TODAY'S NEWS: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2011

DELIBERATIONS BEGIN TODAY FOR ENOE

DELIBERATIONS ARE SET TO BEGIN FOR 33 YEAR OLD JULIUS ENOE OF READING TODAY IN SCHUYLKILL COUNTY COURT. IF FOUND GUILTY ENOE COULD SPEND THE REST OF HIS LIFE IN PRISON. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME ENOE HAS BEEN TRIED FOR THE MURDER OF 24 YEAR OLD BRUCE FORKER OF SHENANDOAH. IN HIS FIRST TRIAL THE JURY WAS HUNG ON A VERDICT. JUDGE JACQUELINE RUSSELL PLANS TO CHARGE THE JURY THIS MORNING AT 9:30.

TUSCARORA BEACH CLOSED

DUE TO HIGH LEVELS OF BACTERIA STATE OFFICIALS HAVE CLOSED THE BEACH AT TUSCARORA STATE PARK. PARK MANAGER LEWIS WILLIAMS SAYS THAT DUE TO HIGH WATER LEVELS AND FLOW FROM STREAMS THAT COULD BE A POSSIBLE REASON FOR THE BACTERIA. WILLIAMS ADDS THAT IT IS THE SAME BACTERIA FOUND IN ANIMAL FECES, WHICH ISN'T HARMFUL TO HUMANS BUT THAT IF THAT KIND OF BACTERIA IS PRESENT THEN OTHERS MAY BE AS WELL. THE PARK REMAINS OPEN FOR OTHER ACTIVITIES AND SWIMMING WILL BE PERMITTED TODAY.

ASHLAND CRASH SENDS THREE TO HOSPITAL

THREE PEOPLE WERE INJURED THURSDAY AFTERNOON IN A VIOLENT CRASH IN DOWNTOWN ASHLAND. POLICE REPORT GREGORY WILSON WAS SPEEDING WHEN HE COLLIDED WITH HEIDI SECURDA AND HER PASSENGER CORRIN LEY. THE IMPACT CAUSED WILSON'S VEHICLE TO ROLL SEVERAL TIMES AND EJECT HIM THROUGH THE REAR WINDOW. WILSON,SECURDA, AND LEY WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL AND BOTH CARS WERE DEMOLISHED.SECURDA'S MOTHER TELLS US, DUE TO THE ACCIDENT, HER DAUGHTER GAVE BIRTH TWO WEEKS EARLY TO A HEALTHY BABY GIRL.

POLICE ON LOOKOUT FOR AGGRESSIVE DRIVERS DURING HOLIDAY

LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES WILL BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR AGGRESSIVE OR DRUNK DRIVERS DURING THE LABOR DAY WEEKEND. PENNDOT REPORTS, OVER NINE-HUNDRED CRASHES OCCURRED DURING THE 2010 LABOR DAY WEEKEND RESULTING IN TWENTY DEATHS. THE NORTH CENTRAL REGIONAL SOBRIETY CHECKPOINT DUI TASKFORCE WILL BE CONDUCTING CHECKPOINTS AND ROVING DUI PATROLS THROUGHOUT THE AREA.

ZONING RULE CONTESTED

A LEHIGH COUNTY DEVELOPER HAS ASKED THE SCHUYLKILL COUNTY COURT TO OVERTURN A DECISION TO REFUSE PINE GROVE TOWNSHIP ZONERS TO ISSUE VARIANCES ALLOWING CONSTRUCTION OF 48 APARTMENTS ALONG PINE CREST VILLAGE DRIVE. THE VARIANCE WOULD ALLOW DEVELOPMENT OF THE VILLAS AT PINE VIEW. THE BOARD DECIDED IN JULY NOT TO GRANT ANY OF THE FOUR VARIANCES RULING THAT PINE GROVE LLC HAD NOT PROVEN IT HAD THE RIGHT TO ANY OF THEM. PINE GROVE LL C ALLEGES THAT THE BOARD ABUSED ITS DISCRETION AND ACTED CONTRARY TO LAW BY NOT GRANTING THE VARIANCES.



DUI PATROLS AND SOBRIETY CHECKPOINTS:
ROUTE 61, 183, 901, 209, 1006, 309, 443, 895, 125, 25, 924, AND 54 AS WELL AS OTHER HIGHWAYS IN SCHUYLKILL COUNTY.

