A pile of snow for Saturday’s Pottsville Winterfest sits in a parking lot at the intersection of North Second and West Norwegian streets in Pottsville.
The snow, provided by Blue Mountain Resort, was delivered Thursday by Dallago’s Backhoe Service.
Pottsville Winterfest will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. along North Second Street.
Leading artists of the 1980s and ’90s and their contemporaries head back into the spotlight at the Everhart Museum as The Maslow Collection returns to its walls for the first time in more than a decade.
“Forming The Maslow Collection: A Reflection on the New York City Art Scene in the ’80s and ’90s” opens at the Scranton museum today and features pieces by such artists as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Julian Schnabel. It will remain on display through Monday, May 25.
“Providing access to such important works and (this) collection is important for our mission and what we want to do,” said Aurore Giguet, the Everhart’s executive director.
Ryan Ward, curator of The Maslow Collection, which has been on long-term loan to Marywood University since 2008, said such a museum show “really gives us a chance to stretch out and give a broader sense of why the collection was formed the way it was and how it was formed and hopefully offer insight into the New York art world at that time.”
“We’re sort of tracing the art scene there by discussing things like the fact that artists were living primarily in the East Village and galleries were primarily centered in SoHo before they moved to (the) Chelsea neighborhood,” he added. “And we’re discussing kind of geography a bit and who might be collaborating with who and how artistic discussions were happening and, in turn, why certain genres of art ... were being shown and how they were available to collectors like the Maslows.”
Other galleries around the area and elsewhere have borrowed pieces from Marilyn and Richard Maslow’s namesake collection periodically, but the Everhart has not shown it in 14 years. Ward worked with Everhart curator Francesca Saldan to bring it back there.
“Francesca and I are hoping that we can offer a deeper understanding of collecting in general, what it looked like at a time of economic success in the United States and how artists were getting their work out there, how much they were focused on the market or the celebrity or artistic dialogue with others,” Ward said. “We want to offer a well-rounded image of the art world.”
He noted the collection is broken down into several categories, including abstractionism, pop art and minimalism.
“The bulk of the collection is comprised of ... either emerging or established New York artists from that period of the ’80s and ’90s,” Ward said. “However there are artists represented in the collection from the kind of previous generation in the ’50s, ’60s (and) ’70s, and those artists are included in this exhibition as well.”
Besides Warhol’s legendary Campbell’s soup can art, Everhart patrons will find work by Berenice Abbott, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Francesco Clemente, Peter Halley, Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Gary Lang, Sol LeWitt, Melissa Meyer, Katherine Porter, Robert Rauschenberg, Susan Rothenberg, Ed Ruscha, Sandy Skoglund and Frank Stella.
Seeing such well-known artwork in person versus on a screen “can just be so much more impactful,” said Giguet, who called The Maslow Collection “just amazing.”
“The breadth of that collection is really outstanding,” she said.
Throughout the exhibit’s run, the Everhart will offer several programs tied to it, from its book club to the children’s Everhart Minis classes.
And on April 4, “Mystery at the Museum: The Warhol Factory,” a murder mystery dinner event set in Warhol’s legendary Factory in 1971, will run from 6 to 9 p.m. The night includes a three-course dinner and drinks, and ’60s- and ’70s-style costumes are encouraged with a prize awarded for the best one. Tickets cost $75 for museum members and $85 for nonmembers, and reservations are required.
Contact the writer: cwest@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100, ext. 5107
Shamokin man arrested for DUI
DELANO — A Shamokin man is facing charges by state police at Frackville after a traffic stop in the southbound lanes of Interstate 81 in Delano Township around 5 p.m. Friday.
Police said they stopped a vehicle driven by Wayne Sampsell, 39, in the area of mile marker 133.3.
As a result of the stop, police said, Sampsell was placed under arrest for DUI and possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Police raid bar with no liquor license
ORWIGSBURG — Orwigsburg police along with the state Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement seized alcoholic beverages from a borough business on Wednesday.
Police said officers and agents went to the Inn of Orwigsburg, 200 W. Market St., and found the business to be selling alcoholic beverages without a valid liquor license.
After confirming the business — owned by Daniel Reppy — did not have a valid license, police said liquor control officers were able to purchase alcohol.
As a result, police said, they seized 57.2 gallons of malt or brewed beverages, 39.2 liters of liquor and illegal proceeds resulting from the sales of alcohol.
Police make arrests in Walmart thefts
SAINT CLAIR — Saint Clair police charged three people with retail theft stemming from investigations into thefts at the Walmart store.
Police said Dominic Aaron Guido, 18, of Saint Clair, was charged with stealing items valued at $46.83 on Oct. 10; Martin Brian Mohl, 49, of Pottsville, for stealing items valued at $344.26 on Oct. 19; and, Ashley V. Hernandez, 21, for stealing items valued at $69.64 on Dec. 13.
The charges against the three were filed with Magisterial District Judge David A. Plachko, Port Carbon.
Police seek help in laptop theft case
NEW RINGGOLD — State police at Frackville are investigating a burglary that happened around 1 p.m. Sunday on Schuylkill Road in East Brunswick Township.
Police said a 43-year-old New Ringgold woman reported someone forced their way into the basement of her home and removed a laptop computer before fleeing.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 570-874-5300.
Frackville man arrested for DUI
FRACKVILLE — A borough man was taken into custody by state police at Frackville after a traffic stop on South Lehigh Avenue, near East Chestnut Street, around 1:10 p.m. Sunday.
Police said they stopped a vehicle driven by Wesley Grubb, 42, for a headlight violation. The stop, police said, led to Grubb being placed under arrest for suspicion of DUI.
Woman arrested for fighting man
NEW RINGGOLD — A Schuylkill Haven woman was arrested by state police at Frackville and charged with harassment after an incident on Royer Street around 12:30 p.m. Friday.
Police said they were called for a disturbance and learned that Dominique Gillette, 19, became involved in an argument with a 64-year-old New Ringgold man over family issues and, during the argument, subjected the man to physical contact.
Gillette will now have to answer to the charge before Magisterial District Judge James Ferrier, Orwigsburg.
Williamstown man charged for littering
LYKENS — A Williamstown man was charged with scattering rubbish by state police at Lykens after an investigation into a Jan. 7 incident along Route 25 in Lykens Township.
Police said they received a report of scattering rubbish in the area of Nox Trail where six bags of garbage and other trash was discovered by workers at Wehry Brother’s Farm Shop.
Police said a newspaper flier with the name and address of Gregory Daniels, 42, was found inside one of the bags, resulting in him being charged for discarding the items.
Here we are, a week into February already.
The year is zipping right along, and although this is the time we hibernate around here, there is plenty to do if you’re looking for ways to stave off that pervasive winter malady: cabin fever.
The Maid’s Quarters Bed, Breakfast & Tearoom is having its Sweetheart Brunch on Sunday. They do an incredible job, and I know you’d enjoy it if you’d just try it. They require reservations, and they may be full, but then again, maybe they’re not. Why not call 484-223-9497 today and try something different this weekend?
It’s a super busy weekend this weekend, too. Raymond the Amish Comic is at the Majestic Theater tonight. The show starts at 8 p.m., tickets are $15, and it’s a fine night to get out and enjoy some adult humor.
