Planners of the veterans mini-park in downtown Frackville have a problem.

The positioning of a crane for part of the project would be difficult due to the presence of wires.

The mini-park is a project of the Frackville Economic Development Task Force. Frackville Councilwoman Helen Miernicki provided an update at the Wednesday meeting of the borough council.

One part of the park design is to erect a 12-foot concrete memorial wall on the north side of the site, which is at the northeast corner of Lehigh Avenue and Oak Street, across from the Turkey Hill convenience store. The wall will honor borough veterans and could include some historical information about the borough. Honoring veterans was included since American Legion Post 398 is nearby.

Miernicki said there is a problem with the placement of the memorial wall due to certain conditions at the site. The plan is to have a crane place the wall, which is being donated by Fabcon Precast, which produces precast wall panels. The local plant is along the Morea Road.

“We’re still working on our plans for the veterans park. We did look into the Fabcon wall, but we ran into issues regarding the need for a crane for installation,” Miernicki said. “That site has wires, so we’re not willing to take the risk with the borough.”

Above the site are myriad utility wires that would make the use of a crane difficult and unsafe.

“We’re looking into other options,” she said. “Based on this research, we plan to start on the EP Henry grant application. There will be a meeting for the grant application later in July.”

EP Henry, Reading, is a manufacturer of pavers and cast stone walls.

The property at 51 S. Lehigh Ave. was the location of the former Heaven Scent Florist. The borough purchased the property in April 2017, with the building demolished in August of that year. The blighted property was one of the many projects the borough has been involved in to remove dilapidated and/or dangerous properties.

“We had a craft show on July 6 at the Elks and I had a table there to show residents the plans and accept donations,” Miernicki said. “We had such an overwhelming positive input for the project.”

Miernicki said there will be fundraiser on Aug. 24. There will be a block party at Frackville Elks Lodge 1533 that will include a car show sponsored by the task force. Pre-registration is $12, with $15 on the day of the event. The time is from noon to 6 p.m. Sponsors are being sought. The first 50 cars registered will receive a gift bag.

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

POTTSVILLE — Jason W. Eberts is headed to state prison after a Schuylkill County judge sentenced him Monday for unlawfully possessing a pistol in August 2018 in Rush Township.

Although the sentence still is less than what he could have gotten, or even what prosecutors sought, Eberts, 37, of Tamaqua, must serve two to four years in a state correctional institution, pay costs and $50 to the Criminal Justice Enhancement Account, and submit a DNA sample to law enforcement authorities, Judge Cyrus Palmer Dolbin decided. Dolbin made the sentence effective at 10 a.m. Aug. 1.

“I find that there are mitigating factors here,” including that there was no violence in the incident and Eberts did not harm anyone with the firearm, Dolbin said.

However, Dolbin said he did not think he could impose a lower sentence under state law, a fact that did not please Andrew B. Zelonis, Barnesville, Eberts’ lawyer.

“It’s a very harsh penalty under the circumstances,” Zelonis said.

Eberts pleaded guilty to prohibited possession of firearm.

Schuylkill County deputy sheriffs had charged Eberts with possessing the pistol on Aug. 20, 2018. Assistant District Attorney McCall Young, who had sought a sentence of three to six years in a state correctional institution for Eberts, said the pistol was a Davis Industries Model P-380.

Eberts said the experience made him realize he had to change himself.

“Since all this happened, I went and got help,” he said. “This all made me realize I have a problem.”

He said he was diagnosed as bipolar and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Jennifer Eberts, Barnesville, the defendant’s wife, testified that he is very good to her and their children.

“We count on him to be a parent and a provider,” she said.

Zelonis said the result was not what he hoped would occur.

“It’s a pretty sad day for my client,” he said. “He understands the circumstances.”

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

Jason W. Eberts

· Age: 37

· Residence: Tamaqua

· Crime committed: Prohibited possession of firearm

· Prison sentence: Two to four years in a state correctional institution

VALLEY VIEW — The Hegins-Hubley Authority will be giving Tri-Valley’s Hegins-Hubley Elementary School a break on its water bill.

Authority Manager Demetrius Kasmari reported Monday that there was a leak in the school’s plastic pipe system. About 103,900 gallons leaked underground in less than a 24-hour period, according to Kasmari.

Assistant Manager Brent Smith went to the elementary school in Valley View to try to help the custodial staff locate the leak. The leaked water was not immediately coming to the surface.

Typically, residential or business customers who experience an underground leak are given an adjustment to their bill, Kasmari said. That adjustment rate is based on the customer’s average bill.

The board agreed to charge the district the elementary school’s average bill rate, minus the cost of the 103,900 gallons.

Kasmari announced repairs to the Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition system that was damaged at well house No. 1 in late May are about 90 percent complete. He said the authority’s insurance claim was approved and includes a $1,000 deductible. Total repairs may run as much as $4,000 to $5,000, he estimated. SCADA monitors the status of the wells and other functions of the system and sends data back to the authority’s 915 W. Maple St. office in Valley View.

In other matters, the authority is still awaiting the final resolution from both Hegins and Hubley townships on the guarantee of the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority loan. In January 2019, PennVEST approved a $2 million design loan for the authority.

Both municipalities have agreed to a 50/50 split of the guarantee responsibility for the design loan. Meanwhile, construction costs for the wastewater treatment plant and sewage collection system range from $34 million to $50 million.

Engineer Frederick Ebert said representatives from the authority and townships met with the state Department of Environmental Protection on June 5 to discuss if phasing-in the joint sewage plan would be possible. The phasing-in of the project could help the authority secure grant funding.

DEP said that phase-in would be possible, however, the joint sewage project must be completed within five years.

As far as actual elements of the sewer system, if the number of grinder pumps initially listed in the Act 537 plan are increased, those pumps would be owned by the authority and it would be the authority’s responsibility to maintain them, DEP reported at that meeting Ebert said.

In other business, the authority approved:

• Awarding a contract with R&R Logging and Firewood, Denver, Pa., for $72,095 for the authority’s timber sale, on condition of liability insurance provided and spotted lantern fly certification.

• Ebert’s engineering report. Paperwork for the new Hubley water tank was scheduled to be submitted by the end of the month so the project could move forward.

• Kasmari’s report, noting that the authority was scheduled to receive $4,686.12 in FEMA reimbursement for storm damage from August 2018.

Contact the writer: ; 570-628-6007

POTTSVILLE — New diving boards have been installed at the JFK Recreation Complex swimming pool, and some new rules have been put in place at the public facility, too.

The fiberglass boards are 16-feet long — 6 feet longer than those they replaced.

City workers installed the boards and poured the concrete to which they’re attached, costing about $20,000.

“So far, everyone seems to be loving it,” Dave Clark, parks foreman, said Monday.

“Since they (the diving boards) opened on Wednesday, they’ve been nonstop,” added Noralea Matz, pool manager, about swimmers using the boards.

In addition to the longer length, one of the boards is 3 meters (about 10 feet) off the ground, 2 meters higher than before. The other board is 1-meter high.

The older diving boards and concrete were about 15 years old and starting to show signs of wear, including loose railings, Clark said.

New rules in place

The city council adopted new rules for the pool on July 8. The last update had been June 2017.

City Administrator Thomas A. Palamar said the updated rules are an attempt to keep them “fresh” with the changing times, though previous rules still apply. A full list of rules is available at the pool.

The new rules mostly relate to the water slide and diving boards.

The water slide rules are as follows:

• Capacity is 250 pounds.

• Those using the slide can’t wear khakis, cut-offs, etc.

• Persons who damage the water slide will be responsible for repairs or replacement.

Diving board rules include:

• Capacity is 250 pounds.

• Only one person is allowed on the diving board at a time.

• The preceding user must surface and reach a ladder before the next person uses the diving board.

• Only one diving board may be used at a time.

• Persons who damage the diving boards will be responsible for repairs or replacement.

Clark said if the rules are adhered to, “It is very unlikely any damage will come to this equipment.”

The manufacturer provided the maximum weight limits, he noted.

“It’s basically on the honor system,” Clark said of enforcing the weight restrictions.

Vaping prohibited

Electronic cigarettes and vaping are also not permitted at the pool.

As has been the case, the rules also state that:

• Consumption or possession of drugs, alcohol or weapons on pool premises will result in expulsion and legal prosecution.

• Improper behavior, including stealing, mishandling property, destruction of public ground and facilities, will not be tolerated and will result in expulsion and police intervention.

• There is a zero tolerance policy for any violent behavior, intimidation or language.

“Please follow the rules,” Clark said.

Strong attendance

Matz said attendance has been strong, especially during the past weekend where temperatures were in the mid- to upper 80s.

She said 258 people cooled off from the summer sun on Friday, 494 on Saturday and 489 Sunday.

Contact the writer: ; 570-628-6028

POTTSVILLE — Police are looking for a man who they allege fired shots at three people Saturday afternoon in the city.

Police Chief Richard F. Wojciechowsky said officers were called around 5:30 p.m. to Third and Sanderson streets for a report of gunfire. At the scene, they found several spent 9 mm casings and several occupied and unoccupied homes on the west side of the 500 block of North Third Street damaged.

Wojciechowsky said witnesses reported that, about 10 to 15 minutes before police were called, three people were walking south on North Third Street when a black Chevrolet truck, possibly a Colorado, approached them and, after a brief argument, the three ran north on Third Street and west on Harrison Street.

While running, a passenger in the truck fired several shots in their direction.

After police interviewed witnesses and reviewed surveillance footage from various places, they identified Isaiah Jared Samuels, 22, as the person who fired the handgun. An arrest warrant was prepared by Detective Kirk Becker, charging Samuels with illegal possession of a firearm, as well as recklessly endangering another person and persistent disorderly conduct.

Wojciechowsky said the investigation is ongoing and that anyone with information on the current whereabouts of Samuels is asked to contact the Pottsville Bureau of Police at 570-628-3792.

Contact the writer: fandruscavage@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6013

Editor’s note : First in a series exploring local connections to the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing.

POTTSVILLE — Adrian Portland, lead science teacher at Pottsville Area High School, is “super stoked” about the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon mission this week.

“It’s such a huge accomplishment,” he said Monday. “It is arguably one of the greatest human achievements in recorded history to be able to travel 239,000 miles and walk on a another surface other than the earth.”

In honor of the historic occasion, a free Apollo Day Celebration event has been scheduled for noon to 6 p.m. Saturday outside the football stadium at the high school. Vendors including craft and food, exhibits and other activities are planned. Entertainment is also planned.

A history of the mission will be discussed, as will the history of the high school’s planetarium, built in 1966, at 1, 3 and 5 p.m. A $5 donation is welcome for the history discussion and will go to the science department at the high school.

Portland hopes a couple hundred people will attend. There is no rain date.

Roger Wehbe, owner of Martian Materials Meteorite Store at 18 N. Second St., Pottsville, will have a stand at the school for people to view pieces of history from the mission and items from his store. He has a tiny piece of foil from the command module Columbia and metal shavings from the Eagle module, which landed on the moon. Wehbe said he has documentation to authenticate the pieces.

Astronauts Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins blasted off for the moon 50 years ago today from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Aldrin and Armstrong landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, (50 years ago this coming Saturday) in the lunar module Eagle, while Collins orbited the moon in the command module Columbia. The trio returned to earth July 24.

Lunar viewing, too

The science department is also offering tickets to see the moon during a lunar viewing event at the observatory between 10:30 p.m. Friday and 12:30 a.m. Saturday.

