SILVER CREEK — The front entrance to the future Blythe Recycling And Demolition Site along Burma Road in Blythe Township is complete, the Blythe Township Solid Waste Authority said Monday.

Fidler Brothers Construction Co., Pottsville, was the primary contractor on the job, which cost “around $130,000,” David A. Ventresca, Pottsville, a member of the private entity FKV LLC, said at an authority meeting Monday afternoon at the headquarters of the Blythe Township Water Authority.

FKV LLC and the township have been working for more than a decade to develop the construction demolition landfill, while the Borough of Saint Clair has been fighting the proposal in the courts. In June, the state Environmental Hearing Board dismissed the borough’s appeal. And this inspired the township to move full-steam ahead.

On July 6, the board of supervisors of Blythe Township adopted an ordinance to organize the solid waste authority. On Sept. 7, the authority and the township supervisors agreed to borrow $30 million to build the landfill. And on Monday, the authority held its first regular monthly meeting.

These meetings will now be held the first Monday of every month at 4:30 p.m. at the water authority building at 375 Valley St., New Philadelphia, according to James E. Zembas, New Philadelphia, a member of the township supervisors and chairman of the township solid waste authority.

“According to our by-laws, we have to have a monthly meeting,” Zembas said.

The authority will have a special meeting 4:30 p.m. Nov. 14 at the water authority building to open bids related to the development of the landfill.

According to a legal notice published in the Oct. 13 edition of the newspaper, the bids are for “bulk excavation and fill, including installation of a 42-inch diameter pipe.”

The solid waste authority hosted a site visit with 16 potential bidders on Oct. 17.

“It was a mandatory bid walk-around. If you attended that day, you were eligible to bid. So, we anticipate that we’ll have 16 bids next week,” Ventresca said.

Present at Monday’s meeting were Zembas; Albert J. Lubinsky Sr., Cumbola, chairman of the township supervisors and vice chairman of the authority; Keith Rokosky, Cumbola, the township auditor and a member of the authority; and Edward Stillwagner, Cumbola, a member of the authority.

Absent was Adam J. Nothstein, Kaska, a member of the township supervisors and a member of the solid waste authority.

Michael J. Setlock Jr. must remain behind state prison bars for stealing a pickup truck belonging to a Pottsville business, a three-judge state Superior Court panel ruled Monday.

In an 11-page opinion, the panel decided that prosecutors presented enough evidence to prove Setlock, 43, of Pottsville, was guilty of theft and receiving stolen property.

“The trial court did not abuse its discretion in rejecting (Setlock’s) claim that the verdict was against the weight of the evidence,” Judge Jack A. Panella wrote in the panel’s opinion.

As a result, Setlock will remain at State Correctional Institution/Chester in Delaware County, where he is serving one to three years.

At the end of a one-day trial, a Schuylkill County jury convicted Setlock on Oct. 26, 2015, of theft and receiving stolen property. Schuylkill County Judge Jacqueline L. Russell, who presided over the trial, sentenced him on Dec. 14, 2015, to serve 1 1/2 to three years in a state correctional institution, pay costs, $50 to the Criminal Justice Enhancement Account and $1,272 restitution, and submit a DNA sample to law enforcement authorities.

Pottsville police charged that on June 2, 2014, Setlock stole a 2001 Ford F-250 pickup truck belonging to Fanelli Trucking & Warehousing.

In Monday’s opinion, Panella wrote that the jury hearing Setlock’s case believed the testimony of Anne Marie Reedy, who was with the defendant at the crime scene. Setlock offered no conclusive evidence that Reedy’s testimony could not be believed, so the panel cannot overturn the jury’s determination of credibility, according to Panella.

Panella also rejected Setlock’s contention that Russell erred in not giving an instruction that Reedy’s testimony might have been affected by her being an accomplice. However, there was no evidence that she was an accomplice, and, therefore, no justification for such an instruction to the jury, Panella wrote.

“The record evidence does not indicate that Reedy possessed the intent to commit either crime warranting an accomplice jury instruction,” Panella wrote. “Reedy was merely present while the crimes occurred as a passenger in the truck.”

President Judge Susan Peikes Gantman and Judge Patricia H. Jenkins, the other panel members, joined in Panella’s opinion.

FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — The service and sacrifices of local veterans were recognized and honored Monday with a special Veterans Day program at North Schuylkill High School.

The annual program was held in the auditorium, which was filled to capacity with students from grades seven through 12. They listened to veterans tell of their military service and how important it is for people not to forget or take for granted what millions of men and women have done in preserving freedom.

Members of American Legion Bernard J. Dolan Post 434 and Veterans of Foreign Wars O’Donnell-Martin-Baldino Post 7654, both of Ashland, and American Legion Post 398, Frackville, attended the program. The veterans represented service in war and peace and included two World War II veterans: Stanley Pogash, Ashland, and John L. “Jack” Stitzer, Gordon.

With huge patriotic backdrops as the stage set, Secondary Principal Kenneth O. Roseberry welcomed the students and faculty, and invited the veterans to parade to the stage as the North Schuylkill High School Band played the national anthem.

In addition to Pogash and Stitzer, other veterans on stage were Wilmer Quick, Daniel Weikel, Harry Hause, Frank Rice, William Kripplebauer, Timothy Hahn, Charles Hughes, Edward Kane, Francis Kehler, Ronald Wallace, Francis O’Connell, Fred Klock and Thomas Dando.

Roseberry turned over the program to North Schuylkill Newscast anchors Jordan Donmoyer and Gabbi Reinoehl, who guided the presentations and introduced reporters providing pre-recorded interviews of some of the veterans on stage. They also individually introduced the veterans on stage, who each came to the podium to speak briefly of their military service in their branch and the time they were in uniform.

Dando was the last veteran to introduce himself and spoke briefly, thanking the school for the program and honoring the veterans seated behind him.

“No matter how many years ago we served, when we come to a program like this, we feel honored and blessed to have served our country,” Dando said. “Just as some of you are sitting here today, some of you will be sitting up here with these veterans. We can’t thank you enough. Our gratitude is such that we feel so proud to be here, and because Veterans Day is around the corner, it makes us doubly proud to be an American veteran.”

