GIRARDVILLE — A husband and wife were displaced after a fire damaged their 85 Upper Railroad St. house Saturday.

“Nobody was home at the time,” Virginia Segars, 37, who rents the property with her husband, Michael Segars, 47, said.

Firefighters were called to the fire at 2:43 p.m. and encountered fire to the back and corner of the house.

Joseph Yackera, chief of Girard Hose Company No. 1, said the fire is still under investigation but started in the kitchen.

“The fire was contained to the kitchen area and adjoining area,” he said.

The first floor sustained heat, smoke and water damage, while the second floor sustained heat and smoke damage. He estimated damage to be between $15,000 to $20,000. The couple do have renters insurance. The fire was contained in about 45 minutes, he said. Yackera said he did not hear any working smoke detectors in the building.

Frank Zangari, borough fire chief, will investigate more today, Yackera said.

Virginia Segars said they had working smoke alarms.

She said she was at work at the time. Her husband went to her workplace to tell her about the fire. She said a neighbor noticed the fire and called 911.

“They believe it started at the dryer,” Virginia Segars said, adding the dryer was not on.

Two dogs died of smoke inhalation in the fire.

“They did everything they could to save them. They tried everything. They did an awesome job,” Virginia Segars said of those who tried to save her dogs.

Yackera said EMTs from the Girardville Ambulance tried valiantly to save the animals.

“They worked on them for about 15 minutes,” he said.

“It could have been worse. I could have lost my whole house,” Virginia Segars said.

Patty Daley, disaster captain of the Tri-County American Red Cross, said the couple are being helped with food, clothing and shelter assistance.

The Girardville Hose Company and Rangers Hose Company and Girardville Ambulance responded to the scene.

FRACKVILLE — Seventy-seven smoke alarms were installed in 26 homes in Frackville, Schuylkill Haven and Minersville on Saturday.

The free smoke alarms were installed as part of the American Red Cross Smoke Alarm Home Campaign. The smoke alarms along with 10-year batteries were donated by Kiddie, a company that manufactures smoke alarms and other fire safety devices.

About 25 volunteers with the American Red Cross Tri-County Chapter; Goodwill Hose Company No. 1, Frackville; Mountain View Restoration, Jim Thorpe; students from Penn State Schuylkill and others donated their time to install the smoke alarms.

“You can’t put a price on life,” George Anthony, a firefighter with Goodwill Hose Company, said.

He said too often people don’t check the batteries in the smoke detectors.

Bev Gregoire, 71, of South Green Street, was surprised to learn none of her smoke alarms had batteries in them.

“I can’t believe it,” she said.

She thought the smoke alarms in her living room and hallway had batteries in them. She had a smoke alarm in her basement that she didn’t know about.

“I never realized I even needed one down there,” she said.

A firefighter installing them said they were “dinosaurs” because they were so old they didn’t even have dates on them.

Gregoire has lived and owned the house for 17 years. She felt safer knowing she is protected by the three smoke alarms installed by the volunteers.

Betty Bradbury, 80, who also lives on South Green Street, said it is hard for her to put batteries in the smoke alarms in her house.

“They had batteries, but they were all dead,” one of the volunteers said about the five smoke alarms in Bradbury’s house.

Sylvia Yonalunas, 91, of Lehigh Avenue, knows the importance of changing batteries in her smoke detectors. She did have some working smoke alarms, but one was 10 years old and needed to be replaced. She had three smoke alarms installed by the volunteers.

“I always keep batteries on hand,” she said.

Yonalunas also has carbon monoxide detector in a bedroom. Volunteers changed the battery for her and made sure it worked. She even has a metal ladder she can attach to a window if she needed an escape route during a fire.

In addition to installing smoke alarms, renters and homeowners were told about the importance of having a working carbon monoxide detector.

“It’s a silent killer,” Kristen Cunningham, a firefighter with Goodwill, said.

Fellow firefighter Richard Powis said the effort is beneficial for everyone.

“It’s good for us. It’s good for them. It makes them safer,” he said.

SHERIDAN — Two people were displaced after fire damaged their house Saturday morning.

The fire at 18 N. George St. was noticed about 1 a.m. It started as a vehicle fire and spread to the house, said Mary Keim, 46, who lived at the home with her boyfriend, Marlin Hunter, 54.

“We were sound asleep. We didn’t hear anything until the alarm went off,” she said, referring to the alarm on the Dodge Dakota. Smoke alarms in the house went off after the back of the house caught fire. A neighbor tried to alert them to the fire by knocking on the front door.

She said Hunter went outside to fight the fire, and she followed shortly after.

Keim said the fire damaged the kitchen and a front room. Nobody was injured.

The charred remains of the vehicle sat next to the house, and a blue tarp covered the back of the house.

Keim said the couple did not have renters insurance. They lived in the house for about a year. She said they will be staying with family.

The online Schuylkill County Parcel Locator lists the owner as Joseph M. Buffington. A man identified as the landlord said he did not wish to comment.

Fire companies from Tower City, Sheridan and Williamstown responded, Keim said.

Larry Shutt, Porter Township fire chief, did not return a call for comment.

n Fountain Springs: A Paint & Sip “Family First” to defray medical expenses for Chris Woodward, who has leukemia, will be held from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Friday at Fountain Springs Fire Company, Fountain Street. The cost is $40. Woodward, an Ashland native, was recently diagnosed with leukemia and is fighting it at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. The benefit will include light refreshments. All tickets must be paid in advance. The painting for the night will be a sunflower. Non-painters will be able to attend for $15, payable at the door. For more information, call 570-590-1997.

n Frackville: Frackville Rotarian Charles Miller has announced the club will sponsor a Quest Health scan from 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. April 1 at the Frackville Senior Citizen Center, East Frack Street and South Broad Mountain Avenue. The scan will test for various conditions and results may be sent to the participant’s physician. The club offers the scans as a service to the community in that the tests are performed at a reduced rate. The scan is open to all.

n Mahanoy City: St. Teresa of Calcutta Roman Catholic Parish will hold its annual overnight bus trip to Resorts Casino in Atlantic City from July 16 to July 18. The cost is $295 per person, double or triple occupancy, and single price of $399. It includes transportation, accommodations, luggage handling, driver gratuity and a gift for all. The casino package for the first two days is $25 slot play, two $30 meal credits and revue show upon availability. There is a rebate (to be determined) for the Tropicana Casino the third day. A non-refundable deposit of $50 is due by May 5, with final payment due by June 5. There will be food and games on the bus. For reservations or more information, call 570-952-4363 or Tom at 570-773-0838.

n Shenandoah: Psyanky egg decorating classes will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. April 5 and 9 a.m. to noon April 8 in St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church Hall, 300 W. Oak St. The cost is $45, which includes supplies. To register or for more information, call Paul at 570-668-5789. The church office can be reached at 570-462-0809. Additional classes will also be available.

n Shenandoah: The annual Shenandoah Community Health Fair will be held at Shenandoah Senior Living Community, 101 E. Washington St., from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 1. People will be able to learn about health resources in the community, get free health screenings, visit local health care vendors on site, learn about healthy food choices, the benefits of walking, get information on new walking paths, view exercise demonstrations and participate in other activities. The event is sponsored by The Senior Living Community, Healthy Schuylkill Communities and WalkWorks. For more information, call 570-462-1908.