Several telescopes are available and participants can see the moon on TVs as well. There is a rain date, Saturday and Sunday at the same times.

“We are going to look at some of the Apollo landing sites,” Portland said, although it will be only an estimation of the location.

Of the 50 tickets available, 18 remained as of Monday. Call 570-617-8035 for tickets, which are $10.

More information is available on the Apollo Day Lunar Landing Celebration Facebook page or the Pottsville Area High School Planetarium and Observatory Facebook page.

“People have been pretty excited to be able to view the moon 50 years after man walked on it for the first time,” Portland said.

Contact the writer: ; 570-628-6028

Oldest farm market season underway

SHENANDOAH — Schuylkill County’s oldest continuously running seasonal open-air downtown farm market has formally returned for the 2019 season, running from 8 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and Fridays into November at the southeast corner of Main and Centre streets in downtown Shenandoah.

Regional growers set up near the more than century-old former Bolich & Burke building at the southeast corner of Main and Centre streets stretching southward along the east side of South Main. There have been times in past years when offered goods overflowed to include the south side of the first block of East Centre Street where the outdoor Fersulo stand once was a feature in the 1950s.

Mark Bernardyn, the long-time chairman of the Greater Shenandoah Area Chamber of Commerce Farm Market Committee, said in a release, “It’s wonderful that our town has the farmers’ market. The loyal farmers over the years have provided a good selection of produce.”

The market features locally grown fruits and vegetables, but that’s not all. Growers also offer a wide variety of flowering plants and herbal/seasoning plants and at times even Amish-style baked goods have been in the mix.

The market was launched in the 1970s as the brainchild of the late chamber Director Samuel Schutawie as a way to increase pedestrian traffic downtown. Since then, the market has become a staple for local residents and visitors — and has more than fulfilled Schutawie’s original mission.

Anyone wanting more information about the market, or regional growers wishing to participate, should call Bernardyn at 570-462-2734. More growers are always welcome and the public is welcome to visit the market and take advantage of fresh locally grown produce and plants, according to market organizers.

MAEA banners additional offerings

POTTSVILLE — The locally based Northeast Pennsylvania Manufacturers and Employers Association, based at 250 One Norwegian Plaza, offers a variety of discussions, training sessions and classes.

For more information or to register, email crobbins@nepamaea.com or call 570-622-0992. More information also is available at the MAEA website at www.nepamaea.com. Some upcoming sessions include:

● Basic financial statements training, to help people strategically evaluate their organization’s financial statements, is approved for six business HRCI recertification credits. The registration deadline is today and the actual training date is July 25 with instructor Christine M. Robbins, director of training and development for MAEA. The event will go from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Top of the 80s restaurant near Hazleton. The cost, which includes lunch, is $190 for MAEA members and $380 for nonmembers.

● Proper documentation in the disciplinary process and interviewing for compliance trainings on Thursday with each class approved for three human relations HRCI recertification credits. Those who registration three or more participants may receive a 25 percent discount on one participant regarding MAEA-member companies only. The instructor will be Cathy Colangelo, certified life and career coach and HR instructor and consultant for MAEA. The time an site is 9 a.m. to noon Thursday at Top of the 80s restaurant near Hazleton. The cost is $110 for MAEA member and $220 for nonmembers.

● Interviewing for compliance training, approved for three HR HRCI recertification credits, from 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday at Top of the 80s Restaurant near Hazleton. The cost is $110 for MAEA member sand $220 for nonmembers. The discount setup applies. Cathy Colangelo, HR instructor and consultant for MAEA, will be the instructor.

● Occupational Safety and Health Administration compliance for supervisors, a class approved for six HR HRCI recertification credits, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 24 at Top of the 80s restaurant near Hazleton. The cost is $171 for MAEA member and $342 for nonmembers. MAEA-member firms that register three or more will have one participant eligible for a 25 percent discount. The instructor is Steve Bair, occupational safety specialist for MAEA.

● Annual Labor and Employment Law Summit, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 26 at Capriotti’s Catering, McAdoo. The contact is Christine Robbins.

● MAEA can assist firms with the following safety services: Conduct mock OSHA safety compliance audits; analyze company’s risk, report the findings and offer corrective action; create a safety and compliance program geared specifically for a firm’s operation; supplement an existing program with the latest training modules and compliance information; train management, employees and contractors in the latest safe working concepts; implement a PA Workplace Safety Committee Certification Program to reduce workers’ compensation premiums by 5 percent each year; monitor company safety performance and trends and make recommendations for remedial action when necessary; conduct follow-up industrial injury reports. For more information, contact Christine Robbins, director of training and development, via aforementioned methods.

● The Lehigh Valley Business Coalition on Healthcare is a multi-state coalition of employers partnering with MAEA to bring employer members together to provide affordable, quality health care for their employees. Members leverage their pooled purchasing power to negotiate exclusive rates and premiums for a range of self-insured and fully insured benefits programs, including: Medial, dental, prescription drug, vision, behavioral health, private exchange and data analytics. In addition to helping members reduce the cost of benefits, LVBCH also works with providers and insurers to improve quality of care. For additional information, call Darlene J. Robbins at 570-622-0992 or email drobbins@nepamaea.com.

● MAEA also offers recorded webinars with agency instructors creating material to meet specific needs. For more about the service, call Christine Robbins at 570-622-0992 or via email to crobbins@nepamaea.com.

● MAEA offers forklift training classroom instruction, which is running and accepting additional participants, according to a release. The effort is approved for six HRCI HR credits and is a prerequisite to be an experienced forklift operator. The cost is $435 for MAEA members and $870 for nonmembers. Use the aforementioned registration methods. The instructor is Steve Bair, occupational safety specialist for MAEA. Robbins can be reached at the aforementioned email and phone number.

