Free Republic

The production fees that will be implemented by Pennsylvania's Marcellus shale bill, which Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett signed into law earlier this week have generated concerns among some energy industry groups that the costs will negatively impact shale gas exploration and production in the state. However, some industry observers say the fees in the legislation are reasonable, and will allow for the implementation of safety guidelines for exploration and development of the state's Marcellus shale resources. "The fees are not excessive by any means, and it's below [fees] imposed by many other states, including Texas," said Charles Dewhurst, the national...

The gunfight is over, and the cities lost. The question is: Do they realize it yet? For decades now, large majorities of urbanites - the people, the politicians, the interest groups - have favored stricter controls on guns, for reasons city residents find self-evident. In the last five years in Philadelphia, 1,656 people have been slain, and of those, more than 1,300 died of gunshot wounds. For many city residents, myself included, guns represent a plague, not protection. From the perspective of bloody Philadelphia, gun-rights advocates - and their allies in Harrisburg and Washington - appear all too willing to...

MARK FIORINO was legally carrying his .40-caliber Glock on his hip as he walked along Frankford Avenue on Feb. 13, 2011, when he was stopped by Philadelphia police, who pointed a gun at him, harassed him and handcuffed him. Today, he plans to file a civil suit against the department for the incident. Fiorino, who recorded his 45-minute confrontation with police and posted it on YouTube, is suing for "violation of his constitutional rights to be free from unlawful searches, excessive force and malicious prosecution," according to the complaint filed on his behalf by the American Civil Liberties Union. "Since...

We are learning more about the double homicide in Great Bend Township Saturday afternoon. A gun shop owner, Lloyd Thomas is now charged with two counts of First Degree Homicide. We have also learned the name of the second victim. 28-year-old Gilberto Alvarez recently moved from Florida to the area to work for a gas drilling company. The other victim, 30-year-old Joshua Rogers of Hallstead, was Alvarez's friend and temporary roommate. A State Police investigator tells Fox 40 that both men have criminal records,and at the time of the killings one of them was carrying a shotgun. Investigators say the...

New details are emerging about the fatal shooting in Great Bend Township Saturday afternoon. According to court records Lloyd Thomas admitted to police that he shot Joshua Rogers and Gilberto Alvarez and said he was acting in self defense. Investigators are still trying to figure out why the two men who lived nearby in Hallstead were on the Thomas family property. Alvarez had moved to the area from Florida. After working at the New Milford Pump and Pantry, he got a job with a gas drilling company. A friend tells us both men were military veterans, and served overseas. Police...

The Philadelphia Inquirer's big story Feb. 4 was about how a budget crunch at the Philadelphia School District had caused the district to lay off 91 school police officers. Over the years, there's been no discussion of what has happened to our youth that makes a school police force necessary in the first place. The Inquirer's series "Assault on Learning" (March 2011) reported that in the 2010 school year, "690 teachers were assaulted; in the last five years, 4,000 were." The newspaper reported that in Philadelphia's 268 schools, "on an average day 25 students, teachers, or other staff members were...

A Johnstown man was shot and wounded when a Penn Run area property owner interrupted him in the course of a burglary early Wednesday, authorities said. The man then fled to Armstrong County, where he reportedly burglarized at least one home and was captured by state police outside a busy convenience store. Clinton Edwards, 27, was held at the Armstrong County Jail with bond set at $25,000 on charges filed by state police at Kittanning. Troopers at Indiana are waiting to wrap up their investigation before filing additional charges, said Trooper John Matchik, a spokesman at the Indiana station. Edwards...

Gasoline prices could soon hit $4 a gallon, a threshold they haven't flirted with since last spring. .....(snip)..... The reason prices aren't falling comes down to increased uncertainty. ....(snip) The market is waiting to see if Sunoco will shut down its Philadelphia refinery, which, if it happens, would be the third refinery closure in Pennsylvania in the last six months. ...snip....

Resistance to a new bill aimed at limiting foreign law in Pennsylvania courts serves as a case study of how Islamists and their allies operate: peddling falsehoods about Shari'a, painting Muslims as victims, and denying that anyone seeks to institutionalize aspects of Islamic law — even as they vigorously promote that very agenda. With similar legislation being debated across the U.S., understanding their tactics is critical. At issue in Pennsylvania is House Bill (HB) 2029, which stipulates that "a tribunal shall not consider a foreign legal code or system which does not grant … the same fundamental liberties, rights and...

