Standard-Speaker from Hazleton, Pennsylvania • Page 5

Hazleton Standard-Speaker, Saturday, November 8, 1997 5, Police STf AHUDM OTfl'tDIH (' vi UfflK DDIESEflBCT Area woman experiences the Sinai The westerns of the '50s and '60s gave a whole generation of TV viewers a taste of what it's like to live and die in the desert. Scenes of stranded gold miners and desperadoes, parched with thirst, their skin seared by the sun, were typical of those old TV westerns, The daughter of a Drums i- woman won't have to refer to old cowboy movies to describe what it's like to live out in the middle of nowhere. Array Specialist Pamela C. Keenan, daughter of Priscilla Keenan of R.R. 1, Drums, is carrying out a one-year tour of duty in the his-; torical and biblically significant Peninsula, a desert region that puts the in "desolate." Part of an 11-nation force of peacekeepers and observers, Keenan is serving in the buffer zone between Egypt and Israel to help maintain peace between the two nations.

The Multinational Force and Observers, commonly called the MFO, monitors and reports all activity in 1 the Sinai region to confirm that both Egypt and Israel are hon-" oring the terms of the 1979 Treaty of Peace that ended the nations' long-standing warfare. The MFO operates from two separate base camps North Camp and South Camp. Keenan is a fuel handler assigned to the U.S. Army's 1st Support Battal-' ion based at North Camp. "I supply fuel and water to vehicles and other equipment so the mission can be completed.

I have to be ready to go anywhere at anytime," she said. North Camp, about 20 kilometers south of the Mediterranean coastline, provides the logistical support necessary to keep South Camp and its remote, isolated outposts operating. The smaller South Camp serves as a support base for the 30 observation posts, sector control centers and check points scattered throughout the eastern Sinai region. Service in the Sinai presents I Keenan and the U.S. soldiers at I North Camp with the rare opportunity to work alongside military members representing the 10 other nations supporting the MFO.

In every aspect of the camp's operations, from aviation and medicine to supply and water purification, Americans work side by side with Hungarians, Fijians, Colombians, Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders, Uruguayans, Italians, the French and the Dutch. Army Spec, Pamela C. Keenan drives across the Sinai in this recent photo. Keenan is a fuel handler supporting the Multinational Force and Observers, which maintains a vigil over the buffer zone between Egypt and Israel. A--Y MvV 1.13 ft a watchtower on one of 30 Sinai desert.

Each outpost is including a cook, medic and Pocono man's car 2 damaged by vandal State troopers at Fern Ridge are investigating a vandalism incident. Hussein Aboulezz, of Brod-headsville, told police that the left rear side window on his 1967 Mercedes Benz was shattered and the chrome strip on the right side was pulled off. Police said the car was damaged between Oct. 4 and 30. Two vehicles crash -on Monroe highway" No one was hurt in a two-caf accident in Chestnut Hill Township, Monroe County, Nov.

2. State troopers at Fern Ridge said Karena Sartoris, 28, of Blakeslee, was turning left onto Route 115 at 2 p.m. and collided with a car driven by Gilberto Echevarria, 57, of New Jersey. Sartoris and Echevarria wer using their seat belts. Parts stolen front valley car lot Butler Township police are investigating the theft of Chevrolet motor parts from a vehicle parked at Butler Valley Sales along Route 309 in Drums.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 788-3230. All information will be kept confidential. Tires on city man's car cut Hazleton police said a vandal cut the tires on a city man's car Tuesday or Wednesday. The front and rear tires on Sol Tarvel's 1990 Eagle Premier were punctured between 5 p.m. Tuesday and 9 a.m.

Wednesday. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 459-4940. Vandal smashes warehouse windows Hazleton police said a vandal smashed several windows at the Fierro Furniture warehouse on East Maple Street. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 459-4940. State police find dog in Carbon State police at Lehighton found a dog wandering on Strohls Valley Road near Old Homestead Farm last Monday.