The program included a series of short interviews with some of the veterans, with Rachael Cataldo questioning the veterans. Reporter Taylor Klementovich spoke with senior Gene Fortig, who will be entering military service after graduation. Also interviewed were Marine Corp PFC Trent Kaufman, a 2015 graduate.

The class presidents of senior through freshman classes — Robert Flannery, Michael Russell, Ari Wolfe and Alexa Prosick, respectively — each came to the podium and had their classmates stand and applaud the veterans.

Since the seventh and eighth grades do not have class officers, high school English teacher Sean Smith came to the podium to ask those students to stand and applaud the veterans. Smith spoke about other types of assemblies that are held during a school year where speakers give information, advice and other things to those who listen to their words. He said in the case of Monday’s program, the situation is different.

“Today is different. I see the good people on the stage and I think about what they have already given us, and it is immeasurable,” Smith said, who has a degree in journalism and teaches a journalism course. “They’re not here for us. We’re here because of them. The men on the stage have exceeded any expectation we could possibly imagine by putting their lives on the line for the greater good and look for nothing in return. They did it because it was the right thing to do, and that type of integrity needs to be recognized more often. We should be asking ourselves how we can repay these brave individuals for what they have done for us. The answer is simple — it’s remembrance and it’s respect. It’s pride in our country and the men and women who defend it. We should try to be more like them by living our lives in line with their values.”

When the program ended, the veterans walked off the stage to music from the high school band. As they paraded through the auditorium, the entire student body stood and gave them a round of applause. The veterans went outside the auditorium to be greeted and thanked by the students as they left to return to classes.

After the program, Roseberry said the newscast idea used last year and this year has made the event even more special.

“It’s awesome. It gives us a vehicle,” Roseberry said of the newscast idea, which is guided by Smith as the adviser. “Now that we have it operational, we can turn things over like this to him (Smith), and he has the people, the technology, the know-how and the kids to go out and do all this stuff. I gave him the skeleton and he went and ran with it.”

Smith said having the students be part of the planning and execution of the newscast gives a perspective that makes it interesting to the students in general.

“It’s a real nice mix that works well,” Smith said.

TAMAQUA — What can a dozen people in a room talking for two hours accomplish to improve their community?

They can pick a direction.

On Thursday, members of the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership held the third in a series of meetings aimed at improving life in the community.

Chaired by Joe Krushinsky, the session at the Scheller Student Center at Lehigh Carbon Community College was meant to answer the questions of communication, creating a sense of working together and getting people involved in the community.

The direction chosen: The group would work on a single project to show the rest of the community what they were trying to accomplish.

That agreed-upon project is the Spirit of Christmas event scheduled for Nov. 30.

Getting people involved is one goal the group wants to achieve.

Leona Rega, of the Tamaqua Area Community Center, said the group has to create positive energy to get people behind the effort.

“Tamaqua has a lot more to offer than what people think,” Rega said. “There is the beauty around us, the education and the improved streetscapes. People don’t take the time to look at the community and build it up because they are too busy tearing it down. We have a challenge before us to push the momentum.”

Krushinsky said the most successful community events happen “when you ask people to do a specific thing.”

He noted that communication is achieved on several levels, depending upon the age group. Young people use computers and the internet, while older people still read their newspaper — so all avenues have to be used.

The consensus opinion was that the best communication technique is face-to-face, one-on-one communication.

“People live in a small community because they like to have interaction with other people,” Ed Noftz, pastor of New Life Assembly of God Church, said.

Another technique the group plans to employ is kindness.

“We are extremely kind to people who come into the arts center,” she said. “We want people to feel they are the most important people in the world. And we always make sure if somebody experiences something they hadn’t before that they know they didn’t have to go to a city for it.”

Getting young people involved so they feel they have a stake in the community is important, she added.

“We need to get the young people now,” Rega said. “We have to get them excited and involved in the community so they stay here.”

Getting them involved is up to the adults, the group agreed. Suggestions were made to engage young people at the high school level via honor societies and other similar organizations.

Aside from getting involved with the Spirit of Christmas event, the group decided to digest what had been discussed at the session before deciding on any other course of action.

Jane E. Schreiner, whom prosecutors allege killed her husband in August in their Kline Township home, asked a Schuylkill County judge on Monday to dismiss both murder charges against her.

“That’s the heart of everything,” Schreiner’s lawyer, Joseph P. Nahas Jr., Frackville, told Judge Cyrus Palmer Dolbin in requesting that he rule prosecutors have not presented sufficient evidence — a prima facie case — to support charges of first- and third-degree murder against his client.

Dolbin did not immediately rule on Nahas’ request, instead ordering him and First Assistant District Attorney John T. Fegley to present legal briefs outlining their positions, and supporting authority, by Nov. 18.

“We’ll take the matter under advisement,” Dolbin said.

State police at Schuylkill Haven have charged Schreiner, 70, of McAdoo, Kline Township, with shooting her husband, Kenneth S. Schreiner, with a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver about 3 p.m. Aug. 4 in their 101 Hillside Road home.

She faces charges of first-degree murder, third-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, unlawful possession of a weapon and recklessly endangering another person. She faces a life sentence, which in Pennsylvania carries no chance of parole, if she is convicted of first-degree murder; prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty against her.

Jane Schreiner, who wore handcuffs and a prison jumpsuit during Monday’s hearing, is being held in Schuylkill County prison without bail. Dolbin rejected Nahas’ request that he set bail for her, or at least allow her to be released on house arrest with electronic monitoring, pending further court proceedings.

Nahas is not seeking dismissal of any charges except the two murder ones against Jane Schreiner at this time.

Neither Fegley nor Nahas introduced any additional evidence at Monday’s 10-minute hearing. Fegley said he is relying on the evidence, including a compact disc of an interview with the defendant, presented at the Sept. 14 preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Stephen J. Bayer, Tamaqua.