Saturday is the annual Schuylkill County History Faire at the Fairlane Village mall from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Pottsville’s Winterfest is 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in downtown Pottsville. On Saturday evening, The Blues Brotherhood is at Tamaqua Community Arts Center. The show begins at 7 p.m. and tickets are $20 and $25. Refreshments, including beer from Revere Brewery, are available for purchase as well.
I think it’s both entertaining and interesting to discover how we’ve come to be the exciting natural and historic community we happen to be. The history of Schuylkill County is inextricably bound to the history of the U.S. anthracite industry and the Industrial Revolution.
Although the settlement of Schuylkill County occurred long before the discovery of the “black diamonds” that would fuel the nation’s industrial revolution, it is anthracite coal that forged our region into the rich and culturally diverse community it is today. (It’s the reason we have pierogies, folks!) Those many thousands of immigrants; their food, traditions, artwork, music, religion and heritage continue to influence strongly today. The history faire offers an abundance of photographs, artifacts, collectibles and stories detailing our county’s rich cultural heritage and is sure to teach you something new.
While I’m talking our community’s history, it’s important to identify the folks who have worked hard to preserve, promote and educate the people of Schuylkill County and beyond about our collective history. It really is.
The Schuylkill County Historical Society and Museum has been at it since 1903. And they’re not alone in their endeavors. As with everything that happens in our county, there are many, many partners working together: Pine Grove, Orwigsburg, Mahanoy City, Cressona, Ashland, Shenandoah, Minersville, Port Clinton, Frackville, Saint Clair, Tamaqua, Schuylkill Haven and Tri-Valley area all have historical societies with a dedicated group of volunteers working toward the common goal of preserving our heritage, educating our residents and instilling pride in our community. I think I speak for our community when I say, “Thank you very much. Your work is invaluable.”
Speaking of gratitude for invaluable work, what about Pottsville Winterfest? Here’s another group of partners coming together and working to improve our community, engage residents, facilitate economic development, increase commerce, increase opportunities for entertainment and recreation and more through the Pottsville Continued Progress Project.
Winterfest is an exciting day filled with local crafts, local food, local drinks and local music. There will be a kids’ snow play area, live ice sculpture demonstrations, the Spotlight Kidz, the Crimson Academy, burn barrels for warmth and s’mores and lots more that I can’t summon to my recollection right now. If you’d like to learn more about the Continued Progress Project or become involved, go to www.downtownpottsville.com.
So, keeping it moving here, February’s activities are varied, and plenty involve arts, nature, food, spirits and music to keep you busy and interested: Winter Art Series collaboration between Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and The Arts Barn with a detailed schedule at www.hawkmountain.org; The “Three Dubliners: A Dramedy” with live Irish music by The Troubles is at Pottsville Free Public Library on Feb. 18, 20 and 22, and at the Majestic Theater on Feb. 27, 28 and 29; Our Haven Foundation’s Craft Brew Festival at Walk In Art Center on Feb. 22; Schuylkill On the Move’s Big Lick Mountain Adventure Hike on Feb. 16 and D&L Trail Meander Hike on Feb. 22; Gabriel Chamber Ensemble concert on Feb. 23 will feature Mozart, Beethoven, Debussy, Saens and Ravel; Saturday Night Live at Hope and Coffee features live music every Saturday in February; Sweet Arrow Lake’s Annual Cabin Fever Hike on Feb. 22; Spirit of the Y Dinner and Art Auction at Walk In Art Center on Feb. 29 and Tamaqua Community Arts Center’s “Rainbow Fish the Musical” on Feb. 21 and 22.
For information on the events I mentioned as well as many others, go to the events tab at www.schuylkill.org and be sure to get out and ward off winter’s Cabin Fever.
(Gargano is executive director of Explore Schuylkill)
MINERSVILLE — A man accused of stealing from the Minersville Little League who failed to appear for jury selection last week for his trial in Schuylkill County court and a woman wanted for failing to report to prison were taken into custody on Wednesday.
Minersville police Patrolman Jeffrey Bowers said he apprehended Robert V. Smith at his home around 3:15 p.m.
Bowers said Smith was seen at a school bus stop picking up his children and then returned to his house, where he was seen pulling into his garage and closing the door.
Officers then knew the man was at his residence and subsequently took him into custody.
Smith was wanted on an active bench warrant by the Schuylkill County detectives as a result of failing to appear in court.
Minersville police arrested Smith for stealing about $50,000 while serving as treasurer of the Minersville Little League.
Also taken into custody Wednesday was Ashley Fritz.
Bowers said the woman was also wanted on an active bench warrant and was taken into custody around 11 p.m. in Reilly Township.
He said Fritz failed to report to the Schuylkill County Prison to begin serving a sentence with the state Department of Corrections.
Fritz was convicted in December of a charge of delivery of a controlled substance, Bowers said.
After being taken into custody, Bowers said, both Smith and Fritz were committed to Schuylkill County Prison to await further court action.
Contact the writer fandruscavage@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6013
POTTSVILLE — Selling drugs three times in September 2019 recently resulted in a Pottsville man being sentenced to serve more than three years, at a minimum, behind state prison bars.
Edward J. Bassininsky Jr., 49, must spend 3 1/2 to 8 1/2 years in a state correctional institution, plus an additional 24 months on probation, President Judge William E. Baldwin decided.
Baldwin also sentenced Bassininsky to pay costs, $300 to the Substance Abuse Education Fund, $150 to the Criminal Justice Enhancement Account and $228.17 restitution to the state police crime laboratory in Harrisburg, and submit a DNA sample to law enforcement authorities.
Bassininsky pleaded guilty to delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility in one case, delivery of a controlled substance, criminal use of a communication facility and possession of a controlled substance in the second case and delivery of a controlled substance, criminal use of a communication facility and possession of drug paraphernalia in the third case. Prosecutors withdrew two counts of conspiracy, three additional counts of possession of a controlled substance and one additional count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Schuylkill County detectives charged Bassininsky with delivering drugs twice on Sept. 13, 2019, and once on Sept. 18, 2019. The first two deliveries occurred in Branch Township, while the third was in Cressona, detectives said.
Bassininsky already is serving his sentence at SCI/Camp Hill.
Baldwin also recently accepted guilty pleas from and, pursuant to agreements between prosecutors and defendants, imposed the indicated sentences on the following people:
Jonathan L. Allwein, 41, of Myerstown; driving under the influence, possession of drug paraphernalia and failure to drive on roadways laned for traffic; 30 days in prison, 90 days house arrest with electronic monitoring, 30 days alcohol monitoring, seven months strict supervision, four years probation, $1,525 in fines, $100 SAEF payment and 20 hours community service. Prosecutors withdrew charges of possession of a small amount of marijuana, speeding and careless driving.
Kelsey Anderson, 26, of Tamaqua; flight to avoid apprehension or trial; one to 12 months in prison consecutive to current sentence.
Melysa N. Augustine, 29, of Berwick; retail theft; three months house arrest with electronic monitoring, three months probation and $50 CJEA payment. Prosecutors withdrew a charge of receiving stolen property.
Kyle Avery, 33, of Nanticoke; retail theft; 24 months probation consecutive to Luzerne County sentence, $50 CJEA payment, $237 bench warrant fee, $550 restitution and submission of a DNA sample to law enforcement authorities. Prosecutors withdrew a charge of receiving stolen property.
Jacob J. Bates, 33, of Mount Carmel; DUI and improper parking; 45 days to six months in prison, $1,025 in fines, $300 SAEF payment, $50 CJEA payment and 10 hours community service. Prosecutors withdrew a charge of careless driving.
Stacey Beyers, 42, of Marcus Hook; DUI; 72 hours to six months in prison, $1,000 fine, $100 SAEF payment, $50 CJEA payment, $400 restitution to Lehigh Valley Health Network and 10 hours community service. Prosecutors withdrew a charge of driving unregistered vehicle.
Jose A. Blanchard, 36, address not known; DUI, possession of a controlled substance and driving under suspension; six to 12 months in prison consecutive to current sentences, $1,500 in fines, $100 SAEF payment, $50 CJEA payment and 10 hours community service. Prosecutors withdrew two additional counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Steven J. Brilla, 26, of Pottsville; retail theft; six to 24 months in a state correctional institution consecutive to current sentence and submission of a DNA sample to law enforcement authorities.
Patricia Brode, 44,of Tamaqua; endangering welfare of children; presentence investigation ordered; sentencing scheduled for 11 a.m. March 2.
All defendants who were sentenced must pay costs as a part of their sentences.
Contact the writer: pbortner@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6014
For history aficionados and those just sparking their curiosity, the Schuylkill County Coalition of Historical Societies will host its 21st annual Schuylkill County History Faire from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Taking place in the main area of the Fairlane Village mall, the event will boast its biggest ever turnout, said Jennifer Bowen, president of the coalition and the Orwigsburg Historical Society.
There will be 21 vendors consisting of various historical societies from the county, with the exception of one — private collector Richard Nagel, Bowen said.
“He has an extremely extensive collection of Schuylkill Haven history — lots of very unique photographs, information on industries in Schuylkill Haven, sports. You name it, he’s got it,” she said.
Bowen said visitors always enjoy Nagel’s display of artifacts.
The other vendors, historical societies and museums from around the county, will also bring their own representations of their respective communities or boroughs, including photographs, artifacts and “facets of Schuylkill County history such as coal mining, agriculture or industry,” Bowen said.
The Orwigsburg Historical Society will bring photographs and information pertaining to Orwigsburg being the first seat of government in Schuylkill County, Bowen said. She said the society will also touch on Orwigsburg’s industrial history.
“We’re the shoe capitol of Schuylkill County, so we cover a good bit of the history of shoe manufacturing in our county. Cigar making was also one of Orwigsburg’s notable industries,” she said.
Almost every borough or community in the county will be represented, including Girardville Historical Society, the Schuylkill County Agricultural Museum, Auburn Area Historic Preservation Society, Frackville Museum and the No. 9 Coal Mine and Museum.
A little known fact, Bowen said, is that many of the societies offer genealogical research services, and they will have information on such services at the faire.
For more information, visit the faire’s Facebook page or call the Orwigsburg Historical Society at 570-366-8769.
Contact the writer: cwertz@
republicanherald.com; 570-628-6004
Deeds
Blythe Township — Mohamed Essalih to Youssef Chaouki; 12 Trolley St., Cumbola; $7,000.
Butler Township — Kim Lengert to Ganeshan S. and Gayathri R. Iyer; 280 Germanville Road; $230,000.
Foster Township — Foster Township to Gregg J. and Lois E. Sterling; 0.071-acre property on Upper Beechwood Avenue, Buck Run; $1.
Hegins Township — U.S. Bank NA to 2019 Castle LLC; 1241 W. Main St., Valley View; $15,100.
Minersville — Amanda R. Renninger to Gary Z. Horst; 588 Sunbury St.; $28,000.
Norwegian Township — Christy D. and Heather L. Joy to JGS LLC; 141 Bulls Head Road; $250,000.
Palo Alto — Patrick T. and Patricia A. Kelly to Joseph R. Smith; 22 W. Savory St.; $15,000.
Pine Grove — Eugene Melocheck to Scott D. Delinko; 292 S. Tulpehocken St.; $94,000.
Porter Township — Karen M. Miller, executrix of the Estate of Dorothy Schaeffer, to William L. Jr. and Savitrie Sally Elliott; four properties; $145,000.
Ryan Township — Donna Dodds to Joseph Putalavage II; 25 N. Fifth Ave., Barnesville; $1.
Shenandoah — Albert Joseph George Norris to Alexander C. Norris; 329 W. Coal St.; $1.
Jacqueline A. Webb to Ronald W. and Patricia Beltz;28 S. Main St.; $20,000.
Tamaqua — Tory and Audrey Graver to Summer Valley Realty LLC; 517 and 519 E. Elm St.; $95,000.
Michael T. Rottet and Gregory Rottet, co-administrators of the Estate of Thomas A. Rottet, and Kathryn A. Rottet, by attorney in fact Gregory Rottet, to Garth J. and Kailee N. Lakitsky; 102 N. Lehigh St.; $70,000.
Union Township — Louise Hetherington to Barron Hetherington; 2.02-acre property; $1.
Washington Township — Dale Hummel, executor of the Estate of Mae K. Hummel, and Wilford L. Leinbach to Bradley L. Burkholder and Rosene K. Hoover; 3264 Sweet Arrow Lake Road; $110,000.
Wayne Township — Jennifer Gassman, administratrix of the Estate of James S. Lawlor, to Joey J. and Deidre A. Angstadt; 44 Blue Mountain Heights, Summit Station; $3,500.
Abija Vents to Inese W. Jardine; 1054 Indian Drive, Lake Wynonah; $1.
West Brunswick Township — John J. and Germaine F. Minishak to Francis J. Minishak and Debra A. Minchhoff; 32 Spruce Road; $1.
Ralph Martin to Seth J. Montz; 1018 Chestnut Road; $95,000.
West Penn Township — Geraldine L. Balliet to Geraldine L. Balliet; 1171 West Penn Pike, South Tamaqua; $1.
Cressona
The 19th annual Bingo Bash to benefit Make-A-Wish will be held Sunday, April 5, at Good Will Fire Company. Doors will open at noon and games will begin at 1 p.m. To buy tickets or for more information, call Stephanie Gaddy at 570-449-8195. Sponsors include Blue Mountain Family Chiropractic and Moms for Make-A-Wish Softball.
Deer Lake
The 10th annual polar plunge, hosted by the Mad Batters Softball Team for Make-A-Wish, is set for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 29 at the Deer Lake and West Brunswick Fire Company No. 1, 1 Ash Road, with the jump beginning at 1 p.m. The cost is $30 for advance registration and $35 on event day. For students, the cost is $25. For more information, call 570-516-4405 or go online to greaterpawv.wish.org/news-and-events/calendar-of-events.
Frackville
Holy Ascension Orthodox Church, 209 S. Lehigh Ave., will have a Lenten pierogie sale from 8 a.m. to noon Friday, Feb. 28. Walk-ins are welcome; advance orders are requested by calling 570-874-7532. Pierogies, at $7 per dozen, are available frozen, boiled with butter and onions or fried.
Mount Carbon
A Twisted Sluggers pick-a-ticket prize raffle and vendor show for Make-A-Wish will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Friday, March 13, at the Mount Carbon Fire Company, 120 Main St. For more information, call 570-622-4390 or go online to greaterpawv.wish.org/news-and-events/calendar-of-events.
Pottsville
Providence Place Senior Living, 2200 First Ave., will have a takeout soup sale from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday, March 5, with proceeds to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. Soup will be $10 per quart and the variety will include beef chili, lobster bisque and New England clam chowder. Pickups will be in the club room with cash payment accepted. To order in advance, call 570-628-6950.
Pottsville
The next session in the Lunch and Learn series at Luther Ridge at Seiders Hill, 160 Red Horse Road, will involve Medicare basics presented by Kathy Farr-Parker of Kathleen J. Farr-Parker Inc., at noon Wednesday, Feb. 12. All are welcome. People planning to attend should RSVP to Stacie Renninger at Stacie.L.Renninger@consulatehc.com or call 570-621-7200.
Schuylkill Haven
Gabriel Chamber Ensemble’s third annual concert is set for 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, at Jerusalem Lutheran Church, 242 Dock St. The performance will feature Merynda Adams on harp, Robin Kani on flute and Chris DiSanto on clarinet. Dana Allaband, violinist, will join the Gabriel Chamber Ensemble Trio. Admission is $15 for senior citizens, $20 for adults and free for students. For more information, call Agnes Maurer, executive director, at 570 943-2558, email her at gce@gabrielensemble.org, go online to www.gabrielensemble.org or go to Facebook: Gabriel Chamber Ensemble. All are welcome.
Schuylkill Haven
Penn State Schuylkill is offering the SAT prep course from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, March 3 to 12, and April 21 to 30. Topics covered include math, reading and grammar, time management skills, tips to reduce anxiety and build confidence and general test-taking skills. For more information, contact Shannon via email smw29@psu.edu or by calling 570-385-6112.
Shenandoah
The Greater Shenandoah Area Historical Society recently acknowledged the following memorials: For George Savakinas by Joe and Andrea Pytak; for Dorothy Kowalonek by Robert and Eileen Hopkins, Joe and Andrea Pytak; for Edward Banevich by Robert and Eileen Hopkins, Joe and Andrea Pytak; for Leo Kowalsky by Robert and Eileen Hopkins; for Claire Mallick by Joe and Andrea Pytak, Stephen Pytak and Becki White, Michael and Debbie Pytak and family; Ron and Mary Luscavage, Paul and Laurie Baranowski, Liz Kohanski, Ingrid Benjamin De Bellas, Anna and Troy Mitchell, Richard and Mary Ann Blosky, Alan and Trisha Palubinsky, Joe and Donna Palubinsky, Ray and Cathy Sajone, Betty Swartz, Tomczyk families, John and Audrey Reese, Buchinsky and Pribish families, Stephen and Bradley Oravitz, Michael and Joyce Mallick, Andy and Debbie Ulicny, Margaret and John Kweder, Mark and Pamela Klitsch, Theresa Robel Price.
VALLEY VIEW — Hegins Township will follow through on its opposition report to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, supervisors told the public Wednesday.
The paperwork is in regard to the Leidy South Project, an expansion of Williams’ Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co. LLC. Williams has proposed a 31,000-HP gas turbine-driven compressor unit be erected at Deep Creek and Bridge roads in the township near the existing Transco pipeline. Supervisors had filed a motion to intervene in September with FERC.
About 30 people attended the township meeting in the municipal garage. Hegins resident Bruce Bruso, who serves on the township’s advisory committee, was the only person who spoke from the public. He asked supervisors about the status of the FERC report.
Supervisor Chairman Doug Lucas confirmed the township was filing with FERC. Engineer Jeanette M. Miller, from Lehigh Engineering, said she was waiting for additional information, but hoped to have the report finalized by next week.
Miller also updated supervisors on the status of the township’s two applications for traffic signal approval with the state Department of Transportation. Supervisors in January approved efforts to improve safety along Route 25 in front of the Tri-Valley High School in Hegins and the Hegins-Hubley Elementary School in Valley View. There are currently no flashing school zone signs or crosswalks.
Miller said they did surveys in the manner in which PennDOT requested, and were waiting to hear back from PennDOT with further information about the traffic signals.
In other matters, supervisor Brad Carl asked about re-examining how the township was using its liquid fuels funding. Carl said although the uses have been legitimate, the township should concentrate on using the money more directly for the road department needs.
Carl, who is on the roads committee with supervisor Bill Wolfgang, said he saw a used roller was for sale for $8,900 in Allentown, and he thought the township should consider taking a look at it and possibly purchasing it.
Lucas asked Road Foreman Craig Coleman to get the costs of what the township spent last season on renting a roller, so costs could be compared.
Carl, Wolfgang and Coleman reviewed a list of roadways that are scheduled for tar and chipping this year — Dell, Hemlock, Locust, Gap School and two sections of Broad.
Some sections could receive a double coat, but that would be an add-on.
As for the Forest Drive Bridge, the township hopes to seek bids in the fall or winter, and potentially having construction begin next spring in 2021, according to Carl.
Supervisor Bruce Klouser announced the township would like to upgrade its municipal building on Gap Street, since the township meetings are now going to be held there, instead of across the street at the Hegins Area Ambulance Association building in Valley View.
Advantages would include a new township meeting room that could be used for monthly supervisor meetings, zoning and planning commission meetings and an emergency management operating area.
At the municipal building, there’s more room for parking, it’s level ground for walking, citizens won’t have to cross the street, and tables will be set up all the time, according to Klouser. With this set up, no one will be in the way of the ambulance association meetings or training classes, and people won’t be taking up the ambulance’s parking spaces.
In other matters, Sgt. Matthew Dillman offered the police report for the month of January, showing 106 calls to service, 9 incident reports, five non-traffic citations, one misdemeanor arrest, two reportable accidents, one non-reportable accident, 30 traffic citations and 21 traffic warnings issued. Total patrol unit mileage for the month was 1,857.
The board approved:
• Supervisor and treasurer Gary Hornberger’s report for the month of January. Income was $49,285.51; expenses, $56,192.79; general fund balance, $473,815.34; and PLGIT fund balance, $88,399.89.
• Zoning officer Allan Swab’s report showing one building permit and one zoning permit for a total of $270. Swab said Redner’s Warehouse Markets in Hegins had proposed an addition to the pharmaceutical division, and he wanted the township’s engineer to review the plan.
• Solicitor Donald G. Karpowich’s report, including the pension plan agreement which would be advertised for adoption at the board’s next meeting and that the public hearing on the township’s curative amendment about wind energy would be at 6 p.m., Feb. 24. Karpowich said the township is in the process of negotiating a police contract.
• Ed Wenger’s code enforcement officer report, showing eight properties were issued a notice of violation.
• Purchasing a 54-inch deck lawn mower from Ludwig’s for $5,879; and donating the old Dixon mower to the Valley View Park Association.
