Americans spend more than $30 billion a year on dietary supplements — vitamins, minerals and herbal products, among others — many of which are unnecessary or of doubtful benefit to those taking them. That comes to about $100 a year for every man, woman and child for substances that are often of questionable value.

The passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 opened the floodgates to an industry that can bring these products to market without submitting any evidence to the Food and Drug Administration that they are safe and effective. The law allows the products to be promoted as “supporting” the health of various parts of the body if no claim is made that they can prevent, treat or cure any ailment.

After 1994, sales of a very wide range of supplements skyrocketed, and because the law allowed it, many continued to be sold even after high-quality research showed they were no better than a placebo at supporting health. The government can halt sales of an individual product only after it is on the market and shown to be mislabeled or dangerous.

The latest study, published in October in JAMA, found that overall use of dietary supplements by adults in this country has remained stable from 1999 through 2012, although some supplements have fallen out of favor while the use of others has increased.

The study revealed that 52 percent of adults used one or more supplements in 2012. If anything was surprising about the findings, it was that the number of supplement users was not even higher given the products’ robust promotion in paid advertisements and testimonials on the internet.

So, why do people, myself included, opt to take one or more dietary supplements. Those who take a daily multivitamin/mineral supplement typically cite “nutritional insurance” as their rationale. Knowing that they often eat erratically or fail to consume recommended amounts of nutrient-rich vegetables and fruits, a supplement containing a broad range of vitamins and minerals seems the easiest and cheapest way to fill in any gaps.

But nutrition specialists point out that no pill can supply all the nutrients found in wholesome foods.

Some supplement users distrust evidence suggesting they have no benefit, which is why I still take glucosamine/chondroitin despite the results of the best study to date that found it offered no relief from knee arthritis. My arthritis has progressed minimally in the decades I’ve been on it, and having experienced no side effects, I’m unwilling to argue with apparent success.

Still, a cautionary approach to supplements is wise. Some can be harmful or interfere with prescribed medication. Tell your doctor what you take and be sure the information is recorded in your chart.

This week begins the final month of 2016. December has been designated with several festive holiday-related days including National Pastry, Gingerbread House, Poinsettia, Bake Cookies, Look for an Evergreen, Go Caroling, National Eggnog, National Fruitcake and Make Cutout Snowflakes. Another day of interest is Chocolate Covered Anything. I’m for all of these!

Stonehedge Gardens will be lighting their Christmas tree for the 36th year running now through Jan. 8. The Friday, Saturday and Sunday lightings include refreshments. Reservations are required. You can purchase tickets by calling 570-449-4568.

Tamaqua Area Community Theatre presents “The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus” on Friday and Saturday at the Tamaqua Community Arts Center. Call 570-668-1192 for information on buying tickets.

The Arts Barn will be participating in the fifth annual Spirit of the Holidays Arts and Cultural Tour Friday through Dec. 4. Check out their 130 artists and art from candles to chainsaw carvings that would make great holiday gifts.

Orwigsburg’s Festival of Lights will take place at 4:30 p.m. Saturday with the lighting of the borough Christmas tree in The Square.

The Schuylkill County Council for the Arts will host a Christkindlmarkt on Saturday and Dec. 4. Shopping, food, pottery, jewelry, books and book signings, fine art and art crafts, and more will be available. For more information, call 570-622-2788.

The Walk In Art Center will hold their First Saturday Open House and Holiday Market on Saturday. All 15 artist’s studios will be open. Art by local artists will be available for purchase. There will be photos with Santa, a holiday art raffle, food and bake sale, WIAC ornaments for sale, design your own ornament with an artist, art exhibitions and more.

Alexandria’s Breakfast with Santa will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at Cracker Barrel at the Schuylkill Mall, Frackville, on Dec. 10. Proceeds benefit Mary’s Happy Helpers Fund.

Pottsville, Minersville and Schuylkill Haven will offer Train Rides with Santa for kids of all ages.

Trains will depart the Union Station in Pottsville on Saturday and Dec. 11 for a 70- to 80-minute ride, rain or shine. Tickets will be sold on a first-come first-serve basis and ordering advance tickets is recommended by calling 570-628-4647.

Santa will also be boarding the train at the Minersville Station on Dec. 4 and 18. Tickets may be purchased at the Borough Hall or by calling 570-544-8300.

Trains depart the Schuylkill Haven station at 10:30 a.m., 1 and 3:30 p.m. Dec. 10. Tickets are available at Borough Hall, 570-385-2841; the office of Dr. Robert Kempes, 570-385-1650 and Schuylkill Haven Recreation Department, 570-385-1313. The rides are sponsored by Schuylkill Haven Borough Day Committee and Schuylkill Haven Recreation Department.

Community Volunteers in Action is the volunteer center for Schuylkill County. Use the preceding contact information for those specific opportunities and search other listings on our website at www.schuylkill.us/cvia. Find us on Facebook. Call us at 570-628-1426 or email to jjohnston@co.schuylkill.pa.us.

Food Pantry Helpers

Time: As needed and available. Times and needs vary by station.

Responsibility: Help one of 18 food pantries in the Schuylkill Community Action Distribution Network with additional fall and holiday needs. Help staff with food sorting, storage, packing and more. May need to help carry bags to consumer’s vehicle.

Skills: Ability to perform assigned tasks. May include lifting and carrying.

Location: Eighteen pantries throughout Schuylkill County.

Call: Jason, Schuylkill Community Action, 570-628-1995.

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Inspired by the show “Moonshiners” on the Discovery Channel, the owners of the former Meck Knitting Mill and a few friends are now making their own spirits at the old garment factory turned distillery.

John and Lori Michael, owners of the building, partnered with friends Janet Hooper and Ray Hulings, all of Lake Wynonah, to create 4Play Moonshine and make their own flavored spirits at the Distillery at the Meck Knitting Mill, 101 W. Main St.

“There are four of us and we are having fun doing it,” Lori Michael said Tuesday.

The Michaels have owned the building for about five years. They ran an arts and crafts market there known as the Shoppes at the Meck Knitting Mill until 2014 and are now opening the only distillery in the county.

The product is made upstairs from two reflux stills that make 9 gallons of alcohol over about 12 hours. In time, they hope to double their output with two more stills. They currently have 13 flavors that will be sold in 750 ml jars for $25. Flavors range from peach and apple pie to chocolate raspberry and pina colada.

They also make an unflavored 90 proof for $25 and a straight 190 proof for $50, both sold in 750 ml jars.

Downstairs, the distillery has a tasting room and a gift shop with signs, coasters, drink mixes, pour lids, shot glasses and T-shirts and hats. The walls are decorated with pictures and information about Schuylkill County during the Prohibition.

Although they still have to wait on federal approval for their labels before they can sell 4Play Moonshine commercially, the Distillery at the Meck Knitting Mill has been able to host and cater private events, like murder mystery dinners where people can taste their product. Michael said she expects to have federal approval by mid-December and have their product in local bars.

“It will be a fun place to go and we have an awesome product people can use for their own boilo,” Michael said. “It will give people something to do in Schuylkill Haven. We are hoping it brings new people into the county, but we also hope Schuylkill County residents patronize it as well. It is just what this county needs, something fun and different to do.”

Once the labels are approved, the Distillery at the Meck Knitting Mill will have regular hours from Labor Day to Memorial Day at 5 to 9 p.m. Fridays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. All other times will be by chance or appointment.

Until then, private events can be booked by calling 570-573-5249. For more information regarding hours and flavors available, visit 4Play Moonshine’s website at www.4playmoonshine.com.

Anthony J. Kilker

SHENANDOAH — A 31-year-old Shenandoah woman charged with a theft at Redner’s Warehouse Market in that community on Aug. 31 waived her right to a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker.

Amy Lynn Sartori, 407 W. Coal St., was arrested by Shenandoah police Patrolman William Moyer and charged with one misdemeanor count of retail theft. By waiving her right to a hearing, Sartori will now have to answer to the charge against her in Schuylkill County Court.

Moyer said Sartori was seen by loss prevention officers walking around the store placing items inside her purse. The woman then tried to leave the store without paying but was stopped and found with 11 items in her purse valued at $36.47.

Other court cases included:

Keith F. Knipe, 57, of 11 E. Market St., Box 185, Sheppton — withdrawn: aggravated assault, terroristic threats and resisting arrest.

Dylan J. Clark, 20, of 507 W. Spruce St., Mahanoy City — waived for court: possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving while operating privileges are suspended or revoked.

Benjamin F. Vadiz, 46, of 43 Lost Creek Road, Box 91, Lost Creek — waived for court: DUI, DUI-highest rate, failure to carry registration, required financial responsibility-consent to produce, improper stopping, careless driving, restrictions on alcoholic beverages and failure to use safety belts.

Right-To-Know requests submitted to local school districts and boroughs as part of The Associated Press survey of responses to such requests showed an overall cooperative effort to comply with the requirements.

The Associated Press in Pennsylvania asked newspapers throughout the state to do local surveys of government entities as a way to determine how well the compliance with the stipulations in the Right-To-Know Law are being followed.

Act 3 of 2008, as adopted by the state legislature, was signed by Gov. Edward G. Rendell on Feb. 14, 2008, and became effective Jan. 1, 2009. According to the Pennsylvania Freedom of Information Coalition’s website:

“Under the Right-To-Know Law, all government records in the possession of a commonwealth or local agency are presumed to be accessible by the public. This means that you may access any government records you request unless the agency is able to prove that the record you requested is not public under the law. Agencies have the burden of proving that records are not public. If the agency fails to prove that a record is not public, that record must be disclosed.

