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Friday, February 10, 2012

Wilkes-Barre, Scranton and NEPA Garage Sales

Wilkes-Barre, Scranton and NEPA Cars for Sale

Thursday, February 9, 2012

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.

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.

Obituaries

Belaus, John

Patrick M. Farrell

Patrick M. Farrell, 52, of California, Maryland, and formerly of Wilkes-Barre, passed away suddenly on Monday, February 6, 2012, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Leonardtown, Md.

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

Mark Plaza Redner’s won’t reopen

EDWARDSVILLE – Redner’s Warehouse Market will not reopen in the Mark Plaza shopping center off Route 11, a company spokesman said Tuesday.

3 area state senators skeptical

Pennsylvania moved a step closer to imposing a fee on drilling for gas in the Marcellus Shale on Tuesday when the state Senate voted in favor of establishing local impact fees on drilling. But state senators from both parties representing Luzerne County indicated Tuesday the measure may be a step in the wrong direction.

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.

In brief

Students at Shippensburg University in central Pennsylvania can get the “morning-after” pill by sliding $25 into a vending machine installed at the request of the student government.

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.

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.

Russia urges reforms with Syria boss

BEIRUT — Days after blocking a U.S.-backed peace plan at the U.N., senior Russian officials pushed for reforms Tuesday during an emergency meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad, promoting a settlement to end the uprising without removing him from power.

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.

Man faces hearing in taxi robbery

WILKES-BARRE – A preliminary hearing is scheduled Thursday for a man accused by city police of robbing a taxi driver with a knife, his second robbery offense in Wilkes-Barre in 16 months, court records say.

Obituaries

Batiuk, Leonard

Santorum wins in Minnesota

WASHINGTON — A resurgent Rick Santorum won Minnesota’s Republican caucuses with ease Tuesday night, relegating front-runner Mitt Romney to a distant third-place finish that raised fresh questions about his ability to attract ardent conservatives at the core of the GOP political base.

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.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

W-B Twp. Fire Dept. gets deadline to release records

WILKES-BARRE TWP. – The township volunteer fire department has until the end of the month to release its financial records and any donations received from 2006, according to a ruling by the state Office of Open Records.

U.S. shutters embassy in Syria

BEIRUT — The U.S. closed its Syrian embassy Monday and Britain recalled its ambassador to Damascus in a dramatic escalation of Western pressure on President Bashar Assad to give up power, just days after diplomatic efforts at the United Nations to end the crisis collapsed.

Iran’s Central Bank is sanctioned

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama levied tough new sanctions on Iran’s Central Bank on Monday amid increased tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program and the specter of an Israeli attack on the Islamic republic.

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.

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.

In brief

Pennsylvania’s booming natural gas industry would pay an estimated $190 million in fees in the first year, money spread across drilling communities and to state infrastructure and environmental programs, under legislation that sped toward votes in the state Legislature 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.

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Obituaries

Chung, Dr. Hiyoung

Dramatic cuts in Pa. state budget expected

HARRISBURG — Top state senators say they expect Gov. Tom Corbett to propose a budget plan today that relies on cuts in spending for education and social services to balance sluggish tax collections and the rising costs of pensions and debt.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Rodger Wesley Killian

Rodger Wesley Killian, of Shickshinny, went home to be with the Lord and his savior on Sunday, February 5, 2012 at Geisinger Hospital ICU, Danville. He was surrounded by his family and friends.

FUNERALS

CHROPOWICKI – June, Mass of Christian Burial 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in Holy Rosary Church, Duryea. Friends may call 6 to 8 p.m. today at the Bernard J. Piontek Funeral Home Inc., 204 Main St., Duryea. Family and friends are asked to go directly to the church the morning of the funeral.

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.

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.

In brief

A car bomb exploded Sunday near police headquarters in the southern city of Kandahar, killing seven people and wounding at least 19, provincial officials said.

Israeli attack on Iranians is feared

JERUSALEM — For the first time in nearly two decades of escalating tensions over Iran’s nuclear program, world leaders are genuinely concerned that an Israeli military attack on the Islamic Republic could be imminent — an action that many fear might trigger a wider war, terrorism and global economic havoc.

Egypt refers 19 to court despite U.S. threat

CAIRO — Ignoring a U.S. threat to cut off aid, Egypt on Sunday referred 19 Americans and 24 other employees of nonprofit groups to trial before a criminal court on accusations they illegally used foreign funds to foment unrest in the country.

Thousands trapped in Bosnia

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina — Bosnia used helicopters on Sunday to evacuate the sick and deliver food to thousands of people left stranded by its heaviest snowfall ever, while Pope Benedict XVI donned an overcoat to bless the few pilgrims who braved Rome’s unusually cold weather to visit St. Peter’s Square.

GOP turns to Colo., Minn., Maine

Now it’s on to Colorado, Minnesota and Maine. With back-to-back victories fueling him, Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney is looking toward the next states that hold GOP nominating contests as main rival Newt Gingrich brushes aside any talk of abandoning his White House bid — all but ensuring the battle will stretch into the spring if not beyond.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Obituaries

Chropowicki, June

‘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.

Robbery is under investigation

SUGARLOAF TWP. – State police are investigating a robbery Sunday afternoon at Joe’s Choice Convenient Mart on state Route 93.

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.

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.

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.

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

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...

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.

Video: U.S. urges support for Syria rebels

BEIRUT — The United States proposed an international coalition to support Syria’s opposition Sunday after Russia and China blocked a U.N. attempt to end nearly 11 months of bloodshed, raising fears that violence will escalate.

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.

FUNERALS

BATES – Arthur, memorial service 5 to 7 p.m. today in the Stanley S. Stegura Funeral Home Inc., 614 S. Hanover St., Nanticoke.

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

Blaze puts 2 firemen in hospital

PLAINS TWP. – A fast-moving fire Saturday afternoon destroyed a house on Henry Street, and two firefighters battling the blaze were hospitalized.

Border Patrol overtime is up

WASHINGTON — Border Patrol agents have racked up daily overtime at a cost of about $1.4 billion in the past six years while the number of arrests of illegal border crossers has fallen to the lowest level in nearly 40 years, an Associated Press analysis of agency records finds.

Tens of thousands of protesters demand free and fair elections in Russia

MOSCOW — Several thousand protesters took to the streets in Russia Saturday demanding free and fair elections, a month before presidential polls are due, while a counter rally expressed support for candidate Vladimir Putin.

Iran drills military in exercises

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran began ground military exercises Saturday and defiantly warned that it could cut off oil exports to “hostile” European nations as tensions rise over suggestions that military strikes are an increasing possibility if sanctions fail to rein in the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.

U.N. resolution on Syria vetoed

BEIRUT — Russia and China vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at ending Syria’s bloodshed, despite international outrage Saturday over a devastating bombardment of the city of Homs by President Bashar Assad’s forces. Activists said more than 200 were killed in the bloodiest episode of the nearly 11-month uprising.

In brief

Dozens of U.S. Park Police officers in riot gear and on horseback converged before dawn Saturday on one of the nation’s last remaining Occupy sites, with police clearing away tents they said were banned under park rules.

Obituaries

Bates, Arthur

Almost 20,000 pounds of chocolate lost in Pa. fire

CANONSBURG — An official says a fire at a landmark southwestern Pennsylvania candy factory destroyed nearly 20,000 pounds of chocolate.

LOTTERY

DeWeese trial jury on break for weekend

HARRISBURG — The jury in state Rep. Bill DeWeese’s corruption trial broke for the weekend after failing to agree on a verdict Friday, leaving the once-powerful Democrat’s future uncertain.

Lean budget likely from Corbett

HARRISBURG — With the state government projecting its fourth straight deficit next year, the budget plan that Gov. Tom Corbett will roll out Tuesday is expected to bring somber news to many who rely on state aid.

Some supporters can’t forgive and forget

NEW YORK — When Dorothy Twinney first saw a Race for the Cure walk for breast cancer — “a sea of pink” traveling through her hometown of Plymouth, Mich. — she was so moved she sat in her car and wept.

Museum finds recording of von Bismarck

For the first time, 21st-century audiences are able to hear the voice of Otto von Bismarck, one of the 19th century’s most important figures.

For Facebook, ‘Hacker Way’ is business culture

Facebook’s billionaire CEO Mark Zuckerberg calls himself a “hacker.” For most people, that word means something malicious — shady criminals who listen in on private voicemails, or anonymous villains who cripple websites and break into email accounts.

FUNERALS

JOHNSON – John, funeral services 11 a.m. Monday in the Curtis L. Swanson Funeral Home Inc., corner of routes 29 & 118, Pikes Creek. Friends may call 2 to 4 p.m. today.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Illnesses are linked to raw milk

WASHINGTON — An outbreak of bacterial infections on the East Coast illustrates the popularity of raw, unpasteurized milk despite strong warnings from public health officials about the potential danger.

Unemployment rate falls in U.S.

WASHINGTON — In the most impressive surge for the job market since the middle of last decade, the United States added 243,000 jobs in January, far more than economists expected. The unemployment rate dropped to 8.3 percent, the lowest in three years.

Kidnappers free two Americans

EL-ARISH, Egypt — Bedouin tribesmen abducted two female American tourists and their Egyptian guide at gunpoint Friday but released them several hours later after negotiations with tribal leaders in the Sinai Peninsula, the region’s security chief said.

In brief

A powerful winter storm swept across Colorado on Friday, forcing the cancellation of nearly 600 flights at Denver airport, closing parts of Interstate 70 and sparking a run on grocery stores before the worst weather descended.

Hackers attack websites for law enforcement

SALT LAKE CITY — Saboteurs have hacked into the websites of several law enforcement agencies worldwide in attacks attributed to the collective called Anonymous, including in Boston and in Salt Lake City, where police say personal information of confidential informants and tipsters was accessed.

Building Trust

A STORY ON Page 2A in Friday’s editions about the Sugar Notch Borough Council reported incorrect information about a fundraiser the borough fire department will hold in March. The department will hold a Lent fish fry on March 2 and 30 from 4 to 8 p.m. to raise money for department operations.

Obituaries

Antisavage, Joseph

No standout GOP contender

PHOENIXVILLE — Four Republican candidates vying for the nomination to challenge Democrat Bob Casey’s re-election bid to the U.S. Senate barely disagreed with each other at a suburban Philadelphia forum, although some sparks flew as they worked to distinguish themselves from each other with less than three months until the primary election.