Thursday, August 5, 2010
Bulldozer rolls off trailer, damages vehicles and a home
POINT TWP -- Three vehicles and a home, all owned by a Point Township couple, were damaged after a bulldozer slid off a trailer Thursday morning. Glenn Staloch was outside of his home on 13th Street around 8:30a.m. when he saw the unoccupied bulldozer rolling toward his property.
Point Township Police Chief Josh VanKirk tells us a driver for construction company ResCo parked the truck and trailer in the area, put the emergency brake on and left. Shortly after, the brake failed, and the trailer disconnected, sending the heavy piece of equipment down the road.
The bulldozer damaged three vehicles and a home owned by Glenn and Linda Staloch. The home, adjacent to the one where the Staloch's live, is vacant. The bulldozer pushed in the home's foundation. Vankirk says the home is now condemned pending an inspection to determine if it is safe.
According to VanKirk, two of the vehicles were heavily damaged and one had some minor damages. There were no injuries reported. VanKirk says no charges will be filed against the construction company. (Sara Bartlett)
Liverpool woman falls out of RV on Route 147
MILTON -- A Liverpool woman escaped major injuries after falling out of an RV onto Route 147 Thursday morning. Around 10:45a.m., 67-year-old Mary Jane Humphrey was a passenger in the RV driving north on Route 147 near Route 642 in West Chillisquaque Township. Humphrey got up to walk toward the back of the RV, lost her balance and fell through a rear door and onto the roadway.
Humphrey was taken by Life Flight to Geisinger Medical Center with serious, but non-life threatening injuries, according to police. No word on her condition. Milton State Police were assisted at the scene by Milton, William Cameron and Evangelical ambulances, as well as the Milton Fire Company. (Sara Bartlett)
One injury after truck crash outside of Sunbury
SUNBURY -- One injury was reported after a crash Thursday morning on Route 61 outside of Sunbury. A pickup truck, driven by 30-year-old Roy Schlesinger of Elysburg, struck a tree just south of Oaklyn Elementary School just after 8:00a.m.
Schlesinger was taken to Geisinger Medical Center for treatment of unknown injuries. Emergency crews remained on the scene until about 10:00a.m., directing traffic through the area. Traffic was slow in the area for more than an hour. Schlesinger will be cited for causing the crash. (Sara Bartlett)
Northumberland County demolition company faces illegal dumping citation
MOUNT CARMEL -- A Mount Carmel demolition company is accused of illegal dumping of waste material. Northeast Industrial Services Corporation was in charge of cleaning up the waste from the July fire in Kulpmont that destroyed the Pappy Baluta and Sons Plumbing building along Chestnut Street. Following calls from residents regarding suspicious activity, police went to the former site of the plumbing business to talk with the crew doing the demolition.
After an investigation it was found that Northeast was dumping the waste materials at a site in Mount Carmel Township. Police went to the Locust Summit location and found the materials scattered across a large area for salvage to be sorted through for scrap. DEP will issue two citations to Northeast for violations of the solid waste management act. (Sara Bartlett)
Governor wants a special session later this month to discuss the state’s deficient bridges
NUMEDIA – Governor Ed Rendell says the time is now to put funding in place for the state’s structurally deficient bridges. Rendell visited Columbia County on Wednesday and is pushing for the legislature to get back in session to discuss the growing number of deficient bridges in the state. Rendell says stimulus money has helped a bit but now is the time to put the funding in place.
He says if gas taxes are not raised along with fees for vehicle registrations and drivers licenses, they will be in a lot of trouble, as bridges continue to deteriorate and PennDOT planning projects 5-years in advance. That’s why he is pushing to get this done now, calling for the legislators to get to Harrisburg. Rendell is hoping for a special session two weeks prior to Labor Day on August 23rd. To hear more from Governor Ed Rendell from Columbia County, you can listen online at www.wkok.com.
Charges go to court for former Northumberland borough council president
SUNBURY -- Charges are going to court for a former Northumberland borough council president. 39-year-old Bryan Wolfe was in court Wednesday, and waived his right to a preliminary hearing. He is facing theft charges after allegedly stealing over $18,000 from the borough. Allegations say Wolfe, while serving as president, used a borough credit card to purchase over $18,000 in computer software. The software is unaccounted for.
