Today's News-Saturday, June 28th

POTTSVILLE - Pottsville police and the FBI have a lead on a suspect in the Dec. 13 armed robbery of Murphy Jewelers, Detective Glenn A. Dove said Friday. According to the Republican and Herald, Dove said the suspect is from Chester, Delaware County, and is an inmate at Delaware County Prison on unrelated charges. Dove would offer no further details. The robbery occurred at 7:21 p.m. Dec. 13, Dove said. According to the timer on Murphy's security video tape, the incident lasted about a minute.

POTTSVILLE - A Mahanoy City man will go to state prison and be subject to Megan's Law sanctions when released after being sentenced Friday in Schuylkill County Court on charges of having improper contact with two girls in the borough. According to the Republican and Herald, Antonios Anastasopoulos, 50, continued to protest his innocence as Judge John E. Domalakes sentenced him to spend nine months to five years in a state correctional institution. Domalakes also imposed Megan's Law sanctions on Anastasopoulos for 10 years after he leaves prison. The judge concurred with the finding of the state Sexual Offenders Assessment Board that Anastasopoulos is not a sexually violent predator; that finding would have meant lifetime Megan’s Law sanctions against the defendant.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Legislators are resigned to the prospect of working through the weekend - even though leaders say they're making progress toward a budget agreement three days before the end of the fiscal year. Without an agreement by Monday, Governor Ed Rendell could order a partial government shut-down as early as 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, idling state parks and driver license centers and sending thousands of government employees home without pay. At issue is the roughly 28 (b) billion-dollar state budget. Negotiators on both sides say they're narrowing numerous differences over the level of spending and how to plug a hole left by this year's smaller-than-expected surplus. Still, talks tonight did not go well, with Republicans and Democrats expressing frustration with the other after the session broke up. Negotiators plan to meet tomorrow, and House and Senate voting sessions are scheduled each day through Monday.

LEBANON, Pa. (AP) - Police in Lebanon have released the names of two people killed in what they believe was a murder-suicide. Investigators say 43-year-old Raymond William Zegowitz killed 23-year-old Khrystina Ann Bixa and then himself. They say the shootings followed an apparent argument early Thursday at the Green Tree Village apartments. The bodies were found at about 10 a.m. Thursday after Bixa's boss called police when she failed to show up for work. Police say the couple's two young children were in the home when police found the bodies, but investigators do not know where the children were during the shootings. Police say the boys are staying with relatives.

TROY, Missouri (AP) - The National Guard says Winfield, Missouri, families whose homes are threatened after a second levee breach have been moved to safety. Water started coming into the town after a sandbag levee leaned from the pressure of rising water. It had been hastily built after the town's earthen levee failed yesterday.

KHYBER AGENCY, Pakistan (AP) - Officials say Pakistani forces bombarded suspected militant hideouts with mortar shells today and have taken control. It was the launch of a major offensive against Taliban fighters threatening the main city in the country's volatile northwest. The area is a key route for moving U.S. military supplies into Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Barack Obama says a planned summer trip to key nations in Europe and the Middle East will help him assess the situation in countries critical to American national security, and to consult with friends and allies about common challenges. The campaign had already announced plans for a trip to Iraq and Afghanistan this summer.

WHITE HOUSE (AP) - President Bush is using his radio address to praise religious charities. He says with some federal financing, the groups have made a "remarkable difference," helping to reduce homelessness, finding jobs for former inmates and fighting diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS overseas.

NEW YORK (AP) - If two baseball teams split a double-header, how does the home team end up losing both games? The Mets and Yankees have answered that riddle. Yesterday afternoon, the Mets beat the Bronx Bombers 15-6 at Yankee stadium. The two clubs then traveled to Shea Stadium in Queens for the nightcap. The Yankees took that one 9-0.