POTTSVILLE — It looks like it will take longer for the Eighth and Market streets project to get underway.

The Greater Pottsville Area Sewer Authority held its monthly meeting Wednesday and heard the latest news about the project to alleviate flooding on Arch Street.

Thomas Shreffler, authority engineer, said the state Department of Environmental Protection indicated the permit to construct the project should be sent out by mid-April. He proposed the “conservative” timeline for the project be extended.

Information provided by Shreffler shows the permit could be received by April 13; bids advertised by April 30; a pre-bid meeting May 14; bids received by June 20; the contract awarded June 27; a notice to proceed be issued July 15; and the project completed by Oct. 15.

The project is meant to stop flooding on Arch street, and will involve an existing blow-off line and the construction of a stop-log barrier system. The improved system will divert flows away from Arch Street and onto Market Street.

The Corrective Action Plan submitted to DEP on Thursday was also discussed.

The plan was to address how they would deal with a sewer moratorium in certain coverage areas of the authority by the DEP including all of Mount Carbon, areas of North Manheim Township and Pottsville. A final report is expected to be sent to the DEP in April after appropriate monitoring of the West End Pump Station and Mahantongo Street areas.

“The timeline is provided based on providing a full year’s worth of data on the West End Pump Station,” Shreffler said.

The GPASA will send another letter to Mount Carbon to address infiltration and inflow occurrences.

“It’s going to be DEP’s responsibility to move Mount Carbon to act. Is that correct?” Ian Lipton, chairman of the authority, asked Timothy Yingling, executive director of GPASA, who affirmed it is.

In other business, the board voted for a new policy that will charge $20 for a certification fee for the process of transferring property. It would cover research on if there are liens and other things on the account.

“We are giving it away at $20. It costs us $27.45 really to handle each one of these requests. The city apparently charges $20, so we decided it would be fair,” Lipton said.

Contact the writer: ; 570-628-6028

FRACKVILLE — More than the fish caught, opening day of trout season in Pennsylvania is about the memories.

At least that is the case for Frank Gallo and Alberto Ruiz, two former Shenandoah Valley High School athletes, who were among the hundreds of anglers lining the bank surrounding Whippoorwill Dam waiting for the 8 a.m. starting time Saturday for opening day of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s Southeast Region trout season, which is open 24 hours a day through Labor Day and has a daily creel limit of five fish with a 7-inch minimum length. Schuylkill County is the northern-most county of the 18 in the Southeast Region, which also encompasses Adams, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Franklin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Perry, Philadelphia and York.

In 2007 the PFBC inaugurated the regional opening day to fall on the first Saturday following March 28 in order that in-season trout stockings could be completed before the usual low-water conditions of late spring and early summer occur. As such, the regional Mentored Youth Trout Day for anglers younger than 16 years old was held March 24, to follow the same framework as the statewide dates of April 7 for MYTD and April 14 for the regular trout season.

Anglers participating in MYTD may keep two fish with a 7-inch minimum length, and after the statewide opener trout fishing is open statewide through Labor Day. In addition to anglers 16 and older being required to have a fishing license, they must possess a Trout/Salmon Stamp or Combination Trout/Salmon Stamp-Lake Erie Permit.

“It’s always good to come back for opening day,” Gallo, 22, said. “I know I was at least 12 years old when I first started coming here for trout fishing.

“What was tough was during baseball season when we would play in a tournament on opening day, but we would still come here in the morning and then go to our tournament game in the afternoon. A lot of the friends I fished with then are here today.”

Anglers were having success catching trout with the usual varieties of Berkley Power Bait, from nuggets to dough to paste in colors ranging from yellow to orange to shades of green. Other bait anglers were using included earthworms, mealworms and even small minnows.

Most of the cast-and-retrieve anglers were having more success with silver Kastmasters than those using inline spinners. Ruiz was one of those tossing a Kastmaster, and in the early going he was having more success than his friends using bait, catching-and-releasing more than a half-dozen trout.

“I like using Kastmasters because they carry a further distance than spinners and give you a longer retrieve,” Ruiz said. “This is always a good day to get together, but we don’t have quite as many this year because some have jobs and that sort of thing.”

For Brandon Elrod, Minersville, and his group of angler friends that included those from Ashland and Shenandoah, opening day of trout season at “The Whip” is the unofficial start of spring. They were among the groups that arrived Friday night to claim their fishing locations and then slept in their vehicles.

“We got here Friday around 11:30 p.m. to mark our spots, but then figured we just might as well stay,” Elrod said. “This is the start of our season, but we travel all over the area to fish.

“Our next big outing will be the Family Fun Fishing Event (April 29) at Sweet Arrow Lake, and every year we camp out the night before the opening of the Deer Lake catfish tournament and stay a couple days. We also fish the tournament at Blue Mountain Lakes and travel up to Lake Wallenpaupack for the Cabela’s tournament.”

Although the temperature rose steadily by mid-morning, most anglers were of the opinion that opening-day participation was less than last year. Not about to be deterred by the early-morning chill was Brian Costenbader, Schuylkill Haven, who was serving as fishing guide to his 12-year-old son, Aden Celani, and 7-year-old nephew, Franklin Costenbader.

Fishing the hole near Friedensburg Fish and Game on Little Swatara Creek, the two youngsters had combined to catch a basket of five trout. In addition, their guide had caught-and-released five trout.

“It seems to me that there’s a light turnout this year,” Costenbader said. “We’ve had a good morning, and the boys are having a great time.”

Again this year the PFBC will stock approximately 3.15 million adult trout in 720 streams and 126 lakes open to public angling. These figures include approximately 2 million rainbow trout; 640,000 brown trout; and 500,000 brook trout, and as with past practice, the average size of the trout produced for stocking is 11 inches in length.

In addition to these fish, the PFBC plans to stock approximately 8,700 trophy golden rainbow trout that weigh an average of 1.5 pounds and measure at least 14 inches long. Also, PFBC cooperative nurseries run by sportsmen’s clubs across the state will add another 1 million trout to waters open to public angling.

Contact the writer: outdoors@republicanherald.com

A traditional Easter egg hunt is a lot of fun, especially for kids. I certainly enjoyed them when I was young, a few dozen years ago. It’s also a lot of fun to roll across the starry night skies with a pair of binoculars. Telescopes can certainly let you see heavenly bodies with more magnification, but a pair of binoculars lets you see wider areas of the sky in a single view.

You don’t have to have a super duper large pair of binoculars for stargazing. In fact, it’s much better to have a smaller pair that you can hold up while you’re sitting back in a lawn chair, so you can navigate the sky without getting tennis elbow!

You could put some larger binoculars on a tripod, but you would certainly lose the quick mobility of moving the scopes around the heavens with your bare hands. I advise newcomers to stargazing to get to know their way around the stars and constellations with both their bare eyes and binoculars before sliding that credit card through to buy a telescope. It will make your time with a telescope more fun if you do your “homework” ahead of time.

One of the best celestial treats you will run into when you scan your binoculars across the Pottsville night sky are star clusters, made up of mainly young stars, generally less than 100 million years old, which is considered grossly under age compared to the rest of the more mature stars like our sun, which is celebrating around 5 billion years of stellar life.

Before you start your binocular browsing in the night sky, make sure that you’re comfortable. Sit or lie back on a reclining lawn chair or hammock. It’s so much more comfortable than standing, holding your binoculars over your head, especially when you’re gazing straight overhead. I guarantee that will get really old in a hurry!

You can start your binocular browsing from any point in the heavens, making sure to pan slowly across the sky so you don’t miss anything. I’d like to propose a good starting point — the Pleiades star cluster. You can easily see it with the naked eye in the low western sky to the right of the great constellation Orion. Currently, the very bright planet Venus is close by, just to the lower left of the Pleiades. Some people call the Pleiades the Little Dipper, but even though it resembles a miniature dipper it’s not the actual Little Dipper. That’s hanging below the Big Dipper in the low northern sky.

With the naked eye, you can see at least six stars, and with good visibility and a lot of carrots in your diet you may see a seventh star. With a pair of binoculars you can see many, many more stars. Astronomically, the Pleiades are a young family of stars about 400 light years away, with just one light year equaling nearly 6 trillion miles. You’re not getting there and back on a weekend jaunt! It’s so far away that the light you’re seeing left those stars around 1600 A.D., about the time Galileo peered at the moon for the first time with his homemade telescope. The longer you continually stare at the Pleiades, the more stars you’ll see as your eyes get adjusted to the light level in your binoculars.