Farm to Square

on OBPA’s agenda

ORWIGSBURG — The Orwigsburg Business and Professional Association will sponsor Farm to Square — “where wine, farmers and families meet — from 5 to 8 p.m. Aug. 8 in the town square.

The event, according to a release forwarded by the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce, will feature “farm fresh food, delicious drinks, food trucks, kids activities and live music by Radioactive Munsters.

All are welcome. For more information, email orwigsburgbusinesspa@gmail.com or go to Facebook: Orwigsburg Business and Professional Association.

Flywheels spinning underground at Humboldt Industrial Park, supersized batteries in Montgomery County and two reservoirs proposed for Spring Mountain have the same purpose.

To store energy.

Storage systems like reservoirs that Grid Balance Hydropower of Pottsville hopes to build on Spring Mountain already play a key role in keeping the flow of power steady when demand changes by up to 40 percent between night and day or hot and cold spells.

Their importance will grow as the nation generates more electricity from solar panels and wind turbines, which only produce when the sun shines or wind blows but don’t emit carbon dioxide that contributes to climate change.

The Hazleton area became a trendsetter for storing electricity in 2013 when the flywheel plant went online. Except for a sister plant in Stephentown, New York, there is nothing like it in 13 states where the PJM Interconnection supplies power to 65 million people.

Grid Balance’s plan to generate electricity in Banks and Packer townships, Carbon County, by pumping water between reservoirs of different elevations is much more common.

Pumped hydropower provided 96 percent of the electrical storage capacity in the United States, the Union of Concerned Scientists reported four years ago, and most of those systems have been around for decades. Muddy Run Reservoir in Lancaster County, for example, started releasing water to a pond below Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River and making electricity in 1966.

The novelty of the Spring Mountain plan is that Grid Balance wants to use acid mine water from the Quakake Tunnel.

How to treat mine water so it won’t erode turbines or enter wells or public drinking supplies are among the questions that the company hopes to answer in a study. The study, which the company’s manager Paul DiRenzo Jr. said might last three years and cost $500,000 to $1 million, also would analyze the financial viability of building a pair of 110-acre reservoirs with 80-foot dams connected by a tunnel more than a mile long.

Storing saves money

Last month, the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing on adding large-scale storage facilities. The nation has 23 gigawatts of storage, but might gain 35 GW by 2025, according to a report by the Energy Storage Association.

Committee Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said when opening the hearing on June 4 that plants save money and lower customers’ bills by storing power when prices are low and releasing it as prices rise. Storage also can help spare the need to build infrastructure to generate and transmit electricity, make the grid more resilient and help move from large, stable plants to decentralized, intermittent sources like sun and wind, she said.

Batteries, improved by the electric car industry, last up to four hours and cost about $200 per kilowatt hour, but George Crabtree of Argonne National Laboratory called for research to find still better technologies. He listed goals of cutting the price in half to make batteries “economically appealing” and to develop batteries for different needs such as electric car batteries that charge faster or storage batteries that last for days instead of hours because, he said, the sun might not shine for a week.

Kiran Kumaraswamy, vice president of Fluence, which owns batteries that store 2 MW in Norristown, Montgomery County, told the committee that utilities in California and Arizona decided to build battery storage sites as large as 100 MW instead of natural gas plants to meet peak demand. Batteries that Fluence installed helped keep the power grid working in the Dominican Republic after hurricanes in 2017, he said.

Mitchell Davidson, the chief executive officer of Brookfield Renewable, told the committee that equipment in hydroelectric plants can last 30 to 50 years and the plants themselves can remain for 100 years. The Energy Regulatory Commission can easily take more than five years to permit a facility, Davidson said.

Meeting peak needs

Grid Balance, when applying for a preliminary permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said its proposed system could generate 400 MW as water in one reservoir atop Spring Mountain flows through turbines and settles into a reservoir at a lower altitude. At night when power is cheaper — and in less demand — the company would pump the water back up to the reservoir at higher elevation.

When listing public benefits in the application, Grid Balance said the project would help meet peak energy needs, store excess energy, “especially from intermittent renewable sources such as wind and solar,” help meet the PJM Interconnection’s goals for more storage and renewable energy, create jobs for builders and operators and help the local tax base.

In 2017, Pennsylvania got 4.5 percent of its energy from renewable sources, including solar and wind, but the state set a goal of deriving 18 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2021.

Murkowski said two projects in Alaska will be using batteries and flywheels to supplement wind power.

The flywheels in Humboldt, meanwhile, can store up to 20 MW, and are expected to last 30 to 50 years with proper maintenance, according to Convergent Energy and Power, which purchased the plant last year.

When demand for electricity is low, flywheels spin faster to absorb electricity.

As demand increases, the wheels slow and turn a generator to create electricity.

The system wastes little. The wheels are virtually frictionless because they spin in vacuum tubes, but they’re not cheap.

Beacon Power went into bankruptcy but still completed the Humboldt plant, which cost $53 million.

Contact the writer: kjackson@standardspeaker.com; 570-501-3587

McAdoo

Registrations to attend Trinity Academy in the Father Walter J. Ciszek Education Center, Cherry and Chestnut streets, Shenandoah, are being accepted. Trinity provides “a safe, respectful, Christ-centered environment for students in preschool through eighth grade,” according Catholic parish bulletin announcements. Trinity Academy is the sole Catholic pre-K to eighth-grade school for all of northern Schuylkill County. Tuition assistance is available and the school offers $1,500 in transfer grants. Students who transfer into grades one through seven are eligible to receive $1,000 their first year of enrollment and $500 their second year, according to the announcement. To request a tour of the school, a registration packet or for more information, call 570-462-3927. More information also is available online at www.trinitymatters.com.

Pottsville

St. Patrick Preschool at Assumption BVM is accepting registrations for the 2019-20 school year. The preschool offers two-, three- and five-day classes, both full and half day. To register or for more information, email saintpatricks.prek@gmail.com or call the school office at 570-622-0106. All are welcome.

