TODAY'S NEWS: THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2011

WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A SIMPLE WORK SESSION FOR THE COMMISSIONER'S BECAME MORE LIKE THE SHOW LET'S MAKE A DEAL J MATTHEWS HAS MORE

SENATOR DAVID ARGALL JOINED DOZENS OF THE AREA'S SENIOR CITIZENS WEDNESDAY AT THE SCHUYLKILL MALL FOR A SENIOR CITIZENS EXPO. JASMINE BROOKS HAS MORE:


THURSDAY'S TORNADO RIPPED THROUGH PARTS OF SCHUYLKILL COUNTY; DAMAGING TWENTY HOMES, A DOZEN BARNS AND MORE THAN 1,000 TREES. WEATHER OFFICIALS SAY DESPITE THE MOUNTAINS, OUR AREA IS VULNERABLE TO TORNADOES. JASMINE BROOKS HAS MORE:

FATAL CRASH IN TAMAQUA

A VIOLENT CRASH THAT SHUT DOWN ROUTE 309 IN TAMAQUA FOR SEVERAL HOURS WEDNESDAY MORNING KILLED A LEHIGHTON WOMAN AND CRITICALLY INJURED A MAN. POLICE TELL US A TRACTOR-TRAILER DRIVEN BY A PHILADELPHIA MAN RAN INTO A STOPPED VEHICLE DRIVEN BY 75-YEAR-OLD SALVATORE SPARICH. SPARICH'S VEHICLE WAS THEN PUSHED INTO A VAN, CAUSING IT TO SLIDE INTO A TRUCK HAULING DYNAMITE. SPARICH WAS LIFE FLIGHTED TO SAINT LUKES BETHLEHEM. THE PASSENGER, 71-YEAR-OLD HELEN SPARICH, WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD ON THE SCENE. CHARGES ARE PENDING ON THE TRACTOR-TRAILER DRIVER AS THE INVESTIGATING CONTINUES.

FORMER SHENANDOAH POLICE SENTENCED

FORMER SHENANDOAH POLICE CHIEF MATTHEW NESTOR WAS SENTENCED YESTERDAY IN FEDERAL COURT IN WILKES BARRE. JUDGE A. RICHARD CAPUTO ORDERED NESTER TO SERVE 13 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR FILING A FALSE POLICE REPORT. NESTOR'S INITIAL POLICE REPORT FAILED TO NOTE THE IDENTITIES OF THE SUSPECTS AND OMITTED THE FACT THAT HE HAD NUMEROUS PHONE CONVERSATIONS WITH ONE OF THE DEFENDANTS' MOTHERS. CAPUTO ALSO SENTECED FORMER POLICE LIEUTENANT WILLIAM MOYER TO SERVE 3 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR LYING TO FBI AGENTS ABOUT AN ENCOUNTER WITH A MAN AS THE RAMIREZ BEATING WAS UNFOLDING. A WITNESS REPORTED THEIR WAS SOMEONE WITH A GUN, BUT THE 9-1-1 TAPES SHOW NO SUCH CONVERSATION TOOK PLACE. ONCE CONFRONTED BY FEDERAL AGENTS, MOYER CHANGED HIS STORY ABOUT THE INCIDENT. NESTOR AND MOYER WILL BEGIN THEIR SENTENCE JUNE 29TH.

DEATH IN PORT CLINTON

AN AFTERNOON OF SWIMMING IN THE SCHUYLKILL RIVER TURNED DEADLY FOR A 28-YEAR-OLD READING MAN. AN INTENSE SEARCH FOR JASON MORRIS WHO REPORTEDLY JUMPED INTO THE RIVER AND DIDN'T COME BACK UP ENDED WITH HIS BODY BEING PULLED FROM THE WATER.EMERGENCY DISPATCHERS GOT THE CALL SHORTLY BEFORE SIX WEDNESDAY EVENING FROM THE AREA KNOWN AS "THE ROCK" IN THE SCHUYLKILL RIVER IN WEST BRUNSWICK TOWNSHIP, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY.EMERGENCY CREWS FOUND HIS BODY SHORTLY BEFORE 7:00 P.M. STATE POLICE ARE LISTING THE DEATH AS AN ACCIDENTAL DROWNING DUE TO THE UNDERTOW AND RAPID CURRENT IN THE AREA (WGRC)

SUSPICIOUS FIRE IN POTTSVILLE

A FIRE THAT DAMAGED AN UNOCCUPIED POTTSVILLE HOME EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING IS CONSIDERED SUSPICIOUS AND FIRE OFFICIALS ARE LEANING TOWARD ARSON AS THE CAUSE. THE BLAZE AT 657 NORTH SECOND STREET STARTED ON THE BACK PORCH JUST BEFORE 1AM. FIREFIGHTERS WHO ARRIVED AT THE SCENE WERE MET WITH INTENSE FIRE AT THE REAR OF THE SINGLE HOME OWNED BY ROBERT BONACCOLTA OF EQUITABLE HOME INVESTMENTS, LEBANON. WITHIN 20 MINUTES, THE CHIEF SAID FIREFIGHTERS EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE, KEEPING DAMAGE TO THE FIRST FLOOR AND AT THE REAR OF THE SECOND FLOOR.NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED.POTTSVILLE POLICE AND A STATE POLICE FIRE MARSHAL WILL WORK WITH HIS DEPARTMENT IN TRYING TO DETERMINE EXACTLY HOW THE FIRE STARTED.

ST CLAIR APPROVES PROJECT COSTS

THE ST CLAIR AREA SCHOOL BOARD APPTOVED THE PROJECT AND CONSTRUCTION COSTS FOR THE ADDITION AND RENOVATION OF THE ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL THE PLAN INCLUDES ADDING 23 PARKING SPACES TO INCLUDE HANDICAPPED SPOTS WERE THE PLAYGROUND IS. EIGHT CLASSROOMS AND A GROUP INSTRUCTION ROOM , ALSO A PLAY YARD ON THE ROOF IN OTHER BUSINESS, THE BOARD ADOPTED A BUDGET OF CLOSE TO 10 MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE 2011-12 SCHOOL YEAR.
STATE NEWS:

LANCASTER, PA. (AP) - FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH SAYS HE WAS PLEASED BUT NOT JOYOUS WHEN HE LEARNED U.S. FORCES HAD KILLED OSAMA BIN LADEN. THE LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA INTELLIGENCER JOURNAL AND NEW ERA REPORTS BUSH MADE THE REMARKS TO MORE THAN 2,500 PEOPLE YESTERDAY AT THE LANCASTER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY'S ANNUAL DINNER.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - THE PHILADELPHIA MEDICAL EXAMINER SAYS AN OFF-DUTY POLICE OFFICER HAD A FATAL HEART ATTACK BEFORE LOSING CONTROL OF HIS CAR AND PLUNGING INTO THE SCHUYLKILL RIVER. ACCORDING TO THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, CORONER SPOKESMAN JEFF MORAN SAYS DROWNING WAS A SECONDARY CAUSE OF DEATH.

ABINGTON, PA. (AP) - A SUBURBAN PHILADELPHIA FAMILY IS WELCOMING SIX NEW ADDITIONS. A STATEMENT FROM ABINGTON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL SAYS SEXTUPLETS WERE BORN THERE YESTERDAY. THE HOSPITAL SAYS THE THREE BOYS AND THREE GIRLS ARE PREMATURE, AS EXPECTED. THEY ARE BEING CARED FOR IN THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT.

NATIONAL NEWS:

DAKOTA DUNES, S.D. (AP) - THREE CITIES IN CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA MAY BE HIT WITH FLOODING AS EXCESS WATER IS RELEASED FROM DAMS ON THE MISSOURI RIVER. THE GOVERNOR HAS URGED SOME PEOPLE IN PIERRE, FORT PIERRE, AND DAKOTA DUNES TO EVACUATE. OFFICIALS SAY FLOODING IN THE NORTHERN PLAINS COULD STRETCH INTO JULY.

SPRINGFIELD, MASS. (AP) - TORNADO PICKUP RESUMES TODAY IN 19 SMALL COMMUNITIES ACROSS CENTRAL AND WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS. THEY WERE HAMMERED BY TWISTERS YESTERDAY THAT SPUN OFF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. AT LEAST FOUR PEOPLE WERE KILLED. SOME EXPERTS WILL FLY OVER THE AREA TO BETTER ASSESS THE DAMAGE.

TOKYO (AP) - JAPAN'S PRIME MINISTER, WHO'S FACED STIFF CRITICISM FOR HIS GOVERNMENT'S REACTION TO THE TSUNAMI AND NUCLEAR CRISIS, HAS SURVIVED A NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE IN THE PARLIAMENT. NAOTO KAN WON BY ALMOST TWO-TO-ONE. HE'S OFFERED TO RESIGN ONCE HE FEELS THE RECOVERY IS ON MORE SOLID GROUND.

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (AP) - NATO SAYS IT'S CAPTURED A HIGH-LEVEL AL-QAIDA FIGURE IN NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN. HE'S DESCRIBED AS A SENIOR AL-QAIDA FACILITATOR, AND FORMER ASSOCIATE OF OSAMA BIN LADEN. HIS NAME WAS NOT RELEASED. NATO SAYS 35 PEOPLE ASSOCIATED WITH AL-QAIDA AND THE TALIBAN HAVE BEEN CAPTURED IN THE SAME REGION SINCE FEBRUARY.

LONDON (AP) - DURING THE NEXT YEAR, UP TO 70 CONVICTED TERRORISTS WILL BE RELEASED FROM BRITISH JAILS. PROBATION OFFICERS SAY IT WILL BE HARD KEEPING TABS ON THEM ALL. ONE INTELLIGENCE OFFICIAL THINKS SOME ARE "LIKELY TO RETURN TO THEIR TERRORIST
ACTIVITIES." ONE TERRORIST SET FOR RELEASE WAS CONVICTED OF PLOTTING TO DOWN A PLANE USING EXPLOSIVES IN HIS SHOES.