TODAY'S NEWS: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2010

LOCAL AUTHORITIES CRACK DOWN ON MISSED COURT APPEARANCES

LOCAL OFFICIALS ARE CRACKING DOWN ON DEFENDANTS NEGLECTING TO REPORT FOR THEIR COURT APPEARANCES. BENCH WARRANTS HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR 21 DEFENDANTS THAT DID NOT SHOW FOR GUILTY PLEAS OR JURY SELECTION AT THE END OF THE DECEMBER TERM OF COURT. 7 OF THOSE DEFENDANTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN PICKED UP AND WILL BE JAILED UP TO 72 HOURS UNTIL THEIR HEARING. IN THE PAST, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE HAS GIVEN DEFENDANTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO TURN THEMSELVES IN, BUT DA GOODMAN SAID TOO MANY HAVE CONTINUED TO BLOW OFF COURT APPEARANCES.

HALIFAX FIRE CLAIMS ONE

A FATAL FIRE BROKE OUT JUST AFTER 4:00 MONDAY MORNING IN JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP, DAUPHIN COUNTY. AUTHORITIES SAY TODD ANTHONY MILLER, 45, WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT THE SCENE DUE TO INJURIES SUSTAINED IN THE FIRE. HIS WIFE, MICHELLE MILLER, ESCAPED WITHOUT INJURY. POLICE SAY THE INVESTIGATION SHOWED THE FIRE WAS CAUSED BY NEWSPAPER AND MAGAZINES STACKED NEAR THE WOOD BURNING STOVE THAT HEATED THE HOME. WORKING SMOKE DETECTORS WERE INSTALLED IN THE HOME.

LIBRARY BURGLARY ARRESTS

ARRESTS HAVE BEEN MADE AFTER LAST MONTH'S BURGLARY AT THE SCHUYLKILL HAVEN FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY. 24-YEAR-OLD KRISTEN KRANCH OF SHENANDOAH HEIGHTS, A FORMER EMPLOYEE OF THE LIBRARY, IS CHARGED WITH PARTICIPATING IN THE BURGLARY ALONG WITH HER BOYFRIEND 30-YEAR-OLD EDWARD REEVES. POLICE REPORT REEVES BROKE INTO THE LIBRARY USING KRANCH'S SECURITY PASSWORD AND KEY THEN STOLE OVER $100 TO BUY DRUGS, GASOLINE, AND CIGARETTES. KRANCH AND REEVES HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH FOUR COUNTS OF CONSPIRACY AND ONE EACH OF BURGLARY, CRIMINAL TRESPASS, THEFT AND RECEIVING STOLEN PROPERTY. A PRELIMINARY HEARING IS SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER 28TH.

CAR CRASH LEAVES MAN WITH MINOR INJURIES

A SCHUYLKILL HAVEN MAN SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES AFTER CRASHING HIS VEHICLE SATURDAY MORNING IN PINE GROVE TOWNSHIP. 18-YEAR-OLD KHYLE WILLIS WAS DRIVING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED ON ROUTE 443, PLEASANT VALLEY ROAD WHEN HE SWERVED ONTO THE EASTBOUND SHOULDER. WILLIS' CAR SPUN SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE COMING TO A REST AT A TREE. POLICE REPORT WILLIS WILL BE CHARGED WITH DUI AND OTHER OFFENSES PENDNING THE RESULTS OF A BLOOD ALCOHOL TEST.

ARGALL REPORT LOOKS AT YUENGLING BREWERY

SENATOR DAVID ARGALL WILL TAKE AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE YUENGLING BREWERY IN THIS MONTH’S LOCAL TV REPORT. THE DISCUSSION WILL FOCUS ON ECONOMIC ISSUES INCLUDING JOBS AND EXPANSION DURING TOUGH TIMES. SENATOR ARGALL WANTS TO GIVE CONSTITUENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE LOCAL EMPLOYERS MAKING IT THROUGH THE RECESSION, AND KEEPING THE BUSINESS LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED. THE REPORT IS SCHEDULED TO AIR ON MULTIPLE CHANNELS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS. CHECK YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS FOR AIR TIME.

STATE NEWS:

YORK, PA. (AP) - THE CORONER IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA'S YORK COUNTY SAYS THREE PEOPLE HAVE DROWNED OVER A TWO-WEEK PERIOD BY PLUNGING INTO ICY WATER - AND HE'S NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT. CORONER BARRY BLOSS SAYS TWO OF THE VICTIMS WENT INTO OUTDOOR POOLS AND ONE INTO A POND. HE TELLS YORK DAILY RECORD HAVING PEOPLE DROWN IN OUTDOOR POOLS IN WINTERTIME IS "VERY STRANGE."

