Friday, March 12, 2010

Union County flood watch

STATE COLLEGE – The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for small streams and the Susquehanna River in Union County.  Minor flooding is forecast.  As of noon Friday Penns Creek was at 3.48’, and the creek is forecast to crest 6.8’ by Sunday morning, which is a foot below the 8-foot flood stage.

The Susquehanna River at Lewisburg is around 4.05’, and is predicted to crest at 14.5’ Sunday morning.  That is 3.5’ below the flood stage level of 18’. Emergency Management officials will be monitoring the situation, and those living near Penns Creek or the River should also monitor the rising level of water. More information here.

Bartos promises jobs to 107^th District

COAL TWP – An aide to retiring State Representative Bob Belfanti (D-107^th, Mount Carmel) says his campaign for state house is going well.  Steve Bartos, who serves as the renewable and alternative energy coordinator, is one of four Democrats seeking the position.  He says his main message is simple: to bring jobs to the area.

Bartos says he will create 400 jobs in the region by 2012, and the recently announced 100 employees to be hired for the new 3D glasses manufacturing plant in Shamokin, is a down payment to that promise.

Also running on the Democratic ticket are Coal Township Commissioner George Zalar, Kulpmont Mayor Myron Turlis and Chairman of the Ralpho Township Municipal Authority Ted Yeager.  Republican candidates are Northumberland County Commissioner Kurt Masser and former chairman of the Mount Carmel Township Board of Supervisors Sam Scicchitano. (Sara Bartlett)

Young Women’s Future Symposium

LEWISBURG – A career symposium for about 100 high school girls will be held Tuesday at Bucknell University.  Junior Achievement will host their annual Young Women’s Futures Symposium on Tuesday at the Elaine Langone Center on the campus of Bucknell University.

Joyce Hendricks is chairperson for the event and says the event is a symposium for girls in 10^th and 11^th grade who aren’t quite sure what they want to do or what their future holds. 

The girls will experience various workshops and seminars including choosing the right career for their personality and presenting themselves with confidence in the workplace.  Businesswomen from across the valley will volunteer their day to help direct the girls for a successful future.

The event is sponsored by Northumberland National Bank, Junior Achievement, the Pennsylvania Credit Union Foundation, the Early Care and Education Community Engagement Team of Union and Snyder County and the Susquehanna Education Foundation.   (Ali Stevens)

The Milton Cultural Festival—for the first time ever—again—on Roundtable

SUNBURY – The Milton Cultural Festival isn’t a household name, but this year’s inaugural event is going to a party to remember—so says one of the organizers George Venios of Milton. The community activist and historian tells us, the festival, which is the former Fiesta de Mayo, is going to be a celebration of all cultures in the region.

The Milton Cultural Festival will take place May 8^th in Milton and has grown from about one square block—to two. Venios and a panel of organizers of the Milton Cultural Festival are on an encore broadcast of Roundtable this weekend. Organizers talk about the festival and seek support and sponsorship for the event.  You can get more information about the festival at www.miltonculturalfestival.org. 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

Spring flooding in Pennsylvania

UNDATED – With steady rain expected throughout Pennsylvania this weekend, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency is reminding residents to monitor water levels. Although our area is expecting less rain, PEMA Director Robert French says there are some flood warnings.

French says those across the state in more flood prone areas should always be ready, just in case, with an emergency kit including with water, batteries, flashlight and a radio. AccuWeather says rain can be heavy at times, especially into Saturday morning, which could push steams out of their banks. For more information on flood preparedness you can go online to www.readypa.org. (Sara Bartlett)

Shik school debt carries uncertain tax consequences

SUNBURY – The Shikellamy School District hopes plans to finance improvements at district buildings will not be derailed by a spike in energy prices, or other unforeseen expense. The school board approved issuing a total of $3 million dollars in bonds Thursday night.

That includes $2.6 million dollars for energy saving projects experts say will pay for themselves. However, Business Manager David Sinopoli says the tax consequences of the new debt are still uncertain, as is the exact impact it will have on finances.

Sinopoli says the next step is to sit down with a financial advisor and decide whether the district will start to pay down the debt in the upcoming budget year, or after savings from the long-term project start to be noticed. Sinopoli hopes energy savings realized from better lighting, and conversion from oil to natural gas heat in district buildings will prevent having to raise taxes.

Work on some of the project is expected to start this year. Replacement of a boiler installed when the CW Rice Middle School was built in the 1950’s is among projects to be financed. $400,000 of Thursday’s bond issue will cover other improvements across the district, including improvements to security and interiors at some school buildings. (Matt Farrand)

PPL: Power line will improve service in our area

BERWICK – A new PPL power line will cross Northumberland County. Three possible routes for the 12-mile power line were announced last year, and it was announced Thursday that the new line will cross the Susquehanna River in an area about two miles south of Dalmatia.

The line will connect an existing line east of Dalmatia to another existing line near Richfield, Snyder County. A new substation will also be built near Meiserville. The new line and substation will improve service for customers in Northumberland, Snyder and Juniata Counties.

There will be two public meetings to discuss the project. The first will be held Wednesday, March 24th at 5:00p.m. at the St. Thomas Independent Brethren Christ Church in Mount Pleasant Mills. The second is Thursday March 25th at 5:00p.m. at Hickory Corners and Community Fire Company in Dalmatia. (Sara Bartlett)

GSVCC hosts Maryland gov and gives annual awards

SELINSGROVE – The Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce hosted their annual meeting Thursday at Susquehanna University. Several awards were given including the 2009 Business of the Year Award, which went to Mifflinburg Bank & Trust, founded in 1872 and has since expanded to employ 80 people at five local branches.

The Small Business of the Year Award went to Keystone Mobile Shredding of Williamsport, founded by Rick and Karen Metz in August of 2002.

The Karen L. Hackman Star of Excellence Volunteer of the Year Award went to Judi Karr, director of public relations and marketing at Nottingham Village in Northumberland. Karr is a volunteer on the chamber’s special events committee and serves as a member of the Chamber Ambassador Team, along with many other volunteer positions.

The Dan Foss Heritage Award was given to Charlie Benner, chairman of the Governmental Relations Committee for the Snyder County Farm Bureau. The award is given to someone with outstanding commitment and leadership within the chamber.

The guest speaker at the annual meeting was former Maryland Governor, Bob Ehrlich, who spoke about the importance of small business in political decision- making. WKOK has audio excerpts from Ehrlich and the award recipients in newscasts later today and tomorrow morning. (Ali Stevens)

100 new jobs coming to Shamokin

SHAMOKIN – A Shamokin production plant is expecting to add 100 new employees thanks to a partnership with a 3D glasses company. D/E Associates, Inc will soon begin manufacturing a new kind of 3D glasses for the big screen and home high definition TV market. Co-Owner of D/E, George DeLellis, says this is the first product of its kind in the United States, and it’s in a market that is booming.

He says they will work hard to keep up with the demand of the new product. DeLellis says in recent years, overseas competition has eroded D/E’s market share and profit margins, and he hopes this new production will help out the company, bringing more jobs to the region. He says after adding equipment and ramping up the facility, they should have 100 new employees by the end of the year.

DeLellis says they will begin production on a limited scale next week. According to D/E’s partner company, 3D Global Glasses LLC, there are 2 million TVs that are 3D ready in the U.S., and an additional 25 million are expected to be sold by the end of the year. (Sara Bartlett)

Grant could help fix Penns Creek sewer plant

PENNS CREEK – Snyder County is onboard with applying for a state grant that could bring in money to fix the wastewater treatment plant in Penns Creek. Snyder County Commissioners say the community development block grant would be a great help to the project, but it is a competitive grant, but it is a competitive grant throughout the state. The grant would be worth $500,000.

The plant are required by DEP. Changes would include upgrades to take out organic compounds in order to meet new DEP requirements. The Snyder County Commissioners have already allocated about $50,000 to be used in early work at the plant, and there are other loans and grants that could be obtained. The process of getting the CDBG grant could take nearly a year. (Sara Bartlett)

Cemetery vandal to stand trial

BLOOMSBURG – A Wilburton man has been ordered to stand trial after police say he vandalized a cemetery in Centralia, causing more than $8,000 in damages. 19-year-old David Pavloski is charged along with three teen girls for toppling about 65 tombstones at the Odd Fellows Cemetery in December.

Officials say some of the tombstones were more than 100 years old and are irreplaceable. Pavloski was in court Wednesday and gave up his right to a preliminary hearing. He is locked up in the Columbia County Prison on other charges. The teen girls will face their charges in juvenile court. (Ali Stevens)

Candidate didn’t quit

SUNBURY – A Sunbury man who was expected to be on the Republican ballot for the 108th legislative district says he didn’t “quit”. Stanley Geiswhite tells us the State Department disregarded 100 signatures he obtained for technicalities that he should have been permitted to fix.

