Friday, February 19, 2010

Carney…key to CSVT may be ‘toll credits’

SUNBURY – Congressman Chris Carney (D-10^th, Dimock) says toll credits could be the answer to getting more funding for the Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway Project.  Toll credits are the projected revenue the state estimates it would make on the toll roads.  They use the estimate to determine the federal match.  Carney was a guest on WKOK’s On The Mark program Friday talking about the latest on the bypass.

Carney says as of 2005, Congress has not allowed Appalachian Regional Commission states, like Pennsylvania, to use toll credits for highway projects.  Carney says along with Congressman Bill Schuster, he has been working change that.  If it were changed, toll credits would be used for transportation projects, including the CSVT.   

Carney says the bypass will get done eventually and says he continues to explore all funding options.  Carney talked about another of other topics as he prepares for a big election in November.  You can hear more from Chris Carney from our Friday On The Mark program online at www.wkok.com.  (Ali Stevens)

Fifth Republican enters race

RIVERSIDE – Another Republican is in the race for the 108^th district seat currently held by State Representative Merle Phillips (R-108^th, Sunbury).  Ken Snyder of Riverside says he is gathering signatures. 

Snyder calls himself a working man, who never had intentions of entering politics, but feels that now is a good time.  He says the government is sticking too far in people’s pockets, and he wants to stop that.  He says one issue he has is the proposed tolling of Interstate 80.

Snyder is the fifth Republican to enter the race, behind Phillips’ legislative aide  Lynda Schlegel-Culver, former Northumberland County Commissioner Sam Deitrick, Northumberland County Controller Chuck Erdman and Wood-Mode employee Stanley Geiswhite.  The only Democratic candidate is local attorney Antonio Michetti.    

Man with smoked pot plants turns himself in

SHAMOKIN – A Shamokin man who was charged with growing marijuana plants in his home has turned himself in to police.  The News Item reports 37-year-old Christopher Elliott was arraigned Thursday morning on charges of manufacturing and possessing marijuana and was released on bail.  Police discovered the marijuana in Elliot’s home after a fire broke out last Friday night. 

47 pot plants were confiscated along with a large amount of marijuana, a gun and ammunition.  Fire caused damage to the home at 449 South Harrison Street in Shamokin.  No injuries were reported, but a neighboring home was also damaged in the fire, which was ruled accidental and electrical in nature.  (Ali Stevens)

Danville cops: Danville man is prowler

DANVILLE – A Danville man is behind bars, accused of prowling near home on Laurel Lane in Danville.  19-year-old Medhat Ammar is charged with theft and disorderly conduct for the incident February 10^th. 

Police say Ammar was trying to break into a parked vehicle near the home around 11:00p.m. and they were able to follow tracks in the snow to locate him.  He was taken into custody and arraigned and sent to the Montour County Prison on $20,000 bail.  (Ali Stevens)

Jury: Turbotville man was stalker

SUNBURY – A Turbotville man has been convicted of stalking.  Northumberland County District Attorney Tony Rosini tells us 26-year-old Lance Yarish is facing 5 years in prison for leaving various items in the mailbox of a female neighbor. 

Two buildings burn on MontCo farm

DERRY TWP – More than ten fire crews from Montour, Northumberland and Columbia Counties spent much of Thursday at a three-alarm structure fire in Derry Township, Montour County. A wood working shop and a barn went up in flames. Some chickens died in the fire according to witnesses, but members of the Amish sect were able to rescue several dozen cows.

The barn blaze broke out around 9:30a.m. at the structure at 350 Strawberry Ridge Road. Firefighters remained on the scene until nearly 5:30 p.m. The fire was on the John Stoltzfus farm. No injuries were reported. The fire is thought to have started from an overheated woodstove in the wood working shop, then sparks spread to the barn.

Bloomsburg, Washingtonville, Valley Township, Liberty Township, Point Township and Montour Township fire companies responded to the scene, as did the East End Fire Company, Goodwill Hose Company, Washies Fire Company, Southside Fire Company and Continental Fire Company.

Bucknell to be one of 13 PennREN hubs

LEWISBURG – The Commonwealth is getting nearly $130 million in federal stimulus money to develop broadband technology. Bucknell University will be one of 13 hubs for the Pennsylvania Research and Education Network, or PennREN.

Chief Information officer Param Bedi says fiber optic networks are the wave of the future. Bedi says the network will move greater amounts of information, and open up new opportunities for education and health care.

