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GL News
Friday, February 10, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
APNewsBreak: GOP report questions detainee release
(AP) Facing domestic political pressures, the Bush and Obama administrations released or transferred 600 terror suspects deemed an acceptable threat from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, only to face the challenge that 27 percent re-engaged in terrorist or insurgent activities, according to a report by Republicans on a House Armed Services subcommittee.
Video: Waddling and learning
FORTY FORT -- Maybe Tahbo should have been escorted in on foot; an African black-footed penguin waddling into a class of pre-kindergarten students certainly would have been cute. But Wyoming Seminary student Billy Bartolomei provided plenty of that, waddling toward the table Tahbo stood on once released from his pet taxi.
Fire chief given probation
PLAINS TWP. – Wilkes-Barre Township Fire Chief John Paul Yuknavich must randomly submit to drug and alcohol testing as part of his one-year probation sentence imposed Wednesday after pleading guilty to assaulting a man.
State universities face deeper cuts
Penn State and 16 other state colleges and universities, already struggling with deep cuts to allocations this fiscal year, now are facing even further reductions under Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed 2012-13 budget.
Sources: Pentagon rules shift on women in combat
(AP) Pentagon rules are catching up a bit with reality after a decade when women in the U.S. military have served, fought and died on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.
LA school in sex abuse case gets entire new staff
(AP) An entirely new staff of teachers will greet students Thursday at an elementary school rocked last week by the arrests of two longtime teachers on lewdness charges.
Hold the mystery meat: Military food gets upgrade
(AP) Hold the mystery meat: Military bases will soon be serving more fruits, vegetables and low-fat dishes under the first program in 20 years to improve nutrition standards across the armed services.
Kodak to stop making cameras, digital frames
(AP) Eastman Kodak Co. said Thursday that it will stop making digital cameras, pocket video cameras and digital picture frames, marking the end of an era for the company that brought photography to the masses more than a century ago.
Video: Gender-bending model pushes limits of the runway
(AP) On a chilly winter afternoon, Andrej Pejic settles into a Manhattan cafe with a cup of Earl Grey tea, sitting gracefully, long legs crossed. The blue-eyed fashion model gazes out a window, unaware that almost every man sitting at surrounding tables is transfixed.
Sandusky requests jury from State College area
HARRISBURG — Jerry Sandusky’s lawyer filed court paperwork Wednesday arguing that jurors in his child sex abuse trial should be chosen from the community where he lives and suggesting that a trial delay might be the best way to address the intense publicity generated by the case.
Father, daughter killed in Wyoming County crash
NICHOLSON TWP. - State police at Tunkhannock said a father and his 3-year-old daughter were killed in a two vehicle crash on West Nicholson Road, Wyoming County, Wednesday morning.
Man charged in 2010 shooting outside nightclub
PLAINS TWP. - A man charged in a gang related shooting outside a nightclub in 2010 was captured in New Jersey.
DEP fines Chesapeake Appalachia $565,000 for multiple violations
The Department of Environmental Protection has fined Chesapeake Appalachia LLC a total of $565,000 in civil penalties and reimbursement costs for erosion and sediment control violations, wetland encroachment violations and an April 2011 well control incident.
Pa.’s ’01 district maps OK, federal judge says
PHILADELPHIA -- A federal judge has ruled that Pennsylvania’s 2001 legislative district maps should be used in this year’s elections, a setback for Republicans who had tried to get the court to block their use.
Doctors telling more adults: Get out and exercise
(AP) More and more U.S. adults are being told by their doctor to get out and exercise, according to government survey released Thursday.
GOP vows policy change
WASHINGTON -- House Speaker John Boehner accused the Obama administration Wednesday of an “unambiguous attack on religious freedom,” promising that Congress will reverse a new policy requiring religious schools and hospitals to provide employees with free birth control if the president doesn’t.
Marines posed with Nazi SS symbol in Afghanistan
(AP) The Marine Corps confirmed Thursday that one of its scout sniper teams in Afghanistan posed for a photograph in front of a flag with a logo resembling that of the notorious Nazi SS.
Tribe sues beer companies for alcohol problems
(AP) An American Indian tribe sued some of the world's largest beer makers Thursday, claiming they knowingly contributed to devastating alcohol-related problems on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
No charges for alarms in homes
WILKES-BARRE – The state attorney general has determined no criminal charges will be filed against Mayor Tom Leighton or former city administrator J.J. Murphy regarding the installation of alarm systems at their homes that were paid for with city funds.
Barletta criticizes insurance mandate
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta took to the House floor Wednesday to rail against the Obama administration’s plan to require that employers include birth control, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs in health insurance plans. There is no mandate to cover abortions.
200 more abuse photos found
LOS ANGELES — Investigators said Wednesday they have found 200 additional photos they believe were taken by a former teacher who is accused of committing lewd acts on 23 children over a five-year period.
In brief
At least four Balkan nations suspended shipping on the Danube River because of severe frost and the vast amount of ice blocking the heavily traveled waterway.
Case worker made frantic 911 call at Powell home
SEATTLE — A 911 recording reveals a social worker’s urgent attempts over more than six minutes to get a dispatcher to send deputies after Josh Powell locked himself and his two sons in his home.
Santorum rakes in $250,000 after wins
WASHINGTON — Resurgent Rick Santorum said his sweep of three GOP contests earned his shoestring campaign $250,000 overnight, cash he needs to take his upstart bid for the Republican presidential nomination to Mitt Romney’s turf.
New Syria sanctions threatened
BEIRUT — The European Union will impose harsher sanctions on Syria, a senior EU official said Wednesday, as Russia tried to broker talks between the vice president and the opposition to calm violence. Activists reported at least 50 killed in the regime’s siege of the restive city of Homs.
DeWeese eyes re-election, to resign when sentenced
HARRISBURG — A Democratic state lawmaker who has been convicted on corruption charges said Wednesday he will follow tradition and step down from the House of Representatives when he is sentenced, but that he hopes to delay the proceeding so he can run for re-election.
State lawmakers send gas drill fee bill to Gov. Corbett
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Corbett is expected to sign a sweeping bill that would force Pennsylvania’s booming natural gas industry to help pay for a wide range of state and local government programs, toughen safety standards and limit the ability of local officials to keep drilling out of their towns.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Federal court rules 2001 legislative districts should be used
PHILADELPHIA -- A federal judge has ruled that Pennsylvania’s 2001 legislative district maps should be used in this year’s elections.
Experts advise Vatican on pedophiles
Priests who rape and molest children lie when confronted with an accusation but victims usually tell the truth, psychologists told Catholic bishops at a symposium Tuesday, advising them to listen first to the victims.
Abortion, birth control in spotlight
DAYTON, Ohio — A political firestorm over abortion and birth control spread suddenly to multiple fronts on Tuesday. A high-ranking official resigned from the Komen breast-cancer charity after its backtracking treaty with Planned Parenthood, and Republican presidential candidates blistered the Obama administration for a recent ruling on Catholic hospitals and contraception.
Man arrested in 2011 slashing
A Shickshinny man was arrested Tuesday on charges he slashed a man’s throat at a scrap yard more than a year ago. Berwick police and the state Office of Attorney General’s office charged Kim Neil Roquet Jr., 39, of Indian Cave Road, with criminal attempt to commit murder, aggravated assault and robbery.
Veterans, DEP, DCNR among dozens of other groups affected
While education and social services are getting much of the attention directed at Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed $23.14 billion spending plan, dozens of other agencies, departments and programs would be affected.
Dem legislators criticize budget, partisan process
HARRISBURG – Local Democratic state legislators are critical of Gov. Tom Corbett’s state budget because of the proposed cuts – and what they consider a partisan process.
No charges against NYPD boss' son after rape claim
(AP) The police commissioner's TV host son won't face criminal charges of sexually assaulting a woman who said he attacked her after a date last fall, prosecutors said Tuesday.
