TODAY'S NEWS: MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 2011

FRACKVILLE FIRE TAKES DOWN ENTIRE BLOCK

SEVEN FRACKVILLE HOMES ARE NOW DESTROYED LEAVING NEARLY 10 PEOPLE HOMELESS AFTER A LATE NIGHT FIRE SATURDAY. THE 500 BLOCK OF WEST HOWARD STREET WAS FILLED WITH MORE THAN 100 FIRE FIGHTERS WHO PUT OUT THE MASSIVE BLAZE BY 2AM SUNDAY. THE REPUBLICAN HERALD REPORTS THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE IS UNDETERMINED AT THIS TIME.

FIRST BABY OF 2011

MAHANOY CITY WELCOMED THE FIRST BABY BORN IN SCHUYLKILL COUNTY IN 2011 ON SUNDAY. 24-YEAR-OLD TAMMIE WHITECAVAGE OF MAHANOY CITY GAVE BIRTH TO A 6 1/2-POUND GIRL AT 11:59AM AT SCHUYLKILL MEDICAL CENTER-SOUTH JACKSON STREET. THE REPUBLICAN HERALD REPORTS THAT BABY CALLI RENEE WHITECAVAGE IS A HEALTHY AND HAPPY NEW BORN.

HEGINS TOWNSHIP LOOK AT BUILDING SEWER SYSTEM

AT A MEETING TODAY, THE HEGINS TOWNSHIP SUPERVISORS WILL LOOK AT BUILDING A SEWER SYSTEM. THE SUPERVISORS MAY BUILD ON THEIR OWN OR UNITE WITH HUBLEY TOWNSHIP TO DO IT. THE HUBLEY SUPERVISORS ARE INVITED TO ATTEND THE MEETING. THE REPUBLICAN HERALD REPORTS HUBLEY'S ESTIMATED COST OF THE PROJECT IS $5.7 MILLION WHILE HEGINS TOWNSHIP'S LOW-COST ALTERNATIVE IS ESTIMATED AT $13.5 MILLION.

STATE NEWS:

JAMISON, PA. (AP) - A HALF-DOZEN PARISHIONERS WERE HOSPITALIZED AFTER BEING OVERCOME BY FUMES DURING A SERVICE AT A SUBURBAN PHILADELPHIA CHURCH. AUTHORITIES SAY NONE OF THE INJURIES WERE CONSIDERED SERIOUS AFTER THE INCIDENT AT ST. CYRIL OF JERUSALEM IN WARWICK TOWNSHIP YESTERDAY. INVESTIGATORS WEREN'T ABLE TO FIND THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - TALK ABOUT TAKING THE PLUNGE. JUDY HERILLA AND ADAM LIPINSKI EXCHANGED VOWS THEN JOINED HUNDREDS OF OTHERS LEAPING INTO THE MONONGAHELA RIVER ON NEW YEAR'S DAY FOR THE PITTSBURGH POLAR BEAR CLUB'S ANNUAL DIP. SHE WORE A VEIL AND A PURPLE-AND-WHITE TUTU ALONG WITH HER SWIMSUIT. HE WORE A T-SHIRT WITH A TUXEDO PRINTED ON IT ALONG WITH HIS SHORTS.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - PHILADELPHIA POLICE SAY A MAN RETURNING FROM A NEW YEAR'S CELEBRATION IN THE FELTONVILLE AREA WAS THE CITY'S FIRST HOMICIDE VICTIM AFTER HE WAS KILLED DURING AN APPARENT ROBBERY ATTEMPT. TWENTY-FOUR-YEAR-OLD RAWL MITCHELL WAS SHOT AND KILLED EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. HIS COMPANION WAS SHOT AND WOUNDED.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - POLICE ARE INVESTING TWO WEEKEND SHOOTING DEATHS IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. AUTHORITIES SAY 20-YEAR-OLD TAUVEA HURT WAS SHOT AND KILLED IN CLAIRTON EARLY SATURDAY AND 19-YEAR-OLD LAIRY EVANS JAMES-WATSON WAS SHOT AND KILLED EARLY YESTERDAY.

NATIONAL NEWS:

LOS ANGELES (AP) - THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL IS RECOMMENDING DRIVERS TO AVOID MOUNTAIN TRAVEL FOR NOW. INTERSTATE 5 NEAR GRAPEVINE IS CLOSED. AND WHILE THERE HAVEN'T BEEN ANY MAJOR CRASHES REPORTED, THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL MINOR ONES AND SOME CARS HAVE STRANDED IN THE ROADS HOURS LATER.

TOKYO (AP) - WIKILEAKS IS OUT WITH A NEW BATCH U.S. DIPLOMATIC CABLES. THIS BATCH SHOWS JAPANESE AND AMERICAN OFFICIALS DISCUSSED TAKING ACTION AGAINST A PROMINENT ANTI-WHALING GROUP. TOKYO INSISTED THAT SEA SHEPHERD'S CONFRONTATIONS ON THE HIGH SEAS ACTUALLY HURT EFFORTS TO REDUCE WHALING.

WASHINGTON (AP) - SAFETY AND TRADE INTERESTS ARE IN THE MIDST OF A CLASH OVER LITHIUM BATTERIES THAT HAS PUT THE U.S. AND SOME OF ITS TRADE PARTNERS AT ODDS. THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION WANTS TO TREAT THE BATTERIES AS HAZARDOUS CARGO BECAUSE THEY CAN SHORT-CIRCUIT AND CATCH FIRE AND BURN HOT. DIPLOMATIC AND INDUSTRY OFFICIALS SAY MAJOR NATIONS HAVE LOBBIED AGAINST THE PROPOSAL. THEY CONTEND IT WOULD RAISE COSTS AND DISRUPT THE FLOW OF PRODUCTS SUCH AS CELL PHONES, LAPTOPS AND OTHER DEVICES.

ISLAMABAD (AP) - PAKISTAN'S GOVERNMENT IS IN THE MIDST OF A MAJOR POLITICAL CRISIS AS THE RULING PARTY STRUGGLES TO KEEP ITS GRIP ON POWER. A COALITION PARTNER HAS BOLTED TO THE OPPOSITION AND IS THREATENING TO BRING THE GOVERNMENT DOWN. THE POLITICAL CRISIS ALL BUT GUARANTEES LAWMAKERS WILL MAKE NO PROGRESS ANYTIME SOON ON SOLVING CRITICAL ECONOMIC PROBLEMS AND DISTRACT THE GOVERNMENT FROM ITS ANTI-MILITANT ALLIANCE WITH THE U.S.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (AP) - SOUTH KOREA'S PRESIDENT SAYS PEACE WITH NORTH KOREA IS STILL POSSIBLE BUT PROVOCATIONS WON'T BE TOLERATED. LEE MYUNG-BAK, ADDRESSING THE COUNTRY IN A NEW YEAR'S SPEECH, VOWED NOT TO LET NORTH KOREA "COVET EVEN AN INCH OF OUR TERRITORY." BUT HE SAYS NORTH KOREAN NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT COULD LEAD TO SOUTH KOREAN ECONOMIC AID.