Although he came to Schuylkill County Court on Tuesday to be sentenced, alleged child pornographer Kenneth T. Lipiec instead withdrew his guilty plea when the judge indicated he would not accept the proposed sentence that was part of the plea agreement.

Lipiec, 64, of Shenandoah, had been scheduled to be sentenced on five counts of sexual abuse of children-child pornography and one of criminal use of a communication facility, charges to which he had pleaded guilty on Feb. 17. Prosecutors had withdrawn two additional counts of sexual abuse of children-child pornography and one of criminal use of a communication facility.

However, President Judge William E. Baldwin told Assistant District Attorney Debra A. Smith and Joseph P. Nahas Jr., Frackville, Lipiec’s lawyer, that he would not accept the proposed sentence of three to 23 months in prison, with the three-month minimum to be served on house arrest.

“It’s not a minor thing,” Baldwin said of the crime. “Three months of electronic monitoring doesn’t seem appropriate to me.”

A judge has the right to reject a proposed guilty plea agreement, although he must then give the defendant the option of withdrawing his plea.

Smith and Nahas resumed negotiations, but Baldwin also rejected a second proposed sentence of six to 23 months in prison, with the six months to be served on house arrest, plus 12 months consecutive probation. At that point, Lipiec talked further with Nahas and decided to withdraw his plea.

Prosecutors have the options of taking the case to trial or negotiating a new plea agreement with Lipiec.

The state police Bureau of Criminal Investigation has charged that Lipiec possessed the child porn, and used his computer to obtain it, between Jan. 1, 2015, and Feb. 13, 2015.

Police said computer technicians at a local company found images of child pornography on Lipiec’s computer. Police said they investigated the matter and determined that Lipiec had at least seven images of child pornography that he downloaded over the internet.

Police reverse

2 overdoses in city

Pottsville police reversed two drug overdoses Sunday through the use of Naloxone.

Police Chief Richard F. Wojciechowsky said that about 6:55 a.m., police were called to 528 Laurel Terrace for a report of an overdose. EMS also arrived on scene as officers entered the building and found a 20-year-old Pottsville man unresponsive.

Multiple doses of Naloxone supplied by both police and EMS were administered and the man was successfully revived.

The chief said the man refused further evaluation at a local hospital as suggested by EMS.

Later that day at 9:20 a.m., Wojciechowsky said, officers were called to 909 N. George St. for a report of a 25-year-old man in cardiac arrest.

Officers at the scene found the man unconscious and exhibiting signs of a heroin overdose.

Wojciechowsky said officers administered Naloxone and, when EMS arrived, additional doses of the rescue drug were used.

The man was revived but subsequently refused to be evaluated at a hospital as suggested by EMS, Wojciechowsky said. The man’s parents were contacted, and he was released into their care.

The investigations into both overdose incidents are continuing.

Police: Man jailed

for PFA violation

A Pottsville man was jailed after Pottsville police were called at 5:21 p.m. Sunday for a report of a fight at the area of West Market and North Third streets.

At the scene, police said, they found a 21-year-old Tremont woman with Patrick Lee Weins, 26. A subsequent investigation revealed that Weins had verbally confronted the woman, causing her to be backed into a corner.

The woman then tried to strike Weins in order to defend herself and leave the area, police said adding that officers then learned that a current Protection From Abuse order prohibited Weins from having any contact with the woman.

Police said Weins was taken into custody pursuant to protocol for the indirect criminal contempt charge associated with the PFA violation.

He was arraigned by on-call Magisterial District Judge James R. Ferrier, Orwigsburg, and committed to Schuylkill County Prison, unable to post $1,000 straight cash bail.

Police charge man

for drunkenness

Pottsville police said charges will be filed against a city man after officers were called for a disturbance about 10:50 p.m. Sunday at 556 Laurel Terrace.

Police said neighbors reported that Cameron D. Donton, 40, was outside of an apartment building, creating a disturbance by knocking on neighbors doors and acting in an intoxicated manner after police had spoken with him earlier for a similar situation.

In the second incident, the man left the area on foot before police arrived but was located by officers in the middle of the street in the 400 block of North Centre Street.

When uniformed officers attempted to speak with him, Donton became uncooperative and combative and was arrested after attempts to resist officers.

Police said Donton was taken to Pottsville City Hall where he was detained until he was deemed to be no longer intoxicated at a level causing danger to himself or annoyance to others.

As a result of the incident, police said, charges of public drunkenness, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest were filed. Donton will have to answer before Magisterial District Judge James K. Reiley, Pottsville.

Child left alone,

calls 911 center

Pottsville police said charges will be filed against a 34-year-old Pottsville woman after an investigation into an incident about 6:55 p.m. May 20.

Police said officers were called to the 800 block of West Harrison Street by the Schuylkill County Communications Center who said multiple calls were received from a cellphone and that a female could be heard crying in the background.

Police said officers tried to locate the caller by knocking on doors in the area to speak with residents about the call.

Officers also called the telephone number and could hear a voice on the line and determined the caller was inside 533 N. Eighth St.

At that location, police said, officers spoke with a 7-year-old girl who was in sleeping attire who said she had been home from school all day due to illness. The girl said she could not find her mother so she called 911. She also told officers she had not eaten any food and was hungry.

Police said officers tried to call the mother — Veronica N. McCuller — several times without success. Officers stayed at the home for more than an hour, continuing to try to contact the mother and then called Schuylkill County Children & Youth Services to assist with care for the child.

The child was eventually taken to Pottsville City Hall to await the arrival of Children & Youth Services. Police made contact with the girl’s father in Reading to arrange for custody.

About 8:15 p.m., police said, they learned that McCuller had arrived at her home but had made no attempt to contact the police department.

Officers returned to the home and transported McCuller to city hall for further investigation of the situation.

As a result of the investigation, McCuller will be charged with endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering another person. She will have to answer before Magisterial District Judge James K. Reiley, Pottsville.

DUI checkpoints,

patrols announced

The North Central Regional Sobriety Checkpoint DUI Taskforce announced that Sobriety Checkpoints and Roving DUI Patrols will be conducted today through Sunday 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 call 888-UNDER21 to report underage drinking.

Mahanoy man

faces drug charge

MAHANOY CITY — A borough man was charged by Mahanoy City police after an incident about 6:35 a.m. April 22 in the 200 block of West Centre Street.

Police said Nicholas D. Barrineau, 24, of 413 W. Pine St., was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of a small amount of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and DUI.

Police said Barrineau was found inside a vehicle, slumped over the steering wheel, turning blue and having a hard time breathing. The man was taken from the vehicle and EMS was contacted. Prior to their arrival, Barrineau became conscious and later refused treatment.

Officers found a bag that had been on Barrineau’s lap inside the vehicle. The bag contained green material that tested positive for marijuana. They also found a metal smoking pipe with residue on it.

A subsequent blood test determined the man was under the influence of a controlled substance, police said.

Police find 2 men,

teen trespassing

MAHANOY CITY — Mahanoy City police charged two borough men stemming from an incident about 3:30 p.m. April 17 at a home at 420 E. Railroad St.

Police said Carl McDonald, 18, of 404 W. Centre St., and Brandon A. Segarra, 21, of 22 S. 10th St., were charged with one felony count of criminal trespass.

Police said someone reported seeing three people enter a garage near his home. At the scene, officers entered 420 E. Railroad St. and found a man, later identified as Segarra, holding a knife.