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - TWO MEN CHARGED WITH KILLING A MAN AND A TEENAGER IN NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA 3 1/2 YEARS AGO COULD FACE THE DEATH PENALTY AFTER BEING CONVICTED OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER. THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER REPORTS A JURY RETURNED THE GUILTY VERDICTS AGAINST GERALD DRUMMOND AND ROBERT MCDOWELL. PROSECUTORS SAY THEY KILLED DAMIEN HOLLOWAY AND TIMOTHY CLARK IN JULY 2007.

HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - GOVERNOR ED RENDELL SAYS A FEDERAL REPORT SHOWS THAT TIGHTENING SUPERVISION OF PENNSYLVANIA'S MEDICAID PROGRAM IS UNLIKELY TO PRODUCE THE HUGE SAVINGS PREDICTED BY SOME CRITICS. RENDELL SAYS THAT A RECENT FEDERAL ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT THE ERROR RATE IS ONLY FOUR PERCENT. HE SAID THAT'S FAR SHY OF THE 15.5 PERCENT ERROR RATE THAT STATE AUDITOR GENERAL JACK WAGNER HAS REPORTED.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A NEW REPORT SAYS PHILADELPHIA'S CREATIVE SECTOR IS GROWING AT A RATE ABOVE NATIONAL AVERAGES. THE "CREATIVE VITALITY IN PHILADELPHIA" REPORT LOOKED AT ARTS-RELATED JOBS AND COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION FROM 2006 TO 2008. IT FOUND THAT PHILADELPHIA'S CREATIVE SECTOR EMPLOYS MORE THAN 17,000 PEOPLE AND HAS WEATHERED THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN BETTER THAN OTHER SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY.

NATIONAL NEWS:

WASHINGTON (AP) - AMERICAN COMMANDERS IN AFGHANISTAN REPORTEDLY WANT TO LAUNCH EXPANDED SPECIAL OPERATIONS RAIDS INTO TRIBAL AREAS OF PAKISTAN AGAINST ISLAMIST MILITANTS. THE NEW YORK TIMES CITES UNNAMED OFFICIALS IN WASHINGTON. THE U.S.-LED COALITION SAYS THERE'S NO TRUTH TO THE REPORT.

WASHINGTON (AP) - THE CENSUS BUREAU IS EXPECTED TO RELEASE THE FIRST RESULTS TODAY FROM THE LATEST ONCE-A-DECADE GOVERNMENT COUNT. THEY'RE EXPECTED TO SHOW AMERICA'S ONCE-TORRID POPULATION GROWTH DROPPING TO THE LOWEST LEVEL IN SEVEN DECADES. THE FIGURES WILL BE USED TO REAPPORTION THE 435 HOUSE SEATS AMONG THE 50 STATES. REPUBLICANS ARE EXPECTED TO GAIN FROM A STEADY MIGRATION TO THE SOUTH AND WEST.

WASHINGTON (AP) - WITH THE HELP OF EIGHT REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS HAVE BEATEN BACK SEVERAL GOP AMENDMENTS TO THE NEW ARMS CONTROL TREATY WITH RUSSIA. THE TREATY, WHICH WAS SIGNED IN APRIL, WOULD REDUCE NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND RESTART WEAPONS INSPECTIONS. A TWO-THIRDS VOTE IS NEEDED FOR RATIFICATION AND THE ADMINISTRATION IS STEPPING UP EFFORTS TO GAIN THE GOP VOTES IT NEEDS. A VOTE TO CUT OFF DEBATE IS SCHEDULED TODAY.

BERLIN (AP) - WINTRY WEATHER CONTINUES TO CAUSE PROBLEMS IN EUROPE. FRESH SNOWFALL HAS FORCED FRANKFURT AIRPORT, GERMANY'S BIGGEST, TO SUSPEND TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS - THE LATEST SETBACK TO BELEAGUERED PRE-CHRISTMAS TRAVELERS IN EUROPE AND BEYOND. LONDON'S HEATHROW AIRPORT PLANS TO OPERATE A "REDUCED FLIGHT SCHEDULE" TODAY.

TEHRAN, IRAN (AP) - IRAN'S STATE TV SAYS A MAGNITUDE 6.5 EARTHQUAKE IN SOUTHEASTERN IRAN HAS KILLED 7 PEOPLE AND INJURED 33 IN A SPARSELY POPULATED AREA IS SOUTHEASTERN IRAN. IRAN IS LOCATED ON SEISMIC FAULT LINES AND IS PRONE TO EARTHQUAKES.