Saturday, August 28, 2010
Motorcycle accident at a recreation area last evening
PAXINOS – A motorcycle rider was flown to Geisinger Medical Center after an accident at a riding park last evening. Around 8pm, the unidentified rider crashed at an ATV/motorcycle park along Irish Valley Road in the Paxinos area. Stonington state troopers did investigate and may have more information later.
The park where this happened is a smaller version of a park Northumberland County leaders are interested in located in the Shamokin area. Last evening’s motorcycle accident is being investigated. Sunbury fire fighters helped Stonington troopers at the scene.
Man critical after being hit by car
ATLAS -- An Atlas man was critically injured after being hit by a car Friday night. The News Item reports 80-year-old Philip Steinbacher was attempting to cross Route 61 at Mulberry Street just after 8:00p.m. when he was hit by a vehicle.
The driver was a 22-year-old from Mount Carmel, who said she tried to swerve and avoid Steinbacher, but was unable. Steinbacher was taken by Life Flight to Geisinger Medical Center and is listed in critical condition. (Sara Bartlett)
Point Township assault Saturday
NORTHUMBERLAND – A man from Maryland is jailed after a violent incident at a local campground. Point Township police tell us 45-year-old Gregory White of Thurmont, Maryland is facing simple assault and other charges. They say he assaulted a woman around 1:30 this morning at the Splash Magic Campground.
New Bucknell President snips ribbon at downtown bookstore
LEWISBURG – Bucknell University President John Bravman cut an orange and blue ribbon Friday, and officially opened the Barnes & Noble in downtown Lewisburg. Dozens of officials responsible for coordinating, building and financing the $10 million dollar project were on hand for the grand opening.
The store will serve as the student bookstore for Bucknell University, and is decorated with images of students from long ago such as Baseball Hall of Fame member Christy Mathewson. Lewisburg Mayor Judy Wagner calls the sense of history contained within the renovated walls an impressive reminder of the borough’s past.
Austin Burke, secretary of the state Department of Community and Economic Development acknowledged the role the university played in the $10 million dollar project. He described the university as an “anchor institution” for the community.
Bucknell University students also attended, including senior Brad Brown of Milton, who says it’s an exciting new beginning both for his fellow students and the downtown area. Barnes & Noble will manage the store which was paid for largely by state and local grants. The store has been open to the public since late June. (Matt Farrand)
Route 11 roadwork to continue through next week
DANVILLE -- Motorists are noticing some lengthy backups as construction continues along Route 11 in Danville. Extensive repairing and paving roadwork has been underway. More than half-hour delays have been reported, as motorists go through flaggers and lane changes. Michael Hess, Safety Press Officer at PennDOT, says now the Route 11 and 54 intersection is open to two lanes so that should help with traffic flow.
Still, there is paving continuing on Route 11. Hess says to ease delays; they will try to do as much night work as they can, though day work is in the plans too. Work on Route 11 in Danville is expected to continue through September 3rd. For updates you can go to our Road Report page online at www.wkok.com. (Sara Bartlett)
Five local high school football coaches are on Roundtable
SUNBURY – The Roundtable discussion this weekend focuses on the changes in high school football from recent decades—to today. Our guests are Dick Purnell, Dick Hort, Ray Pottios, Phil Lockcuff and Dave Six. All are local, noted, successful high school coaches.
Pottios and Lockcuff agreed that fewer local high school football players are recruited for football these days, but there is an increase in other athletes who are recruited and wrestling is still heavily recruited.
The coaches also speak out against having high school athletes focus too much on one sport and they also discuss the pressure students receive from parents.
You can hear Roundtable (Sunday) on Eagle 107 (107.3FM) at 6a.m., 100.9 (100.9FM), The Valley, at 6a.m.Newsradio 1070 WKOK (1070AM) at 9a.m., Talkradio 1380 WMLP (1380AM), 11a.m., 94KX WQKX (94.1FM) at 11p.m., and anytime, at www.wkok.com.
