2 rvl o*4 , June 26, 2000 UNiV: It will be warm and humid in Happy Valley today ahead of an approaching cold front which will bring the threat of showers and thunderstorms through tomorrow. Behind the front expect com fortable temperatures and drier conditions. The next threat of any rain will come toward the end of the week as the next system approaches the region. Today Partly sunny; I I ":4111\'-"- The extended outlook Tomorrow night: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: Today Normal high Record high Normal low Record low Monthly Climate Summary (Data valid through 8 am June 25) June precipitation 3.96 inches Normal June precip 3.91 inches June temp. departure +2.23 deg. 81 deg. 93 deg in 1966 59 deg. 45 deg. in 1922 Sun Data Sunset today . . Sunrise tomorrow NEWS IN BFOEF Lemont man held on charges of assault, harassment LEMONT Cole Bridges, 39, of Lemont, was placed in Centre County Prison in lieu of $500,000 bail on charges of aggravated assault, harassment and stalking, terroristic threats, recklessly endangering another person and two charges of simple assault after an incident that allegedly occurred Friday at Shady Drive, the State College Police Depart ment said. The victim returned home with her son from a softball game at 6:20 p.m. Friday when she found the defendant on the telephone and reportedly intoxicated. The defendant was reportedly angry because the victim refused to take him home from a bar in Pleasant Gap. Police later discovered a bartender from the establishment drove the defendant to the res idence. Both the victim and her son asked the defendant to leave because of his belliger ence and intoxication, police said. Reportedly, the defendant then struck the victim's son and the victim in turn struck the defendant on the back of his shoulder. The defendant then brutally beat and threatened to kill the victim with a knife that he held at the back of her neck, State College police said. The defendant fled the scene when he discovered the victim's son had called 911, police said. The defendant was later found in a nearby field. A canine police unit played an important role in apprehending the defendant, police said. by Allison Kessler Police seize millions in counterfeit computer software HARRISBURG (AP) Police seized 3 1/2 truckloads of counterfeit computer software worth $22 million from a Harrisburg-area business, landing the business owner behind bars, authorities said James Halkias, 30, of Lower Paxton Township was being held Monday in Dauphin Coun ty Prison on a parole violation. Authorities said Halkias' business, Automated Distributing Inc., appears to have been an online distributor. They said their investigation into where the company obtained the merchandise is continuing and would not say whether anyone else is facing charges. A three-day search of Automated Distributing resulted in what Microsoft Corp. officials called one of the bigger counterfeit software distribution busts in the company's history. The largest U.S. seizure of counterfeit software rang in at $59 million, the company said. So much evidence was seized, authorities said, that investigators rented a 24-foot truck to take it away. They filled the truck three and a half times. Police also seized several thousand digital video disc movies, known as DVDs, that were determined to be counterfeit, authorities said. As of Monday, Halkias had not been charged in connection with the seizure of the coun terfeit DVDs and computer software, police said. Dauphin County Deputy District Attorney Eric R. Augustine said the filing of charges could take time because investigators are sorting through a huge amount of evidence. "At this point in the investigation it's too early to determine what charges will be filed and when," Augustine said, though he predicted that trademark counterfeiting and theft charges will be among those filed. Parole officials had Halkias locked up soon after police served him with the search war rant Thursday, accusing him of violating the conditions of his parole because authorities suspected he was involved in counterfeiting. Parole officers act independently from police, and charges are not required to return parolees to prison. Halkias is a convicted felon who was sentenced in August to eight to 23 months in prison for cheating computer consumers while running another business last year, court records show. Halkias was convicted of taking money from prospective computer buyers and never delivering the goods. He served seves months before being paroled. Board rules cold medication as cause of plane crash PITTSBURGH (AP) An 18-year-old pilot who died in a single-engine plane crash just three months shy of earning his private license was impaired by over-the-counter cold medication, the National Transportation Safety Board ruled. Anthony Benvin HI of Pittsburgh, a senior honors student at Pittsburgh's High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, died March 15, 1998 when the Cessna 152 he was fly ing crashed near Allegheny County Airport in West Mifflin. Benvin, who flew his first plane at age 6 and wanted to be a commercial pilot, was prac ticing takeoffs and landings. Benvin failed to maintain adequate speed, causing the wing of the plane to strike the ground, gouging a furrow. The plane cartwheeled and came to a crumpled stop a few yards from a house. NTSB, which investigates aviation crashes, released its final report on the crash last week. The report said toxicology tests showed Benvin's system contained over-the-counter antihistamines, a decongestant and an antibiotic. _ _ _ Karen Steinmetz, a doctor of pharmacy and apothecary manager for UPMC Health Sys tem, said those medications could cause dizziness, confusion, vertigo, blurred vision and heaviness or weakness in the hands. Police continue search for mother of abandoned baby PITTSBURGH (AP) Police yesterday resumed searching for who they believe might be the mother of a newborn baby girl found abandoned near a Pittsburgh church. , Two teen-agers walking near the Birmingham United Church of Christ in Pittsburgh on Saturday found the naked baby. She had rolled out of a blanket become sunburned and dirty, Pittsburgh Police Lt. Cindy Dietrich said. The girl, who appeared to be one day old, was found at about 9:30 p.m. Saturday between a pine tree and the church's outside wall. The baby was in stable condition at Magee-Women's Hospital on Sunday. Police Cmdr. Gwen Elliott said a white woman with curly hair was spotted near the church. People in the neighborhood near the church had seen the Woman driving around twice earlier Saturday in a tan sedan. PoucE ■ Retail theft: Stephanie Stuckey , 21, of Hollidaysburg, and Kimberly Neil, 21, of Altoona, were arraigned before District Jus tice Carmine Prestia Saturday after steal ing $B5l worth of clothing and other items from JCPenney, The Bon-Ton Department Store, Victoria's Secret and Afterthoughts in the Nittany Mall, the State College Police Department said. The two were placed in Centre County Prison in lieu of $5OO bail each. ■ Drug Violation: A person was caught rolling a marijuana cigarette at 11 p.m. Sat- fii) cloudy with a storm is possible d d de ' d d High 84 Mostly cloudy with lingering showers Partly sunny. High 77, low 57. Partly sunny. High 77, low 59. Showers and thunderstorms possible. High 80, low 61 Today's Weather Hi/Lo Conditions 82/62 Thunderstorms 84/64 Thunderstorms 80/57 Mostly Cloudy 84/61 Mostly Cloudy 84/59 Thunderstorms 78/55 Partly Sunny 80/58 Thunderstorms 85/67 Mostly Cloudy 85/63 Thunderstorms 79/55 Showers University Illinois Michigan Michigan St. Minnesota Northwestern Ohio State 8:47 pm .5:42 am Wisconsin Tonight Becoming showers Low 66 Low 61 urday in the bathroom of Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave., by an employee of the estab lishment, State College police said. ■ Accident: Grace Gottshall, 39, of Lock Haven, was travelling south on Atherton Street Saturday night when she ran a red light and her vehicle struck the automobile of James Schwarzmeier, 24, of New Jersey, going west on Beaver Avenue, State College police said. Four people suffered minor injuries that did not require medical attention. Both cars were towed from the scene, police said. Tomorrow Showers and *thunderstorms ,e/ / e ' ti High 80 Today City Hi/lo Allentown 87/71 PS Altoona 85/68 PS Bradford 83/62 PS Erie 84/67 MC Harrisburg 91/73 PS Johnstown 84/67 PS Philadelphia 92/74 PS Pittsburgh 87/66 MC Scranton 88/71 PS Williamsport 87/68 PS LOCAL & STATE Tomorrow Hi/Lo 86/68 TS 83/64 TS 77/57 CY 76/64 PS 89/69 TS 78/62 TS 89/70 TS 81/61 PS 86/68 TS 86/63 TS -;4,OL.gL. 7ORECASI MAP How to interpret this map: Shades of gray indicate the expected high temperatures for today. Today's forecasted h,,; . ,1 and tomorrow morning's low are also shown for selected cities. Legend: SU(Sunny), MS(Mostly Sunny), PS(Partly Sunny), MC(Mostly Cloudy), CY(Cloudy), RN(Rain), RS(Rain SH(Showers), SN(Snow), SF(Snow Flurries), MX (Mix), TS(Thunderstorms), WY(Windy), FZ (Freezing Rain/Sleet AWHOLE NEW WORLD. Robert Hogan (freshman-science) places a sheet onto his bed. Hogan along t Hall Saturday afternoon. Saturday was move-in day for students enrolled in the Learning Edge Academic Program. Friends of Abu By the Associated Press PHILADELPHIA A group that has raised money to support death-row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal as his fate has grown into an international cause has done little to dis close how much has been donated or spent. The International Concerned Friends and Family of Mumia Abu-Jamal has received at least $240,000 in the last two years alone, according to an analysis by The Philadelphia Inquirer. But while other groups' supporting Abu- Jamal have filed disclosure forms showing they have raised at least $950,000 for mass mailings, newspaper ads, videos and the inmate's massive legal bills, the organization led by Pam Africa has not followed the dis closure rules other charities do, the newspa per reported Sunday. The Inquirer said Africa again refused last week to discuss the group's fund-raising and spending, but when asked whether it had hit $1 million, she replied: "It might be that much." Big Brothers/Big Sisters working to break stereotypes By Carol Robidoux ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER NEWTOWN Samantha Perissi lapses into the body language of girlhood giddiness. For the next 10 seconds she's all blowfish cheeks, roller coaster eyes and Cheshire smile. Stephanie Martin, translator in training, intervenes. "She probably just doesn't know what to say," says Stephanie, interpreting Saman tha's gut reaction to the question, "How has having a Big Sister changed your life?" Not that Samantha is ever speechless. It's more that this year-old relationship between a Bristol Township fifth-grader and a 32-year-old graduate nurse from Yardley transcends words and defies the stereotype that Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America is trying hard to shake. Jamal face money questions Even if she wanted to provide figures. Africa said, she couldn't. She said the group's financial documents were recently stolen in a break-in at its West Philadelphia office. While Africa called the crime a "dirty trick" by enemies of Abu-Jamal, critics voiced other theories. "These folks, I suspect, don't want to face public scrutiny," said Michael Smerconish. a Philadelphia lawyer who uses his daily radio talk show to rebut Abu-Jamal's defenders. The loss of the documents comes at an awkward time. In May 1999, Africa's group quietly registered as a nonprofit corporation with the state. That same month her organi zation also applied for, and was later grant ed, federal tax-exempt status. . . Though the organization has a provisional federal tax exemption from the IRS, Africa's group still needs to register as a charity with the state before it can raise money, and will face a deadline later this year to disclose details of its fund-raising and spending. Though the group has dubbed the theft a That is, you don't have to be without a mother or father to benefit from the mentor ing made available through the BBBSA. "That's one of the biggest myths we have , to deal with, that you have to have absent parents to be referred. The other is that you have to give a lot of time, in terms of com mitment, to be a Big Brother or Big Sister:* explains Leonette Boiarski, program direc tor for the local chapter of BBBSA. The program needs Big Brothers in the Lower Bucks area for the more than 100 boys already on the waiting list. Also needed are referrals of girls who. like Samantha, could benefit from the men toring and companionship a Big Sister has to offer. Samantha found her way into Stephanie's life thanks, in part, to her actual big sister. Cecelia, who's 15 months older. Their close ness begins and ends with the age differ )! io:, . the town of Bar ; I,;rtvd its very first Lait , I,t rov, thund(q dropptai :,H* of rain on the town. marfo.ii tirst time many of BarroW' ~ .HH-711- had ever seen 'XI - iv Bar row - li, , nee more thun derstol:; :,.amerature at the eVell at this time of year. The i ‘ 1 predict( (( ing th: •. • on !hi IA II mal IA . !,,, herLtl to 10 m di RIEMEME vc,ll ',III it) ' Visit 'di, at iitr,l Forecaster; "political ot,:,h said given its group's 1 , 11,2, to disclose fund-raising. ht, t n .}t his own "If you ask the lii ~ tuvk upon you a tax-exempt lut the bargain is full disclosure. This is just the , e;opment atter a decade in • ' part nership broke up another trig, gered a m is Africa's grolT i ! key alliance Hyattsville, Me Equal Justif • oarn organiza tion with flatno ,nt: his;tor:c. of opposition to ',I From 1993 to 1997. Equai ,T.l. od '3803.000 on behalf of Vni In 1997 an ~ T ,tt tt`t 'hand rais ing-Africa. .\ith .`,„o \la,hington attorney. Leonard ornplained that Equal ng, enough money t o th e hU ordered Equ,, behalf ence we wen _ c t P T , , th er Sister ..th Cc, It was such a (aid, • • _hi_tite r that. a Sainantha toic , ! h, mknotched with zi 13112, N,tt.! Its wonder iin that the pro - ..t•riri has pro\ in., liters tor h er daugh ters tor those times v, heti it :it'd . : ino2ht want someone to tali , . 1,! ~'lo kn . ', her mom. but who's older !ler peers Even better is it t'lltT',.],y conservation tactor. says Shia "Hari and I art. r hit ()Ail' We just don't have the energy we used to. I'll be 50 this year and in husband will he 56 It's not that we don't love and ellje the girls we just can't keep up v.ll h them: Tire Perissis have c , n - ne to love Steph an i e like a third daughter. says Sharon. It's a feel ing that surpasses gratitude :,torrn, which u - 1( ,sure of the r,tdiation reach fne lowest number indicating mini- ToYdre. A nun- i ,11;,11 lon expo ; v Index and It minutes to o!ogy Department ec.h) I 1 - 'lt , PHD . er 1!! , : forged a .11;l1Ce USA of on his .. , 1!,!For!
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers