TODAY'S NEWS: THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2011

THE MINERS BANK FRACKVILLE BRANCH HELD THEIR GROUND BREAKING CEREMONY WEDNESDAY. JASMINE BROOKS HAS MORE:



TEEN FOUND BENEATH FLOOR WITH MOLOTOV COCKTAIL

TWO SHENANDOAH TEENAGERS WERE FOUND HIDING BENEATH FLOORBOARDS OF A BOROUGH HOME WEDNESDAY MORNING, ONE IN POSSESSION OF A MOLOTOV COCKTAIL; THE OTHER A RUNAWAY. THE REPUBLICAN HERALD REPORTS, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY CHILDREN AND YOUTH WORKERS WERE CALLED TO THE HOME OF 19-YEAR-OLD CHARLES WISHNEFSKY TO TAKE CUSTODY OF A 17-YEAR-OLD FEMALE RUNAWAY AND HER 5-WEEK-OLD SON. POLICE RECOVERED A VARIETY OF DRUGS AND DRUG PARAPHERNALIA. WISHNEFSKY WAS TAKEN TO SCHUYLKILL COUNTY PRISON ON SEVERAL CHARGES INCLUDING TWO FELONIES. THE JUVENILE AND HER BABY WERE SAFELY REMOVED AND TAKEN INTO CUSTODY BY CHILDREN AND YOUTH.

THREE RESCUED

ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON A HAMBURG COUPLE AND A 2 YEAR OLD BOY WERE RESCUED FROM AN ISLAND ON THE SCHUYLKILL RIVER. HAMBURG FIRE CHIEF TROY HATT REPORTS THAT THE COUPLE ENTERED THE RIVER ON THE LOWER SIDE OF THE KERNSVILLE DAM. WHILE PADDLING THEIR KAYAKS DOWN THE RIVER, THEY DECIDED TO STOP AT THE ISLAND. UPON GETTING OUT OF THE KAYAKS THE BOATS WENT UNDER WATER. THAT’S WHEN THE COUPLE CALLED 91 FOR HELP. THE NAMES WERE NOT RELEASED PENDING NOTIFICATION FROM THE PENNSYLVANIA FISH AND BOAT COMMISSION.

POTTSVILLE AREA ENACTS POLICY ON SOCIAL MEDIA

THE POTTSVILLE AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT IS ADOPTING A SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY. POLICY 815 , WHICH OUTLINES BASIC INTERNET USAGE FOR THE DISTRICT AND POLICY 816 WHICH DESCRIBES POLICY ON INTERNET USAGE ON SCHOOL GROUNDS. WHICH DESCRIBES THAT USERS SHOULD NOT EXPECT ANY PRIVACY ON ANYTHING THEY DO ON THE SCHOOL DISTRICT'S COMPUTERS. IF APPROVED PARENTS, TEACHERS AND STUDENTS WILL BE ASKED TO SIGN AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF USING SOCIAL MEDIA SUCH AS FACEBOOK ON SCHOOL PROPERTY.

COUNTY RETIREMENT FUND REFLECTS SIGN OF THE TIMES

THE COUNTY RETIREMENT FUND IS REFLECTING THE SIGN OF THE TIMES. A REPORT THAT WAS RELEASED DURING THE RETIREMENT BOARD MEETING WEDNESDAY MORNING. ON MONDAY THE FUND WAS LISTED AS BEING JUST OVER 95 MILLION DOLLARS BUT BY TUESDAY HAD DROPPED OVER 4 MILLION DOLLARS DUE THE STOCK MARKETS ROCKY WEEK. AS OF THIS MORNING THE FUND IS BACK UP TO OVER 95 MILLION DOLLARS.


TWO PEOPLE FLOWN TO HOSPITAL AFTER CRASH IN MINERSVILLE

A CRASH IN MINERSVILLE WEDNESDAY SENT TO PEOPLE TO AN AREA TRAUMA CENTER. POLICE SAY 21-YEAR-OLD DENNIS WIEDERHOLD JR. CRASHED INTO A CARBON STREET HOME AFTER HIS VEHICLE’S BREAKS MALFUNCTIONED. WIEDERHOLD AND HIS 17-YEAR-OLD PASSENGER, ERIN WISE OF POTTSVILLE, EXITED THE VEHICLE ON THEIR OWN AND WERE FLOWN BY LIFE FLIGHT HELICOPTER TO GEISINGER MEDICAL CENTER.

COMMISSIONERS MEETING NOTES

AT WEDNESDAY'S PUBLIC MEETING OF THE SCHUYLKILL COUNTY COMMISSIONERS A REQUEST BY COUNTY OFFICE OF SOLID WASTE IS ADVERTISING BIDS FOR THE COLLECTION OF TIRES AND ELECTRONICS FOR THE ANNUAL FALL CLEAN UP. AN AGREEMENT WAS MET WITH THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND GREEN’S COMMUNICATIONS OF POTTSVILLE TO REPAIR SEVERAL TOWER SITES THAT WERE HEAVILY DAMAGED DURING THE RASH OF STORMS IN MAY.


MINERSVILLE STRENGTHENS DOG ORDINANCE

THREE PIT BULL ATTACKS IN POTTSVILLE THIS SUMMER HAS PROMPTED THE BOROUGH OF MINERSVILLE TO STRENGTHEN THEIR OWN ORDINANCE, SPECIFICALLY WITH NEW TERMS FOR DANGEROUS DOGS. AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE ORDINANCE REQUIRES ANYONE THAT OWNS AN AGGRESSIVE DOG TO REGISTER IT WITH THE MINERSVILLE POLICE AND PLACE A SIGN ON THEIR PROPERTY TO WARN OTHERS.

STATE NEWS:

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - POLICE SAY THREE JUVENILES HAVE SURRENDERED TO AUTHORITIES IN CONNECTION WITH AN ASSAULT IN PHILADELPHIA LAST MONTH. OFFICIALS SAY A GROUP OF TEENAGERS ATTACKED A MAN WHO WAS WALKING IN OLD CITY, JUST BLOCKS FROM INDEPENDENCE HALL. ON THE SAME DAY, A GROUP OF TEENS RANDOMLY ATTACKED SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE ELSEWHERE IN CENTER CITY.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A TRIAL HAS BEEN ORDERED FOR A PHILADELPHIA MAN ACCUSED OF STABBING HIS GIRLFRIEND TO DEATH AND THEN SETTING HER HOME ON FIRE TO COVER IT UP. THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER REPORTS DONALD NEWSOME IS CHARGED WITH MURDER AND ARSON IN THE DEATH OF ROSALYN DANIELS LAST MONTH IN THE CITY'S EAST MOUNT AIRY NEIGHBORHOOD. RELATIVES SAY THE VICTIM WAS TRYING TO BREAK UP WITH NEWSOME.

FORT WASHINGTON, PA. (AP) - SUBURBAN PHILADELPHIA OFFICIALS ARE ASKING FOR THE PUBLIC'S HELP IN IDENTIFYING THE BODY OF A WOMAN FOUND IN THE SCHUYLKILL RIVER. POLICE IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY SAY THE BODY WAS PULLED FROM THE WATER YESTERDAY MORNING AT THE WHITEMARSH BOAT CLUB IN WHITEMARSH TOWNSHIP.

HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - HARRISBURG MAYOR LINDA THOMPSON SAYS THE CITY COULD RUN OUT OF MONEY UNLESS A FINANCIAL RECOVERY PLAN IS APPROVED. THOMPSON TOLD CITY COUNCIL TUESDAY NIGHT THE CITY MUST MAKE A $3.3 MILLION BOND PAYMENT IN MID-SEPTEMBER. WITHOUT A PLAN IN PLACE, SHE SAYS THAT WOULD LEAVE THE CITY UNABLE TO PAY ITS NEARLY 500 EMPLOYEES AND PROVIDE BASIC SERVICES.

NATIONAL NEWS:

LONDON (AP) - LONDON POLICE SAY THEY ARE CONDUCTING RAIDS ACROSS THE CITY IN CONNECTION WITH THIS WEEK'S RIOTS. NEARLY 900 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ARRESTED IN LONDON SINCE THE TROUBLE BEGAN SATURDAY. MEANWHILE AUTHORITIES IN BIRMINGHAM SAY THEY'VE MADE AN ARREST IN A MURDER INVESTIGATION. THREE MEN WERE KILLED IN A HIT-AND-RUN INCIDENT YESTERDAY AS THEY TRIED TO DEFEND SHOPS FROM LOOTING.

BEIRUT (AP) - ACTIVISTS SAY THE SYRIAN ARMY HAS STORMED A NORTHWESTERN TOWN NEAR TURKEY'S BORDER AND DETAINED AT LEAST 100 PEOPLE. THE MOVE COMES A DAY AFTER AUTHORITIES DECLARED THE MILITARY HAD PULLED OUT OF THE REGION. THE AREA HAS SEEN INTENSE PROTESTS AGAINST PRESIDENT BASHAR ASSAD'S REGIME.

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (AP) - THE U.S.-LED COALITION SAYS FIVE NATO SERVICE MEMBERS HAVE BEEN KILLED IN A ROADSIDE BOMBING IN SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN. NO OTHER DETAILS HAVE BEEN RELEASED YET. FIFTY-ONE FOREIGN SERVICE MEMBERS HAVE BEEN KILLED SO FAR THIS MONTH IN AFGHANISTAN.

BANGKOK (AP) - EUROPEAN STOCK MARKETS HAVE OPENED WITH GAINS, WHILE ASIAN MARKETS HAD A WOBBLY DAY. JAPAN'S NIKKEI AND HONG KONG'S HANG SENG SLUMPED WHILE BENCHMARK INDEXES IN SOUTH KOREA, AUSTRALIA AND SHANGHAI MADE RELATIVELY SMALL GAINS. MEANWHILE, THE FRENCH BANK SOCIETE GENERALE (SOH-SEE-AY-TAY' ZHEH-NEH-RAHL') HAS
ASKED REGULATORS TO INVESTIGATE A BIG SELLOFF OF ITS STOCK THAT TRIGGERED A ROUT OF EUROPEAN BANK STOCKS YESTERDAY.

COLORADO CITY, COLO. (AP) - A CROSS-COUNTRY MANHUNT FOR THREE HEAVILY ARMED SIBLINGS HAS ENDED FAR FROM THEIR FLORIDA HOME. LEE AND RYAN DOUGHERTY AND DYLAN DOUGHERTY STANLEY WERE CAPTURED IN COLORADO CITY, COLO., AFTER REPORTEDLY BUYING CAMPING GEAR WHILE TRYING TO HIDE IN THE RUGGED SAN ISABEL NATIONAL FOREST. THEY ARE
ACCUSED OF SHOOTING AT A POLICE OFFICER IN FLORIDA AND ROBBING A BANK IN GEORGIA.