Sunday, February 14, 2010 

Fire destroys Columbia County business

BERWICK – The Saturday night fire that destroyed a Columbia County business will be investigated.  A state police fire marshal will look into the blaze at All Occasion Rental in South Centre Township.  There were no injuries in the fire that was reported at about 11:00 p.m.

The building at Route 11 near the bridge to Mifflinville sustained heavy damage.  Lime Ridge, Summer Hill, Lightstreet, Millville and Espy fire crews were dispatched to the fire, according to the Columbia County Communications desk.  (Matt Farrand) 

US Senate candidate visits local Democrats

NORTHUMBERLAND – A Saturday night Democratic Party fundraising dinner in Northumberland attracted a candidate for the US Senate.  Congressman Joe Sestak (D-7^th, Media) focused his remarks on incumbent Senator Arlen Specter, and claims the former Republican is responsible for high unemployment and excessive national debt.  About 60 were on hand.  Auditor Jack Wagner and Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty were reportedly invited to the event hosted by the Sunbury Area Democratic Committee. 

Wagner did not attend for personal reasons, and Doherty canceled earlier on Saturday.  Both men are running for governor.  (Matt Farrand)

Former county commissioner hopes to take over when Merle Phillips retires

SUNBURY – Former Northumberland county commissioner Sam Deitrick is hoping to take over for Merle Phillips (R-108^th, Sunbury) when Phillips retires as state representative of the 108^th District.  Deitrick announced his candidacy recently and talked about his experience with budgeting in the county potentially helping in Harrisburg.

He says he was able to help turn things around in Northumberland County following the Cwalina-Lewis administration and was able to help balance the county budget.  Deitrick says he can take this experience to Harrisburg to help with the state budget. Deitrick says he too feels strongly about supporting economic development in the region. 

He also tells us that if elected to office, he will keep the staff currently working in Merle Phillips office.  He says they have done an excellent job over the years helping the constituents.  Deitrick will have to face off against Republican Northumberland County Controller Chuck Erdman, whom he has worked with for several years while serving as a commissioner.  (Ali Stevens)

Roundtable goes on the road to the House of Hope Susquehanna Valley

RIVERSIDE – For most of this century, the House of Hope Susquehanna Valley has been helping teen girls get their lives back on track. The house has been open in the Riverside area for more than 4-years and they were doing non-resident counseling before that.  Over twenty girls have called the house their home for a year or so and have graduated.

The house has a bright future too—according to the guests on this weekend’s Roundtable program. Susan McDowell, the founder of the program, and Alex Poirier, the executive director. They and a student at the house—Emily—from Northumberland, discuss the mortgage burning they had last summer, and the need to serve more girls (and eventually…guys) in The Valley.

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.

Fire in a garage ruled accidental

GREGG TWP. – A fire in a garage in Gregg Township, Union County Thursday has been ruled ‘accidental.’  A state police fire marshal says it appears the fire started in the engine of a vehicle parked inside the garage.

Firefighters responded to the call about 4:10 p.m. Thursday at the John Robbins property on South Creek Road and found the garage fully engulfed when they arrived.  Damage to the garage, its contents and the house was estimated at $25,000.  There were no reported injuries and the property owner was insured.  (Ali Stevens) 

LASD Learning Framework could be recruiting aid

LEWISBURG – While Lewisburg Area School District residents continue to evaluate a master facilities plan, a type of organizational chart is emerging of what will be taught in those facilities.  Superintendent Dr. Mark DiRocco calls the Learning Framework a way to show how intervention, accelerated learning programs, and exams fit in to the overall goals of the district. 

Dr. DiRocco says it could be an aid to parents considering a move to the district.  He said making sure students perform at grade level or better will remain part of the plan, whether or not the federal government renews the No Child Left Behind Act, a mandate that imposes the same goal. 