He says he was told to go back to all 100 people and get them to sign a new petition. Geiswhite say it took until Sunday night to get all the signatures needed and he had no time to correct the problems the State Department identified to meet this week’s deadline.

Geiswhite says the process is designed by lawyers and not for “the common man” and he will know better in the future. (Ali Stevens)

Latest Pennsylvania news, lottery, business and entertainment

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Jury deliberations are under way in the case of a former Pennsylvania legislative leader and three of his ex-aides accused of diverting public resources for political campaign purposes.  The jury began its consideration of the charges against Rep. Mike Veon and the other defendants Friday after the attorney general's office made its closing arguments in the six-week-old public corruption trial.  Prosecutors say Veon was at the head of the alleged conspiracy.  Judge Richard Lewis says the case is the longest jury trial in Dauphin County's modern history.  Veon is on trial with former senior aides Steve Keefer, Annamarie Perretta-Rosepink and Brett Cott on charges of theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest.  If the jury doesn't reach a verdict by the end of the day they'll take the weekend off before deliberations resume.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Republicans in Pennsylvania have nominated a political newcomer to fill the congressional seat of the late Rep. John Murtha. Forty-one-year-old Tim Burns is a millionaire businessman and a native of Murtha's hometown of Johnstown. Burns now lives in the town of Eighty Four. Burns beat out retired Army officer Bill Russell, who mounted a strong challenge against Murtha in 2008. Burns bested Russell 85 to 46 at a GOP meeting Thursday at St. Vincent College near Latrobe. Burns will face Democrat Mark Critz in the May 18 special election to fill the remaining eight months of Murtha's term. Critz was Murtha's former district director. The district represents a large swath of southwestern Pennsylvania. Murtha died Feb. 8 following complications from gallbladder surgery.

SUTERSVILLE, Pa. (AP) - Just weeks after dealing with record-setting snowfall, residents in Pennsylvania, Ohio and New Jersey are preparing for the possibility of flooding. A large portion of Pennsylvania and all of New Jersey is under a flood watch. Parts of Ohio, along the Ohio River, are under a watch, too, with the threat of heavy rain combining with melting snowpack. The National Weather Service says warm weather and several days of rain will cause deep snow in the mountains to melt. Flooding in Pittsburgh could begin Friday night, and the Ohio River in the city is forecast to crest about two feet above flood stage on Sunday afternoon. River towns south and east of Pittsburgh are especially vulnerable to snowmelt coming downstream from the mountains. The Army Corps of Engineer's Pittsburgh district said it has 107,000 sandbags and 650 linear feet of temporary floodwall available.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Defense closing arguments are over in the six-week-old public corruption trial in Harrisburg. Lawyers for the four defendants argued today that jurors should acquit their clients of theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest. Former state Rep. Mike Veon and ex-aides Brett Cott, Steve Keefer and Annamarie Perretta-Rosepink are accused of diverting state resources and employees to wage political campaigns. The prosecution's closing is scheduled to begin Friday morning. Jury deliberations are expected to begin later in the day.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A state judge will not grant an injunction stopping new changes to Pennsylvania's residential and commercial building codes. Commonwealth Court Judge Johnny Butler said in a Wednesday order that the petition by the Pennsylvania Builders Association and private developers does nothing to address the underlying issue they are citing. The builders' January lawsuit is still standing. It says changes written by an outside code commission and adopted Dec. 31 by the state is an unconstitutional delegation of lawmaking authority. It also says the recent code updates, such as a requirement for fire sprinklers in new homes, will increase construction costs and hurt homebuyers. But Butler says the 2006 codes to which the builders and developers want to return were also produced by the same process that they call unconstitutional.

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

Updates on the latest in business

Dow: 10,624.69, up 12.85

S&P 500: 1,149.99, down -.25

NASDAQ: 2,367.66, down -.80

NEW YORK (AP) - Stock prices have posted an indecisive session so far today. The market has been enjoying gains this week, coming into the session.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Retail sales were on the rise in February, defying expectations for a decline. And excluding the auto sector, sales were up 0.8 percent.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is delaying a scheduled Asian trip as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi predicts final passage of sweeping health care legislation within days. Pelosi says a second administration priority, far-reaching changes in the student loan industry, could be added to the legislation.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Food and Drug Administration is adding its strongest warning to the label for Plavix. There have been reports that some patients cannot process the blood-thinning drug, putting them at increased risk for heart attack and stroke.

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

Pennsylvania Lottery Numbers

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

 Midday Big 4

     3-1-4-6

 Midday Number

     6-6-6

 Midday Quinto

     0-3-8-0-2

 Treasure Hunt

     04-05-08-14-17

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

Big 4 1-1-6-8

Cash 5 01-05-13-20-30

Daily Number 5-3-9

Evening Quinto 9-8-1-0-4

Midday Big 4 8-3-8-0

Midday Number 6-0-5

Midday Quinto 3-1-9-4-6

Mix and Match 03-19-16-11-01

Treasure Hunt 04-13-19-23-30

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

Privacy issues nix Netflix movie-picking contest

LOS GATOS, Calif. (AP) - Netflix has canceled a sequel to a $1 million contest to improve its movie recommendations.  The DVD-by-mail service wants to avoid a legal showdown over the privacy rights of its subscribers. The retreat announced Friday was triggered by a lawsuit alleging that Netflix violated a federal law prohibiting video rental firms from publicly sharing their customers' movie preferences.  Netflix released millions of records on how its subscribers rated movies they watched in a 2006 contest aimed at improving its movie-recommendation system by at least 10 percent. No names were provided, but critics contend there was still enough information to identify subscribers. The winning team received a $1 million prize last September when Netflix confirmed its intention to stage another contest.

WR Hank Baskett signs one-year deal with Eagles

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The Philadelphia Eagles have signed free agent wide receiver   Hank Baskett to a one-year contract.  Baskett was released by the Eagles last September after three seasons in Philadelphia. He then signed with Indianapolis and played 15 games, including playoffs.  Baskett had 71 catches for 1,046 yards and six touchdowns in 47 games with the Eagles. Three of his TD catches were longer than 85 yards.  Baskett was primarily a special teams player in Indianapolis. He caught five passes for 34 yards with the Colts.  The five-year veteran is married to Kendra Wilkinson, the former Playboy   model and girlfriend of Hugh Hefner who has her own reality  TV show, "Kendra," which on Sunday returns for its second season on the E! network. 

Authorities: No illegal drugs found in Haim case

Court upholds 'under God' in pledge, 'In God We Trust' on money

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A federal appeals court has ruled that the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance and "In God We Trust" on U.S. currency do not violate separation of church and state. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel rejected the two legal challenges by Michael Newdow, who claimed that the references to God disrespect his atheist beliefs. The same court had ruled in Newdow's favor in 2002 after he sued his daughter's school district over student recitation of the pledge.

That lawsuit reached the U.S. Supreme Court in 2004, but the high court ruled that Newdow lacked the legal standing to sue because he didn't have custody of his daughter. So Newdow, who's a lawyer, filed a new challenge on behalf of other parents. But the appeals court ruled 2-1 Thursday that the words "under God" in the pledge are constitutional. In a separate 3-0 ruling, the court upheld the words "In God We Trust" on coins and currency.

Tom Hanks: Would our teens behave as well in "The Pacific?" 

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - Especially since "The Pacific" is based on the World War II experiences of three real-life veterans, Tom Hanks hopes that people watch the mini-series on a personal level. He says "when you see it, you'll ask yourself, 'I don't know what I would have done in that same circumstance. I recognize that fear in that person's face."

And, the last connection Hanks hopes viewers make is to say they can see correlations "between the choices that those 17-year-olds made then and what 17-year-olds are making today." "The Pacific" premieres Sunday on HBO and repeats Monday on DirecTV. There are 10 episodes.

Obama-Nobel Money

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama has announced which groups will get the $1.4 million he received for winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Obama said Thursday that $250,000 will go to Fisher House, a national nonprofit that houses families whose loved ones are receiving care at Veterans Administration medical centers. He will give another $200,000 to the Bush-Clinton Haiti Fund to help the country recover from the earthquake. The balance will go to an array of other groups including education foundations, scholarship funds and regional development groups in Africa and Central Asia.

PETA Trash Cans

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - The animal rights group PETA is offering to help the cash-strapped city of Colorado Springs by paying to put trash cans back in parks - on one condition. The cans have to carry an anti-meat slogan and a picture of a woman in a lettuce bikini. The city stopped picking up trash in parks to save money, and all the trash cans have been removed.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals told city officials Wednesday they'd pay for new trash cans saying "Meat Trashes the Planet" and "Go Vegan." The cans also have PETA's logo and the lettuce-clad model. Mayor Lionel Rivera says he'll consider the offer if PETA also pays to have the trash picked up and hauled to the dump. But he joked that the Colorado Beef Council might demand equal time.