Wolfe is also facing charges in Snyder County. There, he's accused of stealing more than $178,000 from his former employer. He allegedly bought software using the company's money, then resold the software and kept the money. For these charges, Wolfe has a preliminary hearing August 17th before District Judge Willis Savidge. (Sara Bartlett)
Good weather is forecast for the annual Lemonade Day event in Northumberland
NORTHUMBERLAND – The 6th annual Lemonade Day event will be held at the Second Street Community Center in Northumberland this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Noelle Long organizes the event and says new this year will be a petting zoo for the kids along with their traditional games such as hula-hooping and a watermelon seed spitting contest.
There will also be many homemade lemonade stands decorated in a number of themes. The kids participating in the event have already pre-registered and will be judges on their booth and their lemonade recipe. The Community Center is located at 2nd and Orange Streets in Northumberland. (Ali Stevens)
Plea deal reached for a bus driver accused of molesting four female passengers
MIDDLEBURG – A plea deal has been reached for a bus driver that was accused of molesting four young female passengers back in May. Snyder County District Attorney Michael Piecuch says a plea deal was reached on Wednesday with 53-year-old Harry Miller Jr. of New Berlin.
Miller will now plead guilty to a 1st degree misdemeanor of endangering the welfare of children and other charges against him, including indecent assault and four counts of corruption of minors, will be dropped. Miller was accused of touching and grabbing four girls ages 8 to 11 while working as a bus driver for the Midd West School District.
Miller faces a sentence ranging from probation to 9 months in prison for the endangerment charge. He waived his right to a preliminary hearing and will enter a guilty plea in court at his arraignment. (Ali Stevens)
Two parents charged with child abuse were in court this week
RICHFIELD – Two parents from Richfield, charged in connection with the abuse of their baby, were in court this week for preliminary hearings. 26-year-old Joshua Sheaffer and 25-year-old Rebecca Keller, are charged in Juniata County with numerous counts relating to the abuse of their son, who was 5-weeks old at the time. Police say Sheaffer would beat the baby when he became fussy and Keller then kept the abuse a secret.
Police claim Sheaffer threatened Keller if she took the child to the hospital because he would get in trouble. All charges against Sheaffer and Keller were bound to court. They are both free on bail. The baby sustained bruising and possible rib fractures. (Ali Stevens)
Man flees after robbing Route 11 convenience store
MONTOUR TWP -- Police are searching for a man who robbed a convenience store just over the Montour County line Wednesday. The man went into the store long Route 11 in Montour Township, Columbia County around 9:00p.m. and demanded cash from the clerk. It is unknown if the man had a weapon, or how much money he got away with. The man fled after the robbery toward Valley Road. Police believe he got into a vehicle not far from the scene.
The Montour County Sheriff's Department, State Police and Hemlock Township Police all assisted. Search dogs and an infrared camera were both used after the incident. The man is descried as white, 5'9", wearing blue jeans and possibly a yellow sweatshirt. Anyone with information is asked to call police. (Sara Bartlett)
Lesser charges in the works for an accused killer in Sunbury
SUNBURY -- No felony charges are now pending for the Sunbury man, charged in connection with the 'one-punch' fatal attack on another man. Frank Brannon Jr. is now accused of one misdemeanor count of involuntary manslaughter.
He was facing a felony charge of aggravated assault, but the county D-A told WKOK, the evidence does not support that charge. The investigation revealed that Cruz died from blunt force trauma to the head, which is believed to have happened when Cruz fell on concrete after being punched.
Brannon is accused in the fatal blow that killed Jorge Cruz on June 14th in Sunbury. The one-blow attack took place after Cruz left a bar at Third and Raspberry Streets just before midnight. There was a dispute over a female underway at the bar, which prompted the incident.
The D-A said the lesser charges are appropriate and the case is now on the court list in Northumberland Count, with a charge of involuntary manslaughter pending. Brannon’s next scheduled appearance in court is September 27th. (Mark Lawrence)
Governor says highway rehab plan needs public support
NUMIDIA – Motorists statewide could face higher prices for fuel, driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations if Governor Ed Rendell successfully sells his plan to finance highway and bridge rehab. The governor says it’s important that the public gets behind such a plan, and told reporters about it Wednesday at a bridge over Roaring Creek along Route 42 in Columbia County.
