LOCAL: WEDNESDAY APRIL 20

MORNING CRASH KILLS ONE

AN EARLY MORNING CRASH LEAVES ONE MAN DEAD AND ANOTHER INJURED. 45 YEAR OLD NORMAN TUTTLE OF MAINE WAS TRAVELING ON STATE ROUTE ONE-TWENTY-FIVE NEAR PITMAN YESTERDAY AROUND 9:20 WHEN HE FAILED TO NEGOTIATE A TURN AND COLLIDED WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE DRIVEN BY 52 YEAR OLD CARL ADAMS OF KLINGERSTOWN. TUTTLE WAS EJECTED FROM HIS VEHICLE AND BECAME TRAPPED UNDERNEATH KILLING HIM INSTANTLY. ADAMS SUSTAINED MINOR INJURES WAS TREATED AND RELEASED FROM SCHUYLKILL MEDICAL CENTER.

STATE POLICE VEHICLE ENFORCEMENT

THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE PLACED ALMOST 150 TRUCKS AND 30 DRIVERS OUT OF SERVICE DURING A ONE DAY CRACKDOWN ON COMMERCIAL VEHICLES TRAVELING ON RURAL ROADS AND NON-INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS. PA STATE POLICE COMMISSIONER FRANK NOONAN SAYS THAT "STATISTICS SHOW THAT ALMOST HALF OF ALL TRUCK CRASHES OCCUR IN RURAL AREAS." IN ADDITION TO TO PLACING TRUCKS AND DRIVERS OUT OF SERVICE THE STATE POLICE ALL ISSUED NEARLY 700 CITATIONS MOSTLY FOR OUT OF BRAKE OUT OF ADJUSTMENT AND OTHER OFFENSES.

ST. CLAIR FIRE DAMAGES HOME

TWO PEOPLE WERE LEFT HOMELESS AFTER A FIRE TUESDAY AFTERNOON IN ST. CLAIR. MATT SLEVA AND ALEXIS MURIN LIVE IN THE HOME AT 25 PIKE STREET, BUT WERE NOT HOME WHEN THE FIRST-FLOOR BEDROOM CAUGHT FIRE. THE REPUBLICAN HERALRD REPORTS SEVERAL DOGS WERE SAVED FROM THE BLAZE. THE HOME IS OWNED BY JOHN AND PATSY MISTISHIN. THE CAUSE REMAINS UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME. SLEVA AND MURIN ARE NOW STAYING WITH RELATIVES.

JURY SELECTED FOR SHENANDOAH MURDER CASE

SEVEN WOMEN AND FIVE MEN ARE SLATED TO DECIDE THE FATE OF A BERKS COUNTY MAN CHARGED WITH KILLING A SHENANDOAH MAN IN MARCH 2010. THE REPUBLICAN HERALD REPORTS 32-YEAR-OLD JULIUS ENOE OF READING PARTICIPATED IN THE TWO-DAY SELECTION PROCESS IN SCHUYLKILL COUNTY COURT THAT QUESTIONED ALMOST 80 PEOPLE ON WHETHER THEY COULD SERVE ON A PANEL THAT MAY SENTENCE HIM TO BE EXECUTED. JUDGE JACQUELINE RUSSELL WILL PRESIDE OVER THE TRAIL WHICH IS SCHEDULED TO BEGIN MONDAY AT 9:30AM.

LPN's MEET WITH HOSPITAL OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS LAY OFFS

AFTER BEING TOLD BY THEIR UNION EARLIER THIS MONTH THAT THEY WOULD BE LAID OFF BY SEPTEMBER, 51 LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSES AT SCHUYLKILL MEDICAL CENTER-SOUTH JACKSON STREET HAD THEIR FIRST OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS THE MATTER WITH HOSPITAL OFFICIALS TUESDAY. THE REPUBLICAN HERALD REPORTS HOSPITAL OFFICIALS ARE PLANNING TO MEET WITH A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE LPN's UNION FOR NEGOTIATIONS AT A LATER DATE. THE EXACT DATE WHEN LAYOFFS WILL START HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED AT THIS TIME.