Pottsville

A family friendly pool party is set for 6 p.m. today at the JFK Pool. The cost is $2 for adults and $1 for students and children. The event will include entertainment by disc jockey Kevin Sibbett, swimming, door prizes and other attractions. The JFK concession stand will be open and the recreation complex also features basketball and tennis courts, sand volleyball and a walking path. Music will be sponsored by Trinity Lutheran Church. Students and children must be accompanied by adults. For more information, call 570-622-4299.

Schuylkill Haven

The first of what is projected to be an annual event, a car and truck show presented by First United Church of Christ, 110 Route 61 South, and Rainbow Hose Company No. 1, will be held Aug. 3 at the church, with registration from 9 a.m. to noon and the show to follow from noon to 3 p.m. The cost is $10 per car for advance registration and $15 per car on $20 per commercial truck/antique fire trucks on the day of the show. Advance registration was due by July 3. Awards will be presented at 4 p.m. and people must be present to win. Admission for the general public is free and the show will go on rain or shine. There will be no vendors and no alcohol. For more information, call Kenny at 570-205-5465 or Jen at 570-573-4133 or via email to jenmichael1984@yahoo.com. Registration forms should be sent to Jen Michael, Attn. Car Show, 25 W. Main St., Schuylkill Haven, PA 17972.

Shenandoah

Candles for the Cintas — traditional candle houses or portable floats carried by Our Lady of Mount Carmel Procession participants on their heads or at their sides — are available at Divine Mercy Roman Catholic Church, Cherry and Chestnut streets, at $1 per candle. The 105th annual procession will begin following the 9:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday at Divine Mercy. Many of the Cintas used in the procession have been in families for generations. For the procession, the honor of carrying the statue of Our Lady and the canopy will be shared by interested individuals and families who wish to participate, according to the parish website at www.dmparish.com. All Divine Mercy parishioners and friends are welcome. As in previous years, the large replica of the Rosary will be included in the procession. All children and teenagers are invited to help carry for as long as they wish. Adult participation is always welcome. Those interested should call Tom Talerico at 570-462-1602 for details and to request or arrange a block assignment. The procession route is as follows: From Divine Mercy Church east on Cherry Street to West Street, north on West to Lloyd Street, west on Lloyd to Catherine Street, north on Catherine to Penn Street, west on Penn to Walnut Street, south on Walnut to Coal Street, west on Coal to Bellmont Street (Bells Hill turnaround), east on Coal to Jardin Street, south on Jardin to Cherry Street, west on Cherry to Divine Mercy Church.

Treatment declined after rollover crash

MAHANOY CITY — A woman refused medical treatment after a crash on Delano Road, about a mile north of Mahanoy City in Mahanoy Township, around 1:45 p.m. Sunday.

State police at Frackville said Kaitlyn Miersky, 20, of Mahanoy City, was driving a 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier north on Delano Road at an apparent high rate of speed when she lost control after coming on a rise in the road and a slight right curve.

Police said the vehicle spun clockwise about 100 degrees across the northbound lane and shoulder and traveled about 210 feet, leaving dark skid marks.

Police said the front of the car struck an embankment, causing it to spin an additional 90 degrees and continue backward up the embankment where the rear bumper struck a small tree.

After hitting the tree, police said, the car spun another 170 degrees clockwise, rolled onto its hood and continued another 120 feet north along the north shoulder until it rolled onto its driver’s side and came to a stop.

Counting slides, bounces and rolls, police said, the vehicle traveled 335 feet.

Miersky was wearing her seat belt and suffered a cut on her foot but refused medical treatment, police said.

As a result of the crash, police said, Miersky will be cited for driving at an unsafe speed.

Police investigate hit-and-run crash

POTTSVILLE — Pottsville police are investigating a hit-and-run crash that was reported around 12:01 a.m. July 8 at 1972 Howard Ave.

Police said officers learned that a parked vehicle had been struck by a dark colored Lincoln SUV, whose driver then fled the scene traveling east on Howard Avenue.

The fleeing vehicle should have front end damage as a result of the collision.

Anyone with information is asked to call Pottsville police at either 570-622-1234 or 570-628-3792.

POTTSVILLE — City lawyer Sud Patel is dedicated to helping people, including his clients, and that dedication is something he will be bringing to a statewide venue Thursday, when he becomes the 52nd president of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice.

“The Pennsylvania Association for Justice has been the leading association in the state to protect the rights of injured victims, as well as the right to trial by jury,” Patel said Friday.

A group of Pennsylvania lawyers founded the association, originally called the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, in 1968. The group has approximately 1,800 members from all parts of the state.

Patel, a partner with Fanelli, Evans & Patel PC, said he is the first lawyer from Schuylkill County to head the association. Another Pottsville lawyer, Joseph H. Jones Sr., served as president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association in 1987-88.

He said the PAJ concentrates on the legal fields of medical malpractice, workers’ compensation and personal injury, while the PBA involves itself with all aspects of the law.

“It’s like having a law partnership with 1,800 members,” said Patel, who lives in Orwigsburg.

Assuming the presidency of the group will help him achieve a couple goals he has set for the group.

“It allows me to get our message out ... to the general public,” Patel said. “I’m really looking to grow the membership.”

That includes getting more younger lawyers involved with the organization, he said.

Albert J. Evans, Patel’s law partner, said he is the perfect man for the position.

“It’s a real tremendous honor. It’s the most significant trial lawyers organization in our state,” Evans said. “I admire and respect Sud for his work ethic and his devotion to his clients.”

Patel said the organization helps its members in many ways, including:

• Providing continuing legal education seminars. Such classes are required for all lawyers.

• Sharing information with other trial lawyers.