“Beyond that, will you be submitting any testimony?” Dolbin asked Fegley.

“No, Your Honor,” Fegley told Dolbin.

Fegley declined to comment after the hearing on any aspect of the case.

Nahas said the evidence presented by prosecutors contradicted their assertion that his client killed her husband with malice, a necessary part of the proof of first- or third-degree murder.

“Even the state police said ‘We believe she was honest’,” Nahas said of his client.

He also said he will reapply for bail if Dolbin dismisses the charge of first-degree murder, adding that Jane Schreiner should be out of prison on bail before trial.

“She has no criminal history ... no history of violence ... certainly not a flight risk,” he said.

Name: Jane E. Schreiner

Age: 70

Residence: McAdoo, Kline Township

Charges: First-degree murder, third-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, unlawful possession of a weapon and recklessly endangering another person

Geisinger Medical Center, Danville

To Keith Huth and Danielle Worthington, Minersville, a son, Oct. 27.

Evangelical Community Hospital

To David Bohanick and Erica Mulberger, Selinsgrove, a son, Oct. 28. Grandparents are Wanda Spieles, Ashland, Shelly Marberger and Lonny Horne, Trout Run, and the late David A. Bohanick.

Editors Note: This story was published before all election results were reported.

Schuylkill County voters showed overwhelming support for Donald Trump on Tuesday.

The Republican presidential nominee won all 125 precincts in Schuylkill County, according to the unofficial results Tuesday night. He received 43,937 votes in the county compared to 16,724 for Clinton.

“I think the people of Schuylkill County were ready for a leader who has a strong business background and is an outsider,” Brock Stein, who was recently selected county GOP chairman Saturday, said. “The people of Schuylkill County were indicative of the country. Voter enthusiasm was unprecedented in recent history.”

Trump even inspired some county residents to vote for the first time Tuesday or switch political parties before the election.

“Trump all the way!” Carlene Viars, Orwigsburg, said before entering the polls at borough hall Tuesday.

It was the first time the 53-year-old has ever voted.

“I think he is going to change things,” Viars said.

Originally a registered Democrat coming out of high school, Dan Harley, Wayne Township, said he switched to Republican prior to the election. Harley said he supported Trump more than the previous candidates that had his vote.

“It’s been a while since I liked my choice,” Harley said. “It’s not that I changed, but I think the party has changed.”

He said that while it is good to know all the controversies and scandals surrounding both presidential candidates, they have overshadowed some more important issues. Harley said he supports Trump’s stances on immigration, the Affordable Care Act and restructuring the tax code.

“It is something unlike anything I’ve ever seen in an election,” Mary Beth Dougherty, state Republican committee member, said about voter turnout. “Without a doubt it is because of Trump. I think people are so fed up with what is being done in this country and the average working person is sick of getting the short end of the stick. I think this was a movement against that.”

Nick and Judy Shestok also showed up at borough hall to cast their votes for Trump.

“Because we are tired of what the Democrats are doing and we like what he plans to do,” Judy said.

Nick said abortion was a major issue that factored into how they voted and that Clinton can not be trusted.

“The woman should be in jail because she put our national security in jeopardy,” Nick said.

Outside the Schuylkill Haven Neighborhood and Senior Citizens Center, Tara Williams said she voted for Trump “because I agree with his views and positions more than Hillary.” She said that many people in the area agree with Trump on the issues that are important to them, like taxes and gun control.

Shirley Lengel and her son, Jeff Bromwell, both came out to vote for Trump.

Lengel said that she was originally going to vote for Clinton and then wasn’t sure if she even wanted to vote at all.

“I just hope I am doing the right thing,” Lengel said. “I don’t like the way Trump talks, so I hope he cleans his act up.”

“If he can get the things done that he said he would, then I think it is good for the country,” she said.

Bromwell said that he was not a fan of Clinton.

“I just think we need a change,” he said.

Bromwell said he voted for President Barack Obama but does not believe he delivered on his promise of change.

“I proudly voted for Donald Trump,” Randall Blunk, Schuylkill Haven, said.

An Army veteran, Blunk said he stands with Trump’s plan to restrengthen the military, simplify taxes and make sure veterans are taken care of.

“I don’t think Hillary Clinton is trustworthy,” he said. “I think two FBI investigations speak loudly. It is time to get rid of the good old boys in Washington and time for a fresh start.”

In spite of a few glitches, Schuylkill County saw the largest voter turnout in a decade.

While voters reported troubles with the electronic voting machine, election officials said the problems were minor and did not affect the outcome of the election.

Earlier in the day, a post on the Skook GOP page on Facebook read: “We are getting reports that there are problems with voting machines in Schuylkill County. They are having difficulty accepting a straight Republican ballot. We are trying to get the problem addressed but, in the meantime, vote each office individually! Please pay attention to your ballot and make sure it is the way you want it before finalizing!”

When contacted about the problems, Frannie Brennan, director of the Schuylkill County Election Bureau, Pottsville, said the problem was not with the machines but with the way voters were using them. On the touchscreens, voters must hit the center of the squares featuring candidates’ names.

“We bought stylus pens for each precinct. When you vote with a stylus pen, it seems there’s no problem. You can vote with your finger, but you have to hit it right in the middle. And with our machines being so safe that you can’t cast the wrong ballot, there shouldn’t be a problem,” Brennan said Tuesday.

“There’s not a problem with the machines. I had complaints. I have no idea how many calls I got this morning. But I explained to them what to do and then it was fine. It was checked out by all my rovers and even a representative of the company, ES&S. They should hit the target right in the center or use the stylus instead of their fingers. And when you come to the end, it says ‘cast ballot.’ If you’re not happy with your ballot, go back and re-vote it. And it is the voter’s responsibility to cast the ballot. Not mine. Not yours,” Brennan said.

At the conclusion of vote counting, officials marked four machines to be double checked: two from Cressona, one from North Manheim and one from West Penn.