AP Interview: Homecoming inspires wounded Marine
(AP) Shot through the upper back on a rooftop in Afghanistan and gasping for breath after a bullet ripped through his chest, Marine Sgt. Ben Tomlinson had a fear worse than death.
Experts: Marriage ban's path to high court unclear
(AP) Conservative critics like to point out that the federal appeals court that just declared California's same-sex marriage ban to be unconstitutional has its decisions overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court more often than other judicial circuits, a record that could prove predictive if the high court agrees to review the gay marriage case on appeal.
Getting caffeine fix as easy as taking deep breath
(AP) Move over, coffee and Red Bull. A Harvard professor thinks the next big thing will be people inhaling their caffeine from a lipstick-sized tube. Critics say the novel product is not without its risks.
Mrs. Obama beats Fallon in fitness challenge
(AP) Michelle Obama and "Late Night" host Jimmy Fallon turned the White House into a playground to promote the first lady's "Let's Move!" fitness campaign.
Authorities have been probing missing mom’s case as murder
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Authorities have been investigating the disappearance of Susan Powell as a murder for at least several months, while they publicly left open the possibility that the Utah mother might be found alive.
Analysis: Romney losses show conservative woes
(AP) Mitt Romney just can't shake his difficulty attracting conservatives. And that reality is undercutting his effort to cast himself as the inevitable Republican presidential nominee and prolonging a race that each day exposes deep divisions within the party.
Area schools comb through spending plan
Gov. Tom Corbett’s education budget proposal offered a mixed bag for Luzerne County: School districts would see the main piece of state money increase by anywhere from 0.9 to 3.5 percent, but the switch comes with a change in how the money is doled out – a move that could reward the most efficient districts, particularly when it comes to transportation of students.
Mo. teen gets life with possible parole in killing
(AP) A Missouri teenager who had described the slaying of a young neighbor girl as an "ahmazing" thrill made an emotional apology Wednesday to the girl's family and was sentenced to a potential lifetime in prison.
Congress tries to give president line-item veto
(AP) The Republican-led House is trying Wednesday to give President Barack Obama the line-item veto, a constitutionally questionable power over the purse that has been sought by both Republican and Democratic presidents.
In 911 call, worker fears for Josh Powell's sons
SEATTLE (AP) — A 911 call recording reveals a social worker's attempts over a more than six-minute call to get a dispatcher to send authorities quickly to the home of Josh Powell after he locked himself and his two sons in the home he then set ablaze.
Wilkes-Barre Township fire chief pleads guilty to assault
Wilkes Barre Township Fire Chief John Paul Yuknavich pleaded guilty this morning to assaulting a friend of his former girlfriend.
Artists invited to enter state competition
HARRISBURG – First Lady Susan Corbett today invited artists across Pennsylvania to apply by Feb. 29 for an opportunity to showcase their work in Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2012, a juried art exhibition.
AG: Keep Sandusky inside home
HARRISBURG — Prosecutors asked Tuesday to have Jerry Sandusky kept indoors as part of his bail conditions, citing complaints that the former Penn State football assistant was seen outside and watching children in a schoolyard from the back porch of his home, where he remains under house arrest while awaiting trial on child molestation charges.
Rescued dog bites TV anchor during broadcast
(AP) A dog rescued by a firefighter from a freezing pond was impounded Wednesday after biting a veteran Denver television anchor in the face during a live morning broadcast.
Researchers probe 200-year-old shipwreck off RI
(AP) For two centuries it rested a mile from shore, shrouded by a treacherous reef from the pleasure boaters and beachgoers who haunt New England's southern coast.
Man who tainted co-workers’ yogurt gets 2 years in prison
SCRANTON – A Larksville man who admitted to injecting his semen into yogurt of two former co-workers was sentenced Tuesday to two years in federal prison.
Local social services officials unclear on impact of changes
A proposal in Gov. Tom Corbett’s 2012-13 state spending plan to dramatically overhaul the public welfare budget includes funneling seven line items into block grants.
Boehner: Congress to overturn birth control policy
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker John Boehner says if President Barack Obama doesn't reverse a new policy requiring religious schools and hospitals to provide employees with access to free birth control, the Congress will.
Santorum: I won and raised about $250K Tues night
(AP) Resurgent Rick Santorum said his sweep of three GOP contests earned his shoestring campaign $250,000 overnight, cash he needs to take his upstart bid for the Republican presidential nomination to Mitt Romney's turf.
Man charged with stabbing
KINGSTON TWP. - A man was arraigned Wednesday afternoon on charges he stabbed another man.
Nanticoke police search for burglar
NANTICOKE - City police said they are searching for Joseph A. Klesmer, 25, who is wanted for a home burglary on Perry Street, Nanticoke, on Jan. 10.
Dems say drilling oversight lax
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal policing of oil and natural gas on public lands is lax and inconsistent, with only 6 percent of violations resulting in monetary fines over 13 years, House Democrats said in a report Wednesday.
Sandusky argues for local jurors, suggests delay
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HARRISBURG (AP) — Jerry Sandusky wants jurors in his child sex-abuse trial to be chosen from the community where he lives and is suggesting a trial delay may be the best way to address the intense publicity generated by the case.
DeWeese will resign House seat once sentenced
HARRISBURG — A Democratic state lawmaker who has been convicted on corruption charges said Wednesday he will follow tradition and step down from the House of Representatives when he is sentenced, but that he hopes to delay the proceeding so he can run for re-election.
Scranton police seek attempted murder suspect
SCRANTON – A 21-year-old man allegedly fired two shotgun rounds at a his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend in an attempt to kill the man, according to Scranton police.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
AG: Complaints warrant tougher Sandusky bail rules
(AP) Pennsylvania state prosecutors are seeking changes in Jerry Sandusky's bail conditions after getting complaints he's been watching children in a nearby schoolyard from the back porch of his home, where he's on house arrest awaiting trial on child molestation charges.
Last known WWI veteran Florence Green dies at 110
(AP) Florence Green never saw the front line. Her war was spent serving food, not dodging bullets.
GOP votes today in Minn., Colo.
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Sensing a possible threat, Mitt Romney criticized Rick Santorum’s time in the Senate as “not effective” because of his past support for spending on pork-barrel projects as he worked to fend off an unexpected challenge in the next states to vote.
Officials: Dad planned fire that killed boys
GRAHAM, Wash. — Josh Powell planned the house fire that killed him and his young sons for some time, dropping toys at a charity over the weekend and sending final emails to several acquaintances in the minutes before the blaze, authorities said Monday.
Judge considers challenges to use of ’01 state legislative maps
PHILADELPHIA — A federal judge is mulling challenges to the use of Pennsylvania’s 2001 legislative district maps in this year’s elections after the state Supreme Court rejected the state’s legislative redistricting plan.
Man pleads guilty to inappropriate contact
WILKES-BARRE – A Mocanaqua man pleaded guilty Monday to charges that he had inappropriate contact two young girls.
Rohrer says he’s best choice for conservatives
What he lacks in money, U.S. Senate candidate Sam Rohrer says he makes up in enthusiasm among supporters and a grassroots campaign and track record that he believes make him best suited to defeat Sen. Bob Casey in the general election.
Conahan ruling is overturned
The state Superior Court has overturned a disgraced Luzerne County judge’s ruling regarding a controversial uninsured motorist arbitration case that resulted in a $500,000 award to a man who blamed a “phantom” vehicle for causing a car crash.
TV ad role for area man
New York Giants fullback Henry Hynoski and Chris Snee weren’t the only people connected to Northeastern Pennsylvania to have big days on Super Bowl Sunday.
Woman charged in gun thefts, forgery captured
KINGSTON – A woman who eluded authorities for 18 months on charges she stole guns during a burglary and cashed forged checks was captured last week by state police in Northampton County.
County deputy sheriff denies charges
WILKES-BARRE – A Luzerne County deputy sheriff is denying charges that she threatened her former domestic partner at a tavern on Blackman Street.
