Thursday, May 27, 2010

You can help the families of two crash victims in Selinsgrove

SELINSGROVE – A fund has been set up to help the families of Seth Lauver and Alexandra Mullen, the Selinsgrove High School students critically injured in a crash following the prom on Saturday night.  The “Support Seth and Alex Fund” is set up at Northumberland National Bank and donations can be dropped off at any branch of Northumberland National.  More information about the fund is online at www.wkok.com

Both teens from Winfield remain hospitalized at Geisinger Medical Center.  Seth Lauver sustained a severe spinal cord injury and is listed in serious condition while Alexandra Mullen sustained injuries to her liver and spleen and is listed in critical condition.  (Ali Stevens)  

Modern sculpture latest addition to Cameron Park

SUNBURY -- Sunbury's Cameron Park has a new addition, a modern metallic sculpture fashioned and donated by attorney Jeff Apfelbaum.  The free-standing circular sculpture was installed Thursday morning, and is about 20 feet from the Cameron Monument.  It is the latest addition to the park that has seen major renovation in the past year, including moving of a World War I era gun from the west to the east end.  (Matt Farrand) 

Obama says answers to Sestak job questions coming soon

WASHINGTON – Whether a member of the Obama administration offered US Senate candidate Joe Sestak a job in exchange for dropping out of the Democratic primary against incumbent Arlen Specter is still not known.  However, the President said an answer would come soon, when asked about the matter by reporter Major Garrett of the Fox News Network.  President Obama assured reporters at Thursday's news conference that nothing improper happened, and that it would not take months or weeks for a response to emerge.

Speculation that Sestak was offered a job as Secretary of the Navy is being circulated among Republicans, some of whom are calling for a special prosecutor.   Sestak called into WKOK's On The Mark program this week, and declined to discuss the matter in detail  Sestak's comments from Wednesday's program are online at www.wkok.com  (Matt Farrand)

A highway renamed to honor a local fallen soldier

HARRISBURG -- The effort is progressing to name a local highway after a fallen soldier from our area. State lawmakers are advancing legislation to rename a section of Route 11, the Brett D. Swank Memorial Highway. The designated section would stretch from The Barry King Bridge to the Montour County line near Danville.

A Point Township resident and Shikellamy graduate, Swank was a 21-year-old U.S. Army Ranger when he was killed in Baghdad, Iraq  in 2005. He was fighting in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Local house members introduced the bill to rename the highway and word is--that bill is advancing in Harrisburg.

PennDOT says 2010 has been a bad year for accidents in our region

UNDATED -- Fatal crashes are on the rise in our region in 2010… according to the latest statistics from PennDOT.  Compared to the same period last year, our area, which includes nine counties, is significantly higher, with 38 fatalities and 19 of those killed were not wearing seatbelts. 

PennDOT’s Rick Mason says its difficult for them to understand why some people don’t take time to buckle their seatbelts when seatbelts can reduce your chances of being injured or killed in a crash by 60 percent. 

Mason says the statistics are especially sobering with the Memorial Day holiday driving period this weekend. People will be kicking off their summer with parties and celebrations and Mason reminds motorists to buckle up, drive defensively, slow down and don’t drink and drive.  You can hear more from PennDOT on a number of other topics from our Tuesday On The Mark program online at www.wkok.com.  (Ali Stevens)

Celebrating Memorial Day in Sunbury on Monday

SUNBURY – It’s an annual tradition in Sunbury. The Memorial Day celebration gets underway at 10:30 Monday morning with a parade.  John Borich is Joint Veterans Chairman and says the parade will form at 10 a.m. on Raspberry Avenue and travel to Wolverton and Market Streets and then down 4th Street to the cemetery.  The ceremony in the Sunbury Cemetery will include patriotic songs from 1st and 2nd graders at Saint Monica School and the Sunbury City Band, an address from John Deppen, the commander of the Sons of Veterans of the Civil War Camp 15 and the Shikellamy High School Band performing the National Anthem.  The public is invited and encouraged to attend.