Of the county’s 87,952 registered voters, 63,805 cast ballots in Tuesday’s election, 72.55 percent. In 2012, when Democrat Barack Obama won a second term, defeating GOP challenger, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, 58,648 of the county’s 86,317 then-registered voters turned out to vote, 67.94 percent. In 2008, 62,000 cast ballots out of 94,178 voters, 66 percent. In the 2004 election, 71.87 percent turned out to vote.

The bureau sent out 3,377 absentee ballots of which 2,961 are included in Tuesday’s tally. The remaining 416 are from service members and will be counted when they arrive so long as they are post marked before Nov. 7.

The bureau has six provisional ballots to count.

All four members of Schuylkill County’s state legislative delegation won re-election Tuesday night, which should surprise no on in light of the fact that none of them had an opponent on the ballot.

To Gary Bender, Schuylkill County administrator who chaired the county Republican Party until this past weekend, the lack of opposition means all four legislators — state Sen. David G. Argall, R-29, and state Reps. Neal P. Goodman, D-123, Jerry Knowles, R-124, and Mike Tobash, R-125 — are serving their constituents.

“I think they’re all doing an outstanding job,” Bender said. “They’re mindful of the expenses people go through. They’re good stewards.”

With 93.87 percent of the votes counted statewide, the vote totals were as follows.

Argall, whose district includes all of Schuylkill and part of Berks County, received 64,898 votes.

Goodman, whose district is the only one of the four entirely in Schuylkill County, received 17,937 votes. There were 391 write-in votes.

Knowles, whose district includes parts of Berks and Carbon counties in addition to part of Schuylkill, received 16,838 votes.

Tobash, whose district includes part of Dauphin County in addition to part of Schuylkill, received 8,938 votes.

All totals are unofficial.

While not criticizing any of the local GOP legislators, Hugh A. Reiley, who chairs the county Democratic Party, attributed the lack of competition in local races to gerrymandering, the practice of drawing district lines to favor one party.

“The way the districts have been gerrymandered ... it’s a tough road,” Reiley said. “The registration edge is tough to overcome.”

Bender said gerrymandering is more of an issue in congressional races.

“I don’t think they’re as heavily gerrymandered as the federal (congressional districts),” Bender said, in referring to local legislative districts.

Reiley said his party tried to find viable candidates to challenge all three GOP incumbents but could not do so.

“The registration edge is tough to overcome,” he said. “We just play the hand that we’re dealt. It’s just our job.”

Deeds

North Manheim Township — Joseph Yulick, executor of the Estate of Bernice A. Baidokas, to Mark H. and Ashley M. Fuggiti; 2.5381-acre property on Schuylkill Mountain Road; $67,000.

Pine Grove Township — The Bank of New York Mellon to Fawn M. Jessman and Tyler B. Bishop; 426 Oak Grove Road; $99,000.

Port Carbon — Lance Reedy to John B. and Kathleen Reppert; 345 Coal St.; $79,900.

Porter Township — Jason R. and Anita T. Bordner to Jason R. Bordner; 14 Snyder Ave., Orwin; $1.

Pottsville — S.E. Jacobs LLC to Shelly Abell; 723 Laurel Blvd.; $7,500.

Rush Township — Lublin Realty LLC to Mauch Chunk Trust Co.; 226 Claremont Ave., Hometown; $492,857.

Jetta Lou P. Rice to Jack D. Rice; 42 E. Main St., Quakake; $1.

Doris E. Neifert to James J. Vallone; property in Barnesville; $15,000.

Debra K. Natitus, executrix of the Estate of Thomas J. Natitus, to Debra K. Natitus; 99 Crescent Drive, Lake Hauto; $1.

Shenandoah — Raquel Rieckehoff Rosario to Rieckehoff and Benjamin LLC; 19 E. Laurel St.; $1.

Tamaqua — James D. and Rita C. Hanson to Beth A. Schnell; 129 W. Rowe St.; $26,000.

Debra K. Natitus, executrix of the Estate of Thomas J. Natitus, to Debra K. Natitus; 443 Hazle St.; $1.

Editors Note: This story was published before all election results were reported.

Schuylkill County Democrats were holding out hope Tuesday that Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, would win in her effort to become the first woman president of the United States.

Clinton ran against Donald Trump, the Republican nominee. Clinton secured the nomination July 26 at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

“I’m still optimistic that she is going to win,” Liz Bettinger, 61, of Pottsville, said Tuesday, although she prepared herself for the possibility of Clinton losing.

She voted for Clinton on Tuesday because she believed the fate of the country was at stake in the election.

Members of the Democratic Party watched the General Election results at the Saint Clair Fish & Game Club, Saint Clair. The event was sponsored by Rep. Neal P. Goodman, R-123, and hosted by the Schuylkill County Democratic Party.

Helen McGeever, 89, of Pottsville, was excited about the potential for Clinton to be president.

“I think she will be wonderful. She’s a smart woman,” she said.

Gabrielle Benyak, 22, of Pottsville, thought a Clinton victory would help women.

“We won’t be underestimated,” she said.

She admitted she was feeling anxious about the possibility that Clinton might not win.

Marietta Dixon, 62, of North Manheim Township, also was looking forward to a Clinton win.

On awaiting the outcome, she said, “I will not go to sleep tonight.”

If Clinton did not win, Dixon said she would feel ill.

“I can’t imagine what our world will be like if Trump is president,” she said.

Hugh Reiley, chairman of the Schuylkill County Democratic Party, was still optimistic of a Clinton victory as of 11:22 p.m. Tuesday. Still, he could not believe how close the vote count was.

Anne Nelson, 81, of Pottsville, never thought she would get to see a woman in the highest office.

Nelson, a Democrat, went to the Schuylkill County Human Services Complex Building, Pottsville, to cast her vote for Clinton on Tuesday.

“I think she’d be a very good president. She’s done an awful lot of good for everybody too. She’d be terrific,” she said.

Her husband, Ken, 74, also voted for Clinton.

“I voted for her because she’s got the experience,” he said.

Linda Dawkins, Pottsville, cast her ballot for Clinton.

“I want her to break that glass ceiling,” she said.

She will not be able to watch the returns on TV because of an appointment today but was excited for the historic milestone.

“I didn’t think I’d get to see a black man be president,” she said of President Barack Obama.

She was not feeling well on Tuesday but came out to vote anyway.

“Too many people died for the right,” Dawkins said.

Carol Bigg, 70, of Pottsville, also came out to exercise her constitutional right to vote at the Terry Reiley Center, Pottsville.

“If I don’t vote, I won’t have a reason to complain,” she said.

Bigg looked forward to no longer seeing campaign ads and frequent campaign coverage that dominated the news.

“This has been a rough one. This has been very hard,” she said.

A chance to be part of history was something she could not resist in casting her vote for Clinton. Clinton’s experience was the primary reason Bigg voted for the former senator and secretary of state.

“She knows our problems, and I think she will work hard for the working person,” Bigg said.

“I’d be very excited to have a female. I always said a woman would probably do a better job,” she said, adding a woman might be more inclined to pursue a diplomatic solution among other reasons.

Isaac Harris, 66, of Pottsville, also voted for Clinton at the Terry Reiley Center.

He was thrilled about the prospect of a woman being president.

“I think it’s good. It think it’s great. Women have held offices all over the world,” he said.

Winnie Reed, 69, of Schuylkill Haven, made her voice known by voting for Clinton at the Schuylkill Haven High Rise, Schuylkill Haven.

“I was very undecided until I went in,” she said.

Asked how she finally decided on a candidate, Reed said reality set in and she was faced with the choice of Clinton or Trump. Experience was the reason she voted for Clinton.

n Frackville: First United Methodist Church, 25 S. Balliet St., will have a Thanksgiving community worship service at 4 p.m. Nov. 20, sponsored by the Frackville Ministerium churches. All are welcome. For more information, call 570-874-0792.

n Gordon: Christ’s United Lutheran Church, 437 Airport Road, will have a pork-and-sauerkraut dinner from 4 to 7 p.m. Nov. 19. The cost is $9 for adults, $4 for children and free for children under 6. Meals will also include mashed potatoes, applesauce, beverage and dessert. Hot dogs will be available to substitute for pork. WELCA will have a bake sale during the event. For more information, call 570-875-1591.

n Mahanoy City: The Mahanoy City Elks Lodge, 135 E. Centre St., will have a soup sale from 3 to 6 p.m. Nov. 17. Varieties of homemade soups include chicken noodle, vegetable, broccoli cheese, split pea, stuffed pepper and Italian wedding and chili. The cost is $6 per quart for soup and $7 per quart for chili. To order in advance, call 570-773-0467, 570-773-1837 or 570-773-3185. The lodge will also have a meat bingo from 7 to 10 p.m. Nov. 19. The cost is $1 per card. Doors will open at 7 p.m. and games will begin at 7:30 p.m. Food will be on sale during the games. For more information, call 570-573-2649.

n Pottsville: The Schuylkill County Historical Society will sponsor the 2016 holiday marketplace from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the society museum, 305 N. Centre St. Admission is free. The marketplace, according to a release, will feature arts and crafts from local and regional vendors. Visitors will also have the opportunity to see the museum and take advantage of discounted prices at the society gift shop. All are welcome. For more information, call 570-640-5414.

n Pottsville: The U.S. Postal Service, Central Pennsylvania district, has announced in a release that all post offices will be closed and there will be no residential deliveries — only deliveries of Priority Express Mail — on Friday in observance of Veterans Day. Mail from collections boxes will be retrieved in limited areas on the holiday. Stamps are available at most grocery, pharmacy and convenience stores, postal officials said in the release. For 24/7 access to most postal products and services, visit www.usps.com. Regular post office hours and deliveries will resume on Saturday. For more information, call 716-846-2375.

n Ringtown: The Ringtown Area Library has a few seats left for its New York City bus trip on Saturday. The bus will leave from Ringtown at 7 a.m. and depart from NYC at 7 p.m. The cost is $43 per person for the day on your own in the city with drop-off in midtown Manhattan. Proceeds will benefit the library. For reservations or more information, call the library at 570-889-5503 or email ringtownlibrary@epix.net.

n Saint Clair: The Schuylkill Transportation System will offer all military veterans the opportunity to ride any fixed-route bus all day for free on Friday in observance of Veterans Day. In order to receive the free rides, veterans must present proof of military service to the driver upon boarding the vehicle. For more information regarding fixed route bus schedules, pick-up times and locations, call STS at 800-832-3322 or 570-429-2701 or visit the STS website at www.go-sts.com.

n Schuylkill Haven: Rainbow Hose Company No. 1, 17 Dock St., will have a breakfast from 7 a.m. to noon Sunday. For more information, call 570-573-1333.

n Schuylkill Haven: An event called “Art Uncorked --- Paint and Sip” will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Nov. 20 at the Walk In Art Center, 110 W. Columbia St., to benefit the Penn State Schuylkill THON. The cost is $45, which includes acrylic art material, instruction by Missi Allen, a light snack and stemless wine glass (BYOB). The event is for people 21 and older. THON — the Penn State Panhellenic Dance Marathon — is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. For more information about the local event, call 570-732-3728, ext. 302.

Man injured in

bus-SUV collision

SHENANDOAH — One person was injured when an SUV and school bus collided about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday on Route 924, just south of Shenandoah in Mahanoy Township.

State police at Frackville said Myron Grabowsky, 75, of Shenandoah, was driving a 2017 Subaru Forester and while following a slight right curve, failed to stay in his lane, traveled into the northbound lane and struck a 2015 Thomas Built school bus being driven north by Joseph A. Morris, 63, of Shenandoah.

After impact, police said, the Grabowsky vehicle continued through the northbound lanes and struck a guide rail, coming to a stop facing south. The Morris truck traveled through the southbound lanes and came to a stop blocking both southbound lanes.

Police said there were no students on the bus at the time of the crash and that both that vehicle and the Grabowsky SUV sustained heavy front end damage.

Grabowsky suffered suspected minor injuries and was taken to Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, for treatment, while Morris was not hurt, police said, adding that Grabowsky will be charged with not driving on roadways laned for traffic as a result of the crash.

Shenandoah police, firefighters and EMS responded to the crash, police said.

Police investigate

rollover accident

Pottsville police investigated a crash about 7:50 p.m. Monday in the area of 362 S. Centre St. that was reported with rollover and entrapment.

Police said that at the scene, they learned the person reported to be entrapped had already been removed.

The investigation revealed that Danielle Heckman, Orwigsburg, was driving a Mercury Mariner south in the 300 block of South Centre Street when she veered to the right and struck a white Chevrolet Trax that was legally parked on the west side of the street, across from 362 S. Centre St.

The impact caused the Trax to be pushed up onto the sidewalk and into two parking meters, damaging both.

After striking the Trax, police said, Heckman’s car rolled onto its driver’s side and slid on its side south on Centre Street where it was then struck by a Toyota Camry driven by Minersville woman.

Police said both Heckman’s vehicle and the Trax sustained disabling damage and were towed from the scene while the Minersville woman’s car sustained minor to moderate damage and was able to be driven from the scene.

Heckman was transported from the scene by Schuylkill EMS to a local medical facility for evaluation and treatment.

As a result of the investigation, Patrolman Michael Stank will be charging Heckman with careless driving, police said.

Pottsville firefighters assisted at the scene.

Man not injured

after striking deer

MAHANOY CITY — A Bartonsville man escaped injury when the 2008 Pontiac G6 he was driving struck a deer about 12:50 a.m. Tuesday in the northbound lanes of Interstate 81, at mile marker 130.6 in Mahanoy Township.

State police at Frackville said Osman Gomez, 32, was driving north when the deer leapt onto the roadway from the right shoulder. Gomez was unable to avoid a collision and struck the animal that died at the scene.

Man strikes deer

on Interstate 81

MAHANOY CITY — State police at Frackville said a Hazleton man escaped injury when the 2003 Honda Civic he was driving crashed about 3:50 a.m. Monday in the southbound lanes of Interstate 81, just west of Burma Road in Mahanoy Township.

Police said Hector M. Gonzalez, 24, was driving south in the left lane at mile marker 129.3 when he swerved to avoid hitting a deer that was crossing the road.

Gonzalez lost control of his car that went onto the west berm of the road, struck an embankment and then rolled onto its driver’s side coming to a stop facing east.

Delano and Ryan Township firefighters assisted at the scene, police said.

Man not injured

in I-81 accident

McADOO — A Berwick man was not hurt when the 2013 Ford F-150 he was driving crashed about 5:50 a.m. Friday on the southbound off ramp from Interstate 81 to Route 309 in Kline Township.

State police at Frackville said John Zaginaylo, 30, was rounding a right curve when he west off of the road and struck a tree, causing the truck to roll over onto its passenger’s side.

Police said Zaginaylo was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hazleton for treatment of minor injuries.

Police investigate

criminal mischief

HAMBURG — State police at Hamburg are investigating two criminal mischief incidents that occurred between 4 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. Sunday on Salem Church Road in Tilden Township, Berks County.

Police said someone damaged a mailbox owned by Steven Werley at 247 Salem Church Road and also a mailbox owned by Carol Gross at 246 Salem Church Road by hitting them with a blunt object.

The person or persons then fled the area in what could possibly be a dark color pickup truck, possibly a Dodge Dakota or Chevrolet S-10, with a bed cover.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Trooper Robert Hipp at the Hamburg station by calling 610-562-6885.

Police also reported investigating a criminal mischief incident that occurred between 6 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday in Upper Bern Township, Berks County, is being investigated by state police at Hamburg.

Police said someone damaged multiple mailboxes owned by Angela Gough and Jodi Schrack along Ford Dam Road and Bloody Spring Road before fleeing the area undetected.

Anyone with information is asked to call state police at Hamburg at 610-562-6885 and refer to incident PA16-820921.

Democrat Matt Cartwright of Lackawanna County soundly defeated Republican challenger Matt Connolly, Bethlehem Township, Northampton County, earning a third term representing the 17th District in Congress.

He lingered in his room at the Hilton Scranton and Conference Center until 10:25 p.m., waiting for enough votes to be tallied to call the race and offer clarity to the direction nationally.

“Things look awfully good,” he said confidently about his chances and keeping the post, which includes a $175,000 salary. “But people want to go to sleep.”

Things did not look as good for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Cartwright said that race was too early to call. Clinton’s election as president would yield more gridlock, Cartwright said, from what will be an at least a partially GOP-controlled Congress. He pledged to resist gridlock by reaching out to Republicans.

As for the other possible outcome of the evening, a Trump presidency, Cartwright said, he has not “wrapped his head around that possibility.”

As he took the dais, Cartwright thanked his opponent, calling their campaign gentile.

“We must have seemed boring when compared to the national race,” he said. “We didn’t call each other names or suggest the other should be in prison.”

Connolly is a former race car driver and race team owner, a real estate investor, mechanic and contractor who aligned himself with Donald J. Trump.

The 17th district includes all of Schuylkill County and portions of Carbon, Monroe, Luzerne, Lackawanna and Northampton counties.

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump claimed his place Wednesday as America's 45th president, an astonishing victory for the celebrity businessman and political novice who capitalized on voters' economic anxieties, took advantage of racial tensions and overcame a string of sexual assault allegations on his way to the White House.

Trump's triumph over Hillary Clinton, not declared until well after midnight, will end eight years of Democratic dominance of the White House. He'll govern with Congress fully under Republican control and lead a country deeply divided by his rancorous campaign against Clinton. He faces fractures within his own party, too, given the numerous Republicans who either tepidly supported his nomination or never backed him at all.

As he claimed victory, Trump urged Americans to "come together as one united people."

Clinton called her Republican rival to concede but did not plan to speak publicly until Wednesday morning. Trump, who spent much of the campaign urging his supporters on as they chanted "lock her up," said the nation owed Clinton "a major debt of gratitude" for her years of public service.

The Republican blasted through Democrats' longstanding firewall, carrying Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, states that hadn't voted for a GOP presidential candidate since the 1980s. He needed to win nearly all of the competitive battleground states, and he did just that, including Florida, Ohio, North Carolina and others.

Global stock markets and U.S. stock futures plunged, reflecting investor concern over what a Trump presidency might mean for the U.S. and world economies and trade.

A New York real estate developer who lives in a sparkling Manhattan high-rise, Trump forged a striking connection with white, working class Americans who feel left behind in a changing economy and diversifying country. He cast immigration, both from Latin America and the Middle East, as the root of the problems plaguing many Americans and tapped into fears of terrorism emanating at home and abroad.

GOP Senate candidates fended off Democratic challengers in key states, including North Carolina, Indiana and Wisconsin. Republicans also maintained their grip on the House.

Senate control means Trump will have great leeway in appointing Supreme Court justices, which could mean a shift to the right that would last for decades.

Trump has pledged to usher in sweeping changes to U.S. foreign policy, including building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and suspending immigration from countries with terrorism ties. He's also praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and spoken of building a better relationship with Moscow, worrying some in his own party who fear he'll go easy on Putin's provocations.

Putin sent him a telegram of congratulations early Wednesday.

Trump upended years of political convention on his way to the White House, leveling harshly personal insults against his rivals, deeming Mexican immigrants rapists and murderers, and vowing to temporarily suspend Muslim immigration to the U.S. He never released his tax returns, breaking with decades of campaign tradition, and eschewed the kind of robust data and field efforts that helped Obama win two terms in the White House, relying instead on his large, free-wheeling rallies to energize supporters. His campaign was frequently in chaos, and he cycled through three campaign managers.

His final campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, touted the team's accomplishments as the final results rolled in, writing on Twitter that "rally crowds matter" and "we expanded the map."

Clinton spent months warning voters that Trump was unfit and unqualified to be president. But the former senator and secretary of state struggled to articulate a clear rationale for her own candidacy.

She faced persistent questions about her honesty and trustworthiness. Those troubles flared anew late in the race, when FBI Director James Comey announced a review of new emails from her tenure at the State Department. On Sunday, just two days before Election Day, Comey said there was nothing in the material to warrant criminal charges against Clinton.

Trump will inherit an anxious nation, deeply divided by economic and educational opportunities, race and culture.

Exit polls underscored the fractures: Women nationwide supported Clinton by a double-digit margin, while men were significantly more likely to back Trump. More than half of white voters backed the Republican, while nearly 9 in 10 blacks and two-thirds of Hispanics voted for the Democrat.

Doug Ratliff, a 67-year-old businessman from Richlands, Virginia, said Trump's election was one of the happiest days of his life.

"This county has had no hope," said Ratliff, who owns strip malls in an area badly beaten by the collapse of the coal industry. "Things will change. I know he's not going to be perfect. But he's got a heart. And he gives people hope."

The Republican Party's tortured relationship with its nominee was evident right to the end. Former President George W. Bush and wife Laura Bush declined to back Trump, instead selecting "none of the above" when they voted for president, according to spokesman Freddy Ford.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, a reluctant Trump supporter, called the businessman earlier in the evening to congratulate him, according to a Ryan spokeswoman. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the American people "have chosen a new direction for our nation."

Obama, who campaigned vigorously for Clinton throughout the fall and hoped his own rising popularity would lift her candidacy, was silent on Trump's victory, but he is expected to invite him to the White House this week. It will be a potentially awkward meeting with the man who pushed false rumors that the president might have been born outside the United States.

Republican Pat Toomey has won re-election to a second term in the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, beating Democrat Katie McGinty in a down-to-the-wire race that was a key stepping stone in Republicans' drive to maintain control of the Senate.

Toomey had been one of the most vulnerable Republican senators running for re-election. The race smashed U.S. Senate campaign finance records, with spending on it passing $160 million since the beginning of last year.

A fiscal hawk, he compiled one of Congress' most conservative voting records.

Toomey, 54, leaned heavily on his willingness to buck the Republican Party, including on the hot-button issue of gun control. He fought off Democrats' efforts to tie him to GOP nominee Donald Trump, and positioned himself as the candidate more likely to seek compromise in a polarized Washington. McGinty, he had maintained, was untrustworthy and would be a "rubber stamp" for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Toomey also campaigned heavily on security issues, and pointed to his near-universal endorsement by police unions.

McGinty, who has never held an elected public office, was trying to become Pennsylvania's first female senator.

Recruited to run by top Washington Democrats, McGinty had lacked name recognition, but Democrats had hoped a massive wave of spending from party allies, including public-sector unions and abortion rights groups, and Democrats' 4-to-3 registration advantage over Republicans could deliver victory. McGinty, a former environmental adviser to Bill Clinton's White House, allied herself with Hillary Clinton and piggybacked on the heavy schedule of campaign visits by her and other top Democrats.

But Toomey and his allies, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the network steered by conservative billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch, attacked McGinty as a tax-hiking Clinton clone and labeled her "Shady Katie." In particular, they accused her of parlaying grants from her time as Pennsylvania's environmental protection secretary into lucrative board positions at energy companies she had helped.

McGinty and her allies, meanwhile, had attacked Toomey as a Wall Street shill, citing his battle against tougher banking regulations while he profited from a retail bank he had helped start in Allentown and his work for investment banks early in his career.

McGinty also repeatedly attacked Toomey for refusing to disavow Trump. Toomey had long been critical of some of Trump's statements and positions during the campaign, but he had refused to entirely reject Trump, as he had Clinton.

In turn, Toomey cited his distance from Trump as a sign of his independence. McGinty, he maintained, could not be trusted to stand up to Clinton.

McGinty also leaned heavily on her family background as the ninth of 10 children of a Philadelphia police officer and diner waitress. At one point, she was forced to explain her campaign trail statements that she was the first in her big family to go to college, even though an older brother graduated from college years before her.

Toomey used that gaffe as a key argument to undermine McGinty's trustworthiness.