“Under the law, a record is considered public if it:

• Is not protected by a privilege

• Is not exempt from disclosure under a different federal or state law, regulation or judicial order

• Is not exempt under one of the 30 exemptions of Section 708 of the RTKL.

“In short, any agency record that does not fit into any of these three categories is considered a public record and is accessible under the law. It is the burden of the agency to prove that a record is not public by showing it falls within one of the exceptions listed above. These categories will be explained in more detail in the paragraphs to follow.”

The Republican-Herald submitted RTK requests to two boroughs — Shenandoah and Gilberton — and three school districts — Mahanoy Area, North Schuylkill and Shenandoah Valley — on May 4. Of the five, Mahanoy Area, North Schuylkill and Gilberton complied by responding within five days. Both Shenandoah Valley and Shenandoah both requested extensions on the deadline and provided the information within the 30-day extension.

The RTK request to the Borough of Shenandoah is for legal costs and other costs the borough had incurred in its effort to eliminate the health and safety hazards of dilapidated properties along the 200 block of North Race Street previously owned by Mario Cruz and currently owned by Carlos Cruz. The information requested is for attorney costs and court costs that the borough has incurred in the process.

According to the information provided, as of May 20, the borough has spent $12,014.28 in legal fees to the Slusser Law Firm, which is the borough’s solicitor, and $990 in engineering fees to Alfred Benesch & Co., the borough’s consulting engineer.

The Republican-Herald requested information of legal costs and other costs Gilberton incurred regarding the case involving former Police Chief Mark Kessler, including the payments agreed to in the settlement between the borough and Kessler. The information would include monthly billing from the law firm of Elliott Greenleaf and Dean, which served as the borough’s special counsel in the Kessler matter, and from other legal services provided.

The final agreement between Kessler and the borough included a settlement with Kessler totaling $30,000 to be distributed in the following manner: $7,000 as a first payment on a mutually agreed date, followed by 11 payments of $1,000 mailed to Kessler on the third Friday of each month, followed by eight payments of $1,500 on the third Friday of each month.

The borough’s RTK response included four invoices from the law firm of Elliott Greenleaf and Dean. The four invoices were $9,277 (Nov. 19, 2013), $1,207.50 (Dec. 20, 2013), $7,232 (March 3, 2014), and $631.76 (April 18, 2014).

Gilberton responded with the information to the RTK request within 24 hours.

For the three school districts, The Republican-Herald requested information that includes a listing of district professionals (teachers, administration, principals, office staff, support staff, counselors, nurses/medical, maintenance department staff, school bus drivers, etc.) and their annual salaries (or hourly rate if part-time or per diem).

Additionally, the request also asked for a list of all vehicles owned by the school district, including make, model and year.

The school districts provided complete lists of all employees with salaries, along with listing of vehicles, as of May. Shenandoah Valley had 11 vehicles, ranging from a 1993 GMC utility truck to two 2016 Thomas 72-passenger school buses. Mahanoy Area had 25 vehicles, from a 1987 Ford truck to two 2016 Bluebird Vision school buses. Both Mahanoy Area and Shenandoah Valley own and operate school bus fleets.

North Schuylkill has eight vehicles, ranging from a 1995 Ford bucket truck to a 2009 Chevrolet Silverado pickup. The school district has no school buses, with the service contracted with H.E. Rohrer Inc., Duncannon, Dauphin County, through the 2016-17 school year.

As for administration salaries as of May 2016, Shenandoah Valley Superintendent Brian Waite, who was hired at the close of the 2015-16 school year, has an annual salary of $115,000. Other salaries are Business Manager Anthony Demalis Jr. at $73,297, Secondary Principal Phillip Andras at $91,690.02, and Elementary Principal Brooke Wowak at $63,000.

At North Schuylkill, the annual salary of Superintendent Robert Ackell is $113,300. Other administration salaries are Business Manager Robert Amos at $93,131.93, and Secondary Principal Ken Roseberry at $94,336.56. The elementary school has two co-principals: Janel Hansbury at $65,000 and Ashley Palubinsky at $60,101.93. Palubinsky is also the school special education assistant director. Both will continue to serve as co-principals until the school district hires a permanent elementary principal to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Maggie Manofsky.

Mahanoy Area Superintendent Joie L. Green receives an annual salary of $126,755.92. Other administration salaries are Business Administrator John Hurst at $112,315.44, Secondary School Principal Thomas Smith at $78,785.73, Middle School Principal Michael Heater at $75,490.89, and Elementary School Principal Susan Scheeler at $83,287.86.

AUSTIN, Texas — Georgia Moore was diagnosed with leukemia the day after her 10th birthday. The fourth-grader began an intense chemotherapy regimen, which left her immune system vulnerable and kept her from attending her small, private Montessori school here.

But her younger sister Ivy was in kindergarten at the same school, where a handful of families opted out of vaccinating their children. That meant 6-year-old Ivy might bring home germs that could pose a risk to Georgia.

“She would go to school, come home and immediately we’d put clothes in the washer to keep a healthy environment,” the girls’ mother, Courtney Moore, said of the family’s after-school routine.

The Moores’ vigilance paid off. Georgia, now 16, had very few hospitalizations during the course of her treatment and is now cancer-free and five years out of treatment. But Georgia’s battle against cancer made Courtney Moore a vocal advocate for immunizations in Texas — where an increasing number of parents are opting against vaccinating their children, and data about the number of unvaccinated kids in individual public schools is not available.

Texas is one of 18 states that allow non-medical exemptions to the vaccines required for school attendance. California had a similar law allowing nonmedical exemptions, until last year when it enacted a law that has one of the strictest requirements in the country. That came after a 2014 outbreak of measles traced to the Disneyland theme park infected more than 100 people around the country.

Unfounded fears?

Many of the parents opting out of the immunizations, which are widely recommended by doctors, say they fear a link between the vaccines and health problems such as autism. But studies that they cite have been widely debunked by public health officials.

“Year after year we’ve seen a steady increase in the number of students with a conscientious exemption from vaccination in Texas,” said Christine Mann, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State Health Services. “But overall, the numbers are small.”

Even though statewide levels of vaccination remain high, at over 98 percent, what concerns public health officials are the growing clusters of geographic areas with high rates of unvaccinated children. Texas went from just 2,314 “conscientious exemptions” in 2003 to 44,716 this year, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Some parents are pressing state officials to let them know how many of their children’s peers are unvaccinated. Jinny Suh, who has a 4-year-old son, is helping spearhead a petition drive asking legislators to change state law so the number of school exemptions is public. Currently, exemption rates are available for individual private and charter schools, but only districtwide for public schools.

At least two bills were introduced during the past legislative session that would require schools to notify parents about vaccination rates at the school level, but neither was approved.

“As a parent, there are lots of things that people get very passionate about,” Suh said, “but for some reason, in my experience, vaccination remains an almost taboo topic besides a few passionate people.”

As is the case across the country, areas where kids aren’t receiving vaccinations in Texas tend to be places with more highly educated and higher-income residents. The school with the highest percentage exemption rate in the state is the Austin Waldorf School, where more than 40 percent of students are unvaccinated and tuition exceeds $13,000 a year. Regents Academy, a private school in East Texas, was the second-highest exemption rate, at almost 38 percent of the school.

“If one of those kids is incubating an infectious disease and the other kids aren’t vaccinated, then it’s going to spread like wildfire,” said Catherine Troisi, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

Troisi explains that for a disease like measles, you want “herd immunity” to be at 95 percent to prevent an outbreak. If healthy children aren’t receiving vaccines, they are putting children who are too young to receive the vaccine and people with compromised immune systems at a much greater risk of infection.

Risky business

Peter Hotez, a professor in the department of pediatrics and molecular virology and microbiology at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, called the growing numbers “extremely troubling” in a commentary last month on the PLOS online science journal. He noted that some counties were getting close to that 95 percent marker, such as Gaines County in the western part of the state, where the exemptions are now at 4.83 percent, and Briscoe County in the Texas Panhandle, with 3.55 percent. And Hotez, who has a daughter with autism, highlighted the situation in Austin, where the public school rate for exemptions is 2 percent but many of the private schools exceed 20 percent.

The American Academy of Pediatrics in September issued a statement encouraging pediatricians to be more vocal about the importance of vaccines for children healthy enough to receive them.

But some parents are leery of the public health efforts on vaccinations. “We believe parents should make medical decisions for their children, not the state,” said Jackie Schlegel, director of Texans for Vaccine Choice, a political action committee that was formed partially in opposition to 2015 legislation to do away with the state’s nonmedical vaccine exemptions.

“We campaigned, we block-walked, and we’ll do it again for anyone else who would like to trample on our parental rights,” said Schlegel.

Others are even more adamant in their opposition. “That’s a slippery slope,” said Del Bigtree, one of the producers of “Vaxxed: From Cover-Up To Catastrophe,” a 2016 film drawing a link between autism and vaccines and alleging that federal scientists have covered up the research. It was directed by Andrew Wakefield — the former British gastroenterologist now living in Texas who wrote a discredited research paper linking vaccines to autism in 1998. Bigtree, who stopped vaccinating his children, said he believes that any efforts to disclose immunization rates in schools are motivated by fear.

Around this time of year, I try to give you the best advice I can about holiday shopping for a telescope for that special someone, even if that special someone is you.

This is a very challenging column to write because there are so many choices to make. In the past, I’ve explained the difference between refractor, reflector and catadioptric telescopes, as well as variations within each kind. They’re all great telescopes, but there are also many advantages and disadvantages with each of them. No way can I cram all that into one column. There are tons of sites online that go into that. Most of them do a great job and you can learn a lot.

What I want to do this year is to concentrate on my kind of telescope, and one I highly recommend, the Dobsonian Reflector. In my nearly 50 years of stargazing, I can tell you without hesitation that they are the easiest to use, and I think you can get the best bang for your buck. Not only that, Dobsonians are suitable for all ages starting from about age 8. Dobsonian Reflectors are specially mounted Newtonian reflector telescopes. I bet you can guess who invented Newtonians. Ding ding ding! It’s Sir Isaac Newton back in the 17th century.

Newtonian Reflectors collect light from whatever celestial target they’re aimed at with a parabolic concave mirror, and reflect the image back to a secondary mirror at the other end of the telescope tube. The image is angled by the secondary mirror to an eyepiece mounted on the side of the telescope where you can magnify and focus the image for your eyes. Different eyepieces give you higher or lower magnified images with the usual range being about 60 power (60 times larger than you would see the object with your naked eye) to more than 300 power.

While magnification is important with any telescope, it takes a back seat to a telescope’s light gathering ability. That’s the main purpose of any telescope, to help you see objects way too faint to be seen with the naked eye. The great Italian astronomer Galileo said it best when he declared that his telescopes “revealed the invisible.” The more light you can gather, the clearer the image will be at higher and higher magnifications. Light gathering ability in a Newtonian reflector is directly related to the diameter of the mirror in the back of the scope. You can get them with mirror diameters anywhere from 3 inches for young kids to more than 30 inches for fanatics! Your light gathering ability increases by the square of the mirror diameter.

Back in the 1960s, John Dobson invented a new kind of mount for Newtonian reflector scopes that are very easy to build and extremely easy to use. Prior to that, pretty much all Newtonian reflectors were mounted on complicated equatorial mounts that are still around today and certainly have their advantages. Dobsonian mounts are so simple, though, because you can easily maneuver your scope back and forth and up and down. The Dobsonian reflector telescope was born and is now more popular than ever! They’re also called “Dobs” for short.

For any kind of telescope you choose, it’s really important to always let it sit outside with all the eyepieces you’ll be using for at least a half hour before you start observing with it. The lens and/or mirrors need to acclimate to outside temperatures. Also set your telescope up on solid ground. Decks will cause too much vibration.

What I want to do now is to give you options and make recommendations, but I encourage you check out Dobs on your own as well. Several different companies manufacture Dobsonian reflectors. Among them are Orion, Celestron, Zhumell, Sky-Watcher and Levenhuk. If you’re shopping online there are two main websites: Telescope.com for Orion telescopes and Telescopes.com for all the other brands I listed. Personally, I’m a big fan of Starizona.com. They also have a wonderful store in Tucson, Arizona. If you ever have a chance check them out!

As far as other quality brick and mortar stores for buying decent Dobsonian reflectors, they are unfortunately few and far between. Check your local listings for the closest one near you. It may not be all that close. Whatever you do, stay away from buying any kind of telescope from a discount or department store. There’s a lot of junky scopes out there, and as they say, you get what you pay for!

Here are my specific recommendations, in order from the smallest to the largest (within reason).

1. The Celestron First Scope. It’s designed for kids about 8 to 10 years old. It’s not a pure Dobsonian scope but it’s similar with a 76mm diameter mirror. ($49.99)

2. Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Scope. For teens through adults. It has an 8-inch diameter mirror. ($389.99)

3. Orion SkyQuest XT10i IntelliScope Dobsonian Telescope. A great adult scope with a 10-inch wide mirror. It comes with a small computer that will help you locate hard to find celestial objects. ($849.99)

4. Sky-Watcher 12-inch Dobsonian Telescope. An adult scope with a 12-inch wide mirror. The scope collapses down for easy storage and transporting. ($1,049.00)

5. Sky-Watcher GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian 14-inch Telescope. An advanced telescope with a 14-inch wide mirror that collapses down. It has a motorized computer drive with a hand controller that will automatically slew your telescope to more than 42,000 celestial objects and follow them across the sky. ($2,755.00)

By no means is this a comprehensive list. There are many more Dobsonians out there as well as really giant Dobs!

That’s my short list for Dobsonian scopes for this holiday season. Another recommendation I have is to purchase a Telrad sighter to go along with the sighting scope provided with any telescope. It makes locating objects so much easier! You can buy one at telescopes.com.

By the way, I’m often asked about how much celestial photography can be done through a Dobsonian. The short answer is ... not much.

Celestial photography is extremely complicated. The cameras needed to really do a decent job are expensive and your telescope needs to be able to precisely keep up with the Earth’s rotation to track objects across the sky.

Even motorized GoTo Dobs come up short here. They can certainly track objects for visual observation, but they are not good enough for photography. You need to get a generally more expensive catadioptric telescope. On top of all that, you also need pretty sophisticated software, not only for taking photographs but also processing them. Places like Starizona in Tucson, Arizona, can really help you get started if you really want to pursue celestial photography. They’ve certainly helped me.

It is possible, though, to do some limited photography with your Dobsonian telescope, and you can even use your cellphone to get great pictures of the moon and some of the brighter planets like Jupiter and Saturn, and possibly some bright star clusters and nebula.

There’s a great app called ProShot that will give the camera in your phone settings much like a regular DSLR camera. The other challenge is to be able to hold your phone up to the eyepiece and keep it steady. That’s really hard to do by hand, but there are holders for your phone that will attach to your telescope or eyepiece to do the job. Orion Telescopes has a great one called the Orion SteadyPix EZ Smartphone Telescope Photo Adapter. It’s not cheap at $89, but it really does the job!

Happy Shopping!

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

The Christmas season officially kicked off in Pottsville with the lighting of the tree Saturday night in Garfield Square.

The Pottsville Area High School band performed Christmas carols outside the Schlitzer Allen Pugh Funeral Home as Santa Claus came down Market Street on an antique fire truck just after 6 p.m. After briefly greeting the children who waited for Old St. Nick at the square, Santa and the fire engines went to Humane Fire Company No. 1 for the Mayor’s Christmas Party. The tree was then lit by Hannah Atkinson, the 9-year-old daughter of city Councilman Mark Atkinson.

The annual event is hosted by Mayor James T. Muldowney and the Pottsville Recreation Commission.

“It’s just great for the kids,” Muldowney said. “Christmas is all about the kids and it brings warmth to my heart to see this.”

Children up to age 10 were given gifts at the Christmas party. The 2016 winners of the Greater Pottsville Winter Carnival were also there for the tree lighting.

Lois Stoudt, Pottsville, waited at Garfield Square with her son, David, and granddaughter, Aleah Trate, to see Santa Claus.

“It’s a tradition to come and greet Santa,” Stoudt said.

She said she has been coming to the tree lighting event since moving to Pottsville in 2008.

“I think it is a great idea to get the kids out of the house and keep the spirit of Christmas alive for the little ones,” she said. “I love the holidays because they always have things for the kids.”

Julie Legutko, Pottsville, brought her 7-year-old grandson, Grant, to see Santa and the tree lighting. Although she has lived in the city for more than 60 years, she has never been at the tree lighting.

“I had my grandson with me for the weekend and I asked if he wanted to go see Santa and go to the Christmas party,” she said.

Kay Dougherty, Palo Alto, came with her son and three grandchildren. She said it is a way for them to kick off the Christmas season.

“I came out for the kids,” she said. “It gets the season started and is something nice for the community. I try to get them involved in everything we can. It’s a way to keep traditions alive.”

n Locustdale: The Locustdale Fire Company will have a penny auction from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the firehouse, Fire House Hill. The cost is $2 plus a gift. Refreshments will be available. Proceeds will benefit the equipment fund. For more information, call 570-590-2325.

n Lykens: Zion Lutheran Church, Klinger’s Church Road, will have a card party from 3 to 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets for the pinochle tourney are $2 per player. There will be door prizes for the top 25 players. Homemade food including soups, ice cream and apple dumplings will be on sale. For more information, call 570-425-2256.

n Mahanoy City: Tickets are on sale for a roast beef dinner to be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dec. 4 at Good American Hose Company, Eighth Street and Mahanoy Avenue. Tickets are $9 each and people may eat at the firehouse or take meals out. For more information, call 570-773-3473.

n New Ringgold: Char Wills German Shepherd Rescue will sponsor professional photos with Santa for two- or four-legged families from noon to 3 p.m. Dec. 4 at the Char Wills Training Center, 2 E. Railroad Ave. The cost is $10 for a 4-by-6-inch photo that day. More will be available with professional pet photographer Shawnna. There will also be baked goods and Christmas items for sale and a silent auction. For more information, call 570-573-3366.

n New Ringgold: Christ Church McKeansburg, 1751 Chestnut St., will have a Christmas cookie and homemade soup sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Turkey and beef barbecue as well as hot dogs will also be on sale. For more information, call 570-449-3698.

n Pine Grove: Jacob’s Church will have a buffet breakfast from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Pine Grove Masonic Lodge, 23 Oak Grove Road. The cost is $8 for adults, $4 for children 6 to 12 and free for children under 5. For more information, call 570-345-3137.

n Pottsville: An American Red Cross blood drive is scheduled for 1 to 6 p.m. Dec. 5 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 300 W. Arch St. People 17 and older (16 with parental consent), weighing at least 110 pounds and in general good health are urged to donate blood. Walk-ins are welcome. For more information or to arrange for an appointment, call 800-733-2767.

n Ringtown: The Ringtown Area Library is taking orders for fresh, locally made Christmas wreaths and greens. People can choose from a 24-inch wreath with bow at $20; decorated wreath at $25; classic door charm at $22; 36-inch window swag at $14; decorated centerpiece with candle at $22, or a basket centerpiece at $20. Order and payment deadline is Monday. Orders will be available for pickup at the library on Dec. 6. All proceeds will benefit the library. For an order form or more information, visit www.ringtownlibrary.org or go to the library at 132 W. Main St.

n Schuylkill Haven: The Gabriel Chamber Ensemble will present a concert from 3 to 5 p.m. Dec. 4 at Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church, 252 Dock St. Admission is $15 for senior citizens and $20 for adults. For more information, call 570-943-2558.

n Shenandoah: Catholic War Veterans Post 1107 is looking for new members. Any veteran of the Catholic faith is eligible to join. Call 570-462-9560 or 570-985-4968.

n Shenandoah: The William Penn Fire Company, Mount Olive Boulevard (Route 54), will have a Longaberger basket bingo from 2 to 5 p.m. Dec. 4 at the firehouse. Doors will open at 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $25, all baskets will be filled and a buffet-style lunch will be included. For more information, call 570-462-2242.

n Tower City: An American Red Cross blood drive will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Dec. 5 at Williams Valley High School, 10330 Route 209. People 17 and older (16 with parental consent), weighing at least 110 pounds and in general good health are urged to donate blood. Walk-ins are welcome. For more information or to arrange for an appointment, call 800-733-2767.

Q: What kinds of changes to federal environmental policies can we expect to see from Donald Trump when he assumes the presidency?

— D. SHELLEY, BOULDER, COLORADO

A: Many environmental advocates are alarmed at the results of the 2016 election. What worries them most is Trump’s call for reneging on the Paris climate accord, which secured commitments from the world’s largest polluters to cut emissions. The agreement just went into force and the U.S. is committed to it for four years, but Trump insiders report he may try to submit the agreement for ratification by an unsympathetic Senate in efforts to derail U.S. participation. (President Barack Obama has maintained ratification isn’t necessary.)

“If Trump yanks the United States out of the Paris agreement, the deal won’t die, but momentum could wane,” reports Brad Plumer on Vox.com. “One can imagine China and India deciding they don’t need to push nearly as hard on clean energy if the world’s richest and most powerful country doesn’t care. At best, progress would slow. At worst, the entire arrangement could collapse, and we set out on a path for 4 degrees Celsius warming or more.”

Another sore spot for environmentalists is Trump’s attitude toward the Environmental Protection Agency. Initially, Trump said he would disband the agency. But more recently he said he would keep it in a stripped-down form refocused on its “core mission of ensuring clean air, and clean, safe drinking water for all Americans.” Myron Ebell, a leading climate skeptic with the Competitive Enterprise Institute and no friend to the environmental community, is slated to run the new, leaner EPA.

Meanwhile, proponents of pipelines to move petroleum products from the great gas and oil fields of the northern U.S. and Canada are overjoyed at the Republican sweep of the election. Given Trump’s stated goals of reducing the government’s role in energy and environmental policy while encouraging more infrastructure projects to connect production with markets and consumers, environmentalists are bracing for a revival of the much-disputed Keystone XL pipeline project that Obama rejected last year.

For their part, environmentalists are already starting to refocus on what they can do without White House support.

“Under President George W. Bush, the environmental community took the battle to the courts and Congress and watchdogged political appointees; we blocked attacks on the environment; we galvanized the public to take action,” said Kate Colwell of the nonprofit Friends of the Earth. “After the more recent fights to kill the Keystone XL pipeline, ban fracking and shut down coal plants, the environmental movement is stronger than we have ever been.”

EARTHTALK is a trademark of the nonprofit Earth Action Network. To donate, visit www.earthtalk.org. Send questions to question@

earthtalk.org.

A Shenandoah man recently admitted in Schuylkill County Court that prosecutors could prove he had unlawful contact with a minor.

Joshua W. Koncsler, 19, pleaded no contest to unlawful contact with a minor and corruption of minors in one case and resisting arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia in the second.

Judge Cyrus Palmer Dolbin accepted Koncsler’s plea and ordered the state Sexual Offenders Assessment Board to prepare an evaluation of the defendant. Dolbin said he would schedule Koncsler’s sentencing after the board had finished evaluating him.

Prosecutors withdrew three counts of indecent assault and one each of unlawful restraint and false imprisonment.

Shenandoah police had charged Koncsler with having unlawful contact with the minor on Oct. 31, 2015, and with resisting arrest and possessing paraphernalia on Nov. 25, 2015. Each incident occurred in the borough, police said.

By pleading no contest, Koncsler did not admit committing the crimes, but offered no defense to them, admitted prosecutors had enough evidence to prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and agreed to be sentenced as if he had pleaded or been found guilty.

Dolbin also recently accepted guilty pleas from, and, pursuant to agreements between prosecutors and defendants, imposed the indicated sentences on, these people:

John J. Kamant Jr., 56, of Tamaqua; harassment; 30 to 90 days in prison with immediate parole and a $50 payment to the Criminal Justice Enhancement Account. Prosecutors withdrew charges of theft and receiving stolen property.

Francis L. Kehler Jr., 43, of Shenandoah; possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia; one year probation and $50 CJEA payment.

Dex A. Mahute, 25, of Pottsville; simple assault and harassment; time served to 12 months in prison with immediate parole, $50 fine and $50 CJEA payment.

Rick J. Marcinowski, 24, of Shenandoah; two counts of possession of a controlled substance; time served to 12 months in prison with immediate parole, $100 payment to the Substance Abuse Education Fund and $50 CJEA payment. Prosecutors withdrew two additional counts of possession of a controlled substance, three counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and charges of adulteration or misbranding of a controlled substance, operating vehicle without valid inspection, operating vehicle with required financial responsibility and driving unregistered vehicle.

Thomas K. McCabe, 59, of Saint Clair; driving under the influence and depositing waste on highways; 10 days in prison, 40 days house arrest with electronic monitoring, 40 days strict supervision, four months probation, $1,050 in fines, $100 SAEF payment, $120 restitution to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Schuylkill S. Jackson Street and 20 hours community service.

Linda M. McCoy, 28, of Pottsville; theft and access device fraud; two years probation, $50 CJEA payment and $460 restitution. Prosecutors withdrew three additional counts of access device fraud and a charge of receiving stolen property.

Mitchell N. Motko, 48, of Schuylkill Haven; DUI, resisting arrest and accident involving damage to attended vehicle or property; 30 days to six months in prison, $750 fine, $100 SAEF payment, $50 CJEA payment and 20 hours community service. Prosecutors withdrew charges of simple assault, disorderly conduct, damaging real property by operation of motor vehicle and public drunkenness.

Stacey M. Pukiewicz, 41, of Lost Creek; theft from a motor vehicle; four to 18 months in prison and $50 CJEA payment. Prosecutors withdrew charges of receiving stolen property, criminal trespass and public drunkenness.

Erica R. Raczka, 25, of Pottsville; two charges of possession of drug paraphernalia; 24 months probation, $200 in SAEF payments and $100 in CJEA payments.

Tyler D. Rous, 27, of Treadwell, New York; DUI, possession of a small amount of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and disregarding traffic lane; 48 hours to six months in prison, 12 months probation, $525 in fines, $100 SAEF payment, $50 CJEA payment, $520 restitution to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Schuylkill S. Jackson Street and 20 hours community service. Prosecutors withdrew charges of failure to drive at a safe speed and careless driving.

George S. Sitch, 69, of Freeland; DUI; 15 days house arrest with electronic monitoring, 5 1/2 months strict supervision, $1,000 fine, $100 SAEF payment, $460 restitution to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Schuylkill S. Jackson Street and 10 hours community service. Prosecutors withdrew a charge of careless driving.

Casey Woolson, 27, of Saint Clair; possession of drug paraphernalia; 12 month probation, $100 SAEF payment and $50 CJEA payment. Prosecutors withdrew a charge of possession of marijuana.

All defendants who were sentenced must pay costs as a part of their sentences.

Geisinger Medical Center, Danville

To Dave Heckler and Mariah Gardner, Pottsville, a daughter, Oct. 10.

Call goes out for

YEA! mentors

Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce members are being asked to “consider investing in the future of Schuylkill County --- our young people” by being a mentor in the YEA! Schuylkill --- Young entrepreneurs Academy --- program.

The program, according to a chamber flier, has grown to 23 students representing nine of the county’s school districts and needs help “to ensure the students’ success.”

Mentors, according to the flier, are needed to “help guide the students as they hone their skills to present their businesses to the panel of investors” similar to TV’s “Shark Tank.”

Mentors work with the students for six 90-minute sessions from Jan. 3 through Feb. 7.

People interested in mentoring or learning more about the mentoring process are asked to call Mary Jo Moss, program manager, at 570-294-6568 or by emailing mmoss@schuylkillchamber.com.

Business, cultural

renewal the goal

SHENANDOAH --- The revitalization group Downtown Shenandoah Inc. meets at 5:30 p.m. the third Tuesday of the month in the downtown center, 116 N. Main St.

New volunteers are always welcome to help advance the revitalization effort. For more information, go to the DSI website at www.downtownshenandoah.com, visit the center during regular hours, call 570-462-2060 or email dsi@downtownshenandoahinc.com.

Mary Luscavage is DSI’s executive director and Main Street Program manager. Karen Kenderdine is president and treasurer.

Donations to help DSI maintain the renewal effort are needed and gratefully accepted. DSI has an ongoing capital campaign to raise funds.

DSI’s goal is to return downtown Shenandoah to “an active pedestrian-oriented business district that will promote and sustain further economic, cultural and civic growth within the borough …”

The Greater Shenandoah Area Chamber of Commerce meets at 8 a.m. the third Wednesday of the month.

The meeting sites alternate between Ridgeview Healthcare & Rehabilitation, 200 Pennsylvania Ave., and the Shenandoah Senior Living Community, East Washington Street.

Marie Poppoff is the chamber president, Betty Ann Bugden is secretary and Mark Bernardyn is treasurer.

The chamber’s mission is “to enhance the growth and prosperity of its membership,” largely the business/commerce community.

Contact with the chamber can be made via email to Bernardyn at mbernardyn@mtb.com or to Bugden at hairlady@ptd.net.

Walk In center set

for holiday market

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN --- The Walk In Art Center will hold its first-Saturday open house and holiday market from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday.

According to an event flier, people are welcome to celebration Schuylkill’s Spirit of the Holidays with art vendors, festive activities and other attractions.

Artists’ studios will be open for viewing and sales and local artists will offer their works for sale in the main gallery, which will also feature center studio artists’ third annual exhibition. A history gallery will feature a Victorian exhibition with a tea party.

Other attractions will include photos with Santa, a bake sale and food by Hess Catering, Schuylkill Haven, a holiday art raffle, ornaments and coloring books on sale and Christmas crafts for youngsters.

Elves are needed for people wishing to volunteer. For more on volunteering, to online to http://Volunteer.Walkinartcenter.org.

The center is at 220 Parkway and can be reached by calling 570-732-3728.

Mahanoy Twp.

water restrictions

MAHANOY CITY --- The Mahanoy Township Water Authority has notified customers that due to drought conditions, the authority has activated the first stage of its drought contingency plan for all customers, including households and businesses.

The first stage prohibits all non-essential uses of water in the authority’s service, areas, which include Mahanoy Township and Mahanoy City and Gilberton boroughs.

The following water uses, according to an authority release, are declared non-essential and are prohibited: Watering of lawns, outdoor gardens, landscaped areas, trees, shrubs and other outdoor plants; washing of automobiles and trucks; washing of streets, driveways and sidewalks; serving water in restaurants, clubs or eating places unless specifically requested by the customer, and ornamental water use.

Additionally, all means of conservation methods should be utilized by customers to reduce overall usage by a minimum of 15 percent in accordance with state Department of Environmental Protection drought watch requirements, officials said in the release.

For more details on the non-essential water uses and suggested conservation methods, go online to the authority website at www.mahanoywater.org or pick up information at the authority’s main office at 46 N. Main St. during normal business hours.

The declaration, according to the release, is due to combined water levels in the authority’s reservoirs being less than 50 percent capacity systemwide. If conditions do not improve, a water rationing plan may be implemented. Questions regarding the drought contingency plan should be directed to the authority office by calling 570-773-0650.

Downtown Update

lists current efforts

SHENANDOAH --- The periodic Downtown Shenandoah Update includes items about Expressions thrift/gift shop, efforts to find a tenant for the large former Woolworth site in the first block of North Main Street and the ongoing effort to restore the former J.W. Cooper High School building at White and Lloyd streets into a community recreation, business, arts/crafts and entertainment center.

Expressions, 112-114 N. Main St., is run by Pottsville-based Avenues, formerly United Cerebral Palsy, according to the Avenues website at www.avenuesofpa.org/expressions.html.

The venue carries multiple items, including clothing, accessories, housewares, furniture, DVDs, CDs, movies, decorations, new gifts and other fare. It is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

For more information, email jmorgan@avenuesofpa.org.

Avenues supports people with special needs.

The revitalization group Downtown Shenandoah Inc. is supporting efforts to find a tenant for the large former Woolworth’s site that dominates the first block of North Main Street.

Interested parties can contact DSI, 116 N. Main St., at 570-462-2060 or by emailing dsi@downtownshenandoahinc.com.

DSI can put potential tenants in touch with the real estate agent handling the property or with the building owner.

For the borough’s sesquicentennial celebration in August the former Woolworth’s site was used as a gallery to display work by local artists, an attraction that provided extremely popular, according to members of the sesquicentennial committee.

Anyone who wishes to donate toward restoration of the former J.W. Cooper building should forward contributions to Kent Steinmetz, 165 Kiehner Road, Schuylkill Haven, PA 17972. The effort is a 501(c)3 nonprofit so contributions are tax deductible.

Steinmetz bought the Cooper building in 2009 and is working, with a board of directors, to turn it into a regional hub for wide ranging activities.

The Shenandoah Valley High School Class of 1976 has refurbished a former classroom in the building and various regional businesses have contributed material and expertise in support of the renovation project. Volunteers have also been at work to refurbish the gymnasium.

Supporters have taken note that efforts to refurbish and preserve other former school buildings throughout northeastern Pennsylvania have met with tremendous support from residents and businesses in those areas, thus providing encouragement for the Cooper effort.

For more information, email Steinmetz at kent@axiommachine.com.

Finally, the Update had word that a facade improvement effort in a formerly boarded-up business front on the west side of the 100 block of North Main Street has greatly improved the site, increasing its attraction for potential business entrepreneurs.

McCann collects

supplies for vets

McCann School of Business & Technology Pottsville campus is collecting supplies to prepare and ship care packages to troops stationed overseas. Supplies will be collected until Dec. 11 and mailed to soldiers for holiday delivery.

Items can be dropped off at the McCann Pottsville campus, 2650 Woodglen Road.

The list of acceptable items, according to a McCann release, includes deodorant, shaving cream, body wash, razors, sunblock, lip balm, tooth brush, beef jerky, Slim Jim sticks, non-chocolate candy, hot cocoa, powdered drink mixes, instant coffee, tea bags, creamer, Nutella, peanut butter, protein bars, energy bars, trail mix, gum, magazines, crossword puzzles, books, note cards, pencils, and pens. Small travel sizes work best.

For more information, call 570-391-3064 or email Karen.damiter@mccann.edu. For more information about McCann, go online to www.mccann.edu.

PADCO, RBMN

Santa train rides

The Pottsville Area Development Corp. and Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad and Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway will present Santa Claus Train Rides Saturday and Dec. 11 departing from Union Station, Pottsville.

Trains will depart at 10:30 a.m., 1 and 3:30 p.m., according to an event flier. The trains will head toward Port Clinton in rides that will last 70 to 80 minutes.

Tickets are $13 for people 13 and older and $9 for children 3 through 12. One child will ride free with each paying adult and children under 3 will receive a free ticket. All children, regardless of age, must have a ticket, according to the flier. Tickets will be sold on a first-come basis and advance purchase of tickets is recommended. Remaining tickets will be sold on the day of the trips at the railroad station. Trips will proceed rain, shine or snow.

The train will feature heated coaches with ladies’ and gentlemen’s restrooms.

People can buy tickets in advance at PADCO, One South Second St., Pottsville, PA 17901, call 570-628-4647. Checks or cash will be accepted.

Minersville Santa

train rides a go

MINERSVILLE --- Steam-powered Santa trains will operate from the borough on Sunday and Dec. 18 with three trains moving each day from the Minersville Station to south of Schuylkill Haven, a 15-mile round trip.

Departures, according to a press release, will be at 10:30 a.m. and 1 and 3:30 p.m. Santa will ride on every train and talk with every child passenger.

Railway Restoration Project 113 maintains and operates the steam locomotive that pulls the trains and the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway, a subsidiary of the Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad, provides the coaches.

Tickets are $13 for people 12 and older and $9 for children ages 3 to 11. One free child’s ticket comes with every adult ticket sold. All those under 3 may ride free, but every rider of any age needs a ticket.

Families wishing to ride can order their tickets by sending a check, made out to Project 113, to Project 113 at 113 E. Sunbury St., Minersville, PA 17954. Indicate the date of the ride, the time of the train, how many adult tickets, how many children’s tickets and how many free tickets. Ticket orders must also come with a stamped, self-addressed envelope, according to the release, which added that Project 113 does not accept reservations and does not accept credit cards.

Tickets also are on sale at the Minersville Borough Hall, 2 E. Sunbury St., from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. The borough also accepts only cash or checks.

On the days of the trips, riders must park at the Schuylkill Intermediate Unit at 17 Maple Ave., Pottsville, a mile south of Minersville, and ride buses to the Minersville station. People should arrive at the parking area at least 45 minutes ahead of train time.

For more information, call 570-544-8300 or go online to RRProject113.org.

Chamber lists

agenda activities

The Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce 5th Wednesday Mix & Mingle, hosted by 4Play Moonshine/Lori’s Angels, is set for 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at 25 W. Main St., Schuylkill Haven. There is no cost to attend but registration is requested.

People may register for chamber events online at www.schuylkillchamber.com.

A session about EITC funding will be held from 8 to 9 a.m. Thursday at the Walk In Art Center, 110 W. Columbia St., second floor, Schuylkill Haven, presented by St. Clair & Associates. It is for “All Schuylkill County businesses interested in saving PA tax dollars,” according to a chamber flier. There is no admission fee but registration is requested.

The chamber’s education committee will present “Us and Them: Understanding How Millennials Tick,” from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Dec. 6 at the chamber/SEDCO Union Station conference center. The presenter will be Ralph Butera of McCann School of Business & Technology. The cost is $25 for chamber members and $50 for nonmembers. The reservation deadline is Dec. 2.

The chamber’s Schuylkill Women in Business annual holiday luncheon is slated to start at 11:45 a.m. Dec. 7 at Pottsville Zone Restaurant & Catering, 337 Peacock St., Pottsville. The session will include music by Sounds of Heaven. The cost is $20 for chamber members and $25 for nonmembers. The registration deadline is Dec. 5.

A session on Microsoft Windows 10, presented by Allen Bock of Lehigh Carbon Community College, is set for 8 to 10 a.m. Dec. 12 at LCCC’s Tamaqua campus, 234 High St. The cost is $25 for chamber members and $50 for nonmembers and the registration deadline is Dec. 7.

In a new member benefit, the chamber has a Human Resources Helpline that offers “fast, personal help from real live HR professionals,” chamber officials said in the flier. The toll-free helpline is 844-318-0699.

The chamber is based at Union Station, 1 Progress Circle, Suite 201, Pottsville.

A program called WEDnetPA is funded by the state Department of Community and Economic Development and administered by Lehigh Carbon Community College, according to the chamber flier.

“You may qualify for WEDnetPA funding if your company is based in Pennsylvania, a manufacturing or a technology-based business,” according to the flier.

Organizations may be eligible to receive up to $450 per person for essential skills training and up to $850 per person for advanced technology training.

For more information, apply to Maureen Donovan, Center for Leadership & Workforce, be emailing mdonovan@lccc.edu or calling 570-668-6880 or 610-799-1245.

People may register for chamber programs online at www.schuylkillchamber.com.

A 43-year-old Pine Grove man charged with sexually assaulting a young girl over a six-year period is among those scheduled to plead not guilty Thursday during arraignment in Schuylkill County Court.

David Harwi, 795 Deturksville Road, was arrested by state police Trooper Chad Smith of the Schuylkill Haven station and charged with six counts or rape; five counts each of indecent assault and another felony sexual offense; four counts each of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and aggravated indecent assault; two counts of statutory sexual assault; and one count each of rape of a child, endangering the welfare of a child, corruption of minors and another sexual offense.

Smith charged Harwi in connection with incidents involving a girl from March 16, 2010, through Sept. 16, 2016, when the girl was between 12 and 18 years old.

Others scheduled to plead not guilty, and the charges against them, include:

Harold J. McGurl, 43, of 903 Brock St., Ashland — criminal attempt to commit murder in the first degree, aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.

Dean J. Zelinsky, 50, of 502 Buck Mountain Road, Zion Grove — aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, fleeing or attempting to elude police, terroristic threats, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, resisting arrest, DUI, driving under the influence of drugs, driving under combined influence, driving on the wrong side of the road, failure to drive on roadways laned for traffic, careless driving and harassment.

Justin Blume, 44, of 16 Golf Road, Barnesville — DUI, failure to drive on roadways laned for traffic, careless driving, stop and yield sign violations, unlawful activities, vehicular hazards-signal lamps.

Shawn P. Shoup, 41, of 223 B St., Girardville — DUI, turning movements and required signals violation, failure to drive on roadways laned for traffic and driving an unregistered vehicle.

Ronald G. Macalusky, 63, of 72 Swatara Road, Shenandoah — DUI, DUI-highest rate, general lighting requirements violation and obscured or illegible registration plate.

Jonathan A. Dehaan, 27, of 236 S. Fourth St., Tower City — DUI, driving while operating privileges are suspended or revoked, failure to drive on roadways laned for traffic, careless driving, failure to give immediate notice of accident to police and abandonment of vehicles.

Robert T. Jordan, 50, of 113 Vaux Ave., Tremont — DUI, DUI-highest rate and reckless driving.

Elizabeth A. Ramer, 28, of 32 Peacock St., Pottsville — DUI-highest rate, endangering the welfare of a child and reckless driving.

Sue E. Hill, 37, of 326 Dock St., Schuylkill Haven — DUI and careless driving.

Melissa L. Fry, 44, of 683 E. Second Mountain Road, Schuylkill Haven — driving under the influence of drugs, possession of a small amount of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to drive on roadways laned for traffic, speeding and failure to be licensed.

Matthew J. Lascala, 24, of 216 Schwartz Valley Road, Schuylkill Haven — DUI, DUI-high rate, driving on the wrong side of the road, failure to drive on roadways laned for traffic and careless driving.

Douglas M. Whiteash, 27, of 39 Woods Creek Drive, Schuylkill Haven — DUI, DUI-highest rate, driving a vehicle without an inspection certificate, careless driving and restrictions on alcoholic beverages.

Lorena Bingaman, 29, of 57 Porter Road, Tower City — DUI, DUI-highest rate, failure to drive on roadways laned for traffic, driving an unsafe speed, careless driving, driving without insurance and failure to be licensed.

Tyler J. Smith, 30, of 510 E. Pine St., Mahanoy City — driving under the influence of drugs, prohibitions in specific places, fraudulent use or removal of a registration plate, driving without insurance, restrictions on alcoholic beverages, failure to use seat belts, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

John J. Mazack, 61, of 408 Furnace St., Shenandoah — driving under the influence of drugs, driving under combined influence, driving an unregistered vehicle and driving following registration suspension.

Darryl J. Hetherington, 31, of 34 Jerry’s Road, Ringtown — DUI, DUI-highest rate, failure to drive on roadways laned for traffic, careless driving, driving a vehicle without an inspection certificate, restrictions on alcoholic beverages and failure to wear seat belts.

Thomas P. Williams, 28, of 420 Oak Hill St., Box 4156, Seltzer — DUI, failure to drive on roadways laned for traffic and careless driving.

Charles L. Lindenmuth, 45, of 403 W. Cherry St., Shenandoah — DUI, DUI-highest rate and failure to drive on roadways laned for traffic.

Robert L. Darker, 53, of 122 S. Ferguson St., Shenandoah — DUI, DUI-highest rate, driving under the influence of drugs, driving under combined influence, careless driving and restrictions on alcoholic beverages.

Michelle L. Walters, 28, of 230 Schuylkill Ave., Shenandoah — driving under the influence of drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Joshua A. Somers, 29, of 276 Chestnut St., Cressona — DUI, DUI-high rate, failure to drive on roadways laned for traffic, careless driving and failure to use seat belts.

Geoffrey C. Garrett, 36, of 3 Beech St., Cressona — possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance, turning movements and required signals violation, driving under the influence of drugs, carrying firearms without a license, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Roy I. Nagle, 51, of 64 Centre Ave., Schuylkill Haven — DUI and careless driving.

Ramon Martinez-Sanchez, 34, of 32 Pike St., Apt. 3, Port Carbon — DUI, DUI-highest rate, failure to be licensed, careless driving, reckless driving and failure to drive on roadways laned for traffic.

Daniel L. Stoudt, 40, of 211 Linden St., Minersville — driving under the influence of drugs, careless driving, failure to drive on roadways laned for traffic, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Gregory S. Deutsch, 35, of 516 E. Arch St., Pottsville — endangering the welfare of a child, driving under the influence of drugs, driving while operating privileges are suspended or revoked, turning movements and required signals violation, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Brian A. Cyr, 28, of 34 S. Broad Mountain Ave., Frackville — DUI, driving while operating privileges are suspended or revoked, possession of a small amount of marijuana, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

William L. Spearman, 28, of 601 Pierce St., Pottsville — DUI, failure to drive on roadways laned for traffic, careless driving, failure to notify of change of name or address.

Marybeth Howley, 25, of 208 N. Wayne St., Orwigsburg — theft and receiving stolen property.

Blake E. Seigrist, 19, of 204 W. Main St., Tremont — possession of a small amount of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Suzanne L. Strause, 38, of 227 Arnot St., Saint Clair — possession of drug paraphernalia.

Thomas A. Stanton, 27, of 321 Furnace St., Shenandoah — escape, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Derek J. Crisafulli, 29, of 105 S. Fourth St., Minersville — corruption of minors.

Natasha Nelson, 30, of 226 Oak St., Minersville — theft, receiving stolen property and criminal mischief.

Michael J. Bartholomew, 21, of 307 W. Market St., Apt. A, Pottsville — terroristic threats, simple assault and harassment.

Maegan E. Azbell, 24, of 1621 West End Ave., Pottsville — theft and receiving stolen property.

Andrew S. Lutz, 41, of 65 Haddock Road, McAdoo — burglary, criminal trespass, terroristic threats, simple assault, harassment, criminal mischief and simple trespass.

Matthew J. Nickerson, 32, of Schuylkill County Prison, Pottsville — simple assault, harassment and disorderly conduct.

Justin M. Koons, 27, of 245 Nichols St., Pottsville — delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Joseph A. Sorokach, 41, of 126 Centre Ave., Schuylkill Haven — bad checks.

Toni B. Berzowski, 36, of 1159 Valley Road, Pottsville — simple assault and harassment.

Kenneth K. Kisekka, 31, of 34 E. Washington St., Apt. 1, McAdoo — illegally operating a vehicle not equipped with an ignition interlock and driving an unregistered vehicle.

Michael J. Schaeffer, 47, of 184 Mountain Road, Pine Grove — terroristic threats, simple assault and harassment.

Kelly A. Foran, 44, of 223 Broad St., Saint Clair — retail theft.

Brandon E. Green, 21, of 387 W. Main St., Girardville — criminal mischief, harassment and disorderly conduct.

Bryce Beaver, 41, of 210 S. Main St., Shenandoah, and 236 S. Chestnut St., Shenandoah — resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, criminal trespass, defiant trespass and public drunkenness.

Jasen C. Joseph, 37, of 12 Newtown Road, Shenandoah — involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful contact or communication with a minor, sexual assault, obscene and other sexual materials disseminated to a minor, corruption of minors, endangering the welfare of a child, terroristic threats, indecent assault and indecent exposure.

Jason E. Greiner, 42, of 575 Seltzer Road, Pottsville — burglary, criminal trespass, defiant trespass, loitering and prowling at night, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness.

Michael Sell, 38, of 19 N. West St., Shenandoah — unlawful contact or communications with a minor, corruption of minors, indecent assault and endangering the welfare of a child.

Matthew M. Clews, 25, of Schuylkill County Prison, Pottsville — terroristic threats and simple assault.

Raymond D. Iaconelli, 25, of 322 W. Atlantic St., Shenandoah — possession of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Ramon A. Adorno, 38, of 229 S. West St., Shenandoah — altered, forged or counterfeit documents and plates, driving an unregistered vehicle, driving without insurance and failure to be licensed.

Trola Moore III, 37, of 23 Greenbury Road, Pottsville — fleeing or attempting to elude police, driving while operating privileges are suspended or revoked, driving without insurance and driving an unregistered vehicle.

Eugene J. Rountree III, 48, of 410 E. Market St., Apt. 2, Pottsville — disorderly conduct.

Tracy L. Butler, 37, of 410 E. Market St., Apt. 2, Pottsville — disorderly conduct.

Logan J. Kanezo, 20, of 521 E. Arch St., Pottsville — possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Dale R. Steffie, 56, of 656 John O’Hara St., Apt. 3, Pottsville — simple assault.

Jennifer R. Fenstemaker, 25, of 712 Mahantongo St., Apt. 4, Pottsville — retail theft.

Norman Wilfong, 50, of 710 Seneca St., Pottsville — unsworn falsification to authorities.

Randy J. Kramer, 40, of 613 Harrison St., Pottsville — criminal trespass.

Jason J. Eiler, 32, of 309 Market Square Apartments, Pottsville — altered, forged or counterfeit documents or plates, driving while operating privileges are suspended or revoked, driving an unregistered vehicle, driving without insurance and driving a vehicle without an inspection certificate.

Rueben Perez, 52, of 409A W. Arch St., First Floor, Pottsville — possession of a small amount of marijuana and stop and yield sign violations.

Donald McLean, 41, of Schuylkill County Prison, Pottsville — delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, criminal use of a communications facility and possession of a controlled substance.

Tyler E. Porter, 26, of 210 Pine St., Port Carbon — simple assault.

Harry E. Hosler, 35, of 207 E. Pine St., Mahanoy City — criminal trespass, possession of drug paraphernalia and criminal mischief.

Heath M. Livergood, 26, of 121 N. Fourth St., Frackville — defiant trespass and public drunkenness.

Samantha A. Kohr, 25, of 1104 W. Arch St., Pottsville — possession of drug paraphernalia.

Carol A. Evitts, 50, of 226 S. Liberty St., Orwigsburg — possession of drug paraphernalia.

Mitch R. Ritchie, 42, of 553 Pine St., Pottsville — terroristic threats.

Katie Hanley, 37, of 1846 Long Run Road, Schuylkill Haven — possession of drug paraphernalia.

John D. Mohl, 31, of 1748 W. Market St., Pottsville — manufacture of a controlled substance, possessing chemicals with intent to manufacture a controlled substance, risking a catastrophe, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Christian K. Pond, 21, of Schuylkill County Prison, Pottsville — harassment.

Angela L. Shelitsky-Lindenmuth, 39, of 229 S. Spencer St., Frackville— possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

William L. Schultz, 55, of 416 Centre St., Apt. 3, Ashland — public nuisances.

Allen J. Zimmerman, 31, of 228 N. Nice St., Frackville — receiving stolen property and unauthorized use of automobiles.

Linda R. Johns, 31, of 57 S. Maple St., Pottsville — possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Lloyd E. Freudenberger, 29, of 57 S. Maple St., Pottsville — possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Cody L. Page, 24, of 14 Canal St., Pine Grove — terroristic threats.

Justin L. Cooper, 26, of 224 W. Philadelphia St., Donaldson — simple assault and harassment.

David A. Flynn, 52, of 230 High Road, Pottsville — simple assault and harassment.

Dianne M. Kutsko, 47, of 320 W. Poplar St., Shenandoah — possession of drug paraphernalia.

Robert Besparis, 53, of 899 W. Coal St., Shenandoah — delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

James T. Nalesnik, 38, of 415 E. Mahanoy Ave., Mahanoy City — simple assault, resisting arrest, obstructing the administration of law and flight to avoid apprehension, trial or punishment.

Duane R. Allen, 28, of 320 N. Railroad St., Tamaqua, and Schuylkill County Prison, Pottsville — criminal trespass, possession of drug paraphernalia and theft.

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Borough residents welcomed the Christmas season Sunday night with the annual lighting of the tree at West Main Street and Parkway.

The crowd gathered outside the First Citizens Community Bank for 5 p.m. to hear the Little Hurricanes, a third- and fourth-grade children’s choir from the Schuylkill Haven Area Elementary Center, sing Christmas carols before the lighting of the 35-foot tall Christmas tree. The choir was led by Gloria Evert, general music teacher at the elementary school.

“It’s amazing how much bigger the crowd gets every year and the same with the Little Hurricanes,” Mayor Mike Devlin said.

The event started with a prayer from the Rev. Robert Berry of the Church of the Nazarene. Then, the elementary students sang several Christmas carols, including “Joy to the World,” “This Magic Season,” “Bundle Up,” and “The First Noel.”

As the choir sang “We Wish You A Merry Christmas,” brothers Noah, 9, and Luke Hale, 7, pulled the switch to light up the giant tree.

“It was an awesome experience for them,” their mother, Cathy, said. “It couldn’t have been a better night.”

The tree was planted at Parkway about 12 years ago and was dedicated in memory of the Rev. Rose Hoffman, former pastor of the Church of the Nazarene and an active community member, after she died in 2010.

“It’s a beautiful Christmas tree,” Devlin said. “This kicks off the holiday season for many borough residents.”

“It also keeps things in perspective and the reason for the season,” Jerry Bowman, borough councilman, said.

Following the tree lighting, people were invited to Hess Catering for free food and drinks.

Brenda Traupman and her daughter, Jess Fryer, both of Schuylkill Haven, have brought Fryer’s daughters, Kassidy, 6, and Abby, 3, to the hear the Christmas carols and see the lighting of the tree for the past few years.

“It’s nice that the kids are singing,” Traupman said. “They are excited to see the tree being lit.”

“It’s nice to get everyone together,” Fryer said. “It is something to do over Thanksgiving weekend.”

Amanda Vernitsky, Schuylkill Haven, said she has bringing her children, Ethan, 7, and Eli and Julliannah, both 5, every year to kick off the Christmas season.

“It’s a nice service for the community of a small town,” she said. “I think it is important for the kids to see everyone come together to kick off the holiday season.”

Last year, on the first day of rifle deer season, Bernie J. Guzick, 15, a freshman at Pottsville Area bagged “a four-pointer.”

“I woke up at 3 o’clock and we had to walk, like, two miles. I had a lever-action rifle with a scope. I was in a tree stand. I shot it around 9. It was about 100 yards away. I got it in the vitals, right behind the shoulder,” Guzick, now 16 and a sophomore at Pottsville Area, said Nov. 22.

Firearms deer season begins today and it will wrap on Dec. 10. The bag limits are one antlered deer per hunting license year and an antlerless deer with each required antlerless license, according to the website for the Pennsylvania Game Commission at www.pgc.pa.gov.

Guzick and members of his family are heading into the woods near Orwigsburg. And he said the only thing he’s looking forward to today is “seeing some deer.”

“I’m excited. I’m probably not going to sleep a lot,” Zach J. Turnitza, 15, a sophomore at Pottsville Area, said Nov. 22.

Last year during rifle deer season, Turnitza bagged a 10-point buck.

“It wasn’t on the first day. It was in the second week,” Turnitza said.

He said he’ll be out in the woods today with a bolt-action .308.

He and Guzick aren’t planning to upgrade their arsenal, even though on Nov. 21, the governor signed a law allowing semi-automatic rifle hunting in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania is the 49th state to pass such a law. “Only one other state, Delaware, currently prohibits the use of all semi-automatic rifles to take game,” according to www.guns.com, a website with contributing writers from many states across the nation.

“Semi-automatic rifles simply give hunters a much greater ability to fire a timely and accurate follow-up shot, which can be the huge difference between wounding or quickly taking a game animal,” according to the website for the NRA-ILA Institute for Legislative Action.

“I don’t think you need that at all,” Guzick said.

“I don’t think it’s needed,” Turnitza said.

“Giving the hunter too many opportunities, the deer don’t have a chance. It’s not really hunting,” Guzick said.

“The hunter is going to be less accurate because they’ll have more shots to kill the animal. So they’re not going to make their shot count. And it may not be as safe with all those bullets going through the woods,” Turnitza said.

Mykal B. McCulloch, 35, of Schuylkill Haven, said he didn’t believe in using a semi-automatic rifle to hunt deer either.

“I don’t really see a point to it because with the AR, the .223, it’s too small to deer hunt anyway. With the .223, you can’t do it. I would have no reason to do that,” McCulloch said.

Since that’s the case, most hunters may use these semi-automatics for hunting small game and varmints.

“And, personally, I think it takes away from the whole experience. I’d rather go out and be more traditionalistic. I’m set in my way. And I enjoy that,” McCulloch said.

McCulloch prefers to use a bolt-action rifle, and he said he won’t pull the trigger unless his shot will kill the animal.

“If I know there’s even a minuscule chance that my shot will only wound it and it will run off to somewhere where I can’t find it, I wouldn’t even want to consider that. Last year, I was in a tree stand, and I saw a deer first thing in the morning. A buck came out with two doe. And the way I was angled in my seat, I couldn’t turn to one side and I couldn’t get a clear shot. I had a shaky angle. And I refused to take it. I couldn’t do it,” McCulloch said.

“I’ve personally been around when a deer has been shot and it’s taken off and I know that there’s been times when we’ve walked for three or four hours in a day to try to find it. And it kills you inside. The last thing you want to know is it went somewhere and just suffered,” McCulloch said.

n Frackville: The South End Field and Stream Association, Morea Road, is holding its annual Christmas kielbasa sale. Varieties include fresh, smoked and cheesy hot. Fresh and cheesy hot kielbasa loaves are also available. Pickup will be at Whippoorwill Park from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 22 and 23. Orders must be placed by Dec. 13. To order or for more information, call Joe C. at 570-874-1108.

n Girardville: Rangers Hose Company, 6 E. Ogden St., will have a wing night with Santa starting at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 10 at the firehouse. Wings are $8 a dozen, fries are $3 and fries with any wing sauce, $4. Children under 12 will receive a free gift from Santa, a hot dog and a beverage. A variety of wing sauces will be available, as will beverages and other food items. For more information, call 570-276-6922. The fire company will also have a blood drive from 1 to 7 p.m. Dec. 28 and is urging people to become blood donors. Walk-ins are welcome. For more information, call Julie at 570-276-6922 or visit www.geisingerbloodcenter.org and click on “make an appointment.” The company will have another wing night beginning at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 14.

n Mahanoy City: Citizens Fire Company No. 2 is holding its annual Christmas tree sale at the lot adjacent to the fire company at Centre and Linden streets. The following tree sizes are available: 10 feet or higher, $40; eight to 10 feet, $35; six to eight feet, $30; six feet or less, $25. The fire company has tree stands, free wrapping and delivery upon availability. Tree lot hours are noon to 5 p.m. Sundays, 6 to 9 p.m. Mondays to Fridays and noon to 9 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, call John Wiekrykas at 570-778-6405.

n Pottsville: Theresa Santai-Gaffney, Schuylkill County register of wills and clerk of the orphans’ court, released the following report for October: Estates processed, 141; marriage licenses issued, 58; adoptions completed, 3; inheritance tax remitted to the commonwealth, $1,290,769.19; county fees collected, $20,342.75.

n Ringtown: The Ringtown Area Library has announced tickets are available now for its second annual wine and food gala to be held from 6 to 8 p.m. June 3 on the library lawn. Tickets are $40 per person and are being made available now in time for holiday gift-giving. The event will feature a variety of culinary items plus wine sampling. Only 75 tickets are being sold for the event. For more information, call the library at 570-889-5503.

n Schuylkill Haven: The Walk In Art Center, 220 Parkway, will have Coal ‘n’ Christmas from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Dec. 9. Tickets are $10 each. The event is a concert featuring folk music by Jay Smar with food and a bake sale (BYOB). IDs will be required. The center will also have a holiday market and first Saturday open house from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. More than 40 artists and vendors will be on hand.

n Shenandoah: Restoration Fellowship, 201 W. Oak St., will have its Christmas celebration with the Teen Challenge Ministry at the 10:30 a.m. worship service Sunday at the church. The celebration will include skits and special music. It will be followed by a free turkey dinner. Everyone is welcome. For more information, call the Rev. Angela Carls, pastor, at 570-454-1984.

n Tamaqua: Santa is coming to the Owl Creek Reservoir area from noon to 4 p.m. Dec. 10 for “Owl Creek Christmas.” The rain date is Dec. 11. The event will include a bikes giveaway, campfire, marshmallow roasting, food and refreshments. For more information, call 570-668-5066.

n Tamaqua: Following the popularity of the 2013 Our Hometown Heroes banner program, the Tamaqua Area Chamber of Commerce has announced it will sponsor a new banner program for 2017, intended to honor any local hometown hero who has provided beneficial service to the Tamaqua area. Heroes may include first responders, organization volunteers, civic leaders, active military, veterans living or deceased. Banners will be displayed on available poles throughout downtown Tamaqua. For more information, go to the chamber’s website at www.tamaqua.net/newsandevents/bannerprogram.html.

People will have the chance to decorate a gingerbread house at the ninth annual Schuylkill County Christmas Gala at the Pottsville Masonic building.

“We are going to have a gingerbread house contest,” Bob Thomas, event organizer, said Monday.

Supplies for the gingerbread house decorating will be at a first-come first-serve basis. He is expecting 20 to 25 houses will be available. The houses will then be placed on a train display for people to vote on. Thomas said he was inspired by the idea when he visited a similar scene out of the county previously.

The gala, a free event, will occur noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and Dec. 10 and 11. Pulaski Masonic Lodge 216 is sponsoring the event. At least 800 people attended the event last year, Thomas said.

The 21 trees arrived Nov. 25, and decorating started over the weekend. Usually schools and other organizations decorate the trees that are given to the less fortunate. Students from Pottsville Area School District were among those who decorated the trees donated from six local growers.

Visitors can vote for their favorite tree. Voters must stop by the lodge the days of the gala to vote. More than one vote is permitted. Two trophies will be awarded, people’s choice and judges choice, on the last day of the gala. Prizes for the gingerbread winners will also be announced during the last day.

A model train display will also be available downstairs. The gala with have a craft show and sale as well as live music. There is a gift auction Dec. 10.

The Schuylkill Choral Society used to depend on the Mahantongo Parking Center.

When the Pottsville Parking Authority closed the four-level deck on Oct. 28, the society’s members weren’t sure where they would find parking for practice sessions at United Presbyterian Church, 214 Mahantongo St., or how its fans would find parking to attend concerts at the church.

“We just don’t want people coming out to one of our shows and not being able to find a place to park,” Greg Mensch, Auburn, the logistics coordinator for the Schuylkill Choral Society, said Nov. 21.

The society’s next concert at the church, “A Hawaiian Christmas,” is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday. And the society came up with a plan to help their fans get to the show.

Mensch said they can park at the former 84 Lumber site near Union Station. Then they can take a bus, free of charge, from Union Station to the church. The society rented the bus from Newhurst Inc., Pine Grove, for about $150.

“The bus service will start at 5:45 p.m. that day. Then after the concert they’ll shuttle them back until everyone is back at their vehicle,” Mensch said.

Brad C. Dixon, executive director of the Pottsville Area Development Corp. and the parking authority, said he will tell the parking authority about the choral group’s situation.

On Nov. 4, the authority assembled a committee to examine demolition costs, funding, future construction options and relocation for people who park there.

“It’s a parking planning committee,” Dixon said.

The committee includes Dixon; City Administrator Thomas A. Palamar; Joseph J. Devine Jr., city councilman; John Levkulic, parking authority engineer; and attorney Tim Pellish.

“And these are the kind of issues the committee is looking to iron out. We’re looking to come up with a plan. We’re trying to figure out how our situation will affect the community,” Dixon said.

“The logical solution to the thing is a replacement of the facility,” Mensch said.

But he wasn’t sure the authority could afford it.

“I’m not even sure if they can afford to tear the existing structure down. It’s a very difficult situation for the people involved,” Mensch said.

The Mahantongo Parking Center was built in 1969. It included 275 spaces.

The parking authority closed the parking deck Oct. 28 after a contractor hired to do repairs found deteriorated structural reinforcing.

LLEWELLYN — Belfast-born singer and entertainer Seamus Kennedy has traveled the world over the course of his 45 year career, but no matter where he goes his audience always feels like old friends.

“He probably knows most of the people here by their first names,” Bob Laughlin, fire police lieutenant at Good Intent Hose Company No. 1, said.

For about the last 20 years, Kennedy, now a resident of Annapolis, Maryland, has performed in Schuylkill County the weekend after Thanksgiving. After performances Friday and Saturday in Scranton, he entertained the crowd Sunday with his music and jokes at Good Intent.

“It’s been wonderful,” Kennedy said. “I have a great following in Pennsylvania. I love coming to this area.”

The Ancient Order of Hibernians John F. Kennedy Div. 2, Pottsville, had previously sponsored Kennedy’s annual performance at the Catholic War Veterans Post 1084, 19th Street and First Avenue, Pottsville. The fire company took over the event about six years ago to continue the post-Thanksgiving tradition, Paul Kennedy, company president, said.

“It was important to continue an event like this,” he said. “He has become more than an entertainer that we book, he has become a friend.”

It did not take long for Seamus Kennedy to engage the audience with his jokes and have them clapping and singing along as he played his acoustic guitar decorated with the green, white and orange stripes of the Irish flag.

“I myself come from a working class background in Ireland,” Kennedy said. “I identify with them and vice versa. I always say I don’t get new fans, I get new friends.”

He added, “I love traveling, meeting new people and trying new food. A time will come when I can’t travel, but until that happens I am going to keep rolling.”

Kennedy had plenty of longtime fans attend his performance Saturday. Lydia Laughlin, Branch Township, said she has been coming to see Kennedy when he visits Schuylkill County for about 20 years.

“He’s funny,” she said. “I love his jokes. Even the ones I have heard a dozen times still make me laugh. He has great music and is kid-friendly.”

He also had some new fans. Noreen O’Boyle, Frackville, has been coming to see Kennedy since she hired him for an event in 1996. She said they have been friends ever since, and brought some friends to see him for the first time Sunday.

“I absolutely love Seamus. I just love his music and his Irish wit,” she said. “Everyone has a good time when they are around Seamus.”