Not all that far away from the Pleiades, in the low north-northwest sky, there’s a fainter but really cool cluster to see. It’s actually a two-for-one special in your binocular field. It’s the Perseus Double Cluster, just to the upper left of the constellation Cassiopeia. This time of year in the evening, Cassiopeia resembles a sideways W or M.

I know you’ll like what you see when you aim your binoculars at the Perseus Double Cluster. This double family of young stars is a couple hundred light years apart and both lie about 7,000 light years away. If you could magically “pull in” this double cluster to the distance of the Pleiades, the double cluster would cover a quarter of the entire night sky!

If you want a tougher challenge, see if you can spot the three faint star clusters that lie within the constellation Auriga the Charioteer.

Auriga resembles a lopsided pentagon and is perched in the western evening sky a little above the Pleiades. These clusters are known as Messier objects 36, 37 and 38; or M36, M37 and M38. All three of these clusters are much farther away than M35, a little more than 4,000 light years away. M37 and M38 are the largest and oldest of the trio of clusters, both between 20 to 25 light years across and occupied by hundreds of stars. M37 and M38 are also relatively older groups of stars, ranging in age from 200 to 300 million years old. This would make them “teenagers” in star years. M36 is a smaller, younger stellar daycare, about 15 light years across, made up of less than 100 cosmic babies, only about 25 million years old. As you can see on the star map, these three clusters are within the strange constellation Auriga the Chariot Driver.

Enjoy your Easter star cluster hunt the first chance you get this week!

Celestial hugging this week

The planets Mars and Saturn are in a really tight celestial tango this week in the low southeast sky during evening twilight. They’re especially close together on Monday morning, only about 1 degree apart. You should be able to get both of them at the same time with binoculars. Mars is distinctly red even through a pair of binoculars. With even a telescope you show able to see Saturn’s rings.

(Lynch, an amateur astronomer and professional broadcast meteorologist, can be reached at mikewlynch@comcast.net)

Cressona

Laura Quick, a Democratic candidate for the new 9th Congressional District, will host a meet-and-greet from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at Hoss’ Steak and Sea House, 206 Pottsville St. The informal gathering is open to the public. More information is available at https://www.quickforcongress.com.

Elizabethville

The Elizabethville Area Historical Society will hold a spaghetti dinner from 4 to 6:30 p.m. April 14 at Salem United Church of Christ, 143 W. Main St. The menu will also include salad, bread, dessert and beverage; takeouts will be available. The cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-12 and free for youngsters under 6. For tickets or more information, call 717-362-8991. A limited number of tickets will be sold at the door.

Frackville

The Frackville Museum, located in the Frackville Municipal & Community Center, 42 S. Center St., was closed for the winter but will reopen from 1 to 4 p.m. April 8 and feature Suzanne Domalakes, president of the Frackville Rotary, speaking at 2 p.m. that day about the history of the Rotary Club, one of the oldest organizations still in existence in the borough. Admission is free and all are welcome. New displays are planned for the museum’s seventh anniversary in September, including a tribute to Helen Everett, who taught piano, organ and voice to many local people and also performed as a soloist. Don Bricker, a former Frackville High School and North Schuylkill teacher, will give a talk about Everett. Donations can be made to the museum to honor a family member or in someone’s memory.

Hazleton

A blood drive by the Miller-Keystone Blood Center is set for 7 to 11 a.m. April 13 at the Hazle Township Commons, 103 W. 27th St. For more information, call 800-223-6667. Miller-Keystone, a nonprofit, is the sole blood provider for the Lehigh Valley Health Network including LVHN Hazleton and Schuylkill as well as for St. Luke’s University Health Network including St. Luke’s Hospital-Miners Campus, Coaldale. It also is the sole provider for the hospitals in Lehighton and Palmerton. Another Miller-Keystone blood drive will be held at the commons from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. April 27.

Shenandoah

The APPRISE Program of Diakon Community Services is available from 8 a.m. to noon the second Friday of each month at the Shenandoah Senior Community Center, 116 N. Main St. An APPRISE counselor is available for Medicare, extra help, Medicare Savings Program and PACE/PACENET applications. The service is free but appointments are required. For more information, call 570-624-3026.

Shenandoah

The Greater Shenandoah Area Historical Society will hold its annual basket auction at Divine Mercy Roman Catholic Parish’s St. Stephen Hall, Main and Oak streets, with a shop-and-drop from noon to 4 p.m. April 14. For the auction, doors will open at noon April 15 and the auction will begin at 1:30 p.m. Admission is $5 for a sheet of 25 tickets. Food will be available on both days. All are welcome. For more information, call 570-462-3626.

Tamaqua

A session called “Advanced Care Planning: Dispel Myths and Let Your Voice Be Heard,” will be held on April 13 at the St. John XXIII Parish Center, 266 W. Broad St. (formerly the St. Jerome Rectory). Doors will open and there will be a light meal at 5:30 p.m. and the talk by Dr. Joanne Calabrese will be at 6 p.m. She will provide answers to questions about advance directives and end-of-life care issues. People should register by April 9 by calling Kristin at 570-225-7410 or email adultformation@sj23tamaqua.org.

Tamaqua

A takeout advance-ticket-only platter fundraiser to benefit the Tamaqua Area Adult Day Care Center will be held from 3:30 to 6 p.m. April 19 at 300 W. Broad St. Patrons have a choice of roast beef or stuffed chicken with mashed potatoes, green beans, cole slaw and roll catered by A&C Catering. Tickets are $10 each. Baked goods will be on sale. For tickets or more information, call 570-668-6556.

MAHANOY CITY — Many people who will celebrate Easter Sunday at worship services will head home afterward for a feast of traditional, ethnic foods that were blessed on Holy Saturday.

People filled baskets with the meats, cheeses, eggs, bread, wine and even chocolate bunnies, and brought them to their church as part of their religious, cultural and family traditions.

St. Teresa of Calcutta Roman Catholic Church, Mahanoy City, held a food blessing Saturday. People sat along the center aisle with their filled baskets, putting them on the floor in the aisle or in the pew with them.

Waiting for the blessing was Jean Golden, Mahanoy City, who had two baskets of food, each covered with cloth. She and her husband will enjoy Easter dinner with her daughter in Barnesville with family.

“There is ham and kielbasi. There is paska bread, horseradish, colored eggs, butter lambs,” Golden said. “I’ve made the butter lambs for a few years. I have the salt and pepper.”

Golden said having the food blessed for Easter dinner is a long tradition in her family.

“My mom was Lithuanian and my dad was Polish. We belonged to St. Stanislaus Church in Shenandoah. It’s pretty much a Polish, Lithuanian and Slovak tradition,” she said. “I always come on Holy Saturday. Some priests have the blessing later in the day. Over in Shenandoah, they would do it at 4 o’clock when you really had everything ready.”

On the other side of the aisle sat Lisa and Albert Wolfgang, Grier City, with their basket.

“There is a butter lamb, the eggs, the wine, ham, kielbasi, the bread, salt, horseradish, the water to be blessed,” Lisa Wolfgang said. “You used to be able to buy the butter lambs, but I make them from a mold.”

She said the Keller’s company that had butter lambs in stores no longer makes them, but instead makes butter rabbits. She called the company to complain and asked to bring back the butter lambs. In the meantime, Wolfgang bought a lamb mold to make her own.

Wolfgang’s daughters, Robin, Morea, and Lisa, Grier City, were in the church with their own decorated baskets filled with food.

“I got the two girls the baskets from Poland,” Wolfgang added. “The cover that I’m using on my basket was my great-grandmother’s and is from Czechoslovakia. A lot of people have those covers that are old and have been passed down. It’s a nice tradition that you just keep doing.”

The tradition keeps moving forward in the Wolfgang family.

“My grandmother did it when I was little. My children carry on the tradition now, and we have 10 grandkids,” Wolfgang said. “They all come for the holidays and my house is full.”

Diane Zegley, Buck Mountain, had a basket of many items, including rawhide bones for the dog, though she admitted she forgot about the cat when filling the basket. The basket included ham, kielbasi, egg balls and a carton of hard-boiled eggs with special decoration.

“I do the eggs as my mom taught me,” Fegley said. “Here’s one with a Byzantine cross, a Polish Catholic cross. I do an egg with everybody’s name on it.”

The Rev. Kevin Gallagher, pastor, stood at the pulpit and said the traditional prayers for the food blessing. He said a prayer to bless the individual foods, such as meat, eggs, cheese and wine, making the sign of the cross at the end of each blessing prayer.

When the prayers were said, he walked down the aisle and used the aspergillum to sprinkle holy water on each individual baskets. Gallagher concluded with a prayer and said, “God bless and Happy Easter everyone.”

Before the Divine Liturgy, Monsignor Myron Grabowsky blessed the Easter food at St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church, Shenandoah, where he is pastor. Everyone gathered in the church hall and placed their baskets on tables for the Ukrainian ceremony called Sviachenia.

Many of the baskets were covered by embroidered linens with Ukrainian designs, which were placed on the table and on which some of the basket contents were placed. As with Roman Catholic and Orthodox customs, the foods are symbolic, representing the foods abstained during the Great Fast: eggs, meat, butter, rich breads and more. They are prepared ahead of time and are traditionally eaten on Holy Pascha (Easter), thereby keeping cooking on the holy day to a minimum. Each family lights a candle, which symbolizes the radiance of the Resurrected Christ, prior to the prayers, incensing and the blessing of the foods with holy water.

The foods have the following meanings:

• Paska — A rich, decorated bread, it represents Christ, the true bread of Life and the living bread. Traditionally, the candle is placed in the center of the bread, though many use a separate candleholder.

• Babka — A sweet bread, usually with raisins, represents the Mary, the Mother of God.

• Pysanky — Decorated eggs with intricate designs and colors represent hope and are likened to Christ, who rose from the dead, since eggs, which look dead, bring forth new life.

• Krashanky — Plain, dyed eggs in a variety of colors, which also symbolize life. Traditionally, there is a red colored egg to represent salvation through the blood of Christ.

• Salt — A small amount represents the Christian’s call to be the “salt of the earth” and his or her duty to others.

• Butter — Usually in the form of a lamb, representing Christ as “The Lamb of God” and the “Paschal Lamb.” The butter also represents the goodness of Christ. Cloves are sometimes used to outline a cross and represent the oils and spices used to anoint the body of Christ.

• Cheese — Cheese, along with all dairy products, are related to the prophesies that told of the prosperity and peace of the Messianic times and are symbolic of the special gifts given by God.

• Horseradish/beets/vinegar/sugar — The bitterness of horseradish is a reminder of Christ’s bitter suffering; the red of the beets tells of Christ’s Passion and the blood he shed; the vinegar reminds of the gall Jesus was offered on the cross; the sugar reminds that Christ’s sufferings are seen in the light of the Resurrection.

• Ham, roasted lamb, sausage, kielbasi, bacon — These rich meats are reminders of the ­richness and joy of the Resurrection. They also are symbols of God’s overabundance and limitless mercy and generosity.

The Paschal dinner can also include pierogies, holubsti, mashed potatoes and gravy, salads, vegetables, head cheese, cakes, cheesecakes and tortes. It is important not to waste any of the blessed food. The crumbs and bones buried so that the earth receives blessing from the Resurrection.

Tricia Monaghan, Exton, and her mother, Patricia Litwak, Ringtown, had two baskets, one filled with a large baked ham covered in maraschino cherries and smoked kielbasi, and the other with homemade paska bread. Other items on the table were butter, cheese, honey and horseradish.

“For Easter Sunday, we’ll have the immediate family for the dinner, which will be about 20 people,” Monaghan said. “It’s a very long family tradition. My father is 93 years old and grew up in Shenandoah, so he will be there tomorrow. He’s been doing it the longest of all of us.”

Contact the writer: jusalis@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6023

Mahanoy Area

Mahanoy Area High School seniors Hannah Bruce and Matthew Lewandowski were named students of the month for January as announced by Mahanoy City Elks Lodge 695.

Hannah is a daughter of Vladimir and Debra Bruce, Barnesville. Her high school activities include National Honor Society, student council, Areascope, band front co-captain, choir, Interact, Nutrition Advisory Council, ski club, Spanish Club, SADD president, Teens Against Tobacco, Theatre Arts Club, and softball.

She volunteers for Meals on Wheels, and was a homecoming candidate. Hannah is an acolyte, church greeter and usher for Ebenezer United Methodist Church and a member of Mahanoy City Girls Softball League.

Upon graduation, Hannah plans to attend East Stroudsburg University and major in speech/language pathology.

Matthew is a son of David and Kelly Lewandowski, Gilberton. His high school activities include National Honor Society, Bloomsburg Math Contest Team, class vice president his junior and senior year, student council, Schuylkill County Youth Leadership Conference, Olweus Youth Leadership, Interact, SADD, Teens Against Tobacco, Theatre Arts Club, baseball, football captain, and wrestling captain.

He volunteers for youth wrestling and track, and he is a Meals on Wheels volunteer.

Upon graduation, Matthew plans to attend Kutztown University and major in sports management.

Pottsville Rotary

Pottsville Rotary announced its students of the month for January.

Emma Walinsky, a daughter of Frank and Rosemary Walinsky, Pottsville, and a Pottsville Area High School senior, is member of National Honor Society, Foreign Language and Spanish national honor societies, Quill and Scroll Honor Society and editor-in- chief of the school news website and magazine. She is a three-year member of the swim team and captain of the water polo team, where she is a two-time player of the year award winner.

She is head lifeguard at JFK Pool, Pottsville, where she is a swim instructor, a member of Alpha Iota Delta, an ecology club officer and a Leo Club member.

Emma is a member of St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church, Pottsville, and plans to attend Temple University, Philadelphia, to study biochemistry on a pre-med track with a minor in Spanish.

Pottsville Area senior Sadie Bowman, a daughter of James Bowman and Tara Carl, Port Carbon, is a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society, as well as a member of the Quiz Bowl, Key Club, sketch club, senior mural committee. She tutors, was named artist of the month at Pottsville, volunteers at the Knights of Columbus at Thanksgiving and is entered in a Walk In Art Center exhibit.

Sadie plans to major in Fine Arts at Millersville or Marywood universities.

Minersville Area High School senior Mackenzie Cullen is a daughter of Jack and Jill Cullen, Minersville. Her activities include drama club, annual musical, SADD, TAT, yearbook staff, senior class vice president, National Honor Society, prom committee, volleyball and track and field.

Outside of school, she volunteers at Volley Camp and the blood drive. She plans to attend Penn State University or the University of Pittsburgh.

Minersville Area senior Avery Woodford, a son of Curtis and Kimberly Woodford, Pottsville. His activities include Rent-A-Senior, Fall Sports Meet-n-Greet with elementary students and boys’ varsity soccer.

Outside of school, he volunteers at the MAYSC concession stand. He plans to attend college and study graphic design.

Nativity BVM High School senior Lydia Paulukonis, a daughter of Jan and Eugene Paulukonis, Girardville, attends St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Ashland. She is involved in drama club, concert chorus, liturgy choir, Interact and student government.

She has received multiple highest achievement awards, and plans to attend college and possibly major in criminal justice.

Nativity senior Julia Klembara, a daughter of Michael and Anita Klembara, Schuylkill Haven, attends St. Ambrose Roman Catholic Church, Schuylkill Haven, where she’s been an altar server for the past eight years. She is a member of the National Honor Society and Science National Honor Society and Interact, math, science and arts clubs.

Julia plays volleyball, basketball and track and field. She works at the Nutty Pear restaurant and in the summer is a lifeguard at Schuylkill Country Club, Orwigsburg.

She plans to attend Villanova University and major in nursing.

Nativity senior Ty Daubert, a son of Jennifer and Jay Daubert, Pottsville, and an active member of St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church, Pottsville, is a member of National Honor Society and Science National Honor Society, Interact, student council, and academic team. Ty is also a member of the baseball and golf teams at Nativity.

He is employed at JFK pool, Pottsville, in the summer and plans to attend St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, and major in communications.

Nativity senior Joseph Manus, a son of Neil and Frances Manus, Pottsville, attends St. John the Baptist Church, where he is an altar server and an alto saxophonist in the church’s music ensemble. He is a member of the National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, academic team, band, golf, basketball, and Schuylkill County Drug & Alcohol Junior Advisory Board.

He has received the highest GPA awards and the highest achievement in multiple classes. Joseph plans to attend college for biomedical engineering.

Pine Grove Area

Rebecca Peiffer and Robert Rice were named students of the month for February at Pine Grove Area High School.

Rebecca is a daughter of Karen and Mark Peiffer, Pine Grove. She studies in the advanced placement curricula.

Her high school activities include yearbook editor, band, student council, FBLA, SADD, National Honor Society, Cardinal Spotlight Theatre choreographer, Literary Society, history club, band treasurer, and Spanish Club. She plans to attend Temple University, Philadelphia, to major in biomedical engineering.