The black female Labrador is one to two years old and was not wearing a collar or identification tag. Anyone with information should call police at 610-377-4270. Man jailed after domestic dispute A Tobyhanna man was jailed in the Monroe County prison in lieu of $5,000 bail after he was charged with simple assault and harassment. Officers from the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department arrested Robert Slank, 30, after a Wednesday night domestic dispute at his Bumble Bee Way home. 13-year-old faces three charges A 13-year-old boy who was allegedly involved in an assault on a Pocono school bus Thursday will be charged, according to the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department.

The boy allegedly slapped and punched a 13-year-old girl in the face while they were traveling home from school. The incident occurred on school property and police said the boy was suspended from school for five days. Charges of simple assault; harassment and stalking will be filed against him in Monroe County Juvenile Court. Man convicted in girlfriend's killing LOCK HAVEN (AP) A Bedford County man will spend the rest of his life in prison with no chance for parole for shooting his pregnant girlfriend because she repeatedly turned him down for a date. Bryan Lee Walter, 29, of Oster-burg was convicted late Thursday of first-degree murder in the death of Colette Rae Hahn, 26, in August 1996.

The verdict followed a week-long trial, and the penalty phase was expected to begin Friday, when the jury would decide whether Walter should spend the rest of his life in prison or face the death penalty. But before testimony could get under way Friday morning, Bedford County Judge Daniel Howsare threw out the aggravating circumstances that would have allowed a death sentence. A soldier keeps vigil from observation posts across the home to eight to 14 soldiers, radio operator. creature comforts taken for granted in the states become increasingly desirable after a few weeks in the Sinai. Family and friends seem more important, too.

"I miss my family and the delicious home-cooked meals my mother makes. I miss spending time with my four sisters. I also miss Fort Bragg, S.C., where I was before here, and my boyfriend there. This time away "I really enjoy the variety of nationalities in the MFO," Keenan said. "Meeting people from so many different countries makes it more interesting to work here in the Sinai.

I've become close friends with some Australians, who make some great conversation. Because there aren't many American women here, the Australians, and even other nationalities, look up to me like I'm a goddess. "I've gotten nothing but respect from everyone here and that makes my tour and mission a lot more enjoyable," she added. The Sinai holds historical, economic and political significance, being the land bridge between Africa and southwest Asia. In biblical times, Moses is said to have led his people out of Egypt and into freedom in Israel, roaming the swirling sands and barren landscapes of the Sinai for 40 years.

On Mount Sinai, he was presented the Ten Commandments. At the Gulf of Aqaba, he saw the Red Sea parted by the hand of God, clearing the way for his people to make the final trek into Israel. Outside the fenced-in camp, however, there's not much Our students are enjoying the time they spend with the youngsters and learning from the experience as well, so it's truly a win-win situation. PSU's Mary Kosin scenery for Keenan to look at. For miles in any direction, all that can be seen are acres of barren desert landscape, fading finally into sand dunes and granite mountains perched on the horizon.

The land is empty, still and lifeless, save for the occasional bedouin Arabs driving their goat and camel herds across the desert in search of sparse vegetation. For Keenan and the other Americans here, there is precious little grass, trees or other greenery to remind them of home. "Living here in the Sinai is a joyous occasion for me. Once you get over the heat, the time here is interesting. My homesickness never goes away, but the friends I've made here are separated from their loved ones just like I am, so we help each other through the hard times," she said.

