Democratic congressional candidate Matt Cartwright's background as a lawyer shows.

Besides boasting about his legal background and fighting for justice in campaign advertising, Cartwright raises a lot of his campaign money from fellow lawyers.

Lawyers contributed more than half of the money the Moosic Democrat raised in contributions in his bid for the 17th Congressional District seat in the first half of the year, according to a Scranton Times-Tribune analysis of his campaign finance reports.

Through June 30, Cartwright raised $561,161 in contributions with $312,414, or 55.67 percent, coming from lawyers, according to the analysis. Lawyers accounted for more than two-thirds (369 of 532, or 69.36 percent) of the individual contributions Cartwright's campaign received.

Cartwright also loaned his campaign $390,000. Counting his loan, the percentage of his campaign funded by lawyers climbs to almost three quarters of the campaign's funding. Cartwright raised $952,361 so far with 73.76 percent coming from lawyers and his personal loans.

The lawyerly contributions include $21,000 from six in-laws who, like Cartwright, are lawyers in Munley, Munley & Cartwright, the family law firm in which Cartwright and his wife, Marion, are shareholders.

Cartwright questioned whether reporting all the contributions to his campaign by lawyers was worthy of a story, but defended them nonetheless.

"My entire adult life, I have been standing up for working families, and I've been doing it in the courtroom," Cartwright said. "Almost everyone who is a lawyer who contributed has been doing the same thing, and they believe in the same things I believe in - standing up to insurance companies and corporations in court on behalf of working families."

Laureen Cummings, Cartwright's Republican opponent from Old Forge, has raised less than $6,200 so far, with none of it coming from lawyers.

Cummings said the numbers raise questions about Cartwright's claim that his fundraising shows his local support.

"That isn't true, because apparently his funding is coming from attorneys across the country, not people in our area," she said. "The other thing is we already have over 200 attorneys out in Congress and we have seven nurses. So I think it's time for a nurse out there."

In a statement after the campaign finance reports were made public Monday, Cartwright's spokesman, Shane Seaver, said the fundraising shows Cartwright's message of fairness for the middle class is "resonating" with Northeast Pennsylvanians.

Almost two-thirds of the contributions from lawyers (240 of 369, or 65 percent) came from attorneys outside Northeast Pennsylvania, the analysis shows. They contributed $172,233 of the $312,414 contributed by lawyers, or 55 percent.

Cartwright said where a lawyer who fights for working families lives does not matter.

"Whether you fight for them in Scranton or Seattle, it's all the same," he said.

Because of their relative wealth, lawyers have long played an outsized role in politics, contributing large amounts of money to political campaigns of all stripes and often getting elected to public office, especially Congress.

Their numbers in Congress have declined in the last three decades, according to a recent Congressional Research Service study. The percentage of lawyers elected to the Senate peaked at 51 percent during the 1971-72 Congress and is at 37 percent in the current Congress. In the House, the peak was at 42.6 percent in the 1961-62 Congress and 23.9 percent today.

In the last decade, lawyers became especially crucial to Democratic campaigns as Republicans in Congress began to argue for limiting damages awards in negligence and malpractice lawsuits. Democrats generally oppose limits.

Typically, two-thirds of the money contributed by lawyers to congressional campaigns goes to Democrats, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign spending.

In the current, two-year election cycle, lawyers and lobbyists have contributed $130.2 million to members of Congress with 65.1 percent going to Democrats and 30.7 percent to Republicans, according to the center.

ORWIGSBURG - Eight people went to Schuylkill County Prison on Thursday after authorities arrested them for allegedly selling illegal drugs in southern Schuylkill County this year.

Schuylkill County detectives filed charges in all eight cases, alleging that the defendants, six men and two women, sold cocaine, heroin, marijuana and/or oxycodone at various locations in the southern part of the county in April, May or June.

One of the women, Deborah A. Morse, 46, last known address of Country Squire Motel, Room 33, Schuylkill Haven, made two sales and faces two sets of charges, detectives charged.

Magisterial District Judge James R. Ferrier, who signed the arrest warrant for each defendant, said detectives are hunting for three more suspects.

Ferrier also arraigned each defendant on the charges against him or her, set bail at $5,000 straight cash in each case, sent them to prison after each failed to post that bail and scheduled each of their preliminary hearings for July 27.

The defendants arrested Thursday, the charges and allegations made by county detectives against them and the time of each preliminary hearing included:

- Jaxson Detweiler, 18, of 9 Stanton St., Schuylkill Haven; delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance.

Detweiler allegedly sold three wax paper bags containing heroin for $50 to a confidential informant at 4:23 p.m. June 19 on East Main Street in Schuylkill Haven. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m.

- Tyler J. Donnelly, 18, of 440 W. Columbia St., Schuylkill Haven; delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance.

Donnelly allegedly sold three wax bags containing heroin for $50 to a confidential informant at 9:55 p.m. May 10 on St. John Street in Schuylkill Haven. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for 3 p.m.

- Devin Drey, 22, of 232 Dock St., Schuylkill Haven; delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance.

Drey allegedly sold 10 wax bags of heroin for $120 to a confidential informant at 3:22 p.m. May 11 at 2 E. Main St., Schuylkill Haven. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for 1:45 p.m.

- Bret V. Elliott, 28, of 62 Caroline Ave., Pottsville; delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance.

Elliott allegedly sold five oxycodone pills for $150 to a confidential informant at 7 p.m. May 22 on Ryan Road in North Manheim Township. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

- Charles E. Huhn, 30, of 101 Elk Road, Ashland; delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance.

Huhn allegedly sold a glassline bag of cocaine for $60 to a confidential informant at 11:04 p.m. June 12 in the parking lot of Cressona Mall in North Manheim Township. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

- Evan P. Marceau, 20, of 2617 Wynonah Drive, Lake Wynonah, Auburn; two counts each of delivery of a controlled substance and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and one each of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance.

Marceau allegedly sold two wax bags of heroin and a glassline bag of marijuana for a total of $50 at 4:47 p.m. April 20 on Wynonah Drive at the back gate of the Lake Wynonah development. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for 2:15 p.m.

- Sandra L. Miller, 46, of 10 E. Main St., Rear Apartment, Schuylkill Haven; delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance.

Miller allegedly sold three bags of heroin for $45 to a confidential informant at 3 p.m. May 1 at her apartment. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for 3:15 p.m.

- Morse, whom detectives allege sold two glassline bags of heroin for $40 to a confidential informant at 10:45 p.m. May 7 and two baggies of marijuana for $80 to a confidential informant at 9:30 p.m. May 8. Each sale occurred at Morse's motel room, according to detectives.

Morse's preliminary hearing is scheduled for 2:45 p.m. She is imprisoned in lieu of $10,000 straight cash bail, $5,000 in each case.

AURORA, Colo. — A graduate student in a gas mask barged into a crowded Denver-area theater during a midnight showing of the new Batman movie Friday, hurled a gas canister and then opened fire, killing 12 people and injuring at least 50 others in one of the deadliest mass shootings in recent U.S. history.

When the smoke began to spread, some moviegoers thought it was a stunt that was part of the "The Dark Knight Rises," one of the most highly anticipated films of the summer. They saw a silhouette of a person in the haze near the screen, pointing a gun at the crowd and then shooting.

"There were bullet (casings) just falling on my head. They were burning my forehead," Jennifer Seeger said, adding that the gunman, dressed like a SWAT team member, fired steadily, stopping only to reload.

"Every few seconds it was just: Boom, boom, boom," she said. "He would reload and shoot and anyone who would try to leave would just get killed."

The suspect was taken into custody near a car behind the theater and was identified by federal law enforcement officials as 24-year-old James Holmes.

Timeline of mass shootings in history.

Holmes was studying neuroscience in a Ph.D. program at the University of Colorado-Denver, university spokeswoman Jacque Montgomery said. Holmes enrolled a year ago and was in the process of withdrawing at the time of the shootings, Montgomery said.

Authorities gave no motive for the attack. The FBI said there was no indication of ties to any terrorist groups.

Holmes had an assault rifle, a shotgun and two pistols, a federal law enforcement official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was still unfolding.

FBI agents and police used a hook and ladder fire truck to reach Holmes' apartment in Aurora, police Chief Dan Oates said. They put a camera at the end of a 12-foot pole inside the apartment and discovered the unit was booby-trapped. Authorities evacuated five buildings as they tried to figure how to disarm the flammable and explosive material.

At least 24 people were being treated at Denver-area hospitals, some of them for chemical exposure apparently related to canisters thrown by the gunman. Some of those hurt were children, including a 4-month-old baby, who was treated a hospital and released.

Police released a statement from Holmes' family: "Our hearts go out to those who were involved in this tragedy and to the families and friends of those involved."

The movie opened across the world Friday with midnight showings in the U.S. The shooting prompted officials to cancel the red-carpet premiere in Paris, with workers pulling down the display at a theater on the Champs-Elysees. Around the U.S., police and some movie theaters stepped up security for daytime showings of the movie, though many fans waiting in line said they were not worried about their safety.

President Barack Obama said he was saddened by the "horrific and tragic shooting," pledging that his administration was "committed to bringing whoever was responsible to justice, ensuring the safety of our people, and caring for those who have been wounded."

It was the worst mass shooting in the U.S. since the Nov. 5, 2009, attack at Fort Hood, Texas. An Army psychiatrist was charged with killing 13 soldiers and civilians and wounding more than two dozen others.

In Colorado, it was the deadliest since the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999, when two students opened fire in the Denver suburb of Littleton, killing 12 classmates and a teacher and wounding 26 others before killing themselves. Columbine High is about 12 miles from the theater.

Friday's attack began shortly after midnight at the multiplex theater.

The film has several scenes of public mayhem — a hallmark of superhero movies. In one scene, the main villain Bane leads an attack on the stock exchange and, in another, leads a shooting and bombing rampage on a packed football stadium.

The gunman released a gas that smelled like pepper spray from a green canister, Seeger said. "I thought it was showmanship. I didn't think it was real," she said.

Seeger said she was in the second row, about four feet from the gunman, when he pointed a gun at her face. At first, "I was just a deer in headlights. I didn't know what to do," she said. Then she ducked to the ground as the gunman shot people seated behind her.

She said she began crawling toward an exit when she saw a girl of about 14 "lying lifeless on the stairs." She saw a man with a bullet wound in his back and tried to check his pulse, but "I had to go. I was going to get shot."

Witness Shayla Roeder said she saw a teenage girl on the ground bleeding outside the theater. "She just had this horrible look in her eyes. .... We made eye contact and I could tell she was not all right," Roeder said.

Police, ambulances and emergency crews swarmed on the scene after frantic calls started flooding the 911 switchboard. Officers came running in and telling people to leave the theater, Salina Jordan told the Denver Post. She said some police were carrying and dragging bodies.

Hayden Miller told KUSA-TV that he heard several shots. "Like little explosions going on and shortly after that we heard people screaming," he told the station. Hayden said at first he thought it was part of a louder movie next door. But then he saw "people hunched over leaving theater."

n Cressona: Schuylkill CommUNITY Drum Circle will present "Livin' in the Rhythm" from 1 to 3 p.m. July 29 at Schuylkill Unitarian Universalists, 45 S. Second St. People should bring their own percussion instrument or use one available at the site. For more information, visit www.schuu.org.

n Gratz: The 139th Gratz Fair will be held the week of Sept. 16 through 22. Anyone wanting to enter an exhibit will need to review an Exhibitor Tabloid for rules, regulations and a list of eligible exhibits. The tabloid, according to a press release, is online at www.gratzfair.net. People may also request a copy by calling 717-365-3441, emailing exhibits@gratzfair.net or mailing a request to" Gratz Fair, P.O. Box 204, Gratz, PA 17030. Provide your name and complete mailing address. Tabloid mailing will be at the end of July or early August. All exhibits are competitive and prize money and/or ribbons will be awarded by judges' placement. "Competitive exhibits and its uniqueness bring together the young and old, the urban and rural, and the past and the future," organizers said in the release. Exhibitors and contestants are eligible for free admission to the fair on Wednesday or Thursday - their choice.

n Hegins: The 28th annual Bootleggers' Coal Miners' Picnic is set to begin at noon Aug. 11 in Hegins Park. Orders for memorial mugs must be placed by July 12. The fee of $20 will include a hot meal served at 4 p.m. Entertainment will be by disc jockey Gold Dust and also The Breaker Boys. The event will be held rain or shine and everyone is welcome. The miner featured on this year's mug is Albert N. "AP" Shadle, who died in 2012. Names on the annual coal miners mug are as follows: Albert Block, 2011; Clair M. Schwalm, 2011; Richard W. "Snook" Boyer, 2011; Lewis W. Graver, Sr., 2011; Norman R. "Dick" Rothermel, 2011; Sterman E. "Stermy" Masser, 2012; William J. Kroh, 2012; Larry L. "Mouse" Schlegel, Sr., 2012; John C. Batz, 2012; Justin Ladick, 2012; Allen E. "Les" Tobin, 2012; Irvin H. Schreffler, 2012, and Marvin H. Klinger, 2011. For more information, call 570-682-9140.

n Mahanoy City: Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Roman Catholic Church is looking for photographs from the former parishes - Assumption BVM, Sacred Heart, St. Canicus, St. Casimir, St. Fidelis, St. Joseph and Our Lady of Siluva - that merged to become Blessed Teresa. The photos can be from a wedding, first Holy Communion, Confirmation, Christmas, Easter or other affair. The Rev. Kevin Gallagher, pastor, will choose photographs to enlarge and frame. They will become part of a special section for each of these historical churches in the parish hall. Place your name and phone number on the back of the photos, which will be returned. Photos should be submitted to Debbie Walker at 570-773-0813 by Aug. 5.

n Shenandoah: Prayer of the Divine Mercy Chaplet and recitation of the Rosary at 3 p.m. Fridays is an ongoing devotion by the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters and Associates in the Father Walter J. Ciszek Chapel, 231 N. Jardin St., adjacent to St. Casimir Roman Catholic Church. Everyone is welcome to participate.

n Shenandoah: The annual Shenandoah Heritage Day and Parade of Nations will be held Aug. 25. Lineup for the parade will begin at 9 a.m. on North Jardin Street. The march will begin at 10 a.m. with participants heading south to Cherry Street, east to Main Street and north to Washington Street and Girard Park. Festivities will continue in the park throughout the day with an array of entertainment, ethnic and American food, a huge array of crafters/vendors/artisans, refreshments, pony rides, face painting, nature hikes. The event annually draws thousands of local folks, visitors and former Shenandoah residents. For more information, contact the revitalization group Downtown Shenandoah Inc. at 570-462-2060.

n Tamaqua: Trinity United Church of Christ, 22 Lafayette St., sponsors a monthly free soup social from 4 to 6:30 p.m. the first Saturday of each month. Participants are to use the lower parking lot at the entrance to Founder's Hall. The public is welcome to attend.

It's time again to celebrate the agricultural bounty of the area at the Schuylkill County Fair.

Before the fair officially begins July 30 at the fairgrounds in Summit Station, a Mini-Carnival Night will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday at Fairlane Village mall, Pottsville.

The theme for this year's fair, which runs through Aug. 4, is "Helping Pennsylvania 4-H Celebrate 100 years."

The fair celebrates the heritage of the community as a whole, but also showcases the business, talent and technology of Schuylkill County.

Opening day will see the traditional crowning of the fair royalty.

Kate E. Kline, fair royalty adviser and 2005 fair queen, said competition this year will be interesting.

"We had a good turnout for contestants and it looks like a good mix in each category," she said.

Kline also said she will hand over the adviser role to her assistant, Jacki Hoffman, after this year.

"Monday is the speeches/on-stage interviews portion at the fairgrounds' Schaeffer's Harley-Davidson stage inside the midway beginning at 3 p.m. Coronation will then take place at 5 p.m.," she said.

Big-name music is always a fair staple with The Fabulous Greaseband performing at 7 and 9 p.m. July 30, the Twitty Fever Band on July 31 and Reckless on Aug. 1.

The featured performer on Aug. 2 will be Glen Templeton, with one show at 8:30 p.m. preceded by the Fat Cats at 7 p.m. Country star Jason Michael Carroll will go on at 9 p.m. Aug. 3, after a day filled with country music performances.

On Aug. 4, Homecoming Day, Vocal Trash will perform their eclectic song, dance and comedy shows at 7 and 9 p.m. ,with the Schuylkill County Idols taking center stage at 8 p.m. as guest performers.

The headliners are not the only musical attractions. Several musicians, including folk singer Ray Owen, will perform throughout the fair to ensure constant music. Other performers will put on shows regularly, including the thrilling antics of the Star Family Circus and the intriguing work of magician Tom Yurastis.

A large part of the traditional weeklong attractions is, of course, the multitude of competitions for best agriculture and livestock. Related traditional activities, like a cattle clipping contest on July 31 and an obstacle course for alpacas, llamas, goats and lambs on Aug. 1, will maintain and enhance that flavor.

