TODAY'S NEWS: TUESDAY JULY 19,2011

IT'LL BE ANOTHER HOT AND STICKY DAY IN THE MIDWEST TODAY, WHERE TEMPERATURES IN SOME AREAS HAVE GOTTEN AS HIGH AS 110 DEGREES AND ABOVE THIS SUMMER. SEVENTEEN STATES HAVE HEAT ADVISORIES AND WARNINGS.JASMINE BROOKS HAS THE LATEST ON WEATHER IN OUR AREA.

FRACKVILLE TO SEEK TAX FORGIVENESS

A JANUARY FIRE HAS FRACKVILLE BOROUGH COUNCIL ASKING THE SCHUYLKILL COUNTY COURTS FOR TAX FORGIVENESS ON THREE DESTROYED PROPERTIES. BOROUGH COUNCIL PETITIONED THE COURT TO SAY THAT THE THREE HOUSES ON HOWARD AVENUE IN FRACKVILLE ARE SO BADLY DAMAGED THAT THEY WOULD NOT BRING IN ENOUGH MONEY IF SOLD, TO PAY THE TAXES DUE ON THEM. THE THREE PROPERTIES WERE INVOLVED IN A FIRE BACK IN JANUARY THAT LEFT NINE PEOPLE HOMELESS.

CRESSONA CONCERNED ABOUT VANDALS

THE INCREASED VANDALISM IN CRESSONA HAS MANY RESIDENTS WORRIED AND CONCERNED. AT MONDAY'S BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING THESE CONCERNS WERE ADDRESSED. SEVERAL IN ATTENDANCE SPOKE OF RECENT PROPERTY DAMAGE AND OTHER OCCURRENCES. ALSO DISCUSSED WAS THE CLEAN UP OF THE CREEK BED DUE TO FLOODING AND HEAVY RAINS A FEW MONTHS AGO.

HOME DEMOLITION IN BUTLER TOWNSHIP

A DILAPIDATED HOUSE IN BUTLER TOWNSHIP WILL SOON BE DEMOLISHED. THE THREE-STORY STRUCTURE ALONG MAIN STREET IN LOCUSTDALE IS CONSIDERED DANGEROUS AND UNINHABITABLE. THE TOWNSHIP GAINED THE RIGHT TO HAVE THE HOUSE TORN DOWN MONDAY IN SCHUYLKILL COUNTY COURT.

LOCAL BOY SCOUT TO CLEAN UP CIVIL WAR MEMORIAL

IN ORDER TO EARN HIS EAGLE SCOUT AWARD, A LOCAL BOY SCOUT IS PLANNING TO SPRUCE UP A LOCAL CIVIL WAR MEMORIAL. THE REPUBLICAN HERALD REPORTS, 17-YEAR-OLD JOSH DUDASH WILL DO GENERAL MAINTENANCE TO THE GROUND SURROUNDING THE HISTORIC PORT CARBON SOLDIERS MONUMENT ATOP MONUMENT HILL. PORT CARBON BOROUGH COUNCIL WILL CONTRIBUTE $150. DUDASH IS A MEMBER OF BOY SCOUT TROOP 604.

PET FOOD PANTRY

THE SCHUYLKILL COUNTY PET FOOD PANTRY WILL SOON ACCEPT APPLICATIONS TO HELP FEED OUR FURRY FRIENDS. THE PET PANTRY PLANS TO USE SCHUYLKILL COMMUNITY ACTION’S 17 DISTRIBUTION SITES FOR THE COUNTY’S ALREADY EXISTING FOOD PANTRY. ALTHOUGH THEY ARE NOT READY FOR DISTRIBUTION YET, THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN DONATING CAN DROP OFF PET FOOD AT THE DIRTY DOG IN POTTSVILLE.


PENN STATE SCHUYLKILL NEW SIGN

THE PENN STATE SCHUYLKILL CAMPUS IS LOOKING TO INSTALL A NEW DIGITAL BOARD TO ANNOUNCE CAMPUS INFORMATION. A ZONING HEARING WILL BE HELD TONIGHT AT 6:30 AT THE NORTH MANHEIM TWP BUILDING. PROPOSAL WILL BE GIVEN AT THE MEETING OF A SIGN TO BE PLACED NEAR THE CURRENT ONE ALONG RT 61. IF GRANTED THE SIGN COULD BE IN OPERATION BY THE END OF THE YEAR.

