TODAY'S NEWS: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2010

LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

BERKS-IC

POTTSVILLE 52, MUHLENBERG 26
HOLY NAME 20, BLUE MOUNTAIN 14, OT

TWIN VALLEY CONFERENCE

TRIVALLEY 35, NATIVITY 6
WILLIAMS VALLEY 41, PINE GROVE 14

ANTHRACITE LEAGUE

NORTH SCHUYLKILL 54, PANTHER VALLEY 0
TAMAQUA 29, MINERSVILLE 7
SCHUYLKILL HAVEN 21, MAHANOY AREA 0
JIM THORPE 41, MARIAN 0
SHENANDOAH VALLEY 32, CMVT 7

HEARTLAND CONFERENCE

SOUTHERN COLUMBIA 17, MT CARMEL 14
SHIKELLAMY 44, SHAMOKIN 0

ALL AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE

HANCOCK, MD. 22, LOURDES 14

Firefighters quickly extinguished a fire that broke out about noon Friday and damaged a three-story building on Main Street in the Borough of Shenandoah. According to the Republican and Herald, the blaze was limited to the structure at 324-326 S. Main St. owned by David Karpovich. The building contained two businesses - Karpy's Fitness Center and the chiropractic office of Dr. John Bucklar. The only tenant was Daniel Carpee, who was not at home. The first fire call sounded at 11:53 a.m., with fire apparatus and firefighters from Shenandoah, Frackville, Mahanoy City, West Mahanoy Township and Butler Township responding. The fire was brought under control by 12:30 p.m. An investigation was conducted by the Shenandoah Fire Department. Mensick determined that the cause was an accidental electrical fire that started in the kitchen in Carpee's second-floor apartment. Fire damage was limited to Karpovich's building. Representatives from the Schuylkill and Eastern Northumberland Chapter of the American Red Cross were on scene to assist Carpee.

Minersville Borough officials will host an informational session Sunday regarding a string of arsons that have shaken the community. As reported in the Republican and Herald, the focus of the meeting to be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Minersville Area High School auditorium will be on awareness, prevention, education and safety. The agenda will include information from the district attorney's office, law enforcement, fire department and more. Special guest speaker will be Frank Zangari, president of the Schuylkill County Fire Chiefs Association. Nine intentionally set fires since April have borough residents on edge, and borough officials are trying to put a stop to those responsible for the damage. Anthracite Protective Services have offered any and all resources to the borough, including security officers and patrol vehicles for community watch-type operations upon request of the police department and council. The local Lowe's facility has also pledged support toward fire prevention equipment. There has been an anonymous tip line established through the Schuylkill County Crimestoppers and the district attorney's office at 739-2660 or 877-847-7472. Anyone who has any information is encouraged to call the tip line. A reward is being offered to anyone that provides information leading to an arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the fires. Minersville borough, the county district attorney's office, Anthracite Protective Services, First National Bank of Minersville, Minersville Auto Parts, Miners Tavern, Minersville Historical Society and the mayor have each pledged money toward the five thousand dollar reward.

Pennsylvania voters can use the Department of State's voter education website, VotesPA.com, to prepare for the Nov. 2 general election. Don Rooney has more:

ROONEY

A former Mount Carmel Area High School girls' varsity basketball coach has been charged with texting sexually graphic material to a 16-year-old female from Ralpho Township and having unlawful contact with the teen, with whom authorities said he had a relationship earlier this year. According to the News Item, Mark Moyer of Shamokin, was arraigned Friday morning on felony charges of displaying obscene and other sexual materials and unlawful contact with a minor, and a misdemeanor of corruption of minors. The charges, filed by Coal Township Detective Jeff Brennan, relate to offenses that allegedly occurred in Coal Township and Columbia County between Jan. 3 and Jan. 21 while Moyer was serving as head girls' basketball coach at Mount Carmel Area. The victim, who was 16 at the time, was a basketball player for Southern Columbia Area High School. Moyer resigned from his coaching position Jan. 21, citing personal reasons. Moyer, who is a correctional officer at a federal prison, told the judge he understood the charges and posed no questions about his arraignment.

Residents of a central Pennsylvania coal town decimated by a mine fire have gone to federal court in an effort to prevent state officials from evicting them from their homes. Centralia's few remaining residents have filed a civil rights lawsuit against the state Department of Community and Economic Development and other defendants, alleging a conspiracy to swipe the mineral rights to hundreds of millions of dollars worth of anthracite coal. The residents asked a federal judge on Friday for an injunction that would bar the state from proceeding with eminent domain while their lawsuit is being heard. Most homes in Centralia were demolished in the 1980s as an underground fire that began in 1962 threatened residents with poisoning gases and dangerous sinkholes. Only a few people remain, resisting the state's efforts to get them to leave.

A recent report says that Pennsylvania prisons are the best in the nation when it comes to treatment of pregnant inmates. Part of that distinction comes from a new law that prevents county jails from shackling inmates during childbirth. Don Rooney has more:

ROONEY

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Philadelphia will be one of 30 jurisdictions where the U.S. Department of Justice plans to deploy observers to monitor next week's midterm elections. The department said yesterday that it will be sending more than 400 federal observers and department personnel to monitor polls in 18 states to ensure that voters' rights are protected.

ERIE, Pa. (AP) - A federal court jury has ended its first day of deliberations without a verdict in the case of a woman accused in a bank robbery conspiracy in which a pizza delivery driver forced to rob a bank wearing a bomb collar was killed. The brother of the dead man says the eventual verdict doesn't matter to him, because the proceedings are a "circus show trial."

GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) - A judge has refused to move the trial of six people accused of torturing and killing a mentally disabled woman out of Westmoreland County. The suspects in the February killing of Jennifer Daugherty appeared in court yesterday for the first day of three days of pretrial hearings.

ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland (AP) - The prosecution won't appeal the acquittal of a Pennsylvania woman who fatally shot her husband while hunting in central Newfound four years ago. Newfoundland Supreme Court Justice Richard LeBlanc acquitted Mary Beth Harshbarger of charges of criminal negligence causing death in the fatal shooting of her husband, Mark.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Dubai police say the bomb discovered in a shipment of air cargo bound for the U.S. bore the hallmarks of al-Qaida. The say the powerful explosive PETN was in the ink cartridge of a computer printer. The device was sent in a FedEx shipment from Yemen.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Yemen is promising to investigate the plot to mail bombs to Chicago-area synagogues. The U.S. has FBI, military and intelligence officers stationed in the country to conduct an inquiry. U.S. officials are expressing increasing confidence that al-Qaida's Yemen branch was responsible. The group was behind the failed Detroit airliner bombing last Christmas.

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - A Southeast Asian official says the leaders of Japan and China have held an informal meeting at a regional summit in Vietnam. There had been speculation they would
not meet at all because of a maritime territorial dispute that's plunged relations to a five-year low.

MIAMI (AP) - Forecasters had said Tropical Storm Shary would weaken today, but it's first strengthened into to a Category 1 hurricane. Still, it has passed well east of Bermuda and is no
longer headed toward land. Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center in Miami says Tropical Storm Tomas is nearing hurricane strength as it passes near Barbados.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama has a busy weekend of campaigning planned. He'll be speaking at Democratic National Committee events in Philadelphia, Chicago, Cleveland and Bridgeport, Conn. Obama will be back at the White House for Halloween tomorrow evening, where he and the first lady will welcome local children and military families trick-or-treating.