TODAY'S NEWS: MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011

UPDATE:

SCHUYLKILL COUNTY RESIDENTS CONTINUE TO RECOVER FROM THE IMPACTS OF HURRICANE IRENE. PPL ELECTRIC UTILITIES IS REPORTING THAT 7,821 HOMES ARE STILL WITHOUT POWER AS OF 11AM.


HURRICANE IRENE AFTERMATH

AT LEAST 20 PEOPLE IN SEVEN DIFFERENT STATES DIED OVER THE WEEKEND DUE TO HURRICANE IRENE. IN PENNSYLVANIA, THE 18 HOUR STORM KILLED FOUR PEOPLE WITH TWO SUCCUMBING TO FALLING TREES AND ANOTHER VICTIM IN A CAR ACCIDENT. IRENE STARTED AROUND 7PM SATURDAY AND WRAPPED UP AROUND 1PM SUNDAY, LEAVING BETWEEN 4 AND 6 INCHES OF RAIN WITH WIND GUSTS NEAR 50 MILES PER HOUR. TREES WENT DOWN ON WIRES AND ROADS RESULTING IN OVER 20 THOUSAND PPL CUSTOMERS WITHOUT POWER AND ROUTE 61 NORTH AT SEVEN STARS AND HILLSIDE ROAD SHUT DOWN. AS OF 6:30AM 7 THOUSAND SCHUYLKILL COUNTY RESIDENTS ARE WITHOUT POWER. COUNTY EMA HAD EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER OPENED AND THE RED CROSS WAS ON STANDBY. FLOODING IN THE AREA WAS MINOR.


SOME RESIDENTS SEE POWER RESTORED AFTER IRENE

OVER 7000 PEOPLE ARE STILL WITHOUT POWER THIS MORNING IN THE WAKE OF HURRICANE IRENE WHICH BLEW THROUGH THE AREA OVER THE WEEKEND. RESIDENTS OF WAYNE, RUSH AND PINE GROVE TOWNSHIP ARE THE HEAVIEST HIT BY THE POWER OUTAGES, AT ONE POINT SCHUYLKILL COUNTY HAD OVER 20,000 PPL CUSTOMERS WITHOUT POWER. AS OF THIS MORNING OVER 14,000 CUSTOMERS HAVE HAD POWER RESTORED IN SCHUYLKILL COUNTY. CONTINUE TO LISTEN TO WPPA NEWS FOR CONTINUOUS UPDATES

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN MAN CHARGED WITH ASSAULT

A SCHUYLKILL HAVEN MAN HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH INDECENT ASSAULT OF A MINOR, IN RELATION TO AN INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED ON SATURDAY NIGHT. SCHUYLKILL HAVEN POLICE REPORT THAT 22 YEAR OLD EDWARD LEYMIESTER OF SCHUYLKILL HAVEN HAD INAPPROPRIATE CONTACT WITH A MINOR IN HIS HOME SATURDAY NIGHT. POLICE SAY THAT THE MOTHER OF THE 16 YEAR OLD GIRL OBSERVED LEYMIESTER HOLDING HER DAUGHTER DOWN AND HAVING INAPPROPRIATE PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH HER. LEYMEISTER IS BEING CHARGED WITH INDECENT ASSAULT OF A MINOR ALONG WITH UNLAWFUL RESTRAINT AND CONTACT AND CORRUPTION CHARGES. LEYMIESTER IS BEING HELD IN THE SCHUYLKILL COUNTY PRISON ON $25,000 BAIL.

VEHICLE IN ACCIDENT LEFT ABANDONED

PA STATE POLICE AT HAMBURG NEED YOUR HELP IDENTIFYING THE DRIVER OF A VEHICLE FOUND LEFT ABANDONED ON SATURDAY NIGHT IN THE WAKE OF HURRICANE IRENE. STATE POLICE SAY THE VEHICLE TRAVELED SOUTH IN RT 143 AND HIT AN EMBANKMENT AND A TREE BEFORE DRIVING INTO THE NORTHBOUND LANE HITTING THE GUIDE RAIL THEN DROVE ALONG THE EMBANKMENT TO THE VIRGINVILLE COMMUNITY PARKING LOT WHERE IT WAS LEFT. IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 1-877-523-6373

CENTRAILIA CHURCH CELEBRATES 100 YEARS

EVEN WITH THE HURRICANE LOOMING IN THE BACKGROUND IT DIDN’T STOP THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY FROM CELEBRATING ITS 100TH ANNIVERSARY ON SUNDAY WITH A SPECIAL MASS. CLOSE TO 150 PARISHIONERS ATTENDED THE SERVICE WHICH WAS CONSECRATED BY METROPOLITAN ARCHBISHOP STEFAN SOROKA FROM PHILADELPHIA. AFTER CHURCHES WERE ESTABLISHED IN SHAMOKIN, MINERSVILLE, MOUNT CARMEL AND MARION HEIGHTS, THE GREEK CATHOLICS IN CENTRALIA DECIDED THAT THEY WOULD HAVE THEIR OWN CHURCH. ON AUG. 15, 1911, A COMMITTEE DECIDED TO FORM THEIR OWN PARISH AND BUILD THEIR OWN CHURCH. IN 2010, THE CHURCH AND THE RECTORY SUFFERED A NUMBER OF BREAK-INS, INCLUDING THE THEFT OF A NEWLY DONATED GOLD-PLATED GOSPEL BOOK. THAT BOOK WAS REPLACED IN THE PAST YEAR BY DONATION FROM ANNA AND JOHN LYNN, ALONG WITH NEW CHALICES AND DISKOS FROM ANONYMOUS DONORS.