• Selling the 1993 Ford F-800 truck to Hubley Township for $8,100.
• The resignation of Brian Musolino from a part-time position with the township road department.
• The resignation of Bernard Spece from the Hegins Township Planning Commission.
• Approving Crystal Reilly to replace Spece on the planning commission to fill his unexpired term.
• Approving Joanne Stehr to serve on the planning commission.
• The Jon Bressler annexation/subdivision plan.
Contact the writer: ; 570-628-6007
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania chapter of a national advocacy group known for its long-running campaign to improve lobbying transparency and government accountability has been fined for failing to disclose its lobbying expenses.
The state Ethics Commission imposed a $19,900 fine on Common Cause Pennsylvania in January after the group filed a quarterly lobbying report 112 days past the deadline. The group has also been late in filing four other reports since the beginning of 2018, state officials said.
Lobbying reports are one of the only ways the public can see how advocacy groups, special interests and big businesses are attempting to influence lawmakers. In Pennsylvania, groups are required to disclose the names of any lobbyists they employ, the subject matter they lobbied on and the total amount of money they spent on it.
Though Common Cause Pennsylvania reports spending only a few thousand dollars each year on lobbying, the Ethics Commission nonetheless expressed its disappointment about the group’s failures, especially since it had helped champion the current law.
“It’s such a shame,” Chairman Nicholas Colafella said after the Jan. 23 vote to impose the fine.
When contacted by Spotlight PA, Micah Sims, the executive director of the state chapter, said he was unaware of the fine and was surprised it had been issued. He conceded the filing was late but said it was because of technical difficulties with the Department of State’s website. He said the group had been in “constant communication” with the department about the problem.
Sims said he could not recall receiving any warning from the Ethics Commission and pledged that his organization would fight the penalty in court.
“We will be filing a motion against the penalty because it wasn’t necessarily our error,” Sims said. “It was an error of the Department of State.”
But the Department of State and the Ethics Commission disputed Sims’ account.
Laura Weis, a spokesperson for the state department, said in a statement that at no point had Common Cause Pennsylvania made it aware of any technical issues or problems filing its expense report.
Weis also said the department sent two emails to the organization within a week of the missed deadline. The Ethics Commission said it sent a letter on Aug. 29 by certified mail, addressed to Sims, warning him that his organization would be fined if it didn’t file within 30 days.
“I have no information and no knowledge that Common Cause tried to file,” said Rob Caruso, executive director of the commission.
Common Cause ultimately filed its report Nov. 2.
On Jan. 31, eight days after Spotlight PA first inquired about the fines, the board chair of Common Cause Pennsylvania, Brian Cullin, said the organization’s failure to file the reports on time “is completely contrary to what we stand for.”
“It doesn’t matter that the amounts we report are small — we are still obligated to file, and to file on time,” Cullin said. “We failed to do that, and we are very sorry.”
Cullin said he was not aware of the failure until Spotlight PA’s inquiries. In the future, he said, he will personally file the reports and send them to the Common Cause national office to ensure proper oversight.
“This will not happen again,” he said.
Cullin said Common Cause Pennsylvania is interested in negotiating a smaller fine from the Ethics Commission, but presently has no intention to fight the penalty in court.
In 2018, the legislature imposed stiffer penalties for lobbying groups that file late, and that has led to better compliance, said Caruso, of the Ethics Commission. Before the change, the commission fined about 20 groups each year. In 2019, it fined about 10 of the estimated 1,700 groups.
“So overall we are seeing good compliance,” Caruso said.
Sims said Common Cause Pennsylvania has long complied with the state’s lobbying disclosure law and the late filing was an anomaly.
But Weis, the department spokesperson, said the group was late in filing four other quarterly expense reports since the beginning of 2018. Two occasions resulted in formal notices of non-compliance by the Ethics Commission. In each of those occasions, however, the group filed before the commission issued a penalty.
Sims said he didn’t know why the group had missed the deadlines. But he noted that, with an annual budget of $200,000 and two full-time staff, they spend little on lobbying. According to the Department of State’s website, Common Cause Pennsylvania spent $5,600 in 2019 on lobbying.
That’s about a quarter of the fine it now owes for filing late.
SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Penn State Schuylkill students will travel to Honduras in March during spring break to be part of a medical brigade in the Central American country.
“We go into four different villages for the week and during each brigade, we go travel anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half to each village,” said Penn State Coordinator of Career Services Tina M. Rose. “When we get into each village, we set up a brigade where stations are set up. You would have students taking blood pressures, the height and weights of the kids, giving vitamins, getting glucose levels.”
The campus is pairing with Healthy Ninos Honduras for the Foreign Study Nursing, a course that allows students to study nursing issues in foreign countries and also visit and volunteer in the country for one week of the semester.
The Healthy Ninos website explains that it emerged as a new organization from the work of MAMA Project Inc. in October 2017. It focuses on helping children with malnutrition and their families, specifically in the San Francisco de Yojoa, Cortes area of Honduras. Child survival programs include the Nutrition Center, deworming programs, medical and construction brigades and community education.
This is the third year in a row that a group of 15 Schuylkill students will make the trip, along with some adults. Each year has a new group of students, according to Rose, who will make the trip for the third time this year. She will take the 15 students from her Civic and Community Engagement class on the trip. Rose said they are leaving from campus on March 5 for a flight leaving on March 6.
Rose said the residents look forward to the visits.
“When you get to the villages, the people are waiting for you, and sometimes they’ve been waiting for you for hours,” Rose said. “Sometimes they even walk for an hour or two hours to receive this medical attention.”
The students are at a village from about 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to provide the services.
“Basically what we’re looking for is any children who are suffering from malnutrition,” Rose said. “When we find those children, they and their families are invited to spend time at the nutrition center, which is located near where we stay. If they come to the center, there is staff to work with the families. They are taught how to cook healthier so the kids gain weight. Obviously you just don’t suffer from weight, but it does have some physical and mental repercussions.”
Rose is in the process of learning Spanish, so that when she goes next year, she will have fluency in the language.
“This trip had changed my life for sure,” Rose said. “We take a lot for granted. Most of these people don’t have access to basic health care. The idea that they have to walk to a volunteer clinic and hour to two hours to receive basic medical care maybe four times a year and they don’t have the luxury of just going to a doctor makes you realize how blessed we are.”
Rose added, “You have children who come up to you because we have coloring books and crayons and toys so that they can pick something, and these kids cry when you hand them a coloring book and a pack of used crayons. We do take lightly-used items. Here you see in the U.S. children who are in third and fourth grades walking around with a $500 phone. It just makes you appreciate what you have. It also interesting seeing those Honduran students having those life-changing moments as well.”
Funding for the trip is partially provided through the Student Engagement Network grant through Penn State, along with grant funds through another Penn State program, Global Programs.
“We disperse that money equally among the students and they have to pay the difference,” she said. “No other campuses go to Honduras. Other campuses may go to Puerto Rico and other locations. University Park actually goes to the areas to make sure it’s a safe location.”
The first Honduran trip was for 10 nursing students. In 2019, the students were split between nursing and from Rose’s class.