The man dropped the knife and was taken into custody. Police said they found McDonald and a 17-year-old juvenile in an upstairs room, along with several empty glassine baggies on the floor and a homemade aluminum foil pipe.

Police said all three were taken into custody and the juvenile was later released to his mother. Segarra was committed to Schuylkill County Prison on an outstanding bench warrant from Luzerne County.

Police: Man pulled

fire alarms

SHENANDOAH — Shenandoah police filed charges against a 47-year-old man stemming from an incident about 9 p.m. April 14 at South Main and West Poplar streets.

Police said Stephen J. Kronkowsky, whose last known address was 220 W. Poplar St., Shenandoah, was charged with public drunkenness, disorderly conduct, recklessly endangering another person and false alarms to agencies of public safety.

Police said officers went to the area of Poplar and Ferguson streets where a someone pulled a fire alarm box even though there was no fire or other emergency. Then, about 9:20 p.m., firefighters, EMS and police were called to Cherry and West streets for another false alarm.

Police said they received information from witnesses that Kronkowsky was the person responsible for the false alarms, and police located him about 10:30 p.m. in the 100 block of North Main Street. When confronted, the man reported being emotional due to family and emotional problems and decided to pull the fire alarm boxes.

“I known it was stupid, and I shouldn’t have done it,” police said Kronkowsky told them.

Shen woman faces

assault charge

SHENANDOAH — A borough woman was arrested by Shenandoah police stemming from an incident between 11:20 p.m. Friday and 3:50 a.m. Saturday at her 315 S. Ferguson St. home.

Police said Leslie Anne Tapia, 31, was charged with terroristic threats, disorderly conduct, simple assault, harassment and public drunkenness.

The woman will now have to answer to the charges before Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker, Shenandoah.

Police said Tapia was drinking alcohol throughout the day and assaulted her father, causing injuries to both of them. When officers arrived at the scene about 11:20 p.m. Friday, Tapia continued to yell inside the home, ignored orders to stop and the continued to yell while standing on the street, police said.

Police said officers were then called back to the home about 1:25 a.m. Saturday after Tapia kicked in her father’s bedroom door, threw a fan and threatened to kill him.

Then, about 3:20 a.m., police said officers and adult probation officers were inside the home where Tapia was eventually arrested after she continued to yell and argue and ignore commands to stop.

Police arrest man

for fleeing cops

LICKDALE — A Hegins man was arrested by state police at Jonestown stemming from an incident that began about 11:35 a.m. Monday in a construction zone on Interstate 81, at mile marker 95 in Bethel Township, Lebanon County.

Police said they tried to stop a motorcycle driven by Robert E. Kitchen, 43, after he was observed speeding, but the man began to flee through the construction zone using the berm of the road. Police radioed ahead to another Jonestown car waiting at exit 100 and officers were able to close the distance on the motorcycle and obtain the license plate number.

At that point, police activated emergency equipment, prompting Kitchen to pull over. He was taken into custody without further incident.

Police said Kitchen was charged with fleeing or attempting to elude police, recklessly endangering another person and a host of traffic violations.

Flower boxes

stolen from graves

PORT CARBON — Flower boxes were stolen from grave sites between noon Monday and 1:15 p.m. Tuesday at St. Stephen’s Church Cemetery, Valley Street, in the borough.

State police at Schuylkill Haven said two flower boxes were taken by an unknown thief from two graves, one of which belonged to a Navy veteran.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Trooper Justin Humanick at the Schuylkill Haven barracks by calling 570-739-1330.

MOLINO — The driver of a tractor-trailer escaped without injury when the vehicle rolled down an embankment just before noon Tuesday along the northbound lane of Route 61, just south of Route 895, near the Little Schuylkill River, West Brunswick Township.

State police at Schuylkill Haven said Paul Breiner, Andreas, was driving a Peterbilt tractor truck owned by Leiby’s Inc. north on Route 61 when, for unknown reasons, it began to drift off the roadway and hit the guide rail. Police said the vehicle continued hitting the bridge, riding alongside it for about 200 feet. The vehicle drove alongside a second guide rail after the bridge and then turned over on its right side and down an embankment about 20 feet from the roadway.

The tractor-trailer was hauling nearly 80,000 pounds of gravel and stone.

Breiner was able to escape the vehicle and was not injured. He will be charged with a summary traffic citation, police said.

Deer Lake/West Brunswick Fire Department, Orwigsburg Friendship Hose Company, Auburn Ambulance, Schuylkill EMS, V&M Towing and Soley’s Garage assisted at the scene.

ORWIGSBURG — The Blue Mountain Retirement Community withdrew their appeal to the Orwigsburg Zoning Hearing Board last month.

The board met briefly May 19 to hear an appeal by the Rhodes Organization, Boyertown, pertaining to comments about the retirement community by Tom Yashinsky, the borough code officer. Both Gretchen Coles-Sterns, the attorney for J. Jerome Skrincosky, president of Hawk Valley Associates PC, Mohnton, attended the hearing.

The comments in a Nov. 12. 2015, letter address issues such as parking, setbacks and open space and signs.

Iles Cooper, solicitor for the zoning hearing board, told Coles-Sterns and Skrincosky the 30-day time limit to appeal the comments from Yashinsky had expired. The appeal then was withdrawn.

Coles-Sterns said in an email Tuesday the Blue Mountain Retirement Community plan is still in play.

“With respect to the Blue Mountain Retirement Community, the applicant is making certain revisions to the plan and resubmitting it to streamline any further reviews and/or appeals. The Pine Creek Adult Community remains an approved plan, and the Rhodes Foundation may decide, in the future, to build that Plan and is reviewing that as an option,” she said.

A date was not provided when an additional submission could take place.

Skrincosky did not return a call for comment Tuesday.

Orwigsburg Borough Manager Robert Williams said that as of Tuesday he had not received an updated plan. The council has until Dec. 30, 2016, to act on the current plan.

The borough Planning and Zoning Commission voted March 16 to recommend denial of a retirement community plan. The Blue Mountain Retirement Community plan proposed by the Rhodes Organization seeks to develop a 27.725-acre site that it owns along East Market Street between Breezy Acres and Kimmels roads. It planned for 400 rental units open to different age groups.

Extensions of 90 days were previously provided to the borough for it to act on the plan. The borough acted in April to grant an extension up to Dec. 30, 2016, for the current plan before it, which is proposed to have above ground parking. Before this project was submitted, the Rhodes Organization had The Pine Creek Adult Community plan approved in 2009 by the borough council. That plan was similar but included underground parking and other changes.