Robert, a son of Brenda Rice, Tremont, and the late Richard Rice, studies in the college preparatory, honors and advanced placement curricula. His high school activities include Cardinal Spotlight Theatre, Cardinal Marching, jazz and concert bands, FBLA (vice president), SADD, student council, prom committee, cross country manager and homecoming king.

Robert plans to attend Indiana University of Pennsylvani to double major in musical theater and business education.

Shen Rotary

Shenandoah Valley High School senior Noelle Davis was named student of the month for January by the Shenandoah Rotary Club.

Noelle is a daughter of Tina and John Davis, Shenandoah, and she studies in the academic curriculum. Her school activities include participation in concert band for six years; jazz band, five years; Schuylkill County Band, four years; marching band, seven years, and she now serves as drum major; Junior County Band, three years; volleyball, four years; drama club as an actor and set builder, six years; Academic Bowl, three years; ski club, Powder Puff football, float and prom committees, yearbook, formal committee and Senator for a Day. She also had a piece of art displayed in the art show and assisted with school murals.

In the community, Noelle is a five-year member of the youth group and Camp Cadet. She helped with the sesquicentennial float for Shenandoah’s sesquicentennial parade, worked at Heritage Day and Kielbasi Fest, served church dinners, helped with a can collection and food pantry, served as a Vacation Bible School teacher/photographer and assisted neighbors with mowing lawns and shoveling snow. She is planning to go to Wisconsin with her youth group and assisting with a Vacation Bible School.

Noelle has taken karate instruction for 12 years and holds a second-degree black belt in kata and a first-degree black belt in weapons. She went to ALA girl state through the American Legion and works at a gymnastics studio.

Noelle plans to join the Marines and work her way to the K-9 unit, then go to a medical school through the military.

Like family history or a fine wine, some things become richer and more cherished over time.

Dale Leatherman and Natalie Mucciolo Leatherman found the perfect recipe for both.

The couple opened Mucciolo Family Wines and the Penna Lounge in 2016 inside a former Old Forge general store that Antonio and Mary Lana — Mucciolo Leatherman’s maternal great-grandparents — operated almost nine decades earlier.

Almost every piece of the winery’s interior is the original structure from Lana’s General Store, which closed in the early 1970s, including its pressed-tin ceilings, plate-glass storefront, wooden shelves and counter, and original cash register, which still works. Paper signs line the shelf along the back of the bar with 1920s prices for items the store sold back then. Mucciolo Leatherman found them while remodeling and knew she could incorporate them into her new venture.

“The space was just perfect,” said Mucciolo Leatherman, who makes all the wine with her husband. “We wanted to keep that old-world charm and breathe new life into it.”

Leatherman joked that the winery he owns with his wife is a hobby that spun out of control. He waded into winemaking for several years with friends, and after he met his wife, she joined him at a house where the group met to make wine.

The two then began making their own wine that, for years, only friends and family enjoyed. Around that time, the couple had started spending more time in Old Forge to be with family and transporting their homemade wine back and forth. After Mucciolo Leatherman’s mom, Ele, died, she felt something pulled her to her hometown, and today, she and her husband split their time between the borough and Ambler.

The couple visited the family general store and started to piece together their plans for a commercial winery. The space contained vintage detailing upstairs for a tasting room and ample basement space for making wine. Even better than the square footage was the basement’s temperature: a perfect, cool place for vinification.

“It wasn’t until Natalie and I stood in a space that was basically right under our noses this whole time that we envisioned it,” Leatherman said. “We could see the costumers sitting there. ... We decided to go and do this.”

Mucciolo Leatherman’s childhood friend, Lisa Peperno, stepped in as sommelier. Peperno studied at sommelier school and had a career in New York City but, like Mucciolo Leatherman, came home to tend to family. She connected with the Leathermans while in town.

“I’ve been all over, but I always came home. This always will be home,” said Peperno, who works with the Leathermans to craft each wine and also provides tasting tips for customers. “And what Natalie and Dale have done to just breathe new life into this, it’s remarkable, and I wanted to be part of it.”

The last piece of the puzzle was the name. The couple decided to use Mucciolo Leatherman’s maiden name, as it’s well-known throughout the borough.

“Everyone knows a Mucciolo,” Peperno joked.

And they especially know John Mucciolo, the winemaker’s father. A lifelong Old Forge resident, the 82-year-old is better known by his nickname, “Babe,” a moniker bestowed on him as the youngest of Giuseppe and Lucia Mucciolo’s five boys.

Mucciolo, who doesn’t drink wine, owned a popular restaurant along the borough’s Main Street for years. He always has time to sit and catch up with former customers, friends and acquaintances at the winery.

“He’s going to greet you and ask how you are,” Peperno said. “He’s warm and welcoming and truly loves people. Everyone knows Babe.”

The bottles display a family photo taken when Mucciolo was a boy. The wines also bear familial names, with some named for maternal influences, such as “Ele,” a riesling for Mucciolo Leatherman’s late mom; “Lucia,” a moscato after her paternal grandmother; and “Nona Lana,” after her maternal great-grandmother. Three dry wines are named for the Leathermans’ nieces and nephew, “Angelina,” an Italian white; “Anthony,” a cabernet sauvignon; and “Mia,” a petite sirah. And there’s “Babe,” named for the man himself, which blends two Italian variants.

“Just like him,” Mucciolo Leatherman said with a smile.

The winery offers almost 20 types of wines and cider wines for tastings and by the bottle. There’s also a cocktail menu, all made with Pennsylvania liquors or Mucciolo Leatherman’s house-made creations, such as spiced rum or garlic-infused vodka made specifically for Bloody Marys. State-brewed beers also are available at the winery, and Mucciolo Leatherman always is on the lookout for regional- and state-distilled beverages to serve.

What customers of Mucciolo Family Wines will not be able to do, however, is catch the latest game. There’s not a television in sight inside the winery, and the Leathermans plan to keep it that way.

“Maybe the art of conversation will be rediscovered,” Mucciolo Leatherman said, paraphrasing the winery’s motto.

A native of Bucks County, Leatherman easily could have become overwhelmed by the customs and culture of Old Forge, the claimed “Pizza Capital of the World.” Although that wasn’t the case.

“I’ve never felt (like) a stranger or like I was coming into to this place where I didn’t belong,” he said. “I think that’s a testament to the Mucciolos and how they welcomed me with open arms and really made me feel like family right away.”

At Mucciolo Family Wines, it’s not unusual to see groups enter the winery as strangers and leave as friends.

“That’s Old Forge,” Peperno said.

Contact the writer: gmazur@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9127

SHENANDOAH — The holiest and the greatest day for Christians is Easter Sunday, and for many churches, today will be joyous as they celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ almost 2,000 years ago.

The liturgical celebrations in many churches began Saturday at vigil services. St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church, Shenandoah, held its vigil at 3:30 p.m. for Holy Pascha, which is the name for Easter Sunday in Eastern Rite Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. The Orthodox faithful will celebrate Holy Pascha on April 8.

The traditional greeting between the parishioners is “Christos Voskres!,” with the reply, “Voyeestinu Voskres!” (“Christ is risen!” “Indeed He is risen!”)

The almost two-hour liturgical service includes the Resurrection Matins of the Great and Holy Sunday of Easter, followed by the Vigil Divine Liturgy.

Before matins began, a short prayer service was held by Monsignor Myron Grabowsky, pastor. The prayers before the tomb (a table with the Holy Shroud that depicts Jesus in the tomb) were held in front of the icon wall, or iconostasis. Grabowsky wore dark red vestments during those prayers, with the symbolism being that of a funeral and somber in tone.

After the service, the Holy Shroud was removed by Grabowsky and carried over this shoulder and on his back. He placed it on the altar where it will remain for 40 days until Ascension Thursday.

As everyone waited, Grabowsky removed the red vestments and donned gold and white ones, and then most of the congregation processed outside, led by Daniel Krauson carrying the processional cross. Other parishioners carried an icon of the Mother of God, church banners, the book with the Holy Gospels and an icon of the Resurrection. They walked out the front door and processed clockwise around the church with the church bells ringing continually.

When everyone returned to the front of the church, the front doors were closed. Grabowsky stood before the doors and began Resurrection Matins. Everyone began with the singing of the Easter Tropar three times: “Christ is risen from the dead, conquering death by death, and to those in the tombs, he did grant them life.”

After additional prayers, Grabowsky blessed the doors with a hand cross three times, tapping the doors in the sign of the cross. The doors are opened and everyone walks inside to see the church fully lighted and the stand that held the Holy Shroud moved to the side and the tetrapod returned to its traditional place near the center front of the iconostasis.

As the prayer book explained, Resurrection Matins begins outside as a reminder that the tidings of Christ’s Resurrection were received before the women or the Apostles entered the tomb.

The matins continued, chanted in English and Ukrainian, led by cantor John Halupa.

When matins ended, the Divine Liturgy immediately followed with Grabowsky as celebrant.

“Christos Voskres!,” Grabowsky started his homily, with the congregation replying with “Voyeestinu Voskres!”

“There is a great silence on earth today. A great silence and stillness,” Grabowsky said. “The whole earth keeps silent because the king is asleep. God has fallen asleep in the flesh and has raised up all who have slept since the world began. God is silent in the flesh and the world trembles. That is what Holy Saturday is. Jesus searched for our first parents (Adam and Eve) as for the lost sheep. He has gone to free Adam and Eve from sorrow and captivity with the cross that has won him the victory.”

Contact the writer: jusalis@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6023

PINE GROVE — The celebration of Easter is one of hope, a message that was given early Sunday morning at Sweet Arrow Lake County Park for the eight annual Easter sunrise service.

About 100 people gathered near the Point Amphitheater at the lake shore to celebrate the Christian belief that Jesus Christ rose from the dead almost 2,000 years ago after being crucified on Good Friday. The sunrise service has been held at the lake since 2011 by the Pine Grove Wesleyan Church. Leading the service was the church’s Senior Pastor Kenneth “Kenny” Smith and Assistant Pastor Jonathan Pickett.

The natural serene setting lends the opportunity to enjoy the quiet while thinking about the Resurrection. The cool morning had some using blankets as they sat on the benches at the amphitheater as the sounds of ducks, geese and other birds could be heard and the early morning light reflected off the waters.

The was the fifth sunrise service at the park led by Smith.

“Welcome to our service this morning. It is an awesome, awesome experience being here every year and I look forward to it,” Smith said as he started the service. “It’s great to be here worshiping with you again this year, especially with those of you who don’t go to our church. That’s what makes it really, really fun. We all get to come together and worship on the holiest day of the year.”

Smith explained the importance of worshiping God so early on Easter morning.

“The purpose of having a sunrise service like this is to bring us to the point of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ,” he said. “While we’re here now, while it’s still dark, we are putting ourselves in the spot of the tomb. We think the tomb is full. We think that Jesus, who has been crucified, is still there. We are still not aware of the fact that he is risen from the dead. As the service goes on, as the sun comes up, we come to the realization that he has risen and that he is back in a most awesome way.”

After a reading led by Pickett with responses by the people, the opening prayer was offered by Smith and “Were You There” was sung by everyone.

After the song, a communion service was held and the people took some of the bread and dipped it into the cup.

After a reading from the Gospel of Luke 23:44-55, followed by the singing of “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” Smith gave his sermon. He explained his two favorite months are October and April, with April showing the signs of the spring, one of which is Easter Sunday.

“It’s Easter Sunday, the surest sign that spring is here,” Smith said. “And I know that many of you are grateful for the fact that spring is making its arrival, because it’s been a long winter that keeps coming back, and it looks like it going to keep coming back even more. It keeps coming out of nowhere. Is winter fooling us? It’s fitting that Easter is on April Fools’ Day based on the winter that has been. I wouldn’t be shocked if it hung on for one more last kick in the pants, which it’s supposedly going to give us tonight. But Easter being here is a reminder that spring will return.”

Smith said no matter how winter seems to be an end, spring always returns and brings back hope, just like Easter after what seemed to be the end on Good Friday.

“Easter is the personification of spring. It’s a reminder that life is enduring, that life always finds a way to come through,” Smith said. “That the grave couldn’t hold Jesus, and because of that, the grave could not hold us. Our major holidays seem like they happen at the best times of the year. Christmas comes at the darkest time, when the days are the shortest and when they’re cold and miserable and everything in nature outside is dying or sleeping. It is at that time we are reminded that the ‘Light of the World’ has come to dwell with us. And Easter comes when we can’t take any more darkness or cold, that we’re ready to see creation’s beauty burst forth again. Easter reminds us that the one who created all of that is alive and very, very well. He is risen from the dead.”

Easter came at a time when the Apostles were faithless, crushed and hopeless after Jesus’ death.

“Were they not paying attention? Did they not hear Jesus when he reminded them that the scriptures foretold of exactly what was going to happen?” he said. “And yet in that moment of the Resurrection, the moment they realized that Jesus had risen from the dead, they went from hopeless to triumphant. Peter rushes to the tomb with a new sense of urgency and purpose that he didn’t have before. Jesus’ return from the grave gave them all new life, new purpose, new power, something that we cling to today.”

Smith said winter is not the last season, and spring will bring everything back to life again and restore the beauty of creation, adding that sin did not destroy creation.

“Winter doesn’t last. Death doesn’t last. What it means is that, in Christ, hope itself cannot be stamped out. His crucifixion looked like it was, but it wasn’t. In his Resurrection, hope burned anew,” Smith said.

The service continued with the singing of “Because He Lives” and the closing prayers. Everyone was invited to a free breakfast in the park clubhouse courtesy of the church.

Pine Grove residents Donald and Sherri Ney said this was their first time at the sunrise service and enjoyed it.

“This is the first time we’re here. We’ve always wanted to and we made it a commitment this year to come,” Donald Ney said.

The Neys are not members of the church, but are part of the Open Door Project in Pine Grove.

“It just great to get up in the morning realize that it’s the morning when they (the Apostles) came and found the tomb empty,” he said. “I’m sure they were baffled in announcing that to the world because they were expecting totally different.”

“It is so beautiful here,” Sherri Ney said.

Contact the writer: jusalis@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6023

“Once upon a time, in a little upstate Pennsylvania coal town called Eckley, nothing ever happened. Then one day down the dusty main drag there came riding a handsome stranger with a few million dollars in his pocket. He said he was looking for a place to rent.”

And the rest is history — in this case, living history.

That quote opens an article in the July 1968 issue of Philadelphia magazine, titled “This Town for Hire,” about how the Foster Township patchtown became the setting for “The Molly Maguires,” a movie about coal miners, a violent secret society whose members fought the mine bosses, and an undercover agent set on stopping the rebellion.

It was 50 years ago this summer that filming took place in Eckley and at other locations, both throughout the area and in places like Jim Thorpe and Bloomsburg.

To commemorate the anniversary, the Standard-Speaker is planning a special section about what took place in summer 1968 and what happened afterward that led to the creation of the state museum named Eckley Miners’ Village.

“The film had a significant impact on the region,” Bode Morin, Eckley site administrator, said. “Not only did it tell an important story about the violent struggles of miners against an oppressive system, it also welcomed major film stars to the area.”

In addition to the movie’s big-name stars — Sean Connery, Samantha Eggar and Richard Harris — many local residents became extras in the Paramount Pictures production.

If you’re one of them, we’d like to share your memories of your days on the movie set.

We also would like to hear from you if you had any contact with the people involved with the movie. Perhaps they ate at the restaurant where you worked, shopped in your store or attended your church during their time in the Hazleton area.

You can share your memories through our Facebook page, by email at mollies@standardspeaker.com or by calling Tony Greco at 570-501-3576.

Natural bodybuilding will take the stage April 14 as competitors vie for top spots during two competitions at the Ramada Inn, Pottsville.

The National Gym Association Inc. events are the sixth annual Mr. Anthracite Natural Bodybuilding and Physique Championships and second annual Mr. Coal Natural Championships.

The competitions were started by the Rev. Warren I. Egebo, former pastor of Friedens Evangelical Lutheran Church, Hegins, and St. James Lutheran Church, Pitman, and NGA chairman.

Mr. Anthracite Natural is a closed show for those who live, work or attend school in the five-county anthracite region (Schuylkill, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Northumberland and Carbon counties). Mr. Coal Natural, begun last year, is open to all. There are two awards for the competitions.

According to the event website, it is a natural, drug-free competition and drug-tested event. Competitors must meet criteria in NGA Drug Testing Guidelines and are required to be polygraph tested before competing.

Travis “Featherhawk” Snyder was recently training at Anthracite Barbell and Fitness in Kings Village Plaza, Minersville. Snyder, 36, of Hegins, has competed before and explained the events.

“There are different classes,” Snyder said. “There are bodybuilding classes, men’s physique, and classic physique. The difference is bodybuilding is more muscular posing where you wear actual posing trunks. Classic physique is a combination of bodybuilding and men’s physique. The men’s physique is about symmetry muscularity, but you wear shorts and more model-type posing.”

