TODAY'S NEWS: FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2011

TWO LOCAL CHARITIES RECEIVED GRANTS TOTALING OVER $10,000. JASMINE BROOKS HAS MORE:

REP. JERRY KNOWLES COMMENTS ON HOUSE PASSAGE OF LEGISLATION TO PROTECT FIREFIGHTERS..CHUCK NICHOLS HAS THE STORY

VEREB AMENDMENT WOULD MOVE FUNDING AND OVERSIGHT FOR GAMING ENFORCEMENT TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE. MIKE DAVIES WITH THE REPORT

AUTO FIRM WILL CREATE 150 JOBS TO AREA

A NEW BUSINESS COMING TO EAST UNION TOWNSHIP EXPECTS TO CREATE OVER 150 JOBS OVER THE NEXT 12 MONTHS. AFFINIA GROUP INCORPORATED, A GLOBAL AUTOMOTIVE REPLACEMENT PARTS COMPANY, WILL LOCATE ITS EAST COAST DISTRIBUTION CENTER IN HUMBOLDT INDUSTRIAL PARK. THE REPUBLICAN HERALD REPORTS, AFFINIA EXPECTS TO BEGIN SHIPPING THE PRODUCTS FROM THE SITE IN JULY.

TAMAQUA REFUSE TO PAY BILL FOR LIGHTS

TAMAQUA BOROUGH COUNCIL REFUSES TO PAY A BILL THEY OWE TO MUNICIPAL ENERGY MANAGERS IN THE AMOUNT OF 25 HUNDRED DOLLARS. THE COUNCIL HIRED M-E-M IN 2008 TO NEGOTIATE A DEAL WITH PPL TO PURCHASE STREET LIGHTS FOR THE BOROUGH. BOROUGH OFFICIALS ARE CLAIMING THAT M-E-M HAS NOT MET THEIR END OF THE BARGAIN AND THAT THE STREETLIGHTS ARE NOT BEING MAINTAINED AND THAT TAMAQUA DOES NOT OWN THE LIGHTS. M-EM CLAIMS THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO REACH AN AGREEMENT WITH PPL ON A FAIR PRICE FOR THE LIGHTS.

BLUE MOUNTAIN WILL APPEAL MYSPACE RULING

ON THURSDAY, THE BLUE MOUNTAIN SCHOOL DISTRICT AUTHORIZED ITS LAW FIRM TO PREPARE AN APPEAL TO THE U.S. SUPREME COURT REGARDING A STUDENT'S MYSPACE FREE SPEECH CASE. THE CASE INVOLVED A FEMALE STUDENT WHO POSTED A PROFILE OF THE MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL, ADDING INSULTS AND ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT. THE 3RD U.S. CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS ORIGINALLY RULED THE POSTINGS ARE PROTECTED UNDER PREVIOUS SUPREME COURT CASE LAW ON STUDENT SPEECH, BUT THE DISTRICT WILL PURSUE THE APPEAL TO PROTECT ITS FACULTY AND STAFF FROM THE MISUSE OF SOCIAL MEDIA.

ANTHRACITE PHILHARMONIC TO PERFORM

ON JULY 10TH THE LACK OF ORCHESTRA MUSIC IN THE AREA WILL COME TO AN END. THE ANTHRACITE PHILHARMONIC WILL MAKE ITS DEBUT AT YUENGLING MANSION. 2 YEARS AGO THE SCHUYLKILL SYMPHONY DISBANDED DUE TO FINANCES LEAVING THE AREA WITHOUT AN ORCHESTRA. THE 20 MEMBER PHILHARMONIC STARTED IN MARCH OF LAST YEAR WHEN THEY JOINED WITH THE SCHUYLKILL CHORAL SOCIETY FOR AN AFTERNOON WITH JOHN RUTTER. THE PHILHARMONIC HAS RECEIVED CLOSE TO A $1000 DOLLAR GRANT FROM THE PA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS AND DONATIONS FROM THE YUENGLING FOUNDATION AMONG OTHERS.


BAN ON BATH SALTS SIGNED

RESPONDING TO THE LATEST TREND AMONG DRUG ADDICTS, GOVERNOR TOM CORBETT SIGNED A STATE LAW THURSDAY THAT BANS THE SALE OF "BATH SALTS" AND OTHER SYNTHETIC DRUGS. EARLIER THIS YEAR, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY ISSUED A SALE BAN INJUNCTION AND SEVERAL MUNICIPALITIES IN THE COUNTY PASSED ORDINANCES REGARDING BATH SALTS. REPRESENTATIVE MIKE TOBASH SAYS "THIS LAW IS AN IMPORTANT STEP FORWARD IN THE ONGOING FIGHT AGAINST DRUG ABUSE." THE BAN WILL TAKE EFFECT 60 DAYS FROM NOW.