Special exhibits and events will punctuate the days, including a cooking contest every day, truck and tractor pulls, children's activities and, of course, rides.

A new attraction this year will be the Pennsylvania Civil War 150 Road Show, which Paul Kennedy, fair president, called "Pennsylvania Civil War history brought to your doorstep."

"It's going to be a central attraction," Kennedy said, noting that the exhibit will be one of the first placed, occupying a space just off the midway. "It will be smack-dab in the middle of the fair."

As always, there will be special themed days during fair week: Family Day on Monday, Kids' Day on Tuesday, Happy Birthday Fair Day on Wednesday, Dairy Day on Thursday, Country Day on Friday and Homecoming Day on Saturday.

The fair opens at 4 p.m. each day except Wednesday and Saturday, when opening times are 1 p.m. On Kids' Day, the gates will open at 11 a.m. and the rides get started at 1 p.m.

Although it isn't specific to the fair, a shady walk to the James S. Shadle Nature Center is always a worthwhile side trip. The Nature Center offers exhibits and education regarding the plants, animals, geology and natural history of the area and is open from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 1 to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday and 4 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Schuylkill County Fair even offers camping on the 76-acre parcel encompassing the fairgrounds, at rates as low as $15 a night for tents.

With so much going on, the best way to see the schedules and other details is to go to the official Schuylkill County Fair website, www.schuylkillfair.com. There, daily schedules, contacts, prices and tons of other information can easily be found.

STATE COLLEGE - The gasps in the Penn State student center grew louder and sounded more pained with each sanction: a $60 million fine; a bowl ban for each of the next four years; the elimination of 20 football scholarships; and the reversal of more than 100 victories, plummeting the late coach Joe Paterno from first to 12th of all time.

Mark Emmert, the president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, moved swiftly and well outside the organization's established jurisdiction in imposing the penalties Monday, just weeks after a university investigation revealed a high-level cover-up of child-sex abuse allegations against former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

Penn State President Rodney Erickson consented to the sanctions and ceded the university's right to appeal them to avoid "a long-term death penalty and additional sanctions for the program, university and whole community," said spokesman David La Torre, referring to the NCAA's right to suspend a program from competition.

The sanctions, outlined in a nine-page consent decree, were designed to rebuild a Penn State athletic culture that went "horribly awry" in February 2001, Emmert said, when Paterno dissuaded three top administrators from taking an abuse allegation against Sandusky to the authorities.

Emmert said he wanted to ensure Penn State becomes a place where football would never again be placed ahead of "educating, nurturing and protecting young people."

"One of the grave dangers is that the sports themselves can become too big to fail, indeed, too big to even challenge," Emmert said at a news conference Monday at the NCAA's headquarters in Indianapolis. "The result can be an erosion of academic values that are replaced by the value of hero worship and winning at all costs."

The fine money, about the profit from one season of football at Penn State, will go to an endowment for the detection, prevention and treatment of child abuse. The university - barred by the NCAA from cutting programs or other sports' scholarships - will pay the fine, in installments of $12 million per year over the next five years, using an athletic reserve fund, capital maintenance budget and, if necessary, an internal bond issue, La Torre said.

Penn State will also lose its share of bowl revenue from the Big Ten Conference, an estimated $13 million per year, for each of the next four years. The conference, following the NCAA's lead, said it would donate Penn State's revenue share to "established charitable organizations in Big Ten communities dedicated to the protection of children."

Penn State never committed an NCAA recruiting violation under Paterno and never had the kind of problems with boosters and questionable dealings that plagued other schools, but the stain of Monday's action could cripple the university's program - the lifeblood of the athletic department and this community - for years.

Former NCAA enforcement director Mark Jones said the sanctions, unprecedented for a non-competitive violation, were "very harsh" and "clearly designed to set Penn State's program back for some time."

Matt Casey, an attorney representing three victims who testified at Sandusky's trial, said the university's acceptance of the sanctions, coupled with the damning findings of its own internal investigation, would factor significantly into civil litigation and settlement negotiations.

"Yet another group of investigators weighing in on what happened here have decided that this cover-up warranted punishment or punitive measures," Casey said. By signing the consent decree, he said, Erickson was "essentially admitting that this conduct was reprehensible and shocking."

Dozens of Penn State students and alumni watched Emmert's announcement on a large television in the student center lounge. Some wore shirts with the school's colors, blue and white, and most iconic symbols - the Nittany Lion mascot and a representation of the large block S formed by students in the stands at home games.

The sanctions Monday were another devastating blow to a university and student body that has already endured Sandusky's arrest and the subsequent firing of Paterno and former President Graham Spanier in November, Paterno's death from lung cancer in January and Sandusky's trial and conviction last month in nearby Bellefonte.

"It's a blow," said Penn State graduate Andrew Hanselman, Newtown.

"We have players on the football team that are probably extremely devastated right now," said Maddy Pryor, a senior from Neptune, N.J. "Their whole world is shaken up. The same thing happened in November, January, last month. It's just over and over and over again. It never ends."

Bill O'Brien, who replaced Paterno as football coach, called the sanctions a "very harsh penalty" but said he "will do everything" in his power to "not only comply, but help guide the university forward to become a national leader in ethics, compliance and operational excellence."

"I knew when I accepted the position that there would be tough times ahead," O'Brien said. "But I am committed for the long term to Penn State and our student athletes."

O'Brien met with his players behind closed doors about an hour after Emmert's announcement. The players were told not to talk to reporters waiting outside.

Ed Ray, the chairman of the NCAA's executive committee, told reporters in Indianapolis his organization not only had a duty to act against Penn State, but a moral obligation to do so.

"There has been much speculation on whether or not the NCAA has the authority to impose any type of penalty related to Penn State," said Ray, also the president of Oregon State. "This egregious behavior not only goes against our rules and constitution but also against our values."

In a statement Monday, Paterno's family criticized the university and the NCAA for accepting Freeh's investigation as the "final word on the Sandusky scandal."

"The sanctions announced by the NCAA today defame the legacy and contributions of a great coach and educator without any input from our family or those who knew him best," the statement said.

"That the president, the athletic director and the board of trustees accepted this unprecedented action by the NCAA without requiring a full due process hearing before the committee on infractions is an abdication of their responsibilities and a breach of their fiduciary duties to the university and the 500,000 alumni," the statement continued.

The sanctions Monday paired with potential suspension of the team for a season or more presented "varying degrees of devastating" consequences, Jones said.

The reduction of scholarships to 65 from 85 per year is a "debilitating sanction" that will reduce Penn State's upcoming football recruiting classes to that of a lower-tier, championship subdivision team rather than a squad competing in the highest level of college football, Jones said.

Penn State may not have a full complement of scholarship players again until 2019 or 2020, when coaches will be recruiting players who this year are entering the third or the fourth grade.

The four-year ban on postseason play will also complicate the university's ability to recruit elite football prospects, he said. A provision in the sanctions allowing all incoming or returning players to transfer to another school and play immediately could deplete the team further.

"There will likely be a period of several years where Penn State will be non-competitive in the conference," Jones said. "By keeping the program operating, it will likely have a chance to come back sooner than if it were disbanded altogether, but it will take them some time to regroup from this."

Emmert said he discussed the "appropriateness" of suspending the football program with the NCAA Executive Committee and the Division I Board, but decided they "needed to reflect our goal of driving cultural change as much as apply punitive actions."

"Suspension of the football program would bring with it significant unintended harm to many who had nothing to do with this case," Emmert said. "The sanctions we have crafted are more focused and impactful than a blanket penalty."

A football death penalty would have had a devastating impact on the economy in Centre County, where Penn State is located. According to a 1999 study, one season of Penn State football produced $80 million in revenue for local hotels, restaurants and other businesses. More than a decade later, that figure is likely closer to $100 million.

Incoming freshmen, like Brad Guay, of Barrington, R.I., will comprise the first class of the post-punishment Penn State and will, because of the sanctions, go their whole college careers without seeing the Nittany Lions in a bowl game. They will arrive at Penn State at a time of flux, with Paterno a vanishing and vilified figment of the past and the football program reduced from rogue outlier to a neutered component of a wholly academic institution.

"It's upsetting to hear about such devastating sanctions but it's also important to remember that at the end of the day, it's just a game," Guay said. "There's so much more to love about Penn State than just football. I'm excited to be a part of the university as it moves forward and heals."

The NCAA, in censuring Penn State, also vacated all football wins since 1998 - 111 for Paterno and one for interim head coach Tom Bradley - dropping Paterno's total from the all-time high of 409 to 298. Paterno, following the sanction, fell behind 11 other coaches.

