Saturday, April 5, 2008

Point township man facing charges of terroristic threats 

POINT TWP— Police arrested a Point Township man after he allegedly pointed a handgun first at his stepson, then at himself, before surrendering to police.  Police in Point Township say that 37-year-old, Barry Attinger, allegedly pointed the handgun at his step-son in a threatening manner before turning the gun on himself, threatening to commit suicide.  The incident occurred Friday just before 3 a.m.  Sunbury city officers along with the Northumberland Police Department assisted Point Township police at the scene.  Attinger faces charges of terroristic threats and harassment.  He was arraigned before District Judge Robert Bolton.  (Sara Lauver) 

Delaware Township fire in structure 

WATSONTOWN – A smoky structure fire did an unknown amount of damage to a residence on Laver Road in Delaware Township Friday.  The 3:50p.m. fire drew crews from Warrior Run, Milton, White Deer Township and Pottsgrove.  Union County Communications dispatched crews to what was reported as a rental property.  The Standard Journal reports the property was recently vacated.  (Matt Farrand) 

Well-known finance man has died  

MOUNT CARMEL – A well-known man in the community has died.  Bob Burd, who worked for a number of years for Susquehanna Bank, died early Friday morning of a heart attack.  Barry Miller, of Susquehanna Bank, knew Burd well and described him as an icon in the financial community.  Those who knew Burd knew he struggled a bit after a serious car accident last year when he hit a deer, but Miller says he never let it get him down and he kept his outgoing personality.  Burd most recently worked at the Union National Bank of Mount Carmel.  He also served the community as vice chairman of the Selinsgrove Zoning Hearing Board and was a past president of the Selinsgrove Chamber of Commerce.  A memorial service will be held on Wednesday at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Selinsgrove.  A funeral service is set for Thursday in the Northumberland Memorial Park of Stonington.   

Private entity could take over operations at Penn Valley Airport 

SELINSGROVE— Officials at the Penn Valley Airport in Selinsgrove are considering bringing in some outside management.  The Daily Item reports that airport leaders are contemplating turning the day-to-day operations over to a private entity.  It’s said the move could help the facility financially and could also add services, such as flight schools.  The Snyder County airport would still be publicly owned and supervised, but there is a possibility for management and staff changes.  The Penn Valley Airport in Selinsgrove is more than $400,000 in debt and airport officials and community leaders believe calling on a private company for airport operations could only help matters. 

Local housing, financial stocks end week lower 

WASHINGTON – Employers cut payrolls in March for a third straight month and the jobless rate jumped to a two-and-a-half year high, supporting the notion that the credit crisis and housing downturn are pushing the economy towards recession.  The Labor Department said nonfarm employment fell by 80,000 jobs in March, more than expected and the biggest drop in five years.  It was the first time lower jobs numbers are being reported for three months in a row since a five-month string in 2003, when the economy was mired in a weak recovery from the 2001 recession. 

Locally, manufactured housing builder Fleetwood Enterprises ends the week at 4.60, down from its 52-week high of more than 11.50 per share in July of last year.  Banking and financial stocks all retreated Friday, FNB Corp was down a fraction, but Susquehanna Bancshares lost nearly three percent, M&T Bank dropped 2.5%, and Sovreign Bancorp lost 4.5% percent to close at 9.20.  Monroe Marketplace developer Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust lost a fraction to 26.39.  Other stocks were mixed, as Weis Markets ends the week at 35.21, Sara Lee is down 0.4% to 14.39, but Conagra and Community Health Systems each gained more than 1.0%, and PPL Corp finished the week 1.1% higher at 47.50. (Matt Farrand) 

PA State Elks honor Montour County Sheriff  

DANVILLE – Montour County Sheriff Ray Gerringer received a prestigious award from the Pennsylvania State Elks Association Friday evening at the Danville Elks Ballroom.  Chairman of the State Elks, Glenn Foster says Gerringer was chosen out of ten nominees in the state to receive the Enrique S. Camarena Award.  The award was named after Camarena, who was a drug enforcement officer in 1985 working undercover for the U.S. in Mexico when he was kidnapped and killed.   

The Elks received numerous letters of recommendations nominating Gerringer.  Foster says the Sheriff represents all of the characteristics of an award winner, including outstanding community involvement, work against drug and the drug trade and an overall outstanding officer of the law.  The state winner of the award advances to a national competition, and while Gerringer did not place first, he did place in the top three nationally.  Gerringer began his work in Montour County as a part-time communication center dispatcher in 1977.  He became chief deputy sheriff in 1983 and was named chief county detective in 1987. (Sara Bartlett)

Warrant out for man who got an early release from Prison 

SHAMOKIN— A Shamokin man who was being held in the Northumberland County Prison has been erroneously released.  Magisterial District Judge, John Gembic, says 30-year-old Eric Clark was arraigned Thursday, where he faced charges of drug possession and the intent to deliver, among others.  Those charges came after an incident last month and a preliminary hearing had been scheduled for next week.  However, prior to his arraignment, Clark was already being held at the prison on a detainer.  He had been extradited from New Jersey after being jailed there.  Gembic sent Clark back to the prison Thursday on $20,000 bail.  He says Clark was arraigned at 10:30 a.m. and by 2 p.m., Gembic had learned that Clark was mistakenly released.  Pennsylvania State Constable, Glenn Masser, escorted Clark and says that both he and Judge Gembic did their jobs and followed the proper procedures.  Both Gembic and Masser say they have no idea why Clark was released.  A warrant for Clark’s arrest has been issued and area and State Police have been notified.  At this time, there’s still no word that Clark has been apprehended.  (Ali Stevens/Sara Lauver) 

Here is the latest Pennsylvania news from The Associated Press: 

BROCKWAY, Pa. (AP) - The close-knit rural western Pennsylvania community of Brockway is in mourning following a house fire that killed 10 people. 
The victims include a 40-year-old woman, five of her children, three grandchildren and a family friend.  The fire remains under investigation. It is not considered suspicious.
Police say space heaters appeared to have been in use; it's not known yet if the
house had working smoke detectors. Two people escaped, including an adult
daughter who jumped from the second floor and ran screaming for help.  Authorities
say Kimberly Peterson died along with five of her children, ages 11 months to 17
years. Her husband, Douglas, was at his overnight job in a nearby town at the time. 

MERCER, Pa. (AP) - The son of a former Montgomery County police chief pleaded
 guilty for the second time to vehicular homicide charges stemming from a 2003
accident that killed a couple.  Forty-five-year-old Joseph Stemple, formerly of
Bethlehem, pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide and one count of drunken driving. Stemple first pleaded guilty in 2004 to one count of vehicular homicide and drunken driving in the November 2003 crash that killed 69-year-old Donald Romanio
Senior and his wife in Shenango Township. 

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The Food and Drug Administration is investigating a Pennsylvania man's claim that he found a pill in a glass of Wegmans brand orange juice. Richard Baker of Middletown says he discovered a three-quarter-inch, partially dissolved white capsule floating on the surface of juice that he had poured into a glass on March 2nd.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A suburban Pittsburgh couple is suing Google for taking pictures of their house that appear on the Web site's "Street View" feature. Aaron and Christine Boring of Franklin Park say the photos violate their privacy, devalued their property and caused them mental suffering. Google says property owners may request that photos be removed.

Here are the winning numbers selected Friday in the Pennsylvania State Lottery:    

 FRIDAY NIGHT

 Daily Number

 7-5-7         

 Big 4

4-1-8-9    

 FRIDAY MIDDAY

 Daily Number

 4-9-7         

 Big 4

9-3-6-6         

 Treasure Hunt

2-13-14-23-26