Today's News-Saturday, May 22, 2010

SHENANDOAH SCHOOL DISTRICT GETS OK FROM ZONING
　
THE NEW SHENANDOAH ZONING HEARING BOARD APPROVED A ZONING REQUEST BY THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT TO GO AHEAD WITH A PLANS FOR EXPANSION OF THE SCHOOL. THIS IS THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS FOR THE SCHOOL TO BUILD ON A CONTROVERSIAL PROPERTY THAT MANY SAY IS UNSAFE TO BUILD UPON. AS REPORTED EARLIER ON WPPA NEWS, RESIDENTS FEEL THAT A REPORT SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION THAT STATED THERE IS A MEDIUM RISK FOR BUILDING AND CONDITIONALLY APPROVED THE EXPANSION. YESTERDAY'S MEETING WAS A CONTINUANCE OF A PREVIOUS MEETING IN WHICH TWO OUT OF THE THREE MEMBERS OF THE ZONING HEARING BOARD RESIGNED. THEY WERE REPLACED BY NEIL REESE AND JACK ROONEY. BOTH ROONEY AND REESE VOTED FOR THE APPROVAL, WITH THE LONE REMAINING MEMBER FROM THE ORIGINAL BOARD, DANIEL SALVADORE ABSTAINING FROM THE VOTE. THE NEXT STEP IN THE PROCESS FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS TO APPLY TO THE COUNTY FOR CONSOLIDATION OF THE CURRENT DISTRICT PROPERTY WITH THE PROPOSED BUILDING SITE. IF THAT IS APPROVED THE SHENANDOAH PLANNING COMMISSION WILL REVIEW THE PROJECT AND THEN FORWARD ITS FINDINGS TO THE SHENANDOAH BOROUGH COUNCIL FOR FINAL APPROVAL.
　
LOCAL MAN PENS MARTIAL ARTS BOOK
　
A local martial arts instructor has published a book about his craft. Sherry Marchefsky has this report.

DRISCOLL
　
MAY IS OLDER AMERICANS MONTH
　
The state Senate has unanimously passed a Resolution that recognizes the month of May 2010 as "Older Americans Month" in Pennsylvania. Don Rooney has more:

ROONEY
　
New Map and Brochure of the Schuylkill River Trail To Be Available Today
　
The Schuylkill River Heritage Area has created a new brochure for the Schuylkill River Trail that includes a map of the entire trail and information on amenities in key towns along the trail route. This morning, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., volunteers will be posted along sections of the trail to hand out the brochure to interested trail users. (Rain date for the handout event is June 5). Thereafter, it will be placed at selected visitors centers and trailheads while supplies last. The brochure unfolds to a total length of about 40 inches, allowing for a map that delineates the whole Schuylkill River Trail, including completed, planned and on-road sections from Philadelphia to Pottsville. The opposite side of the map lists towns located along the trail in each of five counties Schuylkill, Berks, Chester, Montgomery and Philadelphia. It provides a brief description of each town, and identifies connecting trails and available amenities, such as parking, restrooms, restaurants and bike shops. The map, along with a new website devoted to the trail at Www.schuylkillrivertrail.com, represents the latest effort by the Schuylkill River Heritage Area to unify the trail's various sections and increase awareness about the trail overall. While many maps showing separate sections of the trail are available, this is the first of its kind in that it depicts the entire trail, which will, when complete, run about 130 miles.
　
USO NEEDS YOUR HELP
　
If you can donate a phone card or an old soccer ball, the USO is looking for you. Howard Ondick has more on how Pennsylvanians can help support our troops serving abroad.

ONDICK

LOCAL IRON WORKERS TO PICKET WINDFARM

Monday morning more than 40 representatives of Iron Workers Local 420, Reading, will picket one of the entrances to the Locust Ridge commercial wind farm in northern Schuylkill County. Local workers have always been part of maintenance efforts at Locust Ridge I and Locust Ridge II. However, Monday, manufacturer Gamesa Corp. is bringing in workers from Wisconsin to complete blade changes. According to the Republican and Herald, no locals were offered the job. The protest will begin at 7 A.M. and will occur at an entrance that Gamesa plans to mobilize their equipment. No one seems to have an answer as to why local workers were not used which has raised the ire of union members who continue to look for work.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Philadelphia police say someone stole a
$4,000 wheelchair from an 8-year-old boy with cerebral palsy. The
wheelchair is red with the name "Jahzir" stitched on it, and has
an oxygen tank attached. It was taken from in front of his home in
southwest Philadelphia yesterday morning.

LANDISVILLE, Pa. (AP) - Authorities say a tractor-trailer caught
fire at a central Pennsylvania candy factory loading dock.
Officials say the trailer was parked at a dock at the Y&S Candies
building in East Hempfield Township when it caught fire shortly
before noon yesterday. No injuries were reported.

LEBANON, Pa. (AP) - A 61-year-old woman is out of the hospital
after suffering minor injuries from a shotgun blast fired through a
window at a central Pennsylvania nursing home. The ManorCare
Nursing and Rehab Center in North Cornwall Township says it has
stepped up security and the investigation is continuing after
Thursday's incident.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania employers added 34,000 jobs
last month, but the state's unemployment rate remained at its
highest rate in more than 25 years. New state labor figures show
unemployment remained at 9 percent, despite the new jobs. But that
is below the national rate of 9.9 percent.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama has chosen a former
Senator and an ex EPA administrator to head up an investigation of
the Gulf oil spill. In his weekly radio and Internet Address, Obama
says he's picked former Florida Sen. Bob Graham and former EPA
Administrator William K. Reilly. Obama says he can't think of
anyone with "greater experience or better judgment" for the task
at hand.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Louisiana Sen. David Vitter says Democrats
holding oil spill hearings have it backward and should be focusing
on capping the well first. In the weekly Republican radio and
Internet address, Vitter says the other main focus should be
protecting the coastline. Vitter also suggests raising the limit on
a company's liability for an oil spill and work on technologies
that can be used to cap deep water leaks.

NEW DELHI (AP) - Officials say some of the victims of the Air
India Express crash in southern India were pulled from the burned
wreckage still strapped in their seats. The plane was trying to
land in the rain at a tricky hilltop airport when it overshot the
runway, crashed and burst into flames. Officials say at least eight
people survived but nearly 160 died.

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - A spokesman for the Vermont Yankee
nuclear plant says officials believe they've removed all the soil
containing Strontium-90. That's a byproduct of nuclear fission that
has been linked to cancer and leukemia. The substance was
discovered while cleaning up after a leak of radioactive tritium.
Officials say the Strontium didn't enter the groundwater.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is
ordering authorities to ease power rationing measures that have
darkened homes and businesses for months. Chavez says the
electrical grid is no longer in danger of collapsing. Recent heavy
rains have eased a drought that threatened to stall the Guri
hydroelectric plant, which generates most of Venezuela's power.