In Mount Carmel, activities will begin at the American Legion at 8:15 a.m. with wreaths placed at the plaques honoring those from Mount Carmel who died for their country.  A parade will travel though Mount Carmel after that, including members of the Mount Carmel Area High School Band and many military organizations.  (Ali Stevens)

It’s a “Dam Inflation Celebration” on the Susquehanna River this weekend

SUNBURY – The first ever “Susquehanna River Confluence” celebration will be held this Saturday and Sunday to celebrate the inflation of the dam and the creation of Lake Augusta.  The Friends of Shikellamy State Park organization put the celebration together, according to co-chair Julia Marano, who says they want to celebrate the inflation of the dam at the confluence, which takes place every spring.

Events include sunrise tethered balloon rides at the Sunbury airport from 6 to 8 a.m. and airplane rides available Saturday evening in Selinsgrove at the Penn Valley Airport. .On Saturday, there will also be food vendors and live music throughout the day in the Marina, and in Cameron Park, a concert by Nate & the Aces at 6:30 p.m. Sunday will feature a brunch starting at 11 a.m. at the Marina and a watercraft parade for boaters.  To find out more about all the events at the Susquehanna River Confluence, go to www.friendsofshikellamystatepark.org. (Ali Stevens)

Woman sentenced to state prison for a DUI crash that injured friend

DANVILLE – A Milton woman has been sentenced to 16 to 32 months in state prison for a DUI crash that injured her friend.  35-year-old Becky Metzger caused a two-vehicle crash in Valley Township, Montour County last summer, which seriously injured her passenger, 60-year-old Norman Troutman.  Police say Metzger’s blood alcohol content was four times the legal limit.  This was also Metzger’s third DUI.  Troutman was left disabled following the crash.  (Ali Stevens) 

Milton woman charged with escaping from a courtroom will now go to court

SUNBURY – A Milton woman, who escaped from the office of District Judge Bob Bolton, will now go to court on charges of intimidating a witness and new charges filed against her for the escape incident last week.  34-year-old Tracy Schramm went before Judge Bolton again yesterday, this time in handcuffs and leg shackles, and waived charges of escape and intimidating a witness on to court. 

Schramm was originally charged for threatening a witness who was going to testify against her. She fled the courtroom and then turned herself in the next day after hiding in a home in Watsontown. She is now behind bars in Northumberland County on $105,000 cash bail.  (Ali Stevens)

More than 12,000 chickens killed in a barn fire this morning in Snyder County

HUMMELS WHARF – More than 12,000 chickens were killed in a barn fire this morning in Snyder County.  The fire started just before 1 a.m. at 1703 Kratzerville Road in Monroe Township.  The barn was fully involved when crews from Snyder, Union and Northumberland Counties arrived on scene.  The chicken barn is owned by Rick Bailey, who is insured.  An investigation continues into what caused that fire this morning.  No firefighters were hurt in the blaze.  The 350-foot barn was a total loss.  The investigation continues into what caused that fire in Snyder County. (Ali Stevens)

Barn fire hits SnyCo farm

KRATZERVILLE – Firefighters from Snyder, Union and Northumberland Counties were called to the scene of a barn fire early this morning in Snyder County. The fire started around 12:50 this morning in a barn at 1703 Kratzerville Road.

Crews remained on the scene until 4:45 a.m. bringing that blaze under control. No injuries were reported. It’s not yet known what was stored inside the barn. The investigation continues after that barn fire early this morning in Monroe Township, Snyder County. (Ali Stevens)

Local woman performs anthem at ballpark

BALTIMORE -- A personality known to listeners to the stations of the Sunbury Broadcasting Corporation and local baseball fans was in the big leagues again, at least for a night. Sara Lauver was scheduled to sing the national anthem before Wednesday's game at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

It was her second appearance at the ballpark, as the Orioles hosted the Oakland A's. Lauver has also sung the anthem for the Williamsport Crosscutters at Historic Bowman Field, and advanced through the first rounds of American Idol competition. Lauver’s efforts did not help the hapless O’s, they lost another game last evening. (Matt Farrand)

‘Sestakgate’ back in the news on WKOK

UNDATED – Republican U.S. Senate candidate Pat Toomey says Representative Joe Sestak should clarify what job the White House offered him to drop a primary challenge to Senator Arlen Specter. Speaking at an event Tuesday outside Philadelphia, Toomey said he prefers to focus on issues, but it would be helpful if Sestak cleared the air about the job offer.