• Sponsoring a political action committee that is actively involved in election cycles and candidate evaluation and selection.

“(It) is very active every election cycle,” Patel said.

• Employing three full-time, and additional contract, lobbyists to work on a bipartisan basis to protect access to courts and the right to jury trials.

• Facilitating communication among lawyers and with legislators.

He has been a board member for the organization for 15 years, previously serving as vice president, secretary, treasurer, member of the executive committee, chairman of numerous committees and subcommittees, and speaker and presenter at many continuing legal education seminars.

Patel said personal and professional involvement come naturally to him, a trait he learned from his parents.

“What’s been instilled in me is a great work ethic and giving back,” he said. “Anybody can join an organization. I think it has to be a lot more than that. I’m a big believer in paying it forward. I have a chance to do that on a statewide basis.”

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

LORBERRY — The orange hue of the water in a local stream bodes ill for the sparse aquatic life downstream.

While the bed of Lorberry Creek, in Tremont Township, holds a buildup of iron precipitate and other pollutants from acid mine drainage, the waterway is receiving extra attention.

“We hope to improve the overall health and to eventually support fish and microinvertebrates,” Wayne Lehman, Schuylkill County natural resource specialist said Monday while looking over progress at the creek’s existing AMD treatment system.

The Schuylkill County Conservation District is overseeing the rehabilitation of the treatment system on Molleystown Road in Lorberry. The district received a $460,000 Section 319 nonpoint source pollution management grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Lehman is seeking $160,000 more from DEP’s “AMD Set Aside Program” to complete the project. The conservation district may know by September if those supplemental funds have been awarded.

Frank’s Electrical Construction, of Leck Kill, began the rehab work in April and Lehman hopes the upgrades will be completed by winter. The existing wetland treatment system was installed in 2001 or 2002, he said.

Crews have been moving earth, cleaning out four vegetative treatment cells to make them deeper. They’ll be adding a fifth cell. Those treatment cells hold wetland plants, like cat tails, sedges and rushes, which enhance aeration to increase the pH of the water.

“They drive the excess carbon dioxide out of the water and allow the pH to come up,” Lehman said.

Schuylkill County has an easement where the cells are located, according to Lehman. The property owner, who Lehman said wished to remain unnamed, is donating the land needed to handle the mine drainage discharge on approximately three acres.

Upstream, a new settling pond is being developed. The new pond, which is an open water area about 5- to 6-feet deep, will expand the treatment area and enable more of the flow to be efficiently treated, he said.

Water collected from the discharge area of the old Rowe Tunnel will eventually run through underground pipes to the settling pond, and through underground pipes along Molleystown Road, to the treatment cells.

The Rowe Tunnel is connected to the Lincoln Colliery workings, according to Lehman.

Lorberry Creek water flow can average 1,700 gallons per minute, to as much as 20,000 gallons per minute, Lehman said. It is a tributary of Swatara Creek.

The scope of the work includes the installation of a water intake structure; constructing two treatment ponds; transferring pipelines; realigning the stream channel; rehabilitating existing treatment cells; establishing a rock-lined outlet channel, rock-lined stormwater swale, water diversion, water pumping, and erosion and sediment control measures.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, AMD is currently the main pollutant of surface water in the mid-Atlantic region.

“AMD is caused when water flows over or through sulfur-bearing materials forming solutions of net acidity. AMD comes mainly from abandoned coal mines and currently active mining. AMD degrades more than 4,500 stream miles in the mid-Atlantic region with the loss of aquatic life, and restricts stream use for recreation, public drinking water and industrial water supplies,” the EPA’s website states.

“Mine drainage is formed when pyrite, an iron sulfide, is exposed and reacts with air and water to form sulfuric acid and dissolved iron. Some or all of this iron can precipitate to form the red, orange, or yellow sediments in the bottom of streams containing mine drainage,” according to the EPA.

Contact the writer: ; 570-628-6007

CRESSONA — Fire and emergency officials were dispatched Tuesday evening to the Hydro Extrusion plant on Pottsville Street for a report of a natural gas leak.

According to initial radio reports, residents in the vicinity of the plant on Alcoa Street and Columbia Avenue were being evacuated.

For more information, please check and read Wednesday’s edition of The Republican-Herald.

POTTSVILLE — A Zion Grove man will not have to serve time in prison after a Schuylkill County judge sentenced him Monday for driving under the influence twice, once in December 2017 in Mahanoy City and again in March 2018 in Ryan Township.

Instead of going to prison, Joshua D. Joseph, 33, will spend five years in the state intermediate punishment program, Judge Cyrus Palmer Dolbin decided.

“You got a good deal here, a very good deal,” Dolbin told Joseph, “Don’t screw it up.”

Joseph pleaded guilty on April 17 to two separate charges of DUI and two of DUI while suspended. Prosecutors withdrew charges of no rear lights, disregarding traffic lane and careless driving.

Mahanoy City police charged Joseph was DUI on Dec. 10, 2017, in the borough, while state police at Frackville alleged he was DUI on March 3, 2018, in Ryan Township.

In addition to the time in the intermediate punishment program, Joseph must also pay costs, $6,000 in fines, $400 to the Substance Abuse Education Fund and $640 restitution to Lehigh Valley Health Network, and perform 50 hours community service.

Also in the county court, Michael J. Kopinetz, 49, of Pottsville, pleaded guilty to criminal trespass.

President Judge William E. Baldwin sentenced him to time served to 18 months in prison with immediate parole, pay costs and $50 to the Criminal Justice Enhancement Account and submit a DNA sample to law enforcement authorities.

Pottsville police charged Kopinetz with trespassing on Dec. 24, 2017, in the city.

In another county case, Anthony J. Souchak, 18, of Cressona, pleaded guilty to terroristic threats, simple assault and possession of drug paraphernalia. Prosecutors withdrew charges of possession of a small amount of marijuana and harassment.

Judge Charles M. Miller sentenced Souchak to time served to 23 months in prison with immediate parole, pay costs, a $100 SAEF payment and a $50 CJEA payment, and undergo mental health and anger management evaluations.

State police at Schuylkill Haven charged Souchak with committing his crimes on Nov. 19, 2018.

Also in the county court, Dolbin placed Dustin J. Reichert, 33, of Minersville, on probation for 12 months, and made that consecutive to the sentence he already is serving. He also sentenced Reichert to pay costs, a $100 SAEF payment, a $50 CJEA payment, a $50 bench warrant fee and $302 restitution to the state police crime laboratory in Harrisburg.

Reichert pleaded guilty to three counts of possession of a controlled substance and one each of possession of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Pottsville police charged Reichert with committing his crimes on March 19, 2018, in the city.

In another county case, Roland Morgan III, 35, of Mahanoy City, pleaded guilty to false identification to law enforcement, with prosecutors withdrawing a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. Dolbin sentenced him to time served to 12 months in prison with immediate parole and to pay costs, a $50 CJEA payment and a $50 bench warrant fee.

Mahanoy City police charged Morgan with presenting the false identification on Aug. 6, 2018, in the borough.

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

A man stabbed by a teenager in Pottsville on Friday night is expected to recover from his injuries.

Owen Kelly, Pottsville, was stabbed multiple times in the chest by Christopher J. Rojas, 17, also of Pottsville.

Kelly was treated at a Pottsville hospital and then flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, Allentown.

A spokesperson said Tuesday there is no record of Kelly being a patient at the Lehigh County trauma center.

Pottsville Police Chief Richard F. Wojciechowsky said Kelly is expected to recover from his wounds.

Police did not provide an age for Kelly.

As a result of the 8:10 p.m. incident at North George and East Norwegian streets, Rojas was charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, disorderly conduct and possessing instruments of crime.

He remains in Schuylkill County Prison on $100,000 straight cash bail after being charged as an adult due to the seriousness of the crime.

Contact the writer: fandruscavage@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6013

Deeds

Ashland — Susan Brown and MelisaSue and Denny L. Metcalf to Susan M. Brown; 1929 Walnut St.; $1.

Butler Township — Jean Bernosky to Carl R. and Margaret S. Bernosky; property on Route 61; $1.

East Brunswick Township — Bradley Richard Renninger to Wayne Renninger; 1.0164-acre property; $1.

Frackville — Harrison D. Harper III to Harrison D. III and Carla M. Harper; 230 S. Broad Mountain Ave.; $1.

Hegins Township — Shawn and Jessica Runkle to Jessica A. and Shawn M. Runkle; property on Hunters Mountain Drive, Hegins; $1.

Kline Township — Lori Ann Rentko, Deborah Kurtz and Barbara Moose, individually and as co-executrices of the Estate of Mary T. Baranko, to Darwin Rodriguez; 283 North St., Kelayres; $134,000.

Mahanoy City — Damarys Singh to Environmental Concerns Corp.; property on Railroad Street; $800.

Minersville — Damarys Singh to Manuel Andres Santanadelrosario; 206 Middle St.; $4,300.

Emil C. Rizzi, by attorney in fact Emil Rizzi III, to Emil C. Rizzi and Emil Rizzi III; 0.04-acre property; $1.

North Manheim Township — Anthracite Investments LLC to Duncan Enterprises LLC; 0.55-acre property at Route 61 and Legislative Route 53080; $130,000.

Orwigsburg — Brendan M. and Holly C. Zindel to Paul and Rebekah Lengel; 365 Marshall Drive; $218,000.

Carmelo and Jennifer A. Valenti to Carmelo Valenti; 180 Clark Drive; $1.

Palo Alto — Larisa Hollenbach to Ashlee Vandermeer; 422 W. Bacon St.; $66,000.

Lindsay A. and Joseph Wonchalk to Nicholas Lantonio; 301 E. Savory St.; $87,000.

Pine Grove — Paul Jesse Merrell, executor of the Estate of Irene V. Merrell, to Paul Jesse Merrell; 27 Laurel St.; $1.

Pine Grove Township — Richard M. and Pauline M. Longenecker to Larry E. Jr. and Jessica J. Hartranft; 81 Sweet Arrow Lake Road; $184,000.

SAINT CLAIR — Area residents will have easier access to health care with the opening of a new urgent care facility.

MedExpress Urgent Care opens at 8 a.m. today at 4 Clover Drive at the Coal Creek Commerce Center.

“We do have a full medical team on site,” Katie Ferri, community involvement and growth coordinator with MedExpress Urgent Care, said Thursday during an open house/ribbon-cutting.

Dheerai Taranath, regional medical director for MedExpress Urgent Care, said coming to the center is “easy access to health care.”

He said a doctor will be on site along with additional staff. Eleven staff members are at the center now, but that could fluctuate according to need. He said the average size of the urgent care center is 5,000-square feet.

The site will treat a wide variety of ailments, including colds, flu, infections of the ear, throat and sinuses, rashes, nausea, fractures, sprains, strains, dislocations, cuts, scrapes and splinters, and minor surgical procedures. Immunizations, flu shots, X-rays, IVs and labs and physicals for school sports and camps are also done. Other services include employer health services such as occupational health. Major insurance plans are accepted. Pricing accommodations are made for those without insurance.

Ferri said the goal is to have people seen and able to leave the center in 45 minutes to 1 hour.

“We don’t want to rush people out,” she said but added their time is important.

“We strive to provide convenient affordable health care. You never need an appointment to come see us,” Danin Cather, community involvement growth manager for MedExpress Urgent Care, said.

An X-ray suite, six treatment rooms, one procedure room and one room for employee health services, lab area and checkout area are among the other areas of the center.

