Today's News-Monday, April 26, 2010-8:45AM

FIRE REPORTED IN MINERSVILLE

FIRE CREWS ARE MOPPING UP AT 319 NORTH FRONT STREET, MINERSVILLE THIS MORNING. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS SAY THE CALL CAME IN AFTER 4AM REPORTING A HOME WAS BURNING. FRONT STREET IS CLOSED IN MINERSVILLE NOW. THIS IS THE SECOND FIRE IN THREE DAYS, THE OTHER DESTROYING FOUR BUILDINGS ON SUNBURY STREET ON SATURDAY MORNING.

SATURDAY FIRE CLAIMS LIFE

NUMIDIA-A FIRE IN NEIGHBORING COLUMBIA COUNTY SATURDAY CLAIMS A LIFE. RESCUERS WERE HOPING 61 YEAR OLD PATRICIA KASOW WOULDN'T BE INSIDE HER BURNING HOUSE AT 76 KENNEDY ROAD IN CLEVELAND TOWNSHIP, BUT FIREFIGHTERS FOUND KASOW'S BODY WHEN THE SMOKE CLEARED SATURDAY MORNING. THE FIRE, REPORTED AROUND 4:30AM DESTROYED THE HOME, WITH ONLY THE BRICK CHIMNEY REMAINING. THE STATE POLICE FIRE MARSHAL IS INVESTIGATING THE CAUSE.

TWO CHARGED FOR THEFT FROM POTTSVILLE HOUSING AUTHORITY

A POTTSVILLE MAN AND WOMAN ARE CHARGED WITH THEFT AND RELATED COUNTS FROM THE POTTSVILLE HOUSING AUTHORITY. POLICE SAY ALICE AND LEONARD ROBINSON LIVED ON RACE STREET, WITH FINANCIAL HELP FROM HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT FUNDS THROUGH SUBSIDIZED RENTS. POLICE HAVE CHARGED THE ROBINSONS WITH THE THEFT CHARGES FOR DEFRAUDING H.U.D. BY MORE THAN $10 THOUSAND DOLLARS. THE ROBINSONS TURNED THEMSELVES INTO POLICE AFTER WARRANTS WERE ISSUED. THEY WERE RELEASED ON BAIL.

TWO ARRESTED FOR DRUGS

TWO MEN HAVE BEEN ARRESTED ON DRUG RELATED COUNTS. MAHANOY CITY POLICE SAY 40 YEAR OLD MARK YACOVELLI WAS PICKED UP ON THREE COUNTS OF DELIVERING A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE AND RELATED CHARGES. A TIP FROM AN INFORMANT LED TO HIS ARREST AT HIS PINE STREET HOME. POLICE ALSO CHARGED 21 YEAR OLD RYAN STEMKO OF HAZLETON, WHERE HE ATTEMPTED TO PURCHASE DRUGS AT YACOVELLI'S HOME. POLICE SAY THAT STEMKO HAD DRUGS AND CASH ON HIM WHEN SEARCHED. BOTH MEN WERE ARRAIGNED AND THEN TAKEN TO
SCHUYLKILL COUNTY PRISON.

PITMAN MAN ARRESTED FOR PUNCHING WOMAN

A MAN FROM PITMAN IS JAILED FOR ASSAULT FOLLOWING AN INCIDENT EARLY SATURDAY. 46 YEAR OLD HARRY DUNLEAVY AND 54 YEAR OLD MELISSA SMITH LEFT A BAR AND BEGAN ARGUING WHILE DRIVING TO SMITH'S HOME. DUNLEAVY STRUCK SMITH IN THE FACE AND HEAD. ARREST WAS MADE LATER IN THE DAY SATURDAY, CHARGING DUNLEAVY WITH AGGRAVATED ASSAULT. BEING UNABLE TO POST BAIL, HE WAS TAKEN TO COUNTY PRISON.

MAN HIT BY CAR

A PEDESTRIAN ESCAPED SERIOUS INJURY AFTER BEING STRUCK BY A CAR SATURDAY AFTERNOON. 17 YEAR OLD STEPHEN BOHR RAN FROM A HOUSE ON WEST GRAND AVENUE INTO TRAFFIC AND WAS STRUCK BY A VEHICLE DRIVEN BY DANIELLE WILLARD OF TOWER CITY. BOHR WAS AIR LIFTED TO HERSHEY MEDICAL CENTER, TREATED AND RELEASED.

WOMAN EXPECTED TO BE CHARGED IN FATAL

A TREMONT WOMAN, INVOLVED IN A FATAL CAR/MOTORCYCLE CRASH FRIDAY MAY FACE MORE SERIOUS CHARGES. THE REPUBLICAN HERALD REPORTS THAT 70 YEAR OLD MARY AUNGST'S CAR CRASHED INTO A MOTORCYCLE OPERATED BY DARREN MARTIN OF BERNVILLE. HE DIED FROM HIS INJURIES, AND HIS WIFE REMAINS IN GEISINGER MEDICAL CENTER. STATE POLICE HAVE ASKED DISTRICT ATTORNEY JIM GOODMAN'S OFFICE TO LOOK INTO THE CASE TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT OF POSSIBLE CHARGES.

HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - THE STATE HOPES A TAX AMNESTY PLAN TO BE ANNOUNCED TODAY WILL PUMP MILLIONS OF DOLLARS INTO THE CASH-HUNGRY STATE TREASURY. THE AMNESTY WILL LAST 54-DAYS, DURING WHICH ALL PENALTIES AND HALF THE INTEREST WILL BE WAIVED FOR BUSINESSES AND INDIVIDUALS THAT PAY OFF LATE TAXES ACCRUED THROUGH JUNE OF LAST YEAR.

BLAIRSVILLE, PA. (AP) - AUTHORITIES SAY TWO YOUNG SISTERS WHO WERE SLEEPING OVER AT A FRIEND'S HOUSE DIED IN AN EARLY-MORNING FIRE OVER THE WEEKEND IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. THE INDIANA COUNTY CORONER'S OFFICE SAYS 7-YEAR-OLD KIRSTEN TOLLEY AND HER 6-YEAR-OLD SISTER, KATRINA, DIED FROM SMOKE INHALATION IN THE FIRE AT THE BLAIRSVILLE HOME YESTERDAY.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - AUTHORITIES SAY A MAN DIED AT A NORTH PHILADELPHIA TRAIN STATION WHEN HE FELL OR JUMPED FROM THE PLATFORM AND WAS HIT BY A TRAIN YESTERDAY. A SEPTA SPOKESWOMAN TELLS THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER INVESTIGATORS WILL BE REVIEWING FOOTAGE TO DETERMINE IF THE UNIDENTIFIED MAN SLIPPED OR JUMPED.

SCRANTON, PA. (AP) - HUNDREDS ARE EXPECTED TO GATHER IN A NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA CATHEDRAL TODAY TO WATCH A NATIVE SON ASSUME THE HIGHEST OFFICE OF THE SCRANTON ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE. MONSIGNOR JOSEPH BAMBERA WILL BE ORDAINED AND INSTALLED IN AN AFTEROON CEREMONY TO BE ATTENDED BY 23 CATHOLIC BISHOPS AS WELL AS THE VATICAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES.

SAN'A, YEMEN (AP) - BRITAIN'S AMBASSADOR TO YEMEN HAS SURVIVED WHAT'S BELIEVED TO BE A SUICIDE ATTACK. YEMENI OFFICIALS SAY THE AMBASSADOR'S ARMORED CAR WAS PASSING THROUGH A POOR NEIGHBORHOOD WHEN A YOUNG MAN APPARENTLY DETONATED AN EXPLOSIVES BELT. SO FAR, THERE'S NO CLAIM OF RESPONSIBILITY.

CHICAGO (AP) - TWO STATE LAWMAKERS IN ILLINOIS SAY THE VIOLENCE IN CHICAGO IS SO BAD THAT THEY'VE ASKED GOV. PAT QUINN TO CALL UP THE NATIONAL GUARD. CHICAGO'S POLICE SUPERINTENDENT SAYS HE DOUBTS THAT'S THE BEST ANSWER. ONE OF THE LAWMAKERS SAYS THERE HAVE BEEN 113 HOMICIDES IN THE CITY SO FAR THIS YEAR -- ALMOST ONE A DAY.

MIR ALI, PAKISTAN (AP) - U.S. MISSILES ARE SUSPECTED IN THE DEATHS OF AT LEAST FOUR TALIBAN INSURGENTS IN NORTHERN PAKISTAN, NEAR THE AFGHAN BORDER. PAKISTANI INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS SAY THREE MISSILES HIT A HOUSE IN NORTH WAZIRISTAN. THE IDENTITIES OF THE VICTIMS ARE NOT KNOWN.

CAMBRIDGE, MINN. (AP) - A COLLISION NORTH OF MINNEAPOLIS EARLY SUNDAY BETWEEN A CAR AND AN SUV KILLED SIX PEOPLE -- THREE OF THEM TEENAGERS. THE MINNESOTA STATE PATROL SAYS THE CAR WAS DRIVEN BY A 16-YEAR-OLD WHO GOT HER LICENSE LESS THAN THREE WEEKS AGO. OFFICERS SAY THERE WAS THE SMELL OF ALCOHOL IN THE CAR.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - "AVATAR" IS PROVING AS BIG A BLOCKBUSTER IN DVD SALES AS IT WAS AT THE BOX OFFICE. IN ITS FIRST FOUR DAYS ON THE MARKET, 6.7 MILLION COPES HAVE BEEN SOLD AT A COST OF $130 MILLION. TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX SAYS 2.7 MILLION OF THOSE WERE BLU-RAY DVDS, MAKING "AVATAR" THE FASTEST-SELLING BLU-RAY OF ALL TIME.