Judge delays ruling on Penn State football recruit

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- A judge has delayed ruling on a request to remove ex-Penn State recruit Zayd Issah from a program that could spare him a criminal record in a counterfeit cash case. The Patriot-News reports that Dauphin County Judge Todd Hoover on Wednesday deferred action until Nov. 26 on a request by prosecutors to remove the once-touted 18-year-old recruit from the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program.

The PE Sneak Peek: Aug 21

Here's a look at the stories that are keeping our reporters busy Wednesday: * He still says he's innocent, but a businessman is headed for jail over a car deal. See our online report to find out what the judge gave him. * A former local doctor faces big Medicare charges in Michigan. And his bail is huge -- $9 million. * A teenager turned a bottle of pills over to school officials, seeking help. Today he goes to court.

Bound for jail, car mechanic claims 'vendetta' by local cops

BLOOMSBURG -- A car mechanic decried his convictions for crimes involving deceptive business practices as part of a "vendetta" against him. Ron Whispell denounced the charges as payback for a lawsuit he filed against a fire company whose members included policemen. Whispell proclaimed his innocence Wednesday at his sentencing. He also slammed his victim, Danyelle Pontius. Whispell, 49, could have gotten several years in prison. However, he had no criminal history, and a judge imposed a lighter sentence -- two to 23 months, plus $3,200 in fines.

Flood buyout demolitions begin in Fernville

FERNVILLE -- Demolition began this morning of roughly 20 flood-prone houses purchased with disaster relief money by Hemlock Township. The former home of Pat Parker at 558 Drinker St. was the first that contractor G.M. Crawford took down, said Township Manager Stephanie Haney. Crews will work their way down Drinker Street over the next few weeks. They also have a few houses on Walnut Street to demolish, and one outside of Fernville on Creek Road, Haney said.

Man dies in Millville wreck

MILLVILLE - A man died after his car smashed into a utility pole on East Main Street here Saturday afternoon, witnesses and fire crews said. The man had been heading west on Route 254 just inside the borough when for some reason he crossed over the road's center line around 3:15 p.m. and smashed into a utility pole, cracking it about halfway up.

Man backs a car into a house in Berwick

BERWICK - Police are searching for a man who backed a stolen car into a house here after a fight with a girlfriend, witnesses say. The man, who witnesses identified as Dale Lau, 19, of Sunbury, had been staying with his girlfriend Katelyn Mickel at the home of Janel Marks, 19, and Alexis Shaffer, 20, at 618 N. Vine St. But late Friday morning, Marks said he took her Oldsmobile Alero without her permission. Lau was in the car on an alley running parallel to Vine Street when he and Mickel, who was out walking her dog, got into an argument, witnesses said.

AMBER ALERT: Police look for girl from Gordon

BUTLER TWP. - Police were looking Thursday night for a 10-year-old girl who they say was abducted earlier in the day from Schuylkill County. Police say that Alexandria Jade Long, 10, who is 4-foot-10 and 100 pounds with short brown hair, hazel eyes and black wire-frame glasses was abducted from her home in Gordon by Peter Tarbox, a 39-year-old white male with brown hair, around 4:30 p.m.. He was driving a green Saab with unknown New York registration, police say. They believe he is taking Long to New York State. They ask anyone with information to call 9-1-1.

Car in reverse smashes into house along Route 42

IOLA -- Carl Dildine Sr. couldn't get his car out of reverse as it sped up through the Dollar General parking lot and then across John Orlaski's side yard on Thursday afternoon, he said. Dildine's Taurus kept going faster, said Orlaski, who sat watching on a chair swing near the front of his house as the Ford scraped the rear ends of two cars in the parking lot and then drove more than 200 feet "at full throttle" across his lawn at 2928 State Route 42.

Police collar 3 in yet another meth bust; 1 still sought

SALEM TWP. -- Just a day after police made meth busts in Berwick and on Columbia County's south side, officers in Salem Township have arrested three more people allegedly involved in meth production or sales. One of those collared is Jeremy Broyan, the man Berwick police were looking for when they happened upon a meth lab Wednesday on Summerhill Road, police say. Police charged Broyan, 33, Berwick, in Luzerne County this afternoon. Two others were also arraigned, Alan Kmietowicz, 58, Benton, and Karl Baucher, 26, Berwick.

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