NEWS 12.28.09
LOCAL

UNIDENTIFIED SUSPECTS BROKE INTO A TRACTOR TRAILER AT WHITE OWL MANOR OVER THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. APPROXIMATELY 100 GALLONS OF DIESEL FUEL WERE REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE, WHICH BELONGS TO JOHN LATSHAW JR OF MAHANOY CITY. THE INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING. CONTACT THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE OF FRACKVILLE WITH ANY INFORMATION REGARDING THIS THEFT.

THREE HISPANIC MALES FORCED THERE WAY INTO A HOME IN GIRARDVILLE WITH A KNIFE AROUND 10 OCLOCK LAST NIGHT. TERRY BOEHM OF 213 B STREET HAD PROPERTY STOLEN. THE SUSPECTS LEFT ON FOOT HEADING WEST ON B STREET. THE MALES WERE IN THEIR LATE 30’S AND WEARING DARK CLOTHING.

CONGRESSMAN TIM HOLDEN WILL HOLD 2 PRESS CONFERENCES TODAY ANNOUNCING FEDERAL FUNDING. SCHUYLKILL HEALTH SYSTEMS ON SOUTH JACKSON STREET IN POTTSVILLE WILL HOST THE FIRST AT 1:30PM. THE CONGRESSMAN WILL ANNOUNCE SECURED $500,000 FEDERAL FUNDING FOR HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES THAT WILL BE USED FOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS IMPROVEMENTS. HE WILL ALSO BE SPEAKING AT THE TAMAQUA COUNCIL CHAMBERS ON E. BROAD STREET IN TAMAQUA ANNOUNCING $200,000 FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE THAT WILL USED FOR DOWNTOWN AND SCHOOL AREA CAMERAS AND LICENSE PLATE SCANNER.

UNKNOWN PERSONS BROKE INTO AN UNOCCUPIED TRAILER OFF CHAPEL DRIVE IN PINE GROVE TOWNSHIP OVER THE WEEKEND. THE TRAILER WAS BEING RENOVATED AT FIDLER COURT TRAILER PARK. SUSPECTS BROKE IN THROUGH THE DOOR AND MADE OFF WITH SEVERAL POWER TOOLS. ANYONE WITH INFORMATION REGARDING THIS BURGLARY IS TO CONTACT THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE OF SCHUYLKILL HAVEN.

PA NEWS

MEDIA, PA. (AP) - EMERGENCY WORKERS IN SUBURBAN PHILADELPHIA PULLED TWO PEOPLE OUT OF A RAIN-SWOLLEN CREEK AFTER THEIR CAR WENT OFF THE ROAD ON SATURDAY. MIDDLETOWN FIRE CHIEF RIC TULL SAYS A 14-YEAR-OLD ESCAPED THE VEHICLE BY CLIMBING OUT A WINDOW AND CLUNG TO A LOG UNTIL RESCUERS REACHED HER. THE GIRLS MOTHER WAS EXTRICATED FROM THE CAR AND PULLED TO SAFETY.

HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - ED RENDELL IS A SMALLER MAN THAN HE USED TO BE - 56 POUNDS SMALLER, TO BE EXACT. BUT HE VOWS TO REMAIN A WEIGHTY POLITICAL FORCE IN HIS FINAL YEAR AS GOVERNOR. RENDELL SAYS HE WILL PRESS FOR A TAX ON NATURAL-GAS DRILLING AND ANOTHER BOOST
IN EDUCATION SPENDING NEXT YEAR - EVEN AS MAJOR NEW FINANCIAL PRESSURES ARE EXPECTED TO MOUNT.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - POLICE IN PITTSBURGH ARE USING A SIGN-LANGUAGE INTERPRETER IN THEIR INVESTIGATION OF AN ATTEMPTED ROBBERY AND SHOOTING OF TWO DEAF MEN. INVESTIGATORS SAY THE VICTIMS TOLD THEM THE SUSPECT FORCED THEM INTO AN ALLEY EARLY SUNDAY, THEN SHOT ONE MAN IN THE LEG AND THE OTHER IN THE BUTTOCKS AND BACK OF THE HEAD.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - SOUTH AFRICAN POET AND FORMER POLITICAL PRISONER DENNIS BRUTUS HAS DIED. HE WAS 85. BRUTUS' PUBLISHER SAYS HE DIED IN HIS SLEEP AT HIS HOME IN CAPE TOWN ON SATURDAY. EXILED FROM SOUTH AFRICA IN 1966, BRUTUS LATER MOVED TO THE UNITED STATES AND TAUGHT LITERATURE AND AFRICAN STUDIES AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY AND THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH.