"There is plenty of entertainment, including a pool to cool off in on the hottest days, a theater to watch movies and laugh with my friends, and clubs to celebrate the good times and memories I make in the Sinai." Each day Keenan spends in the desert brings her one day closer to home and renewing the life she left behind. The common students in this type of activity in Greater Hazleton," she said. "It gives young children the opportunity to learn from positive role models the importance of reading at an early age. Our students are enjoying the time they spend with the youngsters and learning from the experience as well, so it's truly a win-win situation." Typically, Kosin said, Penn State Hazleton "America Reads" students spend between one and I will only bring us closer," said Keenan, a 1993 graduate of Red Land High School in Lewisber- ry- The ending for Keenan and her fellow soldiers in the Sinai will be a lot different from the fate of the desperadoes of TV westerns past. After one year, Keenan will bid farewell to desert life, and take on new challenges in the "real" world she left behind.

10 ton i. J- 4jtH iR 7f" niiiii 1 I Emphasizing the importance of reading is goal of PSU students Students at local campus travel to area elem schools Twenty-three Penn State Hazleton Campus stu- importance and unique nature of the program, dents have read to children in local elementary "We are extremely pleased to be involving our schools this semester through the "America Reads" program, a nationwide effort to emphasize the importance of reading. Endorsed by President Clinton, "America Reads" calls upon all Americans, parents, educators, libraries, universities, religious institutions, the media, senior citizens and community groups, to help young children learn to read well and on their own. Penn State Hazleton Campus "America Reads" students Christopher Brida, at left, and Sarah Gibbons, center, read to children at Tiny Tykes Teachery in Hazleton. i I three hours on certain days reading to children at one of 10 designated area elementary schools and daycare centers.

Often, the books coincide with lessons the younger students are already covering in class. This is where cooperation from Hazleton Area School District administrators has been integral to the program's success, Kosin said. The local elementary and pre-schools participating in "America Reads" are: Arthur Street Elementary, the Child Development Council, E.A. Encke, Freeland Elementary, Hazle Elementary, Holy Spirit Academy, Holy Trinity, Sugarloaf Day Care Center, Tiny Tykes Teachery and Valley Elementary. For more information on "America Reads," contact Kosin at 450-3163.

College work-study students are playing a pivotal role in the effort, as Clinton has asked that a significant amount of some 200,000 new federal work-study jobs be dedicated to "America Reads." Subsequently, Penn State President Graham B. Spanier has joined more than 20 other college presidents in pledging to fill at least half of those positions in the next two years with eligible graduate and undergraduate students. The 23 Penn State Hazleton "America Reads" students are among 250 the university plans to hire and train within the next year; which will account for a total of 80,000 hours of tutoring time in various statewide communities. Penn State Hazleton Financial Aid Coordinator Mary C. Kosin, who is directing the "America Reads" effort for the campus, emphasized the Penn State Hazleton Campus "America Reads" students Jennifer McNamara and Jacob Gerhard read to students at Hazle Elementary School.

After a half century wait, killer hears he's still a threat was declared mentally unfit to stand trial. The psychiatrists said Unruh, a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic, is no longer actively psychotic. But the judge said she could not ignore the homicidal rampage that occurred on Sept. 7, 1949. Unruh was a 28-year-old pharmacy student when he killed 13 people and wounded three others in a 12-minute shooting spree in East Camden.

ton to a psychiatric hospital in Glen Gardner, 35 miles north. Superior Court Judge Linda G. Rosen-zweig said the geriatric facility has "too many opportunities for escape." Klein argued that Unruh would have been housed in a locked unit at the hospital. "He shows his age. I don't see him capable of running away from anyone." Unruh was never prosecuted because he his age.

"He is constantly fearful of being attacked," said Dr. Chung H. Lyou-Kim, another psychiatrist at the hospital. She said Unruh frequently sits alone in a corner to avoid confrontations with other patients, all of whom have been found criminally insane. Public Defender James Klein sought a transfer for Unruh from a facility in Tren I CAMDEN, N.J.

(AP) Nearly a half-century after Howard Unruh gunned down i3 people, a judge says the 76-year-old man is still a threat to society and should not be moved to a less-secure geriatric psychiatric hospital. Unruh is the oldest resident of a unit with younger, more violent patients, said psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Greenberg. He should be moved to a facility with patients.