What we're working on for April 26

Here's a look at the stories keeping our reporters busy Thursday: * A suspect is arrested in a reported home invasion. Reporter Mike Lester is headed to the arraignment and will have a full report. * An ambulance crew trying to get to a downed ATV rider gets stuck in mud. See what we have so far, and look for Susan Schwartz's full report Friday. * A cop who stepped down from one local force amid charges is back on the beat in another.

Ambulance gets stuck in mud during rescue

BRIAR CREEK TWP. -- An ambulance attempting to get to an ATV rider suffering a seizure got stuck on a muddy trail Thursday afternoon, forcing rescuers to devise new plans to get at the man. A firefighter used his pickup truck to get at the man, who was spotted by a neighbor from Shickshinny Valley Road around 1 p.m. The neighbor could not get to the man because his dog was with him and was being protective. The dog was barking and carrying on, said neighbor Matt Barwick.

Judge delivers stiff sentences to meth makers

BLOOMSBURG -- Three convicted meth makers were ordered to serve state prison time for their involvement in the production of the dangerous drug. "Why anyone would do this is beyond me," Columbia County Judge Gary E. Norton said in sentencing one of several people recently convicted in meth-related crimes. Norton ordered Maria Mackenzie, 47, of 505 Susquehanna Ave., Berwick, to at least 19 months in a state penitentiary. Mackenzie was on parole for a prior drug crime when officers came to administer a drug test and found meth-making ingredients in her home.

Arsonist convicted

WILKES-BARRE -- A jury has convicted Gail Schneider of Berwick on charges that she set fire to an apartment building to exact revenge on a landlord. Schneider, 44, was placed into shackles in the courtroom late Wednesday afternoon and taken to jail to await her sentencing. She was convicted on all counts against her in connection to the Sept. 5, 2010 blaze.

Fire kills a dozen cats near Danville

DANVILLE -- A fire in a home just south of here killed at least a dozen cats Wednesday, the fire chief said. The owner, Linda Long, lives in Allentown and wasn't at her summer home when the blaze broke out about 11:30 a.m., a neighbor who cared for the cats and didn't want to be identified said. Point Twp. Fire Chief Jim Geise said he saw one cat running around outside the house while firefighters battled the blaze. But firefighters had collected the bodies of at least a dozen other cats that had perished. A large metal animal crate on the deck appeared to have several cats in it as well.

What we're working on for April 23

Here's a quick look at the stories keeping our reporters busy Monday: * A vacant home that once housed a gift shop at a local bison ranch burns to the ground early Monday. Reporter Kristin Baver will have more. * A local doctor was not responsible for a man's death just days after surgery, a jury decides. Read what we have on the story so far. * Testimony continues in the arson trial of a Berwick woman. See what a tenant, landlord and bartenders at a tavern had to say today.

Geisinger doc did not cause man's death, jury says

DANVILLE -- A Geisinger urologist was not negligent in his care of a prostate cancer patient who died days after surgery, a jury decided Monday. Widow Elizabeth Schoppy had sued Dr. Daniel Rukstalis and Geisinger after her husband, Phillip Schoppy of Marion Heights died after having his cancerous prostate removed four years ago. Schoppy's lawyer had alleged that Rukstalis had not taken Schoppy's history of blood clots into account in deciding how to treat the patient and what medications to administer.

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