Sterns had submitted the Blue Mountain Retirement Community Plan in August 2015 after the borough council denied requests for zoning ordinance amendments by the Rhodes Organization for the Pine Creek Retirement Community.

n Millersburg: The Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art has extended the submission deadline for its annual youth art contest. Students may now submit their artworks by June 10. The cost is $8 per submission. For more information, call 717-692-3699 or go online to nedsmithcenter.org.

n Pine Grove: Hose, Hook and Ladder No. 1 will hold its carnival from June 14 to 18 at Fireman’s Park. Family-friendly activities will include rides, games, bingo and nightly entertainment as follows: Route 61 Band, June 14; disc jockey Kevin Sibbitt, June 15; Classics Live band, June 16; Mindset, June 17, and Reckless, June 18. Wrist band nights will be 6 to 10 p.m. June 15 and 16. Fireworks will be featured June 17 with a rain date of June 18. The Lions Club will give away a bike every night of the carnival. No animals or bicycles are permitted on carnival grounds. All are welcome.

n Pottsville: An American Red Cross blood drive is slated for 1 to 6 p.m. June 8 at the Salvation Army, 400 Sanderson St. People 17 and older (16 with parental consent), weighing at least 110 pounds and in general good health are urged to give blood. For more information or to arrangement for an appointment, call 800-733-2767.

n Pottsville: Church of Broken Pieces Ministries will present “Under Construction Weekend” Friday through Sunday. The relationship, marriage and leadership conference will be held at 6 p.m. Friday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Peacock Center, 46 Peacock St. A religious service will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday in the sanctuary of Church of Broken Pieces, 41 N. Front St., Minersville. The event involves three days of “training, equipping and building in the lives of God’s people,” according to a church release. The Rev. Kelvin Solco and his wife, Demetria, will be featured guests. They are marriage, relationship and leadership specialists. Tickets are $20. For more information, call the church at 570-544-9630.

n Schuylkill Haven: The second annual Service to Youth & Community Breakfast to benefit Scouting programs in Schuylkill and Carbon counties will be held from 8 to 9:30 p.m. June 9 at the Hawk Mountain Scout Reservation Marlin Miller Conference Center, 402 Blue Mountain Road. According to a release, it will be a social and business networking event to give people and businesses a chance to learn more about Scouting in both counties. Highlights will include honoring people with the Service to Youth & Community Award, meeting and learning from Scouts — future leaders, plus entertainment and food. Schuylkill County For more information or to attend the event, call 610-926-3406.

n Shenandoah: The annual Kielbasi/Pierogie Open golf tournament is set for June 17 at Mountain Valley Golf Course, Barnesville. Registration and lunch will be from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. and the shotgun start will be at 1 p.m. Lunch will be provided by the “three Kielbasi Kings” — Kowalonek’s Kielbasy, Capital Food Market and Lucky’s Deli — and the “Pierogie Queen,” Mrs. T’s Pierogies, all of Shenandoah, according to a press release. Refreshments will be available all day on the course and dinner will be at 5:30 p.m. The cost is $75 if paid before Monday and $80 thereafter. For more information, call the office of the revitalization group Downtown Shenandoah Inc. at 570-462-2060.

n Shenandoah: The Shenandoah Rotary Club and the group Healthy Shenandoah will sponsor a “Walk for Doc,” a memorial walk for the late Dr. Stanley G. Rakowsky, former Shenandoah Valley School District superintendent, at 10 a.m. Saturday at the district campus, West Centre Street. Rakowsky, who also was a Rotarian, was “instrumental” in creation of the 1.25-mile walking path on school district property, according to a Rotary release. The path was dedicated on Nov. 6, 2015, and Rakowsky died on Nov. 6, 2015, after a lengthy illness.

n Tremont: Tremont Fire Company No. 1, 21 Middlecreek Road, will hold a drive-through chicken pot pie sale on June 18. Pickup is slated from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The cost is $7 per quart. For tickets or more information, call 570-695-3647.

While a few community pools were open over the hot Memorial Day weekend, several others are getting ready to open their gates this Saturday.

Pottsville

The John F. Kennedy Pool Complex and Recreational Center, York Farm Road, Pottsville, will open for its 50th season Saturday. Hours will be noon to 7 p.m. through the summer.

“We will be celebrating JFK’s 50th birthday this year,” Noralea Matz, pool manager, said Tuesday.

The nearly 600,000-gallon pool was built in 1965, but had its first official season the following year. Matz said the pool will have events scattered throughout the season to celebrate.

In April, three students from Schuylkill Technology Center-South Campus, Mar Lin, helped build a pavilion at the pool. The wooden structure is about 25 by 28 feet and is in a fenced-in area near the back of the pool. The pavilion can accommodate about 60 people.

The pool will also be used by local swimming teams this summer.

Matz said lanes were painted in the pool and the Schuylkill YMCA swim team will practice there before it opens starting June 13.

Season tickets are now available. Applications can be made at the city administrator’s office on the third floor of city hall, 401 N. Centre St., Pottsville. Tickets will also be available at city hall and the pool throughout the summer. The discount period ends Friday.

For more information, click the JFK Pool tab at www.city.pottsville.pa.us.

Pine Grove

It was free to swim at the Pine Grove Community Pool, 44 E. Mill St., Pine Grove, over the long weekend. The pool was open from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday through Monday.

“The pool was packed all weekend,” Lindsey Zimmerman, a pool manager and water safety instructor, said Tuesday. “The weather was great. Everyone was able to enjoy a full weekend at the pool.”

Zimmerman said the pool also had free admission over Memorial Day last year and run similar events toward the end of the year.

“We just want to show everyone we are a community-based organization and want everyone in the community to be able to enjoy it,” Zimmerman said.

On Friday and Saturday, the pool will also have its “Throwback Weekend” with $1 admission and specials at the snack bar.

The pool will officially open for the season at noon June 8. The pool will be daily from noon to 7 p.m.

Season tickets are available at borough hall or at the pool. The discount period ends Sunday.

For more information, visit www.pinegrovepool.com.

Tamaqua

With the Lansford Pool unable to open this year, the pool’s rates and passes for the Panther Valley Area residents will be honored at the Howard D. Buehler Memorial Pool, Catawissa Street, Tamaqua. The pool was closed for the season, and likely next year, due to leaks at the 72-year-old facility.

The pool opened for the season Saturday with a few hundred people cooling off in the water, Rob Jones, borough public works director, said Tuesday. It is open 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Discounted rates for Tamaqua Area School District residents are available thanks to the John E. Morgan Foundation. Rates will remain the same as last year, $10 each for residents of the Tamaqua Area School District. Season pass holders will also be able to apply for temporary passes for guests/visitors. These passes are available for $10 per week with a two-week maximum.

“Last year, we issued 2,292 individual in-district passes, 17 out-of-district passes and 18 weekly guest passes,” Jones said. “So far this year, we have 1,367 in-district, seven out-of-district and 25 passes for the Panther Valley people.”

Application forms, rate structures and additional information is available at Tamaqua Borough Hall, 320 E. Broad St. Completed applications need to be submitted to borough hall. For more information, call borough hall at 570-668-3444.

Saint Clair

The Saint Clair Community Pool, East Lawton Street, Saint Clair, will open June 11. It will be open noon to 6 p.m. daily. Season tickets will be available at the pool’s concession stand when it opens. It will remain open until Aug. 7.

Roland Price, borough secretary, said they recently applied for a $250,000 grant to upgrade the pool.

“It gives the kids somewhere to go,” Price said. “

The borough’s street department were set to start filling the pool today, Price said.

Cressona

The Cressona Borough Pool will open Sunday. It will close Aug. 28. The Blue Mountain Middle School Pool will also open Sunday and close mid-August.

Discounted season passes for the Cressona Pool are available through Friday. After that, passes will be available at the Recreation Office at the regular season rate. Individuals will be able to fill out a pool pass request form and pay at the Cressona Pool, but there will be at least a one to two day wait for passes to arrive at the pool as they are processed at the Recreation Office during regular business hours. An ID card is required. Children under 10 years old must be accompanied by an adult or responsible older sibling to be admitted to the pool.

The pool will be open 12:30 to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 7 p.m. on Sundays. The pool will remain open to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays for season pass holders only.

For more information, visit Blue Mountain Recreation’s website at www.bluemountainrec.com or call the Recreation Office at 570-366-1190.

Minersville

The Minersville Community Pool at the Fourth Street Recreational Complex was also open over the Memorial Day weekend. It will officially open for the season Saturday. Regular hours will be noon to 7 p.m. daily.

Season tickets are now available at borough office and will also be available at the Minersville Community Pool once it opens.

Hegins

The Tri-Valley Community Pool, 306 S. Good Spring Road, Hegins, opened at noon Saturday, Sunday and Monday for the Memorial Day weekend.

The first official day of the regular season is this Friday. Opening at noon, it will be free admission.

Regular season hours for the pool will be noon through 7 p.m.

Season tickets and daily admission prices are the same as last year, according to the pools Facebook page.

For more information, visit the Tri-Valley Community Pool’s Facebook page.

Tremont

The Tremont Community Swimming Pool, 139 Clay St., opened Saturday, according to the borough website. Regular hours are noon to 6 p.m. daily. Season passes are now available and can be bought at borough hall.

For more information, click the Tremont Pool tab on www.tremontborough.com or call the pool at 570-695-3442 or borough hall at 570-695-2199.

Tower City

The Porter/Tower Community Pool, Wiconisco Avenue and 12th Street, Tower City, will open Friday, according to its Facebook page. It will be open from 1 to 8 p.m. daily. For more information, visit the Tower City Pool — Porter-Tower Recreation Commission’s Facebook page or call the pool at 717-647-9695.

SCRANTON — Hoping to distance itself from the negative connotation dogging the “shopping mall,” the owner of the downtown Scranton’s interior shopping center has renamed it the Marketplace at Steamtown.

“This more accurately describes what we are trying to do,” shopping center owner John Basalyga said.

The change in identity for the former Mall at Steamtown was anti-climactic. Massive stenciled letters and new signs were up last week.

Work is underway for a new slogan. The Mall at Steamtown’s tagline and jingle was “Where families shop.” Mall officials say they are having meetings and discussions over the slogan. The shopping center also unveiled its new website, which features a slogan runner-up: “Where Life Happens.”

The idea of an interior mall was born in the middle of the 20th century by Austrian designer Victor Gruen, and meant to recreate village commons. Instead, his Southdale Center in Edna, Minnesota, opened in 1956, and hundreds of imitators that followed became standardized and sterile, dominated by national retailers and eateries.

Modern shoppers increasingly shop online and when they do visit bricks and mortar stores, desire a more authentic experience. Basalyga noted 75 percent of all malls are having a hard time, part of a decade-long trend.

Retail shopping centers have had to find new ways to fill space. The Marketplace at Steamtown is diversifying.

Work continues to convert a portion of a one-time anchor store into a campus for Luzerne County Community College to be ready by mid-August, mall General Manager Joe Kenney said, offering a rundown of the center developments. The Iron Horse Theater & Bistro will be ready by summer’s end. The Marketplace, a local vendor’s space, will be designed and ready by mid-summer, Kenney said.

“People say we are giving up on retail and that’s not true,” Basalyga said. “We are going for retail, but going for what is there and it’s not much. Every week, you can read about some other national retailer going under or struggling. We are trying to create the excitement and activity that will lure retailers.”

In the end, Basalyga said, the Marketplace will be more diverse and stable, insulated from massive economic shifts like the one engulfing retailing, the same that put the mall in foreclosure under its prior owner.

“There is no other path,” he said. “In the case of this, a shopping center, it’s safer to try a new approach than to do things the way they had been done.”

A good example of the Marketplace’s attempt to diversify is Bee’s Backyard, a 12,000-square-foot indoor playground scheduled to open in the summer on the second floor across from the atrium.

Targeted to children, ages 1 through 13, the facility will have more than 50 playground-like attractions for children to play on in a safe, hygienic environment. The facility will have party “houses” for birthday celebrations or other events.

Name incorrect

Eddie Maige, 1st vice commander, AMVETS Post 180, Pottsville, was grand marshal of Monday’s Memorial Day parade in the city. His name was incorrect in a photo caption in Tuesday’s edition.

Marriage licenses

Christopher T. Frindt, Valley View, and Braxton C. Shingara, Valley View.

Bruce A. Zehner, McAdoo, and Diane C. Pasco, Lattimer Mines.

Beau J. Troutman, Hegins, and Dara L. Dietrich, Hegins.

Michael J. Limoges, Indiana, and Laura M. Cronin, Wayne.

Bradley J. Epler, Schuylkill Haven, and Ashley M. Valentine, Schuylkill Haven.

Daren R. Blood, Minersville, and Shannon M. Adamick, Minersville.

Alan M. Kogoy, Wilkes-Barre, and Veronica Ann Corby, Minersville.

David S. Carl, Pine Grove, and Laura E. Fritz, Pine Grove.

Christopher L. Hauer, Bethel, and Alexa R. Jones, Tamaqua.

Joseph T. Tarlecky, Schuylkill Haven, and Eileen J. Perfetto, Schuylkill Haven.

Walter C. Fenstermacher, Orwigsburg, and Sherry M. Edwards, Orwigsburg.

Khalil Murray, Huntingdon, and Dena Youngblood, Philadelphia.

Thomas C. Rentschler, Reading, and Natalie J. Bartush, Orwigsburg.

Nicholas Fultz, Tremknt, and Kelly M. Adams, Tremont.

Jeffrey L. Berger, Schuylkill Haven, and Michele A. Miller, Schuylkill Haven.

Kirk A. Tuttle, Tower City, and Deanna M. Wiscount, Tower City.

John K. George, Mar Lin, and Misty L. Ball, Mar Lin.

Steven J. Ripley, Schuylkill Haven, and Tiffany A. Youst, Schuylkill Haven.

Shawn M. Conville Sr., Pottsville, and Carol A. Horan, Pottsville.

Charles Carrington, Frackville, and Nykeisha M. Taylor, Philadelphia.

Hunter D. Jenkins, Klingerstown, and Miranda A. Morgan, Klingerstown.

Divorces granted

Patricia Sherry, Schuylkill Haven, from Kenneth Sherry, Orwigsburg.

Paul Grigg, Minersville, from Melanie Grigg, Girardville.

Raleigh Wagner, Tamaqua, from Angela Wagner, Tamaqua.

Deeds

East Union Township — Robert D. and Jane Reynolds, Thomas E. and Maria Paula Raices Reynolds and Raymond and Deborah McDonald to Robert D. and Jane Reynolds and Thomas E. and Maria Paula Raices Reynolds; 60 Adobe Way, Eagle Rock; $1.

Pottsville — Jesse Roman to Sergio A. Villalba; 415 E. Market St.; $7,500.

Jay Tran and Tu Duong to Julia Edythe MacDonald; 1312 W. Norwegian St.; $55,000.

John P. Leffler to Taralyn Mahoney; 1 N. 22nd St.; $96,000.

Saint Clair — Mary Prokop to Chanda M. and Randy L. Tower; 60RR Ann St.; $1.

Schuylkill Haven — Joseph G. Groody, sheriff of Schuylkill County, to Secretary of Veterans Affairs; 204 W. Main St.; $1,227.79.

Wayne Township — Joseph G. Groody, sheriff of Schuylkill County, to The Bank of New York Mellon; 2496 Wagonwheel Drive, Lake Wynonah; $1,176.94.

n Ashland: Ashland American Legion Bernard J. Dolan Post 434 is looking for veterans — male and female — from all wars to join. Regular meetings are at 6 p.m. the first Thursday of each month at the post home, Centre and Fifth streets. Members hold monthly hoagie sales on the last Wednesday of each month — plain or Italian at $5 each. For more information, call 570-875-0086, 570-205-4079 or 570-590-1666.

n Gordon: Christ’s United Lutheran Church will sponsor a bus trip Aug. 4 to Sight & Sound Theater for the production of “Samson ... The Original Superhero.” The cost is $95 for adults and $59 for children ages 3-12. The event will include lunch prior to the show at Hershey Farms Grand Smorgasbord. For more information, call Joanne Young at 570-875-2586.

n Hegins: An American Red Cross blood drive is scheduled for 2 to 7 p.m. June 14 at Hegins Valley Fire and Rescue, 720 E. Chestnut St. People 17 and older (16 with parental consent), weighing at least 110 pounds and in general good health are urged to donate blood. For more information or to arrange for an appointment, call 800-733-2767.

n Ringtown: The Ringtown Area Library will hold a 40th anniversary Wine and Food Gala from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the library, 132 W. Main St. Food will be prepared and provided by local restaurants and culinary artists. Guests will taste a variety of local, national and international wines. Non-alcoholic beverages also will be available for all guests. The cost is $40 per person and tickets are available at the library, which also is inviting all interested businesses and individuals to become an event sponsor. Sponsorships will help to defray the costs associated with the fundraiser and ultimately benefit the library’s annual operating costs. For tickets or sponsorship information, visit the library, email to ringtownlibrary@epix.net or call at 570-889-5503.

n Ringtown: The Ringtown Recreation Committee will lead “The Loop,” a 3.1-mile excursion from 9 a.m. to noon June 18 with start and finish at the Ringtown Recreation Complex, North Center Street. There are a “few mild hills” at the center of the course, according to a committee press release. All are welcome. For more information, call 570-956-3534.

n Shenandoah Heights: West Mahanoy Township officials have warned people they are cracking down on illegal dumping throughout the township. Officials said illegal dumping is not allowed and anyone caught will be prosecuted. The township also has an ordinance that prohibits all outside burning. Still, there are some who defy the law and burn outdoors. Township officials during a recent meeting issued a reminder and warning about the law.

FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — Members of the North Schuylkill Class of 2016 spent an enjoyable and introspective morning at the elementary school for the final time before their graduation.

Dressed in their caps and gowns, the seniors walked through the halls to remember their years of education and met with their younger counterparts, including those in the sixth grade who are preparing to move from elementary to the junior high school level, and many of their former teachers, who were thrilled to see how much their former students have grown academically and physically.

Most of the seniors attended their last year at the school in the 2009-10 school year. The elementary school was opened in 2007 when the Ashland and Frackville elementary centers closed and moved the students to the district campus in Fountain Springs. Ringtown area students came to the new school in 2009.

The seniors, led by the district mascot “Sparty,” marched from the football field, where they were practicing for commencement today. The long line of red- and blue-garbed students walked into the traffic circle in front of the school, eliciting cheers from elementary students and teachers in the playground until the seniors passed by. The march went around the building to the lower entrance.

As the seniors entered the hallway, they were greeted by third-grade students cheering them on while holding homemade signs with artwork and “happy graduation,” “good luck” and “congratulations, graduates.” As they walked along the hall, they were cheered on by more students and got to a stairwell to the next floor.

The seniors walked up to the top floor where the sixth-grade classrooms are. As they reached the end of the hallway, they received a special treat — letters that they wrote when they were in the sixth grade. The letters were personal messages to themselves about what they wanted to be and other thoughts they had at the time in 2010.

The writing of letters has been a long-standing tradition at North Schuylkill, but this was the first time the letters were distributed at the school. In previous years, the letters were picked up on graduation day from the high school guidance office.

One of the distributors of the letters was sixth-grade teacher Beverly Ney, who was all smiles as she handed out the letters, greeting her former charges and hugging some of them.

“This class that is graduating this year actually has seven sixth-grade classes, so they’ve come a long way,” Ney said. “When they were in sixth grade, they didn’t have recess, which made them the only sixth grade class that didn’t have recess, though that got them really ready for seventh grade. They had seven teachers. There was no down time and stuck together all day long.”

Ney is very impressed on how the seniors matured over the years.

“How they’ve grown and matured is so amazing,” Ney said. “They’ve matured so much. And I know a lot of them from sporting events.”

Ney spoke of the letter-writing tradition that she knows from her 18 years as a North Schuylkill teacher.

“We’ve done it every year since I’ve been here,” Ney said. “What they do is write a letter to themselves, because they are actually graduating sixth grade, and they’ll get the letter back when they graduate high school. They see how their friends change, their taste in music, how they’re handwriting change, what subjects they liked, and just how they’ve grown in general as a person. I like this tradition to give out the letters here at the school because now we get to see them.”

The visit to the elementary school is also a plus for the students.

“They get to look up them,” Ney said.

Senior Bryel Frasch, Ashland, read from her letter and found her predictions were fairly accurate and funny.

“It is so funny,” Frasch said. “I began, ‘You made it. You finished high school. There are some things that are happening now. I am in Mrs. Herring’s homeroom. It is June 2, 2010. We have three days left of school. My favorite color is purple. Hayden my brother is seven and Isabell is three. My favorite animal is a dolphin.’ ”

She continued, “ ‘My pinky toe is broken, and I’m wearing a walking shoe. Barack Obama is president, there’s a huge oil spill down in the Gulf of Mexico.’ I guess I was very interested in the news. I wrote, ‘I want to become a singer when I grow up. Right now, you should be thinking about what college to go to and how you will express your voice to the world. You will get a degree so that if your singing career doesn’t take off, you’ll have something to fall back on. Have a happy graduation. Love, Me. P.S., Drive safely.’ ”

Frasch was amused and surprised about the letter.

“I thought I was going to open it and be shocked at spelling errors,” she said. “I’m terrible at spelling now. I think I was better then. I really wish I would have written a friends list because I read some other letters and found it interesting to see who their friends were in sixth grade and how everything changes.”

Frasch agreed with Ney that the elementary visit should continue every year.

“That’s our childhood in that building and walking through the building and seeing the teachers and all the new kids who are in our places,” she said.

Senior Abbey Peleschak, Ringtown, also found her letter interesting to see after six years.

“This is by far the most memorable year of elementary school,” Peleschak read from her letter. “So far we are undefeated for the 2010 softball season. This past winter in basketball I made the All-Star team. One time during a tournament, our team started talking about cheese. Cheese is good on any food. Cheese is so yummy and is the favorite food of the North Schuylkill All-Star team Sixth Grade 2010. “After every tournament and most games we would go to Rita’s and celebrate. We would always go to eat together. When I grow up, I want to go college and either become an occupational therapist or a dermatologist.”

On the visit, she said, “Kids were handing out little notes to all of us, and one I got said, ‘Good luck at college. Get a diploma.’ ”

About seeing her letter written six years ago, Peleschak said, “It’s kind of surreal. I haven’t cried much yet, so I don’t think it’s hit me yet. It’s sad but it’s also happy times. It’s exciting.”