The governor says higher taxes and fees are needed to make up for money lost when the federal government rejected a proposal to put tolls on Interstate 80. He says the 70-year-old bridge over Roaring Creek is emblematic of the need to refresh the state’s transportation infrastructure, as it handles thousand of vehicles per day, yet is considered structurally deficient.
The governor is calling for the legislature to meet in a special session starting on August 23rd to address the problem. He says it won't kill legislators to do their job in the summer...they are the second highest paid in the U.S. and they should make a full time commitment to the issue. His entire remarks from Wednesday’s Columbia County appearance are available online at www.wkok.com (Ali Stevens)
Geisinger doc excited about new Selinsgrove clinic
SELINSGROVE – Geisinger new medical facility in Selinsgrove will be opening soon. The office is along University Avenue, across from Susquehanna University. Geisinger has partnered with Susquehanna to turn the former St. Pius X Church on University Avenue into a new health clinic for the students at the University and for the general public.
Dr. Michael Ryan, chairman of the Janet Weis Children’s Hospital at Geisinger says the project has been in the works for quite a while, but just recently came together. And Dr. Ryan says they will soon be seeing patients at the clinic. He says they have hired five pediatricians to staff the facility, which is open seven days a week.
They hope to start seeing patients somewhere around the 27th of September. The St. Pius building became available a couple of years ago, when the church built a new location nearby. The University purchased the building and then transformed it into the new student health center and Geisinger clinic. (Ali Stevens)
The state’s natural gas drillers could be harming the environment
HARRISBURG – An environmental group says the state’s natural gas drillers could be harming the environment. The Pennsylvania Land Trust Association is out with a list of over 1,400 violations committed by Marcellus shale drillers in Pennsylvania. The DEP citations were issued over the last 2.5 years.
The association says 952 of these violations are potentially harmful to the environment. Executive Director of The Pennsylvania Land Association, Andy Loza says all these violations are fairly serious and have serious consequences. He says that whether it’s going to harm fish in the stream, potentially cause a blowout, or cause contamination of groundwater, they are all serious kinds of errors.
Out of the 43 Pennsylvania companies currently drilling for natural gas in the state, some are in trouble more often—for example, one company has only 8 violations while another has 138. Loza says the industry should be able to set a goal of zero tolerance for violations. Loza is on this week’s Leaders & Lawmakers program. The show airs today at 3pm, or listen to it on our website at www.wkok.com. (Stephanie Klock)
Life Flight in Point Township Tuesday night.... but there was no emergency
POINT TOWNSHIP -- Point Township was one of the many National Night Out events Tuesday evening. The Life Flight helicopter was at the event and pilot Wayne O'Connor told us, its part of their outreach and good for the public to see them close-up. He says people always see them flying over their houses, but never have seen the inside of the aircraft.
One 5th grader at the event last night, Hannah Grenell was fascinated by the Life Flight helicopter and told us, she had seen the chopper in use once before, when her sister was taken to the hospital. National Night Out is celebrated on the first Tuesday in August to bring the police department and the community together in a relaxed setting. (Mark Lawrence)
American Legion Riders have a fundraiser in Selinsgrove this weekend
SELINSGROVE – The American Legion Riders will host a car wash this Saturday at Aubrey Alexander Toyota in Hummels Wharf, beginning at 10 a.m. All money raised will support the veterans. Also, raffle tickets are being sold for a car giveaway.
A donated car from Aubrey Alexander will be given away on August 28th. Tickets are $5.00 and are available at the American Legion Post 25 in Selinsgrove. Residents are encouraged to attend the car wash Saturday and support your local veterans. (Ali Stevens)
Congressman Carney reports for active duty in Virginia
WASHINGTON D.C. -- Congressman Chris Carney (D-10th, Dimock) has reported for active duty at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. Carney, one of four members of the U.S. House of Representatives actively serving in the military, will be on duty through August 8th.
Carney will be involved with the Predator Missions in Afghanistan while on active duty. He was activated for Operations Southern Watch, Nobel Eagle and Enduring Freedom. The congressman is required to report for multiple weeks of Reserve duty each year. (Ali Stevens)
Milton man injured in motorcycle accident
MILTON -- The latest in a series of motorcycle crashes this summer took place on Monday night in West Chillisquaque Township, Northumberland County. State police say 44-year-old Craig Wheeland of Milton was traveling north on Noaker Road, just south of Route 45 when he lost control of his motorcycle on a curve.
The motorcycle struck a driveway and then slid across the road. Wheeland was taken to Evangelical Community Hospital for treatment of moderate injuries. He was not wearing a helmet and his condition is not known. (Ali Stevens)
Unit 1 at the Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant is back in service
BERWICK -- Unit 1 at Susquehanna's Nuclear Power Plant near Berwick is back in service following a shut down of the reactor on July 16th. Unit 1 was shut down after river water entered the turbine-building basement from hatches that provide access to the unit's condenser. The condenser uses river water to cool the steam leaving the turbine.
PPL officials say while the unit was shut down, repairs were made to the circulating water system and the equipment was assessed in the basement. All of the water removed from the turbine building was processed and the unit is now ready to run normally. The unit was put back in service Wednesday morning. (Ali Stevens)
Local foundation donated over $20,000 to families fighting cancer
MILTON -- To date, the DJD Fight On Foundation has donated over $20,000 to help local families fighting cancer. 27-year-old Mindy Dull of Lewisburg started the Foundation with her husband Derrick, as he fought leukemia.
Derrick was first diagnosed in January 2008 and died in December 2008 at the age of 23. Dull says they had the idea to help adults and families struggling to keep up with the financial burdens of fighting cancer. The Foundation helps with paying medical expenses, medications and living expenses for families.
While Derrick was fighting the disease, 30-year-old Mary Beaver of West Milton was taking care of her husband Mike, who was diagnosed with cancer in August 2008. Mike lost his battle last year. Beaver says during her husband's fight with cancer, Dull contacted her.
She says Dull asked what the Foundation could do to help. Beaver said she and her five children had little furniture, so the foundation provided them with a living room and dining room set, as well as beds. The Fight On Foundation raises money by holding fundraisers, both locally and in Derrick's hometown in Lancaster County.
The next fundraiser is a 5K run/walk in Milton. The race is 9:00a.m. Saturday at Baugher Elementary School. Day of registration is $20.00 and all of the proceeds will go to the Foundation to help local families undergoing cancer treatment. For more information on the race and the foundation go to www.djdfighton.org. (Sara Bartlett)
Latest Pennsylvania news, business, lottery and entertainment
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A bill that could help Pennsylvania avoid deeper budget cuts and more layoffs of public sector employees is headed toward a final vote in Congress. The bill passed the U.S. Senate 61-39 today, after months of partisan wrangling. The bill is expected to deliver nearly $1 billion in recession-related aid to the Pennsylvania state treasury and school districts. It provides a six-month extension of aid enacted in last year's federal stimulus law to help states and schools maintain programs amid flagging tax collections. The House is expected to vote on it next week. Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell says the money will help the state and local governments avoid thousands of layoffs. Most Republicans opposed the bill as an irresponsible bailout.
CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) - Free train rides and bridge passages are over for Delaware River Port Authority employees. And 11 managers are losing their car allowances. The CEO of the bi-state agency ended the perks on Wednesday amid an outcry from the governors of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. CEO John Matheussen said the reforms could be implemented without a vote from the agency's board. Other planned changes are subject to a vote. The DRPA runs four toll bridges connecting New Jersey and Pennsylvania in the Philadelphia area. The agency has come under scrutiny after it was revealed that the daughter of its security director was using a colleague's free bridge pass. The official, Michael Joyce, has since resigned.
LATROBE, Pa. (AP) - A brewery is being blamed for a Pennsylvania town's bad case of beer breath. City Brewing Co. has temporarily halted production at its plant in Latrobe after residents complained of a foul odor coming from the municipal sewage plant. Officials suspect sugary drinks now being produced at the brewery are causing wastewater treatment problems. Municipal authority manager Tom Gray says the stench started about two weeks ago. The Department of Environmental Protection received complaints prompting it to send an inspector out before the brewery shut down on Tuesday. Local and brewery officials are scheduled to discuss the problem on Thursday. Plant manager Jerry Alvery says City Brewing wants to be a good neighbor. Iron City beer is among the beverages produced at the Latrobe plant.
