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BERWICK, Maine — Andrea Burns' Route 9 neighbor watched a woman pull up to Burns' home Thursday, pick up the family's 14-year-old cat, Pumpkin, from the front yard, put the cat in her back seat and drive away. The whole incident was fairly quick, said the neighbor, who wishes to remain anonymous, but it has left the Burns family with a lasting sadness in wake of their cat's theft.

May 24, 2008 -- ALBANY - A veteran State Police forensic scientist hanged himself yesterday under circumstances shockingly similar to the suicide of another state police official just eight days ago Garry Veeder, 59, left a note in his Albany suburb home saying he was concerned about becoming a target of an internal probe regarding the handling of a high-profile case, the Albany Times Union reported. But sources said Veeder, who recently put in his retirement papers, was not implicated in the investigation by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who is probing suspected political espionage by a rogue group of State...

2ND SUICIDE SHOCK STATE POLICE LAB MAN FEARED PROBE By BRENDAN SCOTT, Post Correspondent May 24, 2008 -- ALBANY - A veteran State Police forensic scientist hanged himself yesterday under circumstances shockingly similar to the suicide of another state police official just eight days ago Garry Veeder, 59, left a note in his Albany suburb home saying he was concerned about becoming a target of an internal probe regarding the handling of a high-profile case, the Albany Times Union reported. But sources said Veeder, who recently put in his retirement papers, was not implicated in the investigation by Attorney General...

A former top State Police official who killed himself left behind a detailed suicide note focusing on Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's probe of the Dirty Tricks Scandal and feared an ongoing investigation of ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer's involvement with prostitutes, The Post has learned. Recently retired State Police Inspector Gary Berwick, who hung himself in the garage of his home on Thursday, wrote a wide-ranging and sometimes rambling suicide note, sources said. The letter zeroed in on his close relationship with former acting State Police Superintendent Preston Felton, a key figure in last summer's political espionage scandal who was dumped after...

An emergency alert has been raised at the Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant in Salem Township in Luzerne County, but officials said the public is not in danger. According to PPL officials at the plant, there was a release of halon in one of the non-nuclear structures at the plant. Halon is a fire suppressant. Officials at the plant said no flames were present, but there was a burnt smell detected. The Luzerne County Emergency Agency also responded to the incident, and local E.M.A officials are on alert. Officials said there have been no evacuations. For any questions, residents of Luzerne...

BERWICK, Pa. (AP) — A code enforcement official gave a commendation to a police officer for citing her ex-husband's new wife for speeding, and was warned by the borough council not to do anything like it again. The official, Karen Karchner, said the "Certificate of Appreciation" presented to police officer Jeremy Talanca was innocent fun. But Barbara Karchner, who is married to Karen Karchner's ex-husband, was less amused. "She's always trying to find a way to get at my husband or me," Barbara Karchner said. "This is just another one of her ways." Karen Karchner would not respond to that...

Tuesday, June 29, 6:03 p.m. By Bob Reynolds, Terror Scare in Luzerne County State and federal investigators surrounded a van not far from the nuclear power plant near Berwick Tuesday. It happened after a group of five men asked for directions to the plant, saying they wanted to go fishing. At a time the whole nation is on high alert, the terror scare hit close to home. Five men, four from Bangladesh and one from Pakistan were pulled over on Route 11 around 11:00 Tuesday morning. All the men live in New York City. Police wanted to know if they...

Ban on cheerleader uniforms in class draws boosAssociated Press BERWICK, Pa. - Cheerleaders in the Berwick Area School District have been barred from wearing their uniforms to class, prompting protests from the squad and student leaders.Superintendent David Force said the cheerleader skirts are much shorter than is allowed by the school dress code. But student leaders came to a school board work session Monday night to plead for an exception.Class of 2004 president Travis Petty said "distraught" cheerleaders had come to him seeking help. He said cheerleaders have worn uniforms to class on the days of football games for the...