As for her career prediction, Peleschak said she will major in food science and minor in agricultural business at Penn State University Park.

“Cheese makes an appearance again from my love of food,” Peleschak said with a laugh.

Frasch will also attend Penn State main campus to major in biology.

The visit ended in the kindergarten wing before they left the building to return to graduation practice.

HARRISBURG — Children with serious medical conditions will have first access to legal medical marijuana in Pennsylvania, possibly as soon as next month, state Health Secretary Karen Murphy said Wednesday.

Murphy, R.N., Ph.D., a Scranton native, outlined the department’s plans to write temporary regulations so those children under the age of 18 and their caregivers can obtain medical marijuana in other states where it’s legal while Pennsylvania’s new medical marijuana law is fully implemented.

The regulations to be issued in July will spell out how they can obtain ID cards so they can purchase marijuana from dispensaries in other states and not run afoul of current Pennsylvania law.

The aim is to bring relief as quickly as possible to children suffering from such conditions as epilepsy and seizures, Murphy said at a press briefing.

“Their day-to-day life is severely challenged,” she said.

The medical marijuana law enacted in April after a half-dozen years of legislative debate allows use for patients certified by a doctor with a range of conditions, including cancer, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, autism, Huntington’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder and spinal cord damages.

The law has numerous provisions to control and regulate medical marijuana from the growing stage to its legal use as an oil, pill or liquid.

The regulation involving younger patients and out-of-state access is just one of a set of regulations being developed during the next 18 months to two years. Meanwhile, the department plans to hire a medical marijuana program director by July in addition to filling other positions.

“What we are doing is implementing a new industry in Pennsylvania,” Murphy said. “We want to be sure this is a patient-centered program. It is a very complex process.”

She described it as comparable to licensing slots casinos a decade ago.

Another priority is writing temporary regulations so medical marijuana growers and processors can obtain licenses and start to produce products.

Murphy plans monthly briefings on the law’s implementation.

ELIZABETHVILLE — Barbara Minchhoff believed Wednesday’s Upper Dauphin Area High School graduation called for a “baton moment.”

Minchhoff, a retired UDA social studies teacher, served as the distinguished guest speaker during the 51st annual commencement held at the UDA Athletic Field. She explained when she wanted to capture students’ attention while teaching, she would bring out her baton.

“Please realize your worth,” she said, as she twirled, encouraging graduates to remember the kind voices, not the critical, and to recognize the worthiness of others. “A calling defined by your gifts is something you discover, not what you choose.”

The ceremony before 98 graduated frequently highlighted the rural school community, the perseverance of the farmer and how graduates should work hard to move forward.

Minchhoff drew laughs when discussing her own strengths and weaknesses. She recalled substituting for an agriculture class when the lesson was on tractor maintenance and 10-hour and 100-hour grease jobs.

“I was thinking if it took a farmer 100 hours, when would a farmer ever get anything done?” she asked.

It was 100 hours after usage, not the length of time to complete the greasing, she said.

“We all have limitations, but please recognize your gifts,” she said.

Nathaniel Campbell and Travis Deitrich shared the co-valedictorian title and addressed their fellow graduates.

Campbell crafted his words of advice for life, based on the ideals of farming, he said. They include hard work, navigating unpredictable circumstances and using your skills to help others.

An important aspect of running a successful farm, he said, is to work hard.

“If we want to get something out of life, we have to put something into it,” he said.

Just as a farmer faces drought conditions, after working diligently, so it goes in life.

“Life is not always going to be easy. There’s no reason to let the unpredictable times bring us down,” Campbell said.

Campbell, 17, a son of Lori and Glen Campbell, Elizabethville, will study Agricultural Engineering at Penn State Harrisburg.

Deitrich spoke of the class’s perseverance in the classroom, and of its dedication to academics, athletics and to the nation for those headed into the military. He thanked the district’s teachers, administration, school board, family and friends for their support.

“Take that match and light that fuse,” Deitrich said, referencing a quote from former New York Mayor Ed Koch, who said, “The fireworks begin today.”

Deitrich, 18, a son of Pam and Brad Deitrich, Elizabethville, will begin studies at Harrisburg Area Community College and transfer to Penn State, studying math sciences. He hopes to become an actuary.

School Board President David A. Barder and Superintendent Evan P. Williams offered congratulatory remarks. Williams warned against dwelling in the past.

“Memory lane is only a pleasant place to visit,” he said. “In life, drive on ... become someone new every day, a new person, better than before.”

Trojan Stadium was filled with family and well-wishers. Erique Klinger, Elizabethville, came to watch her daughter, Grace P. Klinger, receive her diploma. Grace had already served a year and a half in the National Guard, her mother said. She’ll attend Penn State Hazleton to pursue a corporate communications degree and play softball.

MAR LIN — When addressing the 2016 graduates at Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29 on Wednesday morning, the principal told them to reach for the stars.

“We wish all the graduates all of the best in their futures. Our hopes for you are that you strive to achieve all of your dreams and are happy in all you do. Good luck in all you do and always remember the only limits you have in life are those you allow others to place upon you,” Paula Hromyak, principal at the Maple Avenue Campus, said before more than 150 people at the ceremony at the school’s gymnasium.

Participating were five of the nine graduates: Kendra Hamilton, Minersville Area; Rebecca Hossler, Minersville Area; Damien Layton, Shenandoah Valley; Joseph Miklesavage, Pottsville Area; and Tytwan Sherman, Pottsville Area.

The other four will be participating in commencement exercises at their home school districts: Damian Lutz, Tamaqua Area; Joshua Maurer, Williams Valley; Cody Morris, Pottsville Area, and Darian Wise, Pottsville Area, according to Debra Arnold, IU 29 director of special education.

“The students standing before you have made us laugh, cry, smile and celebrate. They have all made great strides and have become well-rounded individuals. The graduates have become part of our family over the years and we are proud to have the honor to have been part of their lives,” Hromyak said.

Speakers included a group of educators: Natalie Stramara, life skills support teacher; Keith Mentzer, emotional support teacher; Gerald Stock, multiple disabilities support teacher; and Rochelle Angelo, physical support teacher.

Stramara said Hamilton was in her class.

“One of the many joys of teaching at the Maple Avenue Campus is that I have my students for several years in a row. This provides the opportunity to really get to know and appreciate each of the individuals who come into my room each day,” Stramara said.

“Yesterday I asked Kendra how long we’ve been together. She couldn’t quite remember. So I rummaged through my desk, and I discovered that Kendra first came to my classroom in the fall of 2011. And here are some of the wonderful things I learned about Kendra in the past year. First, she is a loyal and true friend. Friends she made as a young teenage girl are the young women that she is friends with today. She loves animals, especially her bunnies. And Kendra is quick to see the humor in situations and quick with a witty comment,” Stramara said.

Mentzer said Miklesavage was one of his students.

“I’ve also been around this building long enough to know Kendra, Tytwan, Rebecca and Damien. And it’s certainly been a pleasure to see all these young people mature, grow and come out of their shells,” Mentzer said.

Layton, the class president, gave a short speech: “On behalf of all the seniors graduating, I’d like to thank everyone who has touched our lives at one time or another. We will cherish the days we had together at the Maple Avenue Campus. The work-mentor program and the holiday games in the gym are among some of the many memories that we will take with us. The Class of 2016 appreciates all the help and support. The skills we have learned will be useful as we become part of our community here in Schuylkill County or wherever life may take us.”

2 children hit

by car in Tamaqua

TAMAQUA —Tamaqua police reportedly are investigating an incident in which two children were struck by a vehicle late Wednesday morning.

According to the Citizens Fire Co. No. 1 Tamaqua Facebook page, first responders set up a landing zone at Tamaqua Middle School about 10:50 a.m. after two helicopters were requested by emergency medical services for the victims.

According to two people in the area of Railroad Street at the time, two girls were hit by a vehicle on the road about 10:40 a.m. near the Five Points intersection.

Tamaqua police haven’t released information on the incident.

Pottsville man

arrested for theft

A city man was jailed after being arrested by Pottsville police after officers were called about 10:10 a.m. Saturday to 430 Harrison St. for a theft report.

Police said a Pottsville man reported someone stole a pressure washer from his property and after reviewing security camera footage, he learned that about 9:15 p.m. Friday a white man wearing long pants, a tank top shirt and a bandana and sunglasses walked up his front steps, into a breezeway along the east side of his home and stole the Max 1700 psi pressure washer.

The man then fled the area east on Harrison Street, the resident reported.

On reviewing the security tapes, police said, they determined the man responsible was Michael J. Spirko, 43.

About 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, police said, they located Spirko in the 400 block of North Centre Street, took him into custody and a subsequent interviewed resulted in the stolen machine being recovered.

Spirko was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge James K. Reiley, Pottsville, on charges of theft, receiving stolen property, criminal trespass and loitering and prowling at night.

He was then committed to Schuylkill County Prison unable to post $10,000 straight cash bail, police said.

No injuries in

ambulance fire

ANNVILLE — A Pine Grove Area Community Ambulance vehicle was destroyed Tuesday after it caught fire while transporting a patient through Lebanon County.

The fire was discovered about 1 p.m. as the ambulance was being driven south on Interstate 81, between the Annville Exit and junction with Interstate 78.

The driver of the ambulance, an emergency medical technician in the back along with a woman they were taking to Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center all escaped injury.

The driver was traveling south when smoke apparently began to appear inside the vehicle prompting him to pull off to the side of the road and exit the vehicle along with the attendant with both then removing the patient from the back.

Shortly after, the vehicle burst into flames and was destroyed.

2 escape injuries

in Dumpster crash

WICONISCO — The driver of a car escaped injury after his vehicle hit a Dumpster in this Dauphin County community recently.

State police at Lykens said Allen T. Hand, 16, of Wiconisco, was driving a 2008 Pontiac G6 and hit a Dumpster on the side of the road at 8:56 p.m. Monday on Center Street 180 feet east of Stone Street.

Neither Hand or his passenger, Ryan L. Hand, 21, were injured, police said. Both were wearing seatbelts.

The vehicle was towed from the scene. Allen Hand was cited for failure to obey traffic control devices.

Man hits fence,

flees from scene

WILLIAMSTOWN — A man escaped injury after driving too fast and hitting a fence with his vehicle and leaving the scene, state police at Lykens said.

The accident took place at 12:03 a.m. May 15 at Orange Street near Umholtz Street in Williams Township, Dauphin County, as Anthony E. Keppol, 35, of Williamstown, was driving a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 around a left curve, police said. He was going too fast and drove off the roadway and struck a fence with the right front of the truck, police said.

He fled the scene north on South Orange Street.

He was charged with driving a vehicle at a safe speed.

Police: Bicycle

found, turned in

ENGLEWOOD — A bicycle was turned into the Butler Township police after it was found in shrubs along a house.

A full size mountain bike, a description not provided, was turned into the department Tuesday after it was found in shrubs at a home in the Englewood section of Frackville.

Contact the Butler Township Police at 570-875-4131 if you have any information on the bicycle or to claim it.

SAINT CLAIR — Reading Anthracite Co. did not submit required plans to state or county agencies before timbering a hillside in Saint Clair a few weeks ago, Colleen Connolly, the community relations coordinator for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said Wednesday.

“It has not been determined yet if Reading Anthracite violated any law or regulation. At this time, they did not have an erosion and sediment control plan available on site and must produce one. They also have to work to stabilize the embankment where they are working,” Connolly said.

Reading Anthracite has until Friday to respond to such requests which resulted from an investigation being conducted by DEP and the Schuylkill Conservation District. The company also has to tell them why the trees were cut down in the first place, Connolly said.

“Reading has to get us, DEP and the SCCD, that information by June 3rd. If the violations are not corrected then they would be in violation of the Clean Streams Act and the Chapter 102 regulations regarding erosion and sediment control. The department and SCCD still have not determined if Reading will face and civil penalties for the unauthorized work,” Connolly said.

Contacted for comment on Wednesday, Deborah A. Fehr, executive secretary at Reading Anthracite Co., 200 Mahantongo St., Pottsville, referred all questions on the matter to Brian R. Rich, president of Reading Anthracite. Rich did not return a call and an email for comment Wednesday.

Hearing concerns from officials in Saint Clair borough and New Castle Township about the “Reading Anthracite Timber Harvest” along Route 61 near Coal Creek Commerce Center, the Schuylkill County Conservation District started an investigation on May 11.

“The Schuylkill Conservation District is leading the investigation, as they are the DEP’s delegatory agency on matters that affect streams or creeks,” Connolly said.

Two conservation program technicians from the Schuylkill Conservation District, Pottsville, Christy Zulli and Stephanie M. Lubinsky, conducted an on-site investigation on May 16 and submitted a report to DEP on May 18.

“An inspection was conducted in response to complaints of trees being cut down without erosion controls. The SCD contacted Reading Anthracite to request a site meeting, inquire about the project and to discuss access to the site,” according to the report.

They made four observations:

• “It appears the timber operation has ceased. No workers, timber, tree tops, equipment, etc. were seen at the site.”

• “It appears that the existing Pottsville Materials quarry roads were used by timber equipment to access the site. A skidder was observed on an existing quarry road.”

• “An area, approx. 1.5 acres, has been disturbed by its use as a landing/staging area. Wood chips and large equipment tracks were observed in this area above the timber harvest site.”

• “The disturbed landing has not been stabilized (temporarily or permanently) with a Best Management Practice.”

They also noted that certain permits were not filed:

• “Failure to have an E&S Plan available on site.”

• “Failure to implement effective E&S Best Management Practices.”

• “Failure to provide temporary stabilization of the earth disturbance site.”

• “Inspection of this project has revealed site conditions which constitute violations of 25 Pa. Code Chapters 92a and/or 102 and the Clean Streams law, the act of June 22, 1937, P.L. 1987, 35 P.S.”

Before concluding the investigation and recording violations, DEP and SCD requested the following information from Reading Anthracite by Friday:

• A copy of the Erosion & Sediment Control Plan for the Schuylkill Conservation District. “A written E&S Plan is required to be developed and kept on site for activities disturbing 5,000 square feet or more,” according to the report.

• “If this project is a phase of proposed land development plan, please contact SCD to schedule a meeting.”

• “If this project is a phase of a mining activity, please notify the SCD and the DEP District Mining Office.”

• “Implement E&S Control BMPs to minimize the potential for accelerated erosion and sedimentation.”

• “Stabilize disturbed areas to minimize the potential for accelerated erosion and sediment pollution.”

• “Please submit a written response to the SCD indicating how the above items will be addressed.”

