Friday, August 1, 2008

UPPER AUGUSTA TWP – Emergency crews had to tow a powerboat back to shore Friday.  Northumberland County Communications reports the engine in the craft blew shortly before 5:00 p.m. near the Shikellamy State Park Marina.  They were unable to tow the boat to the Marina, and had to pull it over to near the Barry King Bridge instead.  Officials did not supply the name of the boater, but note that no injuries were reported in the incident on the Susquehanna    (Matt Farrand) 

Ulp says quality early childhood education pays off long term, as young students become more productive citizens later in life.  The 16-page guide is also available through the Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way and at the Penn State Cooperative Extension of Union and Snyder Counties.  Call 966-8194 for more information.  (Matt Farrand) 

MIFFLINBURG – A former security guard in the Mifflinburg School District will go to trial on charges of rape, sexual assault and indecent exposure.  District Justice Leo Armbruster bound all charges to court on Thursday following a preliminary hearing for 59-year-old Jerry Haines of Mifflinburg.  Police say Haines raped a 14-year-old boy twice in February of 2006 at a home in the borough.  District Justice Jeffrey Mensch recused himself from the case because he knows Haines through church and other area events.  Haines is free on bail and faces formal arraignment on August 18^th.  (Ali Stevens)

• Eagle 107 (107.3FM) at 6a.m.
• 100.9, The Valley, at 6a.m.
• WKOK at 9a.m.
• Talkradio 1380 WMLP, 11a.m.
• 94KX at 11p.m.
• And anytime, at www.wkok.com

Lewisburg area woman finds intruder in her home

EAST BUFFALO TWP – A Lewisburg area woman went into her bedroom yesterday and found an intruder. It happened on Abbey Lane in East Buffalo Township around 2:30 in the afternoon, the woman encountered the female burglar in her bedroom. Police say the unexpected guest faked illness and walked out of the house and got into a waiting van.

The suspect is described as a small, heavy-set woman in her 40’s or 50’s. The man driving the van is described as an older, white male with thinning hair. Police say the suspects appear to be of Indian origin. The vehicle is an older model gold Chevrolet Astro van. Neighbors say the van went the wrong way on a one-way street, then south on Route 15.

Police say it is not known if anything was taken from the home. They ask anyone to call authorities if you have information that could help solve that home invasion crime in the Lewisburg area Thursday. (Matt Farrand)

A warning about a magazine sales scam

HARRISBURG – There is a warning about magazine sales scam in our area. Young representatives of a Texas-based company called “Always Helping People LLC” are reportedly visiting homes in the area. They often ask for subscription payment in cash or checks made out to “FNT Inc.”

The Better Business Bureau cannot locate the company in its home state and the post office box they were using no longer exists. Residents who believe they are victims of a scam or unfair business practice should contact the state Attorney General’s office. (Matt Farrand)

Campus Theater launches marquee method of fundraising

LEWISBURG – It’ll be about a month before the Campus Theater in Lewisburg shows movies again. Executive Director Mary Bannon says the damage caused by a burst water pipe in the basement could have been worse.

Bannon says the building could have burned down if it had been unattended—because of a small electrical fire. Staff and patrons were safely evacuated from a late June showing of Wall-E. About three feet of water had to be removed, and some electrical equipment shorted out and caught on fire.

Meantime, they’re making space on their marquee available. Bannon says the demand has been steady so far. Anniversary messages are popular, but there have been no marriage proposals yet. Bannon says you can call the Campus at 524-9629 or log onto www.thecampustheatre.com for more information. The rate for a marquee message is $50 per side per day. (Matt Farrand)

Bail remains as-is for murder for hire suspect

SUNBURY – Bail will not be reduced for 28-year-old Christeen Smith, the Sunbury woman accused of trying to hire an undercover officer to kill the father of her 8-month-old son. Smith’s attorney, Public Defender Michael Suders, was in court Wednesday with pre-trial motions for Northumberland County Judge Charles Saylor.

The Daily Item reports Suders wants to suppress testimony from Smith’s estranged husband, 33-year-old Jeremy Smith of Milton, and wiretaps of their conversations, since they are still married, claiming it’s privileged communications between a man and wife. Police say Smith called her estranged husband and asked him to kill her boyfriend, 46-year-old Donald “Sonny” Ellis.