Accident in Riverside injures one person

RIVERSIDE – One person was injured in a crash in Riverside Friday afternoon. State police say 19-year-old Kevin Bingaman of Selinsgrove lost control of his vehicle on Sunbury Road and skidded into a vehicle driven by 29-year-old Joshua Kovaschetz of Sunbury.

A passenger is Kovaschetz’s vehicle, Walter Dees of Paxinos, was injured in the crash and taken to Geisinger Medical Center for treatment. No other injuries were reported in the crash around 5:15 Friday afternoon in Riverside. (Ali Stevens)

Belfanti hopes federal funds could help snow removal

HARRISBURG – State Reprehensive Bob Belfanti (D-107th, Mount Carmel) is hoping for some federal funds in his district following this week’s snowstorm. He says federal disaster assistance would help municipalities that were forced to go outside of their budgets to remove the snow.

The governor declared a statewide disaster emergency February 6th to enable state, county and municipal governments to respond effectively to the storm. Until a federal disaster emergency is declared, no FEMA funding will be available, but if a federal disaster is declared FEMA funding would be available for emergency work.

Northumberland County Transportation Director will resign

SUNBURY – Northumberland County Commissioner Vinny Clausi tells us the county’s Transportation Director will resign on Monday. Dennis Hepler had a meeting with the commissioners Tuesday after it was discovered that Hepler overcharged the Area Agency on Aging and PennDOT’s Shared-Ride Program for the past several months.

Hepler admitted to the double-charging for transporting senior citizens and claims he did it in an effort to recoup some of the money his department lost during the past year through a contract with a local cab company.

Hepler claims Clausi encouraged him to enter into the contract with Shamokin Yellow Cab Company, but he says he didn’t budget for it, so he felt he needed to make up the money by double-charging the agency. The overcharge of $15,000 is not expected to lead to criminal charges. (Ali Stevens)

Former MLB pitching star to receive an award from Economics Pennsylvania

SELINSGROVE – Economics Pennsylvania has announced that former major league pitching star Mike Mussina will receive the annual “Adam Smith Award For Distinguished Leadership.” Fritz Heinemann is president and CEO of Economics Pennsylvania and says each year, they choose someone with a strong interest in young people who serves as a role model for their organization.

Mussina was with the Baltimore Orioles from 1991 to 2000 and then pitched for the New York Yankees from 2001 to 2008. In 2000, Mussina established the Mike Mussina Foundation to benefit children and children’s charities.

Former recipients of the Economics Pennsylvania award includes State Representatives Russ Fairchild and Merle Phillips, former Bucknell president Gary Sojka and Selinsgrove Olympian Kelli Smith, just to name a few.

Tickets for the February 25th luncheon featuring Mike Mussina and Pittsburgh Steelers Star Linebacker Andy Russell are $75 each, with the event at Tedd’s on the Hill. Proceeds from the luncheon support Economics Pennsylvania programs. (Ali Stevens)

Volunteer firefighter sentenced for arson

BLOOMSBURG – A former volunteer firefighter from Orangeville has been sentenced to up to 42 years behind bars for a series of arson fires last spring. Colton Barrett was in Columbia County Court Thursday and was also ordered to pay nearly $800,000 in restitution.

One of the fires at a farmhouse in Fishing Creek Township left an elderly couple seriously injured with major burns. Police say Barrett set the fires using flares, matches or gasoline. Barrett was also sentenced last year to three years in prison for burglarizing several fire companies in the area. (Ali Stevens)

Elysburg resident wants to run for the 107th

ELYSBURG – A Elysburg resident wants to run for state representative of the 107th district, which is currently held by the retiring Bob Belfanti (D-107th, Mount Carmel). 59-year-old Ted Yeager is running as a Democrat. Yeager graduated from Southern Columbia in 1968, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Wilkes College and a master’s degree from Elmira College.

Yeager spent 27 years teaching social studies in the Danville School District. Yeager is chairman of the Municipal Authority for Ralpho Township and has served on the Ralpho Township Library Board, the Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech Authority and the Elysburg Rotary Club.

He will face off against Kulpmont Mayor Myron Turlis and Coal Township Commissioner George Zalar. The lone Republican candidate is Northumberland County Commissioner Kurt Masser. (Ali Stevens)

Local nurse going on medical mission trip to Bolivia

LEWISBURG – A local nurse will head to Bolivia in a few months to help with surgeries for children born with cleft palates and cleft lips. Vicki Eberhart of Winfield works at SUN Orthopedic and says she has always enjoyed doing mission work, and knows that cleft palates and lips are a big problem in Bolivia. Eberhart says surgery can repair a child’s mouth, which allows them to eat properly and get the nutrition they need.

To help with expenses for the April trip, a fundraiser is being held Saturday at the Towne Tavern in Lewisburg. Guest bartenders at the fundraiser include local doctor Thomas Dominick and retired Major League baseball player Steve Kline. All are invited to the fundraiser Saturday from 7:00-10:00p.m.

Latest Pennsylvania news, sports, lottery, business and entertainment

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Authorities say disciplinary action and charges are expected after what they call a "near-riot" at a central Pennsylvania high school.  Officials say the 9:30 a.m. Friday melee involved more than 100 ninth- and 10th-grade girls at Central Dauphin East High School in Lower Paxton Township. School officials say no injuries were reported and classes continued as usual.  School spokeswoman Shannon Leib says she does not know what sparked the fracas, but with 1,700 students, "there will be disruptions from time to time." Police Lt. Gary Seefeldt says it was the first time this school year that additional officers were needed at the school.  Leib says those involved face disciplinary action that could include suspension or expulsion. Police say they are reviewing video surveillance and interviewing staff members and plan to file criminal charges.

MILL HALL, Pa. (AP) - Authorities in say a fire police officer was struck and killed while directing traffic around the scene of a crash.  State police in Clinton County say 62-year-old Donald Mellot of Flemington was hit about 1:30 p.m. Friday on Lusk Run Road about two miles from Central Mountain High School. Police say the Woolrich Volunteer Fire Company member was later pronounced dead at Lock Haven Hospital.  Police said the vehicle drove through a coned-off area. The accident remains under investigation  Authorities say the victim was one of several fire police officers called to the scene after a car and a pickup collided, shearing a utility pole.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The second week of the trial for a former state lawmaker and three aides has ended with the second prosecution witness still on the stand. Defense attorneys spent Friday cross-examining Jeff Foreman, who was chief of staff to defendant Mike Veon until 2006 and spent about two decades working in the Legislature. Foreman has been telling the jury what he knows about the alleged use of the General Assembly's employees, equipment and cash to wage campaigns. Also Friday, the presiding judge conducted a hearing into whether dozens of defense subpoenas issued to current and former state lawmakers and employees will be thrown out. Veon was the No. 2 ranking House Democrat. He's on trial with three former aides for theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A western Pennsylvania lawmaker frustrated with continuing power outages from last weekend's snowstorm called for an investigation into the emergency response to the wintry weather. State Rep. Peter Daley of Washington County said Friday he plans to call a hearing to get answers about how some residents of southwestern Pennsylvania could go without power for more than a week. Daley says his office has received many calls from angry residents who want answers. He'll invite representatives from power and water companies along with government and emergency planning agencies serving Washington, Greene and Fayette counties. The hearing will be scheduled within a few weeks. By Friday afternoon, Allegheny Energy still had 12,000 customers without power. In the Philadelphia area, Peco had 11,000 without power following Wednesday's blizzard.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania's state Senate leaders say a commission that will look for ways for state government to save money is ready to meet. Senator Republican leader Dominic Pileggi of Delaware County and Senate Democratic leader Robert Mellow of Lackawanna County said Friday they have appointed members of the commission. They say the Government Management and Cost Study Commission is to hold its first meeting Feb. 19. The Senate created the commission by approval of a resolution Dec. 16. Under the resolution, the commission is to report its findings to the Senate by June 30.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A published report says the wife of the late congressman John Murtha is being urged to run for the House seat that he held for nearly four decades. Murtha spokesman Matthew Mazonkey told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review in a story published Friday that many people have called his office to suggest that Joyce Murtha would be the perfect successor to her husband. Several other potential candidates for Murtha's seat in western Pennsylvania's coal and steel country have surfaced even before Gov. Ed Rendell sets a date for a special election. If Joyce Murtha decides to run, she would be following in the footsteps of 46 other women who have served in the U.S. House or Senate as the direct successors to their late husbands.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - A Penn State student is being treated for what the school calls a probable case of bacterial meningitis. The school said Friday the unidentified student lives in a campus residence hall and is being treated at Mount Nittany Medical Center. The university says friends and close contacts of the student have been called and offered medication. Meningococcal meningitis is a contagious and potentially fatal infection of the central nervous system. It is typically not transmitted by routine contact, but is spread by saliva or close, prolonged contact with an infected person.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Update on the latest in business