“This year it’s just my students and this is the largest group that we have going. There are 20 of us altogether,” she said.
Rose thanked Wegmans Food Markets for its generous gift of toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Contact the writer: jusalis@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6023
State police at Frackville are investigating a hit and run crash in which a vehicle damaged five headstones just off of Brandonville Road, west of Cemetery Hill Road in Union Township, around 7:30 a.m. Sunday.
Police said a Ford Taurus was being driven west when the driver went off of the road while negotiating a right curve and struck the headstones in Saint John’s Cemetery, removing them from their bases.
The driver then fled the area traveling west, police said. The vehicle that caused the damaged is believed to be a newer model red Taurus.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 570-874-5300.
Deeds
Ashland — Sarah E. Ringo, individually and as administratrix on behalf of the Estate of Doris S. Mehlbaum, to Jeffrey and Janice Houser; 815 Market St.; $10,000.
Richard L. Leibig Jr. to Adam Powell; 1130 Pine St.; $70,100.
Butler Township — Patricia A. Krupilis to Lynn C. Dillman; 142 N. Ninth St.; $1.
Blythe Township — Kirk A. and Jennifer T. Becker to Kirk A. Becker; property; $1.
Cass Township — John Fessler to James J. Rose; 0.16-acre property on Upper Jonestown Road; $11,900.
East Brunswick Township — JMAC Realty to Michael J. Zulick; 1045 Summer Valley Road; $180,000.
East Union Township — Caridad Tenchavez to Dolores Y. Loew; Lot 179HF3, Eagle Rock; $3,000.
Foster Township — Nancy A. Palamar, by attorneys in fact Edward Palamar Jr. and Thomas Palamar, to Donna Rudinsky-Stadig; property in Buck Run; $54,000.
Frackville — Alex J. Blackwell to Beth A. Becker and Steven R. Knock; 217 S. Nice St.; $88,000.
Schuylkill County Land Bank to Howard and Donna Lopez; 219 N. Railroad Ave.; $1.
Hegins Township — Spencer L. Jones to Spencer L. Jones; 273 E. Main St., Hegins; $1.
Thomas F. Carl Jr. to Joseph Seiders and Nicole Fessler; property on Legislative Route 53054; $5,000.
Kline Township — Patricia Lepinski, executrix under the Last Will & Testament of Eleanor Critchosin, to Albert Lepiinski Jr.; 130 Silverbrook Road, New Silverbrook; $1.
Patricia Lepinski, executrix under the Last Will & Testament of Eleanor Critchosin, to Frank Linkowsky; 154 Silverbrook Road, New Silverbrook; $1.
Patricia Lepinski, executrix under the Last Will & Testament of Eleanor Critchosin, to Frank Linkowsky; property in New Silverbrook; $1.
Minersville — Daniel Roy Frew and Donald C. Jr. and Joan M. Snyder to Sherry Trubilla; 608-610 Pottsville St.; $43,500.
D&L Development Inc. to Brett A. Rutecky; 16 Gallo St.; $32,000.
Schuylkill County Land Bank to Minersville Fire-Rescue; 218 N. Third St.; $1.
Orwigsburg — Linda J. McDonald to CBJF Realty LP; 302 N. Washington St.; $40,000.
Richard R. Rohrer to Anguleris Holdings LLC; property at East Mifflin and Factory streets; $125,000.
Pine Grove Township — Melissa A. Ney to Ryan A. Smith; 107 Geary Wolf Road; $186,000.
Pottsville — Federal National Mortgage Association to Marisol Torres; 612 W. Market St.; $45,000.
Ryan Township — Thomas M. and Mary Ellen Fore to Neil Thomas Fore and Samantha R. Fore; 9 Oak Ave., Barnesville; $1.
Saint Clair — Mak Properties LLC to Gabino Morejo; 108-110 W. Hancock St.; $13,500.
Mak Properties LLC to Gabino Morejo; 112 W. Hancock St.; $13,500.
Tamaqua — Christopher Eli Blevins to Sammy S. Sanchez; 302 Orwigsburg St.; $5,000.
900 East Broad Street LLC to J&D Real Estate LLC; property on Hazle Street; $20,000.
900 East Broad Street LLC to J&D Real Estate LLC; property on Arlington Street; $20,000.
900 East Broad Street LLC to J&D Real Estate LLC; property on Route 209; $190,000.
Wayne Township — Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to Zachary Yackenchick; 335 Hidden Valley Road; $41,409.99.
West Mahanoy Township — Jessica Hernandez to Damien J. Bagley; 271 Raven Run Road, Lost Creek; $160,000.
Wayne Township — Penny L. Hummel and Sheila M. Weber, successor trustees of the Quinter Family Trust, to Acorn Estates LLC; 1507 Fair Road, Summit Station; $175,500.
Bank of America NA to 1 Source Property Service LLC; Lots 162, 163 and 164, Creek Drive, Lake Wynonah; $81,847.50.
A Pottsville native has Twitter users and a Good Samaritan to thank for helping to return her stolen purse from New Orleans.
Saarah Yob, of Tallahassee, Florida, went to the Crescent City on Jan. 10 to watch the College Football Playoff National Championship game with friends from her college alma mater, Washington and Jefferson College in Pittsburgh.
After a semi-truck hit her 2020 Jeep Wrangler in Crestview, Florida, the 2014 Blue Mountain High School graduate and her boyfriend, Ryan Reines, rented a Dodge Ram pickup truck and drove to meet her friends at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and headed to their hotel, Hotel de la Monnaie, just outside the French Quarter. The pair was uninjured in the crash.
Yob, who currently takes classes at Florida State University, came to New Orleans with her pink Michael Kors purse, worth $300, she’d purchased in spring 2018.
After stopping at the hotel, Yob and her friends drove the rental car to a pay-to-park parking lot off Bourbon Street. They visited the historic street for three hours and returned to the truck. When they returned, Yob said she was surprised to find the truck’s driver’s side door ajar, the glove box open and the center console open. There was also something missing.
“My purse was the only item in the truck and it was stolen,” Yob recalled Friday.
The purse had a GoPro with photos on it, a gold chain necklace with an emerald belonging to Yob’s late grandmother, Nancy Yob, and about $70 in cash. Yob had her wallet on her.
She said she didn’t report the burglary because she felt she was “done with the day.”
Meanwhile, James Elmes, a produce delivery man from New Orleans, found the purse on a sidewalk in the city’s French Quarter while walking home the evening of Jan. 10.
He picked it up and took it home with him. With no wallet in the purse, Elmes uploaded the photos from Yob’s GoPro onto his computer.
The photos show Yob on trips to Alaska, Italy, Nashville, Tennessee, and Daytona Beach and Panama City, Florida.
Yob said realizing there were “so many valuable memories” on the GoPro, Elmes tweeted one of the photos of her and friends, Danielle Recker and Sarah Stauffer, taken in March 2018 on a beach in Panama City, Florida, on Jan. 19.
“I found a stolen purse in the French quarter, New Orleans. Wallet was missing so I have no identification, this girl has traveled all over the world ... with a GoPro I found. Looking for her to return her lost memories. Help me find her,” his tweet reads.
It received over 800 retweets that night, she said.
On Jan. 20, Yob’s Blue Mountain classmate Lizzie Wright texted her a screenshot of Elmes’ tweet. Not being on Twitter, Yob said she reached out to Stauffer, gave her Elmes’ Twitter handle, @itsking_james, and asked her to contact him and reach out to her.
It didn’t take long for Elmes to reach out to Yob.
“That evening I got a call from James,” she said. “He told me he had my purse. I told him what happened and he told me how he found it.”
Four days later, Elmes mailed the purse to Yob in Florida. It arrived on Jan. 29.
“I’m still using it,” she said.
Reflecting on the experience Friday, Yob, who plans to attend veterinary school at Ross University in St. Kitts, called the ordeal “the craziest thing that’s ever happened to me hands down.” But there was some good to come out of it.
“It was an amazing act of kindness,” she said. “It has restored my faith in humanity.”
Yob added that the incident also illustrates that not everything online is bad.
“Who would have thought social media would have a good impact,” she said, calling Elmes “a superhero.”
“There’s kind people wherever you are, this is just proof,” Yob said.
Contact the writer: clee@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6028; @Cleespot on Twitter
POTTSVILLE — More than 20 members of the public attended a hearing Thursday to state their objections to a plan to construct a facility for processing chicken manure to be bagged and sold to consumers.
The Schuylkill County Zoning Hearing Board held the three-hour-long public hearing at the Schuylkill County Courthouse that included testimony from representatives from the companies involved in operations and construction design.
The advertised hearing notice explained that a request for a special exception was made by David G. Masser for The Espoma Co. (the applicant) and James P. Diehl, Esq. (counsel for the applicant.). The applicant is seeking a special exception as required ... for the manufacturing and/or bulk processing of fertilizers, provided manufacturing occurs only indoors. The request, if granted, will allow the applicant to construct a facility for processing chicken manure to be bagged and sold to consumers as fertilizer on a proposed new lot to be subdivided from Uniform Parcel Identifier 12-02-0002.000. The property owner is Keystone Potato Product LLC/ESPOMA Co. The parcel is located within an I-C (Industrial Commercial District). The property is located on the south side of Shermans Mountain Road, Frailey Township.
Those of the public who spoke raised questions on the volume of truck that will go through the area, the route the trucks will take and the odors that the chicken manure will produce, despite Espoma’s statements that the process will be contained and no smells will be produced.
The project will be in Frailey Township, but many people attending were also from neighboring Reilly Township and live near the proposed plant.
Before the hearing, President Serge Brunner of Espoma, Millville, New Jersey, said, “We’d like to grow our company and we’d like to do it in Pennsylvania where we can get the raw materials we need and at the same time provide a benefit to the people of Pennsylvania and in solving their environmental problems in the Susquehanna River valley. It’s a win-win from our point of view.”
“This is an opportunity to take that chicken manure, dry it, put it into pellets and use it as fertilizer,” Diehl added.
Diehl also brought some bags of the company’s products that were purchased in a local Lowes store.
The manure will come from egg farms in Schuylkill, Dauphin, Lebanon and Lancaster counties.
Zoning hearing board members in attendance were Chairwoman Mary Jo Moss, Vice Chairman Eric Seitzinger, Frank Zangari and Anthony Prudenti. Absent was David Ambrose. Also in attendance was board solicitor Shane Hobbs.
When the hearing began, Diehl spoke about the area, including the nearby village of Newtown, and explained a nearby landfill and the use of biosolids in other areas does cause odor problems. He said the proposed building where the manure will be processed into pellets will be enclosed with air-cleaning equipment totaling $3.5 million. There will be 12 employees.
Earthres Group Inc. senior project manager David F. Allen and AR Process Solutions project manager Michael Ferguson spoke and fielded questions from Reilly Township solicitor William C. Reiley and attorney Paul Domalakes representing Lee and Kay Morgan, who live near the property.
Matthew Withelder lives about five houses away from the property and is concerned that it will be another source of odors into the area.
“There are the kids in our community that are pretty much being starved a childhood,” he said. “My kids can’t go in our pool and have parties outside based on the smells we already have in our township. This past summer, we had so much smell that DEP is in our town three to four times a week. The answer we get from the DEP officials who come out to monitor the smell is that, ‘we are really sorry and shouldn’t have given that permit.’ ”
As to the amount of chicken manure that will be shipped to the site to be processed daily, Withelder said, “You’re going to have the waste of two million chickens in that building and then not smell it outside; A kindergartner would believe that.”
Withelder also spoke about the trucks bringing in the manure, how will they be cleaned and, if so, how will the water be contained.
Reiley asked many questions to the company representatives on a variety of issues as it would impact both Reilly and Frailey townships.
After the hearing, Rick Withelder said, “All of us are here to protect our town and kids.”
The board closed the meeting without making a decision, which is expected at its next meeting on March 5.
Contact the writer: jusalis@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6023
POTTSVILLE — A Shenandoah man sits in prison today after a Schuylkill County jury convicted him Monday of strangling his ex-girlfriend, who managed to survive the September 2018 assault.
Sukori L. Butler, 36, did not react as the jury of nine women and three men pronounced him guilty of one count of strangulation and two of simple assault. Jurors deliberated less than an hour before reaching their verdict.
Judge James P. Goodman, who presided over the one-day case, also found Butler guilty of harassment and disorderly conduct.
Goodman ordered preparation of a presentence investigation and scheduled Butler’s sentencing for 11 a.m. March 26. He increased Butler’s bail to $75,000 straight cash; when the defendant could not post it, he was taken to prison in handcuffs after kissing his baby daughter good-bye.
Shenandoah police charged Butler with assaulting Stephanie Torres while her daughter watched on Sept. 17, 2018, in the borough.
Torres testified Butler’s name also was on the lease of her apartment and she could not leave easily. However, she said she managed to get away from Butler eventually.
“I did leave because I was afraid of him,” she said.
Linda Collins, who is Butler’s current girlfriend and who gave birth to their daughter in October 2019, testified that Torres never said the defendant was going to kill her.
Assistant District Attorney McCall Young prosecuted the case, while Assistant Public Defender Kent D. Watkins represented Butler.
Also on Monday, another jury found Seth W. Valentine, 39, of Tamaqua, not guilty of theft and receiving stolen property. Tamaqua police had charged him with committing the theft on Feb. 22, 2019, in the borough.
Judge Charles M. Miller presided over the one-day trial. Assistant District Attorney Julie Werdt prosecuted the case, while Assistant Public Defender William L.J. Burke represented Valentine.
Contact the writer: pbortner@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6014
POTTSVILLE — Instead of taking their cases to trial in Schuylkill County Court, two men decided Friday to enter guilty pleas.
Joseph Spencer, 47, of Tamaqua, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence, possession of a small amount of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving under suspension-DUI related and stop sign violation.
Judge Charles M. Miller, who was to have presided over Spencer’s nonjury trial, instead accepted the plea and, pursuant to an agreement between prosecutors and the defendant, sentenced him to serve 14 months to seven years in prison, pay costs, $2,825 in fines, $100 to the Substance Abuse Education Fund and $50 to the Criminal Justice Enhancement Account, perform 30 hours community service and submit a DNA sample to law enforcement authorities. Miller made the sentence concurrent with one Spencer already is serving.
