Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Riverbank prepped for Riverfront Project walkway

SUNBURY – Motorists along Sunbury’s Front Street had to slow down at midday Tuesday as city employees and contractor Kinsley Construction prepped the area for some of the first visible signs of progress on the Sunbury Riverfront Project.  Foreman Arthur Goodling of Weikert says the initial steps included erosion control and preparation for a new water line. 

Only a single lane of traffic was allowed on a portion of Front Street as city crews removed planters and benches and PPL took away a utility pole in preparation for the project.  Supporters hope the $9 million dollar project will provide easy access to the Susquehanna River from the City of Sunbury. (Matt Farrand)

Commissioners postpone security guard decision

SUNBURY – Security guards in Northumberland County are keeping their jobs…for now.  The commissioners tabled the action to hire an outside firm and will keep the eight guards.  The commissioners were vague at Tuesday’s meeting about why they are not firing the guards, as reported last week.  They did say it is a personnel issue and that factors include the opposition from the union, and others who say getting rid of workers to save the county $60,000 is unwise. 

The issue is still alive and a contract with Allied Barton is still pending.  Guards will be notified that they will be kept on for now, and a decision could be made within the next month.

In other commissioner action, the county has changed electric companies.  They will now use Liberty Power, LLC, instead of PPL Generation.  The commissioners say they hope to save $70,000 a year with the change.

Road name to honor fallen local solider

HARRISBURG – A stretch of highway in Snyder County will be named in honor of a local soldier who was killed in Iraq.  Governor Ed Rendell Tuesday signed into law that Route 35 from Selinsgrove to the Snyder County line near Richfield will be designated the Private First Class Justin W. Dreese Memorial Highway. 

State Representative Russ Fairchild (R-85^th, Winfield) was one lawmaker who introduced the bill and says it is a pleasure to honor one of our fallen soldiers in this manner.  State Representatives Merle Phillips (R-108^th, Sunbury) and Adam Harris (R-82^nd, Mifflintown) were also active in introducing the bill. 

21-year-old Justin Dreese, of Freeburg, was killed in September 2006 from injuries suffered in a mortar attack while serving in Iraq as a member of the 82^nd Airborne Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom.  A sign will be erected with Dreese’s name along Route 35. (Sara Bartlett)

Former NorCo employee pleads guilty to theft

BLOOMSBURG – The Turbotville man who worked as the director of Northumberland County’s drug and alcohol treatment program for nearly 20 years has plead guilty to felony theft charges.  60-year-old Sam Williamson faces up to nine years in prison and will have to repay the county over $18,000, as well as giving up $157,000 of his pension benefits.

Williamson concealed his outside employment with businesses that had contracts with the county.  While serving as director, he allegedly approved contracts for outside counseling services and also performed private work for the same businesses.  In addition, between 2005 and 2007, he’s also accused of receiving payment for more than 400 hours of personal work that was performed during times when he was also collecting wages from Northumberland County. 

Williamson is also accused of misdirecting several thousands of dollars in cash payments that were made to the county drug and alcohol office.  According to criminal charges, there was over $12,000 missing; over $3,000 was used to purchase gift cards, flowers and groceries, while over $9,000 is unaccounted for.  Williamson retired from the position in December 2007.

A motorist died in Columbia County wreck

BLOOMSBURG – State troopers say a traffic fatality in Columbia County claimed the life of a man from Hughesville Monday night.  The 7:00p.m. crash on Route 42 killed 23-year-old Kurtis Simcox.  They say he was driving on Route 42 in Pine Township, Columbia County, crossed the road and hit an embankment.  He was thrown from the auto and died at the scene according to troopers.

Evan Gala a huge success
 

Lecture honors doc who passed away last year

LEWISBURG – A lecture to honor a local doctor who passed away last year will be held Wednesday in Lewisburg. Dr. Maria Fasano Bhangdia says it is the first annual memorial lecture for her father, Dr. Charles Fasano, who was the creator and managing corporate physician of the Family Practice Centers in our area.

Fasano Bhangdia says each year they hope to get a nationally recognized speaker. This year Dr. Arthur Caplan will speak about the ethics of healthcare. The lecture is free and open to the public, and will be held Wednesday in Trout Auditorium on the campus of Bucknell University at 7:00p.m. (Sara Bartlett)

Bloomsburg man charged with Danville area burglary

DANVILLE – A Bloomsburg man is behind bars after police say he burglarized a business in the Danville area Saturday. 33-year-old Kevin McCarthy faces a number of charges for the incident. Troopers say McCarthy entered the business around 4:20 Saturday morning.