n Shenandoah: St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church is raffling a Ukrainian Easter basket with the traditional food for the Easter Sunday feast. Tickets are $1 each, six for $5. Tickets are available after liturgies or at the rectory, 114 S. Chesnut St. The winning ticket will be drawn on Flowery Sunday, April 9. The basket includes ham, kielbasi, bacon, paska, cheese, eggs, butter, salt, horseradish, candle and a covering cloth. People need not be present to win. For tickets or more information, contact Stephanie Rarick or call the parish office at 570-462-0809. St. Michael in Shenandoah is the oldest Ukrainian Catholic parish in the United States.

n William Penn: William Penn Fire Company, Mount Olive Boulevard (Route 54) just west of Shenandoah, has several fundraisers on its agenda, including another “Almost Armondo’s” unbaked pizza sale with the order deadline set for April 3. The cost is $10 for plain, $12 for pepperoni and 75 cents extra for hot sauce. Pizzas can be picked up after 3 p.m. April 7; there will be no walk-in purchases or deliveries. To order or for more information, call 570-462-0338. The company also is having a cheesesteak sale beginning at 3 p.m. April 1. To order or for free local delivery, call the aforementioned number. The company is having a bleenie sale beginning at 11 a.m. Good Friday, April 14.

Welcome to part three of my trilogy on the birth, life and death of stars. In last week’s Starwatch column, the life of stars, I told you how stars cook up energy in their cores with nuclear fusion. Because of intense pressure and the resulting astronomically high temperatures, hydrogen atoms fuse together to form heavier helium atoms. In the process a little bit of hydrogen is converted into energy, which forces its way to the outer levels of a star.

Simply put, hydrogen is the fuel of a star, and the smaller and less massive stars like our sun sip their supply of hydrogen slowly and live a long time. Our sun’s been around for about 5 billion years, and should have enough hydrogen fuel in the tank to keep it going for another 5 billion years.

More massive stars are not around for nearly as long. They’re literally what you could call hydrogen gas guzzlers. The big guys of the stellar world may only last a few billion years. Sooner or later, though, all stars begin to run out of hydrogen in their cores and stellar death gets underway. Smaller stars like our sun certainly die a violent death, but the really massive stars go out with a huge bang!

Death of smaller stars

Low-mass stars like our sun get really fat before they die and flicker out. In the case of our sun, it will run out of hydrogen in about 5 billion years. In the sun’s core, helium builds up as the hydrogen dwindles. As nuclear fusion dies out, internal pressure decreases. The built-up helium in the core starts to contract because of never ending gravitational pressure. This causes the helium core to increase in temperature. Some of the heat escapes beyond the core, reaching the cooler hydrogen layers farther out in the sun. In time, the temperature rises high enough in these layers to fire up nuclear fusion. That will cause the sun to bloat out into a red giant star.

When this happens to our sun, it will swallow up the planets Mercury and Venus, and will just about touch the Earth. At that point, needless to say, we’ll be toast! Even though the sun will have a cooler surface temperature of about 3,000 to 4,000 degrees, it will be right on top of us!

Also, toward the end of our sun’s red giant phase, excess energy “burps” in the outer layers will cause large clouds of gas to blow off and form large rings and shells of gas around what’s left of our star. Astronomers call these planetary nebulae. Even though they’re dubbed planetary nebulae they have nothing to do with planets.

They got that name because the telescopes in the 1700s and 1800s weren’t quite up to the standards of the Hubble Telescope, and through those archaic scopes stars resembled giant planets.

Planetary nebula don’t last though, and after about a billion years or so of being a red giant, stars like our sun totally run out of all fusion fuel and will shrink into white dwarfs. With no more nuclear reactions inside the star to hold it up, gravity collapses the corpse of the once proud star. In our sun’s case, it’s believed that whatever is left of the sun’s original mass will be squashed into a ball about the size of Earth. When that happens our sun will be considered a white dwarf or a “retired star.”

Death of bigger stars

Remember the old saying; the bigger they are, the harder they fall? Well that’s certainly the case with behemoth stars.

Massive stars, at least eight times more massive than our sun, die a spectacular death! Just like smaller stars, they also bloat out into red giants, only they become super, super, big red giants! Helium atoms inside the stellar core eventually fuse in stages to heavier carbon and oxygen, and eventually an iron core forms. That’s the end of the line, though, and a chain of reactions causes all nuclear you-know-what to break loose, and then you have an explosion beyond your wildest dreams!

The once super giant red star explodes into a supernova. The supernova flings out material at beyond incredible speeds of 10,000 miles a second! In the process, heavier material like gold, silver and many other heavier elements are “cooked up” and become the building blocks of future stars and planets.

Out of death comes new celestial life. This is recycling on a cosmic scale! The Crab Nebula in the constellation Taurus the Bull, currently located in the low southwest Pottsville evening sky, is the remnants of a supernova explosion that our distant ancestors saw back in 1054. Even with a small to moderate telescope you can see the Crab Nebula near one of the horns in Taurus.

What’s left of an exploded star after a supernova can be one of two bizarre objects, depending on the mass of the remaining core. It may become a rapidly rotating neutron star, only about 10 to 15 miles in diameter, and so dense that one tablespoon would weigh more than a billion Earth tons!

Or, the core left behind may collapse very rapidly, possibly in a matter of hours, to an object so small and so dense that not even light can escape it. When this happens you have a black hole. What goes into a black hole stays in a black hole. Nothing escapes!

Astronomers have never actually seen a black hole, but there are ways they can detect their presence. This is especially the case when a black hole is part of multiple star systems. Black holes can literally suck material off existing stars. When that happens, X-rays are produced as stellar material spirals to its doom in the black hole. These X-rays are signals that can be detected by astronomers. One of the first suspected black holes that was detected by X-rays is found in the bright constellation Cygnus the Swan, a constellation we’ll see this summer.

Don’t worry, it’s more than forty-six thousand trillion miles away. You won’t get sucked in!

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

Christina E. Hale

FRACKVILLE — A 28-year-old Barnesville man charged with a robbery in Ashland on Jan. 2 waived his right to a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Christina E. Hale.

Curtis D. Navitsky, 21 St. Ann St., was arrested by state police Trooper Christopher Rooney of the Frackville station and charged with one count each of robbery, theft, receiving stolen property and criminal mischief. By waiving his right to a hearing, Navitsky will now have to answer to all four charges in Schuylkill County Court.

Rooney charged Navitsky with an incident at 1026 Walnut St., where Vincent Bloss arrived to speak with an occupant about a telephone that was missing. Inside the home, Bloss reported taking out his wallet to check the contents when Navitsky grabbed his wallet and then pushed him out of the door he entered from and closed it.

The wallet contained $160 and Rooney said Bloss reported that a short time after being pushed out of the home, someone threw his coat and wallet outside and that the wallet was missing the money.

Other court proceedings included:

Amy M. Dower, 42, of 10 Clay St., Tremont — held for court: possession of drug paraphernalia, driving with a suspended or revoked license, driving a vehicle without a valid inspection and driving without a license.

Joseph J. Michaels, 26, of 1049 Barnesville Drive, Barnesville — withdrawn: dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities. Waived for court: burglary, criminal trespass, theft, receiving stolen property and theft by deception.

Ryan P. Hoystrich, 30, of 24 E. Pine St., Sheppton — withdrawn: theft and receiving stolen property.

Steven R. Melsom, 21, of 310 W. Mount Vernon St., Shenandoah — withdrawn: aggravated assault. Waived for court: simple assault, retaliation against a witness or victim, recklessly endangering another person, harassment and disorderly conduct.

Shauna L. Weber, 23, of 36 Oakland Ave., Ashland — waived for court: theft and receiving stolen property.

Carol Ann Talanca, 35, of 1227 Walnut St., Ashland — waived for court: endangering the welfare of children and recklessly endangering another person.

George S. Beaver, 59, of 17 Jerry’s Road, Ringtown — withdrawn: simple assault and harassment.

James C. Skinner, 25, of 136 B St., Girardville — withdrawn: disorderly conduct and obstructing the administration of law.

Tracy N. Hutira, 31, of 145 N. Wylam St., Frackville — waived for court: simple assault and harassment.

Valerie M. Vicery, 27, of 213 S. Wylam St., Frackville — withdrawn: possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Waived for court: driving while operating privileges are suspended or revoked and driving without a license.

Carisa S. Rhoads, 37, of 425 W. Washington St., Frackville — dismissed: obstructing the administration or law and hindering apprehension or prosecution.

Holly Ann Mignogna, 32, of 357 S. Lehigh Ave., Frackville — dismissed: possession of drug paraphernalia, endangering the welfare of children and hindering apprehension or prosecution.

Timothy J. Whiteash, 36, of 210 Walnut St., Williamstown — dismissed: theft and receiving stolen property.

Shawn A. Jessman, 24, of 155 S. Nice St., Frackville — withdrawn: simple assault, disorderly conduct and harassment.

David J. Whipple, 22, of 367 W. Preston Ave., Girardville — withdrawn: possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while operating privileges are suspended or revoked and intersections controlled by signs.

McAdoo residents can leave their trash cans in front of their house only the night before pickup and the day of collection.

All other times the plastic receptacles have to be stored at the rear of the residence out of sight, according to the borough’s quality of life ordinance.

Members of council expressed concern when they met Tuesday night that the containers — given to residents by the borough’s hauler, County Waste — are being left in the front of residences.

Aside from being unsightly, the bins block sidewalks, borough officials said.

“Are we going after people who are leaving their garbage cans on Kennedy Drive for decoration?” Councilwoman Mary Labert asked. “We have about 12 of them going down Kennedy Drive. You’re going to have people, as they are taking a walk, throwing stuff in their garbage cans.”

Borough Secretary Diane Minneci noted, “The garbage ordinance just really talks about leaving the garbage on the curb, not the container itself. But you’re obstructing the sidewalk.”

Labert, Councilwoman Marion Debalko and Councilman Robert Wills all said residents should get a warning before they are cited for an infraction.

“For 24 hours, you’re not supposed to have your garbage out, no matter what,” Debalko said.

Police Chief Jeff Wainright pointed out that in the quality of life ordinance the property owner is responsible for their trash.

The ordinance states: “All containers must be stored in the rear of the property so said containers are not visible from the public right-of-way. Containers may only be placed in the front of any property when darkness occurs the night before the day of the scheduled trash pickup. Once the licensed hauler removes the trash from the property, all containers must be returned to the rear of the property before daybreak on the day following the pickup.”

Nice job

Mayor Stephan Holly acknowledged the borough’s street foreman, Joe Madochick, for spearheading the effort to handle the big snowstorm last week.

“I would like to thank everybody, especially Joe, for the tremendous efforts that went out here,” Holly said. “I went around with (police) Officer Joe David. At one point, I felt, and others agreed with me, that the streets were wide enough that we took the emergency papers down, which gave relief to everybody. It was an awesome job.”

Holly said borough officials had devised a plan to deal with the storm before it hit.

“We had meeting with Joe (Madochick), the mayor and the fire company,” Holly said. “We had a game plan set. That worked out pretty good. Channel 16 even gave us a good review.”

Councilman Peter Minneci — who once served as the streets foreman — knew what Madochick had to endure, because he had plowed snow during the Blizzard of 1993.

“Under the circumstances, they did (a good job),” Minneci said. “When I was on, I knew what it was to plow an inch an hour. It wasn’t easy then.”

“They did an excellent job,” said Councilwoman Mary Labert, who asked why Cleveland Street is still an emergency route, since the former St. Patrick’s School — known at one time as McAdoo Catholic — closed.

“There were so many people who called from Cleveland Street who wanted to know why because they had no place to park,” Labert said. “You couldn’t park on Grant, Blaine or Hancock (streets).”

Council President John Shigo said Cleveland Street is a bus route. Wills said Cleveland Street is an alternative to Kennedy Drive during an emergency.

Holly also thanked Russell Postupack, who provided a loader, and Monsignor William Baker, pastor of All Saints Church, who allowed residents to park on the plowed church parking lot on Cleveland Street during the storm.

New truck

Council voted 5-2 to purchase a 2017 Ford F-250 pickup truck with a Western snowplow from Kovatch Ford, which Minneci said is a Pennsylvania COSTARS dealer — meaning the borough is getting a state pool price on it. Borough Solicitor Joseph Baranko said McAdoo is exempt from normal bidding guidelines because of the state purchasing program.

The borough will pay $4,000 on delivery, which the secretary said will take six to eight weeks, and then payments of $6,974.69 per year for five years, a total of $38,873.45.

“I’d rather spend the money to fix our streets up first before we get a brand-new truck that is going to run through potholes,” said Labert, who voted against the purchase.

Councilman Bill Slovik also voted no.

“I don’t like Fords,” Slovik said. “I’m not happy about the Ford we have. It’s falling apart already.”

Shigo said the problem with the current truck involves its pickup box — and not a mechanical issue.

“We have no problems with the chassis,” Shigo said. “It runs good. It will have the same plow as the F-550 now, so if something breaks down, they are interchangeable. We definitely need a smaller truck for your everyday running around, cutting lawns.”

Council also approved the installation of a handicapped parking sign at 2 N. Madison St.

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s experiment with a high-stakes student test remains in limbo as state lawmakers digest the impact of the latest changes in education policy from Washington.

The Senate and House education committees held a joint hearing last week on the impact of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act signed in 2015 by former President Barack Obama. This law outlines how states are to establish student performance goals in public schools and hold schools accountable for academic progress. It’s the successor to the No Child Left Behind Act, which put more emphasis on teaching to pass tests.

In Washington, Betsy DeVos, President Donald Trump’s education secretary and school choice advocate, said she wants to give states more flexibility in meeting the law’s goals.

“ESSA was passed with broad bipartisan support to move power away from Washington, D.C., and into the hands of those who are closest to serving our nation’s students,” she said.

Pennsylvania developed the statewide Keystone Exams in algebra, biology and literature for high school seniors in 2013 as part of the trend toward greater emphasis on tests to measure academic achievement.

A year ago, Gov. Tom Wolf signed a law delaying use of the Keystone Exams as a high school graduation requirement until the 2018-19 academic year. The delay reflects concerns among lawmakers of both parties about whether the Keystone Exams are a fair or reliable marker for graduation. Meanwhile, legislative proposals are emerging to provide alternatives to the Keystone Exams.

Pennsylvania is required to provide one statewide test in high school under ESSA, Casey Smith, a spokeswoman for the state education department, said. Pennsylvania uses the Keystone Exams for that purpose, but the law doesn’t require states to use tests as a graduation requirement, she said.

Sen. Andrew Dinniman, D-19, West Chester, ranking Democrat on the Senate education committee, is an outspoken critic of what he calls the “testing obsession.”