Staff to be removed during probe at LA school
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The entire staff at an elementary school where two teachers were arrested on suspicion of lewd conduct will be removed while the school district investigates, the Los Angeles school superintendent said Monday night.
Romney looks to squelch Santorum's late rise
(AP) Mitt Romney hopes his presidential campaign hasn't ignored Rick Santorum's aggressive attacks for too long, as caucuses in Colorado and Minnesota on Tuesday could reshuffle the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
New York to fete Giants with parade up Broadway
(AP) The New York Giants are returning from their Super Bowl win to a celebration the likes that only New York can throw: a ticker-tape parade in the Canyon of Heroes on Broadway, where the city has honored stars for almost a century.
Oregon copter pilot has knack for finding the lost
(AP) A few years ago, John Rachor painted his helicopter orange and yellow, so it would be easier to spot if he ever crashed and became the target of a search and rescue operation in the rugged forests of southwestern Oregon.
Marines practice amphibious war, storm US beaches
(AP) A small group of Marines trudged onto the beach sands in pitch-black night with an armada of U.S. Navy warships sailing just off the shore. Their mission: root out insurgents that threatened to attack another American force to the south.
Looking for work? There may be an app for that
(AP) Looking for a promising career in a lousy economy? A new study suggests you're apt to find it in apps the services and tools built to run on smartphones, computer tablets and Facebook's online social network.
New recycling system is hailed
WILKES-BARRE – Wilkes-Barre’s first day of “single-stream recycling” was a success, city spokesman Drew McLaughlin said, with residents “putting out a tremendous amount of materials they ordinarily didn’t put out.”
Former Md. pastor guilty of sex offense
The former pastor of a Montgomery County church has pleaded guilty in Frederick to second-degree sex offense with a 10-year-old girl.
Bishops told pedophiles lie, victims must be heard
Psychologists told bishops from around the world Tuesday that priests who rape and molest children lie when confronted with an accusation, and that the church should listen first to victims since they usually tell the truth and need to be believed in order to heal.
Fickle finger of blame
NEW YORK — Less than a second stood between British singer M.I.A. giving the finger to 114 million people watching the Super Bowl halftime show and no one noticing at all.
Pa. college machine dispenses 'morning-after' pill
(AP) Students at a Pennsylvania university can obtain the "morning-after" pill from an unusual source a vending machine at the campus health center.
Autopsy: Kids killed in WA suffered hatchet wounds
(AP) Josh Powell painted himself as a tortured man, ridiculed without reason in the disappearance of his wife, steadfastly insisting he was innocent until the end.
Nanticoke bar cited with multiple violations
NANTICOKE – A tavern where police say a woman was slashed in the face early on New Year’s Day was cited with multiple violations by state police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement.
Shale affects homeless veterans
HARRISBURG – The ranks of homeless veterans are growing, and a state Senate committee Monday heard testimony that the Marcellus Shale industry is making the problem worse.
Senate approves proposed fee on Pa. shale drilling
The Pennsylvania Senate has voted to impose a fee on natural-gas drilling in Pennsylvania and expand regulations for the booming industry.
Komen official quits over Planned Parenthood dispute
A high-ranking official resigned Tuesday from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast-cancer charity after a dispute over whether the group should give funding to Planned Parenthood, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press.
Pa budget has no tax increase, deep cuts
Gov. Tom Corbett on Tuesday proposed a hold-the-line budget of $27.1
billion, with no tax increases, deep cuts to higher education assistance and a range of cost-saving measures in services for the poor, elderly and disabled.
Read Gov. Tom Corbett's prepared budget address
Pennsylvanians are people who embrace important qualities. We value service. We value bravery. We value compassion. We saw these virtues on display last year when floods hit our state. Our first responders, our firefighters, our police, our men and women of the National Guard stepped into the breach to prove, once again, that we are a commonwealth and act for the common good.
City denied appeal in Lackawanna development
SCRANTON – In a 16-page document filed Tuesday, Feb. 7, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania dismissed a request for appeal by the Scranton Redevelopment Authority regarding a development project in the 500 block of Lackawanna Avenue.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Area woman’s documentary boosts Williamsport
A documentary featuring the revitalization of Williamsport through a budding art scene will debut tonight at 7 on WVIA-TV, channel 44. Written, produced and directed by Dallas native Lorena Beniquez, “Williamsport Art Attack” centers on the 10th anniversary of Williamsport’s First Friday, a monthly community event that celebrates local art and music.
Manure management rules expand
HARRISBURG -- Anyone who spreads manure on fields or has a pasture, barnyard or feedlot must now have a manure management plan, even if he has no animals and imports manure only for his fields, a state Department of Environmental Protection official said Friday.
Gas blast may be catalyst for safety
ALLENTOWN — Looking at the barren block at 13th and Allen streets in Allentown, where at this time last year a modest stretch of row homes stood in a quiet working-class neighborhood, it’s difficult to imagine that anything good could have come from the massive natural gas explosion there on Feb. 9, 2011.
Colleges obsess over rankings
When US News & World Report debuted its list of “America’s Best Colleges” nearly 30 years ago, the magazine hoped its college rankings would be a game-changer for students and families. But arguably, they’ve had a much bigger effect on colleges themselves.
Defense cuts test lawmakers' resolve on deficits
(AP) President Barack Obama's call to shrink the military, shut bases and cancel weapons to meet the demand for budget cuts tests the resolve of lawmakers who came to Washington determined to slash the deficit.
Romney latest pol to join wait-let-me-explain club
(AP) Mitt Romney's remark that he's not worried about the very poor, the latest gaffe in a campaign rich with blunders, joins a long list of wait-let-me-explain episodes in presidential election history.
Ga. court overturns assisted suicide restrictions
(AP) Georgia's top court on Monday struck down a state law designed to discourage assisted suicides after a legal battle brought by four members of a suicide group who said the law also violated free speech rights.
Norway mass killer demands medal at court hearing
(AP) The right-wing extremist who has admitted killing 77 people in the worst peacetime massacre that Norway has ever seen told a court Monday that he deserved a medal of honor for the bloodshed and demanded to be set free.
Hearing set for today on motion that would delay Pa primary election
The GOP is seeking an injunction to halt use of out-of-date election maps in the primary for the state’s 203 state House districts and 50 Senate districts.
State Rep. Deweese convicted on 5 counts in corruption case
A once-powerful Democratic Pennsylvania lawmaker has been convicted on five of six corruption charges relating to allegations that he required taxpayer-paid staff members to work on his election campaigns as part of their jobs.
Pa. GOP to seek vote on drill bill
HARRISBURG — A final framework is at hand on sweeping legislation to impose an impact fee and update safety regulations on Pennsylvania’s booming natural gas industry, top Republican state lawmakers say.
Schools wait on state plan
Local school districts have played their annual game of blindfold budgeting, either promising to keep tax increases within a state limits or releasing preliminary budgets showing why they must exceed the limits. Now they are waiting to see if their guesses were right as Gov Tom Corbett is poised to release his proposed budget Tuesday.
Arizona authorities search landfill for missing toddler
Police have started searching a landfill south of Phoenix for the body of a 5-year-old Arizona girl who has been missing for more than four months and who authorities now believe is dead.
Marine sergeant accused of hazing goes to trial
A second Marine is going to trial for allegedly hazing a fellow Marine who later fatally shot himself in Afghanistan.
Santorum team finds 49 signatures for Ind. ballot
GOP presidential contender Rick Santorum’s campaign says it’s found enough valid signatures to get his name on Indiana’s ballot.
Inmate who killed prison guard sentenced to death
A South Dakota inmate who pleaded guilty to killing a prison guard during an escape attempt has been sentenced to death.
A super party scene
SWOYERSVILLE – No one would mistake Scott Simko for New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck. Nor would they mistake whom he was rooting for in Sunday’s Super Bowl XLVI.
NBC apologizes for singer who made obscene gesture during Super Bowl halftime show
The NFL and a major television network are apologizing for another Super Bowl halftime show.
Police: Pa. dad was drunk picking up son after DUI
Police say a central Pennsylvania father was drunk when he drove to a police station to pick up his even drunker son who had been arrested for drunken driving after he was found passed out in his car.
Video: Victim’s sister’s wait goes on
Entering the Luzerne County courtroom on Friday, Lisa Sands was hoping the judge would keep the scheduled date of Hugo Selenski’s capital murder trial. When she walked out, her quest for closure was delayed for the seventh time...
Video: Father, sons die in blast
GRAHAM, Wash. — Days after a judge ruled against him in a child custody hearing, a father and his two young sons were killed Sunday when police said he intentionally blew up a house with all three inside — a tragic ending to a bizarre case that began more than two years ago when the man’s wife went mysteriously missing in Utah.
Philly celebrates Dickens’ 200th
PHILADELPHIA — Past the glass case containing sketches for his novel “Oliver Twist,” beyond the handwritten letter to his publisher about Little Nell, and away from the first published installments of “Hard Times” sits Charles Dickens’ pet bird.
Brown University student recovers tape of Malcolm X speech
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The recording was forgotten, and so, too, was the odd twist of history that brought together Malcolm X and a bespectacled Ivy Leaguer fated to become one of America’s top diplomats.
‘Chronicle’ uses superpowers for top spot
LOS ANGELES — Some unknown kids with superpowers have nudged out the actor who plays the world’s most famous teen wizard at the weekend box office.
Lost mushroom pickers signaled with knife
GOLD BEACH, Ore. — Three mushroom pickers lost six nights in the rugged forest of southwest Oregon used their dead cellphone and a sheath knife to flash a signal at the helicopter pilot who found them.
Philly Catholic schools appeal closure
PHILADELPHIA — At least two dozen Roman Catholic schools targeted for closure by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia have appealed the decision to shutter them, a newspaper reported
Undersea documentarian dies in helicopter crash
LOS ANGELES — Mike deGruy, an award-winning cinematographer who spent three decades making documentary films about the ocean, was killed in a helicopter crash in eastern Australia. He was 60.
2nd-hand smoke in cars worry for young
CHICAGO — Texting while driving, speeding and back-seat hanky-panky aren’t all that parents need to worry about when their kids are in cars: Add secondhand smoke to the list.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Sentenced: Cordaro to 11 years, Munchak to 7 years
SCRANTON – Decrying the wave of public corruption cases that have eroded public trust, a federal judge on Monday, Jan. 30 largely rejected pleas for leniency from former Lackawanna County commissioners Robert Cordaro and A. J. Munchak, imposing sentences that were more than double what attorneys for the men had suggested.
Out-of-service police cruisers draw concern
SCRANTON – A series of city issues were addressed at City Council’s Feb. 2 meeting, including out of service police vehicles and rehired Department of Public Works employees, and council revealed that they are looking into the subpoena process to receive answers regarding the recently discovered $3 million in unused parking meter revenue.
County approves new positions, salaries
SCRANTON – A total of seven new positions were unanimously created at the Lackawanna County Salary Board meeting on Feb. 2, but commissioners emphasized that no new taxpayer dollars would be spent to fund the positions.
Banks firm on TAN terms
SCRANTON – Legislation passed during a special meeting of council on Jan. 30 will require the group’s four-member “supermajority” and Mayor Chris Doherty to work together on a Revised Act 47 Recovery Plan in order to secure a 2012 Tax Anticipation Note, despite past differences.
Outpatient unit at Marian axed
CARBONDALE – The parent company of a Carbondale hospital set to close at the end of this month has nixed the idea of keeping an outpatient urgent care and imaging center in the location.
CHS facilities now known as Commonwealth Health
SCRANTON – Calling it “Northeastern Pennsylvania’s largest network of hospitals,” officials on Wednesday unveiled a new regional health care system stretching through three counties and encompassing eight hospitals, two physician groups, and five home health and hospice agencies.