Monday, March 15, 2010

Flooding leaves Union County road closed

LEWISBURG – River Road just north of Lewisburg is being closed due to flooding.  The road near Riverwoods is expected to remain closed for the next 12 hours or so.  PennDOT reports Millmont Road (SR 3003)  in Lewis Township, which had been closed since Sunday, has reopened to traffic. (Ali Stevens)

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 and 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 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. 

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. 

River still rising, crest expected today

UNDATED – Water watchers had a big weekend. Most parts of our region got about 1 to 2 inches of rain Friday and Saturday—but fortunately—far short of the more than three inches said to be possible from last week’s storm. In Union County, the rain gauge at Weikert collected more than 2” and Hartleton recorded 1.6”. Nearly 2” fell in both State College and Allentown over a 24-hour period.

Some roads are affected: PennDOT says Cold Run Creek is over its banks in Lewis Township, Union County, and SR 3003 is closed as a result. The closure is just north of the village of Millmont. The road is not expected to reopen to traffic until later today.

The North and West branches of the Susquehanna River are still on the rise and are expected to crest below flood stage today. Penns Creek crested a foot above flood stage Sunday morning. Winds exceeding 40 mph knocked out power to many in the eastern portion of the state, but most people are back on line today and there are no local PPL outages reported today.

Local soldiers honored

WILLIAMSPORT – Over 80 local soldiers who recently returned from Iraq were honored Sunday in Williamsport. A freedom salute was held for soldiers in the Army National Guard from the 3rd 103rd Battalion and 228th Brigade who served with the 56th Stryker Brigade.

Staff Sergeant Justin Gentzyel of Lock Haven served for a year in Iraq, and says it’s nice to be recognized by the National Guard and the community. He says he always feels support when coming home, and he hopes the community knows they soldiers are always there for them as well.

The soldiers were each recognized at the ceremony, and honored with individual awards. State Representative Rick Mirabito, Williamsport Mayor Gabe Campana and a representative from Congressman Chris Carney’s (D-10th, Dimock) office were also in attendance. (Sara Bartlett)

Local library coordinates reader program sponsorship

DANVILLE – The Thomas Beaver Library of Danville is looking for anyone who’d like to sponsor a child in a summer reading program. Coordinators say the five-dollar Adopt-a-Reader program is a satisfying way to contribute to a charity. Children and Youth coordinator Beth Lynn says the program is geared toward keeping kids reading during the summer.

The program used to be offered at no charge, but state budget cuts have forced the library to get creative, and Lynn notes the five-dollar sponsorship isn’t much more than the price of a cup of coffee. 32 children have already been adopted, but more sponsors are welcome. Information is available at the Thomas Beaver Library in Danville at 275-4180. (Matt Bowen)

Injury reported as motorcycle slides out from under rider

DANVILLE – Loose gravel is being blamed in a motorcycle accident last week, which injured a Danville woman. State troopers say 27-year-old Mikki Anselmo was hurt when she was trying to stop along Creek Road, near Trump Road, in Montour County’s Valley Township.

The cycle slid out from under the rider on the loose gravel berm, and fell on Anselmo’s knee. Troopers say she was wearing a helmet and was taken to Geisinger Medical Center via Danville Ambulance following the Tuesday afternoon mishap. (Matt Farrand)

Geisinger researchers are looking for some problem drinkers

DANVILLE – Is consumption of alcohol causing problems in your life? Are you motivated to change, to curtail your alcohol dependence and get your life back on track? If you answer yes to those questions—you might be able to help yourself and help Geisinger researchers, and potentially help problem drinkers around the world.

The National Institutes of Health has funded national study, which is being conducted at Geisinger, as well as at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital. The prime researcher is the goal of the research is to find out genetically—why certain drugs used to treat alcoholism work well in some people and not as well in others.

The psychiatrists at Geisinger Medical Center’s Henry Hood Center for Health Research are looking for people who are interested in participating in the study. First, they must decide if they are problem drinkers—if they are an alcoholic.

Then the subjects in the study have to decide to seek treatment, counseling and other methods to try to change their behavior. Like many efforts to help alcoholics, the motivation to change must exist before treatment can be successful. Then the people will undergo a blood draw, their genetic makeup will be analyzed, and then they will be given the drugs, which do help some alcoholics.

