January 26, 2012

UNIVERSITY PARK - With fond memories and lavish praise that might have embarrassed their beloved coach, Penn State paid tribute to Joe Paterno at a public memorial today, an event that capped three days of public mourning following his death from lung cancer. The Associated Press reports, a respectful crowd of about 12,000 came to the Bryce Jordan Center to hear former players and others laud not just Paterno's accomplishments but the man himself. "Bless us this day as we honor and celebrate one of your greatest gifts to the world - Joe Paterno," the Rev. Matthew Laffey said in the opening prayer.  Jay Paterno spoke last at the memorial saying at one point, "Joe Paterno left this world with a clear conscience."
(WGRC)

LOCK HAVEN – In Clinton County, the city of Lock Haven has been approved for a $28 million low-interest loan to construct a more modern sewage treatment plant to meet more stringent state and federal environmental mandates. Of that loan amount, $10 million of the principle will be forgiven, constituting a grant. State Senator John Wozniak, and state Representative Mike Hanna, both announced the good news from PennVEST, the state revolving loan fund for infrastructure improvements.
(WGRC)

WILLIAMSPORT – In Lycoming County, Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Children’s Learning Center received a Keystone Stars Merit Award and a Keystone Stars Education and Retention Award totaling $46,480 for 2011-12. The center uses the funds for staff development, the purchase of toys and furniture for the children, accreditation-related expenses, special health and nutrition activities, and family events. This year, a large portion of the grant will be used for improvements to the outdoor play area at the center’s new location in Penn College’s Hager Lifelong Education Center.
(WGRC)

STATE COLLEGE - For years, huge crowds filled Beaver Stadium to cheer for Joe Paterno. On Wednesday, they lined the streets of town and campus to say goodbye. Thousands of alumni and fans filled the sidewalks of the Penn State campus and downtown State College to pay respects to the legendary football coach as the hearse with his casket drove by. Paterno died Sunday from lung cancer. On Wednesday after the procession, he was buried in the Pine Hall Cemetery. The procession began at 4:15 p.m. after a private family service in the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center. Numerous former players attended the private service: Franco Harris, Brandon Short, Ki-Jana Carter, Todd Blackledge, Matt Millen, Lenny Moore and Matt Suhey. Nike CEO and Paterno friend Phil Knight attended as well as donor Anthony Lubrano, former athletic director Tim Curley, and Paterno’s assistant coaches including Tom Bradley, Galen Hall and Ron Vanderlinden. The memorial service for Joe Paterno, “A Memorial For Joe,” will be held today at 2 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center. The memorial service will be carried live by the Big Ten Network, and streamed atGoPSUsports.com and BTN.com.
(WGRC)

WEST MILTON – The borough of West Milton was swarming with local police units early this morning just after three a.m. after a report of a home invasion and burglary on Broad Street. Police units from Milton, Lewisburg, East Buffalo Township, Watsontown, Mifflinburg, Point Township, Montgomery, Northumberland and two canine units from the Union County Sheriff’s office were on the scene. We are told police were looking for three individuals that were possibly armed. Police followed some tracks of the perpetrators in the light snow that fell overnight, but we are told the three suspects have not been located. The incident was then handed over to the State Police for further investigation.
Jim Diehl (WGRC)

DANVILLE – A 17-year-old girl in custody at the North Central Secure Treatment Unit in Danville is facing aggravated assault charges after beating up on two center employees Wednesday afternoon. Police say the two employees suffered minor injuries in the scuffle just after noon. Those charges will be filed in Montour County Juvenile Court.
(WGRC)

SAIT CLAIR – A member of a fire company in Schuylkill County has been charged with stealing cash from the fire company. Police have arrested 44-year-old Carl Martin Jr. with theft following the incident back in November. Police say Martin forced open a door to an office at the Independent Hose Company on Sunshine Street in Saint Clair and stole $650 dollars from a fund raiser the fire company held at an earlier date.
Jim Diehl (WGRC)

HUGHESVILLE – Two Hughesville men have been charged with stealing a bank debit card from their neighbor’s mail box and using it to make cash withdrawals.  Police have arrested 27-year-old Thomas Mercantino the Third of Main Street Hughesville and 25-year-old Cody Kyle of Williamsport with theft and access device fraud after they stole the card and withdrew around $1,300 dollars in cash from the victim’s bank. The Sun Gazette reports, police say Mercantino lived in an apartment above the victim and took the debit card from the victim’s mailbox back in December. Police say both admitted taking the money and buying heroin with it. Both are now jailed in the Lycoming County Prison.
Jim Diehl (WGRC)

