TODAY'S NEWS: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2010

STATE BUDGET

REGIONAL SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS ARE THINKING "OUTSIDE THE BOX" TO CUT THEIR OWN BUDGETS DUE TO STATE BUDGET WOES. AT A PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE IN OCTOBER, SCHOOL DIRECTORS WERE TOLD THAT THE STATE IS FACING AT LEAST A FIVE BILLION DOLLAR SHORTFALL IN NEXT YEARS BUDGET. ACCORDING TO PSBA DIRECTOR, DAVID DAVARE, THE REAL NUMBERS MAY TOP 15 BILLION DOLLARS....AND THOSE NUMBERS HAVE AREA SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS AND SCHOOL OFFICIALS SCRAMBLING TO FIND WAYS TO TRIM SPENDING AND INCREASE REVENUE.

FREE MEALS

THE PINE GROVE MASONIC LODGE'S EFFORT TO PROVIDE MEALS TO SHUTINS AND PEOPLE HAS FILLED THE STOMACHS OF MANY. MORE THAN 100 SHUT-INS AND OVER 145 PEOPLE WENT TO THE LODGE FOR A HOT MEAL THAT INCLUDED TURKEY, POTATO STUFFING, SALAD, AND DESSERT.

MISSING PERSONS

A SCHUYLKILL COUNTY JUVENILE HAS STILL NOT BEEN LOCATED AFTER BEING REPORTED MISSING IN OCTOBER. THE PA STATE POLICE AT FRACKVILLE ARE INVESTIGATING THE DISAPERENCE OF 17-YEAR-OLD SANDRA LYNETTE STOEVER. STOEVER IS DESCRIBED AS A WHITE FEMALE, FIVE FEET FOUR INCHES, APROX 125 POUNDS, BROWN EYES, AND WEARING EYE GLASSES. JUST YESTERDAY, ANOTHER JUVENILE WAS REPORTED MISSING. 16-YEAR-OLD BRIDGETTE HUNT OF ZION GROVE WENT MISSING FROM HER HOME OVER THE WEEKEND AND HAS STILL NOT BEEN LOCATED. ANYONE KNOWING THE WHEREABOUTS OF EITHER OF THE VICTUMS IS URGED TO CALL PA STATE POLICE FRACKVILLE AT 570.874.5300.

MOUNT JOY, PA. (AP) - AUTHORITIES IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA SAY AN AUTOPSY IS PLANNED TODAY ON THE BODY OF A MAN WHO DIED OVER THE WEEKEND AFTER BEING SUBDUED BY POLICE USING A STUN GUN. STATE POLICE SAY OFFICERS IN MOUNT JOY WERE CALLED TO A HOME EARLY SATURDAY BY AND FOUND A "COMBATIVE AND AGGRESSIVE" 61-YEAR-OLD ROBERT NEILL. OFFICERS SAY THEY USED STUN GUNS AFTER ATTEMPTS TO CALM HIM FAILED.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A FEDERAL APPEALS COURT IS SCHEDULED TO HOLD A HEARING TOMORROW ON THE DEATH SENTENCE IMPOSED ON MUMIA ABU-JAMAL IN THE 1981 MURDER OF A PHILADELPHIA POLICE OFFICER. ABU-JAMAL HAS ARGUED IN NUMEROUS APPEALS THAT RACISM BY THE TRIAL JUDGE AND PROSECUTORS LED TO HIS 1982 CONVICTION BY A MOSTLY WHITE JURY.

JOHNSTOWN, PA. (AP) - AUTHORITIES IN JOHNSTOWN SAY A WOMAN WAS STRUCK AND KILLED BY A TRAIN. AUTHORITIES TELL THE TRIBUNE-DEMOCRAT THAT THE WOMAN WAS HIT BY A NORFOLK SOUTHERN TRAIN IN THE WEST END OF THE CITY SATURDAY NIGHT.

DOYLESTOWN, PA. (AP) - IN THE HIGH-PRESSURE WORLD OF EDUCATIONAL FUNDRAISING, DELAWARE VALLEY COLLEGE HAS SEEMINGLY HIT THE LOTTERY. A FOUNDATION IS GIVING THE SUBURBAN PHILADELPHIA SCHOOL ABOUT $30 MILLION IN PROPERTY AND CASH. COLLEGE PRESIDENT JOSEPH BROSNAN WANTS TO ADD GRADUATE PROGRAMS AND ATTAIN UNIVERSITY STATUS THROUGH THE GIFT.

NEW DELHI (AP) - PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA HAS PLEDGED TO WORK MORE CLOSELY WITH INDIA TO COMBAT GLOBAL TERRORISM. THE PRESIDENT OFFERED TO HELP INDIA AND PAKISTAN RESOLVE THEIR LONG-STANDING DISPUTE OVER KASHMIR, WITHOUT INTERVENING DIRECTLY. OBAMA IS IN NEW DEHLI. HE'S ON A 10-DAY TRIP TO ASIA.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (AP) - THE TOP U.S. DEFENSE CHIEFS SAY AFGHANISTAN SHOULD BE READY TO HANDLE ITS OWN SECURITY BY THE YEAR 2014. DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES AND JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF CHAIRMAN ADM. MIKE MULLEN, SPEAKING IN AUSTRALIA, BOTH SAY THAT NATO SHOULD ENDORSE THE 2014 TIMELINE PROPOSED BY AFGHAN PRESIDENT HAMID KARZAI. THE WAR IS ALREADY IN ITS 10TH YEAR AND UNPOPULAR IN THE U.S. AND EUROPE.

IRBIL, IRAQ (AP) - LEADERS OF IRAQ'S MAIN POLITICAL BLOCS ARE MEETING IN THE NORTHERN CITY OF IRBIL (UR-BEEL') IN A RARE FACE-TO-FACE GATHERING THAT COULD SIGNAL PROGRESS IN BREAKING THE COUNTRY'S POLITICAL DEADLOCK. NO GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN FORMED SINCE THE MARCH ELECTION. IN SOUTHERN IRAQ TODAY, SEVEN SHIITE PILGRIMS WERE KILLED IN A CAR BOMB BLAST IN IRAQ'S HOLY CITY OF KARBALA (KAHR'-BAH-LAH).

MOUNT MERAPI, INDONESIA (AP) - MOUNT MERAPI (MEH-RAH'-PEE) IS RUMBLING AGAIN AND EXPERTS SAY IT COULD DELIVER ANOTHER ERUPTION AT ANY TIME. THE INDONESIAN VOLCANO KILLED ABOUT 100 PEOPLE FRIDAY. MANY OF THE VICTIMS WERE PLACED IN A MASS GRAVE YESTERDAY. THOUSANDS HAVE LEFT A CITY OF 400,000 ABOUT 20 MILES FROM MERAPI.

WASHINGTON (AP) - THE INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATORS LOOKING INTO THE CAUSES OF THE MASSIVE GULF OIL SPILL WILL LAY OUT THEIR INITIAL FINDINGS AS A TWO-DAY HEARING GETS UNDER WAY TODAY IN WASHINGTON. REPRESENTATIVES OF COMPANIES INVOLVED WILL ALSO BE PRESENT.