The university on Sunday removed a bronze statue of Paterno from outside the football stadium, ceding to pressure and the former coach's revised reputation in the wake of the internal probe.

Paterno, the internal investigation found, influenced the decision of Spanier, former athletic director Tim Curley and former Vice President Gary Schultz not to take the February 2001 allegation to law enforcement even though he had closely monitored a brief university police investigation into a similar episode in May 1998.

A jury convicted Sandusky last month on 45 counts of child-sex abuse related to at least 10 victims over the last two decades, including the 1998 and 2001 incidents. Curley and Schultz are awaiting trial on charges related to the alleged cover-up.

Mike McQueary, the graduate assistant who witnessed the February 2001 abuse, reported it to Paterno and later to Curley and Schultz. None of them alerted the authorities, and Sandusky continued to freely use the football facility, McQueary said.

SAINT CLAIR - A flowering plant in the borough has been passed down through the generations and is at least 170 years old.

Now belonging to William and Darlene Bowler, the plant, known as Hymenocallis americana, or the "spider lily," originally belonged to Darlene Bowler's great-grandmother, Martha Shoemaker.

During both the lives of her great-grandmother and grandmother, Edith Shoemaker, the flower had never bloomed.

It wasn't until two weeks after her grandmother died that it bloomed for the first time.

"My mother (Martha Hane) hadn't seen them until after her mother died, then they bloomed several times," Darlene Bowler said. "They bloomed my entire lifetime, our daughters' entire lifetime and now our grandchildren's entire life."

Going through at least five or six generations of family, the plant remained with Bowler's mother until 2002 when she became ill.

The Bowlers said they knew it was at least 170 years old since, while they haven't been able to locate it, there was an article in The Pottsville Journal about 1939 stating the plant was already 100 years old.

"I don't know if she got them from her father, who was the first generation here, but all girls had them and they were just passed down," Darlene Bowler said. "I know they've been going strong since before 1937."

According to research by Patrick M. "Porcupine Pat" McKinney, environmental education coordinator for the Schuylkill Conservation District, who also helped the Bowler family identify the plant, it is a perennial herb that originated in the American tropics and the West Indies.

When the Bowlers received the plant, William Bowler said he wasn't exactly sure how to take care of it correctly, but he did know it was kept inside until about June, then was outside until the fall.

Since he was trying to figure out what kind of plant it was and how to take care of it, he took it to Trail Gardens, 154 Gordon Nagle Trail, Pottsville, who kept it over the winter after they received it.

Bowler said it was thanks to Trail Gardens' care of the plant, as well as humidity, that the plant came back to life.

Once he added an addition onto his house, he starting keeping the plants by the windows during the winters and outside in his backyard during the summer.

While the plant originally only consisted of two plants or bulbs, the seventh plant is now about to bloom.

"This is phenomenal," Bowler said.

Every year, he splits any new bulbs into separate pots, and now both of the Bowlers' daughters have received plants and even some neighbors.

They said their grandchildren are even starting to get a green thumb as well, and they hope the family will be able to enjoy the plants for generations to come.

SHENANDOAH - After months of very limited operation, The Oyster Bar will return to its former schedule with the same owners, but a new manager.

Owners Michael and Carolyn Michaels opened the popular downtown Shenandoah establishment in 2006 at 113-115 S. Main St., the former home of AMVETS Walter H. Wardigo Post 7. After renovating the veterans' post, it opened with food and live music.

"I am so excited that so many people are saying that they're glad that we're reopening, that they really love The Oyster Bar, when are we going to have oysters again," said Carolyn Michaels, a Shenandoah resident and Shenandoah Heights native. Her husband is originally from Baltimore.

Last fall, Mike had an accident and broke his back, preventing him from taking on the day-to-day operations. With some help, the bar remained open on a limited basis without food and entertainment. At that point, the business was put up for sale.

"We did try to sell it but the market is not good right now. There's no commercial money for it," Carolyn Michaels said. "We're attached to this place. We fixed up every inch of this bar when we got it. I feel like this is my home. We've had a lot of good times here."

Carolyn said the food was a draw for a time, but it was hard to maintain the needed kitchen staff.

"We closed the restaurant because we really couldn't get a full-time cook," Carolyn said. "We didn't want to sacrifice the quality of our food. We had a really good reputation for really good food, but we lost our cook.

"We then went to the nightclub format for two years. We were going to close and retire, but then we opened it up again, but then Mike fell. We didn't really close it. We just couldn't do everything. I had my son here bartending on weekends. Very low key."

Carolyn said while her husband is recuperating, he still can't work in the bar at full speed. So, they hired Leo James as manager.

Formerly of Philadelphia, James moved to Shenandoah 12 years ago and was a patron. He managed two clubs in Philadelphia before moving to the borough.

"He (James) was asking us to do this for a while, and he got the job," Carolyn said.

"We hit it off on a personality basis," Mike said. "We were throttling down, but he (James) kept pushing us to open it up. He said he saw potential in here."

"We plan to cater to a variety of people - to everyone," James said. "Good music, good food. A real comfortable, casual atmosphere. We'll have banquets and parties."

"We're going to open it up and have a place where you can dance and have some food," Carolyn said. "Hopefully a nice place for the town."

Beyond the bar is a stage and what Carolyn calls a "tiki area."

"We are decorating it for parties," she said. "We'll have one of the best bands in the area coming in soon. They're called Ghost County. We'll have them here for the official grand reopening within a month."

Happy hours will be from 5 to 7 p.m. While the bar will be open this Friday, the official grand reopening will be in the near future with the band. Since the kitchen is going through a complete renovation, food will not be available at the beginning.

"We're only going to have bands once a month until our kitchen is ready," Carolyn said. "The whole kitchen is gutted. We will still have food, but small stuff like burgers and hot dogs. We hope to have oysters in the future from time to time."

"We have a beautiful room upstairs," Carolyn said.

"We can handle about 250 people," Mike said. This would allow catered events upstairs.

A new addition is an Internet jukebox, Carolyn said. This will provide an unlimited number of music selections.

"You can have any song you want," she said. "Most of the songs will be 50 cents, some a dollar. I never thought that I would see the day when a jukebox was going in The Oyster Bar. When I opened it up, it was no jukebox and no TV."

SHENANDOAH - The Shenandoah Borough Council does "not object" to the settlement of the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a Shenandoah man who died while in custody of borough police in 2004.

The vote was held at Monday's meeting to settle the lawsuit out of court for $600,000, with council President Leo Pietkiewicz, Vice President Brian Conroy, John Szczyglak, Paul J. Holland, Andrew Szczyglak and Robert Kulpowicz approving the motion. Abstaining was Raymond Nestor, who is the father of former police Chief Matthew R. Nestor, who along with former police Capt. Jamie Gennarini and the Borough of Shenandoah, were named in the lawsuit.

The civil lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on Nov. 27, 2006, by Carlos J. Vega, Shenandoah, and Genevieve F. Victor, Hazleton, parents of the late David L. Vega. The reaching of a settlement was announced July 5 by U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III.

The lawsuit alleged that David Vega was killed by borough police while in custody, with his death made to look like a suicide. The parents had asked for unspecified actual and punitive damages in excess of $150,000, plus attorney fees and costs, from the defendants, alleging numerous violations of their son's legal rights, and demanded a jury trial of the case.

In February, Jones ruled that the Vega family had presented enough evidence that justified a trial in the wrongful death lawsuit and scheduled the case for the August trial term. The position of the defendants was that David Vega did commit suicide, which was the determination of a county deputy coroner.

The $600,000 settlement will be paid through the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Risk Management Association, an insurance pool in which the borough is a member.

Before the vote, borough solicitor Michael A. O'Pake explained the importance of not objecting to the settlement.

"We have been notified by the counsel for our insurance carrier that they have reached a tentative settlement for a payment of $600,000 to the plaintiffs," O'Pake said. "The Borough of Shenandoah has a right to object to that settlement, if it so desires."

O'Pake explained that there were potential consequences to rejecting the settlement.

"The repercussions would be (for council's objection) that the insurance carrier would place $600,000 into an escrow account and the trial would proceed," O'Pake said. "If there is a judgement entered against the borough for anything over $600,000, it would be the borough's responsibility to pay the excess judgement. The difficulty in this case lies in the fact that even if the judgement against the borough would be one dollar, the borough would be responsible for the attorneys' fees, which could exceed $1 million."

Since the borough could be incurring a "significant risk" by objecting to the settlement, O'Pake said, he recommended that council should "not oppose or not object to the settlement as recommended by the insurance carrier."

Making the motion was John Szczyglak, seconded by Kulpowicz.

In other business, council voted 6-1 to appoint Councilman Andrew Szczyglak as the borough's new mayor. Szczyglak fills the vacancy left by former Mayor Michael Whitecavage, who resigned effective July 1, citing a change in his job that would limit his time to perform his mayoral duties.

Also nominated for the position was Donald Segal, former councilman/vice president. Kulpowicz was the lone vote for Segal.

After the vote, Szczyglak thanked the council for giving him the opportunity to serve as mayor and is ready to work with Officer-in-Charge Capt. George Carado and the other police officers.

"Over the past four years, it's been tough on the Shenandoah Police Department, but over the last year or two, things have started to get back in order," Szczyglak said. "There is a better working relationship with everyone over there (at the police station). I'm going to ask council to work with me as I work with them in keeping the Shenandoah Police Department working properly."

Szczyglak concluded his comments by tendering his resignation from the council, which was accepted unanimously. The council will appoint a replacement for Szczyglak at a future meeting.

SHENANDOAH - Police have identified the victim of an assault Sunday night in the borough.

Cindy Arias Gilbert, Shenandoah, was treated at Schuylkill Medical Center-South Jackson Street and released after Maurice Antwan Townsend, who lives in Shenandoah but has no fixed address, allegedly attacked her with a knife.

Gilbert is an independent carrier for The Republican-Herald.

Shenandoah police Patrolman Christopher Zubris said the attack occurred about 7:30 p.m. at 219 W. Cherry St. Zubris said he and Patrolman Robert Senape were called for a woman with either a stab wound or a gunshot wound. At the scene, Zubris said the officers found Gilbert with a large laceration on her upper right arm. She was treated at the scene by Shenandoah ALS and taken to the hospital.

Witnesses at the scene described the attacker as a black man, between 5 feet, 8 inches tall and 5 feet, 10 inches tall wearing blue jeans and a black tank top. Witnesses told police the attacker was Townsend, known as "T-Rex," and said he fled on foot heading east on Cherry Street.

Zubris said police learned Townsend and Gilbert were arguing in the street when Townsend pulled out a sharp, silver object and proceeded to "slice" Gilbert's arm.

A woman who was in the area said Townsend confronted her and said, "Touch me and I'll slice you," Zubris said.

About 8:15 p.m., Zubris said, Mahanoy City police Lt. John Kaczmarczyk received information that Townsend was seen on East Washington Street and turning onto North Bower Street.

Zubris said several police units went to the scene in the 100 block of North Bower Street and arrested Townsend without incident.

During a search, Zubris said police found a small silver folding knife in Townsend's right rear pocket and took it as evidence.

Townsend was charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault; one misdemeanor count each of recklessly endangering another person, simple assault and disorderly conduct and a summary charge of harassment. He was arraigned by on-call Magisterial District Judge James K. Reiley, Pottsville, and committed to Schuylkill County Prison unable to post $50,000 straight cash bail.

Townsend will now have to appear for a preliminary hearing at 10:15 a.m. July 31 in the Shenandoah courtroom of Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker.

TAMAQUA - A former teacher is doing her part to make the upcoming school year a little easier for children and parents in the Tamaqua Area School District.

Until Aug. 12, gently used uniforms, shoes and school supplies can be dropped off at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, 101 N. Greenwood St. Contributions will be accepted from noon to 5 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday and 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunday.

Backpacks and other school supplies are also requested.

"We want this to be a community program," said Rochelle Evanousky, 57. "So anybody who is a little economically deprived or going through hard times can take advantage of the giveaway that we have."

All students in grades kindergarten through 12th must wear appropriate attire. The district dress code requires students to wear navy or tan pants, a navy or white shirt and brown, black or burgundy shoes. Sneakers may be worn but must conform to regulations. Navy, white or tan socks are required. All sizes are needed.

"We'll take anything," Evanousky said.

Items will be distributed from 5 to 7 p.m. Aug. 15 at the church. Registration is not required. The number of things collected will determine if a limit is imposed, she said.

A garment rack of clothing had several blue and white polo shirts that students can wear to school hanging on it. Bags contained pants, sweaters and other items.

The church secretary sent an email about the effort to other churches in the area, Evanousky said.

Other people are involved or have expressed an interest in helping by having students look their best when they go to school, she said.

In her role as a teacher in the district before retiring in 2010, when uniforms were required she didn't see students without uniforms; however, she did notice they did become worn with use through the school year.

The effort was started in late May. Evanousky said she was inspired about reading a past story in The Republican-Herald about a teacher doing something similar.

"I think it really will help people out. It's a hard time for everybody, especially this year," she said about the economy.

"They can come and get this stuff without being known to their peers," said her husband, Joe Evanousky.

"It's basically a little shopping night for free," she said.

The Rev. Jeffrey P. Kistler, interim pastor, said the giveaway is a "wonderful opportunity" to help those in need.

SAINT CLAIR - The Saint Clair Borough Council approved a motion Monday to appeal the decision by the state Department of Environmental Protection on the Blythe Recycling and Demolition Site landfill application.

On July 16, DEP issued a permit allowing Blythe Township to construct and operate a municipal waste facility, also known as BRADS, on 252 acres along Burma Road.

The proposed site is 2,400 feet from Wolf Creek Reservoir, the drinking water source for Pottsville, Mechanicsville, Palo Alto, Port Carbon, Saint Clair and parts of Blythe, East Norwegian, New Castle and Norwegian townships.

It's proposed to only accept construction and demolition waste and have a 1,500-ton daily volume.

A special meeting was called Monday for the borough council to discuss and take action on the decision, with an executive session being held after the public comment part of the meeting to discuss litigation options.

The application Blythe Township originally submitted in 2004 has gone through a series of reviews, including an environmental assessment, also called a harms-benefits analysis, and technical review.

A public hearing on the application was held at Pottsville Area's D.H.H. Lengel Middle School auditorium in August 2006. In April 2008, DEP denied the application, noting deficiencies in it.

The township appealed.

In August 2011, DEP reversed its position and approved Phase I of the permit application for the facility due directly to a decision by DEP Secretary Michael Krancer.

Saint Clair residents and officials have opposed the landfill for years, with the borough asking Neal P. Goodman, D-123, U.S. Rep. Tim Holden, D-17, and state Sen. David Argall, R-29, to meet with Krancer on the issue.

Once Goodman and Holden met with Krancer, they were promised to be kept up to date with new developments on the permit.

Goodman, who was at the special meeting Monday, said that they were not kept up to date and that he found out about DEP's decision though an email.

"I'm with you and I've been with you since the very beginning," Goodman told borough officials Monday. "I was extremely disappointed to hear that it was all overturned, quite surprised, I must say."

Goodman said he would like to take whatever action the council deems necessary and that they can count on his office.

Also in attendance was Mike McCord, legislative assistant to Goodman, who also served on the borough council for eight years.

McCord said he is not opposed to landfills, which "are a necessary evil," and that a well-run landfill is an excellent business opportunity. However, demographically and strategically, he said the proposed area is not the right place due to its proximity to the water supply and the roads accessing the area.

"It does have ramifications for more than just the community of Saint Clair," he said. "Saint Clair has led this fight from the beginning but it has ramifications for this entire central area of Schuylkill County."

Bill Sutzko, a resident of Saint Clair, who represented Saint Clair Families Organized to Retain a Clean Environment or SC FORCE, said that he backed whatever decision the borough council would make.

