What we're working on for July 17

Here's a look at the stories that are keeping our reporters busy Tuesday: * Police raid another meth lab in the middle of the night. For some suspects, it's not the first time. Check back for more on this story. * It's judgment day for the killer of a local woman. Find out what penalty the judge hands down. * A store employee took $31,000 in lottery tickets, police say -- and a few paid off before she got caught. See our online report here.

Manager stole $31G in lottery tickets, cashed winners in, cops say

BENTON -- A former manager of the Acorn Market here stole nearly $32,000 in instant-lottery tickets over a five-month period in 2011, police say. Those included a pair of $1,000 winners, which she cashed in at other stores, authorities add. When confronted by authorities, Darla Kay Force, 54, of the Benton area admitted to the thefts, arrest papers state. Force, who had a key to the lottery-ticket machine as the store's manager, told police she collected $2,500 from winning tickets. Kevin Connelly, Acorn's director of operations, discovered the thefts in August 2011.

Mount Carmel teen killed in crash, three others hurt

UPPER AUGUSTA TWP. -- Three people were hurt and a Mount Carmel teenager was killed when she lost control of her car early this morning, police say. The driver, 18-year-old Marcelle R. Barber, lost control of a 2001 Pontiac Sunfire on Syndertown Road near Kampco Industries around 12:45 a.m. Passengers Tyler Karycki, 21, Mount Carmel, and Brianna Bailey, 18, Kulpmont, suffered moderate injuries, while Hasan Abuomar, 19, Mount Carmel, escaped with just minor injuries, police say.

Alleged pot grower busted on Southside

ROARING CREEK TWP. - Police found a large pot-growing operation at a rural home Monday with plants ranging in size from seedling to more than 5 feet tall, they say. Officers arrested Richard Alan Zambor, 53, of 2501 Mill Road, Catawissa, and have charged him with a felony count of cultivating and possessing marijuana, along with numerous misdemeanor charges. Police received a search warrant for Zambor's house Monday morning after an informant tipped them off to an indoor growing area, according to arrest papers.

Suspect in attempted shooting collared after 2 weeks on the run

BRIAR CREEK TWP. -- A Berwick man on the run after allegedly shooting at his ex-girlfriend and pistol-whipping her new boyfriend has been captured. Steven Eugene Houser, 50, of 23 Lights Road, is accused of firing several shots at Zina Holter, 46, and Robert Orlando, 60, from point-blank range, then hitting Orlando in the head with the gun on June 29. That night, Orlando and Holter were walking along Thomas Road in Berwick when they heard a commotion in the nearby woods. They at first thought the noise was caused by a bear until they heard a loud bang accompanied by a flash and sparks.

Fire breaks out in Geisinger Medical Center

MAHONING TWP. -- Construction crews working in Geisinger Medical Center's Bush Pavilion accidentally started a fire that drew firefighting crews from as far away as Bloomsburg Monday. The workers were welding in a room on the fifth floor when fire got into a wall sometime around noon, officials said. The floor is empty for construction, and the fire was extinguished before there was need to evacuate patients or staff from other parts of the hospital building. The Bush Pavilion is a large section of the medical center just west of the hospital's main entrance facing Bloom Street.

Fatal wreck shutters Route 54

A head-on wreck that left at least one dead and two critically injured has closed down part of Route 54 just outside Elysburg today, sources say. The accident, which left both vehicles flipped over just before noon, will keep a section of the road between Elysburg and Riverside closed until about 4 or 5 p.m., police say. Reporter Leon Bogdan is on the scene. Check back for more information online and in Monday's Press Enterprise.

Twinkies make early return to Wal-Mart

NEW YORK (AP) -- Wal-Mart is making Twinkies available this weekend, even though Hostess says it asked retailers to wait until Monday to start selling the spongy yellow snack cakes. The world's largest retailer announced Friday that the cakes were available at about 1,600 stores and that about 3,000 of its 4,000 U.S. stores should have them by Sunday morning. That's a day before the July 15 return that Hostess has trumpeted in its marketing. Hostess said in a statement that it shipped out products to give retailers the same opportunity to display the product on Monday.

Iowa top court: Firing of attractive aide is legal

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -- A dentist acted legally when he fired a longtime assistant because he had grown too attracted to her and worried he would try to start an affair, the Iowa Supreme Court reaffirmed Friday in its second crack at the controversial case. Coming to the same outcome as it did in December, but clarifying its rationale, the court found that bosses can fire employees that they and their spouses see as threats to their marriages. The court said such firings do not count as sex discrimination because they are motivated by feelings, not gender.

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