Plea in murder case

Plea in murder case
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Dennis Reed, 30, accused of killing his estranged girlfriend, pleaded innocent to six charges when he was arraigned in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court on Thursday. Reed of New Castle could face the death penalty if convicted in the shotgun slaying of Wendy Miller. He faces charges of criminal homicide, kidnapping, criminal attempt at burglary, simple assault, unlawful restraint and a charge prohibiting a felon to carry a gun. Miller, 28, of Sankey Street was found dead Dec. 23 in a wooded area off Neshannock Boulevard in New Castle. Reed was arrested the day before in Butler, Pa., where he was found with three of Miller's four children. Miller and the children had been reported missing about a week earlier.
Insurance concerns
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- Mercer County senior citizens who subscribe to Security Blue Medicare HMO insurance can take their concerns about rising rates directly to the man who makes those decisions next week.
Tom Scully, head of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMMS), will join U.S. Rep. Phil English of Erie, R-21st, in a public meeting at 10:30 a.m. March 15 at the Womancare Center of UPMC Horizon on North Hermitage Road. CMMS oversees funding for Medicare Plus Choice insurance programs such as Security Blue, which has about 5,000 subscribers in Mercer County.
Security Blue has said its costs are rising 8 percent per year but Medicare reimbursements are rising only at 2 percent per year. The company said it is forced to either raise rates or drop the insurance program.
Phone-scam warning
SHARON, Pa. -- Police are warning cell and mobile phone users of a new scam that could result in them paying for phone calls made by others. Police said the person working the scam calls an unsuspecting cell phone user and claims to be testing telephone circuits, asking the person called to dial a specific sequence of numbers as part of the test. When those numbers are dialed, they give the scam artist access to the victim's subscriber identification module in their cell or mobile phone and the scam artist can then make calls charged to the victim's account, police said. People receiving such a call should hang up immediately without dialing any numbers and report the call to their local police.
Accident kills horse
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- An Amish couple's horse was killed after it became spooked and jumped into the path of a car. Pennsylvania State Police said the couple were traveling east on Pa. Route 208 in Wilmington Township at 4:46 p.m. Wednesday when their horse jumped into the path a car driven by Thomas Tomeo, 53, of Volant. The buggy rolled over and the passenger, Mary Hostettler, 28, of Volant suffered cuts and bruises. She was treated at Jamison Hospital in New Castle. The buggy driver, Erwin Hostettler, 27, and Tomeo were not hurt, police said.
Carrier fights charges
PITTSBURGH -- A Hadley mail carrier indicted in July on federal charges of mail fraud and making false statements to obtain workers' compensation benefits is fighting the charges in federal court this week. John L. McDonald, 61, of Fredonia Road, was injured when he was struck by a car while delivering mail in Greenville in July 1999. He later filed unemployment compensation claims and was paid about $17,800 in benefits but failed to report his earnings from other businesses he was involved in, according to the indictment against him. The United States Attorney's office is prosecuting the case, which opened Wednesday before Senior U.S. Judge Gustave Diamond.
Maple sugaring program
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- Registration continues for the Jennings Environmental Education Center's Maple Sugaring program for elementary school teachers and their pupils. For more information or to make a reservation, call (724) 794-6011 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays. Program fees are $1 per student.
The maple sugaring program unravels the mystery of how a tree works and demonstrates the art of sugaring from its early American Indian beginnings to modern-day techniques. Programs will be offered for grades one to six Tuesday through March 15, at 10 and 11 a.m. and 1 and 2 p.m. Each program lasts about 90 minutes.