TODAY'S NEWS: MONDAY JULY 11, 2011

PORTER TWP MAN CHARGED WITH SIMPLE ASSAULT

A PORTER TOWNSHIP MAN IS IN SCHUYLKILL COUNTY PRISON THIS MORNING AFTER AN INCIDENT LATE LAST WEEK. STATE POLICE AT SCHUYLKILL HAVEN ARE REPORTING THAT 27 YEAR OLD ADAM NULL BEGAN ARGUING WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND 40 YEAR OLD ANNETTE O'BRIEN AND HER CHILDREN. DURING THE SCUFFLE NULL AT SOME POINT BRANDISHED AN ASSAULT RIFLE AND PUT THE BARREL OF THE WEAPON IN THE BACK OF O'BRIEN. NULL IS BEING HELD IN SCHUYLKILL COUNTY PRISON ON SIMPLE ASSAULT CHARGES IN LIEU OF $20,000 BAIL

FATAL ACCIDENT IN DONALDSON

ONE MAN IS DEAD AND ANOTHER ONE INJURED DURING A MOTORCYCLE CRASH ON RT 125 NEAR GOOD SPRING CREEK. THE CRASH HAPPENED SUNDAY AFTER NOON. ACCORDING TO STATE POLICE AT SCHUYLKILL HAVEN 10 MOTORCYCLES WERE INVOLVED. REPORTS SAY THAT WHILE SITTING NEAR GOOD SPRING CREEK A LONE MOTORCYCLE BEGAN SPEEDING TOWARD THE OTHERS WHEN IT CRASHED WITH THE OTHER BIKES. ONE MAN WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED AND TRANSPORTED TO SCHUYLKILL MEDICAL CENTER SOUTH NORWEGIAN STREET IN POTTSVILLE. THE DRIVER OF THE SPEEDING BIKE, A 20 YEAR OLD FROM LEBANON COUNTY, DIED AT THE SCENE WHEN HIS BIKE CRASHED INTO THE OTHER BIKES THROWING THE HIM FROM HIS BIKE INTO THE SIGN FOR THE CREEK AND A STEEL POLE. STATE POLICE WERE UNABLE TO RELEASE THE NAMES INVOLVED IN THE CRASH.

MAN FALLS TO HIS DEATH

EMERGENCY AND RESCUE PERSONNEL RESPONDED TO AN AREA KNOWN AS NEWTOWN FALLS WHERE A PERSON FELL 60 FEET TO HIS DEATH. THE AREA BEING REPORTED CAN ONLY BE ACCESSED BY A-T-V. STATE POLICE AT SCHUYLKILL HAVEN ARE IN CHARGE OF THE INCIDENT AND THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES. WPPA WILL UPDATE YOU ON THIS STORY AS MORE INFORMATION IS RELEASED.

CRASH INTO BARN CLAIMS ONE

ANOTHER MOTORCYLCE CRASH SUNDAY NIGHT CLAIMED THE LIFE OF 51 YEAR OLD ROBERT REB OF PINE GROVE. REB WAS TRAVELING ON RT 895 IN SCHUYLKILL HAVEN WHEN HE FAILED TO NEGOTIATE A TURN AND FLIPPED ON ITS SIDE AND SLID ACROSS THE EASTBOUND LANE AND ULTIMATELY CRASHING INTO A BARN OWNED BY ALAN FELTY OF SCHUYLKILL HAVEN. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY DEPUTY CORONER JOSHUA HART PRONOUNCED REB DEAD AT THE SCENE.

TRI VALLEY APPROVES BUDGET.

THE TRI VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT PASSED THEIR FINAL BUDGET FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR. THE BUDGET TOTALS MORE THAN 13 MILLION DOLLARS. THE BUDGET SHOWS A .529 MILL INCREASE AND NO FURLOUGHS FOR PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYEES OF THE DISTRICT. THE BOARDS NEXT MEETING IS SET FOR AUGUST 10 AT 7:30PM

BLOOD DRIVE

ON BEHALF OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS, WPPA AND T102, WE WANT TO THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE CHILL AND FILL BLOOD DRIVE ON SATURDAY AT FAIRLANE VILLAGE MALL. THROUGH A COMBINATION OF SCHEDULED APPOINTMENTS AND MORE THAN 30 WALK-INS, MORE THAN 100 PEOPLE CAME THROUGH THE DOORS AND 90 USABLE DONATIONS MADE. THE NEED FOR BLOOD CONTINUES, SO IF YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO DONATE SATURDAY, PLEASE CONTACT 1-800-GIVE LIFE TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT TODAY.

CHURCH COLLECTIONS REWRITE WITH SOUND

RESIDENTS OF JOPLIN, MISSOURI CONTINUE TO CLEAN UP AFTER DEVASTATING TORNADOES TOUCHED DOWN IN MAY. WHILE THE COMMUNITY STRUGGLES TO COPE, AN AREA CHURCH HAS BEGUN GATHERING NON-PERISHABLE FOOD, PERSONAL ITEMS, CLOTHING AND CASH DONATIONS TO HELP. THE COMMUNITY CHURCH IN AUBURN IS SPEARHEADING THE DISASTER RELIEF EFFORT. SONYA BESSASPARIS IS AN ORGANIZER:

SONYA 1

ITEMS ARE NEEDED TO BE COLLECTED BY THURSDAY, JULY 14TH. THERE ARE SEVERAL DROP OFF POINTS FOR ITEMS IN THE AREA, AND POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HELP, CALL 570-640-8385 OR 570-754-4291.

LOCATIONS:

COMMUNITY CHURCH, THIRD STREET IN AUBURN
HESS CATERING, SCHUYLKILL HAVEN
HOSE, HOOK AND LADDER, PINE GROVE
COPYCAT BUSINESS SYSTEMS, POTTSVILLE
SCHUYLKILL HAVEN BOROUGH HALL
JUST MY STYLE IN CRESSONA


STATE NEWS:

HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) SENATOR BOB CASEY SO FAR LOOKS TO HAVE AN EASY ROAD AS HE LOOKS TO WIN A SECOND TERM NEXT YEAR. REPUBLICAN LEADERS HOPE TO TIE CASEY TO WHAT THE GOP TERMS THE DISASTROUS ECONOMIC POLICIES OF THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION BUT TO DATE, NO REPUBLICAN PARTY-RECRUITED CANDIDATE HAS SURFACED TO CHALLENGE CASEY.

MONONGAHELA, PA. (AP) FORMER CONGRESSMAN FRANK MASCARA HAS DIED. HE WAS 81 YEARS OLD. THE DEMOCRAT SERVED FOUR TERMS IN THE HOUSE, FROM 1994 TO 2003, AS WELL AS 14 YEARS AS A WASHINGTON COUNTY COMMISSIONER -- WHERE HE ADVOCATED BOTH THE MON-FAYETTE EXPRESSWAY AND THE SOUTHPOINTE MULTI-USE PARK IN CECIL.

ATHENS, PA. (AP) BRADFORD COUNTY AUTHORITIES SAY A MAN DROWNED ON THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER AFTER HIS BOAT CAPSIZED THIS WEEKEND. MICHAEL SMITH OF SAYRE AND ANOTHER MAN WERE FISHING LATE SATURDAY NIGHT WHEN THE BOAT CAPSIZED IN THE CURRENT. THE (TOWANDA) DAILY REVIEW REPORTS BOTH MEN WERE THROWN IN THE WATER, WITH SMITH GETTING TRAPPED UNDERWATER BETWEEN THE BOAT AND A TREE LIMB.

NATIONAL NEWS:

WASHINGTON (AP) WHEN PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA SITS DOWN AT THE WHITE HOUSE AGAIN TODAY WITH CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS, HE'S EXPECTED TO KEEP PUSHING FOR A "GRAND BARGAIN" IN THE RANGE OF $4 TRILLION WORTH OF DEFICIT CUTS OVER THE COMING DECADE. BUT MOMENTUM MAY BE ON THE SIDE OF A SMALLER MEASURE OF PERHAPS HALF THAT SIZE. OBAMA CONTINUES TO PRESS FOR REVENUE INCREASES AS PART OF ANY AGREEMENT, BUT REPUBLICANS REMAIN STOUTLY OPPOSED. BEFORE THE MEETING, OBAMA HOLDS A WHITE HOUSE NEWS CONFERENCE.

BAGHDAD (AP) IRAQI POLICE SAY THREE ROCKETS HAVE HIT BAGHDAD'S GREEN ZONE DURING A VISIT BY DEFENSE SECRETARY LEON PANETTA. POLICE SAY THE ROCKETS WERE FIRED FROM A SHIITE-DOMINATED NEIGHBORHOOD IN EASTERN BAGHDAD. NO CASUALTIES WERE REPORTED.

DEMOPOLIS, ALA. (AP) A CORONER SAYS THE SEVEN PEOPLE KILLED IN AN ALABAMA PLANE CRASH OVER THE WEEKEND WERE A COUPLE AND THEIR FIVE CHILDREN, RETURNING HOME FROM A FAMILY REUNION. THE FAMILY WAS FLYING FROM FLORIDA TO ST. LOUIS WHEN THEIR SMALL PLANE LOST ITS RIGHT ENGINE. THE PILOT TRIED LANDING AT AN AIRPORT IN DEMOPOLIS, BUT THE PLANE CRASHED IN A DENSELY WOODED AREA NEAR THE AIRPORT.

LONDON (AP) THE FAMILY OF A MURDERED BRITISH SCHOOLGIRL HAS BEEN MEETING TODAY WITH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN LONDON TO DISCUSS THE PHONE-HACKING SCANDAL -- WHICH REPORTEDLY INCLUDED THE HACKING OF THE GIRL'S CELL PHONE BY THE NEWS OF THE WORLD TABLOID. THE TABLOID'S OPERATIVES REPORTEDLY DELETED SOME MESSAGES FROM THE PHONE'S VOICEMAIL, GIVING THE GIRL'S PARENTS FALSE HOPE THAT SHE WAS STILL ALIVE. THE PAPER HAS NOW BEEN SHUT DOWN. ONE OF ITS SENIOR EDITORS AT THE TIME LATER WORKED FOR PRIME MINISTER DAVID CAMERON.

LONDON (AP) THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE HAVE RETURNED HOME TO BRITAIN AFTER A WEEKEND IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. SMALL CROWDS OF WELL-WISHERS WAVING BRITISH AND AMERICAN FLAGS LINED UP FOR A VIEW OF PRINCE WILLIAM AND HIS BRIDE CATHERINE OUTSIDE THEIR SCHEDULED EVENTS. THE CALIFORNIA VISIT INCLUDED SOME POLO AND SOME MINGLING WITH HOLLYWOOD STARS -- AND ALSO SOME TIME SPENT WITH INNER-CITY KIDS AND JOBLESS VETERANS. IT FOLLOWED A NINE-DAY CANADIAN TOUR.