Today's News-Monday, June 8, 2009

FIRE DESTROYS KLINGERSTOWN HOME

A Klingerstown home was destroyed by fire Saturday afternoon. The call came in mid afternoon that the Jeremy Strohecker home on Ridge Road was filled with smoke. Crews had the the blaze under control within about an hour, and no injuries were reported. The cause of that fire is not yet known.

ILLEGAL PICKED UP IN TRAFFIC STOP

A Shenandoah man is in custody for providing fraudulent ID to police. State police at Frackville say 20 year old Ricardo Hurtado-Reyes, a passenger in a car stopped for a traffic violation at Lehigh Avenue and Arch Street in Frackville. Reyes provided fraudulent ID and was taken to Schuylkill County Prison on immigration charges. Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities from Berks County assisted state police.

WEST BRUNSWICK CAR DAMAGED

Schuylkill Haven state police are looking for the individuals who damaged an Orwigsburg man's car over the weekend. Someone spray painted Harry Rubright's car and smashed a window between Saturday and Sunday. There was interior damage as well. The investigation continues.

CHAMBER SUBMITS WISH LIST

We all know that area roadways are not in the best of shape. Now, the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce has stepped forward to submit a wish list of road and bridge projects to PennDOT. Thirty one million dollars of projects covering the county were passed on to the state in hopes that some of the federal stimulus monies earmarked for transportation could receive consideration. Over twenty municipalities weighed in on projects they would like to see done.

Pa. state trooper dies after chase, shootout
TOBYHANNA, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania State Police say one of two troopers wounded in a shootout after a high-speed chase in the Pocono Mountains has died at a hospital. Police said Monday that 34-year-old Trooper Joshua Miller died at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown.
Police say Miller and Trooper Robert Lombardo were shot Sunday night during an exchange of gunfire with a man who kidnapped a 9-year-old boy. The suspect was also killed, but the boy wasn't shot. Pocono Mountain Regional Police Chief Harry Lewis says the chase began outside Easton and ended about 40 miles away in Coolbaugh Township, Monroe County. Thirty-five-year-old Lombardo is listed in satisfactory condition at Community Medical Center in Scranton.

IRAQ-MARINE DEATH
Military says NC-based Marine killed in Iraq
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - A marine from Landisville, Pennsylvania has died from a non-hostile incident in Iraq, according to military officials. The Department of Defense says 22-year-old Lance Corporal Robert Ulmer died June 5 as a result of a non-hostile incident in the Anbar province. Ulmer was assigned to 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, II arine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune. The incident is under investigation.

ATLANTIC CITY-DELAWARE COMPETITION
Delaware's expanded gambling worries Atlantic City
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - For years, Atlantic City could mostly ignore the three slots parlors at racetracks in Delaware. But now, its little neighbor to the south is stepping up into
the big leagues of casino gambling, approving sports betting, and soon, table games like blackjack, craps and roulette. That could put a fierce hurt on an already reeling Atlantic
City, which is dealing with revenue declines due to the recession and slots parlors in Pennsylvania and New York. Some even think Delaware's moves could prompt Pennsylvania to
offer full-blown casinos sooner than expected - even worse news for Atlantic City. An analyst says Atlantic City's casinos need to emphasize what they have that the competition does not - oceanfront hotels, top-name entertainers and restaurants.

VENICE BIENNALE-PHILADELPHIA
Philadelphia Museum of Art wins at Venice Biennale
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The Philadelphia Museum of Art has been awarded the Golden Lion award for best national pavilion at the Venice Biennale, world's oldest and most prestigious contemporary art fair. The victory for "Bruce Nauman: Topological Garden" is the first by a commissioner of the U.S. Pavilion since 1990. It echoes the museum's capture of a similar top award for the Jasper Johns show two decades ago. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter called the prize "a tremendous achievement" for the museum and the city. The show includes 33 items at the U.S. pavilion and two local universities. Sueyun Locks of Philadelphia's Locks Gallery says "It's not a lot of work, but it's core work." Tobias Rehberger of Germany won the Golden Lion for best artist in the contemporary art exposition.

STATE BUDGET-EDUCATION
Zahorchak to take his objections to state budget proposals to local school patrons
UNDATED (AP) - At meetings beginning today, Pennsylvania Education Secretary Gerald L. Zahorchak will talk about his opposition to property tax increases, school cutbacks and teacher
layoffs in state budget proposals. He plans to talk with superintendents, school board members,
teachers, parents, residents and other elected officials. The schedule for tomorrow includes a noon meeting at East Pennsboro Area High School in Enola, followed by meetings in Hollidaysburg and Pittsburgh.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea is warning fishermen and boat captains to stay away from the country's east coast. Japan's coast guard says it picked up a North Korean radio signal issuing the warning. Pyongyang is threatening what it calls a "super hard-line" response if the U.S. Security Council punishes it for its recent nuclear test.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - The State Department says it's "deeply concerned" and prepared to "engage in all possible channels" to free two American journalists sentenced to 12 years in a North Korean prison. Many believe Pyongyang is using Laura Ling and Euna Lee as bargaining chips as the U.N. debates how to punish North Korea for its latest military threats.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - A Palestinian official says Israeli troops have killed four Palestinian gunmen along the frontier between Israel and Hamas-controlled Gaza. The official says the gunmen were part of a group trying to cross the border fence into Israel.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama turns his focus to his economic stimulus program today. He and Vice President Joe Biden are scheduled to meet with members of the Cabinet to discuss spending plans for the next several months. Administration officials say the president wants to make sure the agencies remain focused on getting the money into grants, programs and contracts that create jobs.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - The International Air Transport Association says the world's airlines will collectively lose $9 billion this year. That's nearly double previous projections. The group is also warning the airlines face a slow recovery, with air travel and cargo demand down thanks to the global recession.