Schuylkill County Commissioner Gary Hess said the decision to open MedExpress Urgent Care in the county is a benefit, because it brings “good quality health care” to the residents. Schuylkill County commissioners Chairman George F. Halcovage Jr. thanked the company for coming to the county.

John Powers, chairman of the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce, said the medical community continues to grow countywide.

Robert S. Carl Jr., president and CEO of the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce, said the opening of the center is “another great day for Schuylkill County” by providing more access to care.

“Health care is so important in our communities,” Carl said.

MedExpress Urgent Care is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week except for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Contact the writer: ; 570-628-6028

James R. Ferrier

ORWIGSBURG — A Berks County man is headed to Schuylkill County Court after waiving his right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday on charges he inappropriately touched a mentally disabled woman in April at an Orwigsburg senior citizens facility.

Bruce A. Correll,70, of Kutztown Manor, 120 Trexler Ave., Kutztown, faces charges of indecent assault and harassment. Magisterial District Judge James R. Ferrier bound over both charges for court after Correll waived his right to the hearing.

Orwigsburg police charged Correll with touching a woman’s left breast at 3:45 p.m. April 23 at Orwigsburg Manor, 1000 Orwigsburg Manor Drive, in the borough.

Police said Correll told the woman to look away before he touched her. The woman was suffering from a mental disability and could not consent in any way to the touching, according to police.

Correll is free on $2,500 unsecured bail pending further court proceedings.

Other defendants whose cases Ferrier considered on Tuesday, the charges against each one and the judge’s dispositions of the matters included the following:

Mark A. Anthony, 34, of 58 Graeff St., Cressona; possession of a small amount of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving under the influence; right to a preliminary hearing waived, charges bound over for court.

Robert J. Fitzpatrick, 56, of 666 Clairmont Ave., Schuylkill Haven; strangulation, simple assault and harassment; right to a preliminary hearing waived, charge of strangulation withdrawn, other charges bound over for court.

Sherri L. Haller, 46, of 135 South St., Minersville; DUI and one-way roadway violation; right to a preliminary hearing waived, charges bound over for court.

Trent J. Jacoby, 37, of 1601 Penn Ave., Apt. 2, Scranton; DUI, selling or furnishing liquor to minors and violation of restrictions on alcoholic beverages; right to a preliminary hearing waived, charges bound over for court.

John L.T. Kriner, 22, of 67 Center Ave., Schuylkill Haven; endangering the welfare of children, simple assault, resisting arrest, public drunkenness and two counts of harassment; right to a preliminary hearing waived, charges or resisting arrest and public drunkenness bound over for court, other charges withdrawn.

Adam M. Richardson, 30, of 220 E. Tammany St., Orwigsburg; defiant trespass; right to a preliminary hearing waived, charge bound over for court.

Kevin O. Russo, 59, of 1966 Long Run Road, Schuylkill Haven; attempted burglary, criminal trespass and criminal mischief; right to a preliminary hearing waived, charge of attempted burglary withdrawn, other charges bound over for court.

Susan E. Vidal, 57, of 57 Schuylkill St., Cressona; three counts of DUI, two counts each of driving unregistered vehicle, operating vehicle without valid inspection and careless driving and one each of failure to carry registration, failure to carry license, DUI while suspended, driving under suspension and improper turning movements; right to a preliminary hearing waived, charges bound over for court.

(Staff writer Peter E. Bortner compiled this report)

CRESSONA — A gas leak near Hydro Extrusion USA led to the evacuation of residents near there Tuesday and led to the disruption of work at the plant.

The facility was notified about a gas leak about 9:30 p.m., an employee said.

The employee said he didn’t know where the gas leak originated but said a UGI employee told him it was not in the building. Between 75 and 100 employees were told to leave.

Firefighters from Schuylkill Haven and Cressona responded and later used equipment to monitor for readings in the plant. The employee said the workers would return to work during their shift.

The employee didn’t know how many residents were evacuated.

Sam Slaseman, 20 Columbia Ave., said a neighbor told him to leave after being told by a firefighter. He went to the Goodwill Fire Company near Cressona Borough Hall.

Slaseman said he could smell gas as he left. He has lived at the house for 27 years and was never evacuated because of a gas leak.

Lynn Lentes, 54, was house sitting at 43 Columbia Ave. when a firefighter knocked on her door while she was sleeping. She was told not to start her car because of the gas leak, of which she heard the sound nearby.

Firefighters left the scene by 11:15 p.m.

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

Police investigate 2-vehicle crash

NEW RINGGOLD — State police at Frackville investigated a two-vehicle crash that happened at Red Dale Road and South Rabbit Run Road in East Brunswick Township around 1 p.m. Monday.

Police said Sherwood J. Dreher, 86, of Schuylkill Haven, was driving a 2017 Ford Fusion on Red Dale Road when he proceeded into the intersection without proper clearance after coming to a complete stop.

Police said Dreher’s car struck a 2019 Mercedes Benz driven by Indu Paul, 62, of Orwigsburg.

Police said Paul suffered minor injuries and was treated by EMS while Dreher was not hurt but was also checked by EMS.

New Ringgold firefighters and Schuylkill EMS assisted and police said that, as a result of the crash, Dreher will be cited for a stop sign violation.

Police announce DUI checkpoints

POTTSVILLE — The North Central Regional Sobriety Checkpoint DUI Taskforce announced that sobriety checkpoints and roving DUI patrols will be conducted now through July 23 on routes 61, 183, 901, 209, 1006, 309, 1008, 443, 895, 125, 25, 924 and 54.

Travelers are reminded to call 911 if they suspect a drunk driver or to call, toll-free, 1-888-UNDER21, to report underage drinking.

The sobriety checkpoints are part of the North Central PA Regional Sobriety Checkpoint and Expanded DUI/Underage Drinking Enforcement Program funded through the state Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.