2 I THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2010 NEWS IN BRIEF Legislation for Rockview land signed Gov. Ed Rendell signed a piece of compromise legislation Friday that divides 1,829 acres of contested Rockview prison land between Penn State, state commissions and Benner Township. The deal should in time open a parcel of pristine land near the Spring Creek Canyon that has been untouched for years to the public, Clear Water Conservancy Executive Director Jennifer Shuey said. Shuey said most of Spring Creek is already open to the pub lic, save a stretch on prison land about a mile in length. Penn State purchased 452 acres for $407,570, according to the legislation. The land will be used for hands-on agricultur al research, College of Agricultural Sciences Dean Bruce McPheron said. The state's Game Commission and Fish and Boat Commission, meanwhile, will receive 1,351 acres of mostly forested lands. Body of 14-year-old girl identified PITTSBURGH Allegheny County authorities say the body found near a Pittsburgh high school was a missing 14- year-old girl The Allegheny County coroner says Lauren Dries died of multiple stab wounds. Police believe she was killed several days ago and then her trash-bag wrapped body was dumped at Langley High School, where it was found Tuesday. The school was empty at the time, but several hundred stu dents later arrived for summer school classes. Authorities are reviewing surveillance video near the school for possible leads into the girl's killing. She had been missing from her East Liberty home for several days. Natural gas well fire under investigation HARRISBURG The state Department of Environmental Protection is trying to find out what started a fire at a natural gas well pad in northeastern Pennsylvadia. Local fire crews and company workers put out Tuesday night's blaze at the Chesapeake Energy site in Auburn Township, Susquehanna County, after about two hours. State officials said Wednesday there were no injuries and no evacu ations. Department secretary John Hanger says there does not appear to be any "significant environmental contamina tion." The well was drilling into the Marcellus Shale formation underground. The DEP says the fire occurred at a production unit where a valve failed and leaked natural gas. The site is closed while repairs are made and the state finishes its inves tigation. Second man accused of child porn ring PITTSBURGH A second man accused of using a social networking site to share child pornography has pleaded guilty in western Pennsylvania to exploiting children. Twenty-one-year-old Ryan Chiles of Hampton, Va., entered the plea Wednesday in federal court. On Tuesday, 56-year-old Stephen Sims, of Palm Springs, Calif., pleaded guilty in the case. Officials say both will be sentenced in February and face mandatory minimum terms of 20 years and maximum sen tences of life in prison Authorities say the two and others distributed thousands of sexually explicit images and videos to members of the group formed on the site. Officials say the case was the first prosecution of a child exploitation enterprise that makes use of a social networking site under a federal law created by the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. Treasurer embezzled fire company OLDSBORO - Police say the former treasurer at a central Pennsylvania fire company embezzled more than $116,000 over the past seven years. . . Miles Hummer was charged Wednesday with receiving stolen property and several counts of theft. Court records indicate the 70-year-old Harrisburg resident recently suffered a stroke The alleged theft came to light after the Goldsboro Fire Co appointed a new treasurer. Hummer is also owner of Goldsboro Marina. It's not clear if he's represented by an attorney. ON THE LUNCH Pollock: Turkey noodle soup, beef ravioli, chicken cheeseteak, edamame fried rice DINNER Pollock Baked chicken breast, chicken fritters, garlic roast ed pork with rosemary, stuffed shells Follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-moment news www.twitter.com/dailycollegian Collell'etalan Collegian Inc. James Building, 123 S. Burrowes St.. University Park, PA 16801-3882 The Daily Collegian Online, which can be found at www.psucollegian.com, is updat ed daily with the information published in the print edition. It also contains expand ed coverage, longer versions of some stories and letters, Web-only features and pre vious stones from our archives. Our site features full News and Business division list ings and e-mail addresses. 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On the World Wide Web Fax: (814) 863-1126 Board of Editors Board of Managers LOCAL & STATE Extended forecast at Weather•• Today: Ton Low itt 11 : 2, HiTomorrow: campusweatherservice.com 89 Courtesy of Campus Weather Service Steel plant explodes, 21 CLAIRTON An oven at a U.S. Steel plant near Pittsburgh explod ed Wednesday, injuring 21 workers, at least three critically, causing a fire that burned for hours, emergency officials said. The powerful blast in the coke oven at United States Steel Corp.'s Clairton Coke Works happened around 9:30 a.m., Allegheny County spokesman Kevin Evanto said. Most of the workers suffered burns; one suffered chest pains. "It's a miracle that anybody even walked away from that," Allegheny County Emergency Services Chief Bob Full told reporters at the scene. He said the explosion was so mighty it bent steel beams and destroyed block walls. Everyone had been accounted for, and the cause of the explosion was being investigated, union and com pany officials said. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration had a team of investigators on site, spokeswoman Leni Fortson said. "It was a big boom and then everything just went black," janitor John Chappell, 59, of Clairton, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review as he left UPMC Mercy. He was not injured. "It was pitch black but you could tell there was debris flying all over the place," Chappell told the news paper. "I'm just blessed because I know it could have been worse." An air quality inspector at the plant at the time of the blast said he saw a large cloud of smoke that dis sipated quickly, said Jim Thompson, manager of the Allegheny County Air Quality Program. Thompson said that and other factors indicate the explosion may have been caused by the gas used to heat one of the coke ovens. Neighbors said they heard alarms at the plant but didn't know at first whether it was a real emergency "They always play their siren," said Tiarra Williams, 17, who lives on a hill overlooking the plant. A maintenance worker died in a September 2009 explosion at the plant, which sits in a valley along the Monongahela River about Dado alcohol to minors, which is why A trial date for Fiji has been set prosecutors dropped that charge, for Aug. 2, according to court docu she said. ments. From Page I. The two original charges brought A trial date for Penn State student The Pennsylvania Criminal Code against ATO are so similar in their Jack Townsend, also charged with specifies that a person must "inten- language, Yurchak said, that if the furnishing alcohol to Dado and who tionally and knowingly" furnish alco- prosecution could not prove one of last saw him alive, is set for later in hol to a minor to be convicted, the charges she believes they will the summer, according to court doe according to court documents. not be able to prove the other. uments. Yurchak said she argued in court Kistler did not return calls for that ATO never knowingly furnished comment by press time Wednesday. Research From Page 1 tax revenue by more than a billion dollars. The alliance wants the university to denounce the findings, but it is not university policy to take a position on any of its faculty research, uni versity spokesman Geoff Rushton said. Though the Marcellus Shale Coalition funded the study, the report had a disclaimer at the begin ning so readers could be aware of who was funding the research, Rushton said. A big part of the university mis sion is promoting research and dis- Webster's "Wouldn't you want to be the local Coupled with letters of support. hero? You could say, 'I love you, Meder-Wilgus also proposed several the area who are interested in the bank, because you saved methods of fundraising and future From Page 1 possibility of providing Webster's Webster's."' new location. Overall, Meder-Wilgus said she Meder-Wilgus said what she needs one question answered. needs from supporters are letters of "If I build a bookstore," Meder support to take to banks to show the Wilgus said, "Will you all come?" level of interest in the return of A woman in the crowd eagerly Webster's at another location. answered "yes" to show her unwill- psucollegian.com program is being offered at Penn meetings will be held on July 20 and State, Perry said. July 27 at 6:30 p.m. in the Pollock The Eco-Reps are expected to Cultural Lounge. reduce electricity use during the fall Potential candidates intersted in think I can handle the requirements semester, and focus on recycling in the program can submit their and attend the mandatory meet- the spring, all while encouraging resume, cover letter, and two refer ings." their peers to go green, Perry said. ences to Perry via email at Since 2009, over 50 different uni- "I want them to be visual on cam- map4oo psu.edu. The deadline for versities across the United States pus," Perry said. "Go outside and applications is July 29. Eco-Rep From Page 1 have started their own Eco-Rep pro- use less electricity" grams, but this is the first year the The remaining two informational To e-mail reporter: zjgsol2@psu.edu Author Elizabeth Murphy Alex Weisler ...Jared Shanker Katie Sullivan ....Edgar Ramirez Kevin Cirilli Laura Nichols Chris Zook From Page 1 chairman for THON 2011, is respon sible for reaching out to potential donors year-round on behalf of THON. Bill Landis ....Andrew Robinson Heather Schmelzlen Jenna Ekdahl Steph Witt Even though the fundraiser has long been established and is now very well known, donations still require effort to collect and are not taken for granted, McCready (sen ior-finance) said. Kelsey Thompson Alissa Nemzer ....Julia Brondani ....Brittany Thrush ..Danielle Meyers "We are really appreciative of Mr. Lpvine's donation," he said. "It's great to see an alumnus joining the By Jennifer C. Yates ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER "It was a big boom and then everything just went black" John Chappell Clairton Coke Works employee 20 miles south of Pittsburgh. About 1,500 people work at the plant, said Michael Wright, head of the health, safety and environment department for the