Monday, July 14, 2008

Armed robbery reported at Danville jewelry store

DANVILLE – Danville Police confirm an attempted armed robbery was reported at Ryan’s Jewelers on Mill Street in the borough.  The incident was called in at about 5:40 p.m.  Authorities issued a bulletin searching for one of two suspects, reportedly a black woman about 5’8”, said to be well dressed, and fleeing the scene in a copper or beige vehicle.  A wig used as part of a disguise was left at the scene.

The woman was reportedly wearing sunglasses and a silver or grey jacket or top.  The type of weapon involved was also unclear, and may have been a taser-style gun.  A man is in custody, according to authorities.  (Matt Farrand) 

Statistics support strong local real estate market

DANVILLE – Local homes for sale are spending less time on the market this year than last.  That’s among the messages issued by a board of realtors that surveys the five-county area.  In fact, Vice President Richard Coup of the Central Susquehanna Valley Analysts Service says the time that elapses between the date a home is listed and the date that the seller gets a check has not increased significantly in three years.  He encourages sellers to consult their realtors if their properties have been on the market too long, and adjust the price.  

The board is among those who say headlines touting an historic slump in real estate usually concern national trends or markets far from the Central Susquehanna Valley.  (Matt Farrand)

The former Wilhold building in Sunbury is a step closer to re-use

SUNBURY – The state is providing a financial boost for the renovation and reuse of the former Wilhold Building in Sunbury. The current owners, J. & J. Reality Incorporated will receive a $200,000 state grant from the Department of Community and Economic Development.

State house member Merle Phillips (R-108^th, Sunbury) announced the funding this morning and said the project will create an estimated 10 new jobs. Butter Krust Bakery in Sunbury is using the site as a distribution center and trailer storage facility. The former Wilhold manufacturing facility is at 222 Packer Street was vacated in 1999.

DeBakey plaque recalls 1974 lecture at GMC

DANVILLE – The late Dr. Michael DeBakey is being remembered locally.  Some were treated by the pioneering heart surgeon.  Others remember being inspired by his work, including Dr. Charles Benoit of Geisinger Medical Center who says the 1950’s and 60’s saw heart surgery turn from theory to a fact of medical life.  Dr. Benoit calls the early days of open-heart surgery exciting times, as doctors worked constantly and shared discoveries with each together. 

Dr. DeBakey lectured at Geisinger in 1974 and a plaque at the medical center calls attention to his achievements.  (Matt Farrand)

Police looking for suspects after high-speed chase

MOUNT CARMEL— Police are still on the lookout for two male suspects who led them on a high-speed chase early Sunday morning, in and around the borough of Mount Carmel.  The News Item reports that the male suspects attempted to steal scrap metal from Helfrick Construction Company in Diamondtown, when police were called to the scene just before 2 a.m.  That’s when it’s reported that the suspects took off in their vehicle, leading police on a chase that finally ended near the Mount Carmel High School. 

However, Police say the two suspects then fled on foot.  Canine units, additional police force, and a State Police helicopter were also called to the scene.  Police have leads in the investigation but are asking anyone with information to contact them.  (Sara Lauver)

Grand opening for a non-profit recycling center

MILTON – After only several months of business, the Hand-Up Recycling Center in Milton is a great success.  Tim Brouse of the Hand-Up Foundation says they are a non-profit; Christian based organization that provides an important recycling opportunity for residents in Milton and surrounding communities.  Brouse says they will host a grand opening at their recycling center on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. featuring an electronic recycling event. Computers and other electronic items will be taken along with appliances, including ones with Freon. 

Residents in the area are encouraged to take part in the Electronic Recycling event on Saturday.  Other items being accepted include plastic bottles, tin, aluminum, cardboard, newspaper, glass, hard and softback books, old phone books, clothing and shoes.  (Ali Stevens)

Annual race draws a crowd

SUNBURY – The annual soapbox derby race in Sunbury took place yesterday and helped to wrap up Sunbury Celebration. Sunbury police officer Brad Hare told us, about 75 kids registered for the race this year. Hare says they kids didn’t need to have their own soapbox car to race—area businesses and individuals donated the soapbox cars. The derby is a double elimination race.

Trophies were handed out for first, second and third place winners in each age category. He said says everyone who registered received a medallion and t-shirt. Hare also says, this year, thanks to a rain delay, they will end the celebration with the outdoor movie at the Oppenheimer playground. The movie will be The Princess Bride and gates will open at 8 tonight (Monday) and the movie will begin at dusk. (Sheri Rippon)

State Game Lands host first-ever footrace

ALLENWOOD – Organizers say it was the first ever footrace held on the State Game Lands that straddle Union and Lycoming Counties near Allenwood. Saturday’s Wildlife for Everyone Five miler was run amidst natural wonders, and the World War II era munitions dumps that also dot the landscape.

Kip Hoffman of Turbotville was the first overall to finish, and Nicole Falcaro of Lewisburg was the first woman. Proceeds benefited the Wildlife for Everyone Endowment, a group chartered to assist wildlife management and the Game Commission. (Matt Farrand)

Annual Peacemaker picnic delivered awards

LEWISBURG— The Center for Nonviolent Living presented its annual Peacemaker awards Sunday. This year’s recipients were Lois Passi and Samantha Pearson. Joseph Manzi, with CNL, says Passi and Pearson have made outstanding contributions to the causes of peace, justice, tolerance and environmental protection. It was the 6th annual Peacemakers Picnic held Sunday in Union County.

Motorcycle crash leaves woman in critical condition

COAL TOWNSHIP— A Point Township woman is listed in critical condition after crashing her motorcycle in Northumberland County Friday evening. 47-year-old, Karen Carman, was traveling along Route 61, near Tharptown, when she crashed and struck a guardrail around 9p.m. Police say Carman was taken by helicopter to Geisinger Medical Center, where a nursing supervisor says she is in critical condition. (Sara Lauver)

An SUV Rollover injures several in Riverside

RIVERSIDE – A rollover crash Friday evening in Riverside, Northumberland County, injured several people. State Police tell us the driver, 17-year-old Blair Aldridge lost control of his SUV as it was headed west on Route 54. It crossed the highway, and then traveled back across both lanes before rolling over and coming to rest in an upright position.

Aldridge and five other teenage passengers (from the Jersey Shore and Williamsport areas) were all taken to Geisinger Medical Center after the 7:10 p.m. crash. A nursing supervisor says all of the teens were treated and released from the hospital. (Terry Diener)

Police investigate burglary involving stolen handguns

HERNDON – State Police are investigating a burglary in Northumberland County Friday. State Police in Stonington say that handguns and ATV’s were stolen from a residence in Herndon. Police say the incident happened during the daytime hours on Friday, and sometime between 12 and 1 p.m., a person or persons stole handguns from a residence along Winding Hollow Road.

Reports say two ATVS, both red in color, were also taken from that property. Police say the off-road vehicles may have been spotted in Klingerstown in Schuylkill County after that theft. Anyone with information is asked to contact State Police in Stonington. (Sara Lauver)

Laptop computers stolen from Sunbury business

SUNBURY— Sunbury Police are investigating a burglary that occurred at a rental business on North 4th Street in the city. Police say it happened around 3:30 a.m. Saturday morning. Reports say a person or persons got in through the rear of the store and made off with four laptop computers and their cases. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Sunbury Police. (Sara Lauver)

Lock up your bikes, multiple stolen in Northumberland County

UNDATED— There are two reports of stolen bicycles in Northumberland County last week that resulted in a total five bikes being taken. State Police in Stonington say three bikes were reportedly stolen from a campsite at the Fantasy Island Campground on Packer’s Island this week. It happened sometime overnight between July 7th and July 8th . Police say the bikes were valued at nearly $825.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, State Police in Milton report that two more bikes were taken from a shed located on a property in West Chillisquaque Township. That happened sometime overnight between July 9th and July 10th. State Police ask anyone with information on these thefts to contact them. (Sara Lauver)

Meeting set for tonight on Rails to Trail proposal

LEWISBURG – Officials with the West Shore Railroad say they were hoping to preserve the line that ran from Montandon to Lewisburg and Mifflinburg. However, Board Member Eric Winslow says revenue producing traffic never developed, so they sold the right of way to the Lewisburg Area Recreation Authority for use as a recreational trail. The sale to LARA was announced Friday.

A meeting to discuss the trail is set for tonight. LARA says the rail track still needs to be pulled up and the railbed will need to be groomed before the rails-to-trails corridor can be used. There’s been no rail traffic on the line since the early 1990’s . A citizen’s forum regarding the project is scheduled for tonight at the Union County Government Building at 7:00 p.m. (Matt Farrand)

Large equipment headed to PPL

BERWICK - A new steam dryer for the Unit 2 reactor at PPL’s Susquehanna Nuclear Plant near Berwick is scheduled to arrive Tuesday. Neil Gannon, PPL’s vice president of Nuclear Operations says the steam dryer on Unit 2 is being replaced as part of the project to increase the amount of electricity that can be generated.

The steam dryer, which is located above the reactor, helps to remove more than 99 percent of the moisture in the steam that turns the turbine to generate electricity. If not removed, the moisture would damage the turbine’s blades. The dryer is being shipped in two large pieces on extra-long truck trailers that require police escort for the trip Monday and Tuesday from the manufacturer near Pittsburgh.

The truck’s route will take it east along Interstate 80 to Route 11 north, which it will follow to the plant, located in Salem Township about seven miles north of Berwick. As the truck travels through Berwick, residents may experience traffic delays and possible closure of some streets. (Terry Diener)

Truckers going ‘green’ at Milton truck stop

MILTON, Pa. (AP) - So-called "electrified truck stops" like one in Milton are getting attention from truckers interested in reducing pollution, engine grind and fuel bills. The truck stops allow drivers to connect to power hookups to watch TV, surf the Internet, or just keep their cabs at the right temperature - all without idling their diesel engines.

Environmentalists have long been critical of the pollution emitted by diesel engines. Tractor-trailers are among the most common and plentiful sources of soot. Some trucking companies have installed auxiliary power units for their cabs.

Those also allow drivers to have heat or air conditioning during breaks without having to run the engine. Pennsylvania Motor Trucking Association president Jim Runk says many truckers are using such options now because fuel prices are at a point where "they just can't put up with it."

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Latest Pennsylvania news, sports, business and entertainment:

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Tolls on Interstate 80 are projected to generate about $250 million a year to repair the highway's surface, rebuild its bridges and perform other construction work.  Pennsylvania Turnpike officials provided new details about their long-term plans for the northern Pennsylvania interstate at a Monday news conference. The improvement plan is part of a revised application that the turnpike plans to submit to federal regulators next month. Federal approval is required to add tolls to I-80.

READING, Pa. (AP) - A former Pennsylvania police chief has pleaded guilty to a theft count for losing drug money.  Chris Wade failed to properly account for more than $3,000 seized in drug investigations when he was police chief in Lykens.  Dauphin County Assistant District Attorney Jenni Henley Allen says there is no evidence that Wade spent the money, only that he took it and then couldn't find it.  Defense lawyer Allan Sodomsky tells the Reading Eagle that the plea is only an admission that Wade failed to handle funds properly.

Prosecutors have agreed not to object to a sentence of probation for the Hamburg resident.  Wade also acknowledged that he falsely stated he had never been arrested when he applied for a police job in 2003. He had a prior arrest that was dismissed for a lack of evidence.