He then stole cash and other items valued at more than $1,000. McCarthy was arrested by state police at his home and arraigned before District Judge Craig Long. He was sent to the Montour County Prison on $25,000 bail.

Seminar focuses on Susquehanna Valley Community College

SUNBURY – A seminar will be held today (Tuesday) for all to learn more about the Susquehanna Valley Community College movement. All are invited to Shikellamy High School Auditorium from 5:30-6:30p.m. this evening.

There will be commentary from Susquehanna Valley Community Education Project board member and past president of the Pennsylvania State Board of Education Karl Girton. In addition, there will be a question and answer session. For more information you can go to www.newcommunitycollege.com. (Sara Bartlett)

The American Cancer Society’s daffodil days

WILLIAMSPORT – This is the week to get fresh cut Daffodils while supporting the American Cancer Society. Daffodils have been pre-ordered and will be delivered to many area businesses this week, but they will also be on sale at locations in the area such as the mall.

Karen Maurer says they also have a special bear for sale each year. This year’s bear, donated by Boyd’s Bears is a birthday bear with a party hat and cupcake. Maurer says the American Cancer Society knows that you celebrate more birthdays if you fight back against cancer.

American Cancer Society volunteers are busy packaging the flowers and delivering them this week. Maurer says the Daffodil is a symbol of hope in the fight against cancer. (Ali Stevens)

Building collapse in Shamokin

SHAMOKIN – A portion of Market Street in Shamokin was closed for about six hours on Saturday after part of a building collapsed onto the street. The incident took place at an abandoned building at 23 South Market Street, near the intersection of Market and West High Streets.

Officials tell us sheet metal and bricks were found in the road around 11:30 a.m. after part of the building fell. The building has been vacant for several years and is said to be in poor condition. High winds may have been a factor in the collapse. The News Item reports the owner of the building plans to tear it down following the incident on Saturday. (Ali Stevens)

I-80 construction starts back up

BLOOMSBURG – For the second year in a row, construction will take place on Interstate 80 near the Buckhorn exit in Columbia County. Work starts today and will continue until the end of the summer. Motorists traveling on I-80 will experience one-lane travel conditions on both east and westbound lanes.

Route 42 at Interstate 80 is also under construction, so delays are expected on Route 42 and Interstate 80 in the area of the Buckhorn exit. The Interstate 80 project is in its second year and should wrap up by the end of the summer, with the entire project costing about $38-million. For all construction projects in our area go to our road report page at www.wkok.com. (Ali Stevens)

More people need to be screened for colon cancer

LEWISBURG – March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and a local doctor says more people need to be screened for colon cancer. Dr. Joseph Gallagher is a Gastroenterologist and says many people are afraid to get checked out, with only about 50 percent of the population getting a colonoscopy when they should.

Dr. Gallagher says many people associate colon cancer as a man’s disease, which is not an accurate assessment. He says colon cancer diagnosis is just about 50-50 with women and men. Dr. Gallagher tells us getting through the colon cleansing part of the procedure is the biggest hurdle for most.

However, he says the actual exam is much easier with patients on anesthesia so they don’t feel anything. Dr. Gallagher says many deaths can be prevented through routine colonoscopy screenings because colon cancer is treatable if caught early and if polyps are removed. (Ali Stevens)

Celebrating 4H this week in Central Pennsylvania

DANVILLE – Saint Patrick’s Day…Spring…4H. All things associated with the color green. This week is set aside to raise awareness about the 4H Youth Organization that has been around a little more than a century.

Montour County 4-H assistant Vonnie Young has been involved with the group in some fashion since she was young and says that as a leader, she is even more aware of its’ benefits. She says leadership skills, responsibility and good public speaking are just some of the assets acquired in 4H.

Young works out of the Penn State Cooperative Extension office on Woodbine Lane. She emphasizes that 4-H isn’t just an agricultural based group anymore. Members take part in projects as diverse as cake decorating, orienteering and making musical instruments. (Matt Bowen and Deanna Force)

Latest Pennsylvania news, lottery, business and entertainment

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Jury deliberations are expected to continue into the afternoon in the public corruption trial of a former top Pennsylvania House Democrat and three of his former aides.  Court officials said the Dauphin County jury was expected to continue its consideration of the case against former state Rep. Mike Veon and aides Brett Cott, Annamarie Perretta-Rosepink and Steve Keefer into Tuesday afternoon.  The panel spent about nine hours behind closed doors Monday, and put in about two hours on Friday.  The defendants are accused of theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest. Testimony lasted nearly six weeks.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The latest effort to amend Pennsylvania's constitution to effectively ban same-sex marriage is stalling.  The state Senate Judiciary Committee voted narrowly Tuesday to table the measure defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman.  The senators didn't utter a word of debate before or after gay-rights proponent Sen. Daylin Leach proposed to table the measure. The vote was 8-6.  Pennsylvania law already defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. But proponents of a constitutional amendment say a judge could overturn the law, even though Pennsylvania courts are not believed to be considering a challenge to that law.  The bill was sponsored by conservative Sen. John Eichelberger. Opponents of the amendment say lesbians and gays deserve the same rights as straight Americans.

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) - Police say a central Pennsylvania thief who stole the wheels off a car was nice enough to replace them - albeit with worn tires.  Police in Lancaster say the thief broke a car window overnight Sunday and stole the car's stereo and GPS unit along with the wheels. The thief took the time to replace the pilfered rims with other wheels and four worn tires.  Police estimate the loss at $850.

STROUDSBURG, Pa. (AP) - A jury has acquitted a man of vehicular homicide while driving drunk in a 2008 crash that killed a Pennsylvania lawmaker. Jurors in Stroudsburg decided Monday that 46-year-old Thomas Senavitis was highly intoxicated but did not cause the crash on state Route 209 in the Poconos that killed state Sen. James Rhoades and seriously injured his wife. Senavitis was convicted of reckless endangerment and drunken driving charges. Prosecutors alleged Senavitis had a blood-alcohol level more than four times the legal limit for driving and his pickup truck crossed a centerline and hit Rhoades' Cadillac sedan. Senavitis' attorney insisted that it was Rhoades who caused the crash by veering into the defendant's lane to avoid a minivan parked on the side of the road. He also questioned the reliability of the blood test performed on his client.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Jurors are done deliberating for the day in the public-corruption trial of a former top Pennsylvania House Democrat and three of his former aides, but there's no verdict. The eight-woman, four-man panel spent about nine hours Monday behind closed doors and went home right after 5 p.m. That follows about two hours of deliberations on Friday, the first day they had the case after nearly six weeks of testimony. Former Beaver County state Rep. Mike Veon and three of his ex-aides are on trial on charges of theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The former head of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission would serve six months of house arrest and pay $150,000 but would be spared prison time under a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. Fifty-eight-year-old Mitchell Rubin was charged last week with obstruction of justice in the grand jury probe of former state Sen. Vincent Fumo, who was convicted on fraud and related charges a year ago. Prosecutors alleged that Rubin withheld information about his relationship with Fumo and how a Senate contract was awarded to his company. Under the plea agreement filed Monday, Rubin is to plead guilty to one count of obstruction. One of his attorneys, Joseph Grimes, says his client "is just looking to put this episode behind him."

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - U.S. Senate candidates Joe Sestak and Pat Toomey will hold a second debate without each other's actual opponents in the May 18 primary. Sestak, a congressman from the Philadelphia suburbs, and former congressman Toomey will meet April 11 at La Salle University. The pair staged a similar event last fall. Johnstown activist Peg Luksik opposes Toomey for the Republican nomination. Sestak is opposing incumbent Arlen Specter for the Democratic nomination. He complains that Specter will only agree to a debate on Saturday, May 1. That debate will be televised statewide. The Specter campaign counters that the fifth-term senator debated Sestak on live TV last month and has made a couple other joint appearances.

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

Updates on the latest in business:

Dow: 10,676.91, up 34.76

S&P 500: 1,158.64, up 8.13

NASDAQ: 2,374.32, up 12.11

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Federal Reserve is repeating its pledge to hold interest rates at record lows to foster the economic recovery and ease high unemployment. But for the second meeting in a row, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City is dissenting. He says the economy is strong enough for the Fed to telegraph that it will soon raise rates to prevent inflation.

NEW YORK (AP) – Stock prices are modestly positive following the interest rate announcement from the Fed. Investors are also weighing developments in Greece's economic crisis and a report showing a decline in housing starts last month.

LONDON (AP) – The Greek government won key backing from the Standard & Poor's credit rating agency for its efforts to dig out of a debt crisis that has rattled markets. S&P says it is taking Greece off so-called credit watch. That means the agency is not thinking about downgrading the country's credit rating for now.

GENEVA (AP) – A U.N. agency is urging China to reject Western pressure to float its currency. It is defending Beijing as a leader in stimulating domestic demand and the global economy.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Reflecting a sharp decline in construction of apartments and other multi-family units, new home construction dropped nearly 6 percent last month. Housing starts were down in the Northeast and South amid severe winter weather. Starts were on the rise in the West and Midwest.

Pennsylvania Lottery Numbers

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – These Pennsylvania lotteries were drawn on Tuesday:

Midday Big 4

7-1-5-7

Midday Number

3-0-1

Midday Quinto

9-5-4-8-1

Treasure Hunt

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

Big 4 9-7-1-7

Cash 5 02-06-12-13-19

Daily Number 9-1-8

Evening Quinto 5-2-1-1-2

Midday Big 4 6-0-2-5

Midday Number 9-1-2

Midday Quinto 7-0-8-5-0

Mix and Match 05-16-19-12-07

Treasure Hunt 07-20-22-26-29

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

Woods returns to golf

NEW YORK (AP) – CBS Sports' president thinks that Tiger Woods' return to golf will be one of the "biggest media spectacles in recent memory." Sean McManus told The Associated Press last week before Woods announced when he would play again that he believed only President Barack Obama's inauguration would rank higher as a media event.  CBS will get to televise the spectacle now that Woods has said he will come back at next month's Masters. Huge numbers of viewers will undoubtedly tune in to see how Woods plays following a four-month break from golf brought on by revelations of his infidelity.  ESPN airs the first two rounds of the Masters before CBS takes over for the weekend.

Glitch leads to adult video on kids channels in NC

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - A cable TV spokeswoman says preview clips for adult programming appeared on two channels dedicated for kids in North Carolina because of an "equipment failure." Time Warner Cable Inc. spokeswoman Melissa Buscher said the problem lasted about two hours Tuesday morning in areas around Raleigh, and several parents called to report it.  Buscher said it happened on two "Kids on Demand" channels that were showing viewers a list of children's programming such as Dora the Explorer. The titles listed didn't match up with the preview videos in the right-hand corner of the screen, which showed a preview of adult programming instead of kids programming.  Buscher said the company regrets the glitch and has fixed the problem so it won't happen again.     

Heavyweight to featherweight: Tyson races pigeons
 

AVATAR to come out on DVD on Earth Day

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Although "Avatar" takes place on Pandora, the DVD and Blu-Ray are being released in conjunction with Earth Day. If you're in France, Belgium, the Netherlands or Spain, you can buy it on Earth Day: April 21. It'll be available April 22 in the U.S. and Canada. It'll roll out the next few days after that in other parts of our world. "Avatar" is the highest grossing movie of all time. So far, it's taken in more than $2.6 billion worldwide.

Film company promoting healthy snacks

LAS VEGAS (AP) - The head of Sony Pictures has suggested that movie theaters offer healthier snacks to help fight obesity and give audiences a broader range of food choices. Michael Lynton told theater owners at their annual ShoWest convention Monday that a survey by the studio found that two-thirds of moviegoers said they would be likely to buy healthy concessions if available. The chairman and chief executive officer for Sony says the survey also found that 60 percent of parents thought that healthier concessions would enhance the movie going experience and that 42 percent of parents would buy concessions at theaters more often if healthier choices were offered. His remarks came in the keynote address as the four-day convention opened.

Cubs-Broken Bus

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - The Chicago Cubs showed up for their exhibition game against Colorado about an hour later than expected after their bus broke down on the highway because of engine trouble. The Cubs chose to skip batting practice when they got to Hi Corbett Field in Tucson on Monday. They decided to just stretch instead. The Cubs were making a two-hour drive south when the bus broke down. Starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano was lucky - his cousin was following in a car, so they drove with catcher Koyie Hill to the park. Cub’s manager Lou Piniella wasn't with the team on the bus. He was driving separately with pitching coach Larry Rothschild.

Genesis inducted into Rock Hall in NYC ceremony

NEW YORK (AP) - English progressive rockers turned 1980s pop stars Genesis have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at a New York City ceremony. They're being joined by two other acts that thrived in second lives - ABBA and The Hollies. Genesis was inducted Monday by Trey Anastasio of Phish, whose band paid tribute to both incarnations of Genesis by performing "Watcher of the Skies" and "No Reply at All." The new inductees were missing Peter Gabriel, the theatrical lead singer whose departure was the dividing line between the band's two styles. Other scheduled inductees at the annual ceremony at The Waldorf-Astoria hotel were reggae superstar Jimmy Cliff and the raucous Iggy Pop and the Stooges. Music executive David Geffen and songwriters whose work sold hundreds of millions of copies join as non-performers.