Inc., hopes "to resolve the situation as quickly as possible." Black farmers urged to lobby Senate ag panel LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - The head of the National Black Farmers Association is urging African-American farmers to strongly lobby lawmakers to get them to approve a $1.15 billion discrimination settlement. The proposal to pay claims filed by the farmers who say the U.S. Department of Agriculture discriminated against them was included in the budget President Barack Obama sent to Congress last week. NBFA founder John Boyd Jr. told about 200 supporters at a rally in Little Rock on Saturday that supporters now need to make sure the plan gets through. He urged them to "light a fire" under Sen. Blanche Lincoln, a Democrat and the new head of the Senate Agriculture Committee, who faces a tough re-election campaign this year. G-7 seeks to calm global markets, sustain rebound IQALUIT, Nunavut (AP) - Top finance officials of the world's seven major industrial countries are pledging to work to calm global markets and sustain a fledgling economic rebound. Ending a two-day meeting in the Canadian Arctic, the officials said they would continue to provide government stimulus to support a smooth transition to sustainable growth. Speaking for the group, Canadian Prime Minister Jim Flaherty said leaders of the Group of Seven major industrial countries also discussed strategies they will use to withdraw stimulus next year once a stronger rebound is in place. The meeting occurred as financial markets were roiled this week over fears that a European debt crisis could derail a global recovery from the deepest recession in decades. PA Lottery HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - These Pennsylvania lotteries were drawn on Saturday: Big 4 5-4-0-4 Cash 5 01-13-16-17-31 Daily Number 7-6-2 Evening Quinto 0-3-7-2-7 Midday Big 4 7-7-1-6 Midday Number 5-4-4 Midday Quinto 9-6-7-2-8 Powerball 14-22-52-54-59, Powerball: 4, Power Play: 3 Treasure Hunt 01-03-11-20-28 (Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Karina Smirnoff, others party on Super Bowl eve MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Dancing with the Star's Karina Smirnoff is staying quiet about who she wants to win the Super Bowl because she doesn't know who is going to be on the next season of the show. Smirnoff said Saturday that she didn't want to say anything she would regret about the Super Bowl. Her comments came at the home of director Michael Bay, who was hosting a Super Bowl party. The party was a fundraiser for The Giving Back Fund, a foundation that tries to cultivate philanthropists within the entertainment and sports communities. Ed Westwick and Jessica Szohr of "Gossip Girl" showed up, as did "90210" actress AnnaLynne McCord and musician Gavin DeGraw, who raved about Avatar being his favorite movie. He says it was an amazing film. Rihanna, Mark Sanchez raise money for charities MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) - She lost a young friend to leukemia, but singer Rihanna is still working to get help for those who suffer from the disease. Rihanna was among the celebrities who submitted a request for funding to Pepsi's Refresh Project, which doles out $20 million to various causes. Rihanna is trying to raise funds for DKMS, which tries to find bone marrow donors for those suffering from leukemia. Rihanna was active last year in trying to find donors for a 6-year-old girl who died last month. She was at kickoff for the project Friday night during Super Bowl festivities in South Florida along with New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez and other players and celebrities. (Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)