Thieves smash Walmart cases, make off with iPhones

BUCKHORN -- Four men walked into Walmart around 5:30 a.m. Monday, smashed out product cases behind the electronics counter and left with new Apple iPhones, police said. Two of the men distracted an employee behind the counter and led her to another area of the store while two others used a pry bar to force open a display case to take iPhone 5, 4S and 4 models, said Hemlock Township Police Sgt. Scott Traugh. The four hopped into a waiting getaway car outside the store. The entire theft took about seven minutes, said Traugh.

Fire guts Shickshinny home

SHICKSHINNY -- A family of four was asleep when fire broke out in their West Butler Street home overnight. All managed to escape safely, including their two dogs. A State Police fire marshal is investigating an early-morning blaze at 19 W. Butler St., home of Joe Feno and his family. The fire left a gaping hole in the roof of a house and gutted the interior, neighbors and officials said.

BU Foundation plans new building at old CVS

BLOOMSBURG - Bloomsburg University's fundraising arm plans to build a five-story office building downtown with the help of a big donor. The Bloomsburg Foundation announced Friday morning that it plans to tear down the building that once housed CVS and Cole's Hardware at 50 E. Main St. by August. It will replace it with the 44,700-square-foot building with four floors of rentable space and an underground parking lot. The foundation would have its offices on the top floor.

What we're working on for April 26

Here's a look at the stories keeping our reporters busy Thursday: * A suspect is arrested in a reported home invasion. Reporter Mike Lester is headed to the arraignment and will have a full report. * An ambulance crew trying to get to a downed ATV rider gets stuck in mud. See what we have so far, and look for Susan Schwartz's full report Friday. * A cop who stepped down from one local force amid charges is back on the beat in another.

Ambulance gets stuck in mud during rescue

BRIAR CREEK TWP. -- An ambulance attempting to get to an ATV rider suffering a seizure got stuck on a muddy trail Thursday afternoon, forcing rescuers to devise new plans to get at the man. A firefighter used his pickup truck to get at the man, who was spotted by a neighbor from Shickshinny Valley Road around 1 p.m. The neighbor could not get to the man because his dog was with him and was being protective. The dog was barking and carrying on, said neighbor Matt Barwick.

Judge delivers stiff sentences to meth makers

BLOOMSBURG -- Three convicted meth makers were ordered to serve state prison time for their involvement in the production of the dangerous drug. "Why anyone would do this is beyond me," Columbia County Judge Gary E. Norton said in sentencing one of several people recently convicted in meth-related crimes. Norton ordered Maria Mackenzie, 47, of 505 Susquehanna Ave., Berwick, to at least 19 months in a state penitentiary. Mackenzie was on parole for a prior drug crime when officers came to administer a drug test and found meth-making ingredients in her home.

Arsonist convicted

WILKES-BARRE -- A jury has convicted Gail Schneider of Berwick on charges that she set fire to an apartment building to exact revenge on a landlord. Schneider, 44, was placed into shackles in the courtroom late Wednesday afternoon and taken to jail to await her sentencing. She was convicted on all counts against her in connection to the Sept. 5, 2010 blaze.

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