“We are spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on testing skills while some school districts don’t even have the resources to properly educate students on the subjects upon subjects for which they are being tested,” Dinniman said. “The Keystone Exam is part of that testing program.”

The senator said tests are appropriate for diagnostic purposes and to help students learn.

Dinniman plans to introduce a bill soon to replace the Keystone Exams with the SAT, a standard test used widely for college admission purposes.

Using the SAT would be less expensive, easier to administer and give a wider range of students a chance to obtain scholarships, Dinniman said.

Pennsylvania should take a more flexible approach to tests and provide school districts with the resources to help students master the test material, Sen. John Yudichak, D-14, Plymouth Township, said.

The Pennsylvania State Education Association called recently for formally removing the Keystone Exams as a graduation requirement.

“We strongly support making the Keystone Exams delay permanent,” PSEA President Jerry Oleksiak said. “When there is too much emphasis on standardized testing, it gets in the way of teaching and learning.”

Sen. Robert Tomlinson, R-6, Bensalem, is drafting legislation allowing local schools to determine how the Keystone Exams are used to measure achievement.

The House unanimously approved legislation earlier this month to give career and technical education students an alternative to taking the Keystone Exam as a graduation requirement. The measure going to the Senate would allow these students to obtain an industry-based competency certification instead.

Rep. Mike Tobash, R-125, a key bill supporter, said this alternative recognizes the need for a diverse workforce to expand the economy.

TOWER CITY — The Williams Valley school board on Thursday approved a special summertime program that will have its students learning the sky’s the limit.

The 2017 “Summer Science Enrichment Program” for the elementary school was given the nod with the theme, “Summer of the Stars.” It will be held from 9 a.m. to noon for students from June 12 to 29 for three, one-week sessions. Teachers will report from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the elementary school in Tower City.

Teachers running the sessions will include Sharon Scheib, Suzanne Deiter and Tiffany Underkoffler; with Christal Troutman and Carmen Moore serving as substitutes. Instructors will prepare for the program June 7 and 8 with 10 hours per teacher.

John Mika, school board vice president, called the meeting to order, in the absence of President Daniel Stroup; and appointed Joanna Stroup as temporary secretary in the absence of Jennifer Kramer. Director Michael Minnich was also absent.

In other matters, the board approved several coaching positions, held first readings of revised and new district policies, and heard congratulatory remarks on students’ successes.

The board approved:

• Alyssa Schadle, Tower City, as a volunteer junior high school softball coach for the 2016-17 school year.

• Jann Stroup, Tower City, as head football cheerleading coach; and Amy Kobularik, Tower City, as assistant football cheerleading coach, both for the 2017-18 school year at salaries as per the collective bargaining agreement; Megan Williams, Muir, as a volunteer football cheerleading coach for the 2017-18 school year.

• Mandi Jobe as a volunteer varsity softball coach for the 2016-17 school year.

• Dennis Kasper, Williamstown, as head boys’ basketball coach and Joseph D’Agostino, Williamstown, as assistant boys’ basketball coach; both for the 2017-18 school year at a salary per the collective bargaining agreement.

• Brandi Dugett, Tower City, and Shannon Joy, Williamstown, as cafeteria employees of Chartwells for the 2016-17 school year.

• the first reading of the revised policies on: guides for planned instruction, adoption of planned instruction, adoption of textbooks, resource materials, instructional supplies, guidance counseling and home education.

• the first reading of the following new policies: review-evaluation-selection of textbooks, criteria for evaluation of textbooks, textbook evaluation form, textbook recommendation form, disposal of textbooks, selection of resource materials, selection of software, weeding of resource materials, request for re-evaluation of materials, request form for re-evaluation of materials and checklist for review committee.

• revisions to the 2016-17 school calendar year.

The board heard director David Ferraro congratulate the district’s archery team; director Christopher Stroup compliment the outstanding job done by everyone involved with the high school musical; director Joanna Stroup commend staff and students attending the STEM challenge at the Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29; and Athletic Director Randy Russelavage compliment wrestler Ian Minnich on his sixth-place state finish.

The next board meeting will be 7:30 p.m. April 13 in the board room at the high school.

PINE GROVE — The Pine Grove Area school board on Thursday hired Jodie I. Dermo as the district’s new business administrator.

Dermo has been serving as Tri-Valley School District’s business manager.

The board advertised for a full-time business administrator, beginning July 2, after voting to end the district’s contract for business consulting services with Robert Davidson on June 30. Davidson has done a “great job” for the district, the board reported in January, but the board determined the position needed to be a full-time one. Dermo’s annual salary will be $79,500.

The board tabled action on raising the substitute teacher rates and on purchasing two, 2017 Ford transit passenger vans at a cost not to exceed $56,902 — $28,451 each. The vehicle purchase would have been through GSA CoStar pricing and funds would have been paid out of the capital projects account. Members decided to wait on taking action on those items, until the budget is finalized, according to director Dave Frew. All directors were present.

Superintendent Heath W. Renninger said the state Department of Agriculture approved the single audit report for the year ending June 30, 2015, including the schedule of expenditures of federal awards and the USDA commodity program.

The school board recognized March seniors of the month, Mackenzie Hasenauer and Alexander Koontz; eighth-grade students of the month, Valerie Artz and Derrick Boyer; and STEM competition winners.

In other matters, the board approved:

• to increase the not to exceed cost for Architectural Studios’ original exterior lighting project from $19,000 to $20,400. Those funds will be paid out of the capital projects account.

• payment to McClure Co. for $677,069, which is the first pay application — 20 percent of the project. Last fall, the district approved an HVAC project with McClure.

• a homebound request for a student in eighth-grade, beginning March 7 and ending April 3.

• the middle school book club field trip to New York City in May.

• the high school curriculum guide for 2017-18.

• MaryBeth McKeever and student Erik Dubbs to attend the National Spelling Bee Competition in Washington, D.C.

• allowing the FFA students to attend their state leadership conference from March 12 to 14 in Harrisburg.

• revisions to the 2016-17 school calendar to reflect the snow days.

• the repository sale of 8 Carbon St., Pine Grove (parcel 58-08-0022.000) to Jennie Boyer for $1,933. The property has been through upset, private and judicial sales with no bids. At the repository level, the successful bid is for costs.

• wrestling volunteers, Justin Daubert and Paul Frantz.

• a request for maternity/child rearing leave during the 2017-18 school year from Amanda Burns, middle school librarian. She intends to work until the end of the school year, and return Oct. 2 after using her sick and personal leave.

• volunteers Michael Koehler, Corrine Ryan, Dezarae Diego, Jennifer Kroh, Edward Lizewski, Heather Mummart, Stephen Rada, Jason Albon, Tammy Zimmerman, Gretchen Brinich, Katie Kurtz and Amy Wolfe.

• adding Krystal Bonawitz to the list of substitute teachers’ aides and Kathleen Meadows to the list of substitute nurses.

• the second reading and final adoption of new policy 711, Parking and Traffic Enforcement, by an 8-1 vote, with Frew opposed.

n Frackville: First United Methodist Church, 25 S. Balliet St., will host an Easter egg hunt and party for youngsters up to age 12 from 2 to 4 p.m. April 8. Participants should bring a basket to collect eggs. To register, call 570-773-3734 or 570-889-5123 by April 1.

n Landingville: Care Net of Schuylkill County will have a 5K run and walk with the theme Everyday Super Heroes at 10 a.m. April 16 at the Landingville Fire Company, 8 Church St. The cost is $25 for advance-registered adults and $10 for children under 13. All proceeds will benefit Care Net’s two pregnancy locations in Pottsville. The run/walk will be held rain or shine. For more information, call 570-728-2135.

n MaryD: The April breakfast and bake sale will be held from 8 a.m. to noon Sunday at MaryD Fire Company, North Main and School streets. The cost is $7 for adults, $4 for children and $8 for the mackerel platter. The menu includes eggs, toast, creamed chipped beef, ham, sausage, bacon, mackerel, French toast, orange juice, coffee, tea and hot chocolate. Extra sides are $3. Bottled water will be available.

n Millersburg: The Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art is accepting entries for its 24th annual youth art contest. The theme for 2017 involves threatened and endangered animals, a list of which can be found on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website, according to a center press release. Aspiring artists grades 1 through 12 are encouraged to enter the contest. All artwork must represent wildlife of the world in its natural habitat. All subjects depicted must be identified (scientific and common name) and listed on the entry form. Art is due by June 1. Entries are categorized by the artist’s age: grades 1-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12. First-, second- and third-place winners and an honorable mention will be selected in each category. Certificates and ribbons will be awarded at the Ned Smith Center Nature and Arts Festival on July 29. All entries must be submitted with an official entry form, available for download on the center’s website at www.nedsmithcenter.org, where specific rules and instructions also are located. For more information, call 717-692-3699, or email bsanders@nedsmithcenter.org.

n Minersville: A community talent show for Earl Davenport is scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday at St. Michael the Archangel Parish Hall, 538 Sunbury St. The cost is $10. Proceeds will benefit Davenport, who has been diagnosed with brain cancer, according to an event release. All are welcome. For more information, call 570-544-5455.

n Ringtown: St. Paul’s United Church of Christ will have a takeout-only Kauffman’s chicken barbecue from 3 to 7 p.m. April 4 at the church, 100 E. Main St. The cost is $8.50 per meal, which includes a half chicken, baked potato and vegetable. Home-baked goods will also be on sale. For tickets, call Janice at 570-889-3494 or Suzie at 570-889-3755.

n Schuylkill Haven: The Penn State Schuylkill Nittany Players will present “Alice @ Wonderland” at 7 p.m. April 6 and 7 and 2 p.m. April 8 in the Morgan Auditorium on campus. General admission is $8; students and senior citizens, $6, and Penn State Schuylkill students, free. In the production, Alice is a modern-day girl with a cellphone. All are welcome. For more information, call 570-385-6038.

n Tamaqua: Step-Up Tamaqua, a 501c3 nonprofit project of the Tamaqua Area Faith Fellowship, will meet at 7 p.m. today in Founders’ Hall of Trinity United Church of Christ, 22 Lafayette St. There will be two presenters, Mairead Desmond, executive director of New Directions Treatment Services, Bethlehem, and Rachel Miller, director of the Lehigh Carbon Community College SHINE afterschool program in the Panther Valley School District. After the presentations, Step-Up groups regarding support, treatment, enforcement and prevention will share updates.

The fifth annual Mr. Anthracite Bodybuilding Competition will be the largest yet when it returns to Pottsville on April 8.

The natural bodybuilding and men’s physique contest added another title this year to include more contestants from outside the coal region.

Anyone competing for the title of Mr. Anthracite Natural must live, work or attend school in any of the five counties making up the anthracite coal region: Lackawanna, Luzerne, Northumberland, Carbon and Schuylkill. The Mr. Coal Natural Championships was added to the event this year and is open to anyone. Both competitions are professional-qualifiers and all contestants will be eligible to compete in Egebo’s Mr. Natural Philadelphia Show on May 6.

As of last week, Warren Egebo, event organizer and promoter with the National Gym Association, said at least 15 people were likely contestants for the title of Mr. Anthracite Natural while Mr. Coal Natural had five.

“It is a really fun title highlighting the coal region and the hardworking heritage of the region,” Egebo said Thursday. “It has a long tradition. Thirty years ago, it was a well-known title. I think a lot of people heard that name before.”

Several of the new contestants met for the first time Thursday evening at Xtreme Fitness, Saint Clair.

Adam Derck, 28, of Shamokin, said seeing the other contestants at the gym helps motivate him for his first bodybuilding competition.

“I always lifted and wanted to set a higher goal for myself,” Derck said.

Christian Force, 30, of Berwick, said he has been in several other competitions.

“I love networking and meeting new people,” Force said. “It’s nice to join a community of other athletes with a common goal.”

Derck said he was looking forward to learning new tips and advice from the other contestants.

“You want to win, but the best part about it is finding someone who is already where you want to be physically and using that as motivation,” Force said.

“The competition is more of you versus yourself,” Derck said. “The ultimate goal is to win, but you want to set a goal for yourself.”

It will also be the first bodybuilding for power lifting veteran Shawn Jackson, 49, of Limerick. He said that he has collected many power lifting trophies over the years and wanted to add bodybuilding hardware.

“I always liked bodybuilding and felt this show was like a good fit,” Jackson said. “This is the first of many shows.”

The Mr. Anthracite and Mr. Coal Natural Bodybuilding Competitions will be held in the ballroom at the Ramada Inn, 101 S. Progress Ave., Pottsville. Pre-judging starts at noon and tickets are $10. The finals will be at 5 p.m. and tickets are $15.

The finals were previously held at the Majestic Theatre, Pottsville. Participants must pass a polygraph test prior to the competition.

Entry forms, tickets and more information are available online at www.naturalphillybodybuilding.com.

PINE GROVE — Venturing out in the woods can be fun, especially with the proper preparation.

Frank P. Snyder, retired forester and arborist, offered safety tips to about 25 people who attended a free forest etiquette presentation Sunday at Sweet Arrow Lake County Park.

“When you go in the woods, there are certain things you should do,” Snyder said. They include wearing proper clothing for the season, such as headgear, footwear, long pants and dressing in layers. It is easier to remove clothing than to not have dressed adequately if it is cold, he added.

“Shoes are very important,” Snyder said. Footwear should be at least 6 inches high to protect arches and make walking more comfortable.

Other topics Snyder discusses were essential equipment, such as matches, lighter and water, planning the route and encountering people or animals. For example, he said, hikers should yield to bikers on a trail.

“We are trying to be polite to the other users of the woods,” he said.

Snyder gave a demonstration on what to do if hikers cross paths with an animal. He asked Elizabeth Gockel, 9, of Schuylkill Haven, who attending the event with Girl Scout Troop 31080, Friedensburg, if she felt more comfortable if he was crouched down low or high. She said she felt more comfortable if he was low to the ground.

“If you’re lower, the horse does not feel intimidated,” Snyder said, adding that is a suggestion from the U.S. Park Service.

The girls from Troop 31080 had an encounter with a bear on Swatara Trail near Swatara State Park, Suedberg, last year. Bobbie Ward, Elizabeth’s mother, said three girls were about 20 feet ahead of the group when she noticed a bear on the trail searching for food. She said everyone made a lot of noise and slowly backed away from the bear as it went up a hill.

“They were kind of shocked about the whole thing,” Ward, who is also the troop leader, said.

Snyder said everyone did the right thing. He said bears can’t see well, but they have a highly developed sense of smell.

If distracting a bear doesn’t work, “you might have to be prepared to fight the bear off,” he said, adding bear attacks are not common.

Snyder said its best to hit the bear on the nose.

“They don’t want to fight you,” he said.

Snyder said running from a bear is not a good idea because they can run up to 35 mph, faster than most humans.

Snyder said it is possible to get lost in the woods. If so, it is important to remember to stay calm, remain where you are, seek shelter and signal for help.

To prevent getting lost, learn how to use a compass, GPS or other location-finding device.

Snyder said following these guidelines will lead to a safe and fun trip.

“I hope you will enjoy the outdoors,” he said.

Deeds

Barry Township — Sheila Pitcavage, executrix of the Estate of Pearl A. Reichwein, to Sheila Pitcavage; 241 Beury’s Road; $1.

Sheila Pitcavage, executrix of the Estate of Pearl A. Reichwein, to Harold F. Reichwein; 241 Beury’s Road; $1.

Blythe Township — John Wojciechowski and Anne Dalvet, co-administrators d.b.n. of the Estate of Eleanor S. Murphy, to Richard D. and Michelle Stone; property at Market and Wood streets, Cumbola; $1.

John Wojciechowski and Anne Dalvet, co-administrators d.b.n. of the Estate of Eleanor S. Murphy, to Richard D. and Michelle Stone; property on Water Street, Cumbola; $1.

Branch Township — William and Catherine Conshue to Nathan W. and Karen A. Murry; property in Llewellyn; $1.

Cass Township — Richard and Diane M. McNamara to Leif A. and Kaitlyn R. Helbert; 522 Forest Lane, Forestville; $40,000.

Coaldale — Helen Vanko Petryk, Suzanne Lambert and Robert Paul Petryk to Sofia Familia; 22 E. Ridge St.; $13,000.

Ronald P. and Bernadine C. Plocinik to Ricky R. and Suzanne M. Burns; 251 First St.; $103,000.

CN Properties LLC to Thomas J. Willis; 167 Greenwood Ave.; $13,000.

Cressona — Joseph G. Groody, sheriff of Schuylkill County, to D. Edward Dress; 31 Grove St.; $47,000.

Edward P. and Brenda Wessner to Kyle H. Ulsh; 29 Cedar St.; $105,000.

Federal National Mortgage Association to Russ Stacey and Ryan Ward; 65 Front St.; $6,000.

East Norwegian Township — Brian J. and Amy L. Stankavage to Amy L. Stankavage; 266 Louisa Ave.; $1.

Eldred Township — Charles W. and Darlene Harman to Staci G. Ney and Fawn L. Wehry; 147 Main Road, Pitman; $1.

Frackville — Thomas E. and Gloria J. Seritsky to Bryon Michael McMahon; 232 N. Second St.; $40,000.

Frailey Township — Joseph G. Groody, sheriff of Schuylkill County, to RKA Investments LLC; 23 W. Railroad St., Donaldson; $5,601.

The Bank of New York Mellon to Franz Messerschmidt; 228 E. Center St., Donaldson; $25,000.

Carolyn Elaine Potts and Lois Elaine Kimmel to Daniel and Amy Shadle; 102 E. Center St., Donaldson; $22,000.

Girardville — Bernadette A. Vevasis, administratrix of the Estate of Nathan B. Bilsky, to Anthony J. and Susana Garcia; 7 Upper Railroad St.; $4,000.

Hegins Township — Jessica L. Wright to Rainaldo and Suzanna Pangelinan; 661 E. Main St., Hegins; $105,000.

Mahanoy City — Secretary of Veterans Affairs to George E. Hampton; 121 E. Pine St.; $4,500.

Dayne A. Giannini to Jeffrey Hierro; 1026 E. Market St.; $18,000.

Aiad Saman to Sasenarine John Deodat; 337-339 W. Mahanoy Ave.; $12,500.

Philip Nelson to Grand Master Richard the Lion Heart the Church of Jesus Christ Nights Templar; 706 E. Mahanoy Ave.; $2,400.

McAdoo — Castle 2016 LLC to Radmila Djordjevic; property on Hancock Street; $29,900.

Middleport — Anna Dalvet and John Wojciechowski, co-administrators of the Estate of Eleanor S. Murphy, to Scott T. Jones; property on Coal Street; $3,500.

Minersville — The Gratz Bank to Celmer Group Inc.; 245 Laurel St.; $5,500.

New Philadelphia — Antoinette Franko to Carmen E. Franko; 49 Macomb St.; $1.

Martin J. and Mary Theresa Shrift to George W. Jr. and Denise M. Harris; 4 Wetherill St.; $39,900.

Orwigsburg — Jason C. and Michelle L. Phillips to Mohammed and Aida Lone; 115 Woodview Road, Ridgeview; $410,000.

A&M Real Estate Investments LLC to Brian Strausser; 226 S. Warren St.; $44,000.

STM Enterprise LLC to STM Enterprise LLC; 0.506-acre property at North Warren and West Tammany streets; $1.

Palo Alto — Karen E. Kraft to David Sunday; 258 E. Bacon St.; $85,000.

Maureen K. Pellish and Patricia A. Kelly, co-executrices of the Estate of Joan M. Monahan, to Cory Hinchey; 242 E. Bacon St.; $35,000.

Pine Grove Township — Joann M. Phillips to Kevin C. Kiefer; 2 Woodland Vista Road; $205,500.

Raymond Jr. and Deborah J. Hipple to Carol E. Baldwin; .182-acre property on Laurel Court, Swatara Village; $125,000.

Port Carbon — John and Patricia Marie Kelly to Patricia Marie Kelly; 306 Commerce St.; $1.

Porter Township — Anna Mae Romberger, Harold Paul Boyer, Ruth Fetterhoff, Jeanette Salada, Pauline Valibus, Leslie Peters, Donald Troutman and Stephen Troutman to Anna Mae Romberger; 25 Beagle Road; $1.

Anna Mae Romberger to Earl Boyer; 25 Beagle Road; $1.

Pottsville — Konstaninos Koulentianos to Moonhouse Inc.; 14 N. George St.; $5,000.

Michael P. and Diane M. Maley to Michael P. Maley; 22 S. 20th St.; $1.

Michael P. Maley to Michael P. and Wanda Maley; 22 S. 20th St.; $1.

Ildiko I. Maurer to Richard L. Miller; 623 and 627 Harrison St.; $18,000.

Sean F. Allen to Amanda M. Dana; 436 E. Arch St.; $1.

Bruce E. Brown to Tina M. Brown; 555 E. Market St.; $1.

Matthew C. and Melissa M. Sophy to C. Matthew and Krista Marie Younker; two properties; $215,000.

Linda C. Gries-Berdanier and James D. Berdanier to Lisa M. Ditzler and Michael J. Dougherty; 1809 W. Market St.; $25,000.

Gerald P. and Denise M. Webber to Carissa Curry; 743 Water St.; $76,000.

Rush Township — Ronald N. Guy, by attorney in fact Garthe T. Robinson, to Black Creek Junction Consulting, Investing and Acquisitions LLC; 175-177 Marian Ave., Hometown; $1.

Ryan Township — Leo G. Popnick to William and Jamie Maclunny; property in Barnesville; $10,000.

Saint Clair — John Fekety to Gregory and Toni Lee McElvaney; 24 S. Nichols St.; $33,500.

Schuylkill Haven — John A. Pugliese to Travis Kalbach; 12 William St.; $99,000.