Failure to take corrective actions to resolve the violations can result in administrative, civil and/or criminal penalties instituted by the state, as defined in Section 602 of the Clean Streams Law of Pennsylvania.

“The Clean Streams Law provides for up to $10,000 per day in civil penalties, up to $10,000 in summary criminal penalties and up to $25,000 in misdemeanor criminal penalties for each violation,” according to the report.

The Schuylkill County commissioners bid farewell Wednesday to county administrator Mark Scarbinsky, who is retiring at the end of the week.

Scarbinsky, 67, of Saint Clair, has been county administrator since August 2009. He has been with the county for 17 years, 11 of which were as director of economic development. He thanked the county for the opportunity at his last commissioners’ meeting Wednesday.

“It has been a real challenge, but also a learning experience,” Scarbinsky said. “I can truthfully say that I am working with true professionals. You have a good group management in this community that I am really enthralled about. There is no doubt that Schuylkill County can match up with any community in the state.”

Scarbinsky said the board needs to continue to keep an open line of communication with the row offices and maintain the working relationship.

“You are the glue that has kept everything together,” commissioners Chairman George F. Halcovage Jr. said. “The county administrator position is such an important position and I think the county has been well served and was in really capable hands with that you brought. Not only do you bring the expertise, but you also have the passion. You are one of those people that really care about the community.”

Halcovage said Scarbinsky provided the board with the information to make educated decisions.

Commissioner Frank J. Staudenmeier said he has worked with Scarbinsky at the county for 14 years. He said their relationship actually goes back about 25 years to when he was working at PPL and Scarbinsky was at Schuylkill Economic Development Corporation.

“Mark and I probably go back about 25 to 30 years and I consider him more than a fellow employee,” Staudenmeier said. “I consider him a friend. You know Mark, I wish you nothing but the best.”

Commissioner Gary J. Hess thanked Scarbinsky for his guidance when he joined the board in 2012.

“Coming in here, it was nice to have someone that could help lead us through the process and lay things out on the table,” Hess said. “... Thank you for leading this county through some difficult decisions we had in the last number of years. With your help, it was in the best interest of everyone in the county.”

Paul Buber, county finance director, said he has worked at the county for nearly 30 years and there were about 12 different administrators over that time.

“There is only one or two in my opinion that really rose to the top and really just stand out and Mark was one of those,” Buber said. “He brought a lot to the table and did a lot of nice things, not only from an operations standpoint but from a finance perspective as well. I was so glad to have Mark to lean on when I found myself in a difficult situation. His advice was invaluable and of course I am going to miss him.”

County Controller Christy Joy, Treasurer Linda Marchalk, Human Resources Director Martina Chwastiak and Assistant County Solicitor Glenn Roth also thanked Scarbinsky for his work as administrator.

“It’s not about me, it’s about the team — everyone sitting at the table and the team I have worked with,” Scarbinsky said. “I could not have accomplished what I accomplished without their support. I do appreciate everybody.”

Halcovage said the county is still interviewing candidates to replace Scarbinsky as county administrator.

In other news, the county recently shipped inmates to the Columbia County Prison, Bloomsburg. Halcovage, who also serves as prison board chairman, said there were 221 inmates at the prison Tuesday. The board approved the agreement last week at a rate of $60 a day per inmate.

The county also has housing agreements with George W. Hill Correctional Facility, Thornton and Centre County Correctional Facility, Bellefonte, and are negotiating a similar contract with the Berks County Prison.

The commissioners also approved the final invoice for the new Children & Youth building at 324 N. Centre St. A $60,200 invoice came from WJP Engineers, Pottsville, which designed the building. That brings the entire cost of the project, including the building purchase and renovations, to $3.1 million, Buber said.

Meanwhile, the contents of the building came from the Children & Youth departmental budget and cost about $400,000, Buber said. The county also received a $500,000 state grant that will come in the form of reimbursements.

The county acquired the building in January 2012. Renovations wrapped up in January of this year and employees started to move in from across the street in February. A dedication ceremony was held March 30.

Frackville police are reminding motorists there will be traffic restrictions in the borough this weekend due to the scheduled Frackville Downtown Revitalization Car Show.

The show will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday with a rain date set for Sunday.

Police said there will be no parking in the unit block of North Lehigh Avenue and also in the unit block of South Lehigh Avenue.

All through traffic will be diverted according to a detour route that will be posted until the conclusion of the event, police said.

Date incorrect

The Tri-Valley Community Pool, 306 S. Good Spring Road, Hegins, will open for the regular season at noon Friday with free admission. The day was incorrect in Wednesday’s edition.

Names incorrect

Ed Honicker, an Air Force veteran, was on the left; and Ralph Falls, a Navy veteran, was on the right in a photo of the Memorial Day service at Garfield Square in Pottsville in Tuesday’s edition. The names were switched in the caption.

Deeds

Cass Township — Helen Melusky to Bradley J. Hall; 135 Schaeffer Hill Road, Duncott; $37,000.

Mahanoy City — Barbara M. Derstine to Carole E. Alexander; 535 E. Pine St.; $3,000.

Nancy Vukaj, Hazir Vukaj and Gezim Vukaj to Werlyn and Mildred Santana-Mejia; 625 E. Mahanoy Ave.; $4,000.

Nancy Vukaj, Hazir Vukaj and Gezim Vukaj to Werlyn and Mildred Santana-Mejia; 627 E. Mahanoy Ave.; $4,000.

Nancy Vukaj, Hazir Vukaj and Gezim Vukaj to Guillermo Ramirez; 537 E. Mahanoy Ave.; $20,000.

Nancy Vukaj, Hazir Vukaj and Gezim Vukaj to Guillermo Ramirez; 539 E. Mahanoy Ave.; $25,000.

McAdoo — Estate of Rose M. Yanetti to PA Property LLC; 14-16 N. Manning St.; $30,000.

North Manheim Township — Rodney L. and Laurie D. Everett to Gordon Land Corp.; 0.645-acre property on Township Road T-694; $110,000.

Port Carbon — Joseph Reppert to Chokan Investment Group LLC; 129 Pike St.; $8,000.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs to Brian K. and Jade M. Moyer and Kenneth R. Moyer; 112 North St.; $23,500.

Pottsville — Federal National Mortgage Association to Ann L. and James R. Coulson; 1611 Elk Ave.; $56,000.

Schuylkill Haven — Joseph G. Groody, sheriff of Schuylkill County, to Carrington Mortgage Services LLC; 14 Parkway; $1,266.51.

Schuylkill Township — Mary Jo Burke-Kelly to Door to Door Properties LLC; property at Catawissa and Port Carbon streets, Tuscarora; $18,000.

South Manheim Township — Joseph G. Groody, sheriff of Schuylkill County, to Bank of America NA; 798 Cherokee Drive, Lake Wynonah; $151,101.

Tamaqua — Wisam Abazly to Wisam Abazly and Susan A. Abazly; 136 Schuylkill Ave.; $1.

Edward W. Miller to M. Holly Cadwallader; property on Spruce Street; $53,200.

Tremont — Anna E. Esten, executrix of the Estate of Harry C. Donmoyer, to Bary R. and Sharon Y. Spittler; 102 Spring St.; $15,000.

Washington Township — Blackstone Funding LLC and LJE LLC to Dennis and Patti White; 133 Covered Bridge Road, Rock; $105,000.