Teen in custody after leading police on chase in Selinsgrove
SELINSGROVE -- A juvenile will be charged as an adult after leading police on a chase through Selinsgrove in a stolen vehicle. Selinsgrove Police say around 2:20a.m. Friday they were making a routine traffic stop when the vehicle fled. The vehicle was driven by 17-year-old Edwin Alequin Jr. of Reading.
Alequin led police on a chase through Selinsgrove, crashing into an embankment at University Ave. and 18th Street. He then put the vehicle in reverse, hitting a police car. The vehicle chase ended at the Pine Meadows Apartment complex. That's when Alequin and another person fled the scene on foot. Police found Alequin hiding in an apartment. It was found that he was driving a stolen vehicle.
Alequin was arraigned before District Judge Jeffrey Mensch and is in Snyder County Prison on $50,000 bail. He faces a number of charges including felony aggravated assault, receiving stolen property and fleeing and eluding police.
Selinsgrove State Police were assisted by State Police from Lewistown and Stonington, along with a helicopter from Montoursville. Selinsgrove, Shamokin Dam and Sunbury Police also assisted. Police are still searching for the person that fled the vehicle with Alequin. Anyone with information is asked to call 374-8145. (Sara Bartlett)
Abundant frosh at S-U
SELINSGROVE – It’s a record breaking freshman class preparing to start classes at Susquehanna University. More than 640 first-year students were welcomed to campus on Thursday, with close to 2,300 students expected to start classes on Monday, which is about a 4% increase over last year.
This is Susquehanna University’s 153rd academic year and applications were up 5% over the last year. Admissions director Chris Markle says the community works hard to make the students feel welcome when they arrive in Selinsgrove.
New students will be introduced to the community on Saturday through the 18th annual SU GIVE day of volunteerism. Hundreds of students, faculty and staff will be placed at dozens of off-campus sites throughout the region, including hospitals, retirement homes, parks, churches and animal shelters to do volunteer work. (Ali Stevens)
New Bucknell Prez snips ribbon at downtown bookstore
LEWISBURG – Bucknell University President John Bravman cut an orange and blue ribbon Friday afternoon, and officially opened the downtown Barnes & Noble, that will also serve as the student bookstore.
Dozens of community members responsible for coordinating, building and financing the $10 million dollar project were on hand for the start of what is being billed as a grand opening weekend.
Bucknell University students also attended, including Brad Brown. The senior from Milton called the day an exciting one, and says the new store give students another reason to go to an already vibrant downtown area. Barnes & Noble will manage the store, which was paid for largely by state and local grants. (Matt Farrand)
Shikellamy marina main launch closed for triathlon Sunday
SUNBURY – Weekend boaters bound for Lake Augusta are reminded Shikellamy State Park’s main boat launching area will be closed Sunday to accommodate for the Riverstock Triathlon. The main launch near the park office will remain closed until at least 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Alternate launch facilities are available at the Hanover Street boat launch in Northumberland, and the point boat launch ramp next to Northumberland Sewer Plant. Fireworks are also scheduled at the park Saturday night. Visitors can view the fireworks from the main marina park area. (Ali Stevens)
Six people charged in a drug bust will face their charges in court
SHAMOKIN – Six people charged with drug offenses have waived their rights to a preliminary hearing and will face charges against them in court. The six people were charged during a drug bust on July 22nd in the Shamokin Area.
They include 29-year-old Boyd Lahr, an inmate at the Northumberland County Prison, 38-year-old Heidi Rugh of Shamokin, 36-year old Alba Wehr of Coal Township, 21-year-old Rodney Cossari of Kulpmont, 24-year-old Jonathan Gregory of Coal Township and 22-year-old Christina Hepner of Shamokin. 14 people were arrested in that drug bust. (Ali Stevens)
One day in jail for a man who threatened a health care worker
DANVILLE – A man who threatened a Geisinger Health Plan employee in Danville will have to spend 24 hours in prison and a year on probation. 64-year-old William Noble of Tunkhannock is accused of calling an employee on May 14th and after getting upset, told the person that he was going to visit the office and said, “somebody is going to die.”
