Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Garage fire heavily damages East Buffalo Township home

EAST BUFFALO TWP – It’s been less than a year that Elizabeth and Anthony Cooper and their five children have lived at 2337 Furnace Road in East Buffalo Township.  The home was heavily damaged by fire Tuesday morning around 11:30.  Elizabeth Cooper says she was in her kitchen with four of her children, ages 8, 11, 13 and 15, when she heard scratching noises coming from the attached garage.  When she opened the garage door she saw flames and immediately yelled fire.  She, the four children, and a kitten all escaped the home without injury.  She then dialed 911 from outside.  Tony Cooper, who is the Executive Director of Riverwoods, was out of the home with the couple’s 17-year-old son at the time of the blaze.  William Cameron Fire Captain Steve Leauber was first on the scene, and says crews stayed into the afternoon hours dousing the home with water.

Elizabeth Cooper says they are insured, but worries more about keepsakes and pictures in the home.  She also says she is thankful no one was injured and that it didn’t happen at night.  A car parked next to the home was also destroyed.  Assisting William Cameron at the scene were Mifflinburg, New Berlin, Milton, New Columbia and Winfield fire crews, along with local police and the Red Cross.  No word yet on what started the fire, and a State Police Fire Marshal will continue the investigation. (Sara Bartlett)

Home invasion reported in Watsontown

WATSONTOWN – Watsontown Police are searching for two males involved in a home invasion early Tuesday morning in the city.  Around 4:45a.m., police say two males entered a home on Main Street, woke up four occupants and demanded money.  The suspects had two knives and a handgun, and one suspect reportedly “pistol whipped” a male occupant.  The man was treated and released for minor injuries at Evangelical Community Hospital.  The suspects then allegedly held a knife to a 17-year-old female’s throat.  She was not injured.  The occupants say they gave the two men money before they left the home.

The first suspect is described as a dark-skinned male, in his 20’s with short dark hair.  The second suspect is described as a white male, in his 20’s wearing a ball cap and a red bandana over his face.  Watsontown Police were assisted by Milton and State Police with the incident.  They ask anyone with information to call 538-2773. (Sara Bartlett)   

Hearing set for a man charged with shooting a gun in his home near his mother

SELINSGROVE – A preliminary hearing has been set for Thursday for William Ludwig, the man accused of shooting a gun in his Selinsgrove home, grazing the arm of his 81-year-old mother.  The 61-year-old Ludwig is scheduled to be in court before District Justice John Robinson on charges including attempted homicide, aggravated and simple assault and terroristic threats.  Ludwig was reportedly drinking in excess Sunday and when his mother confronted him about it, Ludwig fired a .357 magnum revolver in her direction.  Two children were inside the home at the time, but were not injured.  Ludwig is jailed on $150,000 bail.  (Ali Stevens)

More discussion on the CSVT project’s “hibernation” status

SELINSGROVE – PennDOT is providing more answers on their decision to place the Central Susquehanna Valley Transportation project into “hibernation” status.  PennDOT spokesman Rick Mason says PennDOT is facing a “financial perfect storm”.  Mason says they are looking at runaway inflation that they’ve never seen before and a bridge crisis, with 6,000 identified as structurally deficient, more than any other state in the country.  Mason says they would have to identify about $400 million to build CSVT, which is not feasible at this time and they don’t want to promise something they can’t provide.  

He did offer a suggestion for getting federal funding for the project. Mason says our best home is to continue to work with the legislators to get the CSVT corridor into the Appalachian Development Highway System.   Mason says other area projects have been supported that way including Route 15 north of Williamsport. 

However, others who are already part of the Appalachian Development Highway System may not be happy about giving away $400 million to another project.  Mason says Pennsylvania is already allocated a certain amount of funds, so it shouldn’t bother other states. It may however bother other municipalities in the state.  (Ali Stevens)

A matching grant can be obtained by Economics Pennsylvania…with your help

SELINSGROVE – When you think of Economics Pennsylvania, many people think of the “Stock Market Game”, however there are many other programs provided by the organization.

Selinsgrove kicks day care kids off bus for good

SELINSGROVE – It’s the final decision: The Selinsgrove School District will not provide busing to and from day care this year for students who live within two miles of the school. Board member, Dave Hostetter did make a motion to revise the board’s policy and allow students to ride the bus if a seat was available.

The motion would have been on a first come, first serve basis and students who were considered “bus riders” would have had first priority. However, the vote was tied 4 to 4 and the Board said that means the motion automatically fails. And the parents it affects are not happy about it.

Marie Day lives in the borough and says that she and her husband work full-time jobs and are not able to take their 8-year-old daughter to and from school everyday. Day says she wasn’t asking for a complete policy change, but only a revision. She says, “If there’s an available seat, why can’t they be filled with a student?”

