Sunday, April 27, 2008
Area auto businesses hit by alleged fraudulent business practices
MILTON— State Police in Milton are investigating an alleged fraudulent business practice, after two area businesses filed reports. Police say that the company in question, Boltek International Inc., is based out of Luzerne County and allegedly took money from two area businesses without returning any services. CPR Auto Repair in Mifflinburg and BZ Motors in Lewisburg, both reported that they paid Boltek International for auto repair paint booths that were never received. Police say no refunds were given, and between the two companies, nearly $70,000 is reported in losses. Boltek International is a supplier of European technology spray booth equipment. State Police are continuing to investigate and they ask anyone with information to contact them. (Sara Lauver)
Two hit and run accidents in Columbia County
BLOOMSBURG— Police are investigating two area hit and run crashes in Columbia County over the weekend.
State Police in Bloomsburg say they were dispatched to the scene of a hit and run along Route 42 in the borough of Millville Saturday morning. Police say a witness reported seeing an unknown driver in a blue, older model, Dodge van. Reports say the van struck the side mirror of another vehicle that was parked along the roadway. The incident happened around 9 a.m. The driver then fled the scene at a high rate of speed and continued driving north on Route 42.
Meanwhile, on Friday night, State Police in Bloomsburg say another hit and run crash occurred just north of Route 487 in the borough of Benton. The crash occurred around 5:45 p.m., when the unknown driver lost control of his pickup truck along PP&L Road. Police say the 2001 Ford pickup truck hit a tree and rolled onto its roof before the driver fled the scene. State Police continue to investigate both of these incidents. They ask anyone with information to contact them. (Sara Lauver)
Area man jailed after cocaine and heroin were found in his home
SUNBURY— A Northumberland man is facing felony drug charges after amounts of cocaine and heroine were found in his home. The Daily Item reports that 34-year-old, Casey Koppenhaver was allegedly found with nine packets of heroin and two grams of cocaine in his possession. Police in Sunbury say the Northumberland County Task Force used a search warrant and found the drugs in the home located along Lenker Avenue in the borough. Koppenhaver resisted arrest and had to be restrained by officers. He was arraigned before District Judge, Carl Rice and faces felony charges of possession with the intent to deliver a controlled substance, delivery of a controlled substance and a misdemeanor count for resisting arrest. Koppenhaver was sent to the Northumberland County Prison on $100,000 bail. (Sara Lauver)
Local stocks enter week mixed in advance of economic data
NEW YORK -- It’ll be a busy week on the economic calendar, as figures will be released that some believe will confirm the extent of an economic slowdown. They include April auto and truck sales as well as personal income and personal spending data for March. Analysts expect personal income to be down slightly, but personal spending to be up when figures are released Thursday. Meantime, big retailers Target and Wal-Mart finished the week up a fraction, but food retailer Weis Markets settled more than a percentage point lower at 33.29.
Food producer Sara Lee gained a fraction Friday to 14.07, but Conagra enters the new week down slightly at 22.91. Banking stocks of local interest head into the new week mostly higher. Sovereign Bancorp rebounded after hitting a 52-week low Thursday and gained more than 7.0% Friday and settle at 7.65. Fulton Financial, M&T Bank, FNB Corp and MidPenn Bancorp all advanced. Susquehanna Bancshares lost more than 1.1% Friday to close at 20.79.
PPL Corp will release first quarter 2008 earnings Friday, May 2nd. The utility recently revised year-end earnings for 2007 down to $3.35 per share after again looking at the value of its natural gas distribution and propane businesses. (Matt Farrand)
Lewisburg resident new regional community relations director at PPL
BLOOMSBURG – PPL has named a new regional community relations director. Lewisburg resident Teri MacBride will be in charge of the Bloomsburg, Sunbury, Danville and Shamokin areas. She will work with her predecessors Joe Scopelliti, who was recently named manager of community relations for PPL’s Susquehanna plant in Berwick and Rod Keller, who retired in 2006.
MacBride has previously worked with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, as well as spent time in the Peace Corps. She also serves on many boards in Lewisburg including the League of Women Voters, the Slifer House Museum and the Merrill W. Linn Land and Waterways Conservancy. (Sara Bartlett)
More than 40 fugitives rounded up in Northumberland County
SUNBURY – More than 40 fugitives have been rounded up in the past two weeks in Northumberland County. Sheriff Chad Reiner says the warrants ranged from domestic incidents and lack of child support to drug violations and contempt or failure to show up for court.
There were 14 criminal suspects and 27 domestic relations suspects taken into custody. The suspects are then held in prison until they are scheduled for a court hearing. Reiner says there is a better way for those in violation to take care of the charges against the. He says if they turn themselves in at the office, they can save themselves the embarrassment of getting arrested and avoid spending time in jail.
Reiner says the warmer weather is a good time to round up suspects because they are out and about. He says they are constantly getting arrest warrants from the courts and they need to work night shifts and second shifts to get all the suspects in compliance with the law. (Ali Stevens)
Here is the latest Pennsylvania news from The Associated Press:
CHURCHILL, Pa. (AP) - The Woodland Hills School District in suburban Pittsburgh has suspended eight students after a fight between two girls escalated. A spokeswoman says two teachers suffered minor injuries trying to break up the fight Friday in the high school hallway. In another fight at the school on April 17, one teacher suffered a concussion and a second had a broken kneecap trying to break up a fight between two boys.
HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa. (AP) - An Altoona man has received $375,000 for injuries he suffered when he was hit by a police cruiser two years ago. Arthur Vincent's attorney says his client broke his shoulder and injured his back, neck and spine in the April 2006 accident. Vincent was crossing a street when he was hit by the police car.
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Allegheny County collected more than $8-million in its first three months of new taxes on poured alcoholic drinks and rental cars. The county now expects to collect $36-million to $40-million, far surpassing projections. The tax is to help pay for public transit subsidies.
PITTSBURGH (AP) - A company that tracks real estate transactions in the Pittsburgh region says home foreclosures rose 6.9 percent in the first quarter of 2008. RealSTATS says the five-county area that includes Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Washington and Westmoreland counties saw a total of 1,187 homes lost to foreclosure in the first three months of the year.
MEADVILLE, Pa. (AP) - Hundreds of gallons of heating oil have been stolen from a Crawford County church. Police say someone has pumped as much as 450 gallons of heating oil from a tank at Deckard's United Methodist Church in Wayne Township. Pastor Chris Shreve told police the oil began disappearing on Dec. 14.
Here are the winning numbers selected Saturday in the Pennsylvania State Lottery:
SATURDAY NIGHT
Daily Number
0-9-5
Big 4
4-7-5-9
The winning
numbers drawn Saturday night in Powerball are:
7-12-17-27-45
Powerball: 24
Power Play: 5
SATURDAY MIDDAY
Daily Number
9-3-4
Big 4
2-0-2-0
Treasure Hunt
4-5-10-19-23
The winning
numbers drawn Saturday in the "Pennsylvania Cash 5" game were:
01-13-17-28-31
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)