STATE NEWS:

HARRISBURG, PA (AP) A SECOND TENTATIVE CONTRACT AGREEMENT FOR PENNSYLVANIA STATE EMPLOYEES IS BEING ANNOUNCED IN HARRISBURG. THE PRESIDENT OF LOCAL 668 OF THE SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION, WHICH REPRESENTS 10,000 WORKERS, SAID THE DEAL
WAS STRUCK THURSDAY NIGHT AFTER FOUR STRAIGHT DAYS OF NEGOTIATIONS. KATHY JELLISON DID NOT PROVIDE DETAILS OF THE AGREEMENT WITH GOV. TOM CORBETT'S ADMINISTRATION, BUT SAID IT PROTECTS BOTH UNION MEMBERS AND TAXPAYERS.


HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - GOVERNOR TOM CORBETT SAYS HE'D SIGN A BILL THAT WOULD CLAMP DOWN ON THE ABILITY OF THE STATE'S FINANCIALLY TROUBLED CAPITAL CITY TO FILE FOR FEDERAL BANKRUPTCY PROTECTION. CORBETT'S COMMENTS COME A DAY AFTER A SENATE COMMITTEE
SENT THE BILL TO THE FULL SENATE. IT STILL NEEDS HOUSE APPROVAL.

ALLENTOWN, PA. (AP) -FEDERAL ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATORS WILL STUDY THREE PENNSYLVANIA COUNTIES AS PART OF ITS INVESTIGATION INTO THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF HYDRAULIC FRACTURING ON DRINKING WATER. THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY SAID IT HAS CHOSEN A TOTAL OF SEVEN SITES FOR THE STUDY, INCLUDING BRADFORD AND SUSQUEHANNA COUNTIES IN
NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND WASHINGTON COUNTY IN THE SOUTHWEST.

STATE COLLEGE, PA. (AP) - FEWER PENNSYLVANIA HOUSEHOLDS ARE NOW HEADED BY MARRIED COUPLES THAN A DECADE AGO, WHILE THE NUMBER OF SAME-SEX PARTNER HOMES IN THE COMMONWEALTH IS ON THE RISE. FIGURES FROM THE 2010 CENSUS SHOW MARRIED COUPLES LED 48PERCENT OF PENNSYLVANIA HOMES IN 2010, COMPARED TO NEARLY 52 PERCENT A DECADE AGO.

NATIONAL NEWS:

MINOT, N.D. (AP) - OFFICIALS IN NORTH DAKOTA'S FOURTH-LARGEST CITY SAY THE SOURIS RIVER, NOW TRICKLING INTO PARTS OF TOWN, IS LIKELY TO COME ROARING IN OVER THE WEEKEND. AS MANY AS 10,000 PEOPLE HAVE EVACUATED AND WATER IS UP TO THE FIRST FLOOR OF SOME HOUSES. IN BURLINGTON, WHERE ANOTHER RIVER MEETS THE SOURIS, THE MAYOR SAYS SAVING THE TOWN JUST ISN'T POSSIBLE.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - THE DEBATE OVER LEGALIZING SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IN NEW YORK ISN'T OVER YET. THE STATE SENATE MEETS TODAY TO CONSIDER LEGISLATION AND IT'S NOT ASSURED THAT THE MARRIAGE BILL WILL SEE A VOTE. THE STATE SENATE ENDED ITS SESSION LATE LAST NIGHT WITHOUT CONSIDERING THE BILL. THERE WERE DEMONSTRATIONS ON BOTH SIDES YESTERDAY.

BEIRUT (AP) - TURKEY'S FOREIGN MINISTRY SAYS THE STREAM OF REFUGEES FROM SYRIAN STRIFE CONTINUES. OFFICIALS SAY MORE THAN 1,500 SYRIAN REFUGEES HAVE CROSSED THE BORDER TO SAFE HAVENS IN TURKEY IN ONE DAY. THEY ARE TRYING TO ESCAPE A VIOLENT GOVERNMENT CRACKDOWN ON PRO-DEMOCRACY ADVOCATES.

WASHINGTON (AP) - BEFORE HIS DEATH, AL-QAIDA FOUNDER OSAMA BIN LADEN RECOGNIZED HE WAS LOSING THE PUBLIC RELATIONS WAR WITH THE WEST, PRIMARILY BECAUSE IT WAS KILLING TOO MANY MUSLIMS. BIN LADEN, WHO HATED THE UNITED STATES AND DECRIED CAPITALISM, CONSIDERED A MOST AMERICAN OF BUSINESS STRATEGIES, A FRESH START UNDER A NEW NAME. THE WRITINGS WERE RECOVERED FROM HIS COMPOUND IN PAKISTAN.

PHOENIX (AP) - A PHOENIX-BASED TV PITCHMAN IS IN CUSTODY AFTER BEING A NO-SHOW AT HIS ARRAIGNMENT. DONALD LAPRE IS CHARGED WITH RUNNING A NATIONWIDE SCHEME TO SELL ESSENTIALLY WORTHLESS INTERNET-BASED BUSINESSES. ONE WAS ALLEGEDLY A COMPANY CALLED "THE GREATEST VITAMIN IN THE WORLD." HE WAS ARRESTED LAST NIGHT IN TEMPE, ARIZONA.