Sestak was a call-in guest on WKOK’s On The Mark program Wednesday and said he felt accountable to the public to tell them that he was offered a job, but that was all he needed to talk about, and it was up to the people involved to fill in the rest of the details.

Sestak declined to discuss the job offer in detail, as has White House officials. He did say that he never considered dropping out. Sestak defeated Specter in last week’s primary election. You can hear more from Sestak from Wednesday’s On The Mark program online at www.wkok.com. (Ali Stevens)

Bracelets sold in honor of Selinsgrove MVA teens

SELINSGROVE – Bracelets will soon be sold in honor of the two Selinsgrove high school students who were critically injured in a crash Saturday night following the high school prom. The bracelets will be sold by the Selinsgrove Football Boosters Club, with the proceeds going to the families of Seth Lauver and Alexandra Mullen.

The students remain in critical condition at Geisinger Medical Center. President of the Boosters Club, Matt Hetherington says the bracelets will be available sometime next week at the Boosters Club booth. Lauver sustained severe injuries to his spine and underwent surgery, but sustained some paralysis after the accident. Mullen remains in a drug-induced coma, after seriously injuring her liver and spleen. (Ali Stevens)

Sunbury foundation gets a new name

SUNBURY – The Sunbury Area Community Foundation, used to be called the Sunbury Area Health Foundation, but despite their new name, they still have the same mission…giving back to the community.

Eric DeWald, Chief Executive Officer of the Central Susquehanna Community Foundation, says a reception was held Tuesday night to talk about the Sunbury Area Community Foundation, which has the same purpose since changing their name.

DeWald says the foundation has been making grants available in the Sunbury area following the sale of the Sunbury Community Hospital to a private company. The board decided to change the corporate name making it easier and more affordable for corporations and individuals to make charitable contributions.

DeWald says some of the projects already accomplished through the foundation such as “A Community Clinic” in Sunbury, which is a free health clinic, a free dental clinic in Sunbury and the new hospice program at Sun Home Health in Northumberland. Once again, the new name is the Sunbury Area Community Foundation. (Ali Stevens)

Looking at the Memorial Day events in our area this weekend

SELINSGROVE – This week, we are taking a look at the Memorial Day events in our area. In Union County, Paul Earnest is commander of the American Legion Post 182 in Lewisburg and tells us a special ceremony and parade will take place in Lewisburg on Monday at 10 a.m. He says the parade forms at North Second Street in Lewisburg.

The parade then moves to Market Street, heading west to 7th Street and then south on 7th Street to the cemetery, where a service will be held. This year’s speaker is Roger Holtzapple, a retired marine colonel. Area veterans have also been placing American flags on the graves of veterans across Union County.

A Memorial Day celebration will take place in Middleburg Monday evening with a parade at 5:30 p.m. from Midd West High School to Glendale Cemetery. A ceremony will begin at 6:15 in the cemetery featuring bagpipe music by Greg Hood and keynote speaker John Deppen of Northumberland. If the weather is poor, the ceremony will take place at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Middleburg.

In Snyder County, Ron Cowan is commander of the American Legion Post 25 in Selinsgrove and he says they have been busy having Memorial Day ceremonies at cemeteries all across Snyder County over the past several days. Cowan says they have also been marking veterans graves with American flags.