The doctors caution, that they are not testing new drugs—just why—genetically—some drugs in limited use already work well on some people and not on others. They also say they aren’t just distributing drugs that help people stop drinking, but rather they are studying why some drugs which do help some motivated alcoholics don’t help everyone.

For the people who get into the study, their travel expenses, medications, physical exams, lab work, EKG’s are all funded by the study. Call 866-219-5148 for more information.

Girls PIAA win a first ever for Shikellamy

COAL TOWNSHIP – The Shikellamy Braves girls basketball team beat Northern Lehigh Saturday for their first ever win in the PIAA state playoffs. The 50-46 win advances the Braves to a second round game against Archbishop Wood, and improves their record to 22-4 for the 2009-10 season.

Senior guard Kelly Bickel had a game high of 17 points. The Wednesday game will be at a site to be determined. Saturday’s game was at Shamokin High School. (Matt Farrand)

Local wrestlers bring home PIAA gold

HERSHEY – A couple of local high school wrestlers can call themselves state champs. Selinsgrove senior Spencer Myers finished his season by beating Zach Nye of East Pennsboro at 215 pounds, vindicating a 2009 loss when he sustained a knee injury in the PIAA Class AAA title bout.

Line Mountain freshman Zain Retherford finished his season at 40-1 with a win in the Class AA final at 103 pounds. He defeated Brad Farley of Bermudian Springs. Lewisburg junior Nathaniel Brown finished his season as the Class AA runner-up at 171 pounds, with a 2-1 loss to Matthew Cunningham of Shady Side Academy at the Giant Center in Hershey. (Matt Farrand)

Latest Pennsylvania news, lottery, business and entertainment

STROUDSBURG, Pa. (AP) - Closing arguments have wrapped up in the vehicular homicide trial of a man accused of causing the 2008 crash that killed a Pennsylvania lawmaker.  Monroe County Assistant District Attorney Colleen Mancuso told jurors in  Monroe County that 46-year-old Thomas Senavitis crossed into oncoming traffic, causing the crash that killed state Sen. James Rhoades on Oct. 17, 2008, in the Poconos. She says Senavitis had a blood-alcohol level more than four times the legal limit for driving at the time of the crash.  Senavitis' attorney says 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.   defense attorney Wes Niemoczynski also questioned the reliability of the blood test performed on Senavitis.  The jury is set to begin deliberating.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A Dauphin County jury is back behind closed doors, debating the criminal case of a former Pennsylvania House Democratic lawmaker and three of his former aides.  The eight-woman, four-man jury resumed deliberations early Monday in the public corruption case against former Beaver County Rep. Mike Veon and three ex- aides.  The jury took the weekend off after about two hours of deliberations Friday. Lawyers are also back in the courtroom, arguing over which exhibits the jury will be allowed to see.  The case is now in its seventh week. The defendants are accused of diverting state resources and employees for use in political campaigns. Defense attorneys  say the evidence against their clients is weak and some of the alleged infractions are so minimal as to not be criminal.

EGG HARBOR CITY, N.J. (AP) - The weekend's brutal Northeast rainstorm is being blamed for the deaths of at least six people. Connecticut police say a woman died when a falling tree struck her as she was walking late Saturday in Greenwich. Strong winds and heavy rains uprooted trees, downed power lines and flooded creeks. A half-million utility customers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut lost electricity. Police say one person was killed in Westport, Conn., when a tree fell on a car. Authorities in Teaneck, N.J., say a falling tree killed two neighbors as they headed home from a prayer service. In Hartsdale, N.Y., a man died when a tree crushed the roof of his car. And in Rhode Island, an off-duty state trooper died Sunday after his car hydroplaned in a patch of standing water.

SOMERSET, Pa. (AP) - Residents of western Pennsylvania are cleaning up Sunday after rains that closed roads, flooded basements and prompted some precautionary evacuations. Somerset County 911 supervisor Joel Landis says about 45 people were evacuated from several personal care homes in the Confluence area in the southern part of the county on Saturday. He says several residents were also evacuated from homes in Hollsopple and Benson Borough from rising water in the Stonycreek River. Landis says some roads were closed in the county and basements of homes were flooded, but there have been no reports of serious damage or injuries.

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) - Three decades after it began, a central Pennsylvania county's model farmland preservation program is seeing a slowing of county and private contributions amid the down economy. Since Lancaster County began its program 30 years ago this spring, it has saved nearly 1,100 farms and about 85,300 acres. That is more than any other county in the nation. But, preservationists argue, that is only one-fifth of the county's total agricultural acreage and not enough to ensure that farming will remain viable. And, according to a Lancaster Newspapers analysis, the program is changing in ways that may imperil its future. For one thing, the recession has meant a significant reduction in the amount of money the county government is borrowing to preserve farms. County commissioners are also promoting a pay-as-you-go approach that may limit future funding. And the private Lancaster Farmland Trust, amid declining corporate and foundation support, is reducing the acreage it preserves each year so that it can concentrate on monitoring farms already saved.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - The number of deaths on Pennsylvania's highways has plunged to its lowest level since Model Ts still chugged along the roads of the commonwealth. Officials are crediting years of safety programs but cannot rule out an assist from the struggling economy. According to Pennsylvania Department of Transportation figures, 1,256 people died in accidents in 2009. That's a 14.4 percent decline from 2008 and the lowest total since the state started keeping records in 1928. The previous low mark was 1,328 in fuel-scarce 1944 during World War II. Officials had no immediate explanation for the decline, citing the cumulative effect of safety programs by state and local governments and others. But a PennDOT spokesman also acknowledged that less driving because of the recession may have been a factor. Preliminary numbers indicate decreases in the number of deaths attributed to alcohol, aggressive driving, and drivers or passengers not using seat belts. But the number of fatalities in crashes involving drivers age 65 and older increased from 259 in 2008 to 276 in 2009.

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

Pennsylvania Lottery Numbers

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

 Midday Big 4

     6-0-2-5

 Midday Number

     9-1-2

 Midday Quinto

     7-0-8-5-0

 Treasure Hunt

     07-20-22-26-29

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

Big 4 6-4-5-2

Cash 5 12-17-18-35-40

Daily Number 7-4-4

Evening Quinto 9-0-5-4-1

Midday Big 4 9-1-6-2

Midday Number 9-8-7

Midday Quinto 0-5-6-1-8

Treasure Hunt 04-12-13-20-27

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

Updates on the latest in business:

Dow: 10,625.07, up .38

S&P 500: 1,147.44, down –2.55

NASDAQ: 2,356. down –10.73

NEW YORK (AP) - Stock prices are modestly lower today. Investors await the outcome of tomorrow's Federal Reserve meeting, although no change is expected in interest rates.

STRONGSVILLE, Ohio (AP) - President Barack Obama today sought to reassure seniors about health care legislation approaching a final vote in Congress. He promises it will make preventive care cost-free and close a gap in Medicare prescription drug coverage.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Unveiling a sweeping proposal to overhaul U.S. broadband policy, federal regulators want to bring affordable, high-speed Internet connections to all Americans. While it isn't certain that the FCC can find funding for the plan, it wants to make access much faster for people who already have broadband.

NEW YORK (AP) - American Express says that 3.6 percent of its loans were at least 30 days past due in February, and that's unchanged from the month before. Delinquency and charge-off rates remain elevated as customers are struggling to pay their debts.

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

Entertainment and People News

Rock Hall inductions

NEW YORK (AP) -- It won't be a night of reunions at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony tonight. Genesis will be without Peter Gabriel, who's on tour. ABBA will be without Agnetha Faltskog, who doesn't like to fly, and Bjorn Ulvaeus who has a family event. Only Graham Nash and Allan Clarke will represent the Hollies. The rest of the band is on tour. Jimmy Cliff will be on hand for his induction, as will Iggy Pop and the Stooges. The ceremony will be telecast on FUSE.

Top art heist rattles investigators 20 years on

BOSTON (AP) - Investigators of a 20-year-old art heist at a Boston museum that was the largest such theft in history are stepping up their efforts.  Leaders of the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum say they're renewing their push to recover the works. They're seeking new DNA analysis and publicizing the museum's $5 million, no-questions-asked reward. In the early hours of March, 18, 1990, two thieves walked into the museum disguised as Boston police. They bound two guards and took more than a dozen works of art including masterworks by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Degas and Manet.  They made off with more than a half-billion dollars in loot far too hot to sell. The mystery has never been solved.

