TODAY'S NEWS: THURSDAY JUNE 30, 2011

DEPUTY FATALLY SHOT

A SHERIFF'S DEPUTY TRYING TO SERVE A BURGLARY WARRANT WAS FATALLY SHOT BY A SUSPECT ARMED WITH AN ASSAULT RIFLE, WHO WAS THEN KILLED BY POLICE. STATE POLICE AT HAMBURG TELL US BERKS COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTY KYLE PAGERLY WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT LEHIGH VALLEY HOSPITAL AFTER BEING SHOT WEDNESDAY NIGHT WHILE TRYING TO SERVE A WARRANT ON 25-YEAR-OLD MATTHEW CONNOR. INVESTIGATORS SAY PAGERLY WAS PART OF A FUGITIVE TASK FORCE TRYING TO SERVE A WARRANT ON CONNOR FOR BURGLARY AND WEAPONS CHARGES WHEN CONNOR FLED FROM HIS GIRLFRIEND'S HOME IN ALBANY TOWNSHIP. STATE POLICE SAY THEY PURSUED CONNOR INTO THE WOODS BEHIND THE HOME. A SHOOTOUT ERUPTED AFTER POLICE SAY CONNOR REFUSED TO DROP AN AK-47 ASSAULT RIFLE. CONNOR WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT THE SCENE.

PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE PASSES ON-TIME $27.15 BILLION BUDGET WITH REDUCED STATE SPENDING AND NO NEW TAXES

THE PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE APPROVED A $27.15 BILLION STATE BUDGET WEDNESDAY IN HARRISBURG THAT CUTS STATE SPENDING, HOLDS THE LINE ON TAXES AND GIVES THE STATE ITS FIRST ON-TIME SPENDING PLAN IN EIGHT YEARS.COMMENTS FROM REP. JERRY KNOWLES

THE FIRE THAT BROKE OUT IN MINERSVILLE LAST WEEK HAS BEEN RULED SUSPICIOUS, BUT IS IT AN ARSON? JASMINE BROOKS REPORTS.


MANAGER ACCUSED OF STEALING FROM LIQUOR STORE

THE MANAGER OF THE SCHUYLKILL HAVEN LIQUOR STORE IS ACCUSED OF STEALING OVER 75 HUNDRED DOLLARS FROM THE STORE. 44 YEAR OLD LINDA MULLIN HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH UNLAWFUL TAKING AND TAMPERING WITH PHYSICAL RECORDS. SCHUYLKILL HAVEN POLICE REPORT THAT MULLIN WAS IDENTIFIED AFTER RECEIVING A CALL FROM AN INVESTIGATOR WITH THE PA LIQUOR CONTROL BOARD WHO SAID AN AUDIT REVEALED DISCREPANCIES WITH DEPOSITS THAT WERE NOT MADE. MULLINS IS SCHEDULED FOR A HEARING ON JULY 19.


MAYOR WARNS MAJOR REPAIRS ARE NOT PERMITTED

SHENANDOAH RESIDENTS MAY DO MINOR REPAIRS ON THEIR VEHICLES ON THE STREET BUT NOT MAJOR ONES. THAT'S WHAT MAYOR MICHAEL WHITECAVAGE HAD TO SAY AT LAST WEEKS BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING ADDING THAT AN ORDINANCE SETS THE PARAMETERS OF WHAT CAN AND CANNOT BE DONE. SHENANDOAH RESIDENTS CAN FACE ANYWHERE FROM A $100 FINE TO A $1000 FINE IF CAUGHT PERFORMING MAJOR REPAIRS ON THEIR VEHICLES ON BOROUGH STREETS.

MEMORIAL GARDENS TO BE DEDICATED AT RED CHURCH
AN HORRIFIC ACCIDENT 52 YEARS AGO THAT KILLED ELEVEN PEOPLE AND INJURED NEARLY A DOZEN NEAR ORWIGSBURG WILL BE REMEMBERED TONIGHT AT ZION'S RED CHURCH. A MEMORIAL STONE AND GARDEN HAS BEEN CONSTRUCTED ON THE CHURCH GROUNDS TO MARK THE EXPLOSION OF A GAS TANKER TRUCK ON NEAR THE CHURCH ON JUNE 2, 1959. A TRACTOR TRAILER REAR ENDED THE GAS TRUCK, CAUSING THE TANK TO EXPLODE AND SHOOT UP ROUTE 61, THEN KNOWN AS ROUTE 122, KILLING THE 11 MEN, SOME OF WHOM WERE BYSTANDERS. THE FORCE OF THE BLAST KNOCKED OUT A PART OF THE STONE WALL AT THE CHURCH. SEVERAL OF THE PEOPLE WHO SURVIVED AND PROVIDED VALUABLE AID AT THE SCENE THAT DAY WILL ALSO BE HONORED AT THE 6:30PM SERVICE THIS EVENING. A MEMORIAL GARDEN, HONORING THE LATE JUDGE E.MAC TROUTMAN AND HIS WIFE PEGGY WILL ALSO BE DEDICATED. THOSE PLANNING ON ATTENDING THE DEDICATION SHOULD BRING THEIR LAWN CHAIRS.

STATE POLICE STATION WELCOMES NEW COMMANDER

FRACKVILLE WELCOMES A NEW COMMANDER TO ITS STATE POLICE STATION. SGT. BARRY WHITMOYER TOOK COMMAND ON TUESDAY. WHITMOYER HAS BEEN A STATE TROOPER FOR TWENTY YEARS. AS A STATION COMMANDER HE WILL BE IN CHARGE OF 30 STATE TROOPERS.

STATE NEWS:

HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - HOUSE REPUBLICANS HAVE SENT A NEW STATE BUDGET TO GOVERNOR TOM CORBETT FOR HIS SIGNATURE. THE HOUSE VOTED 109 TO 92 LATE LAST NIGHT IN FAVOR OF THE $27.2 BILLION PLAN THAT DEALS WITH A DROP-OFF IN REVENUE COLLECTIONS BY MAKING WIDESPREAD CUTS IN GOVERNMENT SERVICES.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - OFFICIALS SAY TWO PHILADELPHIA POLICE OFFICERS WERE SERIOUSLY HURT WHEN THEIR CRUISER COLLIDED WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE. A POLICE SPOKESMAN TELLS THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER THE 25TH DISTRICT OFFICERS WERE HEADED TO HELP PATROL OFFICERS WHO HAD STOPPED ANOTHER VEHICLE. BOTH OFFICERS WERE RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL. THEY WERE LISTED IN STABLE CONDITION LAST NIGHT.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - PHILADELPHIA POLICE HAVE ARRESTED A SUSPECT IN CONNECTION WITH THE SHOOTING DEATH OF A NORTH PHILADELPHIA CORNER GROCERY STORE OWNER EARLIER THIS MONTH. AUTHORITIES SAY DARNELL GRIFFIN HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH MURDER AND RELATED OFFENSES. HE'S ACCUSED OF KILLING FELIX RODRIGUEZ JUNE 18TH.

HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - THE CHANCELLOR OF PENNSYLVANIA'S STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM SAYS IT'S FACING ITS BIGGEST FINANCIAL CHALLENGE EVER AS ITS BOARD PREPARES TO SET TUITION RATES FOR NEXT YEAR. CHANCELLOR JOHN CAVANAUGH TOLD MEMBERS OF A BOARD COMMITTEE THE SYSTEM FACES A $112 MILLION DEFICIT, MAINLY BECAUSE OF THE LOSS OF
MORE THAN $90 MILLION IN STATE AND FEDERAL MONEY.

NATIONAL NEWS:

BAGHDAD (AP) - IT'S THE DEADLIEST MONTH FOR U.S. TROOPS IN IRAQ IN TWO YEARS. THE U.S. MILITARY SAYS THREE AMERICANS WERE KILLED WEDNESDAY IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE COUNTRY, BUT THE MILITARY ISN'T SAYING HOW. FIFTEEN U.S. TROOPS HAVE BEEN KILLED THIS MONTH IN IRAQ, AND ALL BUT ONE WERE KILLED IN COMBAT.

WASHINGTON (AP) - GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS WILL LIKELY BE MAKING THE MOVE FROM HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL FORCES IN AFGHANISTAN TO CIA DIRECTOR. THE SENATE IS EXPECTED TO APPROVE PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA'S PICK FOR CIA DIRECTOR WHEN LAWMAKERS VOTE LATER TODAY.

WASHINGTON (AP) - PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA IS CALLING ON CONGRESS TO WORK THROUGH THE JULY FOURTH HOLIDAY ON A DEBT REDUCTION PACKAGE. THE WHITE HOUSE HAS IDENTIFIED AT LEAST $1.3 TRILLION IN SPENDING CUTS OVER 10 YEARS AND IS PROPOSING UP TO $400 BILLION IN NEW TAX REVENUE. BUT REPUBLICANS WANT MORE SPENDING CUTS AND NO TAX
INCREASES.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI (AP) - SCIENTISTS SAY IT'S LIKELY THAT A TEAM OF U.N. WORKERS FROM NEPAL BROUGHT THE CHOLERA EPIDEMIC TO HAITI FOLLOWING THE DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE. THE EPIDEMIOLOGISTS AND PHYSICIANS SAY THE SAME STRAIN OF CHOLERA IN HAITI WAS FOUND IN THE REGION THE NEPALESE VOLUNTEERS CAME FROM, AND THEY SAY THE RIVER NEAR THE VOLUNTEERS' MILITARY CAMP IN HAITI TRIGGERED THE EPIDEMIC.
SOME 5,500 PEOPLE DIED.

HARTFORD, CONN. (AP) - A MAN WANTED FOR MURDER IN CONNECTICUT HAS BEEN RETURNED TO THE U.S. FROM MEXICO, AFTER 20 YEARS ON THE RUN. ADAM ZACHS WAS CONVICTED OF SHOOTING A MAN OUTSIDE A WEST HARTFORD RESTAURANT IN 1987, BUT HE WAS FREED ON BAIL WHILE HE APPEALED THE CASE. HE FLED IN 1989 AND WAS CAUGHT IN MEXICO IN FEBRUARY. HE'LL APPEAR BEFORE A JUDGE THIS MORNING TO BEGIN SERVING A 60-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE.