LOCAL NEWS: THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011

WITH A GROWING CONCERN FOR OUR ELDERLY, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY COMMISSIONERS HAVE REACHED OUT TO MAKE THE COMMUNITY AWARE. J MATTHEWS REPORTS:


RUSH TOWNSHIP HAS RECEIVED A GRANT TO HELP MAKE ROUTES SAFER FOR OUR CHILDREN TO GET TO SCHOOL. J MATTHEWS REPORTS:


EX-SHENANDOAH COPS EXTORTION TRIAL TO BEGIN

THE EXTORTION TRIAL OF TWO FORMER SHENANDOAH OFFICERS IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN TODAY. MATTHEW NESTOR AND JAMIE GENNARINI WILL HEAD TO FEDERAL COURT BEFORE JUDGE A. RICHARD CAPUTO AT 9:30AM TODAY FOR A JURY SELECTION. PROSECUTORS WILL BEGIN PRESENTING THEIR CASE ONCE A JURY IS CHOSEN. NESTOR AND GENNARINI HELD POSITIONS OF POLICE CHIEF AND CAPTAIN WHEN THEY WERE INDICTED BY A FEDERAL GRAND JURY IN DECEMBER 2009. NESTOR IS ACCUSED OF SHAKING DOWN BOOKMAKERS OF ILLEGAL GAMBLING OPERATIONS AND BOTH ARE ACCUSED OF ATTEMPTING TO EXTORT A BOROUGH BUSINESSMAN.

MEN ARRESTED FOR STEALING POLITICAL AND PENNDOT SIGNS

TAMAQUA POLICE ARRESTED FOUR MEN WEDNESDAY AND CHARGED THEM WITH STEALING POLITICAL SIGN AND PENNDOT ROAD SINGS. THE REPUBLICAN HERALD REPORTS 18-YEAR-OLD AARON WELLER OF ORWIGSBURG ALONG WITH 19-YEAR-OLDS JOSEPH RENO OF PINE GROVE, JORDAN HOFFMAN OF NEW RINGGOLD AND EVAN GREENAWALT OF SCHUYLKILL HAVEN WERE ARRAIGNED ON THEFT AND RELATED OFFENSES. THE MEN ALSO REMOVED TWO "ROAD CLOSED" SIGNS FROM A DILAPIDATED BRIDGE AND PLACED THEM ON A DIFFERENT STREET WHICH AFFECTED TRAFFIC WEDNESDAY MORNING. EACH WAS RELEASED ON $5,000 UNSECURED BAIL.


FATAL CRASH IN TULPEHOCKEN TOWNSHIP

A LINGLESTOWN MAN DIED WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON WHEN HIS MOTORCYCLE WAS HIT BY THE DRIVER OF A SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE. STATE POLICE SAY 49-YEAR-OLD LESTER LEACH WAS DRIVING HIS MOTORCYCLE NORTH ON ROUTE 183 APPROACHING OLD ROUTE 22 IN UPPER TULPEHOCKEN TOWNSHIP WHEN A VEHICLE DRIVEN BY 69-YEAR-OLD FELIX HERNANDEZ OF BETHLEHEM TRAVELED INTO THE INTERSECTION AND STRUCK LEACH'S MOTORCYCLE. THE CRASH CLOSED BOTH LANES OF ROUTE 183 FOR ABOUT THREE HOURS AND TRAFFIC WAS DETOURED INTO STRAUSSTOWN. LEACH WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT THE SCENE BY THE BERKS COUNTY CORNER'S OFFICE. POLICE SAY LEACH WAS WEARING A HELMET.

HOUSE REPUBLICAN BUDGET PROPOSAL

THE HOUSE REPUBLICAN ALTERNATIVE TO GOVERNOR CORBETT'S BUDGET PLAN WAS UNVEILED THIS WEEK IN HARRISBURG. THE PROPOSAL PROVIDES ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR EDUCATION, OFFSET BY A REDUCTION IN WELFARE PROGRAMS, WHILE PRESERVING CORBETT'S ORIGINAL $27.3 BILLION SPENDING LIMIT. REPRESENTATIVE MIKE TOBASH SAID THAT THE ELIMINATION OF WASTE AND ABUSE IN THE WELFARE SYSTEM WILL FREE UP THE FUNDING NEEDED TO INCREASE SPENDING FOR BASIC AND HIGHER EDUCATION BY $380 MILLION AND RESTORE BASIC EDUCATION FUNDING TO PRE-STIMULUS LEVELS.

IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN. TIME FOR THE AMERICAN WAY FAIR! JASMINE BROOKS HAS THE STORY:
AMERICAN WAY FAIR

STATE NEWS:

SOUDERTON, PA. (AP) - THE FATHER OF A SUBURBAN PHILADELPHIA GIRL DOESN'T BLAME POLICE FOR HIS DAUGHTER'S DEATH. ACCORDING TO THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, ERIC KAUFFMAN SAYS 9-YEAR-OLD SKYLER MIGHT HAVE BEEN MURDERED MONDAY EVEN IF POLICE HAD DETAINED JAMES LEE TROUTMAN AFTER HIS DAUGHTER AND HER FRIEND FOUND THEMSELVES LOCKED IN HIS APARTMENT.

ALLENTOWN, PA. (AP) - ACCORDING TO THE ALLENTOWN MORNING CALL, THE ATTORNEY FOR A VETERINARIAN ACCUSED OF KILLING HIS PREGNANT LOVER AND DUMPING HER BODY AT A NATURE PRESERVE SAYS HIS CLIENT WILL WAIVE HIS RIGHT TO A PRELIMINARY HEARING. DAVID RAPOPORT IS CHARGED WITH KILLING JENNIFER SNYDER. HER BODY WAS FOUND MARCH 18TH IN A WOODED RAVINE NEAR ALLENTOWN.

MEDIA, PA. (AP) - A JUDGE HAS DENIED A REQUEST FOR A NEW SENTENCE FOR A MAN WHO PLEADED GUILTY TO SHOOTING A SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA POLICE OFFICER. THE DELAWARE COUNTY DAILY TIMES SAYS MARVIN MARMOLEJOS HAD SOUGHT TO WITHDRAW HIS PLEA IN LAST MAY'S SHOOTING OF UPPER DARBY POLICE OFFICER RAYMOND BLOHM, BUT INSTEAD ASKED A DELAWARE COUNTY JUDGE TO RECONSIDER HIS SENTENCE.

NATIONAL NEWS:

RENA LARA, MISS. (AP) - EXPERTS DON'T EXPECT THE SWOLLEN MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO CREST AT VICKSBURG, MISS., UNTIL A WEEK FROM TODAY, AND IN NEW ORLEANS, NOT FOR ANOTHER 11 DAYS. FLOODS ALREADY HAVE SPILLED ACROSS FARM FIELDS, WASHED OVER ROADS AND SENT PEOPLE FLEEING FROM THEIR HOMES IN THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA. ONE RESIDENT IN THE SMALL TOWN OF HOLLANDALE SAYS IF THE LEVEE BREAKS, SHE AND HER HUSBAND HAVE NO WHERE TO GO.

WASHINGTON (AP) - INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS SAY IT COULD TAKE MONTHS TO GO THROUGH OSAMA BIN LADEN'S PERSONAL, HANDWRITTEN JOURNAL AND HIS MASSIVE COLLECTION OF COMPUTER FILES THAT U.S. FORCES TOOK FROM HIS COMPOUND AFTER THEY KILLED HIM. BUT OFFICIALS SAY SO FAR, THEY'VE LEARNED HOW BIN LADEN REMAINED KEY TO RUNNING AL-QAIDA AND WANTED DESPERATELY TO HIT MORE U.S. TARGETS.

WASHINGTON (AP) - THE HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE HAS VOTED TO DELAY PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA'S NEW POLICY ALLOWING GAYS TO SERVE OPENLY IN THE MILITARY. THE BROAD, $553 BILLION DEFENSE BLUEPRINT WOULD ALSO LIMIT THE PRESIDENT'S AUTHORITY ON SLASHING THE NATION'S NUCLEAR ARSENAL AND PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL $118 BILLION TO FIGHT
WARS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN, MEETING THE PENTAGON'S REQUEST.

TRIPOLI, LIBYA (AP) - LIBYAN REBELS IN THE PORT CITY OF MISRATA SAY THEY'VE PUSHED MOAMMAR GADHAFI'S FORCES FURTHER FROM THE CITY'S WESTERN OUTSKIRTS. THE REPORTED ADVANCE IS ONE OF A FLURRY OF ACCOUNTS OF REBEL VICTORIES, COINCIDING WITH INTENSIFIED NATO AIRSTRIKES ON GADHAFI'S FORCES IN SEVERAL AREAS OF LIBYA. AT LEAST FOUR AIR STRIKES APPEARED TO TARGET CENTRAL TRIPOLI OVERNIGHT.

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA (AP) - AN INDIAN GOVERNMENT MINISTER SAYS HE'S GLAD AN AUSTRALIAN COMPANY HAS DECIDED TO SCRAP ITS SWIMWEAR LINE THAT INCLUDED WOMEN'S BIKINIS DECORATED WITH THE IMAGE OF THE HINDU GODDESS, LAKSHMI, THE GODDESS OF BEAUTY, WEALTH AND GOOD FORTUNE. MANY HINDUS WERE OUTRAGED WHEN MODELS WORE THE SWIMWEAR AT AUSTRALIAN FASHION WEEK IN SYDNEY LAST WEEK. IN RESPONSE, ANGRY
MOBS BURNED AUSTRALIAN FLAGS IN INDIA'S NORTHERN PUNJAB STATE. DESIGNER LISA BLUE HAS APOLOGIZED FOR ANY OFFENSE HER FASHIONS CAUSED.