Matchstick construction

MASON, Wis. (AP) - Joe Cutich doesn't have to go to Paris to see Notre Dame  Cathedral. He's got one in his Mason, Wis. home. The retired railroad man has built a model of Notre Dame out of matchsticks. But he's not sure what he'll do with it. He tells a local paper (The Daily Press of Ashland) he'd like to donate it, but he doesn't know where. He's already built everything from a pirate ship to a steam locomotive out matchsticks. He adds the projects keep him happy and occupied.

Detroit city workers being warned to go scentsless

DETROIT (AP) - Change is in the air for Detroit city workers. City employees will be urged not to wear perfume, cologne or aftershave as a result of a settlement in a federal lawsuit. Officials plan to place warning placards in three city buildings. The signs will warn workers to avoid "wearing scented products, including ... colognes, aftershave lotions, perfumes, deodorants, body/face lotions ... (and) the use of scented candles, perfume samples from magazines, spray or solid air fresheners." The employee handbook and Americans with Disabilities Act training also will bear warnings. The Detroit News reports the move stems from a $100,000 settlement in a federal lawsuit filed in 2008 by a city employee who said a colleague's perfume made it challenging for her to do her job.

Woman, 92, charged in death of 98-year-old husband

SYDNEY (AP) - Police in Australia have charged a 92-year-old woman with killing her 98-year-old husband. Clare Tang is due to appear in court Tuesday on a murder charge after her husband was found dead in their apartment in downtown Sydney on Friday night. New South Wales state police said in a statement that the husband was found in the lounge room and that he had suffered head wounds. A cause of death was still being determined. Clare Tang was arrested at the scene. A family friend tells Australian broadcasting that the couple, from Shanghai, China, had been married for about 70 years, and that Clare Tang appeared to love her husband deeply.

NEW: MSNBC host Keith Olbermann's dad dies in NYC at 80

NEW YORK (AP) - The father of MSNBC host Keith Olbermann has died in New York City at age 80. Theodore Olbermann was thrust into the nation's health care debate through commentaries by his son on television. Keith Olbermann says the former architect died Saturday of complications from colon surgery. Theodore Olbermann's wife of nearly 60 years, Marie Olbermann, died last year. Keith Olbermann had talked on his weeknight cable news show about his father's experiences in the hospital and how his family dealt with them. Three weeks ago he talked on TV about how his suffering father had asked to be killed.

Internet fraud…online and on the rise

WASHINGTON (AP) - Guess it makes sense, in a way. The FBI is reporting how much Internet fraud is costing us. And, the agency says, the most common type of fraud - is scams from people falsely claiming to be from the FBI. The agency says last year, the cost of online fraud was $560 million dollars. That's double what it was for the previous report. Individual complaints of Internet scams grew more than 20 percent last year. And it isn't just people with deep pockets being taken for a ride. Officials say the amounts taken by individual fraud cases range from less than $30 to more than $100,000.

Live nude art bothers some

NEW YORK (AP) - Rubbing shoulders with naked strangers -- in the name of art. A new exhibit at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City has two nude performers standing inches apart. Museum visitors wanting to go through a narrow doorway have to squeeze past the nude models. For some it's a little too close for comfort. The display is part of an exhibit showcasing work by Yugoslavian-born performance artist Marina Abramovic. Sometimes the nudes are the same sex, other times the opposite sex. And they aren't the only live nudes on display. Abramovic's exhibit also has a nude performer lying under a skeleton and a naked woman on a bicycle seat.

TV-History in Schools]

NEW YORK (AP) - The History channel says it will give a free DVD copy of its new 12-hour series on American history to every school in the country that wants one. The 12-part series premieres April 25. The network will mail posters, a teacher's guide and family viewing guide to 35,000 high schools and middle schools before that. The series and educational outreach is the most expensive project in the network's history, although its executives won't reveal how much is being spent. Network chief Nancy Dubuc says it's the broadest look at United States history on television since Alistair Cooke's series aired on PBS in the 1970s. The series tries to recreate many of the events it is talking about, through actors and CGI animation. They've shot scenes on three continents involving 1,641 actors, extras and stuntmen.

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