PORTAGE, Pa. (AP) - Authorities in Cambria County are trying to figure out what caused a head-on collision between a car and a pickup truck that killed four people early Sunday. Authorities say the 2003 Chevy Cavalier and 1989 Chevy pickup collided shortly before 3:30 a.m. in rainy conditions on a narrow road in Portage Township. Jeffrey Lees, the county's chief deputy coroner, says four of the five people in the car died, all men from Portage.

He says 23-year-old driver Richard McKrush Jr., 25-year-old Joseph Krug Jr., and 25-year-old Eric Secriskey died at the scene, while 26-year-old Ryan Zunich died several hours later at Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown. Lees says none of the victims were wearing seat belts. Another passenger from the car and all three people in the pickup truck were taken to Memorial Medical Center, where their conditions were not immediately available. Lees says the accident remains under investigation, but alcohol and speed were factors.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - For more than 30 years, the National Governors' Association has met in presidential election years as one of its members made a bid for the White House. Think of Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Michael Dukakis, Bill Clinton or George W. Bush. But not this time. With two senators as the presumed presidential nominees, the governors have been consigned to the running-mate heap. So governors and former governors are eyeing each other for telltale hints during their gathering this weekend in Philadelphia. Yet no one is tipping a hand.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is often mentioned as a possible pick for Republican John McCain. Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is said to have caught the eye of Barack Obama's campaign.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Here are the winning numbers selected Monday in the midday Pennsylvania State Lottery drawing:

Daily Number 8-3-1

Big 4 7-7-3-9

Treasure Hunt 3-6-7-21-25

AP-NY-07-14-08 0030EDT

PENNY RECORDS

FORT SCOTT, Kan. (AP) - How far can a penny go? How about more than three million of them? The people of Fort Scott, Kansas, are claiming two new Guinness coin records. They put together a 40-mile-long chain of pennies. That breaks the previous Guinness mark for a coin chain of a little over 34 miles set in Malaysia in 1995. The Kansas penny people also set a new world record for laying down a mile-long line of pennies -- in just over two hours, 20 minutes. All those pennies will go toward improvements at a local park. Volunteer Diana Mitchell thinks they're penny feats are "pretty awesome."

BEE-CHOPPER CRASH

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. (AP) - Blame it on a bee. Authorities in Wisconsin report a crop-dusting helicopter crashed after a bee got sucked into the cockpit and stung the pilot. Wood County Deputy Ted Ashbeck says the chopper was only four feet off the ground at the time. The pilot wasn't hurt when the tail rotor smashed into the ground. He tells authorities he flew over beehives while spraying a cranberry marsh. Deputy Ashbeck adds the helicopter is "pretty banged up."

ANGELINA JOLIE GIVES BIRTH

NICE, France (AP) - Brad and Angelina's twins have arrived. And, it turns out, they're fraternal, not identical. Angelina Jolie gave birth Saturday night to a boy and a girl. She and Brad Pitt have named the boy, Knox Leon. And, they're calling the girl, Vivienne Marcheline. Marcheline was Jolie's mother's name. The twins were delivered by Caesarean section. At birth, the boy weighed a fraction over 5 pounds and the girl weighed 5 pounds even. The doctor says Jolie, the babies and Pitt, "are doing marvelously well." Jolie and the babies are expected to stay in the hospital for a few more days.

Schwarzenegger

WASHINGTON (AP) - You won't find California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger bad-mouthing the flip-flopping by politicians. He's told ABC's "This Week" that he thinks flip-flopping is great, and gets a bad rap. Schwarzenegger says if a politician changes his mind on something, there's nothing wrong with that if he or she is honest. He says he's changed his mind on some matters. As for John McCain and Barack Obama, Schwarzenegger thinks they should move toward the center now that both have locked up their parties' nominations. When asked if he'd be interested in a job in a McCain or Obama administration, Schwarzenegger says no, but he's willing to help either with environmental issues.