The Sentinel from Carlisle, Pennsylvania • 2

Wednesday, August 16, 1995, The Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa. A2 PECO would be winner in merger of 2 utilities Children want to know MONTROSE (AP) When Mon i I'J 1 trose attorney Martin Dillon died of a shotgun blast to his chest while hunting in 1976, it was ruled an accident. When his body was exhumed in April 1995, the ruling was changed to a homicide, and suspicion was cast on Dr. Stephen Scher, who was with Dillon on the hunting trip and married Dillon's widow two years later. Now Dillon's children, Michael T.

Dillon. 24. and Suzanne R. Dillon. duplicate services and 1,100 positions.

If the proposal is approved, PECO said it would cut its rates by $40 million. customers would see a rate increase, although a proposed boost pending before the Public Utility Commission would be scaled down to $20 million. had sought a $261 million increase, but a judge last month recommended a $61 million increase. Under the merger proposal, both companies' rates would then be frozen for five years. In addition, PECO would use $270 million of the savings produced by the merger to pay off some of the utilities' debts, particularly high costs incurred from building nuclear power plants.

The deal may be attractive to shareholders because it reduces debt and makes the utilities less vulnerable to the growing push for competition in the industry. But has resisted the proposal, which was first mentioned last fall. William F. Hecht, chairman of Resources said he is HARRISBURG (AP) After 28 years in business as a commercial printer here, David Smith knows all about improving efficiency to sustain the bottom line. So he easily understood why Philadelphia-based PECO Energy Company made public this week its offer to merge with Resources, in a move to strengthen the utility's position in the electric marketplace.

But Smith's interest only stretches as far as his own bottom line. He "wants to know how the deal will affect his electric bill. "I'm trying to be as open-minded about it as I can," Smith, owner of David A. Smith Printing, said Tuesday, a day after the merger proposal was announced. "There are going to be benefits to us if the rates stabilize for the next five years, as they say.

Bigger is not always better, though." PECO has offered to buy the Allentown-based electric company for $3.8 billion. Officials said the deal would lead to savings of $2 billion and rate reductions of $860 million over a decade for customers of both companies by eliminating concerned about the high cost of past PECO investments, and whether shareholders would be forced to share the debt. Peter Loedding, president of the Capital Region Economic Development Corporation, said improving efficiency at and lowering rates would help attract businesses to the area. But, he said, "If that's not going to be possible because we're paying higher debt at PECO, then it will not be beneficial for us in land." PECO attempted Tuesday to boost support for its bid by announcing that two former PUC chairmen support the merger. The utility released statements by Bill Shane and William H.

Smith, who agreed the deal would produce savings that would benefit Pennsylvania's economy. The current five-member board has not taken a position on the merger, and individual members declined to comment. As for Smith, the printer said his interest in the deal is twofold. Not only does he pay for his electric service, but he also owns stock in the utility. 22, have signed a petition with their mother, Patricia Scher, to exhume their fathers body a third time, and clear their stepfather.

"1 would liKe to Know it tnere is A any reason to believe my father's death was anything other than an accident or a suicide." Michael Dil lon said at a hearing Monday. "Of course 1 don want them to tell me it's a homicide, but if that's what it is, I want to hear it." If the request is granted, it would be the third autoosv since Dillon died June 2, 1976, and the second Daniel Puskar, 11, of Mt. Lebanon practices his baseball swing in a sprinkler Tuesday. The temperature reached a record 96 degrees in the Pittsburgh this year. Lottery ilt a glance EI Legislators propose changes in AG's office Woman's identity still unknown Tuesday's Daily Number was 039.

Pilot error blamed for crash MYERSTOWN Pilot error caused a helicopter crash that killed three people in Lebanon County in January, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. In a report released Friday, the NTSB said that pilot 039 Charles E. Baird, 57, of Newberry Township, caused the accident through improper m-flight planning decision WEST CHESTER The identity of a woman whose dismembered body was found in a suitcase along Valley Creek in Chester County remains unknown, despite the release 12 days ago of a computer-enhanced photograph of her. "It's unbelievable," District Attorney Anthony Sar-cione said Tuesday. "I figured the picture would get us somewhere." Several calls came in to state police after the photograph was published in local newspapers, but none of the tips panned out, according to Sarcione.

Authorities have already said they believe she was slain somewhere else and her body was dumped in East Cain Township. The suitcase was found by a fisherman July 11. Fingerprints failed to lead to the woman's identity. Hers were not found in a national database that holds records of fingerprints for those arrested or listed as runaways. Investigators also eliminated leads from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which had -identified 48 juveniles whose descriptions were similar to the woman.

The woman is believed to be between 20 and 30 years old, either white or Latino, 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighed 140 pounds and had brown hair and brown eyes. campaign fund raising. Under the proposal, the attorney general: Would be elected for six years and could not serve a successive term. Attorneys general now run for four years and may be elected to a second successive term. Would have to resign before launching a campaign for another office.

Could not raise funds or accept political contributions while in office. Would have to place any unspent campaign contributions in escrow until leaving office. Preate admitted in federal court in June that he mailed false campaign finance reports to conceal illegal cash contributions from video poker operators. He faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced. As part of a plea bargain with federal prosecutors, Preate agreed to resign from office.

Acting Attorney General Walter Cohen said the proposal is worthy of consideration. "The position of attorney general, with its power to conduct criminal investigations and bring criminal charges, is unlike any other elected position in state government," he said. HARRISBURG (AP) The current system of campaigning and fund raising contributed to the downfall of former Attorney General Ernie Preate Jr. and tarnished his office, according to two state senators. On Tuesday, Sen.

David Brightbill and Sen. Robert Jubelirer proposed a constitutional amendment to place campaign restrictions on the attorney general's office as insulation from the influence of politics and money. "In making the office so political, we have diminished, rather than elevated it, and created an atmosphere that promotes public distrust," said Brightbill, the Lebanon County Republican who is sponsoring the legislation. Jubelirer, the Blair County Republican who serves as the president pro tern of the Senate, agreed. "Unless the system is changed, there will always be questions, suspicions and, yes, even abuses," he said.

The amendment would prohibit the attorney general from engaging in politics and political fund-raising after being elected. Brightbill said the measure is aimed at restoring the integrity of the office, which Preate vacated in June after pleading guilty to a mail 1 fraud charge in connection with his and failure to maintain control of the aircraft after it became disoriented in the air. Baird and two other employees of Carlos R. Leffler were flying from Williamsport to the company's headquarters in Richland on Jan. 18 when the helicopter crashed in the fog.

Baird, Leffler executive vice president Robert Bleck-er, and head of maintenance Thomas McGuigan all died in the crash a half-mile from the airport. Shortly after leaving Williamsport, Baird asked to land in Myerstown and was cleared for an approach to the Deck Airport at 6 p.m. He planned to land visually, instead of with the aircraft's instruments, the NTSB said. -Five minutes later, the helicopter crashed in a muddy cornfield. Witnesses reported seeing the helicopter descend steeply out of the clouds before it crashed to the ground.

1 -Associated Press Big 4: 7594 Winning numbers drawn Monday in the "Pennsylvania Wild Card Lotto" game were: 24-25-30-33-36 and 42. Wild card number was 16. No players matched all six winning numbers drawn in Tuesday's Pennsylvania Wild Card Lotto" game, a lottery official said. Lottery director Charles W. Kline said one player matched five numbers plus the wild card and won 23 players matched five, numbers and won $1,668.50 each; 62 players matched four numbers plus the wild card and won $687.50 each; 1,282 players matched four numbers and won $33 each; and 1,919 players matched three numbers plus the wild card and won $13 each.

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