UNITED WAY READY FOR UPCOMING CAMPAIGN

THE SCHUYLKILL UNITED WAY IS JUST ABOUT READY TO KICK OFF ITS 2012 CAMPAIGN AND THEY’LL DO SO WITH 3 NEW MEMBERS OF THEIR BOARD OF DIRECTORS. RICHARD THORNBURG, JEFFREY BOWE AND EDWARD JOHNSON HAVE ALL BEEN ADDED TO THE BOARD. THE SCHUYLKILL UNITED WAY IS CELEBRATING ITS 75TH ANNIVERSARY IN 2012 WITH THE THEME, CELEBRATING 75YEARS OF CARING, AND WILL KICK OFF WITH A BREAKFAST ON SEPTEMBER 9 AT PSU SCHUYLKILL.

STATE NEWS:

NORRISTOWN, PA. (AP) - SWOLLEN CREEKS AND RISING RIVERS ARE FILLING THE STREETS OF SOME PENNSYLVANIA CITIES WITH WATER, REMNANTS OF THE RAIN LEFT BY IRENE. ALONG THE SCHUYLKILL RIVER,HOMES WERE INUNDATED BY MUDDY WATER AS IT CRESTED JUST ABOVE 15 FEET WHILE TOWNS BY THE DELAWARE RIVER WERE WATCHING IT RISE TO FLOOD STAGE WITH IT EXPECTED TO CREST BETWEEN 31 AND 32 FEET TODAY.

HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - PENNSYLVANIA OFFICIALS SAY HURRICANE IRENE HAS CAUSED FOUR DEATHS IN THE STATE. GOVERNOR TOM CORBETT SAYS THE STORM IS BEING BLAMED IN THE DEATHS OF THREE PEOPLE WHO WERE KILLED BY FALLING TREES AND ONE MAN WHO WAS KILLED IN A CRASH ON THE PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - POLICE SAY A SOLDIER WANTED IN THE DEATHS OF FOUR PEOPLE IN PENNSYLVANIA AND VIRGINIA HAS BEEN FOUND DEAD OF AN APPARENTLY SELF-INFLICTED GUNSHOT WOUND. STATE POLICE SAY THE BODY OF LEONARD JOHN EGLAND OF FORT LEE, VIRGINIA, WAS FOUND YESTERDAY AFTERNOON IN WARWICK TOWNSHIP. THAT'S WHERE HE'D BEEN SOUGHT SINCE EARLY MORNING.

NATIONAL NEWS:

NEW YORK (AP) - FLOODING IS WIDESPREAD IN VERMONT AND THE MOHAWK RIVER IS OVER ITS BANKS IN PARTS OF NEW YORK IN THE WAKE OF HURRICANE IRENE. THERE'S ALSO FLOODING IN NEW JERSEY AND OTHER AREAS IN NEW ENGLAND. CREWS ARE STILL TRYING TO RESTORE POWER TO MILLIONS WHO LOST IT AS THE STORM CHUGGED UP THE EAST COAST.
ESTIMATED DAMAGE IS IN THE BILLIONS.

WASHINGTON (AP) - ONE EXPERT SAYS THERE'S AT LEAST A GLIMMER OF HOPE THAT THE DEFICIT-REDUCTION CONGRESSIONAL SUPERCOMMITTEE MIGHT FORGE A COMPROMISE. RUTGERS POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR ROSS BAKER NOTES FLASHES OF INDEPENDENCE AMONG THE SIX AND SAYS NONE WANT TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH A TRAIN WRECK THAT WOULD REFLECT BADLY ON ALL.

SHANGHAI (AP) - THERE'S BEEN A KNIFE ATTACK ON CHILDREN IN CHINA. LOCAL REPORTS SAY A WORKER AT AN INFORMAL CHILD CARE CENTER FOR MIGRANT WORKERS IN SHANGHAI WOUNDED EIGHT CHILDREN, ONE SERIOUSLY. THE OFFICIAL XINHUA (SHIN-WAH) NEWS AGENCY AND OTHER REPORTS SAID NONE OF THE CHILDREN SUFFERED LIFE-THREATENING INJURIES.

BAGHDAD (AP) - FUNERALS ARE BEING HELD TODAY FOR WORSHIPPERS KILLED IN A SUICIDE BOMBING INSIDE THE IRAQI CAPITAL'S LARGEST SUNNI MOSQUE. WEEPING RELATIVES AND FRIENDS ATTENDED AS THE VICTIMS' CASKETS WERE CARRIED ON MINIBUSES THROUGH BAGHDAD'S STREETS. SUNDAY NIGHT'S BOMBING KILLED 29 PEOPLE.

BEIRUT (AP) - ACTIVISTS REPORT HEAVY MACHINE GUN FIRE TODAY AS SYRIAN SECURITY FORCES HAVE SURROUND A TOWN IN CENTRAL SYRIA THAT HAS BECOME A HOTBED OF DISSENT AGAINST PRESIDENT BASHAR ASSAD'S REGIME. THE LOCAL COORDINATION COMMITTEES ACTIVIST NETWORK SAYS
RESIDENTS FLED OUT OF FEAR THE TOWN WOULD BE STORMED.