STATE NEWS:

CARDINAL JUSTIN RIGALI IS EXPECTED TO STEP DOWN TODAY AFTER EIGHT TUMULTUOUS YEARS LEADING THE ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA. THE 76-YEAR-OLD IS UNDER PRESSURE FOR HIS HANDLING OF A LONG-RUNNING PRIEST SEX-ABUSE SCANDAL. THE INDEPENDENT NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER SAYS POPE BENEDICT XVI WILL NAME ARCHBISHOP CHARLES CHAPUT (SHA-PEW') OF DENVER TO SUCCEED HIM.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - AUTHORITIES IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA SAY FOUR PEOPLE HAVE BEEN INJURED BY GUNFIRE IN PITTSBURGH. EMERGENCY DISPATCHERS TELL THE PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW THE SHOOTINGS WERE REPORTED LAST NIGHT AT A HOME IN THE CITY'S KNOXVILLE NEIGHBORHOOD.

BUSHKILL, PA. (AP) - AUTHORITIES IN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA SAY A MAN DROWNED TRYING TO RESCUE HIS TEENAGE NIECE IN THE DELAWARE RIVER. THE POCONO RECORD SAYS THE MAN HAD BEEN SWIMMING WITH HIS 13- AND 11-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTERS AND HIS 14-YEAR-OLD NIECE IN THE
DELAWARE WATER GAP NATIONAL RECREATION AREA YESTERDAY AFTERNOON.

GREENSBURG, PA. (AP) - A WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA JURY HAS CONVICTED A MAN OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER IN THE SHOOTING DEATH OF HIS WIFE'S FORMER LOVER A YEAR AGO. JURORS IN WESTMORELAND COUNTY DELIBERATED FOR ABOUT 2 1/2 HOURS YESTERDAY BEFORE CONVICTING RICHARD MCNULTY OF MURDER AND OTHER CHARGES. HE FACES LIFE IN PRISON WITHOUT
POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE.

NATIONAL NEWS:

HORIZON CITY, TEXAS (AP) - FORECASTERS SAY IT'S GOING TO STAY HOT THROUGH THE WEEK IN THE MIDWEST AND THAT PEOPLE FURTHER EAST CAN EXPECT A DOSE OF IT THEMSELVES. MANY AREAS HAVE OPENED COOLING CENTERS AS HEAT INDEXES SURGED ABOVE 100 DEGREES. SEVENTEEN STATES HAVE ISSUED HEAT WATCHES, WARNINGS OR ADVISORIES.

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA. (AP) - THE FINAL VISIT OF A SPACE SHUTTLE TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION IS OVER. ATLANTIS LEFT BEHIND A YEAR'S WORTH OF SUPPLIES, AS WELL AS A COMMEMORATIVE SHUTTLE MODEL AND A U.S. FLAG THAT FLEW ON THE FIRST SHUTTLE MISSION IN 1981. THE SHUTTLE PROGRAM IS ENDING AFTER 30 YEARS.

MILWAUKEE (AP) - WISCONSIN VOTERS CAN BEGIN TODAY TO MAKE A DIRECT STATEMENT ABOUT THE CONTROVERSIAL REPUBLICAN PLAN THAT STRIPPED MOST PUBLIC WORKERS OF THEIR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING RIGHTS. BUT IT'S A DEMOCRATIC STATE SENATOR'S JOB THAT'S ON THE LINE TODAY. IN ALL, NINE STATE SENATORS, INCLUDING SIX REPUBLICANS, FACE
RECALLS.

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (AP) - SEVEN POLICE OFFICERS HAVE BEEN POISONED AND SHOT TO DEATH AT A SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN CHECKPOINT NEAR AN AREA ABOUT TO TRANSITION TO AFGHAN-LED SECURITY. AN AFGHAN OFFICIAL SAYS THE POLICEMEN WERE KILLED MONDAY BY ONE OF THEIR
COLLEAGUES. POLICE SAY THE ASSAILANT ESCAPED IN A POLICE VEHICLE LOADED WITH WEAPONS.

GENEVA (AP) - THE U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS THE PRIORITY FOR HIS SECOND FIVE-YEAR TERM WILL BE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. BAN KI-MOON TELLS THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION THAT SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ENCOMPASSES MANY ISSUES, INCLUDING CLIMATE CHANGE,
GLOBAL HEALTH, WOMEN'S ISSUES AND FOOD, WATER AND ENERGY SHORTAGES.