Coaldale police alleged Spencer was DUI with a suspended license, and while possessing marijuana and paraphernalia, on Jan. 31, 2019, in the borough.
Christine A. Holman, Tamaqua, Spencer’s lawyer, told Miller that her client already has undergone substance abuse rehabilitation.
Assistant District Attorney Jennifer N. Foose prosecuted the case against Spencer.
In the other case, Maurice Hughston, 33, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty to criminal use of a communication facility, with prosecutors withdrawing a charge of conspiracy.
Judge Cyrus Palmer Dolbin, who was to have presided over the jury trial in the case, accepted Hughston’s plea but did not immediately sentence him. Instead, he ordered preparation of a presentence investigation and scheduled Hughston’s sentencing for 11 a.m. March 18.
“I don’t know what that sentence will be,” Dolbin said. “I will impose a sentence in accordance with the law and the facts.”
The state Department of Corrections charged Hughston with using a cellphone to arrange a drug deal on Nov. 29, 2018, at State Correctional Institution/Mahanoy.
After accepting the plea, Dolbin called the jurors into the courtroom, thanked them and told them they had performed a valuable service even though they did not hear the case.
“As it so often happens ... the parties come to an agreement. You don’t have to make a determination,” Dolbin said. “Without your being here ... this result would not have occurred.”
Assistant District Attorney McCall Young prosecuted the case against Hughston, who was represented by Jeffrey M. Markosky, Mahanoy City.
Contact the writer: pbortner@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6014
Ashland
Boy Scout Troop 745 will dedicate an Eagle Scout plaque on Scout Sunday, Feb. 9, at Zion’s Reformed United Church of Christ, 2400 Centre St., Ashland. The plaque contains the names of those who have attained the rank of Eagle Scout in the troop’s history. The worship service starts at 10 a.m. with the dedication during the church service.
Deer Lake
The Brookside Bombshells Easter Egg Hunt for adults 21 and older is set for 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday, March 28, at the Deer Lake and West Brunswick Fire Company No. 1, 1 Ash Road. The cost is $25 per person; the egg hunt will begin at dark and the event will have light fair and refreshments, according to a release. For more information, call 570-527-7843.
Elizabethville
The Elizabethville Area Historical Society has several programs planned for 2020, with topics ranging from early Dauphin County residents to several local business histories and a visit to a one-room school, according to a society press release. In August, Alex Laskowski, author of “Equal,” will speak at a society meeting. The group’s Monday, Feb. 17, program will feature Barbara Minchhoff, a retired Upper Dauphin Area High School history teacher who will highlight why freedom was not free for the Founding Fathers. The program will begin at 7 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 25 E. Main St. and the public is invited to attend. Programs are usually held the third Monday of each month, according to the release. More information about the society is available at its website at www.elizabethvillehistory.org.
Landingville
Welcome UMC, 107 Main St., will observe Scouting Sunday on Feb. 9. Scouts of all types and their families and friends are invited as is the general public. There will be refreshments and conversation at 9:45 a.m. in the social hall and morning worship in the Sanctuary at 10:30 a.m. The Bible story will focus on the Old Testament story “The Twelve Scouts.”
Pine Grove
The Beer Mountain Slammers Adult Easter Egg Hunt for Make-A-Wish is set for 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday, April 4, at Swatara Archers Club range, 100 Archery Lane. Tickets are $25 each; the event will include egg hunting, food, beverages, raffles and dancing, according to a release. For more information, call 570-640-6264 or go online to Facebook.
Pottsville
The Pottsville Free Public Library, 215 W. Market St., will have a read-in chain from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27. It is an annual celebration of African-American literature and will include storytelling, for children of all ages and their parents or caregivers. In a release, the library expressed special thanks to the Martin Luther King Family Enrichment Center. People are asked to register. For more information, call the library at 570-622-8880. The library will also have a St. Patrick’s Day party from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 12. It is for children ages 3-12 and their parents/caregivers. Activities will include crafts and games. There will also be refreshments and prizes. People are asked to register by calling the aforementioned number.
Saint Clair
A pancake and sausage supper, eat-in only, is set for 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, at Holy Apostles Episcopal Church, 307 E. Hancock St. People must RSVP by Feb. 16 by calling 570-391-9546 or 570-429-7107. Freewill offerings will be accepted, according to a release from Shannon Mozdy, parish administrator.
Shenandoah
The revitalization group Downtown Shenandoah Inc., 116 N. Main St., will have a soup and sausage hoagie sale beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 13. Soup is $6 per quart and $3 per pint and the variety includes New England clam chowder, chicken noodle, beef vegetable, split pea, pasta fagiole, kielbasi, potato cheese and chili. Sausage hoages are $3.50 each. To order or for more information, call 570-462-2060.
POTTSVILLE — A Schuylkill County jury found a state prison inmate guilty Thursday of two of four charges stemming from what prosecutors said was his setting fire to his cell in December 2018.
Dashaan Smith, 25, of Frackville, formerly of Philadelphia, did not react as the jury of eight women and four men pronounced him guilty of arson and institutional vandalism but not guilty of a second count of arson and one of risking a catastrophe. Jurors deliberated almost two hours before reaching their verdict.
President Judge William E. Baldwin, who presided over the one-day trial, ordered preparation of a presentence investigation and said he would schedule sentencing at a later date. Smith then was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs and returned to prison.
State police at Frackville charged Smith with setting fire to his cell in the Restricted Housing Unit at State Correctional Institution/Frackville on Dec. 27, 2018.
“He wanted to die,” Correctional Officer Lt. John Connelly testified of Smith.
Assistant District Attorney Thomas P. Pellish then played a video of the event. It showed smoke coming from Smith’s cell, and uniformed prison personnel removing Smith from the cell, restraining him and taking him away in a stretcher-chair to the hospital unit.
Connelly said he did not remember what was found in the search of Smith’s cell.
State police Trooper Joseph W. Hall, the prosecuting officer, showed photos to the jury of the damage to the cell and its contents.
“You see some remnants of the mattress that was burned,” he said. “The fire started right on that (bottom) bunk.”
Hall said there were no electrical outlets in the cell and the light was still working.
“It was intentionally set,” he said of the fire.
Smith testified on his own behalf that he did not intend to cause a fire, just to commit suicide.
“I don’t really know where the fire started,” he said.
In his closing argument, Adam R. Weaver, Lehighton, Smith’s lawyer, said his client only wanted to harm himself.
“The fire started when he tried to electrocute himself,” Weaver said.”This is purely an accidental mishap.”
Weaver stressed that Smith was the only person hurt in the incident.
“This is a very limited fire,” he said. “There was no risk of widespread damage.”
In his closing argument, Pellish said the fire could not have started in the way Smith said. He also said that neither bodily injury nor damage was required to support the arson charges against Smith.
Contact the writer: pbortner@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6014
Defendant: Dashaan Smith
Age: 25
Residence: Frackville, formerly of Philadelphia
Verdict: Guilty of arson and institutional vandalism, not guilty of a second count of arson and one of risking a catastrophe