Marriage licenses

Vito Colonna, Pottsville, and Jasmine J. Andrews, Pottsville.

Frederick B. Johannides, New Ringgold, and Wanda Neifert, New Ringgold.

David R. Irons, Norwich, Connecticut, and Katie E. Lafferty, Norwich, Connecticut.

Divorces granted

Joseph Spencer, Andreas, from Melissa Spencer, Andreas.

James Chewey, Pottville, from Melissa Chewey, Pottsville.

Corrine L. Dietrich, Schuylkill Haven, from Robert M. Dietrich, Lansford.

Cara Brennan, Cressona, from Jason Brennan, Minersville.

Allison Manderino, Pottsville, from James Manderino, Monessen.

Woman to face

drug charges

GRATZ — State police at Lykens recently charged a woman with possession of paraphernalia after an incident about 8:05 p.m. Oct. 26 in the borough.

Police said Tiffany Ann Webster, 25, was found by an official of Dauphin County Adult Probation to be in possession of paraphernalia.

Webster will now answer to the charges in the courtroom of Magisterial District Judge Rebecca J. Margerum, Elizabethville.

Thief took Tri-State

Scrap dumpster

MILLERSBURG — Police reported investigating a theft that occurred between April 1 and July 27.

Police said at some point during that time frame, someone removed a 40-yard steel dumpster from Tri-State Scrap LLC.

In a different state, and under the banner of a different party, former Schuylkill County commissioners Chairwoman Mantura M. Gallagher won election Tuesday to borough council in Stone Harbor, New Jersey.

Running for a full four-year term in the Cape May County coastal resort town, Gallagher won one of two available seats with 345 votes, while her running mate, Charles C. Krafczek, received 342 votes to get the other seat, according to unofficial tallies.

Although Gallagher had been a Democrat in Schuylkill County, she ran as a Republican in Stone Harbor, which is essentially a one-party borough.

She has served on borough council since Jan. 5, when she was appointed to fill a vacancy caused by the death of a longtime councilman, Albert Carusi.

A teacher of English and Spanish for 31 years at D.H.H. Lengel Middle School in Pottsville, Gallagher won election as a commissioner in 2003. She was re-elected in 2007, and served as the chairwoman for the next four years before retiring after the 2011 election, in which she chose not to run for a third term.

As Lehigh Valley Health Network settles into the offices of Schuylkill Health System in Pottsville, it decided to refinance more than $45 million of Schuylkill Health’s debt.

The City of Pottsville Hospital Authority approved Lehigh Valley’s request on Nov. 3 and the city council will review and may vote to approve it at its next meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday.

Schuylkill Health has two outstanding bond issues, a 2014 bond issue of $29,765,000, and a 2016 bond of $20,000,000.

“The full amount of principal on each is owed because the time for the first scheduled principal payments on each of the 2014 and 2016 bonds is at a future date,” David H. Rattigan, Pottsville, the solicitor for the hospital authority, said Nov. 3.

The interest rate on the 2014 bond is “between 5 and 6 percent” and the interest rate on the 2016 bond is 5.25 percent, Edward O’Dea, the executive vice president of finance and the chief financial officer for Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, said Nov. 3.

Lehigh Valley is hoping to refinance the bonds with an interest rate that is “a little above 3 percent,” O’Dea said.

On April 14, Schuylkill Health and Lehigh Valley Health Network announced they had signed an agreement to merge.

Lehigh Valley Health Network includes five hospital campuses in Lehigh and Luzerne counties: Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, Lehigh Valley Hospital-17th and Chew streets, and Lehigh Valley Health Network-Tilghman, all in Allentown, Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg, Bethlehem, and Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hazleton.

Schuylkill Health managed two hospitals in Pottsville, and with the merger they were renamed.

Schuylkill Medical Center–East Norwegian Street became Lehigh Valley Hospital–Schuylkill E. Norwegian Street and Schuylkill Medical Center–South Jackson Street became Lehigh Valley Hospital-Schuylkill S. Jackson Street.

“The terms of the refunded bonds is expected to be more favorable to the group than the terms of the existing Schuylkill Health System bonds,” Kevin R. Cunningham, Philadelphia, said at a public hearing on the refinancing held just before the authority’s meeting Nov. 3 at city hall.

Cunningham said his firm, Ballard Spahr LLP, is the bond counsel for the City of Pottsville Hospital Authority.

“How are they more favorable?” asked Michael Muncy, the authority’s vice chairman.

“It’s because of credit rating. The Schuylkill Health System is now part of a larger system that has a well-regarded credit rating from the bond rating agencies,” Cunningham said.

“Part of the benefits, frankly, of the merger of LVHN with Schuylkill was to have opportunities to gain some cost efficiencies. One of them is in the terms and conditions of borrowing money,” O’Dea said at the hearing.

“At the time those bonds were issued, Schuylkill Health System was unrated. Schuylkill Health System’s financials didn’t provide them an opportunity to get a rating. So those bonds were issued at very minimal terms. It’s not uncommon for small community hospitals which don’t have the means to do more than that. So the rates on those bonds are anywhere between 5 and 6 percent. Those are extraordinarily high in today’s environment. Those are typical for a non-rated organization. But the rates we’ll get by refinancing with LVHN’s credit are going to be around 3 percent, or maybe a little less than 3 percent. So this can be a significant financial savings for the community, frankly, because that interest cost is coming out of Schuylkill, and those savings will accrue here. They won’t be taken back to Lehigh Valley,” O’Dea said.

“We’re not borrowing any additional money. We’re taking advantage of terrific market opportunities right now. As you know, interest rates are extremely low,” O’Dea said.

Authority members present were: Muncy, Christina M. DiCello, Joanne Hively, Diana Gabardi, Judy Schweich and Joseph Brahler.

Absent were George F. Halcovage Jr., the authority’s chairman; and authority members Heidi Eckert and Susan Jochems.

Also present were Rattigan and Edward A. Fedok, Allentown. Fedok’s firm, Stevens & Lee, is the general counsel for the Lehigh Valley Health Network.