Snyder said there are three weight classes.

“It’s an internal and external challenge,” he said. “How can I balance internal motivation that reflects externally my mind, body and spirit, with physical appearance?”

Snyder’s fitness interest came from strong motivation: “I got interested in fitness after being incarcerated. I was arrested Dec. 22, 2011, and started working out in jail. I was struggling with heroin addiction for about 15 years. I spent four months in county jail and had my awakening. I needed to remake myself and do positive things. One was treating my body right. I would like to take credit for it, but I give credit to God. I don’t feel I’m able to do these things without something greater.”

Egebo spoke by phone from Green Bay, Wisconsin, about the show: “I revived the show after 17 years. It was a popular show in the Coal Region and moved around a bit. It was held in Pottsville at the new Fairlane Village mall. A lot of shows were tied to powerlifting. The show was at center court and started with powerlifting and then into Mr. Anthracite.”

Egebo was a Philadelphia-area pastor when he revived Mr. Anthracite in Pottsville: “My first show was 2013 and first winner was Jake Kotner of Saint Clair. I always put ‘natural’ behind it because we’re part of the Natural Gym Association. I have a franchise with NGA to do shows. My big show (Pro/am Mr. & Ms. Natural Philadelphia bodybuilding, figure and pro qualifier championships) is May 5 in Plymouth-White Marsh High School in Plymouth Meeting.”

For more information on Mr. Anthracite/Mr. Coal, go to nationalgym.com or contact Egebo at klon@epix.net or 215-200-1680.

Contact the writer: jusalis@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6023

POTTSVILLE — A Tamaqua man is headed to state prison after admitting Wednesday to a Schuylkill County judge that he possessed a salable amount of methamphetamine in March 2017 in the borough.

George M. Cope, 31, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, with prosecutors withdrawing charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

President Judge William E. Baldwin accepted Cope’s plea and, pursuant to an agreement between prosecutors and the defendant, sentenced him to serve 27 to 54 months in a state correctional institution, pay costs, $100 to the Substance Abuse Education Fund, $50 to the Criminal Justice Enhancement Account and $176 restitution to the state police crime laboratory in Bethlehem, and submit a DNA sample to law enforcement authorities. Baldwin made the prison term consecutive to the one Cope already is serving.

Tamaqua police alleged Cope possessed the meth on March 6, 2017, at the Turkey Hill Minit Market, 330 E. Broad St.

In another Wednesday case, Joseph J. Sarisky Jr., 56, of Shamokin, formerly of Pine Grove, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and disregarding traffic lane, with prosecutors withdrawing charges of careless driving and failure to carry registration.

Judge Charles M. Miller accepted the plea and, pursuant to an agreement between prosecutors and the defendant, sentenced him to spend six months on probation, pay costs, $325 in fines and a $100 SAEF payment, and perform 10 hours community service.

State police at Schuylkill Haven had alleged Sarisky was DUI on April 21, 2017, in Pine Grove Township.

Keith D. Benjamin, 33, of Schuylkill Haven, will spend 12 months on probation after Miller sentenced him on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. Miller also sentenced Benjamin to pay costs, a $100 SAEF payment and $113 restitution to the state police crime laboratory in Bethlehem.

Benjamin had pleaded guilty on March 14 to possession of drug paraphernalia. Schuylkill Haven borough police had charged him with possessing the paraphernalia on April 19, 2016, in the borough.

In other action, the Shenandoah woman who police said participated in an attempted homicide in September 2016 in Union Township is headed to state prison after admitting her role in the incident.

Jordan M. Stravinsky, 23, formerly of Williamstown, pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence, criminal mischief and arson. Prosecutors withdrew charges of conspiracy and kidnapping.

Judge James P. Goodman sentenced Stravinsky to serve three to 10 years in a state correctional institution, pay costs, $50 to the CJEA and $5,001 restitution, and submit a DNA sample to law enforcement officials.

State police at Frackville alleged that on Sept. 29, 2016, Stravinsky and her codefendant, Jonathan T. Ford, forced Shaun Briggs, Pattersonville, into the car they had taken and drove him to a nearby pond. Briggs was forced into the pond and Ford took a shot at him, police alleged.

Ford and Stravinsky also set the car, a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu, on fire, police said.

In another Wednesday case, a Barnesville man will not have to spend more time in prison after a Schuylkill County judge ruled Wednesday that he violated a protection from abuse order.

Rhett C. Baker, 21, is guilty of indirect criminal contempt, which is contempt committed outside the courtroom, Senior Judge D. Michael Stine decided.

Stine promptly sentenced Baker to time served to three months in prison and granted him immediate parole. He also sentenced Baker to pay costs and a $300 fine.

State police at Frackville charged Baker with violating the order on Feb. 26.

Also Wednesday, prosecutors withdrew a charge of indirect criminal contempt against Shaun R. Butz, 37, of Port Carbon.

Saint Clair police had charged Butz with violating a PFA on Jan. 20 in the borough.

Contact the writer: pbortner@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6014

Anthony J. Kilker

SHENANDOAH — A Shenandoah woman who falsely reported her vehicle stolen on Jan. 14 waived her right to a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker.

Anna E. Hornberger, 40, of 1301 W. Penn St., was arrested by West Mahanoy Township Police Chief Marvin Livergood and charged with one count each of false reports and permitting violation of title.

By waiving her right to a hearing, Hornberger will now have to answer to both charges in Schuylkill County Court.

Livergood charged Hornberger with reporting her vehicle stolen from 1301 W. Penn St. on Jan. 14.

The woman said the vehicle was taken between 4:15 and 4:45 p.m. while it was running in her driveway and tried to incriminate a man named Donald Crawley.

However, it was later determined that Hornberger voluntarily allowed Crawley to use the vehicle despite knowing that he had a suspended license, Livergood said.

Other court cases included:

Lonn E. Fisher, 61, of 205 N. Main St., Apt. 3, Shenandoah — withdrawn: bad checks.

Mari Powell, 21, of Schuylkill County Prison, Pottsville — withdrawn: theft and receiving stolen property. Waived for court: unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and driving while operating privileges are suspended or revoked.

Ryan L. Seigel, 31, of 729 E. Mahanoy Ave., Mahanoy City — waived for court: possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Edward A. Conapitski, 19, of 141 W. Ogden St., Girardville — withdrawn: terroristic threats and harassment.

Michael J. Swartz, 63, of 1002 E. Railroad St., Mahanoy City — waived for court: possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Robert M. Thomas, 40, of 83 Trenton Road, Mahanoy City — withdrawn: simple assault and harassment.

Christina E. Hale

FRACKVILLE — A Barnesville man charged with assaulting a woman at their home in Ryan Township on Aug. 24 waived his right to a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Christina E. Hale.

Edward Lee Dutill, 35, of 886 Barnesville Drive, was arrested by Ryan Township police Patrolman Michael Weaver and charged with one count each of simple assault and harassment. By waiving his right to a hearing, Dutill will now have to answer to both charges in Schuylkill County Court.

Weaver charged Dutill with a 9 a.m. incident where he allegedly struck Kimberly Parliament Dutlll in the forehead several times during an argument. Weaver said Edward Dutill was visibly intoxicated and admitted drinking vodka.

Other court cases included:

Randal J. Walters, 58, of 230 Schuylkill Ave., Shenandoah — withdrawn: theft. Waived for court: receiving stolen property.

Kristofer C. Keck, 36, of 637 S. Seventh St., Shamokin — held for court: burglary, theft, access device issued to another person, receiving stolen property, criminal trespass and criminal mischief.

Austin H. Snyder, 19, of 527 W. Main St., Ringtown — waived for court: simple assault.

Charles J. Koncsler, 35, of 142 Swatara Road, Shenandoah — held for court: possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, retail theft and public drunkenness.

Jesse E. Pritsch, 35, of 1613 Centre St., Ashland — waived for court: possession of drug paraphernalia.

Lisa D. Houghton, 53, of 97 Low Road, Pottsville — waived for court: DUI, DUI-high rate, disregard for single traffic lane and careless driving.

The second round of medical marijuana permit applications should be available this week.

A notice published late last month in The Pennsylvania Bulletin said the state Department of Health intends to have grower/processor and dispensary applications available online Thursday. The deadline to submit applications is May 17.

One grower/processor permit will be issued to the “most qualified and eligible” applicant with the highest score “without regard to location,” according to The Pennsylvania Bulletin. Then 12 permits will be issued within the six medical marijuana regions, up to two per region.

