Today's News - Satyrday Aug. 4

Fair wraps up today

SUMMIT STATION - Today is the final day of the 2007 Schuylkill County Fair! From the time the gates open until the final chord is struck late tonight, the fair will be full of games, amusements and fun things to do. It will be a great way to spend the entire day. Wrapping up the entertainment for this year's Schuylkill County Fair on Oldies Day is Shake Rattle and Soul at 7, Schuylkill County Idol winner Thomas Guastavino (goo-us-tuh-veeno) at 8pm, and Chuck Negron, formerly of Three Dog Night, on the M&T Bank Stage at 9pm. The week has been Bushels of Fun at the Schuylkill County Fair. Bring your lawnchairs and spend the day!

Country Day at the Fair

SUMMIT STATION - Yesterday was Country Day at the annual Schuylkill County Fair was Bushels of Fun. The Open Dairy Cow show kicked off the day and seventeen year old Erika Rhein of Pine Grove and her cows took in top honors. Rhien's animals captured the supreme champion, senior champion, reserve senior champion, grand champion, and reserve grand champion in the Jersey cattle category. The highlight of the evening was when country music superstar Lee Greenwood took the stage with his signature rally song of America, God Bless the USA. The fair raps up today with Oldies Day featuring Chuck Negron, formerly of Three Dog Night this evening at 9 p.m.

Elm Street Program gets expanded footprint

POTTSVILLE - The City of Pottsville's Elm Street Improvement Project is expanding. In what's been deemed a first for an Elm Street Program in Pennsylvania, the Department of Community and Economic Development granted Pottsville's request to extend the city's footprint to include Nichols Street. Prior to the extension, the corridor covered the North Centre Street and portions of the Jalappa section of Pottsville. In a related note, the new lighting, paving and other improvements that have been underway this summer are complete. A mural to be painted along North Centre Street is expected to get underway soon. The Elm Street program helps home and business owners in low to moderate income neighborhoods.

Tamaqua man charged with counterfeiting

TAMAQUA - A Tamaqua man is awaiting an appearance before a federal judge on charges that he manufactured counterfeit money. A three-week investigation into reports of counterfeit bills being passed at Tamaqua businesses culminated Monday with the arrest of 47-year-old Samuel Koch. Police relied on informants and surveillance to trace the counterfeit money to Koch. Koch was taken into custody at 3:30 Monday afternoon in an area near Tamaqua Area High School after law enforcement officials set up an operation through which Koch allegedly delivered $11-hundred dollars in counterfeit cash. In addition to the $11-hundred dollars in funny money, police seized what they called a "high-tech" color printer and scanner. The equipment may have been used to manufacture the bogus bills. Koch was taken to the Lackawanna County Prison, Scranton where he'll appear at the Federal Courthouse.

Smooth Operator begins Sunday

SCHUYLKILL COUNTY - More than 19-thousand aggressive drivers felt the pinch in their wallets in July and now police departments across the state are warning would-be aggressive drivers that they'll be looking for them again during the third wave of Smooth Operator enforcement, which runs from Aug. 5-11. More than 150 municipal police departments and the Pennsylvania State Police will be patrolling the highways and issuing citations during Smooth Operator, which targets aggressive driving, the leading cause of highway fatalities in Pennsylvania. Last year, 909 of the state's 1,525 traffic fatalities were related to aggressive driving. During the second wave of enforcement in July, police issued 19,014 citations and made 362 arrests. Police cited 15,089 people for aggressive driving, such as speeding, tailgating, running red lights or stop signs and making unsafe lane changes. Roads were targeted based on statistics that showed a high frequency of aggressive-driving crashes. In Schuylkill County, 852 citations and arrests were made in the second wave. In addition, 774 citations were issued for failure to wear a seat belt; 3,151 citations were issued for other traffic violations. PennDOT is investing $2 million in the Smooth Operator program to support police training, overtime and equipment, such as wireless infrared speed detectors. Smooth Operator enforcement will continue with a fourth wave Sept. 2-15.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER (AP) - Off on a 422 million mile journey to Mars. NASA has launched an unmanned rocket carrying a robotic dirt and ice digger for scooping up Martian soil. It's aiming for a landing within the red planet's Arctic Circle next May.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush heads to the site of Minneapolis' deadly bridge collapse today for an up-close look. Meanwhile, the House and Senate have approved a measure to direct 250 million dollars to help rebuild the I-35W bridge. The House must vote again today on the Senate-amended version of the bill.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Slow-moving rush-hour traffic likely saved lives following Minneapolis' bridge collapse. Officials say vehicles had little momentum to slide into the Mississippi River. The bridge design that minimized falling debris is also credited with keeping the number of deaths relatively low. Five deaths have been confirmed.

CAPITOL HILL (AP) - The House could vote today on a bill to give President Bush expanded authority to eavesdrop on phone calls and e-mails made by suspected terrorists overseas. The measure that cleared the Senate last night grants Bush that power for six months.

NEW YORK (AP) - The CIA may be able to keep Valerie Plame silent about the exact length of her tenure with the agency. That ruling from a federal judge who said there are benefits for the agency and the country in keeping some things silent even after all the publicity surrounding the leaking of her identity.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Ford is recalling 3.6 million passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs. There's concern over a cruise control switch that had lead to previous recalls based on reports of fires. A spokesman says Ford had received "a few reports of fires" in Ford Crown Victoria passenger cars prior to the recall.

LOS OLIVOS, Calif. (AP) - Hundreds of people have fled a rapidly expanding wildfire in California's Los Padres National Forest. The fire has burned about 70 square miles. Crews are also battling significant wildfires in Montana, Idaho, Washington state and New Jersey.

LONDON (AP) - British scientists are working to identify the source of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease on a farm in southern England. Authorities have imposed a nationwide ban on moving livestock in an effort to stop the virus from spreading.

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) - An Army private faces a maximum sentence of life in prison today at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, for the killings of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and her family last year near Baghdad. A military jury found Jesse Spielman guilty of rape and murder.

NEW YORK (AP) - Marine mischief. That's what New York officials are calling a replica Revolutionary War submarine that caused a scare by crossing into a security zone near the docked ocean liner Queen Mary 2. The egg-shaped craft was manned by a Brooklyn artist.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Police in Oakland, California, are testing guns and other evidence seized during raids targeting a Black Muslim group. Police suspect members of the group were involved in the killing of a newspaper editor. Seven people are under arrest.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - "LonelyGirl15" is dead. Creators of the Web drama with a cult following killed off the main character during yesterday's 12-episode season finale posted on MySpace TV and the LonelyGirl15 Web site. Bree is gone but the show's second season begins next week.