The 1,700-mile fiber optic network will expand broadband Internet access to 60 institutions, including public and private universities, schools, libraries and medical facilities in 39 counties statewide. The broadband initiative will focus on rural and mountainous areas such as much of the state north of Interstate 80, where the terrain is considered a barrier to broadband development. (Matt Farrand)

Wolfgang back in court

SUNBURY – A hearing is set for Monday to determine if a Mount Carmel man is competent to stand trial in the murder of his wife. 49-year-old Steven Wolfgang is set to go to trial on March 15th for the death of 42-year-old Sherry Wolfgang. Psychiatrists and other witnesses are scheduled to testify on Monday at the competency hearing.

If President Judge Robert Sacavage rules him competent, jury selection will begin on March 8th. Wolfgang is accused of killing his wife at their home in Mount Carmel in January of 2007 and then dumping her body in Mahanoy Creek. He was also charged with arson for setting her SUV on fire and child endangerment, for leaving his children home alone when the crimes took place.

Last September Wolfgang withdrew his plea of no contest and entered a not-guilty plea. Wolfgang now faces an open count of criminal homicide and possibly the death penalty, which District Attorney Tony Rosini plans to seek. (Ali Stevens)

Snyder County Commissioner makes a run for Congress

SUNBURY – Snyder County Commissioner Malcolm Derk is hoping to be the next congressman representing the 10th congressional district. He was a guest on WKOK’s On The Mark program Thursday and says fiscal responsibility is critically important for a congressman and wants to eliminate pet projects so that money is going to the places it is needed the most.

In response to a listener e-mail asking Derk about his ‘real-life experience,’ he says he has none as a business owner, but can understand owner’s struggles during the recession and can help them find resources, as well as fight to cut taxes for small business owners. Derk is one of five GOP candidates in the race to unseat democratic incumbent Chris Carney (D-10th, Dimock).

He adds that he is pro-life and against the death penalty and wants marriage to remain intact as being only between a man and a woman. You can hear more from Malcolm Derk from our Thursday On The Mark program online at www.wkok.com. Derk has more information at his website www.derkforcongress.com. (Ali Stevens)

Former Valley residents tries to save the Watson Theatre

WATSONTOWN – A former Watsontown resident is make a big push to save the Watson Theatre. Matthias Sundberg now lives in New York City, but said he grew up watching movies at the 70-year-old single-screen theater. Sundberg started the ‘Save the Watson Theatre’ campaign this month, and hopes to get monetary pledges from people who also want to see the building stay the same.

He says about $200,000 is needed. If the fundraiser is successful, Sundberg hopes to continue to show movies, as well as hold film festivals. For more information or to donate money you can go online to www.thewatsontheatre.com.

Danville farmer wins $1 million

DANVILLE – A Montour County farmer has won $1 million from the Pennsylvania Lottery. Terry Artley of Danville was presented with his ceremonial check Thursday. Artley has been a farmer at Pine Hurst Acres in Danville for the past 22 years, and says he will continue his job, even after collecting the million dollars.

Artley credits his wife for picking the lucky $1.00 instant game ticket. Artley and his wife Brenda say with the money they plan to build a new home, and the rest will go to caring for their family, which includes two children and one grandchild.

Latest Pennsylvania news, lottery, business and entertainment

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Penn State students will hit the dance floor again this weekend for charity.  The Penn State/IFC Panhellenic Dance Marathon starts Friday evening, when about 700 dancers try to tango, two-step and twist for 46 straight hours.  It's all to raise money for The Four Diamonds Fund, a charity which benefits pediatric cancer research and care.  Organizers call the Dance Marathon the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. They say they've raised $61 million since 1973 to help more than 2,000 families, including nearly $7.6 million last year.  About 15,000 student volunteers also chip in for the event at the Bryce Jordan Center which ends Sunday afternoon.    

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell says the state's Department of Transportation will release fuel payments to local municipalities a month early to help with the costs of cleaning up after a pair of strong winter storms.  Rendell on Friday directed PennDOT to release $308 million in liquid fuel payments to local governments starting March 1.  PennDOT usually issues the payments to 2,556 local governments on April 1 to help cover the costs of transportation expenses including snow removal.  Rendell says getting the funds out early will help communities pay off expenses related to the back-to-back storms that dumped more than three feet of snow in parts of southern Pennsylvania earlier this month.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A witness in the corruption trial of the former No. 2 state House Democrat says he continued doing political fundraising on state time after he got a new boss. Patrick Lavelle said under cross-examination Friday that he continued fundraising after joining the staff of now-House Speaker Keith McCall.  Lavelle testified in the trial of former House Democratic whip Mike Veon.  McCall became whip after Veon lost his 2006 election. McCall hasn't been charged with wrongdoing.  A top McCall aide says Lavelle was instructed to do fundraising only after hours. He says the office is unaware of any such political work on state  time.  Lavelle indicated that the vast majority of his work for McCall was legitimate. He says he spent 80 percent of his time under Veon doing fundraising.

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (AP) - Former Lt. Gov. Mark Singel says he'll run for the 12th District Congressional seat vacated by the death of John Murtha.  Singel, a Democrat, was a state senator from 1981 to 1987 before becoming lieutenant governor under Gov. Robert Casey. Singel is a Johnstown native and announced his candidacy there.  That was Murtha's home town. The special election to fill the rest of Murtha's term will be held as part of Pennsylvania's May 18 primary. Also decided that day will be the Democrat and Republican nominees for November's general election to decide who will serve a full two-year term in the seat.  Former Pennsylvania treasurer and auditor general Barbara Hafer has also said she will run in the race to succeed Murtha provided his widow, Joyce, does not.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A federal lawsuit accuses a suburban Philadelphia school district of spying on students at home through school-issued laptop webcams. The suit says Lower Merion School District officials can activate the webcams remotely without students' knowledge. The lawsuit alleges the cameras captured images of Harriton High School students and their families as they undressed and in other compromising situations. Families learned of the alleged webcam images when an assistant principal spoke to a student about inappropriate behavior at home. In a statement, the school district said the laptops contained a security feature intended to track lost, or stolen laptops but the feature has been deactivated. The district said the tracking feature would not be reactivated "without express written notification to all students and families."

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Records at a Pennsylvania college match a man that authorities say piloted his airplane into a Texas office building over a federal tax dispute. Harrisburg Area Community College spokesman Patrick Early says engineering student Andrew J. Stack III collected nearly 60 credits at the school from 1975 to 1977 but left without getting a degree. Early says Stack's last address on file was in Corona, Calif., in 1999. His month and year of birth match other records for Joseph Stack, believed to be the pilot in Thursday's crash in Austin, Texas. A spokeswoman for Milton Hershey School in Hershey says Andrew Joseph Stack III graduated from the school in 1974. An anti-government message on a Web site linked to Stack describes his life as a cash-strapped college student living in Harrisburg in the 1970s.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Navy is reviewing the way its Bethesda, Md., medical center cared for Rep. John Murtha, who died following complications from gallbladder surgery. A Navy spokesman, Cmdr. Danny Hernandez, said Thursday an in-depth review of the care that Murtha received at the National Naval Medical Center has begun. He said it's the type of review required when a patient dies at the facility. Murtha died later at a different hospital. The 77-year-old Pennsylvania Democrat was first hospitalized with gallbladder problems in December at the National Naval Medical Center and eventually had his gallbladder removed there. A few days later he came to another hospital's emergency room with a fever and infection. The Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va., said he died there Feb. 8 from "major complications from surgery" at the first hospital.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Defense attorneys are trying to portray a key prosecution witness who has pleaded guilty as the master of schemes to rout taxpayer money and resources into waging political campaigns. Defense attorney Joel Sansone closely questioned a witness Thursday about who gave him orders and a promotion while he worked for the House Democratic caucus. Witness Eric Webb agreed that a top former House Democratic staff aide, Mike Manzo, gave him orders and his promotion. However, Webb also insisted that Manzo worked closely with the House's former No. 2 Democrat, Mike Veon. Veon is on trial with three former aides in Dauphin County. Webb's testimony came on the 13th day of trial. Manzo pleaded guilty last month. The attorney general's office gave Webb a grant of immunity.

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

Updates on the latest in business

Dow: 10,402.35, up 9.45

S&P 500: 1,109.17, up 2.42

NASDAQ: 2,243.87, up 2.16

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Mortgage Bankers Association says the number of borrowers who were falling behind on their home loans staged a sharp drop at the end of last year. The drop is particularly surprising because delinquencies usually rise at that time of year due to higher heating bills and holiday spending.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The latest reading from the Labor Department indicates that consumers don't have to worry about inflation at the moment. The Consumer Price Index rose just 0.2 percent in January. The core rate, which excludes food and energy, declined for the first time in more than a quarter-century.

SHELTON, Conn. (AP) - Energizer will launch a new line of Schick razors this spring, ramping up a long-running rivalry with Gillette. The unveiling of the Schick Hydro comes just a week after Gillette said it would give a facelift to its Fusion razor.

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

Pennsylvania Lottery Numbers

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

 Midday Big 4

     5-4-5-7

 Midday Number

     3-9-8

 Midday Quinto

     7-3-4-9-8

 Treasure Hunt

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

Big 4 7-9-7-7

Cash 5 16-21-25-36-42

Daily Number 0-5-1

Evening Quinto 3-5-4-1-9

Midday Big 4 0-7-0-3

Midday Number 1-6-2

Midday Quinto 2-6-3-0-8

Mix and Match 07-13-03-01-06

Treasure Hunt 01-04-08-14-24

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

Woods makes his case as millions pause to watch

NEW YORK (AP) - Tiger Woods takes a swing at getting out of the rough with a much-awaited TV confessional, telecast around the world.  Dozens of broadcast networks, cable news outlets and online streams carried his scripted statement live on Friday, allowing a global audience to see and hear from Woods for the first time since his public image went into free fall nearly three months ago.  Viewers by the millions paused to watch the golf great's 13 1/2-minute video apology for his sex escapades. Meanwhile, news anchors, TV pundits and morning show hosts sat ready to pounce with their reactions.  Wood's message, replayed over and over, was sure to keep the issue going. But initially, it was anything but clear whether he had made his case, or just managed to make a major media splash.

Rap star says he was one in Romney confrontation

BOSTON (AP) - A rap star says former Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney first touched him - and not the other way around - during a confrontation aboard a taxiing Air Canada flight.  Sky Blu says in a video on TMZ.com he was trying to go to sleep when he leaned his seat back on a Vancouver-to-Los Angeles flight Monday. He says Romney loudly told him to straighten it and grabbed his shoulder.  Gordy says he swung at Romney to defend himself. He says Romney's wife, Ann, screamed and the plane returned to the gate before two police officers escorted Gordy off.  Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom has no comment. Aides said this week that Romney told them he thought the other person was a band member.  Messages were left Friday with Air Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Online drive seeks to draft Mellencamp for Senate

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - An online effort to draft Hoosier rocker John Mellencamp to run   for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Indiana's Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh is building up steam.  Twitter is abuzz with the rumor and three separate Facebook groups have been set up, with the largest boasting about 2,000 members.  Mellencamp is no stranger to politics. In 2008, he recorded a radio commercial supporting Barack Obama's presidential campaign and requested that Republican candidate John McCain stop playing his songs, including "Our Country" and "Pink Houses," at his rallies.  Mellencamp's songs often have political or social themes. He is a co-founder of Farm Aid.  On Thursday, Mellencamp spokesman Bob Merlis said the musician "has no statement to offer."

Panel approves Bible classes for public schools

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky may follow the lead of Texas and other states in allowing Bible classes to be taught in public schools. Kentucky's Senate Education Committee has unanimously approved legislation that would effectively return the Bible to the state's classrooms. Democratic state Sen. David Boswell of Owensboro is sponsoring the legislation, which he said is modeled after a measure approved by Texas lawmakers some two years ago. Boswell said he believes the legislation is constitutional because the Bible will be taught from a literary perspective, not a religious one. He said it calls for teaching, not preaching, the Bible. The proposed Bible courses would be offered as electives, meaning schools could choose whether to offer them as a social studies credit and students could decide whether to take them.

Obama gives "strong support" to Dalai Lama

WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House says President Barack Obama expressed strong support for preservation of Tibet's religious and cultural identity during a private meeting with the Dalai Lama. China had warned that Obama's meeting with the Tibetan Buddhist leader would damage relations with the U.S., so the leaders didn't appear together except in a White House photograph. The Dalai Lama has denied Beijing's charge that he seeks Tibet's independence, but he told reporters that he has a "moral responsibility to speak on behalf of 6 million Tibetan people." The Dalai Lama said Obama was "very much supportive." The exiled Tibetan monk said they also talked about the need for religious tolerance and for more women in positions of leadership.

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS GOOF

WASHINGTON (AP) - Sorry, you didn't get in after all. That's the message George Washington University has for about 200 applicants. The prospective students had received e-mail telling them they had been accepted. But several hours after the good news went out came the bad news. The university blames the mix-up on a clerical error. The GW Hatchet, the school’s student newspaper, first reported the goof.

NO SMOKING PARKS

SEATTLE (AP) - Add the park to the list of places where you can't light up. Smoking will be banned in Seattle parks starting April 1. Parks Superintendent Timothy Gallagher says the move is a health measure to protect people from second hand smoke. Gallagher is taking the action on his own. Last week, the Board of Park Commissioners recommended there be no smoking ban. Smoking on the grass could get violators kicked out of city parks for up to a year.

Maryland Cousin Ban

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - A Maryland state legislator says it's time to ban marriages between first cousins and stop playing what he calls "genetic roulette" with their offspring. Henry Heller, a Democratic delegate, or state representative, says he wants to bring Maryland "into the enlightened world of other states such as West Virginia and Arkansas" that already prohibit unions of first cousins. Heller is a retired special education administrator. He says couples who are first cousins are at an increased risk of having a child with birth defects. The bill would make an exception for people who are over age 65 or infertile. Heller says he has "no problem" with those couples if they want the companionship. There are 24 states that prohibit marriage between first cousins.

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