Chris Hackett to attend Northumberland Borough Council meeting

NORTHUMBERLAND – Republican candidate for the U.S. 10^th District House, Chris Hackett, will be speaking at Northumberland’s Borough Council meeting tomorrow.  Hackett will run against Representative Chris Carney for the seat in November.  All are invited to the 7:30p.m. meeting, which is held at 221 2^nd Street in Northumberland.  For more information call the Borough office at 473-3414. (Sara Bartlett)  

2,000 signatures on CSVT petition

UNDATED – Nearly 2,000 people signed a petition over the weekend to reactivate the Central Susquehanna Valley Transportation Project.  The Sunbury Rotary Club drafted the petition and debut it at the Sunbury River Festival.  Club member and Coordinator, Dick Eyster, says they were pleased with the amount of signatures, and even met with people who came to the event solely to sign the petition.

The petition states that if the project isn’t restored if would be a huge detriment to the area, making the Route 11/15 corridor crowded and unsafe, as well as hurt economic development.  The Rotary Club plans to circulate the petition for about six weeks, and then present it to Governor Ed Rendell.  For more information or to add your name to the petition, call Rotary Club President Ned Clark at 473-7997. (Sara Bartlett)

CEO of Shamokin Area Community Hospital chairs Susquehanna Valley Heart Walk

SHAMOKIN – The CEO of Shamokin Area Community Hospital is the co-chair of this year’s Central Susquehanna Valley Heart Walk at Knoebel’s Grove in Elysburg.  Tom Harlow has been involved with the Heart Walk for a number of years and will co-chair this year’s event with his wife, Diane Harlow, who is wellness coordinator at Geisinger Medical Center.  The Harlows think it’s important that area hospitals, including Shamokin, Geisinger and Evangelical, work together on an important cause such as this.  Tom Harlow says heart disease is the number one killer in the United States and impacts us all in some way.  He says families tend to return to the Heart Walk each year to take part in the event, which often has more than 1,000 walkers involved. 

To find out more about the Heart Walk, set for September 14^th at 1 p.m., you can go to www.americanheart.org.  Teams are still needed as well as sponsors.  The goal for this year’s Heart Walk is $174,000, which goes to the American Heart Association to support programs and research.  (Ali Stevens)

Keithans Gardens welcomes Sunbury City Band

SUNBURY – The Sunbury City Band will perform tonight at Keithans Gardens in Sunbury.  Everyone is invited to the 7:00p.m. event, located between Front and Second Street in the city.  Attendants are asked to bring lawn chairs to the show.  The event is free. (Sara Bartlett) 

Mount Carmel Township man charged with rape

FRACKVILLE – A Mount Carmel-area man is in jail after allegedly raping a teen girl last week.  60-year-old James Bucher Sr, of Mount Carmel Township, reportedly took the 14-year-old girl from her home Friday and raped her.  Bucher faces numerous charges including rape and assault.  He is in Schuylkill County Prison on $50,000 bail. (Sara Bartlett)

Cops: Drunken Isle of Que man shoots at elderly mom

SELINSGROVE – One man is in custody after a shooting on the Isle of Que in Selinsgrove Sunday evening. Around 5:20 p.m., police say 61-year-old William Ludwig fired a handgun at his elderly mother inside a home at 204 South Front Street, grazing her arm.

Selinsgrove Police Chief Tom Garlock was first on scene and interviewing neighbors and family, police learned Ludwig was highly intoxicated and had threatened to harm his 81-year-old mother, who reached for a phone to call police when she saw the gun.

That’s when Ludwig fired a round, hitting an oak cabinet. Also in the home was an infant baby and a little boy. The children were rescued by their parents and taken out of the home unharmed. When police arrived, Ludwig reportedly found other weapons in the home and told his mother he would shoot police and then shoot himself. The mother was able to convince Ludwig to surrender peacefully.

Ludwig has been charged with attempted homicide, aggravated felony assault, reckless endangerment, terroristic threats and simple assault. Mary Ludwig sustained minor injuries in the incident. State police and Sunbury police assisted at the scene. (Ali Stevens)

Union brass dismayed by outcome of “battle”

SUNBURY – Coopers Battery “B” and Thompson’s Battery “C” engaged the 18th North Carolina Infantry Saturday at Sunbury River Festival. It was a simulation of what might have happened if Confederate troops escaped to the north after 1863’s Battle of Gettysburg.

A courageous war correspondent (Kevin Herr) caught up with “General Winfield Scott Hancock,” he said he was dismayed that spectators took photos, and didn’t help the cause, even while the Union was losing ground. The rebels “whupped” the Union Saturday. The encampment of Civil War reenactors included “home front” demonstrations of yarn spinning and other handiwork as it was back then. (Matt Farrand)

Horses die causing crashes along Routes 11 & 15

CHAPMAN – Three horses that escaped from a pen are dead after causing crashes along Routes 11&15 in Chapman Township, Snyder County. Troopers note the three were among five that apparently got out of an enclosure belonging to Laura Beachel of Chapman Hollow Road, Port Trevorton.

A truck driven by 28-year-old Anthony Persad of Millville hit and killed the three. The fuel line of the vehicle was damaged, causing about 100 gallons of diesel fuel to spill into the roadway shortly before 6:00 a.m. The horses also apparently entered the paths of a truck driven by Hershey man, and a passenger car driven by 28-year-old Jason Boschi of Selinsgrove.

Both those vehicles also had to stop. Dispatchers say the other two horses are unhurt and there are no injuries among occupants of the tractor-trailer, truck and car involved. Traffic was detoured off the southbound highway for a time. State Police, EMS, fire Police and wreckers were at the scene. Northridge Environmental was also called to clean up the fuel spill. (Matt Farrand)

Passenger jailed for grabbing wheel, endangering driver and others

MIDDLEBURG – A passenger of Sunbury women is in jail after causing trouble during an early Sunday morning ride. State Police at Selinsgrove say 23-year-old Benjamin Trego of Northumberland was intoxicated and repeatedly grabbed the steering wheel of a car operated by 19-year-old Jacquelyn Norris of Sunbury.

They were driving along Route 104 in Middleburg, and other parts of Snyder County. Trego then hit a 17-year-old passenger. Troopers say Trego was taken into custody after Norris stopped and called for help. Bail was set at $15,000 cash. Trego was placed in the Snyder County Prison after no bail was posted. (Sheri Rippon)

Grant keeps Snyder County Community Center in operation

BEAVER SPRINGS – A federal grant of nearly $400,000 will help out a community center located in Snyder County. Middlecreek Community Center Development Director Eric Grimes says the center relies on grants for more than 30% of its budget. Grimes says they need to balance membership and program fees, grant dollars and donations to keep the center open.

MACC programs include: weight lifting, aerobics, karate, youth programs, summer camp, racquetball, a game room and a climbing wall as well as other activities. For more information go to www.maccatbeaversprings.org. Representative Chris Carney presented the check in July. (Sheri Rippon)

Kids swim, bike, run for medals in Triathlon

LEWISBURG – Over 100 kids turn out for a local triathlon. The Winans Triathlon for Kids was held at the Lewisburg Community Park on Friday. Larry Winans organized the event with the Lewisburg Area Recreational Authority and says 117 kids between the ages of 7 and 14 competed this year. He says that is tremendous growth from last year when 75 kids registered for the race.

Winans says this is only the second year and they had to turn many kids away and next year he is hoping to open the race up to 150 kids. Winans says that everyone who finished got a medal and the top three boys and girls of each age bracket got trophies. Next year’s triathlon is slated for August 21st. For more information go to the website: www.golara.org. (Sheri Rippon)

Roundtable delves into the controversial topic of Autism and vaccines

SUNBURY – The Roundtable program over the weekend was an examination of the divided topic of Autism and vaccines. One guest was Kathleen Dunkelberger, a Sunbury area resident who founded the Bret’s Adventure organization and is on the Governors Task Force for people with Disabilities, tells us there is more information today about the connection between vaccines and Autism.

Also on the program were Gary Tunsky and April Renee, they are both authors and lecturers who have insights into the vaccine connection. They are also two of the panelists in the upcoming ‘Always Question Authority’ conference in October. You can get more information about that at www.bretsadventure.com. You can hear Roundtable at www.wkok.com

Latest Pennsylvania news, sports, business and entertainment:

POTTSVILLE, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania teenager has testified against two friends charged in the beating death of a Mexican immigrant in a small Pennsylvania town. Seventeen-year-old Ben Lawson is a football player at Shenandoah Valley High School. He says 17-year-old Colin Walsh sucker-punched Luis Ramirez and 16-year-old Brandon Piekarsky kicked the victim in the head while he was down.  Prosecutors charged Walsh and Piekarsky in the illegal immigrant's death and say they also shouted racial slurs at the victim. A third suspect is charged with aggravated assault.  A judge is deciding if there is enough evidence against the three to send the case to trial.  Ramirez was attacked July 12 when he crossed paths with a group of teens in the town of Shenandoah, about 80 miles northwest of Philadelphia.

BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) - A judge has dismissed a lewdness charge against a Penn State student who joined an annual naked run held to usher in spring finals.  Centre County Judge Bradley Lunsford says there is no evidence that Elizabeth Burke "affronted or alarmed" anyone or intended to do so in the annual Mifflin Streak. He dismissed the misdemeanor open lewdness count and a summary disorderly conduct charge on Friday. Burke's attorney, Stacy Parks Miller, called the case "a harmless episode of youthful exuberance."  But Centre County District Attorney Michael Madeira says he is considering an appeal.  Burke was one of seven people arrested at the event, which drew 1,000 to 1,500 spectators just after midnight May 5. Five of the other defendants have either pleaded guilty to reduced charges or entered a program for first-time offenders that could clear their records.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Wine enthusiasts are fighting the latest attempt to limit the direct shipment of wine to Pennsylvania consumers.  A pending bill would require wineries to ship consumer purchases to the state Liquor Control Board. The board would then send the wine to the consumer for a fee.  Supporters believe direct wine shipments could deprive the state of tax revenue and make it easier for minors to buy wine. However, critics say that Pennsylvania should look to New Hampshire and other states for a model. Thirty-five states allow direct shipments.  Pennsylvania's restrictive wine laws have been in flux since a series of federal and state court decisions three years ago. One federal judge called the state's ban on out-of-state wine shipments unconstitutional.

SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) - The president of Scranton's police union says a weeklong suspension isn't enough for the police chief.  Chief David Elliott is suspended without pay for a remark made about female officers seeking overtime pay. Mayor Chris Doherty said Thursday that the chief referred to the officers as "overtime whores." In addition to the suspension, Elliott was ordered to attend sensitivity training.  Sgt. Bob Martin, the union president, said Monday that the punishment is inadequate. He says the chief should resign or be fired.

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

 Daily Number

     4-5-1

 Big 4

     9-0-9-8

 Treasure Hunt

     7-18-20-21-29