The new policy was passed in April and School Board members cited high costs for additional buses and the change to all-day kindergarten for the move. School board President, Eric Rowe, has said that busing these students in the past had been an accommodation and the School Transportation Committee last week decided not to make any further recommendations to the board. (Sara Lauver)

Inmates test positive for morphine in Snyder County

SELINSGROVE – An investigation is underway at the Snyder County Prison after some inmates tested positive for morphine. State police say three female prisoners tested positive for the drug during a random drug test on August 1st. The investigation will continue. (Ali Stevens)

Crafts, food and exhibits at the Northumberland County Expo

SUNBURY – The 8th annual Northumberland County Expo begins Thursday at the Sunbury Armory. President of the planning committee, Ed Mashburn, says it’s a small county fair packed with a lot of food, fun and exhibits.

Mashburn says there are several animal shows, which include horses, sheep, rabbits, guinea pigs and the dairy goat. Musical entertainment will also fill the three-day event, including The King Lives On, a tribute to Elvis Presley.

There will also be contests during the Expo including nail driving, corn shelling, water hauling and bale stacking. The Expo is free and runs from 3:00p.m.-9:00p.m. Thursday and Friday and 9:00a.m.-9:00p.m. Saturday at the Sunbury Armory on Mile Hill Road. For a complete schedule of the activities and exhibits, go to www.northumberlandcountyexpo.com. (Sara Bartlett)

Equipment will monitor air in Millville, Columbia County

WILLIAMSPORT – The Department of Environmental Protection’s mobile analytical unit will sample the air around Millville, Columbia County, on Wednesday and Thursday as it searches for the cause of strong sewage odors reported by residents during the past two weeks.

DEP Regional Director Robert Yowell says in addition to the open air throughout the community, select sites have been identified for sampling, including sewage system manholes in Millville, areas near the White Pines landfill in Greenwood Township, and at the landfill’s leachate pre-treatment plant. DEP staff detected odors at the landfill during an inspection last week.

The department’s mobile analytical unit is a large white vehicle that area residents can expect to see parked at different locations in Millville on Wednesday. The vehicle can perform much of the same work that DEP does at its lab in Harrisburg.

The analytical unit uses an Aromascan to help evaluate odors. The Aromascan mimics the human nose with a number of polymer sensors, which change their electrical resistance in the presence of different chemicals. Each sensor has a different characteristic response, which helps to develop an odor profile. (Terry Diener)

Chris Hackett to attend Northumberland Borough Council meeting

NORTHUMBERLAND – Republican candidate for U.S. congress the 10th District, Chris Hackett, will be speaking at Northumberland’s Borough Council meeting tonight. Hackett is running against incumbent democrat Chris Carney (D-10th, Dimock). The CSVT will be one of his topics of conversation. The 7:30p.m. meeting will be held at Northumberland Borough Hall. (Sara Bartlett)

2,000 signatures on CSVT petition

UNDATED – Nearly 2,000 people signed a petition urging PennDOT to reactivate the Central Susquehanna Valley Transportation Project. The Sunbury Rotary Club drafted the petition and unveiled it at the Sunbury River Festival. Club member and Coordinator, Dick Eyster, says they were pleased with the number of signatures. He says some of the signers 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 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 14th 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)

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)

Latest Pennsylvania news, sports, business and entertainment:

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Gov. Ed Rendell's choice to lead Pennsylvania environmental protection agency is currently the head of PennFuture, a statewide advocacy organization. PennFuture says in a news release that John Hanger is leaving for the state job at the end of the month.  Rendell is expected to formally announce that Hanger is his choice for secretary of environmental protection at a Tuesday afternoon news conference in Harrisburg.  The governor also is scheduled to name his choice to chair the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) - The traffic jams on Interstate 81 in northeastern Pennsylvania just got longer.  The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation says some of the reconstruction work that was done north of Scranton wasn't up to snuff and the contractor has to redo the work.  A six-mile stretch of I-81 south between the Waverly exit (197) and the Viewmont Mall exit (191) in Lackawanna County has been down to one lane all summer. Now it will be restricted even longer.  PennDOT says some of the paving  materials don't meet state standards, and some bridge work needs to be done again, too. The contractor, Eastern Industries, acknowledges a problem with some of the materials. Eastern will pick up the estimated $70,000 cost of redoing the work.    

HARRISBURG (AP) - A commercial pilot who believes he's on a terrorist watch list is suing the federal government to save his job.  Erich Scherfen is a New Jersey native and Gulf War veteran who says he has no criminal record or ties to terrorists.  Scherfen said he believes he and his wife, a naturalized citizen from Pakistan, are on the list because of their Muslim faith. The Schuylkill County couple says they've repeatedly been subjected to questioning and delays at airports.  Scherfen was suspended by the airline he works for in April. He faces losing his job unless he's removed from the list by Sept. 1.  The couple are being aided by the American Civil Liberties Union. The request for emergency relief was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Harrisburg.

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

Daily Number   8 1 3

Big Four   5 1 0 4 

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