STATE NEWS:

LAKE ARIEL, PA. (AP) - POCKETS OF PENNSYLVANIA REMAIN WITHOUT POWER IN THE WAKE OF HURRICANE IRENE, AND MANY RESIDENTS WANT TO KNOW WHY IT'S TAKING SO LONG TO GET IT BACK. UTILITY COMPANIES HAVE RESTORED ELECTRICITY TO MORE THAN 95 PERCENT OF PENNSYLVANIA CUSTOMERS WHO LOST IT DURING LAST WEEKEND'S STORM. BUT THAT'S SMALL CONSOLATION TO THOUSANDS OF UNLUCKY RESIDENTS.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - POLICE SAY A WOMAN CONFESSED TO KILLING HER TWO CHILDREN AFTER THEY WERE FOUND FATALLY STABBED INSIDE A PHILADELPHIA APARTMENT. AUTHORITIES SAY SOTHEARY MAO IS CHARGED WITH MURDERING HER 8-YEAR-OLD SON AND 12-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER. THE CHILDREN WERE FOUND DEAD WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - AUTHORITIES SAY A PHILADELPHIA WOMAN FOUND DEAD IN HER HOME HAD BEEN FATALLY MAULED BY HER OWN DOGS. OFFICIALS SAY CARMEN RAMOS AND HER HUSBAND SHARED THEIR NORTH PHILADELPHIA HOME WITH FIVE PIT BULLS. AUTOPSY RESULTS WERE RELEASED YESTERDAY.

HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - THE STATE'S INDEPENDENT FISCAL WATCHDOG HAS NOTIFIED FOUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT HIS AGENCY WILL BE AUDITING THE RECENT BUYOUTS OF THEIR SUPERINTENDENTS. AUDITOR GENERAL JACK WAGNER SENT LETTERS YESTERDAY TO THE PHILADELPHIA, ALLENTOWN, CENTRAL DAUPHIN AND GETTYSBURG AREA DISTRICTS.

NATIONAL NEWS:

WASHINGTON (AP) - THE GOVERNMENT REPORTS EMPLOYMENT DATA FOR AUGUST TODAY AND ANALYSTS SURVEYED BY FACTSET BELIEVE THE ECONOMY ADDED 93,000 JOBS IN AUGUST. THAT'S NOT ENOUGH TO REDUCE THE JOBLESS RATE BUT DOES SUGGEST HIRING IS STILL GOING ON. ECONOMISTS FORECAST AN UNEMPLOYMENT RATE UNCHANGED IN AUGUST AT 9.1 PERCENT.

NEW YORK (AP) - AN AP REVIEW FINDS EVIDENCE THAT ILLEGAL OR QUESTIONABLE MORTGAGE PAPERWORK IS FAR MORE WIDESPREAD THAN THOUGHT. SOME SAY IT COULD INVOLVE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DEEDS DATING TO THE LATE 1990S. THE NEW EVIDENCE IS TURNING UP AS COUNTY OFFICIALS DO PAGE-BY-PAGE, REVIEWS OF YEARS' WORTH OF MORTGAGE PAPERWORK.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - FORECASTERS SAY A SLOW-MOVING TROPICAL DEPRESSION IN THE GULF OF MEXICO IS PACKING A WET WALLOP. LOUISIANA'S GOVERNOR HAS DECLARED A STATE OF EMERGENCY BECAUSE OF THE THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING. TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT TODAY FROM MISSISSIPPI TO TEXAS. THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER SAYS SOME PLACES COULD GET UP TO 20 INCHES OF WEEKEND RAIN.

TRIPOLI, LIBYA (AP) - THE SIX-MONTH CIVIL WAR BETWEEN REBELS AND MOAMMAR GADHAFI'S FORCES IS CAUSING INCREASED HUMAN MISERY IN LIBYA. THE UNITED NATIONS HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR FOR LIBYA SAYS THE COUNTRY FACES CRITICAL SHORTAGES OF DRINKING WATER, FOOD, FUEL AND MEDICINE.

BEIRUT (AP) - SYRIA IS FACING INTERNATIONAL CALLS FOR TOUGHER SANCTIONS AS ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTERS VOW THEY WILL CHOOSE DEATH OVER HUMILIATION AT THE HANDS OF THE REGIME. THE U.S. AND BRITAIN HAVE CALLED FOR A TOUGHER STANCE OVER SYRIA'S BLOODY CRACKDOWN ON PROTESTERS BY PRESIDENT BASHAR ASSAD.