MUNCY – In Lycoming County a Wolf Township woman is accused of illegally withdrawing nearly $13,000 from the account of another woman while serving as the victim's power of attorney. The Sun Gazette reports, 46-year-old Deborah Hafner is accused of making the illegal withdrawals from the victim’s account from March to October, 2010. Hafner faces felony charges of theft, theft by failure to make required disposition and access device fraud. Police say Hafner's boyfriend, 32-year-old Rodney Poust, also was involved in skimming money from the victim’s accounts. Both are free on bail awaiting further court action.
Jim Diehl (WGRC)

WILLIAMSPORT – Two Philadelphia men have been charged with drug possession and possession with intent to distribute drugs in Williamsport. Police arrested 22-year-old John Carter and 21-year-old Timothy Eiland after they were caught Wednesday at 77 Eldred Street in Williamsport with several small baggies containing 15 grams of crack cocaine and nearly $2900 dollars in suspected drug money.
Jim Diehl (WGRC)

WILLIAMSPORT - A suspended Williamsport Bureau of Police officer had his day in court Wednesday, but not before a jury. Instead, 42-year-old Dustin Kreitz pleaded guilty in Lycoming County Court to failure to report a gift given to him as a member of the Lycoming County Drug Task Force. Other charges were dismissed by the state attorney general's office including tampering with public records, theft, and perjury, among other charges. The Sun Gazette reports, visiting Potter County Judge John Leete then sentenced Kreitz to a $350 fine and no jail time. Meanwhile 46-year-old Thomas Ungard, former head of the drug task force, is in the process of appealing his verdict. The arrests of Ungard and Kreitz stemmed from an investigation by prosecutors with the state attorney general's office after it was discovered Ungard allegedly sold task force vehicles through "straw purchases." It also was discovered that Kreitz may have destroyed task force records to cover up their wrong doing. Ungard was found guilty in July of tampering with public records and theft but acquitted of eight other charges.
(WGRC)

POTTSVILLE - A Gilberton man arrested for the alleged rape of a woman at his home in November had the most serious charges against him withdrawn Wednesday in district court. The republican Herald reports, 46-year-old David Smith, was charged by state police at Frackville with two counts each of rape, and related counts for the assault on the 47-year-old woman back in November. Smith sent charges of simple assault and unlawful restraint onto Schuylkill County Court while the prosecution withdrew the remaining offenses. Assistant District Attorney Michael O'Pake said the decision to withdraw the sexual-based charges came after consulting with the victim.
(WGRC)

STATE COLLEGE - The death of former head football coach Joe Paterno will probably not have a great impact in the criminal cases of Jerry Sandusky, Tim Curley and Gary Schultz. Attorney Karl Rominger, Sandusky’s lawyer alongside Joe Amendola, said the former head football coach’s testimony to the grand jury will not be admissible in court, or allowed as evidence, because he cannot be cross-examined. Rominger said he didn’t think Paterno’s statement included any information the commonwealth was going to use against the former assistant football coach. But, he said, if Paterno’s testimony included information that would benefit Sandusky’s case, the defense would push to allow Paterno’s testimony to be admissible. Rominger says he doesn’t think Paterno’s testimony was a lynchpin for the case.
(WGRC)

SUNBURY - Despite receiving strong support from area police officers and making a convincing argument to keep his staff intact, Northumberland County District Attorney Tony Rosini will be losing an assistant district attorney as a result of a 4-1 vote by the county salary board Wednesday to eliminate the position. Commissioners Vinny Clausi, Rick Shoch and Stephen Bridy, and Controller Tony Phillips agreed to eliminate the position, which will save the county approximately $80,000 in salary and benefits. Rosini cast the lone "no" vote for the motion, which was made by Clausi and seconded by Bridy. The News Item reports, the district attorney said reducing his staff by 20 percent would compromise public safety in the county and create chaos for the entire court system, while the commissioners said cutting the well-paid Teamsters union position was necessary to help balance the budget. Eliminating the assistant district attorney's position was one of 11 cuts made by the commissioners that will save the county over $387,000.  After the meeting, Commissioner Clausi said Rosini has until January 31st to cut an assistant district attorney in his office or the commissioners will eliminate the assistant district attorney with the least seniority.
(WGRC)

SUNBURY - Northumberland County Commissioners Rick Shoch, Stephen Bridy and Vinny Clausi approved Wednesday the final adoption of a $71.6 million budget for 2012 that was amended earlier this month to include a tax increase for the first time in nine years. The $71.6 million dollar spending plan is similar to the amended budget approved January 10th that calls for a 1.95-mill general fund increase that is expected to generate $1.4 million to cover a projected deficit in excess of $1 million. Under the budget eight county employees will forgo a two-and-a-half percent cost-of-living pay increase for 2012.
(WGRC)