The FDA has won its two-year fight to shut down an Amish farmer who was selling fresh, raw milk to eager consumers in the Washington region, after a judge this month banned Daniel Allgyer from selling his milk across state lines, and he told his customers he'll shut his farm down altogether. The decision has enraged Mr. Allgyer's supporters, some of whom have been buying from him for six years and who say the government is interfering with their parental rights to feed their children. But the Food and Drug Administration, which launched a full investigation complete with a 5...

Centre County (Pa.) Judge John M. Cleland ruled this morning on a number of pretrial motions from Friday's hearing in the Jerry Sandusky case. And the big winner was Jerry Sandusky, whose trial can begin as early as May. From the Patriot-News of Harrisburg: • Sandusky can see most of his grandchildren at home, provided a parent is present. He can also have contact with most of his grandchildren via computer. There is a custody battle involving three of his grandchildren, and whether Sandusky can contact those grandchildren is in the hands of another judge. • Adult visitors may also...

During a drive between the Mon Valley towns of McKeesport and Elizabeth, a man named Ray was overheard calling into a local radio station to talk about the subject of the hour: November's presidential election. The first thing he said is that he is a Democrat who voted for Barack Obama in 2008. Pressed by the talk-show host, he said he would not vote for Obama this time. The rest of Ray's answer was not unique or remarkable: Yes, he is a union member. Yes, he wanted Obama to succeed. And, yes, he is very disappointed after giving the president...

Makers of an upcoming documentary that seeks to counter the anti-hydraulic fracturing film “Gasland” have raised over $36,000 through crowdsourcing in a matter of a few days. The creators of the new documentary called “FrackNation” hope to dispel what they view as inaccuracies in the Oscar-nominated film “Gasland” and give more voice to those who live in the communities that are benefiting economically from natural gas drilling. Phelim McAleer, formerly a journalist with The Economist and Financial Times, is teaming up with his wife Ann McElhinney, a fellow former journalist, in making the film. The Irish couple in the past...

C-SPAN's coverage of the 39th annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) continues Friday with speeches by the leading presidential candidates and Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell. The three top GOP candidates for the Republican nomination -- former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum -- are taking a break from the campaign trial to address attendees. Rep. Ron Paul was invited to speak but will instead continue campaigning.

Is $26 million worth the reputation of a venerable, 1.4 million member environmental group ? The Sierra Club may be about to find out. the 120-year-old organization’s hushed financial marriage to the natural gas industry — and its just-as-secretive divorce — have left some long-time supporters feeling angry, betrayed or misled. The news cut especially deep for activists who have spent years fighting the spread of shale gas drilling in states like New York and Pennsylvania. The Sierra Club quietly accepted $26 million in donations from gas industry interests from 2007 to 2010 — years when the group’s national leaders...

The Incident In January 2010, Gerald Ung went out with a female friend in Philadelphia’s Old City neighborhood. As the night was coming to an end, the 29-year-old Temple law school student was accosted by three other nightlife denizens: Eddie DiDonato, Jr., Thomas Kelly and Andrew DiLoretto. The altercation quickly escalated and DiDonato charged at Ung, a licensed gun owner in his home state of Virginia, which has CCW reciprocity with Pennsylvania. Ung, fearing for his safety, pulled out his handgun and fired a half-dozen times at DiDonato, hitting him in the hand, abdomen and back. DiDonato, a former lacrosse...

Pending legislation in the state House of Representatives would allow the National Rifle Association to sue Lancaster and 29 other Pennsylvania cities. The bill, co-sponsored by six of Lancaster County's eight House members, would allow judges to impose triple damages against a city if a court finds its ordinance requiring the reporting of a lost or stolen handgun to be illegal. "They ought to be ashamed of themselves, to try to penalize communities that would regulate illegal guns because they don't have the guts to do it themselves," Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray said. The 30 Pennsylvania cities passed ordinances requiring...

Pennsylvania: Firearms Preemption Enhancement Bill Scheduled to be Considered on the state House floor TODAY Please Contact your state Representative NOW! FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- Today, House Bill 1523 will be before the full House for its second consideration. As predicted, at least thirteen anti-gun amendments have been filed to the bill for second consideration. These amendments range from “ballistic imaging” mandate to gutting the current “state preemption” statute. It is imperative that you call AND e-mail your state Representative THIS MORNING and urge him or her to support HB 1523 and OPPOSE any and all House floor amendments. This much-needed...

Marcie Lucci is one of several Penn Hills residents upset her taxes are paying for U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum's children to attend a cyber charter school. The Republican senator owns a home in Penn Hills, but lives in Leesburg, Va. Penn Hills School District is paying $38,000 this year for five Santorum children to attend Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School based in Midland, Beaver County. The district has paid an additional $62,000 for his children to attend the school since 2001. "It might not be illegal to bill Penn Hills for their education, but it is deceitful, unethical and immoral," said...

An SUV was driven up the front steps of the downtown PNC Firstside Center and hit the entrance of the building on Tuesday afternoon. Sources told Channel 4 Action News that, as the driver of the Hyundai Santa Fe fled the crash scene, he claimed to be with Occupy Pittsburgh and said there might be an explosive device inside the vehicle. "He came down here and he stopped at the stop sign, and then he went straight up into the building. He didn't go fast," witness Ashley Corek said. "And then he got up and walked out, and then went...

PETERS TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A masked man pulled a gun on a female employee while he tried -- but failed -- to rob a doctor and his medical practice on Monday evening. Peters Township police said the intruder went to the offices of Dr. Oliver Herndon in Waterdam Plaza just before 6 p.m. "He produced a handgun, stuck it in her back and demanded money," Capt. Michael Yanchak said. The woman's reaction was "to scream and possibly to start sobbing, and that -- despite the fact that he told her to be quiet -- prompted the attention of the doctor...

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Prosecutors asked Tuesday to have Jerry Sandusky kept indoors as part of his bail conditions, citing complaints that the former Penn State football assistant was seen outside and watching children in a schoolyard from the back porch of his home, where he remains under house arrest while awaiting trial on child molestation charges. The state attorney general's office argued in a court filing that Sandusky's bail conditions should be revised so that he is not allowed outside except to seek medical treatment. Prosecutors said they opposed Sandusky's request to be allowed contact with his grandchildren as he...

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. (CNN/Ewa Roman, WHP) — Vending machines at one university don’t just dispense soda and snacks, they sell the morning-after pill. Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania is providing its students easy access to the pill. Students there can simply walk into a room inside the health center and get Plan B emergency contraception from a vending machine.

Former Democratic congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper, a Catholic from Erie, Pennsylvania, cast a crucial vote in favor of Obamacare in 2010. She lost her seat that November in part because of her controversial support of Obamacare. But Dahlkemper said recently that she would have never voted for the health care bill had she known that the Department of Health and Human Services would require all private insurers, including Catholic charities and hospitals, to provide free coverage of contraception, sterilization procedures, and the "week-after" pill "ella" that can induce early abortions.

For years defendants in tort cases have said that Philadelphia's courts are biased, but little in the way of empirical data was available to substantiate the claims. But, a new study - by Professor Joshua D. Wright for the International Center of Law and Economics (ICLE), Portland, Ore. - indicates that the accusations of structural biases in favor of plaintiffs are justified. Wright is a law professor at George Mason University School of Law School in Arlington, Va. The study, originally published in October 2011, has updated information as of February 2012 that ...

Philadelphia City Council members Curtis Jones, Jr. and Maria Quinones Sanchez have introduced Resolution 120031, which sends an overnight package straight to Harrisburg containing one (1) middle finger. The Resolution, as yet unnamed, “Urg[es] the Pennsylvania General Assembly to reject House Bill 2029 as unnecessary and inconsistent with our core constitutional principles…affirming that the Council of the City of Philadelphia welcomes all religious beliefs, traditions and heritages.” House Bill 2029, what’s that? Glad you asked. It’s what’s being referred to in some circles as the Anti-Foreign Law Bill. In others: the Anti-Sharia Law Bill. Introduced by Rep. Rosemarie Swanger (R-Lebanon),...

Participants in a recent shale gas energy conference held in Hobbs, New Mexico, referred to a whirlwind trip to Lea County, NM, as “exhausting” but “enlightening.” Bradford County Commissioners Doug McLinko, Mark Smith, and Daryl Miller, Susquehanna County Commissioner Mary Ann Warren and Pennsylvania state Rep. Tina Pickett were among local elected officials to partake in discussions and serve as guests on informative panels.

U.S. Senate hopeful Tim Burns of North Strabane Township exited the U.S. Senate race on Thursday. “Those leaders spoke on Saturday,” Burns said of the GOP endorsement, where committee members confirmed Gov. Tom Corbett’s choice. “ And while it may not have been the outcome I hoped for, I have always known it would be difficult to carry on without their support.”

‘Call in the Guard:’ Retired Judge Congressional candidate says Philly needs military action to help curb crime By Catherine Brown | Tuesday, Jan 31, 2012 | Updated 7:24 PM EST ‘Call in the Guard:’ Retired Judge Retired Judge Jimmie Moore wants to call in the National Guard to deal with violent crime in Philadelphia. Former Municipal Court Judge Jimmie Moore wants to call in the National Guard to support Philadelphia’s crime fighting efforts. Moore announced last year that he is a candidate for the First Congressional District seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Bob Brady (D). In a campaign press...

HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) - The state capitol was the scene of two events promoting distinctly different ways of changing the way Pennsylvania’s presidential electoral votes are awarded. Actor and former Senator and former Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson is part of a bi-partisan effort to create a compact agreement among states to award all of their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote, no matter who wins the state vote for president.

It all happened last Wednesday. Prosecutors say Johnson, who was already on probation for aggravated assault, robbed two men in West Reading and was attempting to rob a third along a bike path in Cumru Township in Berks County. But the would-be victim was carrying a licensed firearm, and shot two of his attackers. Johnson was killed. A friend is now in the hospital. Johnson's mother, Idella Hopkins George, said, "Do I believe he was justified in shooting my son? I would say no." The family acknowledges Johnson's actions were wrong, but they question why a warning shot couldn't have...

TOWANDA - While Bradford County has experienced extensive gas drilling for a few years, what will it be like after the drilling has gone on for decades? The three Bradford County commissioners and other local officials had a chance to get a sense of what could happen when they traveled last week to participate in a two-day conference in Lea County, N.M.

The pension bubble: It’s a well-documented, potentially disastrous phenomenon. State pensions for public employees are underfunded by about $30 billion, give or take a billion. That’s money that was promised to workers upon their retirement and is guaranteed, regardless of stock/bond market performance. By law, investment shortfalls have to be made up by the state or some other government entity. The choices when that happens are slim and equally unappealing: cut services or hit the taxpayers harder. The bubble is about to burst, perhaps within a year, and that could result in huge — we’re talking really huge — tax...

January 28, 2012 Life after Haditha... by Andy McNeil, Staff writerFormer U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt said he was relieved when Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich walked away a free man earlier this week following a six-year prosecution for a 2005 attack that killed two dozen unarmed Iraqis. "Everybody else went through hell five years ago and we all got the opportunity to move on with our lives. Frank was the one that was stuck behind, still in the military on legal hold," said Sharratt, whose family lives in Canonsburg. "I'm just happy that he has the chance to...

A 65-year-old man riding his bicycle along a Berks County trail became the target of three teenage boys looking to allegedly mug him Wednesday morning, according to authorities. In a matter of moments the teens became the target of the cyclist, according to Cumru Township Police. The three teens had cut school and were set on robbing people -- having already attacked two elderly men -- when they came upon the 65-year-old riding on the Thun Trail, according to Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams. The cyclist was near the Bertolet Fishing Dock at S First Avenue and Chestnut...

A 65-year-old man shot two teens, one fatally, as they tried to rob him Wednesday morning on a trail near the Schuylkill River, police said. The Berks County coroner's office did not release the name of the boy who was killed, saying only that he was a 16-year-old from the city. Officials said his mother asked them to give her time to notify relatives before releasing his name. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:17 p.m. by Deputy Coroner Jonn M. Hollenbach. An autopsy is scheduled this afternoon in Reading Hospital. The other teen, who was shot once,...

Movement aiming to rename Beaver Stadium in coach's honor UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- One Penn State University student sees it as a tribute on a scale that would fit the man. Another believes it might help repair the damaged relationship between the state's flagship public university and the family of its legendary late football coach. Still another said simply this about why the university ought to rename all or part of Beaver Stadium for Joe Paterno. "Yankee Stadium is the house that Ruth built. Beaver Stadium is the house that Paterno built," said Anthony Sardella, 21, a Penn State senior...

Graceann Rumer just started driving two weeks ago. She used the few driving skills she had to save a school bus full of students by grabbing the steering wheel as the driver collapsed from a heart attack Tuesday afternoon. The bus driver died soon after. "I just realized that there's no one driving this bus... I need to do something," Rumer said. The 17-year-old senior at Calvary Christian Academy in Northeast Philadelphia had been driving to school for practice a lot lately, but, luckily for all, on Tuesday she happened to take the bus. Rumer and about three dozen other...

I am going to try and tell you what happened to us on January 10, 2012, in the conference room in the Nephrology department at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. We arrived for our regular Nephrology visit with Amelia’s doctor who has seen her for the last three years. She examines Amelia and sends us for labs. I ask about the transplant and she says we have about six months to a year until she needs one. She tells us she reserved the conference room and when we get back from labs, we can meet with the transplant team and he...

Two tickets for Joe Paterno’s public memorial service were selling for nearly $100,000 on eBay before the website shut down the auction, CBS Sports reports. An auction appeared on the site after it was announced that there were no more free tickets for Thursday’s “A Memorial for Joe” service. The bids reached as high as $99,509 for the pair of tickets before it was taken down. Amanda Coffee, spokeswoman for eBay Inc., said the site has unspecified internal controls to remove inappropriate ads. She said eBay doesn’t “allow the sale of tickets to events in which all tickets are free...

headline only

PHILADELPHIA - The managing editor of a student-run news organization that covers Penn State resigned Saturday after the publication's Twitter account sent messages saying former coach Joe Paterno had died, according to a letter on the publication's website. Paterno's sons refuted accounts of their 85-year-old father's death in Twitter messages posted after those by Onward State. "I appreciate the support & prayers. Joe is continuing to fight," Jay Paterno tweeted. Paterno has lung cancer and has been in a hospital since Jan. 13. His doctors say recent complications have made his condition "serious." Onward State recanted its posts but not...

On February 7, Governor Tom Corbett will deliver his annual budget address to a joint session of the Pennsylvania House and Senate. In addition to spelling out his budget plan for the year, this annual tradition provides the governor with a platform to identify his legislative priorities. Help us encourage the governor to make the Property Tax Independence Act his top priority by signing the online petition on my website. We want to show the governor that this issue deserves his attention and support as he outlines his agenda for 2012. To help us achieve this goal, we are collecting...

Rick Santorum said he would be pleased with a third-place finish in South Carolina Saturday but vowed to stay in the presidential race through the Florida primary no matter what. He also blasted his "desperate" rival Mitt Romney for perpetrating "cheap stuff" as Mr. Romney's position as front runner here melted away the past week... "We finally were given the victory in Iowa," Mr. Santorum said. "If we had had it two weeks ago, it might be a very different situation. It might have been a very different race." Mr. Santorum also said he was disappointed in Mr. Romney after...

With the field of Republican candidates down to four, GOP voters trickled to the polls on the first day of early voting in South Florida with plenty of opinions about their choice to challenge President Barack Obama in November. Many said they were deciding between former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in what has been a rollercoaster race. Romney is ahead in Florida, with more than 40 percent of GOP supporters, followed by Gingrich with 22 percent, Sen. Rick Santorum with 15 percent and Texas Rep. Ron Paul with 9 percent, according to an average...

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (CBS Cleveland/AP) — Former Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno died Saturday night from lung cancer at the age of 85, Onward State, the student-run university website, reports. The winningest major college football coach of all time, Paterno was diagnosed shortly after Penn State’s Board of Trustees ousted him Nov. 9 in the aftermath of the child sex abuse charges against former assistant Jerry Sandusky. Paterno was getting treatment since, and his health problems worsened when he broke his pelvis — an injury that first cropped up when he was accidentally hit in preseason practice last...

Joe Paterno, the man who for decades was synonymous with Penn State football and was known by the college football world as just "JoePa", has died. Paterno, 85, had been receiving chemotherapy as part of his treatment for lung cancer, and complications from that treatment claimed the longtime Penn State coach's life on Saturday. Paterno was the head coach of Penn State for 46 seasons before being fired in November as his role in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal came under greater scrutiny. Combined with the time he spent as an assistant, Paterno spent a total of 61...

The Allentown Morning Call reported on Twitter at 8:50 p.m. that former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno died tonight at the age of 85. The newspaper said football players received an email confirming the former coach's death.

Joe Paterno has died at the age of 85

Joe Paterno, Division I's all-time winningest coach who was fired by Penn State in November, has experienced further complications from treatment from lung cancer and is in "serious" condition, a family spokesman said in a statement Saturday. "Over the last few days Joe Paterno has experienced further health complications," a Paterno family spokesman said Saturday. "His doctors have now characterized his status as serious. His family will have no comment on the situation and asks that their privacy be respected during this difficult time." The 85-year old Paterno has been battling lung cancer. A source told The Citizens' Voice on...