Heffner Investment Properties to Morgan A. Callaghan; 76 N. Berne St.; $71,900.

Joseph G. Groody, sheriff of Schuylkill County, to DOC LLC; 2 Parkway; $72,485.

M&T Bank to Michele T. Staskel; 57 Stanton Ave.; $33,000.

Dawn M. Fajna to Jason M. Kercheer; 31 Stanton St.; $89,000.

Shenandoah — Jonathan R. Levandusky, administrator of the Estate of Robert Levandusky, to Kathleen Levandusky; 430 W. Oak St.; $1.

Kathleen Levandusky to Jonathan R. Levandusky and Michael P. Levandusky; 430 W. Oak St.; $1.

Richard K. Bronk to George W. Clegg Jr.; 314 W. Oak St.; $15,000.

Kirby and Janet A. Teter to Zachary S. Teter; 231 W. Arlington St.; $1.

Tax Claim Bureau of Schuylkill County to John Hernon; 128 E. Penn St.; $1,500.

SHENANDOAH — The Shenandoah Valley school board welcomed a new director and approved snow days adjustment to the school calendar at Wednesday’s meeting.

The school board appointed John Petritsch, Weston Place, to fill the vacancy left by the death of Richard C. Zimmerman, who died Feb. 27. Zimmerman was serving his second term on the board, having been re-elected in 2015.

The motion to appoint Petritsch was made by Helene Creasy, seconded by Thomas Twardzik, and approved in a 7-0 vote.

Petritsch attended the meeting and was sworn in at the beginning of the meeting by Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker, Shenandoah.

The school board approved the adjusted school calendar to make up for snow days. Waite said the new calender was designed to allow for graduation day to remain on June 8, which will be the last instructional day for the senior class. In order to accommodate state requirements of 180 days and 990 instructional hours, the senior class will attend school on two Saturdays. The last day of school for students in kindergarten through grade 11 will be June 12.

The following calendar changes are as follows, with snow day first, followed by the make-up day:

· Jan. 11 — Feb. 20 (Presidents Day).

· Jan. 31 — March 20 (Act 80 day)

· Feb. 9 — May 5 (Act 80 day).

· March 10 — April 18 (Easter break).

· March 14 — April 13 (Spring break).

· March 15 — June 9.

· March 16 — June 12.

Waite said changes will be required if additional snow days occur.

During his monthly report, Waite thanked the district support staff for its work on clearing snow after Winter Storm Stella.

“I would like to thank our support staff for the effort on what they did to help us make sure we were open for last Friday after the snowstorm. They worked diligently and hard so that our campus was ready,” Waite said. “I do appreciate everything they did.”

High school Principal Phillip Andras introduced senior Olivia Gallo as the Shenandoah Rotary Student of the Month for February. Gallo gave the report on activities in the high school and elementary school.

The school board acted on the following agenda items:

•Accepted the letters of intent to retire from elementary teachers Catherine Bronakowski, Stephene Naspinsky and Michele Caputo. The board vote also included posting/advertising for the positions.

Waite thanked the three teachers for their work in the school district.

“They have served the Shenandoah Valley School District over 60 years combined. I’d like to thank for the dedication and service. They’ll be here until the end of the year,” Waite said.

•Accepted the resignation of secondary English teacher Casey Weisbeck and authorized posting/advertising for the position.

•Approved a cash transfer of $20,000 from the cafeteria account to the summer lunch account.

•Approved two Schuylkill County Tax Claim Bureau repository sales: 522 W. Washington St., Shenandoah, to Brian Rooney Jr. for $25; and 217 E. Penn St., Shenandoah, to Reading Anthracite for $250.

•Disapproved a tax claim bureau repository sale for 27 N. Market St., Shenandoah.

•Approved the posting and advertising for a volleyball coach.

•Accepted the verbal resignation of John Monahan as third shift custodian and post/advertise for the position.

•Approved the hiring of two support staff employees: Susan Swearhart as floating secretary and John Zaleski as permanent bus driver.

A lucky winner of the $600,000 Cash 5 drawing March 22 has yet to turn in the winning ticket.

The ticket was bought at T&J Petroleum, 489 Pottsville Saint Clair Highway, Pottsville, and matched all five numbers, 17-21-27-37-43.

The winning ticket had not yet been claimed as of Monday, according to Allen Zieglar, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Lottery. Zieglar said sometimes people don’t immediately realize they have the winning ticket.

Cash 5 winners have one year from the drawing date to claim their prize.

Chad Harris, a shift manager at T&J, said he also does not know who the winner is.

“I’m actually surprised nobody has turned in the ticket yet,” he said Monday.

Harris said he asked customers who regularly play the Cash 5 if they won, but they said they didn’t win.

“Who knows who has the ticket at this point,” he said.

The business receives a $5,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket, something they don’t get until the ticket is verified. The winner must pay applicable taxes, 25 percent federal withholding tax and 3.07 percent state tax for winning more than $5,000. Winners can request checks be mailed or they can pick them when the checks are available after four to six weeks.

A person with winning lottery ticket should sign the back of it, call the lottery office at 717-702-8146 and file a claim at any of the area offices from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or at lottery headquarters, Middletown, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Information clarification

Muhammad Ali purchased the property for his Deer Lake camp in 1972 from members of the Pollack family, including Harold S. Pollack, Orwigsburg, and Bernard S. Pollack, Deer Lake. This was unclear in the March 19 edition.

n Ashland: Bethany Evangelical Congregational Church, 15 N. 13th St., will have a free Easter egg hunt beginning at 3 p.m. April 8. All are welcome. For more information, call 570-875-1008.

n Ashland: During a recent meeting of the Ashland Area Historic Preservation Society, Matthew S. Grosser gave a presentation on the late Romeo W. Hornung of Lavelle. Hornung, according to Grosser, didn’t let a handicap stand in his way of flying airplanes and he helped to construct an airplane with special controls to help him fly. Hornung also was a radio enthusiast. Grosser said Hornung also had the first local Ford dealership and electric garage in the area. He died in 1947 of a kidney ailment.

n Cressona: Grace Evangelical Church, 101 Graeff St., will host “Life’s Highway” luncheon at 11:30 a.m. April 18. The event will feature guest speaker Harold Munson, Churchville, Virginia; music guest Dale Cresswell; and antique toys and Bear Creek Festival presented by Patrick “Porcupine Pat” McKinney. Men are invited to attend this event. Cost is $16. Reservations or cancellations must be made by April 12. Call Gale at 570-527-2224 or Michelle at 570-617-3896.

n Frackville: The Frackville Rotary Club will honor posthumously Bill McLaren of the Frackville Ambulance for his work during its Citizen of the Year dinner dance to be held from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Saturday at the Frackville Elks Lodge, Third and Arch streets. The cost is $25. Entertainment will be by the Jam Band and there will be a cash bar. The event is open to the public and proceeds will “stay local,” according to a club release.

n Mahanoy City: American Hose Company No. 3 will hold a Lenten soup and baked goods sale beginning at 3 p.m. Friday at the firehouse, 738 E. Mahanoy Ave. St. Soup flavors include vegetarian vegetable, potato, broccoli and cheddar, and spinach tortellini. Prices are $6 per quart and $3.50 per pint. New England clam chowder and Maryland crab soup will also be available at $8 per quart and $4.50 per pint. To place orders, call 570-773-3473 and leave a message.

n Pottsville: Trinity United Church of Christ, 316 W. Market St., will hold an all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner from 5 to 7 p.m. April 20. Cost is $8 for adults, $3.50 for children and free for children under 6. Menu includes spaghetti and meatballs, rolls, ice cream and beverage. Drawing for the Spring Fling basket will be at 7 p.m. Call 570-622-5073.

n Ringtown: Ringtown Girl Scouts Cadette Troop 30338 is sponsoring a drive to get gently worn shoes for the Pottsville homeless shelter. Only sizes for men and women are needed; no children’s sizes will be accepted. The drop-off site is at the Ringtown Area Library, West Main Street. People may also take shows to any Girl Scout meeting. To have shoes picked up or for more information, call 570-233-7013.

n Shenandoah: Lenten healing services will held at 6 p.m. Wednesday and April 12 in St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church, 114 S. Chestnut St., with Monsignor Myron Grabowsky, pastor, as celebrant. The healing service will be held immediately following Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts. For more information, call the rectory at 570-462-0809.

n William Penn: The William Penn Fire Company, Mount Olive Boulevard (Route 54) just west of Shenandoah, has several fundraisers on its agenda, including another “Almost Armondo’s” unbaked pizza sale with the order deadline set for Monday. The cost is $10 for plain, $12 for pepperoni and 75 cents extra for hot sauce. Pizzas can be picked up after 3 p.m. April 7. There will be no walk-in purchases or deliveries. To order or for more information, call 570-462-0338. The company also is having a cheesesteak sale beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday. To order or for free local delivery, call the aforementioned number. The company is having a bleenie sale beginning at 11 a.m. Good Friday, April 14. People interested should call to order or for local delivery.

LOYALTON — Creating a Capital Projects Scorecard will enable the Upper Dauphin Area School District to prioritize upcoming projects.

The CPS contains a list of buildings and grounds initiatives that the district would like to complete within the “foreseeable future.” The UDA school board Thursday approved seeking requests for proposals for an assessment and design of small projects. Dave Barder was the only director absent.

Among initiatives being considered for evaluation are:

• High school indoor concession stand enhancements

• Renovation of Trojan Stadium retaining wall and associated structures

• Security enhancements, middle school cafeteria wall, middle school lobby wall and high school office — Safe Schools Protection Implementation

• Baseball field grandstand replacement

• Softball field improvements

• New strength and conditioning center

Under the CPS measure, the district is seeking a professional design consultant to evaluate its feasibility, determine what options exist for its implementation, provide cost and time estimates and, for projects that move forward, provide a design for construction.

“We have money in capital reserve. The various projects have a hierarchy and some can wait until the money is available or our next renovation,” Superintendent Evan Williams said.

UDA has an estimated capital reserve of $2.9 million, according to the 2017-18 preliminary budget summary prepared by Business Manager Mary Bateman.

All RFPs must be submitted to the district by April 28.

In other matters, the board approved a new 10-year lease agreement between the school district and Elizabethville borough for $1 for the Ralph Lehman Memorial Field. The school district will be responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the ball field. UDA will sublease the baseball field June, July and August to Upper Dauphin Legion Baseball for $1 for a 10-year period.

In other business, the board approved:

• Changes to the 2016-2017 school calendar: April 12 to become a school day and move the Act 80 day to April 13. (Make-up for March 14); April 18 to become a school day and move the elementary parent/faculty conference day to April 17. (Make-up for March 15); May 5 to become a school day and move the Comp/Flex day to June 9. (Make-up for March 16. Students attending the prom must follow the extra-curricular attendance policy.

• the following coaches for the 2017 fall sports season and rate: Football - assistant coach, Mike Griffiths, $2,087; assistant coach, Denny Lenker, $1,800; assistant coach, Rodney Knock, $2,037; assistant coach Todd Rupp, $1,938; volunteer assistant coach, James Savage Jr.; and volunteer assistant coach, Craig Scott.

• the following coaches for the 2017 spring sports season: baseball, volunteer assistant coach Harry Deitrich and volunteer assistant coach Ralph Duncan.

• a memorandum of understanding between UDA and the Millersburg School District for a Competitive Spirit Team.

• a contract with J.P. Harris to provided door-to-door census taking for the non-responses to the census mailing.

• instructional substitutes for the 2016-17 school year.

• the resignation of Jodi Smink-Lenker, effective March 3, as a personal care aide.

• housing the Capital Area Head Start Program in the UDA Elementary School beginning in the 2017-18 school year.

• the Capital Area Intermediate Unit operating budget for 2017-18.

• field trip requests, as presented.

Part of a house collapsed in Pottsville on Monday.

A section of the back of 124 S. Third St., which is on the city’s blight list, has fallen away.

“It’s not in imminent danger of collapse. It is a dangerous structure,” Dave Miller, an engineer with Alfred Benesch & Co., said Monday.

He said water somehow got into the vacant structure and rotted away the wood, causing the collapse.

Pottsville Assistant Fire Chief Bill Dewald said he was dispatched to the scene at 11:18 a.m. after someone called the Schuylkill County Communications Center.

“It has to come down. I think it’s going to come down one way or another,” he said.

Good Intent Fire Company responded to the scene. Later, yellow caution tape was put up around the area.

City Administrator Thomas A. Palamar said demolition will start today, Mark Atkinson, a city council member, director of accounts and finance and the acting mayor when Pottsville Mayor James T. Muldowney isn’t available, signed an emergency declaration related to the property because of the status of the structure that is causing a threat to public safety.

AMC Enterprises, Girardville, will demolish the building.

“The building is not collapsing. I would not be doing any unnecessary traveling in that area,” Palamar said Monday afternoon.

He estimated the cost to demolish the building at $24,500. What funds the city will use has not been determined yet. Funds are available from a contingency fund in the general fund for such an expense. Using Community Development Block Grant funds used for demolition might also be a possibility, he said. The property is one of 27 properties the city sent earlier this year to the county it wanted to demolish.

“We are going to put a lien against the property owner,” Palamar said, taking additional steps to recoup the funds as law permits.

The online Schuylkill County Parcel Locator lists the owner of the property as GF Real Estate Development Inc., Queens Village, New York.

Earlier Monday, Howard Avenue from Second Street to Fourth Street was closed, as was Third Street from Schuylkill Avenue to Mahantongo Street. The area on Third Street from Schuylkill Avenue to Mahantongo Street will be closed today except for limited parking to a nearby business. The area in question on Howard Avenue will be closed except in limited circumstances.

Justin Trefsger, city code enforcement official, said the demolition of the condemned building likely will take two days.

“It’s not an easy tear down because it is connected to the other building,” he said talking about 122 S. Third St.

No one will be permitted to be at the adjoining house during demolition, he said, which could start in the morning. Trefsger said he was at the 124 address between 9:30 and 10 a.m. Monday because a neighbor called to say part of the back of the house collapsed.

“There was a little bit, but nothing like this,” he said looking at the back of the house.

He estimated the hole was 16 feet wide by 20 feet high. Rotted wood, discolored insulation, a broken window and bricks hanging on the back of the building were visible. Concrete steps are cracking. Trefsger said the property has been vacant for at least seven years.

Neighbors said the property has been in disrepair for years.

Stephen Weiss, who lives at 305 Howard Ave., said it looked bad for 20 years. He has lived at his house for 40 years.

“It’s the eyesore of the neighborhood,” JoAnne Vallone, 303 Howard Ave., said.