A maximum of 23 dispensary permits will be issued in the medical marijuana regions as follows: Region 1, Southeast, nine; Region 2, Northeast, three; Region 3; Southcentral, three; Region 4, Northcentral, two; Region 5, Southwest, four; and Region 6, Northwest, two.

Last year, the Department of Health issued 12 permits for grower/processor and 27 permits for dispensaries. No permits were issued for Schuylkill County, which is in the Southeast region that includes Berks, Lancaster, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia and Bucks counties.

Contact the writer: amarchiano@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6028

Marriage licenses

Bryan S. Ludwig, Cressona, and Amanda M. Richter, Cressona.

Shawn Harcum, Frackville, and Tyshieka M. Oden, Philadelphia.

James R. Johnson, Frackville, and Kassandra D.E. Peeples, York.

Troy A. Fultz, Auburn, and Lori A. Wagner, Auburn.

April S. Henry, Hamburg, and Tessa R. Goss, Hamburg.

Leonicio L. Disla Inoa, Mahanoy City, and Aledda Dominguez, Mahanoy City.

Zachary T. Davenport, Pottsville, and Laura R. Noon, Pottsville.

Tyler W. Mcewen, Winter Garden, Florida, and Amy E. Kirwan, Winter Garden, Florida.

Jarrod M. Ruscavage, Pottsville, and Heather M. Schatz, Pottsville.

Divorces granted

Julie Leopard, Tamaqua, from Rodney Leopard, Seneca, South Carolina.

Charles Jones, Schuylkill Haven, from Krista Jones, Schuylkill Haven.

Francis Pierce, Lakeville, from Doris Pierce, New Ringgold.

Andrew Girard, Coaldale, from Tonia Girard, Summit Hill.

POTTSVILLE — Phoenix Fire Company No. 2 has a new ladder truck.

The used 2014 Pierce ladder truck replaces a fire truck the company has had since 2004.

“This has much more compartment space,” Jim Pryce, captain of the fire company, said Thursday.

The newer 59-foot long vehicle has a 70-gallon foam system, which can be used for vehicle fires, something the older one didn’t have.

The truck also has a heavier weighted ladder at 500 pounds, meaning the 100-foot-long ladder can hold more weight distributed evenly. The old fire truck is 58 feet long with a 110-foot ladder weighing 250 pounds.

The equipment on the older fire truck will be placed on the new truck. Both can seat nine firefighters. Additional modifications could be done to the newer ladder truck.

The company bought the ladder truck at an auction for $500,000.

“A brand new one is $1.1 million,” Pryce said.

Mike Glore, a former assistant fire chief in Pottsville, said a member of the fire company noticed the truck for sale on Facebook about two months ago.

“It was a stroke of luck, really,” Glore said.

Extensive research was done before buying it. The previous owner didn’t have a need for it, he said.

Originally from Brevard County Fire Rescue Station 80 in Brevard County, Florida, the new truck still has the decals from its last home. It was driven to Pennsylvania two weeks ago.

While it does have 22,000 miles on it — 9,700 more than the old one — it should last a long time, officials said.

It is being housed at Yorkville Hose Fire Company until it can be put into service.

The old ladder truck, which the department had bought for $476,000, is a combination of two trucks. The back is a 1991 LDI, while the cab is a 2004. The department is looking to sell it.

Contact the writer: amarchiano@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6028

POTTSVILLE — While the number of trials scheduled for the April criminal court term, which starts today and runs through April 10, might not be large, the magnitude of three of the cases is.

Those three all involve what prosecutors allege were one person trying to kill another, resulting in attempted homicide and related charges against each of the three defendants. They constitute three of the six jury trials slated for the term.

Kenneth A. Boyer, 52, of Port Carbon, William Cramer, 26, of Albion, and Harold J. McGurl Jr., 44, of Ashland, are the three men facing those charges. McGurl will be the first to go on trial. His case is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. today before Judge Jacqueline L. Russell and the jury.

The juries that will hear those three trials are among six selected last week. Deputy Court Administrator John Richmond said Thursday that three juries were picked Tuesday, two Wednesday and one Thursday.

District Attorney Michael A. O’Pake said Thursday that he believes the policy on plea agreements he has instituted makes for fewer trials.

“When I look at the cases to make offers initially, I am very conscientious in making the offer,” he said.

If a defendant was on probation or parole when he allegedly committed the new crimes, has been on probation or parole unsuccessfully, or has had several instances of probation or parole, then he or she will not receive a generous offer, he said.

“They’re not getting more probation or parole,” O’Pake said. “I think I’m trying to send a clear message for defendants and defense counsel.”

Also, he said, defendants will not be able to wait out his office until juries have been selected.

“Our offers are not going to get better for the defendants. They’re going to get worse,” O’Pake said. “We’re going to be consistent, we’re going to be conscientious and we’re going to be tough.”

The three attempted homicide cases feature vastly different scenarios, according to prosecutors.

Boyer is charged with attempted homicide, possessing instrument of crime, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and two counts of aggravated assault.

State police at Schuylkill Haven allege Boyer shot Alexander Rosario, the boyfriend of his daughter, in the chest and face on Aug. 11, 2017, at the defendant’s residence. Police said Rosario and Kristin M. Boyer were arguing when the defendant confronted Rosario.

Assistant District Attorneys Julie A. Werdt and Jennifer N. Foose are prosecuting Kenneth Boyer, while Sudhir R. Patel, Pottsville, is defending him.

Cramer is charged with attempted homicide inmate procuring weapon, possessing instrument of crime, introducing weapon into a prison and two counts each of aggravated assault and assault by prisoner.

State police at Frackville allege Cramer slit the throat of a corrections officer, Jared M. Mausteller, on Nov. 21, 2015, with a shank at State Correctional Institution/Mahanoy.

O’Pake and Assistant District Attorney Thomas P. Pellish are prosecuting Cramer, while James G. Conville, Schuylkill Haven, is defending him.

McGurl is charged with attempted homicide, recklessly endangering another person and two counts each of aggravated assault and simple assault.

State police at Frackville allege McGurl stabbed and sliced Jordan M. Adams on Oct. 8, 2016, between the 1200 and 1400 blocks of Spruce Street in Ashland.

Deputy Attorney General Philip M. McCarthy is prosecuting McGurl, while Assistant Public defender Debra A. Smith is defending him. The state attorney general’s office is prosecuting the case because First Assistant District Attorney Michael J. Stine had represented McGurl while serving as chief public defender.

Contact the writer: pbortner@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6014

Defendant: Kenneth A. Boyer

Age: 52

Residence: Port Carbon

Charges : Attempted homicide, possessing instrument of crime,simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and two counts of aggravated assault

Defendant: William Cramer

Age: 26

Residence: Albion

Charges: Attempted homicide inmate procuring weapon, possessing instrument of crime, introducing weapon into a prison and two counts each of aggravated assault and assault by prisoner

Defendant: Harold J. McGurl Jr.

Age: 44

Residence: Ashland

Charges: Attempted homicide, recklessly endangering another person and two counts each of aggravated assault and simple assault

Kelayres

Kline Township officials are reminding residents and contractors that permits are required before construction repairs and improvements may start. Such programs exist for public safety and must be enforced. Failure to get a required permit may result in injuries, fines and possibly homeowners’ insurance compliance problems. Zoning permits are required, for example, to construct a new home, additions to a home, installation of fences, installation of swimming pools, addition of decks, placement of sheds, construction of garages and other buildings. Uniform Construction Code permits are issued by the township’s third-party state-certified inspector after contacting the township and submitting a completed request form. Such permits are required for all commercial work and some residential work, for example, installing new wiring or plumbing, structural work (changing or removing load-bearing walls, replacing roof sheeting or structural roof members), egress size changes (changing the size of windows and doors), constructing a new home, additions to a home, swimming pools, decks, sheds, garages and other buildings over 1,000 square feet. Swimming pools must meet state safety requirements for height of walls, fences, gate locks and wiring; therefore, inspections are required by code. Township construction work authorization permits also are needed for any residential construction or general maintenance being performed within the township not already covered by UCC. Some examples that require this permit are replacing roof shingles, paving/sealing a driveway, installing a fence, repairing a fence, painting a house, installing drywall/paneling, installing sidewalk, installing house siding, updating/improving a bathroom or kitchen. Installation of various structures of less than 1,000 square feet also need permits. Residents and contractors should contact the zoning and code enforcement officer before doing any work to ensure code compliance. Code Officer Anthony Vigna can be reached at 570-929-2642. Requests for permits should be submitted at least two weeks before the planned start date. Work stoppage notices will be issued. Homeowners and their contractor will be fined if found performing work without a required permit. Township fines start at $300 a day per violation. The state attorney general’s licensing office may be notified of any contractor that violates the law. Permits are available at the Kline Township Police Department.

