TODAY'S NEWS: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2010

SENIORS HAVE NEW OPTION

AREA SENIORS WANTING TO REMAIN LIVING AT HOME NOW HAVE ANOTHER OPTION. JASMINE BROOKS HAS MORE...

SENIORS

MINERSVILLE TAX INCREASE

AT A TUESDAY NIGHT MEETING, A UNANIMOUS VOTE BY MINERSVILLE BOROUGH COUNCIL GAVE THE OK TO RAISE PROPERTY TAXES BY 2 MILLS IN 2011. THE 2-MILL INCREASE WILL RAISE ABOUT $70,000, BUT HAD TO BE DONE IN ORDER TO COVER ALL EXPENSES TO THE BOROUGH. THE REPUBLICAN HERALD REPORTS, HEALTH CARE PREMIUMS ARE ALSO ANTICIPATED TO INCREASE FOR ALL BOROUGH EMPLOYEES.

UNEMPLOYMENT IN SCHUYLKILL COUNTY

FIGURES FROM THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRY SHOW THAT SCHUYLKILL COUNTY'S JOBLESS RATE ROSE IN OCTOBER, BUT LONG TERM INDICATORS ARE POSITIVE. OCTOBER'S LOCAL UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURE WAS ABOVE THE STATE AND NATIONAL LEVEL, BUT THE NUMBER OF JOBS IN SCHUYLKILL COUNTY HAS INCREASED OVER THE PAST YEAR. STILL, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY'S JOBLESS RATE IN OCTOBER REMAINED HIGHER THAN ALL SURROUNDING COUNTIES.

LYKENS MAN HOLDS RESIDENTS AT GUNPOINT

DENNIS KINSLEY, OF LYKENS, WAS ARRESTED AND ARRAIGNED AFTER HOLDING TWELVE RESIDENTS AT GUNPOINT IN A PORTER TOWNSHIP TRAILER. THE STATE POLICE AT SCHUYLKILL HAVEN REPORTED THEODORE REICHERT, JOHNATHAN REICHERT, CORY GOLDEN, MICHAEL GOLDEN, CARRIE HAWK AND SEVEN JUVENILES AS THE VICTIMS. KINSLEY FACES MULTIPLE CHARGES AND IS BEING HELD ON $30,000 BAIL IN SCHUYLKILL COUNTY PRISON.

HAMBURG STUDENTS RECOGNIZED FOR CIVIL WAR REPLICA

THE NATIONAL CIVIL WAR MUSEUM, IN HARRISBURG, ACCEPTED ONE OF FOUR REPLICA LANTERNS MADE BY TWELVE HAMBURG AREA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. THE LANTERN RESEMBLES THOSE THAT MAY HAVE BEEN ABOARD THE H.L. HUNLEY, A CONFEDERATE SUBMARINE. ACCORDING TO THE POTTSVILLE REPUBLICAN, THE LANTERN IS THE FIRST CONFEDERATE NAVY ARTIFACT TO BE COLLECTED AT THE MUSEUM. NINE OF THE TWELVE STUDENTS, THAT WORKED ON THE PROJECT, PRESENTED THE REPLICA AT THE MUSEUM TUESDAY WITH ADVISER NED EISENHUTH AND FRED LUTKUS.


STATE NEWS:

HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - STATE AUDITOR GENERAL JACK WAGNER SAYS THERE'S TALK OF PARING DOWN THE $1 BILLION TAXPAYER-FINANCED BOND ISSUE BEING SOUGHT BY OUTGOING GOVERNOR ED RENDELL, BUT HE SAYS THE NUMBER UNDER DISCUSSION IS STILL TOO HIGH. WAGNER WOULDN'T SAY EXACTLY HOW MUCH IS BEING DISCUSSED, BUT SAYS IT'S SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER THAN $500 MILLION.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A COUPLE WHO PRAYED FOR THEIR SICK TODDLER RATHER THAN TAKE HIM TO A DOCTOR BEFORE HIS PNEUMONIA DEATH ARE ON TRIAL IN PHILADELPHIA, CHARGED WITH INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER. DEFENSE LAWYERS SAY HERBERT AND CATHERINE SCHAIBLE (SHY'-BUHL) ARE BEING PROSECUTED BECAUSE THEY ARE CHRISTIAN FUNDAMENTALISTS AND BELONG TO A CHURCH THAT ENDORSES FAITH HEALING.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - FEDERAL AGENTS HAVE SEIZED $150,000 WORTH OF FAKE BAGS, BOOTS AND MAKEUP DURING A RAID AT AN OPEN-AIR MARKET IN BUCKS COUNTY. AUTHORITIES SAY NO ARRESTS WERE MADE DURING THE RAID AT RICE'S MARKET NEAR NEW HOPE YESTERDAY. THE HOMELAND SECURITY AGENTS FOCUSED ON SUPPOSED BURBERRY SCARVES AND HANDBAGS, UGG BOOTS AND MAC COSMETICS BEING SOLD BY NINE VENDORS.

HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - DRIVERS WHO PAY THEIR PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE TOLL IN CASH SOON WON'T BE ABLE TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH THEY OWE BY LOOKING AT THEIR TICKET. THE PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE COMMISSION WON'T BE PRINTING THE COSTS OF TOLLS ON TICKETS WHEN TOLLS GO UP ON 545-MILE HIGHWAY, BEGINNING NEXT MONTH. AUDITOR GENERAL JACK WAGNER TELLS THE HARRISBURG PATRIOT-NEWS HE'S APPALLED BY THE DECISION.

NATIONAL NEWS:

WASHINGTON (AP) - SOME DEMOCRATS ARE UNHAPPY WITH PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA'S TAX DEAL WITH REPUBLICANS. IT WOULD EXTEND EXPIRING TAX CUTS TO ALL AMERICANS, INCLUDING HIGH EARNERS, AND IMPOSE A LOWER ESTATE TAX ON WEALTHY HEIRS. HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI CALLS THE ESTATE TAX PROVISION "A BRIDGE TOO FAR" AND SAYS THE RESPONSE AMONG DEMOCRATS "HAS NOT BEEN VERY GOOD."

ST. PAUL, MINN. (AP) - MORE THAN A MONTH AFTER ELECTION DAY, DEMOCRAT MARK DAYTON IS POISED TO BECOME MINNESOTA'S GOVERNOR-ELECT. A REPUBLICAN WITH KNOWLEDGE OF THE DECISION TELLS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS THAT REPUBLICAN TOM EMMER PLANS TO CONCEDE THE RACE THIS MORNING. EMMER TRAILED DAYTON BY NEARLY 9,000 VOTES AFTER THE ELECTION AND A STATEWIDE RECOUNT BARELY CHANGED THE MARGIN.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - ELIZABETH EDWARDS IS BEING REMEMBERED AS A WOMAN WHO SHOWED COURAGE THROUGH TRAGEDY, BETRAYAL AND HER OWN SIX-YEAR BATTLE WITH CANCER. EDWARDS SUCCUMBED TO THE DISEASE YESTERDAY AT HER NORTH CAROLINA HOME, SURROUNDED BY HER THREE CHILDREN, SIBLINGS, FRIENDS AND HER ESTRANGED HUSBAND, JOHN. SHE WAS 61.

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (AP) - THE TALIBAN HAS RELEASED A NEW VIDEO CONTAINING FOOTAGE OF A MAN BELIEVED TO BE SPC. BOWE BERGDAHL. BERGDAHL DISAPPEARED IN JUNE 2009 AND IS THE ONLY KNOWN AMERICAN SERVICEMAN BEING HELD CAPTIVE IN AFGHANISTAN. A GROUP THAT TRACKS MILITANT MESSAGES ON THE INTERNET SAYS ANOTHER MAN IN THE VIDEO APPEARS TO BE THE TALIBAN COMMANDER WHO HAD ONCE THREATENED TO KILL
BERGDAHL.

WASHINGTON (AP) - THE SENATE IS SET TO HOLD AN IMPEACHMENT TRIAL TODAY. IT WILL DECIDE WHETHER TO CONVICT A LOUISIANA JUDGE OF CORRUPTION. U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE G. THOMAS PORTEOUS (POR'-TEE-US) WAS UNANIMOUSLY IMPEACHED BY THE HOUSE IN MARCH ON FOUR ARTICLES ALLEGING THAT HE TOOK MONEY AND FAVORS, FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY UNDER A FALSE NAME AND LIED TO CONGRESS DURING HIS JUDICIAL CONFIRMATION.