SUNBURY - Northumberland County Interim Emergency Management Services Director Jerome Alex has been tapped to lead the department on a full-time basis. The Daily Item reports, he was employed for many years as a fiscal officer in the Mental Health Department and more recently was the operations officer at EMA when he was appointed interim director following the early December firing of Steve Reiner. All three commissioners approved Alex's hiring. The board also approved a request by Sol Biddinger to serve as an unpaid veterans service office volunteer. Biddinger, who chose to resign this month from the part-time position to save taxpayer dollars, said he wants to continue aiding young veterans without burdening the county budget.
(WGRC)

MIFFLINTOWN – Residents in the Juniata County School District can expect their taxes to go up. The Juniata County School Board Tuesday approved a preliminary 2012-2013 budget that would keep the educational and extracurricular programs at status quo and increase taxes. Superintendent Richard Musselman tells the Sentinel, the $32.2 million budget is a work in progress, and changes will be made before the school board adopts a final version in June. The plan includes full-time kindergarten which was proposed to be cut by the school board but received heavy protest from area residents. The preliminary budget contains a 2.4 mill tax increase.
(WGRC)

LEWISBURG - SEDA-COG and Immix Wireless are collaborating on a new loan program that will bring 4G wireless internet service to Central Pennsylvania. The program focused on telecommunications and broadband services, and companies serving Marcellus and Utica shale-related industries. The Telecommunications, Equity, and Marcellus program was announced at Wednesday’s meeting of SEDA-COG's Board of Directors. A total of $1.12 million in financing is available through the program, of which Immix contributed $120,000. The balance was secured through the federal government’s State Small Business Credit Initiative.  SEDA-COG's new program joins its nine other financing programs through which loans are available to new or expanding businesses that meet eligibility requirements.  
(WGRC)  

STATE COLLEGE — A Marcellus Shale impact fee is close to passage, state Senator Jake Corman, said at a breakfast hosted by the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County Wednesday. Corman says a bill implementing an impact fee will be passed out of committee and face a floor debate either next week or the week after. Corman tells the Centre Daily Times, the new funds available to the state might not be as much as some had hoped. Corman also says he’s pushing to convert mass transit systems in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to natural gas to take advantage of local gas reserves.
(WGRC)

LOCK HAVEN - Anadarko Petroleum Corporation brought 20 wells online in Clinton County in 2011 and the company plans to bring an additional dozen wells this year. That's the report offered to the Clinton County commissioners Tuesday by representatives of Anadarko. The company and the commissioners had a serious sit-down to discuss the future of the Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling industry in central Pennsylvania. Mary Wolf, the exploration company's government liaison, told the gathering Anadarko is following through on its commitment to upgrade roads and move traffic off highways in answer to concerns about the increased industry presence. Anadarko is one of Pennsylvania's largest producers of natural gas, operating more than 330,000 acres in Clinton, Centre, Lycoming, Bradford, Sullivan, Tioga and Potter counties.
(WGRC)

HARRISBURG - The Energy Information Administration predicts U.S. natural gas production will nearly triple by 2035.  The report released January 19th says the 5 trillion cubic feet produced in 2010 accounted for 23 percent of total dry gas production. By 2035, production could hit 13.6 trillion cubic feet and account for 49 percent. The report predicts the U.S. will be a gas exporter by 2021 as foreign markets increase use and offer higher prices. It also says the percentage of gas-generated electricity will rise slightly, from 24 percent to 27 percent. As expected, the report also scales back size estimates of the Marcellus shale field reserves, from 410 trillion cubic feet to 141 trillion cubic feet.
(WGRC)

HARRISBURG — A narrowly divided Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday invalidated a plan to redraw state House and Senate district lines, calling the redistricting approach "contrary to law" and throwing into disarray plans by candidates and parties for this year's General Assembly races. The two-page order sending the plan back to the Legislative Reapportionment Commission said current district lines will remain until the commission comes up with a new plan that passes legal muster, which could mean changes may not take effect for two years. The Associated Press reports, the plan the court threw out by a 4-3 vote was opposed by Senate Democrats and others, who argued in a court session Monday that there was not sufficient reason to split some counties and towns, and that decisions were overly driven by political considerations.
(WGRC)

HARRISBURG – With January being National Radon Awareness month efforts to increase awareness about radon have increased since the mid-1980s. Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that occurs naturally and can seep into homes through cracks in the basement or foundation. Robert Lewis, who is Radon Division chief of the Bureau of Radon Protection, says it's a significant problem in the state. The DEP just awarded a grant to the American Lung Association to continue statewide public outreach and awareness about the importance of radon testing.
(WGRC)