Noble pleaded guilty to making terroristic threats. Noble was on the phone with GHP for two hours that day and claims that he “just blew up” that day. The employee took the threat seriously and called police and the building was locked down. Noble was arrested at his home in Tunkhannock. He must report to the Montour County Prison today to serve his 24-hour sentence. (Ali Stevens)
Major rate hike approved for Danville sewer customers
DANVILLE -- A more than 60 percent increase in sewer rates was approved by the Danville Municipal Authority this week. Effective October 1st, sewer rates in Danville will increase 62 to 63 percent for homes and businesses due to a state-ordered $24-million upgrade of the Danville sewage treatment plant.
Increases for residential customers are expected to be about $107, while businesses can expect a $164 increase. Restaurants will have an increase of more than $214. Upgrades at the sewer plant are expected to cost about $18-million. (Ali Stevens)
Sunbury's skyline changed Thursday
SUNBURY -- What was said to be the tallest structure in Sunbury was brought down Thursday. Salvage and demolition crews imploded two smoke stacks and a boiler house at the Knight-Celotex property. One structure was 250' tall, the other 180' tall. John Koehler of Winchester Blasting Services in Knoxville, Tennessee says the demolition was challenging, but it went well.
He says it was difficult to control that much force, since there was steel in the structure that was an inch and a half thick. He says that takes a lot of energy, but the smoke stacks and building flattened exactly how they envisioned. The structures have quite a history, originally being built in 1898 as a textile mill. In 1955 it was most known as a board mill. The plant was shut down in Fall 2008.
Bruce Rea, of Scrap Trading, LLC says the property does have a future. Moran Industries of Watsontown plans to buy the property and develop it into a logistics site. They may use the railway perhaps for Marcellus Shale or other gas industry business. (Sara Bartlett)
Northumberland County Courthouse air test results
SUNBURY -- Air quality test results in the Northumberland County Courthouse have come back saying the air is safe. Chief Clerk Kymberley Best says that means the work environment in the courthouse is safe, and air-scrubbing fans will be uninstalled.
Best says test results for surface bacteria will be in next week. The issue started about four months ago when six employees in the Register and Recorder's office suffered respiratory problems. All six of the employees have filed workmen's compensation claims.
Best says she understands concerns, but they are doing their best to find out the source of the employees' illnesses. She says they are relieved to find out that the air quality is in normal limits, and will wait for the surface test results to take further action. (Sara Bartlett)
'Tour de Cure' raises awareness of diabetes
SUNBURY -- The radio stations of Sunbury Broadcasting Corporation, in connection with Sunbury Community Hospital, continue to bring awareness of diabetes during 'Stop Diabetes Month.' Tomorrow (Saturday) is a chance to take a walk for awareness.
The 'Tour de Cure' will take place starting at the hospital. Dr. Bradly Stark, family practice physician at Sunbury Community Hospital, says knowledge is key when dealing with a disease like diabetes. Dr. Starks will be at tomorrow's walk, there will also be information and advice about diabetes.
All are invited to the 'Tour de Cure,' which will stroll through Sunbury. Registration is at 8:00a.m., with the walk beginning at 9:00a.m. at the corner of 11th and Line Street in Sunbury. The suggested donation is $5.00 and all money raised will go to the American Diabetes Association. More information is available at www.wkok.com. (Sara Bartlett)
Superintendent miffed by "Race to the Top" award decision
LEWISBURG -- The superintendent of the Lewisburg Area School district says he's disappointed that Pennsylvania was not among states to be awarded a portion of more than $4.3 billion dollars in federal money for education. Dr. Mark DiRocco says he's perplexed that the "Race to the Top" grants were awarded on a competitive basis.
Dr. DiRocco says the decision was made by the federal Department of Education, and notes that they already have established protocol that could have equitably distributed money to every district in the nation. Governor Ed Rendell expressed similar disappointment after nine other states and the District of Columbia were awarded the second round of "Race to the Top" grants last week.