Saturday, there will be a solemn ceremony at the Kratzerville cemetery at 3 p.m. with a bell tolling for the start of each war. Monday features the Selinsgrove ceremony at the borough building at 9 a.m. followed by the Memorial Day parade through Selinsgrove. (Ali Stevens)

New SnyCo DA talks focuses on victim’s rights 

SUNBURY – Snyder County District Attorney Michael Piecuch says more needs to be done to protect the rights of victims of a crime. He says everyone knows the rights of a defendant, but often times, the rights of a victim aren’t clear.

In Snyder County, there is a full-time victim-witness coordinator working to help people who need it. The coordinator makes sure the victims and witnesses of crimes understand their rights and are walked through the process. He says one of the toughest parts for victims is that they didn’t ask to be part of the process, but were brought into it by their offender.

Piecuch says the more they can do to help the victim understand the process, their anxiety will be reduced and they will be more productive as witnesses and victims in the trial process. You can learn more about this and other topics from District Attorney Michael Piecuch on our Thursday Leaders and Lawmakers program at 3:30 p.m. The interview will also be posted online at www.wkok.com. (Ali Stevens)

Cops offer free 'senior' crime seminar in Norry 

NORTHUMBERLAND – Following the crime watch meeting Northumberland on Tuesday at 7 p.m., there will be a free seminar just for senior citizens. Northumberland Police Chief Tim Fink tells us the office of the Pennsylvania Attorney General is coming to talk with seniors about crime.

The free senior crime prevention seminar will make citizens aware of scams such as home improvement rip-offs, foreign lotteries, telemarketing fraud and sweepstakes scams. The senior crime seminar will take place from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the Townside at the Savoy in Northumberland. The public is encouraged to attend. (Ali Stevens)

Thursday nights will be movie nights in Selinsgrove

SELINSGROVE -- Six feature films will be shown outdoors at the Selinsgrove Commons on select Thursday nights this summer. Local businesses, SPI and other organizations are sponsoring the showings, all scheduled to being at dusk.

There is a theme associated with each night, and a hint for each film. For example: Thursday, June 10th is Speed Night, and the hint is, "Catch the BUG that everybody loves." More information online at www.selinsgrove.net (Matt Farrand)

Latest Pennsylvania news, lottery, business and entertainment

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Harrisburg officials are weighing their next move in the wake of a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling that ends a years-long turf fight over control over the city's public-works authority.  Wednesday's ruling voided city council's power to appoint members of the Harrisburg Authority and stripped all current members of their seats. The justices said in a 6-0 ruling that the mayor has general appointment powers in city government. They said the council would have to change the city's charter to claim control over appointments to the authority.  The dispute dates back to 2006, when the council tried to seize that power by passing an ordinance. Then-Mayor Stephen Reed vetoed the law, but the council overrode him.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Pittsburgh City Council has approved paying $155,000 to a man who said he was wrongly Tasered for criticizing a city officer after getting a ticket for not using his turn signal.  Fifty-three-year-old Daniel Hackett III, of Mount Lebanon, sued claiming he yelled at the officer on March 15, 2008 during the city's St. Patrick's Day celebration.  Hackett yelled after he saw someone run a red light and another man urinating in public, complaining that police should ticket people like that instead.   Hackett says he was Tasered and handcuffed, only to have police later drop resisting arrest and disorderly conduct charges. Council also approved paying $15,000 settlement to a woman who claimed an officer "offensively touched" her while removing her from a dance club in January 2009.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee are calling on Attorney General Eric Holder to appoint a special prosecutor to look into the claim by Rep. Joe Sestak that he was offered an administration job if he would drop his primary challenge against Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter. Holder last week rejected a similar request from Rep. Darrell Issa, the California Republican who heads the House oversight committee. Seven Republican senators are asking Holder in a letter to reconsider. The White House has insisted nothing improper took place but has refused to discuss those conversations. The White House backed Specter after he left the Republican Party last year. Sestak has repeatedly said he was offered a job but has refused to discuss details. He won his primary against Specter and now faces Republican Pat Toomey.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor apparently is Scott Conklin, a state representative from Centre County. Runner-up Jonathan Saidel threw in the towel yesterday afternoon -- ending speculation that an automatic recount would be required to settle the outcome of the May 18 primary. The former Philadelphia city controller's campaign manager says it became clear the remaining uncounted votes wouldn't be enough to change the results of the three-man race. He says a recount would not only be futile for his candidacy but a waste of $500,000 of taxpayers' money. Conklin says he's pleased by the development. He says he's looking forward to campaigning with Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dan Onorato.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Gov. Ed Rendell is disbanding a special unit of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation that a grand jury said exists only to expedite paperwork for legislators seeking to win favor with voters. The panel that investigated the state legislative corruption scandal criticized the 35-person unit in a scathing assessment of the Legislature released this week. Rendell spokesman Gary Tuma says the unit will be disbanded in the next few days and the employees reassigned elsewhere in PennDOT. However, he says PennDOT will continue to help legislators with constituent requests through "normal administrative channels." The report also says the House Democratic and Republican caucuses employ - at a cost of nearly $900,000 a year - dozens of people to expedite processing of mostly routine PennDOT paperwork for businesses and other constituents.

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

Updates on the latest in business:

Dow: + 284.54 (10,258.99)

S&P 500: + 35.11 (1,103.06)

NASDAQ: + 81.80 (2,277.68)

Obama announces slowdown on new deepwater drilling

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama says federal regulators under his watch should have shown a "greater sense of urgency" about tightening oversight of oil and gas.  Obama says a moratorium on new deepwater oil wells is the first of many steps that will be taken to improve oversight of the industry. He credits Interior Secretary Ken Salazar for many reforms, but says "more needs to be done." Obama says some proposed drilling lease sales off the coasts of Alaska and Virginia and the Gulf Coast will be delayed or canceled. At a news conference Thursday, he decried what he called a "scandalously close relationship" between regulators and oil companies and said that must be stopped. He said he has confidence Salazar can do that.

Coast Guard OKs part of La.'s sand berm plan

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen has approved portions of Louisiana's $350 million plan to try to protect its coastline from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill with a wall of sand. Allen announced Thursday that about half of the proposed 86-mile network of sand berms could move forward. He said other sections would not help keep the oil out and could have interfered with cleanup.  Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal was at East Grand Terre Island, a barrier island west of the mouth of the Mississippi River, when the Coast Guard sent out a news release on the berm proposal.  Jindal said he had not been contacted by the Coast Guard or the Army Corps of Engineers and did not know which sections of berm were approved.

Pennsylvania Lottery Numbers:

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

 Midday Big 4

     9-7-9-3

 Midday Number

     8-9-7

 Midday Quinto

     8-3-2-4-6

 Treasure Hunt

     14-17-26-28-29

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

Clinton near wedding weight for Chelsea's nuptials

WASHINGTON (AP) - Chelsea Clinton gave her father strict orders to drop 15 pounds before her summer wedding - and former President Bill Clinton says he's nearly met that goal.  A noticeably thinner Clinton was at the White House Thursday and said he has just two pounds to go.  Clinton joined President Barack Obama for a meeting with the U.S. World Cup Soccer Team. The former president was recently named honorary chairman of the bid committee that's trying to bring the soccer tournament to the U.S.  Though the Clintons haven't announced the date of their daughter's wedding, the former president did let it slip that he has "more than a month" to achieve his goal. 

Ferguson to talk about scandal to Oprah Winfrey

CHICAGO (AP) - The Duchess of York is taking her side of the story to the queen of television. Just days ago, a British tabloid reported that Sarah Ferguson was caught on video offering access to her former husband, Prince Andrew, for $724,000. Now, she's going to tell her side of the story to Oprah Winfrey.  The Oprah Winfrey Show says the interview with the Duchess of York will air Tuesday. The program says it will be Ferguson's first TV interview since the news broke last weekend.  But Ferguson hasn't been hiding out. On Wednesday she appeared before booksellers and librarians at a New York trade show to promote children's books. She didn't address the scandal directly during a panel with other authors at Book Expo America but made a few references to it.