Jeremy Smith than contacted state police and Ellis about the plot. Christeen Smith was then caught paying an undercover officer $500 to shoot Ellis. There was also a request to lower bail, which was refused by the Judge. Smith remains locked up in the Northumberland County Prison, following her arrest in April. (Ali Stevens)

Items stolen from produce stand outside Selinsgrove

SELINSGROVE – State police are investigating after several items were stolen from a produce stand along Route 522 in Penn Township, outside Selinsgrove. Troopers say the theft took place at Scott’s Berry Farm sometime Sunday night or early Monday morning.

Items stolen include several watermelons, carrots, 10 dozen eggs, bottled water, several bags of peanuts and 15 pounds of bananas. Anyone with information on the theft is asked to call State Police at Selinsgrove. (Ali Stevens)

Threats via mail investigated in Shamokin, Coal Township

SHAMOKIN – The investigation continues into six threatening mailings in the Shamokin and Coal Township areas recently and now a U.S. postal inspector is getting involved. The News Item reports five of the mailings were bomb threats and the sixth mailing contained a suspicious powder mailed to Shamokin Area Community Hospital.

Other targets included the Zerbe Township Municipal building, the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Coal Township, Shamokin City Hall, the office of Dr. James Bull in Shamokin and the Coal Township Elderly Housing building. The mailings took place between July 18th and Tuesday of this week. Anyone with information about the bomb threats is urged to contact police. (Ali Stevens)

Man in fair condition after ATV accident

MOUNT CARMEL – A Mount Carmel man remains in fair condition at Geisinger Medical Center after his ATV went down a 50-foot embankment Tuesday morning. Emergency personnel say 32-year-old David Dehoutaint was seriously injured when he was ejected from the ATV in a mountainous area near Excelsior around 2:30 a.m. Crews used ropes to repel down the mountain to get to Dehoutaint, who was flown to Geisinger. Officers from Mount Carmel Township and Coal Township assisted at the scene. (Ali Stevens)

Superintendent, new board member needed in the Midd West School District

MIDDLEBURG – A new superintendent and another board member are needed in the Midd West School District. Lawrence Potash was selected as acting superintendent, effective Thursday, following the retirement of Superintendent Richard Martz, who announced he was retiring in April.

A board member has decided to resign. Nancy Bickhart’s term would have expired in November of 2009, but her resignation was also effective Thursday. The school board is looking to appoint a new member to serve the remainder of Bickhart’s term. (Ali Stevens)

Rural mass transit proposal unveiled by State House candidate

SUNBURY – A candidate for state representative in the 85th District has unveiled a rural mass transit proposal. Steve Connolly is the Democratic challenger for the 85th District State House seat held by incumbent Russ Fairchild. Connolly was a guest on our live talk show “On the Mark” Thursday and talked about his rural mass transit proposal that he has been working on.

The first step is to create a website for people interested in finding people to carpool with. The next step is called vanpool that would shuttle people to and from their workplace. And the third phase would provide bussing from community to community with park and ride parking lots.

He says implementing the plan will be all about education and gathering the major area employer’s input and needs. Steve Connolly comes from New Columbia. You can hear all his comments online at www.wkok.com and click on the Mark. (Ali Stevens)

Boroughs to the Bay and Beyond

SHAMOKIN – Over a dozen people from numerous environmental groups around the Valley got together earlier this month in an effort to stabilize the stream bank along Little Shamokin Creek. The creek is Sunbury’s main supply of water.

Jackie Harner is a Watershed Specialist for the Northumberland County Conservation District and says this site was a priority because the creek was eroding the bank, which was close to Comfort Road in Rockefeller Township. Installing a log deflector, which they did at a number of spots along the creek, would improve fish habitat and water quality, remove sediment and stabilize the bank, therefore saving the road.

Harner worked with the Little Shamokin Creek Watershed Association to stabilize six spots along the waterway. She explains that the log defectors are angled upstream and re-channel the water into the middle of the stream, rather than having it hit the bank. President of the Watershed Association Bob Herman says they worked hard and had a lot of help with the process.

Assisting the Little Shamokin Creek Watershed Association were members from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Rockefeller and Upper Augusta Townships and the Sunbury Municipal Authority. They hope to see immediate results of stabilization during times of high waters and expect their efforts to hold for many years. You can read and listen to more comments about this story at our Boroughs to the Bay and Beyond page online at wkok.com. (Sara Bartlett)

Latest Pennsylvania news, sports, business and entertainment:

UNDATED (AP) - Republican John McCain appears to be cutting into Democrat Barack Obama's lead in the presidential race in Pennsylvania. According to a Quinnipiac University poll released today, Obama holds a 49 to 42 point lead - down from the 12-point edge the Democratic senator held June 18 in the last poll. Clay Richards, the assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, says, "One reason for Sen. McCain's narrowing the gap is partly energy policy, especially high gasoline prices." Richards says McCain has stated that he favors offshore drilling to increase the gas supply, a position backed by 60 percent of Pennsylvania voters. Obama opposes that approach. According to Richards, Pennsylvania voters now say, 56 to 35 percent, that the energy policy is more important in the campaign than the Iraq war. The poll was conducted by telephone July 23-29 with 1,317 likely Pennsylvania voters. It has a 2.7-point margin of sampling error.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress is working on a bonus for soldiers who were forced to stay in Iraq and Afghanistan past their enlistment. A House subcommittee has approved a measure that would provide an extra $500 a month in retroactive "special pay" for about 160,000 troops affected by the so-called "stop loss" policy after 9/11. An estimated 12,000 troops currently in that situation would also qualify. The panel approved the measure as part of a military spending bill that Congress will take up when it returns in September. Congressman John Murtha says the 600-million-dollar cost is justified because some troops were unable to start jobs or attend college when their enlistments were extended. The Pennsylvania Democrat calls that an unfair, "back-door draft." Military leaders have said the policy is necessary to keep troops with critical skills and maintain the continuity of a unit.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The state House Democratic caucus has paid lawyers and consultants more than $1.4 million for help in responding to an investigation into whether government money and resources were illegally used for political campaigns. The figure includes $618,000 in public funds the caucus paid to lawyers who represented more than 135 caucus employees and a small number of Democratic state representatives. The caucus also has paid about $800,000 to Chadwick Associates Inc., a Washington business that is helping it respond to the attorney general's investigation. Earlier this month, 12 people associated with the House Democratic caucus were charged with theft, conflict of interest and conspiracy.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A small Civil War museum has made an intriguing discovery. While sifting through storage, workers found that a document that has long been treated as a photo reproduction of the terms of Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender. And now it appears, upon closer inspection, to contain actual signatures and date to 1865. Museum officials believe they have one of the three original documents signed by representatives of the Union and Confederacy in Appomattox Court House, Va., on April 10, 1865 - a day after Lee's surrender. The National Park Service historian at Appomattox says it's more likely a souvenir copy signed by the same men at that time – still a significant discovery, he says, even if it's not one of the official copies. The Civil War & Underground Railroad Museum of Philadelphia has held the document since the early 20th century.

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

Big Cat Found

BLACKWOOD, N.J. (AP) - An animal shelter official says a porky white cat found lumbering around New Jersey on Saturday had been abandoned by a woman who says her home was foreclosed. The 44-pound cat, dubbed "Princess Chunk," became a local media sensation. The fat feline even appeared on "Live With Regis and Kelly." The director of the Camden County Animal Shelter, says the cat's owner has come forward to describe the animal's background. And, to reveal that the cat is actually a male named Powder. She's received hundreds of calls from people wanting to adopt him. The largest cat on record weighed 46 pounds, 15 ounces. That Australian cat died in the 1980s. Guinness World Records has dropped the category, fearing cat owners might harm their animals in an attempt to break the record.

Exercise Pill

NEW YORK (AP) - What if a drug could help you gain some of the benefits of exercise without working up a sweat? Scientists report there is such a drug -- if you happen to be a mouse. In a study, sedentary mice that took the drug (AICAR) for four weeks burned more calories and had less fat than untreated mice. And when tested on a treadmill, they could run about 44 percent farther and 23 percent longer than untreated mice. Just how well those results might translate to people is an open question. But researchers say someday such a drug might help treat obesity, diabetes and people with medical conditions that keep them from exercising. The scientists also report that in mice that did exercise training, a second drug -- GW1516 -- made their workout much more effective at boosting endurance. The research is published online by the journal Cell.

Phoenix Mars

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Phoenix spacecraft has tasted Martian water for the first time. The robot heated up ice in one of its instruments earlier this week. Scientists say the chemical test confirms the presence of ice near the Martian North Pole. Until now, the evidence for ice has been circumstantial. That was based on photos Phoenix took of a hard splotchy area near its landing site and changes it saw in a trench. Phoenix landed in the Martian arctic on May 25 on a three-month digging mission. NASA has said it's extending the mission another two months.

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