NEW YORK (AP) - JON GOSSELIN'S LAWYER SAYS THE REALITY TV START'S NEW YORK CITY APARTMENT WAS RANSACKED WHILE HE SPENT CHRISTMAS WITH HIS CHILDREN IN PENNSYLVANIA. ATTORNEY MARK JAY HELLER SAYS GOSSELIN CAME HOME TO FIND SLASHED FURNITURE AND
CLOTHING AS WELL AS A SMASHED FAMILY-HEIRLOOM VASE. HE SAYS THE CULPRIT ALSO LEFT A NOT BUT WOULDN'T DISCLOSE WHAT IT SAID.

NATIONAL

LONDON (AP) - BRITAIN SAYS THE MAN ACCUSED OF TRYING TO BOMB A U.S. AIRLINER ON CHRISTMAS DAY WAS PLACED ON A U.K. WATCH LIST AFTER HE WAS REFUSED A STUDENT VISA. HOME SECRETARY ALAN JOHNSON ADDS THAT INVESTIGATORS ARE LOOKING INTO WHETHER UMAR FAROUK
ABDULMUTALLAB (OO'-MAHR FAH-ROOK' AHB-DOOL'-MOO-TAH'-LAHB) WAS RADICALIZED IN BRITAIN. ABDULMUTALLAB RECEIVED A DEGREE IN ENGINEERING AND BUSINESS FINANCE FROM UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
LAST YEAR.

WASHINGTON (AP) - AS AUTHORITIES INVESTIGATE THE NIGERIAN MAN WHO ALLEGEDLY TRIED TO BLOW UP A NORTHWEST AIRLINES FLIGHT FROM AMSTERDAM TO DETROIT ON CHRISTMAS DAY, ANOTHER COUNTRY IS ENTERING THE PICTURE. NIGERIAN AVIATION AUTHORITIES SAY THE TICKET UMAR FAROUK ABDULMUTALLAB USED CAME FROM A KLM OFFICE IN GHANA. HIS FAMILY SAYS THE MAN CUT COMMUNICATIONS WITH THEM WHEN HE LEFT NIGERIA TO STUDY ABROAD.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - AFTER A PAIR OF FALSE ALARMS ON FLIGHTS INTO DETROIT AND PHOENIX SUNDAY, OFFICIALS ARE REPORTING ANOTHER INCIDENT ON A FLIGHT INTO SALT LAKE CITY. THEY SAY AN INTOXICATED PASSENGER CAUSED A DISTURBANCE ABOARD THE DELTA FLIGHT FROM SEATTLE, AT ONE POINT KNOCKING ON THE PILOTS' CABIN DOOR. THE TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION SAYS THE MAN IS BEING HELD FOR QUESTIONING.

JERUSALEM (AP) - A U.S. OFFICIAL IS CALLING IT ANOTHER BLOW TO MIDDLE EAST PEACE EFFORTS. ISRAEL'S HOUSING MINISTRY SAYS IT PLANS TO BUILD NEARLY 700 NEW APARTMENTS IN EAST JERUSALEM. PALESTINIANS CLAIM EAST JERUSALEM AS THE CAPITAL OF A FUTURE STATE, WHILE THE JEWISH STATE CLAIMS THE ENTIRE CITY AS ITS ETERNAL CAPITAL.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - AGRICULTURE HELP LINES AND FARMER SUPPORT GROUPS SAY THEY'RE FIELDING A LOT MORE CALLS FOR HELP THIS YEAR. ONE NEW YORK GROUP SAYS ITS REQUESTS ARE UP BY 50 PERCENT. MANY OF THE CALLS ARE COMING FROM DAIRY FARMERS WHO ARE STRUGGLING BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE SELL THEIR MILK FOR WHAT IT COSTS TO PRODUCE