The Patriot-News (Harrisburg, PA) articles from February 2006

The Patriot-News (Harrisburg, PA) archives from February 2006

Bank drops fees at Sheetz ATMs.
February 28, 2006... Byline: Dan Miller Feb. 28--Starting tomorrow, people who use M&T Bank Corp. ATMs at Sheetz stores no longer will have to pay a surcharge, even if they aren't M&T account holders. M&T Bank also has an agreement with Rutter's Farm...

Business-tax climate lauded.
February 28, 2006... Byline: Tom Dochat Feb. 28--The business-tax climate in Pennsylvania is one of the best among nearby states in the mid-Atlantic and New England regions, a tax-policy organization has found. Rankings compiled by The Tax Foundation in...

Retiring PPL leader oversaw expansion.
February 28, 2006... Byline: David DeKok Feb. 28--PPL Corp., which provides electricity to large parts of Dauphin, Cumberland and Perry counties, announced yesterday that William F. Hecht will retire as chairman and CEO later this year after 13 years in the...

Office-building project approved.
February 25, 2006... Byline: Dan Miller Feb. 25--Community Behavioral HealthCare Network of Pennsylvania has been cleared to build a 32,000-square-foot office building in Cloverhill Business Park at Jonestown Road and Route 39. West Hanover Twp....

FTC fines Bookspan for calls.
February 25, 2006... Byline: David DeKok Feb. 25--Bookspan, the parent company of Book-of-the-Month Club, has been fined $680,000 by the Federal Trade Commission for placing telemarketing calls to more than 100,000 people who had asked not to be contacted...

Chevy dealer still delivers old-fashioned service.
February 24, 2006... Byline: Deb Kiner Feb. 24--LOYSVILLE -- The wooden floor in the parts department at Sheaffer-Weary Chevrolet is original. Owner Floyd Weary and accountant Delores Kitner share the only office at the dealership, working on wooden...

JLG splits stock, doubles dividend.
February 24, 2006... Byline: Tom Dochat Feb. 24--After reporting another strong quarterly performance, JLG Industries Inc. Thursday declared a 2-for-1 stock split and doubled its dividend. The McConnellsburg-based maker of aerial work platforms and lift...

Tyco wants suppliers to cut prices.
February 24, 2006... Byline: Tom Dochat Feb. 24--Tyco Electronics Corp. is asking its suppliers to trim their prices by 10 percent so it can deal with demands for price reductions from its customers. In a copy of an internal Tyco document received by The...

UGI looks to sell Harrisburg building.
February 24, 2006... Byline: David DeKok Feb. 24--Natural gas utility UGI Corp. has put its longtime Harrisburg office building at 1500 Paxton St. on the market with an asking price of $3.8 million. UGI spokeswoman Deborah Leuffen said the...

HIA deals with drop in traveler numbers.
February 23, 2006... Byline: Dan Miller Feb. 23--The number of travelers flying into and out of Harrisburg International Airport last month was 9 percent less than in January 2005, HIA officials reported Wednesday. HIA Executive Director Fred Testa said...

Survival rate rises for heart patients.
February 23, 2006... Byline: David Wenner Feb. 23--Pennsylvanians who underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery in 2004 had the highest survival rate than in any year since a state agency began keeping track 14 years ago. The percentage of those who...

Hospital's quality assessment finds documentation problems.
February 23, 2006... Byline: David Wenner Feb. 23--The doctor in charge of quality at Holy Spirit Hospital predicts that reports from the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council will begin to show improvements at the hospital in several areas. ...

State wants faster cuts in power-plant emissions.
February 23, 2006... Byline: David DeKok Feb. 23--The 36 coal-burning power plants in Pennsylvania would be placed on a stepped-up schedule for removing toxic mercury from plant emissions under a proposed regulation announced Wednesday by the state...

Harrisburg Mall to add 14-screen movieplex.
February 22, 2006... Byline: Tom Dochat Feb. 22--A 14-screen movie theater complex will be the centerpiece of a second round of renovations at Harrisburg Mall. Feldman Mall Properties Inc., owner of the 900,000-square-foot Swatara Twp. mall, announced...

Stadium proposal draws no support.
February 22, 2006... Byline: Ellen Lyon Feb. 22--A proposal to build a $2.1 million multipurpose stadium with artificial turf in the Cumberland Valley School District drew no support at last night's school board meeting. The building and grounds...

More state employees must pay for benefit.
February 22, 2006... Byline: David Wenner Feb. 22--About 30,500 state employees are still enrolled in a program that exempts them from paying for some of their health insurance coverage if they participate in wellness programs. But about 12,500 workers...

Taking a BIG STEP.
February 22, 2006... Byline: Elizabeth Gibson Feb. 22--CARLISLE -- John W. Dutrey is a fourth-generation merchant in downtown Carlisle, but he's about to break with a family tradition. Ever since John A. Dutrey opened a small furniture shop in the early...

Giant develops items for cost-conscious shoppers.
February 19, 2006... Byline: Tom Dochat Feb. 19--Giant Food Stores LLC is introducing a new product line to attract cost-conscious consumers who may be shopping at dollar stores or discounters for basic grocery items. Giant's Guaranteed Value products --...

Inventor overcomes obstacles to bring idea to market.
February 19, 2006... Byline: Dan Miller Feb. 19--CARLISLE -- To consumers in central Pennsylvania, The Wickmaster is another product competing for their attention. To Wendy Feaser of Derry Twp., the plastic-wrapped gadget is the fulfillment of years of work,...

Remedy sought for insurance woes.
February 19, 2006... Byline: David Wenner Feb. 19--Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is no longer limited to battling disease. It has begun testing a cure for what many regard as the biggest threat to health care: out-of-control costs. The...

UGI to install drive-by gas meters in midstate.
February 17, 2006... Byline: David DeKok Feb. 17--UGI Corp., which provides natural gas to customers in Dauphin and Cumberland counties, will begin automating gas meters in homes and businesses late in the spring. The mammoth undertaking ultimately will...

Truck drivers have a ball.
February 17, 2006... Byline: Dan Miller Feb. 17--Michael Feight's idea of getting dressed up is to put on a nice pair of jeans. As a truck driver, he has little need for a suit and tie. But Saturday (Feb. 18), Feight will don a tuxedo and dance the...

Plans for casino move ahead.
February 16, 2006... Byline: Tom Dochat Feb. 16--The grandstand at Penn National Race Course will be torn down this spring to make way for construction of the much-anticipated slot-machine casino at the Grantville racetrack. But Penn National Gaming Inc....

Penn National to reopen 2 Mississippi casinos.
February 16, 2006... Byline: Tom Dochat Feb. 16--Penn National Gaming Inc. hopes to reopen its two Mississippi casinos destroyed by Hurricane Katrina before the end of the year. The company said Wednesday it plans to open a 30,000-square-foot temporary...

Study links deaths to power-plant air pollution.
February 16, 2006... Byline: David DeKok Feb. 16--A researcher with the Harvard School of Public Health says particulate pollution from six coal-fired power plants in Maryland cause as many as 700 premature deaths annually, many of them in downwind states...

AARP members criticize law.
February 15, 2006... Byline: David DeKok Feb. 15--The Pennsylvania unit of AARP says its 1.8 million members "overwhelmingly" favor repeal of the state's Chapter 14 law that made it easier for utilities to shut off service to customers behind in their bills....

U.S. treasurer meets midstate leaders.
February 14, 2006... Byline: Dan Miller Feb. 14--Anna Escobedo Cabral has an autograph you can take to the bank. Monday, midstate business and political leaders waited in line to have their paper money autographed by Cabral, who has been treasurer of...

Florists hustle to deliver hundreds of orders.
February 14, 2006... Byline: Shannon Nordt Feb. 14--Midstate flower shops are prepared for the Valentine's Day rush and ready to deliver. Today is "the Super Bowl of flowers," said Debbie Keys, owner of Pealer's Flower Shop in Camp Hill." Pealer's...

Show your love with hardware, fitness gear.
February 14, 2006... Byline: Kathleen Dougherty Feb. 14--Say goodbye to that box of chocolates, stuffed teddy bear or short-lived bundle of roses for Valentine's Day. In this do-it-yourself age, couples are leaving the frills of lingerie in the...

AirTran: Risks killed HIA deal.
February 12, 2006... Byline: Ellen Lyon Feb. 12--The letter had been typed, inviting community leaders to a "major air service announcement" at 10 a.m. on Jan. 25. The leaders were to go to Harrisburg International Airport to hear news that would "make...

Fred Testa demands results at HIA, but he knows his style can be stormy.
February 12, 2006... Byline: Ellen Lyon Feb. 12--If you see a black 2002 Corvette with HIA 1 on the license plate cruising from Camp Hill to Harrisburg International Airport, it's Fred Testa on his way to work. Testa, 64, stands out, and not just because...

Contest to aid entrepreneurs.
February 12, 2006... Byline: Dan Miller Feb. 12--Wednesday is the deadline for entrepreneurs to enter the Great Business Challenge being offered by Murata Business Center in Carlisle. The winner receives prizes worth more than $20,000, including six...

Bad loans crippled insolvent lender.
February 12, 2006... Byline: Joel Berg Feb. 12--For the past week, former members of the Greater Harrisburg Community Credit Union have trickled in to open accounts at other banks and credit unions in the city. One challenge for the lending institutions...

Rendell signs bill to aid Sovereign Bancorp.
February 11, 2006... Byline: Tom Dochat Feb. 11--Despite some misgivings, Gov. Ed Rendell on Friday signed legislation designed to protect Sovereign Bancorp Inc. from angry shareholders. The bill was hastily approved by the Legislature last week under...

Economist sees mixed signals.
February 10, 2006... Byline: Tom Dochat Feb. 10--Wachovia Bank's chief economist may not have provided many answers Thursday on the economic outlook for 2006, but he gave some suggestions about where to look for clues. Speaking to more than 300 people at...

Rendell proposes shift in prescription programs.
February 10, 2006... Byline: David Wenner Feb. 10--People who use the state's PACE and PACENET programs would automatically be put in Medicare Part D plans under a budget proposal from Gov. Ed Rendell. The goal is to tap federal money and use it to...

Plan would boost eligibility for children's health program.
February 9, 2006... Byline: David Wenner Feb. 9--About 15,000 uninsured children would get coverage this year under Gov. Ed Rendell's proposed 2006-07 budget. "This is an amazing initiative for children," said Joan Benso, president of Pennsylvania...

Condominium plan takes shape.
February 8, 2006... Byline: Dan Miller Feb. 8--A York-based real estate company hopes to bring up to 50 residential condominiums, with a starting price of about $300,000 each, to Harrisburg's riverfront. The development would be at 1829 N. Front St.,...

York manufacturer admits making false report in work for Army.
February 8, 2006... Byline: John Beauge Feb. 8--WILLIAMSPORT -- A York company has pleaded guilty in federal court to making false statements to the Army in 2001 about tests of air-conditioning units for Patriot missile shelters. WEDJ/Three Cs Inc....

Research assesses sewage treatment.
February 8, 2006... Byline: John Beauge Feb. 8--A joint research project that involves a small Williamsport manufacturer and Penn State Harrisburg is moving from the laboratory to the Middletown wastewater-treatment plant. For the past two years,...

Report calls utility law unneeded, urges repeal.
February 8, 2006... Byline: David DeKok Feb. 8--The state's tough new utility law, which allows companies to more easily shut off service to customers, was both unnecessary and harmful, according to a report from a former state Public Utility Commission...

Medical lab to stop blood-sample pickup service.
February 7, 2006... Byline: David Wenner Feb. 7--A blood-testing lab that provided an extra service of collecting blood samples from nursing homes and shut-ins is ending the house calls. Penn State Clinical Outpatient Lab at 4813 Jonestown Road in Lower...

Other nations offer sweeter labor costs.
February 5, 2006... Byline: Tom Dochat Feb. 5--Candy companies such as The Hershey Co. that need new factories would encounter much lower costs in Canada or Mexico as opposed to the U.S., a business-location consultant has found. That's not too...

Carlisle hospital defends profits.
February 5, 2006... Feb. 5--Bill Leonard is surprised anyone would question whether his for-profit hospital is keeping its promises to the community. "This is the manifestation of promises kept," he said, referring to the $68 million Carlisle Regional...

UGI to lower gas bills.
February 4, 2006... Byline: David DeKok Feb. 4--UGI Corp. said Friday it will reduce the wholesale price component of its bills by about 3 percent as of Feb. 10 to account for significant decreases in the cost of natural gas. The decrease will mean a...

Perry County couple praised for chicken production.
February 3, 2006... Byline: Deb Kiner Feb. 3--Before a feed truck leaves Bob and Jean Reisinger's farm, its tires are washed. The Reisingers raise broilers for Bell & Evans. So do some of their family members. Yet, they have never stepped inside each...

Technology fuels demise of Dillsburg photo shop.
February 3, 2006... Byline: T.W. Burger Feb. 3--The coming of digital photography hit the photo industry like a Mack truck a few years back. Just ask Dave Lash. Lash, at almost 57 years old, is looking for a job. He's closing the last of his three...

Utilities' CAP funding debated.
February 3, 2006... Byline: David DeKok Feb. 3--Some utilities suggest that factory owners and small businesses should start paying into programs that help low-income households pay heating bills. "Residential, commercial and industrial customers live,...

UGI defends customer assistance policy.
February 3, 2006... Byline: David DeKok Feb. 3--UGI Corp. follows its own path when it comes to helping low-income customers pay their natural gas bills. Unlike most other utilities in Pennsylvania, Valley Forge-based UGI, which provides gas in Dauphin...

Electric rates jump 73 percent after Pike County auction.
February 2, 2006... Byline: David Dekok Feb. 2--Andrew Jorgenson, owner of Jorgenson's Deli in Milford, doesn't know what he'll do if Pike County Light & Power Co. fails to reverse the 73 percent rate increase it imposed Jan. 1. He has not yet received...

Record sales, earnings boost Harsco stock.
February 1, 2006... Byline: Tom Dochat Feb. 1--Harsco Corp. stock surged more than 8 percent Tuesday after the company reported record sales and earnings for the fourth quarter of 2005. The Wormleysburg-based company also upgraded its earnings forecast...

Family management changes made at Boscov's.(Company Profile)
February 1, 2006... Byline: Tom Dochat Feb. 1--Albert R. Boscov and his brother-in-law, Edwin A. Lakin, have retired as leaders of the Boscov's department store chain and named Lakin's son as chairman and CEO of the Reading-based retailer. Boscov, 76,...