Police: Alaska oil firm head dies in avalanche

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - State police say the president of ConocoPhillips Alaska is dead and another person is presumed dead after being swept away in an Alaskan avalanche.  They say that Jim Bowles, the head of the oil giant's Alaska operations, was with a dozen snowmobilers in the Grandview wilderness area near Seward on the Kenai Peninsula when an avalanche roared down a slope Saturday and swept two of them away.  Troopers say Bowles' body was recovered before nightfall. Rider Alan Gage was buried but couldn't be located during a search that was suspended because of darkness.  Anchorage police say another avalanche struck later in the day near the capital and left a skier missing.

Workers disrupt business at Ikea stores in France

PARIS (AP) - Protesting workers have forced one Ikea store in France to close and disrupted business another 22.  The French labor dispute at the Swedish home furnishings giant began a week ago with workers at France's 26 Ikea stores demanding a 4 percent salary increase.  CGT union representative Marylene Laure said union action Saturday had shut down a store in Franconville, northwest of Paris, and caused partial shutdowns at others.  Ikea France spokesman Pierre Deyries said the company has proposed a 2 percent wage increase, with 1 percent of that as merit increases. He said Ikea considered negotiations finished, but would hold an information meeting with union delegates on Monday.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Pennsylvania Lottery Numbers

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - These Pennsylvania lotteries were drawn Saturday:

Big 4

     7-7-8-

Cash 5

     07-17-29-32-43

Daily Number

     0-0-0

Evening Quinto

     5-0-6-6-0

Midday Big 4

     0-6-6-3

Midday Number

     1-5-5

Midday Quinto

     1-3-0-0-6

Powerball

     10-14-30-40-51, Powerball: 1, Power Play: 4

Treasure Hunt

     01-05-20-22-30

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Pickup hits bus carrying country singer's band

SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) - Authorities in north Louisiana say two people in a pickup truck were killed when the truck ran head-on into a tour bus carrying members of country singer Trace Adkins' band.  Cindy Chadwick of the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office says five band members were treated for minor injuries in the Saturday morning accident.  Adkins was not on the bus. Chadwick says he drove to the scene after hearing about the accident.  The cause of the accident was not immediately known.  Chadwick says a witness had seen the pickup truck weaving in traffic. The truck crossed the center line of U.S. Highway 71 and ran into the bus around 9:30 a.m.

Woman sues Anderson Cooper after fall at NYC home

NEW YORK (AP) - An interior designer is suing CNN anchor Anderson Cooper after she took an unusual fall at an old New York City firehouse that he is converting into a new home.  Killian O'Brien, of Brooklyn, says in her suit that she plunged 17 feet through the hole that once held the station's fire pole. The pole had been removed, but the hole was uncovered.  The accident happened in September. Her lawyer, Neil Greenberg, says she is lucky to be alive.  Cooper's spokesman declined to comment.  The Manhattan firehouse was built in 1906. It was the former home of a unit of the Fire Patrol, a private firefighting organization backed by the insurance industry.  O'Brien is also suing the developer of the building.