Nuremberg

The Nuremberg Cemetery Association will meet at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in Emmanuel Lutheran Church. Those interested to see the cemetery properly cared for are urged to attend.

Pottsville

Jean Towle of the Pottsville Free Public Library recently provided members of the Pottsville Rotary Club with an update on the Pottsville library and the county library system. Towle said there are 13 libraries in the county system and noted that the Schuylkill Haven library is the only municipal library that is not part of the system. She said the library has a daily influence on the area. The Pottsville library provided services to about 57,000 visitors in the past year. In addition to lending books, the Pottsville facility has 17 public computers with more than 10,000 uses last year. Special programs and presentations are held regularly with topics including art, business, local authors and other programs. It offers fax and photocopy service and eBooks through the Axis360 program. The library budget is about $750,000 per year and the library depends on state, county and local funds as well as various fundraisers and bequests. Upcoming library events include a used book sale from noon to 2 p.m. today and the celebration of National Library Week on April 8-14. The Pottsville library’s hours are 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Visit www.pottsvillelibrary.org.

Pottsville

The Pottsville Area High School Class of 1968 is looking for information on classmates for the 50-year reunion to be held Sept. 8. Anyone who knows a member of the class is asked to give him/her the planning committee’s email address — pahsclassof1968@gmail.com — to share contact information. If they have a Facebook account, they can request to join Pottsville Area High School Class of 1968 to view all the latest information on the 50th anniversary reunion.

McAdoo

AMVETS Post 1 will hold its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. today at VFW Post 6708. All members are urged to attend. The guest speaker will be Bruce Kosack, department service officer of the local Disabled American Veterans. He will speak about current veterans benefits and programs available to veterans and their families. A DSO from Wilkes-Barre General Hospital will also be on hand with information concerning veterans with a hearing loss disability older than five years. The event is open to all local veterans, including VFW, AMVETS, DAV, Marine Corps League and all nonmembers. The post will have refreshments after the meeting.

Shenandoah

The Shenandoah Area Free Public Library, 25 W. Washington St., will have a preschool storytime and craft hour from 11 a.m. to noon Saturday. To reach the library, email shenfpl@ptd.net or call 570-462-9829. The library also is sponsoring a bus trip to Mohegan Sun Casino on April 29. The cost is $25, with $25 in slot play and a $5 food voucher. For reservations or more information, call the aforementioned number or 570-462-9451 or 570-462-2060.

Shenandoah

St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church will have an advance-order-only halupki and halushki sale April 21 with pickups from noon to 3 p.m. Halupkis are $2 each and halushki is $6 per quart. Orders are being accepted through April 10. To order, call Theresa at 570-467-3894. People may also email tmyk@ptd.net.

Shenandoah

Trinity Academy in the Father Walter J. Ciszek Education Center will have a theme basket auction April 27 and 28 at St. Joseph Roman Catholic Parish Hall, Frackville. A browse-and-drop is set for 5 to 8 p.m. April 27 and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 28. For the auction, doors will open at 5 p.m. for the 7 p.m. drawing. Cash and credit cards will be accepted. Food will be on sale both days. Businesses or people interested in donating a basket or prize should call the school advancement office at 570-462-3927, Ext. 16. Mary Jo Link and Roxanne Seltzer are the event co-chairpersons.

Summit Hill

A blood drive by the Miller-Keystone Blood Center is set for 1 to 6 p.m. April 17 at St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, 462 Ludlow St. For more information, call 570-645-2664. Miller-Keystone, a nonprofit, is the sole blood provider for the Lehigh Valley Health Network including LVHN Hazleton and Schuylkill as well as for St. Luke’s University Health Network including St. Luke’s Hospital-Miners Campus, Coaldale. It also is the sole provider for the hospitals in Lehighton and Palmerton.

Tamaqua

A pancake breakfast will be held from 8 to 11:30 a.m. April 14 at Trinity United Church of Christ, 22 Lafayette St. The menu will also include sausage or ham, coffee, tea and juice. The cost is $5 for adults and $3 for children under 10.

Tamaqua

An active shooter safety seminar is being offered for Tamaqua churches and other organizations from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at Founders Hall of Trinity United Church of Christ, 22 Washington St. The seminar will be led by members of the Pennsylvania State Police, the Tamaqua Borough Police Department and the Rush Township Police Department, according to a church press release and an event flier. The seminar is open to people 12 and older and the Tamaqua Area Faith Fellowship Network is urging churches to be represented. TAFFN also is urging churches to begin discussing safety issues. Robert Davis is organizing the seminar and can be reached by calling 570-874-1424. Founders Hall is on the ground floor of Trinity; parking is available at the rear of the church. TAFFN is a nonprofit group of lay leaders from Tamaqua area churches and civic organizations.

Valley View

The Tri-Valley Senior Citizens group is sponsoring a four-day, three-night trip to Noah’s Ark, Kentucky, June 18-21. For more information, call Robert Ludwig at 570-682-3572 or Shirley Shadle at 570-682-3785.

The outgoing borough manager for Mahanoy City could cross county lines and serve as Hazleton’s next director of administration.

Mayor Jeff Cusat will present to city council his pick for the city’s top administrative post Wednesday.

Daniel L. Lynch could take on his new role in Hazleton as early as Monday.

Cusat said he selected the Barnesville resident over an estimated 30 to 40 people who responded to an advertisement for a director of administration/business administration and a director of finance in Hazleton.

He cited Lynch’s municipal government experience, particularly his work in Mahanoy City with the same Act 47 consultants who are preparing a financial recovery plan for Hazleton.

“I think he’s a perfect fit for the city,” Cusat said.

The mayor wanted to create the two administrative positions to handle responsibilities of a director of administration and a human resources coordinator, but cited financial limitations when saying the city can afford to fill only the administrative director post.

While in the Schuylkill County municipality, Lynch was responsible for a $1.6 million general fund budget that served Mahanoy City’s 4,162 residents.

Friday will be his last day with the borough.

Lynch said he looks forward to transitioning to the larger city of Hazleton — a Luzerne County community that has an estimated $10.5 million budget and a 24,659 population, based on Census data.

“I look at it as a bigger challenge — a step up so to speak,” he said. “I think we’ve done a lot of great things (in Mahanoy City) and are definitely on the right path there. I’m hoping to help with the good things that are happening in Hazleton.”

Despite their obvious differences in size, Lynch said the communities face common challenges.

“The biggest problem is a lack of viable revenue,” he said. “Our real estate values are low to the point where it’s creating a financial burden to provide services. The median assessed value in Mahanoy City is only $8,700, so a mill of taxes doesn’t generate a lot of revenue for the borough. From what I’ve seen, looking at Hazleton’s financials and things available online, I’ve seen similar problems.”

Both communities participate in state Act 47, a program that gives state-appointed consultants the ability to provide management services and develop financial recovery plans for financially distressed municipalities.

Lynch said the borough entered the program in late 2016. Hazleton was declared a distressed community last September.

Consultants from Pennsylvania Economy League are working with both communities and are expected to present a recovery plan to officials in Hazleton by May 7.

Lynch said he’s familiar with PEL Executive Director Gerald Cross, who is also working in Hazleton, and has an idea of what the consultants could recommend in terms of developing a recovery plan.

The 36-year-old Lynch said he hit it off with Cusat during interviews and believes the mayor has the right ideas in mind for addressing Hazleton’s financial struggles.

“I think the mayor has a good vision, a good plan in place,” he said. “I think everyone’s looking to move forward. It’s a good time to seize on that and keep improving.”

City Council President Robert Gavio said that while he didn’t participate in interviews, he believes Cusat picked a qualified candidate.

“Jeff told me he was very impressed with him,” Gavio said. “He sounds more than qualified. I have no problem with it.”

The city budgeted just over $75,000 this year for the director of administration’s salary, but Cusat said a new hire would receive a lower amount.

The position hasn’t been permanently filled since Tom Pribula resigned in January. Laflin resident Joseph Niemiec has been handling administrative responsibilities on an interim basis since Jan. 25.

The borough, meanwhile, is accepting resumes for a new manager through April 15, according to an advertisement published in the Standard-Speaker.

Contact the writer: sgalski@standardspeaker.com; 570-501-3586