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) - Three former Pennsylvania police officers are scheduled to go on trial next month on charges they obstructed the investigation into the fatal beating of an illegal Mexican immigrant. U.S. District Judge A. Richard Caputo has ordered jury selection to begin September 13 for former Shenandoah police Chief Matthew Nestor and two other officers. Federal prosecutors say Nestor, William Moyer and Jason Hayes orchestrated a cover-up that protected high school football players involved in the July 2008 death of Luis Ramirez. The 25-year-old Ramirez died after an altercation with a group of teenage athletes. Two suspects were convicted of assault but acquitted of more serious charges by an all-white jury. Derrick Donchak and Brandon Piekarsky are also facing federal hate-crime charges. All three officers have resigned from the department.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania's prospects for avoiding deeper budget cuts and more layoffs are better thanks to a key U.S. Senate vote on additional recession-related aid. The bill cleared a key hurdle yesterday the Senate that virtually guarantees its passage in the chamber. It would extend the aid enacted in last year's federal stimulus law to help states and schools maintain programs amid flagging tax collections. The Senate voted 61-38, as Maine's two Republican senators joined Pennsylvania Sens. Bob Casey and Arlen Specter and 57 other Democrats to overcome a GOP filibuster. Final Senate approval and House passage are still necessary. Gov. Ed Rendell has warned that Pennsylvania's state and local governments will be forced to lay off a combined 12,500 public employees without it.
SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) - Former President Bill Clinton is scheduled to campaign for Senate candidate Joe Sestak in northeastern Pennsylvania next week. The Democratic congressman is running against Republican Pat Toomey for the seat held by outgoing Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter. The Sestak campaign says Clinton will appear with Sestak on Tuesday afternoon at a rally at Scranton High School. At the request of the White House, Clinton had tried to get Sestak to drop his primary challenge of Specter by offering him an unpaid presidential advisory position. Sestak turned Clinton down and went on to defeat Specter. In the 1990s, Sestak worked in the Clinton administration as director for defense policy on the National Security Council.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - The president of an eastern Pennsylvania amusement company has yanked a carnival game in which players shot foam darts at a likeness of what appeared to be President Barack Obama. Irvin Good pulled the target-shooting game after receiving a complaint from a patron attending a fair in Roseto, about 65 miles north of Philadelphia. Good said Wednesday that his company, Hellertown-based Goodtime Amusements, will not offer the game again. The game featured a large painted image of a black man wearing a belt buckle with the presidential seal and holding a scroll labeled "Health Bill." Players could win prizes by hitting targets on the image's head and heart. Good called the game a "big, big mistake in judgment." He said it wasn't meant to encourage violence against the president, adding he voted for Obama.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Updates on the latest in business:
Dow: 10,666.13, down -14.30
S&P 500: 1,124.99, down -2.25
NASDAQ: 2,293.47, down -10.10
Stocks slip...Obama bullish on auto trade...Retail blahs
NEW YORK (AP) - The stock market has seen slippery footing so far today. Investors appear cautious ahead of tomorrow morning's report on July unemployment and payrolls.
NEW YORK (AP) - Retailers had disappointing sales last month. Deep discounts on summer leftovers and hot weather combined to lure shoppers into malls in July, but the results could mean even bigger price cuts ahead.
CHICAGO (AP) - The U.S. auto industry isn't just on the rebound, President Barack Obama says it is on the way to becoming tops in the world again. He gave a rousing pep talk to Ford factory workers today before some high-dollar fundraising for fellow Democrats.
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) - GM CEO Ed Whitacre says demand for the automaker's stock should be good once the company decides to offer shares to the public. He says GM is moving as fast as it can to offer shares for sale, but stopped short of saying what the exact timing will be.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Fisher-Price is recalling Little People Play 'n Go Campsite toys because a figure included in the playset poses a choking hazard. The recall affects about 96,000 of the play sets in the U.S. and 14,000 in Canada. No injuries have been reported.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Pennsylvania Lottery Numbers
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - These Pennsylvania lotteries were drawn Thursday:
Mega Millions
Estimated jackpot: $53 million
Midday Big 4
5-9-1-3
Midday Number
0-5-9
Midday Quinto
5-5-6-9-6
Powerball
Estimated jackpot: $25 million
Treasure Hunt
10-12-13-20-26
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - These Pennsylvania lotteries were drawn Wednesday:
Big 4
4-6-8-6
Cash 5
10-18-24-32-36
Daily Number
9-8-1
Evening Quinto
2-0-8-6-4
Midday Big 4
0-6-2-6
Midday Number
8-8-6
Midday Quinto
8-9-8-8-9
Powerball
19-28-30-37-53, Powerball: 36, Power Play: 4
Treasure Hunt
02-06-10-21-30
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Eating champ out of hot water over July 4th arrest
NEW YORK (AP) - Japanese eating champion Takeru Kobayashi is out of hot water over his arrest during a Fourth of July frank fracas. The six-time champion appeared Thursday in a New York City court. The judge says the case will purged from his record if he stays out of trouble for six months. A contract dispute had kept Kobayashi out of the annual Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. He showed up anyway. Kobayashi says he leaped onstage in the heat of a fan frenzy. His lawyer says officials waved him onstage. He had pleaded not guilty to obstruction of governmental administration, resisting arrest, trespassing and disorderly conduct. Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, of San Jose, Calif., won by downing 54 hot dogs in 10 minutes.
Elvis as Gov.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Elvis has left the building -- and is entering the race for governor. Elvis D. Presley has filed papers to be a write-in candidate for Arkansas governor. This Elvis works on auto paint and bodywork. He's also an Elvis impersonator in his free time. Elvis D. Presley says he'll tell voters how he got his name, if they want to know. State officials say they've checked and Elvis D. Presley apparently is the name on his voter registration. Presley says people won't confuse him and that other Elvis. He says there was only one Elvis Aaron Presley, while he is Elvis D. Presley.
Pastor: Judge who nixed Prop. 8 won't have last word
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A pastor who united churches in the successful campaign to ban gay marriage in California says the federal judge who overturned Proposition 8 Wednesday won't have the last word. The Rev. Jim Garlow says Bible-believing Christians are "not going to roll over and play dead when the issue is truth." Garlow insists it's a matter of "right versus wrong" rather than bigotry. Supporters of gay marriage who praised the judge's ruling also are claiming the moral high ground. Chad Griffin, board chairman of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, compared overturning the ban on gay marriage to the Declaration of Independence. Griffin said gays who want to marry, like other Americans, are "endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights." The same-sex couples who sued to overturn Prop. 8 say it's a matter of fairness, equality and love.
Group sues to stop mosque near ground zero
NEW YORK (AP) - A conservative advocacy group founded by the Rev. Pat Robertson is suing to try to block a planned Islamic community center and mosque near ground zero. The mosque proposal has become a fulcrum for balancing religious freedom and the legacy of the Sept. 11 attacks. It would be two blocks from ground zero. The American Center for Law and Justice filed a petition Wednesday challenging a city panel's decision to let developers tear down a building to make way for the mosque. City lawyers say they're confident the panel followed appropriate procedures. A spokesman for the mosque project declined to comment. Opponents say the mosque plan insults the memory of those killed by Islamic terrorists in the 2001 attacks. Supporters see it as a monument to tolerance.
Jesus Shore concert held as alternative to 'Jersey Shore'
SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. (AP) - A free concert promoting "PTL," or "Praise the Lord," has been held near where the cast of MTV's "Jersey Shore" enjoys "GTL," or the gym, tan and laundry lifestyle. The Move the Earth ministry organized a "Jesus Shore" event Monday on the Seaside Heights boardwalk as an alternative to the - quote - "fighting and fornicating" organizers say the reality TV show celebrates. Abundant Grace Church Pastor Anthony Storino says they're not against the TV program. But Storino says there's another side to the Jersey shore. The concert featured Christian bands and a Christian-themed tattoo contest. Vendors also sold Christian books and T-shirts.
Darts shot at Obama likeness at Pa. carnival
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - The president of an eastern Pennsylvania amusement company has yanked a carnival game in which players shot foam darts at a likeness of what appeared to be President Barack Obama. Irvin Good pulled the target-shooting game after receiving a complaint from a patron attending a fair in Roseto, about 65 miles north of Philadelphia. Good said Wednesday that his company, Hellertown-based Goodtime Amusements, will not offer the game again. The game featured a large painted image of a black man wearing a belt buckle with the presidential seal and holding a scroll labeled "Health Bill." Players could win prizes by hitting targets on the image's head and heart. Good called the game a "big, big mistake in judgment." He said it wasn't meant to encourage violence against the president, adding he voted for Obama.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)