Meantime, the failure of Congress to pass a measure that would have given the commonwealth $250 million dollars to subsidize education is causing some districts to again look at their annual budgets. However, Dr. DiRocco says the Lewisburg District made up for the expected $28,000 shortfall by not hiring an additional elementary school teacher originally in the 2010-2011 budget. (Matt Farrand)
High school home game fee waived by university
LEWISBURG -- The Lewisburg Area High School football team is getting a break from the high cost of using Bucknell's Christy Mathewson Memorial Stadium. The Green Dragons will continue to use the university's field as its site for home games, but will only have to cover costs as needed for security and traffic control.
The university had previously charged the district $1,000 per home game for use of the stadium. Booster clubs will also be allowed to make money through the sale of food at stadium concession stands for the first time. Superintendent Dr. Mark DiRocco credits Bucknell for approaching the district with the revised plan. The school board approved it Thursday night. (Matt Farrand)
New Berlin teen charged with selling pot prior to deadly Mifflinburg shooting
MIFFLINBURG -- A New Berlin woman has been charged for supplying marijuana to teens shortly before a deadly shooting in Mifflinburg. 18-year-old Kali Kenton admitted to police that she sold one gram of marijuana to both 17-year-old Anthony Hernandez and a 16-year-old boy May 8th. Shortly after, Hernandez was shot and killed by 18-year-old Alexander Shoemaker of Mifflinburg.
Police say around 1:15a.m., Kenton went to 733 Walbash Road after receiving a call from the 16-year-old. She sold the marijuana to the teens and then left the residence. It was around 1:25a.m. that police were called to the scene for a report of a shooting.
Hernandez was taken to the hospital where he later died of a single gunshot wound to the chest. Shoemaker has been charged with the shooting and could face up to seven years in prison is found guilty.
Kenton also told police later in the day May 8th, that friends visited her at her New Berlin home and returned drug paraphernalia that was used by the teen boys.
She later destroyed all of the items according to police. Kenton faces two felony charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. She also faces misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled substance and corruption of minors. (Sara Bartlett)
Danville woman escapes fire
DANVILLE -- A Danville woman sustained no injuries after escaping through a second story window following a fire Wednesday night. 44-year-old Julie Dent was awakened around 11:30p.m. after the blaze shattered a window.
The fire broke out at 25 Old Valley School Road, and a state police fire marshal said it started near a set of stairs. There were electrical wires found in the area. The fire was accidental. Damage is estimated at $100,000. (Sara Bartlett)
A fire damaged a home and the lone occupant got out safely
SHAMOKIN – A man in a burning home—got out safely Thursday—by climbing out of a second story window. The blaze heavily damaged the Randy Slodysko home at 131 South Second Street in Shamokin.
The Shamokin News Item reports that Slodysko climbed onto a second story porch roof and got down from the roof safely. He was out of the home as volunteer fire fighters arrived. He was awakened around 3am according to the newspaper’s account.
The fire cause is thought to accidental and electrical in origin. The house was heavily damaged. Volunteers from Shamokin, Coal Township, Kulpmont and Overlook responded. There were no injuries in that Shamokin fire Thursday morning.
Northumberland County crop farm gets preservation distinction
HARRISBURG -- A crop farm in Northumberland County has been added to the state's nationally recognized farmland preservation program. The Ileen Ranck farm received the designation. The action keeps the land in agricultural use and protects it from development.
The 86-acre farm is one of 40 throughout the state that was added by the Pennsylvania Agricultural Land Preservation Board this week. To date, the farmland preservation program has preserved over 440,000 acres on over 4,000 farms in the state. Both figures are the highest of any state in the U.S. (Sara Bartlett)
Updates from GSV United Way on Leaders & Lawmakers
UNDATED -- The Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way is progressing and looking forward to helping more and more people in the future. To date, they help fund 30 non-profits as well as focus on regional problems through their Priorities for Impact program.