United Steelworkers union. Coke, a raw material used in steelmaking, is coal that is baked for a long time at a high temperature to remove impurities. The coal is baked in special ovens, several of which make up a coal battery; there are 12 batteries at the Clairton plant. The explosion happened during maintenance in the B battery, which consists of 75 ovens. The battery is located on the northern side of the sprawling plant and was shut down after the explosion, but a U.S. Steel spokeswoman said the rest of the plant was operating normally. U.S. Steel calls its Clairton plant the biggest coke manufacturing facility in the U.S., producing about 4.7 milliop tons per year. At Pittsburgh's West Penn Hospital, two workers in their 50s were in critical condition with chem ical burns in their airways as well as burns to their heads, necks and faces, said Dr. Larry Jones, the hos pital's director of emergency medi cine. "The burns themselves are seri ous burns, but with the inhalation injury on top of it, these are very, very serious, a very serious situa tion," Jones said. A third worker, in his 40s, was in serious condition with burns on his head, neck, face and hands, and an ankle fracture, Jones said. Six workers, men ranging in age from 20 to 50, were taken to UPMC Mercy, said Dr. Alain Corcos, med ical director of UPMC Mercy's trau ma and burn centers. One of those was in critical condition with airway burns. "They are all expected to recov er," Corcos said. One injured worker was taken to UPMC McKeesport, and three were covery and conclusions are a nat ural part of that scientific process, Rushton said. There are always going to be those who disagree with the researcher's findings but it is impor tant that the university maintains its role as a "safe haven" for researchers to explore complex issues like Marcellus Shale, he said. Critics can debate the study's conclusions, but the Penn State researchers are within the bounds of economic analysis, he said. Rushton said the study has been examined by experts and it has been determined that the research was on solid ground scientifically. Considine said he was "vaguely" aware of the letter the RDA sent to "There are many banks that want ing support of keeping Webster's to talk to me," Meder-Wilgus said. open. fight against children's cancer." Levine decided to donate to the fund after THON 2010, and said that though THON didn't exist when he was a student at Penn State, he has been following its coverage in The Daily Collegian since the dance marathon first began. A former editor-in-chief of the Collegian, Levine has since expand ed on his first novel with a seven part series about Jake Lassiter, a Penn State linebacker-turned- Miami lawyer. The story of Levine's fictional pro tagonist slightly relates to that of the author. THE DAILY COLLEGIAN injured taken to UPMC Presbyterian, she said. One person was admitted to Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Jefferson Hills with chest pains, spokeswoman Candy Williams said. Three other workers were treated and released for injuries including burns and inhaling dust, she said. The company said four other workers were treated at the plant's medical facility and released. William Magyar, 44, of McKeesport, was cleaning a rental property near the plant when he said he heard alarms around 10 a.m. "I figured it was a fire I didn't smell," Magyar said. Elaine Lawrence, 53, whose son works at the plant, was lying on the couch at her Clairton home when her daughter told her there had been an explosion. The daughter drove her to the plant, but they weren't allowed in; they headed to a hospital, and that's when her son called. "He said he had just passed where the explosion happened to go to the other block and suddenly he heard an explosion," Lawrence said. Martin Lawrence, 19, was not injured and remained at work, she said. "I was real concerned, because that's my only son," she said. Keith Srakocic As,otia'ea Pres Police monitor traffic at the plant. To e-mail reporter: bwmsl47@psu.edu the university, but he said his team's research is well regarded and stud ied. "We stand by the research," he said. "Penn State can do whatever they want as far as I'm concerned." Rushton said the university will abide by its policy and not take a position on the research. The only "position" the university has is that they are dedicated to helping the state develop what Rushton calls a - unique opportuni ty" by providing the best scientific information available. The RDA did not respond to requests for comment by press time Wednesday. To e-mail reporter: mers2oo@psu.edu investment. One form of fundraising is the sale of collectable postcards that patrons can purchase for $5, $lO or $2O, she said. To e-mail reporter: prosoo4@psu.edu Levine went into law himself, cov ering court cases and lunching with judges and prosecutors, after reporting for The Miami Herald for years. . . Now a novelist and television writer based in Los Angeles, Ca., Levine incorporates his law back ground into his legal thriller novels and continues contributing to the field of journalism through his blogs. Copies of the Ebook are available at Amazon Kindle and the author's own website, www.paul levine.com/content/jake-lassiterasp To e-mail reporter: arms373@psu.edu
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers