PORT CARBON — Eleven days after a Shenandoah man died from injuries he suffered in an assault, two teenagers were charged Friday with homicide — exposing them to possible life sentences — and an 18-year-old man was charged with less serious offenses.
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James Goodman, Schuylkill County District Attorney, says four people will be charged in the death of immigrant Luis Ramirez, Shenandoah. Three will be charged as adults, the fourth as a juvenile.The suspects are scheduled for arraignment in Port Carbon at 10 a.m. Friday.Goodman says he will provide more information at a news conference.
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NOTE: The AP is reporting 3 will be charged. The difference may lie in that 3 will be charged as adults and the fourth will be charged as juvenile.
UPDATE: From the Pottsville-Republican
Two teens were charged with homicide in connection with the July 12 beating and subsequent death of Luis Eduardo Ramirez Zavala in Shenandoah. A third faces other charges related to the incident.
Brandon Piekarsky, 16 and Colin Walsh, 17, both of Shenandoah, are incarcerated in Schuylkill County Prison after being arraigned before Magisterial District Judge David A. Plachko, Port Carbon on Friday morning.
Piekarsky and Walsh are both charged with one count each of criminal homicide, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, simple assault, and ethnic intimidation.
Piekarsky is also charged with criminal solicitation to hinder apprehension or prosecution, and purchase or consumption of alcohol by a minor.
Derrick Donchak, 18, also of Shenandoah, is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, criminal solicitation to hinder apprehension or prosecution, ethnic intimidation, corruption of minors, purchase or consumption of alcohol by a minor, and selling or furnishing alcohol to minors.
Walsh and Piekarsky were sent to Schuylkill County Prison without bail. Donchak was incarcerated after he was unable to post 10 percent of $75,000 bail.
A fourth person is expected to be charged as a juvenile.
A preliminary hearing has been set for Walsh, Piekarsky and Donchak at 10 a.m. Aug. 4 before Magisterial District Judge Anthony Kilker in Shenandoah.
$2.7 million in debt. Now Shamokin is morally and financially strapped.
If bankruptcy is declared, the state would take over day-day-to-day financial operations for several years, and may be forced to make cuts in personnel and equipment and services, and levee a substantial tax increase to generate necessary revenue.
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SHENANDOAH — A 25-year-old father of three with roots in Mexico died Monday morning from injuries he suffered in an altercation near Vine Street Park on Saturday night, an incident some say was racially motivated.
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Governor Rendell’s Public Schedule - July 09, 2008
11:30 a.m. Governor Rendell to sign HB 1150 regarding Autism Services The Vista School 1249 Cocoa Ave. Hershey
NOTE:
Colon Cancer Screening legislation is also contained in the bill.
A $5.6 million earmark that U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Wilkes-Barre, requested in a 2005 transportation bill to build a parking garage at the familiar sounding Kanjorski Center in Nanticoke is being blocked by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
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Under the radar of HB1150, colon cancer screening will go to Govenor Rendell's desk to be signed. This bill was known throughout PA as the Autism Bill.
Here is word from the PA American Cancer Society:
In May 2008, the American Cancer Society, represented by our Board Chairman, Dr. Sam Monismith, testified once again on behalf of Senate Bill 146, colon cancer screening coverage legislation. Dr. Ron Myers, Chair of the PA Cancer Control Consortium, also testified on behalf of the bill. Not long after that, the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee merged colon cancer screening, autism services coverage, and state oversight of a merger between two large insurers (Highmark Blue Shield and Independence Blue Cross) into House Bill 1150. The House and Senate subsequently debated, amended and passed the bill in late June/early July.
On the evening of July 3rd, while most of us were beginning to enjoy the Independence Day holiday weekend, the PA Senate concurred with House Bill 1150, sending the bill to the governor's desk for signature. We do expect the Governor to sign the bill in the near future; it will take effect 60 days from that date.
Bill Contains Exemptions
While the bill contains two exemptions, it will result in increased coverage for colorectal cancer screenings in PA. The exemptions include policies written for small businesses (50 employees or less), as well as coverage for the two newest screening methods (FOBT/DNA and virtual colonoscopy). For those now included, the bill requires coverage for each of the original screening methods -- fecal occult blood test (FOBT), flexible sigmoidoscopy, barium enema and colonoscopy. Although we are disappointed that the bill does not provide comprehensive coverage for all policy holders, we recognize that it does increase coverage for many.
I did attend the Senate hearing in May and thought colon cancer screening was a dead issue. Senator White claimed not to be a "saviour" in a post hearing conversation with me. Although his website claims something different.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers have received a “lukewarm response” to promotions encouraging people from the Pottsville area to attend Pottsville “Maroons Night” at Wachovia Stadium, Wilkes-Barre, on Saturday, Michael J. Slusser, director of media for the Pioneers, said Thursday.
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