Keri Albright, President and CEO of the Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way, says they are now help fund a collaboration between Clinical Outcomes Group and Susquehanna Valley Women in Transition.
Priorities for Impact focuses on six problems identified in the Valley, including lack of public transportation, issues facing at-risk teens, lack of quality early childhood education, issues focused on diversity, poverty and drug and alcohol abuse. Albright says when giving to United Way, donators are helping not only the nonprofit groups, but helping with these issues as well.
Albright gave more updates on the Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way, and talked about the struggle of nonprofits in the current economy on our Leaders & Lawmakers program Thursday. You can download the program online at www.wkok.com. (Sara Bartlett)
A rate increase request, filed by PPL, is advancing
ALLENTOWN – It won’t be until this fall that we know how much PPL’s electric rates will be going up but we know they will be going up. PPL and the state Public Utility Commission have reached a private, tentative agreement on the proposed increases in distribution rates. The amount of the increase on which the two sides now agree, is not yet being disclosed.
PPL was seeking an approximately $7 per month increase in the average residential rate. While the utility and the PUC have a tentative agreement, it still needs to be approved by an administrative law judge and the full commission.
PPL’s distribution division wants the rate increase to offset the nearly one billion dollars in system improvements they’ve made in the past five years. In addition, they say they will continue improvements totaling $1.5 billion in the future.
This rate increase, which will take effect next year, comes on the heels of a 30% increase in residential generation rates, which took effect in the beginning of 2010.
Judge Ranck to be remembered in Northumberland County Court
SUNBURY -- A special session of Northumberland County court will be held next week to honor the late Judge Samuel Ranck. In accordance with tradition, President Judge Robert Sacavage appointed a memorial committee of the Northumberland County Bar Association to prepare a resolution that will be presented at the services.
Members of the Bar and court-related personnel will also offer recollections of the judge, who served more than 30 years on the bench. Ranck died last month at the age of 82. His family will attend during the ceremony Tuesday, August 31st at 11:30a.m. The public is invited to attend in courtroom one at the Northumberland County Courthouse. (Sara Bartlett)
Golf Tourney a huge success
LEWISBURG -- Though no one made a hole-in-one to win a new car, the Evangelical Community Hospital golf classic was a huge success. Last week's event raised more than $30,000 for Evan's pre-hospital services. Nearly 230 golfers played and participated in a silent auction, along with many contests. This is the 24th year for the golf tournament. (Sara Bartlett)
Professor seeking study participants
LEWISBURG -- An assistant professor of psychology at Bucknell University is looking for volunteers. Ruth Tincoff is conducting a study on just how babies understand and how they connect words with their meanings. She is seeking local families with babies who are 4 months to 2-years-old. Appointments will take about a half-hour and will be arranged at the family's convenience.
The study includes two parts. The first, parents sitting with their child as they watch a video. The second, parents playing games with their child while they act out words such as 'sit' and 'hug.' Tincoff is looking at cognitive skills and a child's ability to adapt to information their parents give them. Anyone interested in participating in the study is asked to call 577-1828. (Sara Bartlett)
Latest Pennsylvania news, sports, business and entertainment
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania agency says it's considering enforcement action after 41 of 74 companies drilling for Marcellus shale natural gas missed a deadline to report their wells' production. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said Friday that it will contact the companies that missed the Aug. 15 deadline and pursue whatever enforcement action it deems necessary. Nine of the 41 companies submitted reports after the deadline. DEP Secretary John Hanger says he's troubled by the level of noncompliance. A new state law forces gas companies to report production totals every six months. Those reports, and a list of the companies that didn't report, are being posted on the agency's website.
HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) - Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin says the national debt is one of country's biggest challenges and that it's immoral to mortgage the nation's future with excessive borrowing. Her remarks came during a 40-minute speech Friday to the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Family Institute in a sold-out hotel ballroom in Hershey. It was a fundraising banquet for the group, which championsnschool choice and has battled access to abortion, gambling and same-sex marriage. Her remarks largely dealt with social issues such as abortion, but she also says she wants to see more women enter politics and strong support for Israel as a U.S. ally. The former Alaska governor is also expected to be a featured speaker Saturday in Washington at television host Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally on the Washington Mall.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
AP-BusinessMinute
NEW YORK (AP) - Stock prices ended the day solidly higher. The Dow gained 165 points to 10,151. The S&P added 17 points to 1,065. And the Nasdaq composite rose 35 points to 2,154. For the week, the key averages lost ground.
JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke says the central bank still has options available if the economy falters. He told a group in Jackson Hole, Wyo. that the possibilities include more large-scale purchases of securities, like Treasuries.
NEW YORK (AP) - Bond yields edged higher after Ben Bernanke's comments. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note jumped to 2.66 percent in afternoon trading, up from 2.50 percent late Thursday. The yield helps set interest rates on mortgages and other kinds of loans.
SEATTLE (AP) - Hewlett-Packard today boosted its bid for 3Par to nearly $1.9 billion. That topped Dell's offer by 11 percent. And as a result, 3Par shares surged $6.43, or 25 percent, to $32.46, above HP's latest offer price.
DALLAS (AP) - United and Continental will help Southwest Airlines expand in the New York market to help clear a path to their own combination, which would create the world's biggest airline. United and Continental say they will lease takeoff and landing slots at Newark (N.J.) Liberty International Airport to Southwest beginning next March.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - These Pennsylvania lotteries were drawn Friday:
Big 4
7-0-5-0
Cash 5
04-16-18-25-38
Daily Number
7-3-9
Evening Quinto
6-9-5-0-6
Mega Millions
04-10-26-32-41, Mega Ball: 31
Megaplier
4
Midday Big 4
4-7-1-2
Midday Number
9-9-0
Midday Quinto
4-8-0-6-2
Treasure Hunt
01-12-16-21-28
Levi Johnston makes 6th visit to CBS morning show
The father of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's grandson chose the show Friday to declare he had lied when he previously said he had lied about Palin. It was the sixth time the ex-boyfriend of Palin's daughter Bristol has appeared on the show over the past two years. That led a conservative media watchdog to wonder whether the show has an "obsession" with him, perhaps to embarrass Palin. Palin has described CBS anchor Katie Couric as "badgering" and biased. A 2008 presidential campaign interview with Couric was widely regarded as disastrous for Palin. CBS won't comment. But longtime Hollywood publicist Howard Bragman notes there's enough interest in Johnston that he's working on a reality show about running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Broadcaster Glenn Beck is calling on thousands to rally Saturday in the nation's capital on the anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech and at the same site. Civil rights leaders are protesting the event. Beck, a Fox News personality and conservative favorite, insists it's just a coincidence that his "Restoring Honor" rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial is overlapping with the 47th anniversary of King's speech. Potential 2012 presidential candidate Sarah Palin is expected to attend, along with some 100,000 people. City officials had granted a permit for some 300,000. Beck and other organizers say the aim is to pay tribute to America's military personnel and others "who embody our nation's founding principles of integrity, truth and honor."
BEIJING (AP) - China's latest monster traffic jam is a smaller version of the last one several days ago, which stretched to 60 miles at one point. The new jam has trucks and cars backed up for up to 18 miles on a highway north of Beijing. State media say the latest jam on the Beijing-Tibet highway was caused by an accident and road maintenance. A woman who answered the phone at the Beijing traffic management office said drivers should not take the highway. Traffic jams are part of daily life in China's major cities, with vehicles moving at a crawl in parts of Beijing for most of the day. The main reason traffic has increased on the partially four-lane highway is the opening of vital coal mines in the northwest.
Mexican TV network: car explodes next to office
MEXICO CITY (AP) - A major Mexican television network says a car has exploded in front of its offices in a northern state where officials are investigating the massacre of 72 Central and South American migrants. The Televisa network reports that the explosion happened early Friday in front of its offices in the capital of Tamaulipas, the same state where the bodies were found earlier this week on a ranch believed to be operated by drug traffickers. Televisa says that none of its employees was injured, but the explosion damaged the building and knocked out its signal in the city. It was felt for blocks. Tamaulipas has become one of Mexico's most violent battlegrounds for drug cartels fighting over territory.
No Auto-tune
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Maybe we wouldn't be hearing all that "pitchiness" on "American Idol" if they electronically corrected the singers' voices. But, Idol's producers have issued a statement saying: "We have never, nor would we ever, use Auto-Tuning during the 'American Idol' competition." Fans of Simon Cowell's show in Britain, "The X Factor," are accusing that show of using pitch-correction software to alter some performances. The show's producers are admitting that some post-production was used to fix differences because of the various microphones used during filming.
Chinese man with no arms plays piano with toes
SHANGHAI (AP) - A Chinese pianist says his goal is to be so good that people won't notice his arms are missing. Liu Wei plays the piano with his toes. And he plays well enough to have won a standing ovation when he performed on "China's Got Talent" earlier this month. As he puts it, "Nobody ever decreed that to play the piano you must use your hands." The 23-year-old also uses his feet to eat, dress, brush his teeth and use a computer. He says whatever other people do with their hands, he does with his feet. Liu was 10 when he lost his arms after getting electrocuted playing hide-and-seek. He started playing the piano when he was in his late teens. Now, he says, he would like to be seen just as a pianist.
Beck plans rally on anniversary of King's 'Dream' speech
WASHINGTON (AP) - Glenn Beck's rally on the anniversary and at the site of Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech is drawing criticism, protests and questions about his intentions. Beck insists the event Saturday at the Lincoln Memorial is not about politics, even though Beck and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will attend. Beck is a popular figure among tea party activists and a polarizing Fox News Channel personality. The event's website says the rally is to pay tribute to America's military personnel and others "who embody our nation's founding principles of integrity, truth and honor." It urges citizens to attend and "help us restore the values that founded this great nation." Beck says the timing of the event is merely a coincidence.
MLK niece to join Glenn Beck at Lincoln Memorial
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Rev. Alveda King is defending her participation in Glenn Beck's rally at the Lincoln Memorial tomorrow on the 47th anniversary of her uncle's "I Have a Dream" speech. Beck's critics say the conservative talk show host's "Restoring America's Honor" event shouldn't be staged where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his historic speech in 1963. But the civil rights leader's niece plans to speak at the rally and "sing in the choir" at Beck's separate event for clergy, titled "America's Divine Destiny," tonight at the Kennedy Center. Yesterday, some black ministers accused Alveda King, who campaigns against abortion in the black community, of "hijacking the dream" -- a charge she rejects as laughable. King insists her uncle did not support abortion, and she says the dream he spoke of is in her genes. A nearby civil rights march tomorrow will be led by the Rev. Al Sharpton.
NO SHOW WORKER
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - How this for a job? Get paid for 12 years, without ever showing up for work. City officials in Norfolk, Va., say they've fired a worker who's been collecting salary and benefits for a dozen years without ever working. The employee, who had been on the payroll of the community services board, isn't being named. The board provides medication, counseling and psychiatric services to about 6,000 people. The agency's 300 employees have an average salary of about $35,000. The board is an independent agency, receiving funding from the city, state and federal governments.
EMMY AWARDS ARE SUNDAY - WILL "GLEE" STOP "30 ROCK"
LOS ANGELES (AP) - We'll find out Sunday if "Glee" or any of the other shows nominated for outstanding comedy will stop "30 Rock's" win streak at three in a row. "Glee" started out Emmy season with 19 nominations, the most for any comedy or drama. "30 Rock" comes into Emmy season with 17 nominations. Other shows up for best comedy are first-time nominees "Modern Family" and "Nurse Jackie," along with "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and previous one-time winner "The Office." When the Emmys air Sunday on NBC, they'll be live in all time zones.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)