"I am still in opposition to this landfill, even after all of the appeals," Sutzko said. "I just can't understand why so many appeals were approved by the state before DEP came down with their final decision here."

n Lavelle: During a recent meeting of the Ashland Area Rotary Club held at Green's Restaurant here, President Frank Birster presided and reviewed several items. He said the first free summer concert sponsored by the club was held July 11 and featured The Shoreliners orchestra. Attendance was good, the weather great, the music terrific and everyone had a wonderful time, Birster said, offering gratitude to all who assisted and especially to Susie Drukker and Dick Drukker III. The next free concert is set for 7 p.m. today at Eureka Park featuring the Cressona Band. Prior to and during the concert, the Rotarians will sell hot dogs and drinks. The Ashland Rotarians have been invited to join the Rotary clubs of Ringtown and Hegins-Valley View for a joint meeting at 6 p.m. Aug. 1 in the Mineshaft Café, Ashland. Birster said the annual Rotary chicken dinner will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. Aug. 15 at the Little League concession stand in Eureka Park. The dinners, prepared by A Matter of Taste, will include chicken, baked potato, vegetable, coleslaw, roll, dessert and a drink for $8.50 per person. Rotarians are selling tickets and returns due by Aug. 8. Birster also said that at 7 p.m. that day, Lift Your Spirits Performing Arts will present a musical performance at the bandstand in the final concert of the season. Jim Eberly, governor of Rotary District 7360, will make his official visit Sept. 5 at Roman's in Frackville with dinner slated for 5:15 p.m. It will be a joint meeting with several other local Rotary clubs. Finally, Birster said the Ashland club will meet the challenged issued by the Hegins-Valley View club at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 12 in a miniature golf outing at Goody's Fun Center near Frackville.

n Mahanoy City: Mahanoy Township supervisors Chairwoman Sharon Chiao is reminding residents that burning has been banned in the township. She said burning will not be tolerated, during the recent meeting of the supervisors. "Every month we remind everybody about burning," Chiao said. "We are still having burning going on and it's not going to be tolerated. I don't care who you are, what committee you're on, you cannot burn in the township." Chiao said the ban does not include fires for outdoor cooking and grilling in devices made for such activities.

n Orwigsburg: The Orwigsburg Memorial Restoration Committee will sponsor a 5K Walk & Roll for the Veterans' Memorial at 9 a.m. Sept. 5 at the memorial building, Washington and Grove streets. While supplies last, there will be free T-shirts for those who register in advance. There will be awards for the top male and female runners and two awards in each age group: 18 and under, 19-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 and 60-plus. If postmarked by Aug. 20, the cost is $20 per runner ($18 for active duty military). The cost for the fun run, which will start at 9:45 a.m., is $15. After the postmark deadline, there will be an additional $5 fee. Checks should be made payable to: Orwigsburg Memorial Restoration Run. The course will begin and end at the memorial building. It is "conducive to handicapped registrants and strollers," according to the event flier. The event will also include food and prizes. People may register online at www.pretzel citysports.com for an additional nominal fee. Heather Barrett, the race director, can be reached at 570-943-2174 or via email at Run4OburgMemorial@aol.com.

n Orwigsburg: Wine tasting to benefit the Orwigsburg Public Library is set for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Schuylkill Country Club. The cost is $50. The chef, according to an event flier, will prepare tasting tables to be paired with today's most popular wines from Capitol Wines and Spirits and Southern Wines. Reservations are required. Call 570-366-0622.

n Pottsville: Family Night at the Pottsville Free Public Library at 6 p.m. Thursday will include a summer reading club party and grand prize drawing. There will also be games and crafts, refreshments and prizes. Children 5 and older are welcome, as are younger siblings. To register, call 570-622-8880. Darren DeArment is the library's head of youth services.

n Pottsville: The deadline for a Deppen pie sale being held by regional libraries is Thursday. The pickup date is Aug. 8. All proceeds will benefit the participating public libraries in the Pottsville District. The cost per 9-inch pie is $8.50 and varieties include blueberry crumb, raisin crumb, apple crumb, strawberry rhubarb crumb, peach, cherry, shoo-fly, coconut custard, lemon sponge and no-sugar apple. Participating public libraries and their numbers include: Frackville, 570-874-3382; Minersville, 570-544-5196; Port Carbon, 570-622-6115; Pottsville, 570-622-8880; Shenandoah, 570-462-9829, and Tower-Porter, 717-647-4900. To order, call the participating library in your area.

Fair Royalty

candidates incorrect

Meadow Buckmaster, Ringtown; Dakota Heffner, Shenandoah; Rebecca Lascala, Pottsville; Alyssa Buchanan and Olivia Weyman, both of Frackville, are contestants for the Little Miss title at the Schuylkill County Fair. Emily Field, Pottsville, and Jessie Sara Della Monica, Orwigsburg, are queen contestants. They were listed in the incorrect categories in Tuesday's edition.

James K. Reiley

A 28-year-old Pottsville man arrested by city police and charged with stealing prescription medication from another man on May 20 waived his right to a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge James K. Reiley, Pottsville.

Brian J. O'Doherty, 703 Arch St., was arrested by Pottsville police Cpl. Mark O'Toole and charged with theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and possession of a controlled substance.

By waiving his right to a hearing, O'Doherty will have to answer to all three charges in Schuylkill County Court.

O'Toole charged O'Doherty with stealing a prescription medicine bottle containing about 30 Percocet pills owned by Donald Ernst from the man's home at 814 W. Race St. where he had been visiting.

O'Toole said a witness saw O'Doherty pick up the bottle from an end table along with a DVD that he had brought and put the two items into his pocket.

In a separate complaint, O'Doherty waived his right to a hearing on charges of possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communications facility.

Other court cases included:

Brian S. Hoffman, 43, of 242 N. 12th St., Pottsville - waived for court: DUI, DUI-highest rate, driving without a license, disregard for single traffic lane and careless driving.

Christopher J. Harper, 25, of 142 W. Railroad St., Pottsville - waived for court: fleeing or attempting to elude police, DUI, DUI-high rate, DUI-controlled substance, reckless driving, careless driving, driving while operating privileges are suspended or revoked and failure of duties at a stop sign.

Westley B. Gajus, 24, of 1642 W. Norwegian St., Pottsville - waived for court: possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Jacqueline E. Chattin, 21, of 605 Mahantongo St., Apt. 2, Pottsville - waived for court: obstructing the administration of law and failure to disperse on official order.

Gordon H. Devine, 20, of 1117 Mahantongo St., 1st Unit, Pottsville - waived for court: purchase of alcohol by a minor and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Eric C. Brown, 30, of 235 Pierce St., Pottsville - waived for court: possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communications facility.

Chad J. Phillip, no age available, of 919 Mount Hope Ave., Box 170, Pottsville - waived for court: possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communications facility.

Derek M. Johnson, 27, of 311 W. Market St., Apt. 3, Pottsville - waived for court: simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, possession of a small amount of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and harassment.

David A. Legutko, 30, of 505 3rd St., Port Carbon - waived for court: possession of a controlled substance, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness.

Brian P. Madara, 52, of 601 Edwards Ave., Pottsville - waived for court: DUI, DUI-highest rate and careless driving.

Zachary T. Zimmerman, 20, of 130 Schuylkill St., Cressona - waived for court: possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and purchase of alcohol by a minor.

Timothy M. Scott, 42, of 318 N. 4th St., Pottsville - waived for court; burglary, criminal trespass, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and theft by deception.

Heather Arias-Maravilla, 35, of 3 N. Second St., Apt. 3, Pottsville - waived for court: access device issued to another person, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property.

HARRISBURG - A political tug of war erupted Tuesday over Pennsylvania's controversial voter photo identification law, with protesters calling for its repeal and a Corbett administration official defending outreach efforts to voters who lack the required ID.

The Capitol rally against the law's requirement that voters show specific photo ID at the polls came before a hearing Tuesday in Commonwealth Court. A coalition of advocacy groups filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction to block the law's implementation while a challenge on whether it meets state constitutional mandates is heard.

Sponsored by the Pennsylvania NAACP, the rally also featured remarks by officials of statewide labor unions and Democratic lawmakers. A banner on a giant inflatable Liberty Bell said "Overturn Act 18."

Pennsylvania Secretary of State Carol Aichele held a press conference afterward to discuss efforts to implement the law and respond to a review by the U.S. Department of Justice into whether the law is legal.

The law requires all voters to show photo ID such as a driver's license or non-driver photo ID, U.S. passports, student ID cards with expiration dates, current military identification or ID cards issued to government employees.

Gov. Tom Corbett and majority Republican lawmakers said the law enacted in March will guard against voter fraud and uphold one-person, one-vote standards. The NAACP and American Civil Liberties Union have said the law is unconstitutional and an effort to keep the young, poor and elderly who supported President Barack Obama in 2008 away from the polls this presidential election year.

"The law spits in the face of all who fought for civil rights in this country," said Sen. Daylin Leach, D-17, King of Prussia, at the rally.

Republicans enacted voter ID laws to reduce the rolls of eligible voters because they couldn't win the election otherwise, said PA NAACP President J. Whyatt Mondesire.

The decision by Ms. Aichele to hold a press conference in a Senate caucus room following the two-hour rally added a note of drama. Senate security guards only allowed the media inside the room while rally-goers in the hallway chanted, "We want in."

The Department of Justice's civil rights division has requested information about Pennsylvania's database of registered voters and PennDOT ID databases of individuals with driver's license, Aichele said.

"We will comply with the request," she said.

Aichele expressed optimism that a special photo ID card to be issued free by her department will assist most voters who don't have the ID specified by the law. Those cards could be available starting next month, she said.

The department will work hard to ensure the accuracy of the vote count and sponsor voter education campaigns to avoid any scenario in which Pennsylvania's vote would be under dispute, Aichele said.

"We don't plan to have hang-ups in this election," she said.

Police investigate home burglary

KELAYRES - State police at Frackville are investigating a burglary that occurred at 2 S. Pine St. in this Kline Township village between 7:30 and 8:40 p.m. Sunday.

Police said someone entered the home of Rose Ann and Joseph M. Vigna through a rear kitchen window by sliding open a screen.

The person or persons then removed money and other items belonging to the Vignas and fled the scene.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 570-874-5300.

Fuel removed from vehicles

MOUNT CARBON - The theft of fuel from several vehicles that occurred between 5 p.m. Friday and 5 p.m. Sunday at 1108 Centre St. is being investigated by state police at Schuylkill Haven.

Police said someone removed diesel fuel from several vehicles owned by Mark T. Boyle Welding of Pottsville and fled the scene.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 570-593-2000.

Woman blames shoe for crash

TOWER CITY - A 43-year-old Tower City woman escaped injury when the 1999 Chevrolet Suburban she was driving crashed on Middle-creek Road, about a mile east of Marshfield Road in Frailey Township, at 6:15 p.m. Saturday.

State police at Schuylkill Haven said Justine Leitzel was driving west when her flip flop shoe became stuck on the floor of the SUV and when she attempted to free the shoe, mistakenly pressed the gas pedal instead of the brake, causing her to lose control.

The vehicle went off the road and struck a tree, police said, adding that Leitzel will be cited for failure to drive on roadways laned for traffic.

Man crashes to avoid deer

PINE GROVE - A 67-year-old man escaped injury when the 1998 Ford Explorer he was driving swerved to miss a deer on Route 501 in Pine Grove Township at 4:40 a.m. Saturday.

State police at Schuylkill Haven said Donald McHugh was driving north when he swerved to miss the animal in his lane of travel, went off the road and struck large rocks.

The vehicle sustained disabling damage to its front and rear undercarriage, police said.

2 people use glass in assault

MOUNT CARBON - Two people were arrested by state police at Schuylkill Haven and charged in connection with an incident at 68 Main St. about noon Sunday.

Police said Stephanie Yalsovec, 19, and Kody Kirkland, 20, both of Pottsville, became involved in a verbal argument that escalated with the two pushing each other. Yalsovec then threw a glass at Kirkland, hitting him in the left eye, prompting him to pick up a piece of the glass and slash the woman's back.

Both were taken to Schuylkill Medical Center-South Jackson Street for treatment where Yalsovec received 23 stitches and Kirkland 11 stitches. The two were then arraigned by on-call Magisterial District Judge James K. Reiley, Pottsville, police said.

Police said they charged Yalsovec with harassment and simple assault and Kirkland with aggravated assault, simple assault and harassment.

Items taken from storage sheds

KLINGERSTOWN - A burglary that occurred at Fairview and Creek roads in Eldred Township between 10 a.m. July 15 and 2 p.m. Thursday is being investigated by state police at Schuylkill Haven.

Police said Russell Rose, Klingerstown, and Michael Rose, Trappe, reported someone entered two metal storage sheds and removed several old electric motors, a Chevrolet radiator and a tip to a Lincoln MIG torch welder before fleeing the area.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 570-593-2000.

Woman charged with assault

SHENANDOAH HEIGHTS - A Shenandoah woman was committed to Schuylkill County Prison after an incident at a home at 232 Florida Ave. in this West Mahanoy Township community about 7:50 a.m. Sunday.

State police at Frackville said Tami L. Grady was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge James K. Reiley, Pottsville, on charges of simple assault and harassment and then committed to prison, unable to post 10-percent of $10,000 bail.

Police said Grady struck Joseph P. Alshefski, Shenandoah, several times in the face, causing injuries.

Police said the investigation is continuing and that addition charges may be filed. West Mahanoy Township police were not on duty at the time of the assault, police said.

Traffic stop leads to DUI arrest

SHENANDOAH - A 31-year-old Shenandoah woman was arrested by state police at Frackville and charged with DUI after a traffic stop on Route 924 in Mahanoy Township about 1:15 a.m. Sunday.

Police said they were on a traffic stop when they determined Desiree Dunleavy was under the influence of alcohol.

A subsequent breath test at the Frackville station determined the woman's alcohol level was above the legal limit, police said.

The charge against Dunleavy will be filed with Magisterial District Judge Anthony Kilker, Shenandoah, police said.

Woman to face charges in crash

DETURKSVILLE - State police at Schuylkill Haven investigated a crash that occurred at Deturksville Road and Meadow View Road in Washington Township at 8:46 p.m. Friday.

Police said Ina Warner, 63, of Schuylkill Haven, was driving a 2009 Ford Fusion on Meadow Road when she stopped for a stop sign and then pulled out to travel south on Deturksville Road, Route 443, and drove into the path of an eastbound 2005 Dodge RAM driven by Jeffrey Deangelo, 25, of Auburn.

Police said Warner was taken to Schuylkill Medical Center-South Jackson Street by Pine Grove EMS for injuries she suffered in the crash while Deangelo was not injured.

Warner will receive a citation as a result of the crash, police said.

Ringtown woman charged in crash

BRANDONVILLE - Three people suffered minor injuries when two vehicles collided on Main Street in this East Union Township village about 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

State police at Frackville said Mariah Jones, 20, of Ringtown, was driving a 2006 Hyundai Tiburon when she tried to pass a 2004 Chevrolet box truck driven by Daniel Maso, 50, of Freeland, about a half mile north of the Route 339 intersection.

While in the oncoming lane, police said, Jones lost control, causing both her vehicle and the truck to go off the road and overturn.

Both drivers and a passenger in Jones' vehicle, a 1-year-old child, all suffered minor injuries and were taken to Hazleton General Hospital by ambulance for treatment.

Jones will receive three traffic violations as a result of the crash, police said.

Delaware man charged in theft

HAMBURG - A 26-year-old Delaware man was arrested by state police at Hamburg and charged with retail theft after an incident at Wal-Mart in Tilden Township, Berks County, at 6:44 p.m. Sunday.

Police said Alexandru Leonid Marcoci will have to answer to the charge in a Berks County district court.

Marcoci, police said, was charged after he was caught trying to steal merchandise valued at $160.73.

Hegins man charged with DUI

LYKENS - A 23-year-old Hegins man was arrested by state police at Lykens and charged with DUI after he was stopped for a traffic violation at Route 225 and Mill Drive in Jackson Township, Dauphin County, about 12:55 a.m. Monday.

Police said they stopped a vehicle driven by Brian M. Graeff for a violation and found the man to be under the influence.

The man was placed under arrest and police said charges were filed with Magisterial District Judge Rebecca Margerum, Elizabethville.

Coaldale man charged in theft

HOMETOWN - A 63-year-old Coaldale man is facing charges of retail theft and possessing instruments of crime after he tried to steal items valued at $81.76 from Wal-Mart about 9:30 p.m. Friday, Rush Township police said.

Police said William J. Nahn will have to answer to the charges before Magisterial District Judge Stephen J., Bayer, Tamaqua.

Police said that in the process of the attempted theft, Nahn used a razor blade to open the merchandise.

Teens charged with drinking

HOMETOWN - Rush Township police said seven people were arrested after an incident at the Wal-Mart parking lot about 10 p.m. Friday.

Police said a 17-year-old Walnutport girl and a 17-year-old Slatington girl were charged with underage drinking and possession of a small amount of marijuana.

Charged with underage drinking were a 14-year-old Schnecksville girl, a 14-year-old Slatington boy, a 17-year-old Slatington girl, a 13-year-old Slatington girl and Aaron Marlow, 19, of Slatington.

Police said all seven will have to answer to the charges before Magisterial District Judge Stephen J. Bayer, Tamaqua.

No other information on the incident was available.

In an unrelated incident, police said Becca A. Thomson, 19, of Coaldale, and Candice Tejera, 19, of Lansford, were charged with underage drinking after an incident in the township about 11:40 p.m. July 16.

Both will also have to appear before Bayer to answer to the charges.

Police watch for aggressive drivers

The North Central Highway Safety Network announced that several police agencies are participating in aggressive driving enforcement activities now through Aug. 16.

The agencies taking part in the measures that began earlier this month are Ashland, Frackville, Schuylkill Haven, Shenandoah, Butler Township, West Mahanoy Township, Rush Township, West Penn Township and Pennsylvania State Police from both the Schuylkill Haven and Frackville stations.

Pennsylvania law enforcement reminds motorists to keep their distance from aggressive drivers who exhibit behaviors such as speeding, tailgating and running red lights, said Carol Alonge of the North Central Highway Safety Network.

She said that in 2011, participating police agencies wrote 142,013 aggressive driving-related citations.

The state Department of Transportation data for District 5 shows that in 2011 in Schuylkill County, 9 people were killed in crashes involving aggressive driving.

Alonge said the aggressive-driving enforcement is a part of the Pennsylvania Aggressive Driving Enforcement and Education Project and is funded by PennDOT's statewide investment of $2.3 million in federal funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Man threw rock at car window

TOWER CITY - A borough man was arrested by state police at Schuylkill Haven and charged with criminal mischief after an incident at 301 E. Colliery Ave. between 3:30 and 3:46 p.m. Monday.

Police said Ryan C. O'Donnell will have to answer to the charge before Magisterial District Judge Carol A. Pankake, Tremont.

O'Donnell, police said, threw a rock and broke the back window of a 2004 Kia Sorento owned by Shelia Snyder, Tower City.

Door damaged in New Philly

NEW PHILADELPHIA - State police at Frackville are investigating a criminal mischief incident that occurred at 12 N. Valley St. sometime Sunday.

Police said Patrick Hollywood reported his garage door was damaged with a blunt object and that the person responsible fled the scene.

Police said their investigation into the incident is continuing and ask that anyone with information to contact them at 570-874-5300.

FRACKVILLE - The three remaining contestants for the Schuylkill County Idol competition performed in front of about 75 people Tuesday night at the Schuylkill Mall.

"We enjoy the music and we like to see the young talent. It's nice to have something like this in the area. I think they're all talented," said Janice Keller, 60, of Barnesville.

Maura Gownley, 16, of Ashland, Elysha Bolschi, 19, of Shenandoah, and Heather Clevenger, 29, of Pine Grove, each sang three songs. The first song each contestant sang was one they chose, the second was a song from the classics and the third was picked by judges Monica Romberger, Kim Russell Seibert and Jeff Buchanan.

Before the contestants sang, Reiley Lonergan, 2012 Junior Idol winner, sang "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera.

Gownley was the first to let the audience hear her voice Tuesday.

Playing the keyboard, she sang "Fix You" by Coldplay. She would later sing "Eleanor Rigby" by the Beatles and "Lights" by Ellie Goulding. Gownley received kind words from the judges.

For her first song, Clevenger chose "I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt.

Her other songs were "Open Arms" by Journey and "Fancy" by Reba McEntire.

The judges all praised her performance.

"You have such a soulful quality to your voice. Keep singing," Seibert said.

Bolschi chose "Jesus Take the Wheel" by Carrie Underwood as her first performance, with "Don't Stop Believin' " by Journey and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Judy Garland as her second and third performances.

"You got the crowd action going. They liked it ... nice job," Buchanan said.

Larry Levy, 62, of Frackville, and his wife, Charlene Levy, 60, were impressed. The three have "great talent," he said.

Elaine Maneval, mall manager, said she was impressed with the number of people who watched the event and the contestants.

Votes may be cast once a day at the customer service desk through Sunday. Identification, name and phone number are required. Those older than 6 years old are permitted to vote. Reading Phillies baseball tickets and movie passes were given away as prizes. Other prizes will be given away Monday.

The event is sponsored by Pepsi, the Frackville Rotary, Avalon, Verizon Wireless and Schuylkill Mall Theatres.

The winner will be announced at 6 p.m. July 30.

TAMAQUA - Prosecutors on Tuesday withdrew the most serious charge against an Oklahoma man charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl last month.

The accused, Alexander G. Leshko, 40, of the 200 block of Fir Avenue, Elgin, then waived the remaining offenses for Schuylkill County Court.

Leshko appeared before Magisterial District Judge Stephen J. Bayer, Tamaqua, on one felony charge each of rape and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, as well as six counts each of unlawful contact with a minor and sexual assault, both felony offenses, and six misdemeanor offenses each of corruption of minors, indecent assault and indecent exposure filed by state police Trooper Melissa Kyper of the Frackville station.

After consulting with the victim, Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Lehman withdrew the felony rape charge and Leshko waived the remaining offenses.

Lehman said the decision to withdraw the rape charge came after discussions with and in agreement with the teenage victim and her family.

The charges against Leshko were the result of an investigation into incidents that occurred between June 15 and 23 at a home at 234 Haddock Road in Kline Township.

Kyper said the victim reported that Leshko came into her room on numerous occasions and touched her inappropriately.

The incidents occurred when the mother of the girl was away on a family emergency, leaving her and her brothers under the care of Leshko, Kyper said.

The teen said her mother was aware of what was going on but had not reported it for fear of Leshko getting in trouble, Kyper said.

Leshko was interviewed and admitted he touched the girl on numerous occasions and also forced the teenager to touch him as well.

"Not alleged, it's true," the trooper said Leshko told her about the allegations.

In her Affidavit of Probable Cause, Kyper said Leshko said he was in the Army and was deployed to Iraq in 2005.

Upon his return, the man said he had trouble adjusting to life at home and began looking at a lot of pornography on the computer that graduated to viewing child pornography, Kyper said.

This child pornography led to strong sexual urges regarding the teen, Leshko told the trooper.

Kyper said Leshko said he was able to keep his urges under control for about two years before returning to a relative's house in Kline Township.

The trooper said that Leshko also said he admitted what he had done to his father and provided investigators with a written statement.

After the proceedings, Leshko was returned to Schuylkill County Prison, where he is being held on $50,000 bail set by Magisterial District Judge James R. Ferrier, Orwigsburg, at the time of his arrest on July 7.

ORWIGSBURG - State Public Utility Commission Vice Chairman John F. Coleman Jr. wants Schuylkill County citizens to have more access to high-speed Internet service, saying Tuesday that it will help everyone in the area.

"Information is the new currency," Coleman, Port Matilda, told about 15 Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce members at the group's breakfast meeting at the Oak Hill Inn.

A former president and CEO of the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County, Coleman has been a PUC member since 2010 and became vice chairman of the five-member PUC in April.

He told chamber members that Schuylkill is one of six counties, the others being Butler, Carbon, Fayette, Mercer and Westmoreland, in which the PUC is making a special effort to have people sign up for high-speed Internet service. Those are the six counties that have the lowest rates in the state of people who have such service, according to Coleman.

"It's really an awareness campaign," Coleman said of how the PUC is trying to boost such service.

Coleman said people do not need a new computer in order to get high-speed Internet service, and they can go to the PUC's website in order to register for it.

People also can combine with their neighbors to file a Bona Fide Retail Request that can quicken installation of such service in an area where people can demonstrate a demand for it, Coleman said. Such an area does not need to be an entire county, or even municipality, but can be as small as a neighborhood if the demand is there, he said.

Coleman said the PUC is looking for people to share their stories of using high-speed Internet service by going to the commission's website and registering as an Internet All-Star.

"We're going to look at those success stories," and use one from each of the six counties to help promote the service, he said.

He said he does not know why Schuylkill is among the counties with the lowest percentages of high-speed Internet service.

Another program that Coleman sought to promote is choice in electricity suppliers, of which there are now more than 200 in the state.

He said that in the two years since the state deregulated the electric power industry, 1,760,845 Pennsylvanians have switched their suppliers, but that small businesses have the lowest switching rate. He encouraged local business leaders to seek the best prices for their energy, saying the PUC is increasing its efforts to help them do that.

Chamber Executive Director Robert S. Carl Jr. echoed Coleman's remarks.

"You need to be well-informed. Most businesses ... have limited time," Carl said. "The game has changed."

Coleman said that the PUC is trying to reduce the time, which can be as long as 45 days, it takes a consumer to switch power companies, and affirmed the PUC's belief that deregulation will help all Pennsylvanians by boosting competition and keeping prices low.

"(We're) looking at ways to improve the marketplace," he said.

Pennsylvania also should soon benefit from the Marcellus Shale impact fee that natural gas companies now pay to communities that are affected by the industry, according to Coleman. The PUC will be sending money from that fee soon, he said.

"We are ready to issue checks" that should go to the communities before the end of 2012, Coleman said.

Under new state laws, the PUC now has the power to enforce federal pipeline safety laws and keep a registry of pipeline operators, Coleman said.

The PUC also will be making its rate-making process more efficient and enable companies to be compensated more quickly for infrastructure improvements, Coleman said. Such improvements are needed across Pennsylvania in order to prevent more tragedies like the fatal explosions of old gas lines in Allentown and Philadelphia, he said.

"This ... is a huge improvement," mirroring the system that already is in place for water suppliers, he said. That system is working well, according to Coleman.

"There has not been one single complaint from customers," he said.