STATE NEWS:
HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - THE STATE SUPREME COURT HAS NAMED A RETIRED SENIOR JUDGE TO CHAIR THE COMMISSION OVERSEEING EFFORTS TO REDRAW LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT BOUNDARIES. THE HIGH COURT NAMED STEPHEN MCEWEN JR. TO CHAIR THE PANEL AFTER REPUBLICANS AND
DEMOCRATS ON THE COMMISSION COULDN'T AGREE ON A LEADER.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - THE MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE IN PHILADELPHIA IS TRYING TO IDENTIFY A WOMAN WHOSE BODY WAS PULLED FROM THE SCHUYLKILL RIVER YESTERDAY. POLICE SAY THE WOMAN HAD DUCT TAPE AROUND HER HEAD AND BODY ALONG WITH A HANDCUFF ATTACHED TO AN ANKLE.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - NINE MONTHS AFTER A DEADLY COLLISION INVOLVING A DUCK BOAT ON THE DELAWARE RIVER, THE POPULAR TOUR BOATS ARE SLATED TO RETURN TO THE WATER THIS WEEK -- BUT WITH SOME CHANGES. PHILADELPHIA OFFICIALS SAY THE BOATS' REVISED TOUR ROUTE WILL BE SHORTER AND CLOSER TO THE CITY'S SHORELINE.

BERLIN, PA. (AP) - A DRILLING COMPANY IN BERLIN, SOUTHEAST OF PITTSBURGH, HAS RECEIVED A CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION FROM FEDERAL OFFICIALS FOR ITS ROLE IN LAST OCTOBER'S RESCUE OF 33 CHILEAN MINERS. CENTER ROCK MADE THE 28-INCH WIDE DRILLING CANISTERS THAT BORED THROUGH 2,000 FEET OF ROCK TO REACH THE MINERS.

NATIONAL NEWS:

WASHINGTON (AP) - PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA TAKES OFF THIS MORNING ON A THREE-DAY TRIP TO THE WEST. FIRST STOP IS SAN FRANCISCO, WHERE HE'LL HOLD A TOWN HALL MEETING HOSTED BY FACEBOOK, WHOSE HEADQUARTERS HE'LL VISIT IN PALO ALTO. OBAMA WILL ALSO SPEAK THIS EVENING AT TWO FUNDRAISERS FOR THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE.

WASHINGTON (AP) - THE FAA IS INVESTIGATING WHY A PLANE CARRYING MICHELLE OBAMA WAS ONLY THREE MILES FROM ANOTHER JET MONDAY INSTEAD OF THE REQUIRED FIVE MILES AS HER PLANE WAS APPROACHING TO LAND AT ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE. THE FIRST LADY'S PLANE WAS TOLD TO CIRCLE AND TRY ANOTHER APPROACH. THERE WAS APPARENTLY LITTLE RISK, BUT
IT'S ANOTHER EMBARRASSMENT FOR THE FAA.

BOISE, IDAHO (AP) - FOUR DAYS AFTER A MINE COLLAPSE IN NORTHERN IDAHO, RESCUERS ARE HOPING A VOID THEY'VE FOUND WHILE DRILLING COULD MEAN THAT A MISSING MINER IS STILL ALIVE. SO FAR, THEY'RE NOT SURE HOW BIG THE VOID IS, BUT THE HOLE THEY'VE DRILLED IS ALLOWING FRESH AIR IN. RESCUERS STILL HAVE TO DIG THROUGH 220 FEET OF ROCK.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - IT WAS A YEAR AGO TODAY THAT THE GULF OIL SPILL BEGAN OFF LOUISIANA WITH THE EXPLOSION AND FIRE ABOARD THE DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL RIG. THE BODIES OF THE 11 MEN KILLED WERE NEVER RECOVERED. TODAY, RELATIVES OF THE MEN WILL FLY OVER THE AREA. ON SHORE, VIGILS ARE PLANNED IN LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI,ALABAMA AND FLORIDA.

TOKYO (AP) - THERE MAY BE MORE BAD NEWS FOR THE UP TO 80,000 PEOPLE WHO FLED THEIR HOMES IN NORTHEAST JAPAN BECAUSE OF THE DISASTER AT A NUCLEAR PLANT. ACCESS TO THE AREA, WHICH EXTENDS 12 MILES FROM THE PLANT, MAY BE BANNED BECAUSE OF RADIATION RISKS. SOME PEOPLE HAVE OCCASIONALLY RETURNED TO CHECK ON THEIR PROPERTY.