HARRISBURG — One day before the one-year anniversary of his crime, Dakota J. Thornton admitted Wednesday to a Dauphin County judge that he murdered his brother just outside Williamstown in what prosecutors said was an argument over a girl.

Thornton, 16, of Williamstown, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and possessing an instrument of crime before Judge Deborah E. Curcillo.

“I can’t say I was surprised,” First Assistant District Attorney Francis T. Chardo III said Wednesday after the plea.

Curcillo accepted Thornton’s plea, ordered preparation of a presentence investigation and scheduled Thornton’s sentencing for 10 a.m. June 13. However, Chardo said Curcillo might move up the sentencing if the investigation is finished early.

He said he would not decide on a recommendation for sentencing until he studies the presentence investigation. The maximum possible prison sentence for third-degree murder is 20 to 40 years in a state correctional institution, while the maximum sentence for possessing instrument of crime is 2 1/2 to five years in a state correctional institution.

Following the plea, Thornton returned to Dauphin County Prison, where he is being held without bail pending further court proceedings.

State police at Lykens allege the defendant shot Dominick Thornton, 18, in the face about 1:30 a.m. March 30, 2016, at 113 Autumn Drive, Apt. 3, in Williams Township. Police said Dakota Thornton shot his brother with a Harrington & Richardson .410 shotgun Topper 88 because he was romantically interested in the victim’s girlfriend.

Chardo said he is satisfied with Wednesday’s result, especially in light of the conflicting emotions of the Thornton family.

“It seemed like the right thing to do,” he said.

Chardo is not sure why Thornton decided to admit to the crimes.

“I don’t really speculate” on defendants’ motives, he said.

Although he was 15 when he shot his brother, Dakota Thornton is being prosecuted as an adult.

Wendy J.F. Grella, Harrisburg, Dakota Thornton’s lawyer, could not be reached for comment on Wednesday. At her client’s preliminary hearing on Aug. 3, 2016, Grella said the case was a sad one but she did not believe it was first-degree murder.

Defendant: Dakota J. Thornton

Age: 16

Residence: Williamstown

Crimes committed: Third-degree murder and possessing instrument of crime

FRACKVILLE — Schuylkill County Court is the next step in the cases against Melanie Kropp and Jonathan Seekins after they waived their right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday.

They are two of the three people who face charges in the death of Alexandria “Alex” Sienkiewicz, 23, of Tamaqua, from acute fentanyl toxicity April 2, 2016. The Schuylkill County Coroner’s Office ruled the death a homicide.

Kropp, 24, of Mahanoy City, and Seekins, 33, of Coaldale, each were in Magisterial District Judge Christina E. Hale’s courtroom in Frackville for a preliminary hearing.

Kropp is charged with criminal solicitation-delivery of a controlled substance, criminal use of a communications facility and possession of a controlled substance.

Seekins is charged with drug delivery resulting in death, criminal solicitation-delivery of a controlled substance and possession of controlled substance.

A third man charged in Sienkiewicz’s death, Kyle Jacob Merenda, 22, of Barnesville, has a preliminary hearing scheduled for 9:50 a.m. April 12 in Hale’s courtroom. He is charged with drug delivery resulting in death, delivery of a controlled substance, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, criminal use of a communications facility and possession of a controlled substance.

Merenda and Seekins both posted bail previously. Kropp was released on unsecured bail earlier this month.

A date has not yet been set for the cases involving Merenda and Kropp, which will be held in Schuylkill County Court.

Schuylkill County Coroner Dr. David J. Moylan III said previously if the case is prosecuted, it will be the first drug delivery homicide case in the county, something Schuylkill County District Attorney Christine Holman confirmed. Moylan did not return calls Wednesday.

Kropp’s hearing was scheduled for 9:15 a.m., while Seekins’ was slated for 9:20 a.m.

Before waiving her hearing and meeting with her lawyer, Joseph P. Nahas, Kropp was asked by Hale at 9:20 a.m. if she was going to waive her hearing; she said “no.”

Nahas met with Kropp and others prior to his client waiving her hearing.

Hale asked Nahas if a decision had been made.

“Everything is getting waived? Hale asked.

“Yes,” Nahas replied.

Seekins’ attorney, Michael J. Stine, chief public defender, told Hale his client was also waiving the hearing.

John Sienkiewicz, Alex’s father, was in the courtroom Wednesday. Tammy Sienkiewicz, Alex’s mother, was not in the courtroom. Both will attend when the case is heard in county court.

“You guys did enough damage to my life,” Kropp said when asked for comment when her lawyer would be present.

When asked for comment after the court appearance about his client, Nahas said, “We are going to let the legal process continue and we will move forward down the road,” he said.

Stine didn’t have anything to say on behalf of his client other than a date will be set in the future for the case.

Trooper Joseph Hall of the Frackville station, who filed the affidavit of probable cause and criminal complaint, also attended the hearing.

Sienkiewicz was found with a needle in her arm by her mother, Tammy, when she went to check on her the morning of April 2, 2016. The couple said they went to bed at midnight and didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Tamaqua police responded to their house at 11:09 a.m. April 2 for an overdose. Emergency personnel attempted to revive her and she was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital-Miners Campus, Coaldale, where she was pronounced dead.

John Sienkiewicz said he was surprised when Kropp said initially that she would not waive her hearing, considering the evidence against her. He said he’s happy the cases are going to trial. However, this weekend will be especially tough on the family because it is the one-year anniversary of Alex’s death.

“We are happy to see the legal system is moving forward, but we would prefer to have our daughter back. We would trade anything to have our daughter back. We hope that other families that are going through the same thing to find the courage they are not alone, and they have rights to stand up and fight too. They can fight for a lost loved one as well,” he said.

Holman said she was not surprised the preliminary hearings were waived.

“Our proof comes at the time of trial when it becomes beyond a reasonable doubt,” she said.

She said the District Attorney’s office is “working very diligently” to keep the drug dealers out of the county. When asked when the case could come before a jury, she said that depends.

“I would expect there is going to be some pre-trial motions filed,” she said

The trial terms are in June, August and October.

“The earliest that this case would be held, if it is going to be held this year, will be October,” adding a more realistic time frame is early 2018.

On March 22, Judge Charles M. Miller sentenced Don K. Allen Jr., 20, of Pottsville, to spend 12 months on probation, pay costs, $100 to the Substance Abuse Education Fund and $50 to the Criminal Justice Enhancement Account, and undergo a drug and alcohol evaluation.

After a one-day trial, a jury had found Allen guilty on Feb. 6 of possession of drug paraphernalia. Pottsville police had alleged Allen possessed paraphernalia on June 7, 2016, in the city.

In other criminal court action, a Pottsville man returned to prison Thursday after a Schuylkill County judge revoked his parole.

Troy R. Everitt, 46, could remain behind bars until Jan. 11, 2018, Judge John E. Domalakes ruled.

Domalakes revoked Everitt’s parole after the defendant admitted violating it by failing to report to his supervising office for five months, moving without permission, leaving his job without notice and not making payments on his costs and fines.

“I move around quite a bit,” said Everitt, who sat through Thursday’s hearing wearing leg shackles, handcuffs, a belt and a prison jumpsuit.

That explanation did not impress Domalakes at all.

“When you’re on parole, you’re not a free person,” he reminded Everitt.

Everitt pleaded guilty on June 17, 2015, to disorderly conduct. At that time, Domalakes sentenced him to serve 72 days to 12 months in prison and pay costs, $50 to the CJEA and a $50 bench warrant fee.

Pottsville police had charged Everitt with being disorderly on Oct. 20, 2013, in the city.

In another county court case, Judge Jacqueline L. Russell on March 17 sentenced Jason N. Bredbenner, 33, of Pottsville, to serve four to eight years in a state correctional institution, plus two years additional probation, for injecting a woman with heroin in May 2016 in Shenandoah.

On Feb. 8, a jury found Bredbenner guilty of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, recklessly endangering another person and simple assault, and not guilty of tampering with evidence. Shenandoah police had charged him with injecting Susie Ulicny with heroin on May 18, 2016.

Russell also sentenced Bredbenner to pay costs, $100 to the SAEF, a $50 CJEA payment and $239 restitution to the state police crime laboratory in Harrisburg, and submit a DNA sample to law enforcement authorities.

Also in the county court, Judge Cyrus Palmer Dolbin on March 16 sentenced Michael J. Vinanskie, 50, of Saint Clair, to serve eight to 24 months in a state correctional institution. Dolbin imposed the sentence after revoking Vinanskie’s placement in the intermediate punishment program.

Vinanskie originally pleaded guilty on June 8, 2016, to possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. On July 25, 2016, Dolbin placed Vinanskie in the program for 25 months, and also sentenced him to pay costs, a $50 CJEA payment and $176 restitution to the state police crime laboratory in Bethlehem.

State police at Schuylkill Haven charged Vinanskie with possessing drug s and paraphernalia on Dec. 6, 2015.

In more county court action, a West Mahanoy Township man must spend time in prison after being sentenced Friday in Schuylkill County Court in three separate cases.

Christopher E. Benjamin, 34, of Lost Creek, will serve five to 23 months in prison, plus an additional four years on probation, Judge Jacqueline L. Russell ruled.

“You’ll be under supervision for a long time,” Russell told Benjamin.

Benjamin had pleaded guilty on Feb. 15 to terroristic threats, unlawful restraint, simple assault and two counts of recklessly endangering another person in one case, delivery of a controlled substance in a second and fraudulent or altered title or registration in a third. Prosecutors had withdrawn charges of aggravated assault, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, driving unregistered vehicle and operating vehicle without valid inspection.

State police at Frackville had charged Benjamin with assaulting, restraining and threatening a woman on Aug. 27, 2016, in Raven Run, West Mahanoy Township; Schuylkill County detectives had charged him with delivering methamphetamines on July 16, 2015, in Lost Creek; and Rush Township police had charged him with having a fraudulent document on March 1, 2014, in that township.

Under the terms of Russell’s sentence, Benjamin also must pay costs, $100 to the SAEF, $50 to the CJEA, $100 restitution to the county Drug Task Force and $113 restitution to the state police crime laboratory in Bethlehem, undergo a drug and alcohol evaluation, have no contact with his victims, perform 60 hours community service and submit a DNA sample to law enforcement authorities.

Also on Friday, Russell revoked the probation of Joseph L. Cierlitsky, 26, of Tamaqua, and sentenced him to serve six to 12 months in prison.

Cierlitsky, who admitted violating his probation by committing new crimes, originally pleaded guilty on March 23, 2011, to conspiracy, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. On July 27, 2011, Russell admitted him into the state intermediate punishment program for two years.

However, Russell removed him from that program on Nov. 16, 2012, and sentenced him to serve two to four years in a state correctional institution, plus an additional 12 months on probation, and pay costs, a $100 SAEF payment, a $50 CJEA payment and $478 restitution to the state police crime laboratory in Bethlehem.

Rush Township police had charged Cierlitsky with possessing drugs and paraphernalia on Aug. 25, 2010, in the township.

Schuylkill County’s Meals on Wheels program will continue delivering warm meals to seniors despite the uncertainty surrounding the federal budget.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration presented an outline of the preliminary 2018 budget that included possible cuts to federal programs like the Community Development Block Grant program and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. While the proposed budget does not specifically mention Meals on Wheels, budget director Mick Mulvaney did name drop the program when talking about federal budget cuts.

“We can’t spend money on programs just because they sound good. And Meals on Wheels sounds great, again, that’s a state decision to fund that particular portion, too,” Mulvaney said. “But to take the federal money and give it to the states and say, look, we want to give you money for programs that don’t work, I can’t defend that anymore. We cannot defend that anymore. We’re $20 trillion in debt.”

Meals on Wheels America supports more than 5,000 community-based senior nutrition programs across the country that are dedicated to addressing senior isolation and hunger, according to the organization’s website at www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org.

Most of the federal funding for social and nutritional services for seniors comes from the Older Americans Act of 1965. In Pennsylvania, the OAA covers 49 percent of the total costs for the Meals on Wheels while the rest comes from state, local and private donations and other resources.

However, the federal Department of Health and Human Services, which provides OAA funding, is looking at a potential 18 percent cut across the board in 2018. When adjusted for inflation, federal funding over the past 20 years for Meals on Wheels fell 18 percent while the senior population has grown by 34 percent, according to Meals on Wheels America.

In Schuylkill County, Diakon Community Services, Pottsville, manages the Meals on Wheels program along with the county’s five senior centers. They have been contracted through the county’s office of senior services since 1990.

“As far as Schuylkill County’s Meals on Wheels, it is alive and well and we are committed to continuing to serve our seniors,” Karen Wood, Diakon Community Services executive director, said Tuesday.

“Nobody knows at this point how (the budget) is going to affect anything, let alone Meals on Wheels,” Wood said. “I think it is too early to tell, but as far as Meals on Wheels goes in this county, we are going to run the program the best we can and it is too early to tell how any of the budget is going to play out.”

Volunteers delivered 79,845 meals to more than 325 consumers in Schuylkill County during the 2015-16 fiscal year, according to Diakon Community Services. Meals are prepared at the senior centers in Pottsville, Schuylkill Haven, Shenandoah, Tremont and Mahanoy City before volunteers deliver them to those eligible for the free program every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

“We touch those people’s lives five days a week,” Wood said. “Even though we only see them three days, volunteers call them on the days in between. If they don’t answer, we call their emergency contact or case worker. We have that extra set of eyes on folks to make sure they are OK.”

Eligibility for the program is not based on income. Any senior, a family member or caregiver can contact the county office of senior services to see if they are eligible for any of the programs they offer, Wood said.

“A lot of it is based on their activities of daily living, ability to make meals themselves,” she said. “Meals on Wheels can be short term. It can be long term. If you were just discharged from the hospital, you can have them for a short time. Some people have it for a few months and others have it for years.”

Client surveys show the program works, Wood said.

According to Meals on Wheels America, 83 percent of clients in Pennsylvania said the program improves their health, 92 percent said it enables them to remain living at home and 87 percent said it makes them feel more safe and secure.

“I think it is just another piece of their health care that they receive,” Wood said. “It is another set of eyes on them and at least one nutritional meal a day. That is really important when people are taking medication and they are frail.”

For more information about Meals on Wheels and volunteering, call Diakon Community Services at 570-624-3010.

Police: Man

threatened victim

SAINT CLAIR — Saint Clair police filed charges against a 27-year-old man stemming from a Feb. 13 incident at 15 W. Franklin St. in the borough.

Police said Casey Woolson, currently an inmate at Schuylkill County Prison, was charged with terroristic threats and intimidation of a witness or victim.

Police said Woolson contacted a woman by telephone and made threats of violence toward her including threatening to “burn her house down” due to a recent report she made to Saint Clair police that resulted in charges against the man.

Police said this incident is the second time that officers filed intimidation charges against Woolson for the same victim.

Police investigate

theft incidents

LYKENS — State police at Lykens are investigating three theft incidents that occured in their coverage area Sunday and Monday.

On Sunday, police said unauthorized bank withdrawals totaling $772.25 were made from accounts of a Williamstown man, a Williamstown woman and members of the 1st Federal Credit Union.

Then, about 11 a.m. Tuesday, police said, someone stole a debit card PIN from a Lykens woman and used $328 from her account.

Also on Tuesday, police said, Collin Miller, Williamstown, reported someone also stole his PIN and used $193 from his account.

Anyone with information on any of the three incidents is asked to call state police at Lykens at 717-362-8700.

Noise complaints

draw charges

SAINT CLAIR — Two men were charged with disorderly conduct by Saint Clair police after an incident on March 13 at 733 Port Carbon-Saint Clair Highway in East Norwegian Township.

Police said Jeremy T. Culbert, 26, and Brian Koinski, 24, of that address, will have to answer to the charge before Magisterial District Judge David A. Plachko, Port Carbon.

Police said the two were charged after neighbors reported them making unreasonable noise inside their home.

Officers have issued several warnings to the two in the past and the recent arrest was the result of the ongoing noise problem, police said.

Police: Man

violated PFA

SAINT CLAIR — Saint Clair police charged a Schuylkill Haven man was indirect criminal contempt for violating a Protection From Abuse order on March 16.

Police said Jerry M. Dannenhower, 49, contacted a woman by telephone and text messaging despite the PFA order against him issued by the Schuylkill County courts on March 8.

After viewing the text messages and telephone call logs, officers filed the charge against Dannenhower with Magisterial District Judge David A. Plachko, Port Carbon, police said.

James K. Reiley

A Pottsville man charged with an assault in the city on Jan. 31 waived his right to a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge James K. Reiley.

Jordan M. Schwartz, 20, of 33 Crestview Drive, was arrested by Pottsville police Patrolman Bryce Lewis and charged with simple assault, theft and criminal mischief following the incident outside his home about 6 p.m.

By waiving his right to a hearing, Schwartz will now have to answer to all three charges against him in Schuylkill County Court.

Lewis charged Schwartz with assaulting a friend of his ex-girlfriend, Desinie Ramos, who was seated in her vehicle. Schwartz had been arguing with his ex-girlfriend who exited and went to Ramos’ vehicle when Schwartz came out and began damaging the vehicle. Schwartz also took Ramos’ cellphone and began slamming it against the dashboard, Lewis said.

The incident escalated with Schwartz grabbing Ramos by the hair, biting her on the cheek and hitting her in the face with a fist, Lewis said.

Other court cases included:

Joelle E. Boris, 25, of 410 E. Market St., Apt. 2, Pottsville — waived for court: possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a small amount of marijuana and false identification to law enforcement.

Charles A. Palina, 28, of 1005 Pottsville St., Mechanicsville — dismissed: retail theft and possession of a controlled substance.

Kyle C. Kaminsky, 40, of 21 St. Ann St., Buck Mountain, Barnesville — waived for court: possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Jeffrey D. Roberts, 23, of 629 Lee St., Orwigsburg — waived for court: contraband-controlled substance, possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance-contraband by inmate and possession of a controlled substance.

James L. Glenn Jr., 34, of 200 Schuylkill Ave., Pottsville — held for court: recklessly endangering another person and harassment.

Victor Green, 24, of 319 W. Arch St., Suite 2W, Pottsville — withdrawn: aggravated assault. Waived for court: simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and harassment.

Timothy J. Murphy, 24, of 554 W. Bacon St., Palo Alto — waived for court: public drunkenness, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

John H. Armstrong, 34, of 672 N. Second St., Pottsville — waived for court: possession of drug paraphernalia.

Douglas Lee Reiner, 33, of 503 W. Fairview St., Pottsville — waived for court: disorderly conduct, harassment and criminal mischief.

Joanna L. O’Day, 35, of 219 N. Centre St., Apt. 2B, Pottsville — waived for court: theft and receiving stolen property.

Jenna Morrow, 22, of 250 Louisa Ave., Pottsville — waived for court: possession of drug paraphernalia.

WILKES-BARRE — Boscov’s department stores in the region are planning a blanket drive in honor of the iconic founder of the family-owned retail chain who died last month.

Store managers and a public relations director for Boscov’s unveiled the idea Wednesday to local media representatives at the downtown Wilkes-Barre store.

The blanket drive, slated to take place this fall, is being called “A Blanket from Al.”

The idea was sparked by the words of Boscov’s wife, Eunice, in a video tribute that was played at a ceremony in 2009 when a bronze statue was dedicated to Boscov in his hometown of Reading. She described a time when they were first married decades ago when they were driving in upstate New York and came upon a bad vehicle crash. Boscov grabbed a blanket from the car and went to comfort the victims.

“Looking back at that time, I think that was kind of the first inkling of what life with Al would be like,” Eunice Boscov said in the recording. “He has always been there with a blanket for anybody who needed it.”

Boscov’s officials played the recording several times during a lunch with media representatives.

Stores in Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, Hazleton and Pottsville will take part in the initiative to collect new blankets for the less fortunate, Irene Kelly, a regional public relations director for Boscov’s, said.

“It’s a necessity, and I think it’s a great honor to Albert Boscov,” Kelly said.

Details about the drive will be announced in the months to come, she said.

Boscov, 87, died on Feb. 10 shortly after announcing he was diagnosed with end-stage pancreatic cancer.

Deeds

Branch Township — Joseph G. Groody, sheriff of Schuylkill County, to Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.; 442 Dowdentown Road, Dowdentown; $1,193.10.

Coaldale — John C. Daderko to Michael J. Hadesty; 219 W. Phillips St.; $54,900.

East Brunswick Township — LSF9 Master Participation Trust to Tara N. Brown; 606 Country Hill Road; $175,000.

East Union Township — Mary-Joy C. and Joel John C. Ocampo to Eagle Rock Resort Co.; Lot 42WSS4, Eagle Rock; $10.

Arlene D. Doble, Imelda N. Dumlao and Daisy D. Franco to Eagle Rock Resort Co.; Lot 20WSS3, Eagle Rock; $10.

Eagle Rock Resort Co. to Rodrigo M. Burgos and Elizabeth Legaspi; Lot 42WSS4, Eagle Rock; $40,299.

Eagle Rock Resort Co. to Arman and Maria Caliza Danganan; Lot 20WSS3, Eagle Rock; $47,706.90.

Eagle Rock Resort Co. to Edward J. and Barbara Anne Hankko; Lot 137ER, Eagle Rock; $55,449.

Eagle Rock Resort Co. to Roberto Zamuco and Mariesabel Marquez-Zamuco; Lot 423WS, Eagle Rock; $50,399.

Cayetano C. Trinidad and Lalaine G. Coleto to Eagle Rock Resort Co.; Lot 126HF4, Eagle Rock; $10.

Cristobal Jr. and Marilyn Miranda to Eagle Rock Resort Co.; Lot 311HF3, Eagle Rock; $10.

Hercules and Christine Allera to Eagle Rock Resort Co.; Lot 270HF3, Eagle Rock; $10.

Stephen Kenney to Eagle Rock Resort Co.; Lot 266ER, Eagle Rock; $10.

Anthony J. and Dolores Signorelli to Eagle Rock Resort Co.; Lot 178WSS, Eagle Rock; $9,000.

Christopher T. and Heather Dowd to Eagle Rock Resort Co.; Lot 122ER, Eagle Rock; $9,500.

Anthony J. and Dolores Signorelli to Eagle Rock Resort Co.; Lot 179WSS, Eagle Rock; $9,000.

Bold-Irdene Idesh and Ganbold Chuluunbaatar to Eagle Rock Resort Co.; Lot 316HF4, Eagle Rock; $10.

Bold-Irdene Idesh to Eagle Rock Resort Co.; Lot 45HF5, Eagle Rock; $10.

Undarmaa Delgersuuri to Eagle Rock Resort Co.; Lot 43HF4, Eagle Rock; $10.

Alice A. Okoth-Otiato to Eagle Rock Resort Co.; Lot 123WS, Eagle Rock; $10.

Dante Sumalinog and Mary Mae Abastas to Eagle Rock Resort Co.; Lot 122HF4, Eagle Rock; $10.

Epitacio and Lilia Bolofer to Eagle Rock Resort Co.; Lot 123HF4, Eagle Rock; $10.

Abegail Marie Molina and Clint Agustus Cabio to Eagle Rock Resort Co.; Lot 124HF4, Eagle Rock; $10.

Rommel J. Del Rosario and Lourdes Yusal to Eagle Rock Resort Co.; Lot 233HF3, Eagle Rock; $10.

Girardville — Andrelle Chavanes to Jose Voyard; 132 W. Main St.; $20,000.

Andrelle Chavanes to Jose Voyard; 259 W. Main St.; $25,000.

Hubley Township — Debra M. Nickels and Wendy J. Morgan, co-executrices of the Will of Ella M. Schwalm, to Scott and Debra Martz; 13-acre property; $26,000.

Mahanoy City — Real Capital Group LLC to Francis DeVizia; 306 E. Market St.; $2,600.

North Union Township — Jason and Diann Cimini to Jason P. Urichich; 5 Lacona Drive; $154,000.

Nena Rose D. Solimon and Emelita B. Macanas to Eagle Rock Resort Co.; Lot 27AWS, Eagle Rock; $10.

Patton Research Group to Craig S. and Tracy L. Patton; Lot 90EA, Eagle Rock; $1.

Pine Grove Township — Joseph G. Groody, sheriff of Schuylkill County, to FV-1 Inc.; 112-114 Pleasant Valley Road; $1,215.89.

Adam J. and Alyson N. Leffler to Adam J. Leffler; 80 Geary Wolfe Road; $1.

Saint Clair — Joseph G. Groody, sheriff of Schuylkill County, to Kashmir Kaur and Jyoti Bala; 35 S. Second St.; $9,201.

Tamaqua — Danyelle Halladay and Gerard Budd II to Anthony Rosa and Courtney Frye; 221 1/2 Brown St.; $29,000.

Tower City — Scott A. and Donna M. Schwalm to Mitchell B. Buffenmeyer; 819 E. Wiconisco Ave.; $33,000.

Washington Township — Edgewood Farms LP to Rebekah L. Cochran; 1.7864-acre property on Farm View Road; $28,000.

West Mahanoy Township — Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to Floricica Radu and Patrycja Komajda-Babeti; 144 S. Wylam St., Altamont; $32,000.

West Penn Township — Pennymac Corp. to Matthew and Leah Tumbiolo; 963 Dairy Road, South Tamaqua; $98,000.

April is the month of spring thaw. People come out of winter hibernation and look for things to do. Fortunately, there are several national campaigns that will make it the ideal month to do something to help yourself, your community and our planet.

National Volunteer Week will be held from April 23 through 29. As the county’s volunteer center, we facilitate thousands of volunteers with their volunteer quests each year. More than 200 local volunteer opportunities can be found on our website at www.schuylkill.us/cvia. If you can’t find your perfect assignment there, look around your community to see how you can lend a helping hand.

Pay It Forward is a little known movement that is big on good will. The international day, occurring on April 27, is your chance to make someone feel good. The idea is that you do something nice for someone and they pass the kindness on to someone else and the chain of generosity continues — a ripple effect of good will.

Some ideas are to give the cashier a dollar toward the coffee purchase of the person behind you in line; buy an inexpensive bouquet of cut flowers, like friendly daisies, and pass them out to random people throughout the day; tape a lottery ticket to an ATM machine; or take a box of doughnut holes to your library. Of course, you could also pass on a PIF card explaining the act that encourages the recipient to continue the “chain.” You get the idea. Have fun with it. You can find ideas, school kits and downloadable cards on their website at http://payitforwardday.com.

With little effort, you can help our planet. Earth Day is celebrated on April 22. Perhaps now is a good time to reduce your carbon footprint. If we all make little changes, it could make a big difference.

Arbor Day will be on April 28. Plant it Forward is a movement to do something today to benefit future generations. “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” — Anonymous.

Forests are the green lungs of the world and play a key role in the health of the planet. Nothing could survive without plants — they’re the foundation for most of Earth’s ecosystems. In addition to providing oxygen, trees absorb carbon dioxide, and provide food and shelter for animals while also supplying us with wood products from newspaper to furniture. This is a great opportunity to plan a project for the entire family to participate in. Plant a tree at home or in the woods. The planet has been kind to us, it’s time to return the favor. You can find ideas at www.earthday.org and at www.arborday.org.

When you think of spring, emergencies and natural disasters aren’t the first things to come to mind. However, crises aren’t just debilitating winter blizzards, they occur during every season, including spring. Schuylkill County is not immune. Learn about your local hazards and take action to become more resilient before, during and after a disaster or emergency strikes.

April 30 is FEMA’s America’s PrepareAthon! Day. You can find information on how to prepare for virtually any kind of natural threat on their website at www.community.fema.gov. You can also learn protective measures at www.ready.gov/september. The more you know, the more confident and better prepared you’ll be to help yourself, your family and your neighbors.

These are just a few of the ways you can make April a great month for all. Have fun with them while helping others.

Easter is just around the corner. There will be many egg hunts and family-friendly events in the upcoming weeks.

Lessie’s Garden invites you to their Annual Spring Fling at 8 a.m. April 8. There will be an egg hunt, pictures with the Easter bunny, egg painting and paint-a-pot for the kiddies, and Master Gardeners to answer gardening questions for the adults.

Pioneer Pole Buildings and Alpine Building Supply in Schuylkill Haven will host their Annual Easter Egg Hunt at 11 a.m. April 8. Raffle and bake sale proceeds will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Schuylkill County. Rain or shine.

Community Volunteers in Action is the volunteer center for Schuylkill County. Search 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.

GIRARDVILLE — The borough had what could be called a historic moment Wednesday with the doors of Centiole’s Pizza reopening to the delight of many people.

For many, Centiole’s makes the best pizza in the region, and others consider it to be the best on the planet. For a year and a half, the business was closed, but its reopening invoked cheers and tears of joy from the regular patrons.

When it was announced by owner/operator Patti Centiole about a week ago that the renovations were completed and permits approved, customers could not wait to call to place their orders, leading to a sellout this week. The tradition has been it is necessary to place an order well in advance, and in that case nothing has changed with the reopening. Calling a week in advance is not unusual, and many people place standing orders for the pies.

And nothing has changed in how the pizzas are made. The dough is made on premises, the sauce is made from the traditional recipe and the mozzarella is freshly grated as needed. Toppings at an additional costs are extra cheese, pepperoni and mushrooms. Other toppings may be available in the future.

The first pizza went out the door at 5:30 p.m., carried out by Sharon Gower White, Ashland, with a big smile. A Girardville native, she remembered fond memories of the shop.

“We were getting pies here since we were young kids, maybe pre-school or kindergarten,” White said while holding the large pie. “My dad and Patti’s dad were really good friends. My dad actually worked for Mr. Centiole when he was young. It’s just tradition.”

The second customer, Rob Fetterolf, Lavelle, was parked across the street at least 15 minutes before the shop opened. He was later joined by his son, Corey, to get six large and two small pizzas for a family get-together.

“I’m so glad that I called. I can show you on my phone how many times I called,” Fetterolf said. “Her phone was so busy. It took me 100 tries to get through.”

To prove his statement, Fetterolf showed his cellphone with “100” after the shop’s number to show many times he called. He was asked what makes a Centiole pizza special.

“The sauce. It’s just a different pie than what you would get anywhere else,” he said. “You’ll never get a pie like you will at Centiole’s. I am so glad she decided to reopen.”

The customers were thrilled with the reopening, though it was evident that Centiole, a Girardville native who lives above the shop, was enjoying every minute of the first day back.

“It’s officially Day 1,” Centiole said with excitement just minutes before the doors officially opened and the “open” sign was turned in the front window.

Centiole and employees Margaret Cole and Carrie Simmons, both of Girardville, worked nonstop making and baking the pies. Cole and Simmons punched out the dough and added the sauce and cheese, after which Centiole placed the pies in the oven, removed them when baked, cut them and placed them in boxes, tying them with twine.

Two other Girardville residents, Brittanie Luscavage and Abbey Willis, took care of taking payment of the pies, and at the time when there were large orders, helped the customers out to their vehicles.

“We got the word from the codes people last Wednesday that we could open,” Centiole said.

Centiole’s new pizza oven was a big help compared to the older one that had hot spots that only allowed four pies to be made at a time. Six pies can now be baked at a time, and judging from the line of people waiting for their orders within the first 30 minutes, every extra pie made was needed to serve the patrons as quickly as possible.

With the reopening, the hours and days have expanded. The new schedule is Wednesday through Saturday, which adds Wednesday, and instead of starting at 7 p.m., the new opening time is 5:30 p.m. There is no official closing time. The door closes when the last pie is picked up, which in the past has been midnight or a bit beyond.

“We’re opening at 5:30 p.m. to meet the needs of people going home from work at suppertime and it gives us more time to get out more pies and be more accommodating. We’re not closing any earlier. We’ll still be here until midnight-ish like we always were. And we added on an extra day.”

On Tuesday, Centiole showed The Republican-Herald around the new shop with its new pizza oven, tables, counters and sinks in the pizza-making area. The old bar was removed, and the interior was renovated with new bathrooms, seating for patrons waiting for their orders and a bright orange color scheme. A handicap ramp was installed on Main Street side, the electrical systems were modernized, and everything is up to all codes.

“I’m excited,” Centiole said of the reopening.

She answered the telephone several times during the interview, taking orders and answering questions. One order was for three large pies for next week, since this week is sold out.

The roots of the business go back to 1949 with her grandmother, Rose Centiole, working out of her basement on Ogden Street. In 1968, Rose and her son and Patti’s father, Joseph Centiole, bought the current building at 1 E. Main St. at what was Kelly’s Corner. They operated a bar and sold pizza at the site as Centiole’s Cafe until 1972, when the focus became just on pizza. Joseph Centiole died in 2004, and the shop was closed for six months after, but was reopened by Patti Centiole. The shop, which was operated from a kitchen in the back of the building, closed on June 20, 2015, due to family matters, including the death of Patti’s mother, Marietta Centiole.

Even with the modernizations and aesthetic enhancements, there are reminders of the family heritage, one being the door from her grandmother’s pizza oven. Her father’s pizza oven that remains in the original kitchen was being used until 2015.

“My grandmother’s oven door is on the wall, and there was Dad’s oven, and now I have my oven. Three generations,” Centiole said.

Pizzas are only for takeout, so there’s no restaurant seating.

“Everything is takeout. That’s what we’ve done. We had seating in the ’70s, but then my dad stopped it,” Centiole said.

Centiole is gratified for the attention she has received for the reopening, along with the return of the regulars.

“Everybody came back. All our standing orders want to come back. I just think it’s phenomenal,” she said. “I’m actually astounded at the loyalty. ”

The prices have changed a little, with small pies at $12 and large pies at $16, which is about 50 cents per pie higher than in 2015.

“I want to remain competitive, and I priced out everything,” Centiole said.

When asked what makes a Centiole pizza so special to so many people, she said, “I’ve asked myself that same question, but I think it’s the tradition and being around so long. When you come in, you see the same people all the time. That really knocks it home. People are comfortable. It’s not the looks of the place. It’s comfort, consistency, and we always say it’s made with love. People like coming here and we have a good time.”

Longtime friend Charles Marquardt, who is the Girardville Borough Council president, agreed with Centiole on why people come back.

“It’s tradition. I wouldn’t say it any other way. Nothing has changed,” Marquardt said. “I’ll put it this way: It’s worth the wait.”

Marquardt said to Centiole, “You have a lot of pizzas to make.”

“I do. More than I have ever made in my entire life,” Centiole said. “It’s exciting.”

Stopping in on Tuesday morning was Girardville Fire Chief Frank Zangari, who worked for Centiole’s when he was a teen.

“This is where I started at 14, delivering pizzas,” Zangari said. “When I started a small pie was 75 cents and a large pie was 95 cents. You’d get a nickel tip if they gave you a dollar. I worked here from 1970 to 1974.”

To place an order, call 570-276-6368.

The application deadline for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program has been extended to April 7.

The federal program, established in 1981, is funded by the federal government and provides assistance during the winter for heating bills and heat-related problems. LIHEAP is run by the Office of Community Services at the Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families. The state administers the program.

The application period, which opened for the season on Nov. 1, was slated to end today, but Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration decided to extend the deadline.

“Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable were able to heat their homes this winter because of LIHEAP. By keeping the program open longer, we hope to provide additional assistance to those who are struggling to keep their family warm,” Wolf said.

Applications are available to renters and homeowners. Funding is provided to those who qualify based on where they live, income, number of people in the household and type of fuel used. Schuylkill County is in Region 2. There are five regions in the state. Those applying must also provide a recent bill or statement from their fuel provider identifying the type of fuel and their customer status.

LIHEAP has a cash component and a crisis component. The cash grant goes to the utility company, fuel provider or, in some cases, to the applicant. Crisis grants are available to those who qualify and are in an emergency situation, without heat or in imminent danger of losing heat due to weather-related or energy supply shortage emergency. The minimum crisis grant is $25 and the maximum is $500. Cash grants can vary from $200 to $1,000.

Eligibility for the 2016-17 LIHEAP program is set at 150 percent of the federal poverty level, according to www.dhs.pa.gov.

“Everyone deserves a safe, warm home. I encourage Pennsylvanians to apply today to ensure they have the necessary resources to stay warm as the climate continues to be unpredictable,” state Department of Human Services Secretary Ted Dallas said.

Online applications are available at www.compass.state.pa.us or at the local county assistance office, 2640 Woodglen Road, Pottsville. The statewide LIHEAP Hotline is 866-857-7095. Additional information is available at www.dhs.pa.gov.

Income guidelines based on household sizes and maximum annual income:

• 1: $17,820

• 2: $24,030

• 3: $30,240

• 4: $36,450

• 5: $42,660

• 6: $48,870

• 7: $55,095

• 8: $61,335

• 9: $67,575

• 10: $73,815

• Each additional person, add $6,240

A Blythe Township woman will spend time on house arrest instead of behind bars after being sentenced Monday in Schuylkill County Court.

Kimberly Koles, 29, of Kaska, must serve 25 days on house arrest with electronic monitoring, plus five months and five days on probation, under the terms of President Judge William E. Baldwin’s sentence, which will be effective April 5.

“I no longer take part in any drinking,” Koles told Baldwin before he imposed the sentence, which also requires the defendant to pay costs, $775 in fines, $100 to the Substance Abuse Education Fund and $60 restitution, and perform 20 hours community service.

Koles pleaded guilty on Feb. 22 to driving under the influence and disregarding traffic lane, with prosecutors withdrawing charges of failure to keep right, failure to drive at a safe speed and careless driving.

State police at Frackville had alleged Koles was DUI on March 20, 2015, in Middleport.

On Wednesday, Baldwin signed an order allowing prosecutors to withdraw a charge of simple assault they had filed against Jason G. McNitsky, 43, of Pottsville. Pottsville police had charged McNitsky with committing the assault on June 19, 2016, in the city.

As part of his order, Baldwin directed McNitsky to pay costs plus a $50 bench warrant fee.

In more court action, a Schuylkill Haven man sits in prison after being sentenced in Schuylkill County Court for assaulting two women in December 2015 at a Butler Township apartment building.

Jasper Rabbitz, 27, must serve four to 23 months in prison and pay costs, $50 to the Criminal Justice Enhancement Account and $1,050.74 restitution under the terms of Judge Charles M. Miller’s sentence.

After a two-day trial over which Miller presided, a Schuylkill County jury found Rabbitz guilty on Feb. 13 of two counts of simple assault but not guilty of two counts each of aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person. Miller found him guilty of two counts of harassment and one of disorderly conduct and not guilty of criminal trespass.

Butler Township police charged Rabbitz with assaulting Darlene Spiedel and her daughter, Ashley Spiedel, about 1 a.m. Dec. 22, 2015, at the 711 W. Washington St. apartment building where all three lived just outside Frackville.

In other recent county court action, Judge Cyrus Palmer Dolbin sentenced Jared T. Stessalavage, 29, of Orwigsburg, to serve three to 12 months in prison and undergo a drug and alcohol evaluation. Dolbin imposed the sentence after revoking Stessalavage’s probation in two cases.

Stessalavage originally pleaded guilty on Sept. 7, 2016, to two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one of possession of drug paraphernalia in one case and possession of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia in the second. Prosecutors withdrew a charge of public drunkenness.

At that time, Dolbin placed Stessalavage on probation for 12 months and also sentenced him to pay costs, $200 to the SAEF and $100 in CJEA payments, amounts the defendant still must pay under the terms of his new sentence.

In the first case, Orwigsburg police charged Stessalavage with possessing drugs and paraphernalia on Nov. 15, 2015, in the borough. In the second, Pottsville police charged him with possessing drugs and paraphernalia on Dec. 20, 2015, in the city.

ASHLAND — The Ashland Area Municipal Authority was unsuccessful in obtaining a state Small Water and Sewer Grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority for waterline replacement projects.

The CFA announced 146 grant awards at its Wednesday meeting. The authority applied for a grant for two waterline replacement projects, one along state Route 54 (Centre Street) near Groody’s Catering Hall and on Middle Street between Eighth and 10th streets. Both projects have an estimated total cost of $160,000.

The authority applied for the grant with the assistance of consulting engineers Alfred Benesch & Co., which submitted the application last October. The CFA grant program was for activities to assist with the construction, improvement, expansion, or rehabilitation or repair of a water supply or sanitary sewer system. Eligible projects are those which have a total project cost of not less than $30,000 and not more than $500,000.

The authority planned to use remaining funds from its loan from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority obtained for the reservoir upgrade project, but decided to seek the CFA grant as an alternative.

The water main project on Centre Street is 810 feet long and will replace an old line that has had many repairs due to leaks. The project along Middle Street will replace the piping from Eighth to 10th streets.

Benesch has completed the project drawings and specifications. However, the project will not begin until the authority completes the valve replacement project at its reservoir in Butler Township, which is planned for June.

At the March 27 meeting, Benesch project manager Jennifer M. Kowalonek reported that she and John Harrison, geotechnical engineer with Schnabel Engineering Inc., spoke with Joseph Schultz and Joel Sipe of the state Department of Environmental Protection Division of Dam Safety on Feb. 15. The DEP officials said the department wants to ensure that the dam does not have additional movement on the downstream side of the embankment before removing it from the unsafe dam list. The DEP is requesting the authority provide a summary of what is planned for the dam, which Benesch is doing. The summary will be provided to the AAMA board for the April meeting.

Kowalonek also said that the final PENNVEST loan request has been submitted on the reservoir project and all change orders to the agency have been approved.

“We await PENNVEST Financial Management review for release of the PENNVEST 5 percent hold back,” Kowalonek said.

“The biggest thing that I found out today is that we are still going through the closeout process, but there was a glitch in their (PENNVEST) system with regard to the change orders,” she said. “What is supposed to happen is that we file a change order, they approve it and then your budget is supposed to recalculate. Something happened in their system that it did not recalculate, so when we put in our payment request, they couldn’t forward it because the change orders were not activated. They have to do something internally to make that happen, and I’m waiting for them to get that done. Hopefully, you will get paid before the next meeting.”

KC Construction Co., which was the general contractor on the reservoir project, is owed $79,807.43, and Benesch is awaiting payment of $22,923.17. Kowalonek recommended that as soon as the PENNVEST payment is approved and received, the authority should issue the payments as approved at previous authority meetings.

HAZLETON — For many years, office furniture was manufactured in this Luzerne County city by a firm called Allsteel in the Valmont Industrial Park.

That plant is no longer there, but another office furniture manufacturer with a distribution center in the area is expanding.

It turns out the two companies have a connection aside from both being in the area at one time.

On Wednesday, officials of Steelcase Inc. announced the firm’s distribution center in the Humboldt Industrial Park is expanding.

Gary Gant, operations engineer for Steelcase’s East Coast distribution centers, told the story of how Steelcase and Allsteel have their other connection.

“In 1978, Allsteel was the No. 1 office manufacturer in the country,” Gant said. “They bought a place in Athens, Alabama, to start up a plant. Halfway through it, they aborted it. So this company in Grand Rapids, Steelcase, bought it.”

Today, Gant said the Athens plant, along two plants in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and two plants in Mexico — in Reynosa and Tijuana — make a wide variety of office furniture, Gant said.

“We have the most diverse furniture portfolio of anybody,” Gant said. “We have work surfaces, wall partitions and storage — free-standing and overhead to hang onto the wall. We have two-drawer pedestals for underneath the work surface. And we make 46 different chairs.”

The products, sold by 200 authorized dealers all over the country — and where those dealers are — can be seen at steelcase.com.

By growing from 135,000 square feet up to 200,000 square feet — the entire building at 68 Green Mountain Road — the local distribution center will be able to also expand the territory it serves.

Tim Batdorff, manager of the facility, said the extra 65,000 square feet will enable the center to serve customers in western Pennsylvania and upstate New York more efficiently.

About 75 people work in Humboldt, Batdorff said, “but we haven’t hit our busy season yet,” he added.

The Humboldt facility is one of three distribution centers Steelcase has in the east, Gant said, along with Grand Rapids and Atlanta, Georgia. There are three distribution centers in the western U.S., in Texas, western Washington state and one near Los Angeles.

Steelcase has had a distribution center in the area for nine years, but for the first six and a half, it was operated by Penske Leasing. For the last 2 1/2 years, Steelcase has had its own distribution center.

Joe Lettiere, vice president of CAN DO, the area’s economic development organization, said the building Steelcase occupies was built by a private developer.

“This building is a perfect example of an investment made in the community by a private developer on speculation that has had multiple tenants,” Lettiere said. “With the expansion of Steelcase, we see stability in this real estate investment in our market, and the importance of having a building available for tenants to occupy immediately.”

Along with its typical rain showers, the month of April is bringing a warmer, familiar face — the Easter Bunny.

The symbol of the Easter holiday will make his return to Schuylkill County this weekend, making himself at home at local malls for the next few weeks.

On Saturday, the Schuylkill Mall and Fairlane Village mall are hosting parties for the friendly hare.

In Frackville, the party will kick off with family-friendly entertainment from “Magical Illusions of Kyle and Kelly.” The duo will put on two shows — noon to 12:30 p.m. and 2 to 2:30 p.m. — with the Easter Bunny making his arrival after the first show. There will also be strolling magic from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m.

Kyle and Kelly are a award-winning husband and wife magician team that has been specializing in magic and illusion shows for more than 25 years in the Philadelphia area, as well as Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland. Some of their notable clients include the Philadelphia Phillies, Eagles and Flyers, and are headliners each year at Knoebels Amusement Resort, Elysburg.

Activities are planned throughout the event from noon to 3 p.m., including double inflatable slide, face painting, balloon twisting, petting zoo and cupcake decorating.

Families can also celebrate with a free hand-squeezed lemonade courtesy of Totally Twisted Pretzels. Kids visiting with Easter Bunny will receive a voucher for a free cheeseburger and regular order of french fries from McDonald’s in Frackville.

Photos with the Easter Bunny by Michael’s Photography, Frackville, are scheduled up to Easter weekend. The times are: noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, 4 to 8 p.m. April 6, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 8, noon to 4 p.m. April 9, 4 to 8 p.m. April 13, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 14, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 15. Cost is $15 per digital image, cash only.

Pet photos are also scheduled from 4 to 8 p.m. April 6 and 13, and noon to 4 p.m. April 9.

At Fairlane Village, the show will begin at 11 a.m. with a magic show featuring Easter-themed illusions at center court. The Easter Bunny will arrive after the show and stay for pictures with children until 8 p.m.

Digital photo packages will be available by Jalonski Photos.

The first 300 children to visit the Bunny will receive a voucher for a free kids meal at Friendly’s restaurant.

The mall will also have pet photos with the bunny. They will be from 5 to 8 p.m. April 5 and 12. Pets must remain caged or on a leash while in the mall. Owners are responsible for cleaning up after the pets. Exotic animals are not permitted.

For more information, visit www.shopschuylkillmall.com and www.shopfairlanevillage.com.

n Hazleton: The Legends oldies band will perform Saturday at Best Western/Genetti’s in a dinner dance fundraiser titled “Let’s Sock it to Muscular Dystrophy.” It will be the fifth year for the event organized by Hazle Township resident Karen McShaw and her family. Her son suffers from muscular dystrophy. Events will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a dinner buffet. There will be a cash bar and The Legends will begin at 8 p.m. The cost is $35. Those wishing to just attend the dance may arrive by 7:30 p.m. and pay $15. Call 570-516-7591 or 570-956-5389.

n Mahanoy City: The Mahanoy City Public Library recently acknowledged the following memorials: For Donald Fallon from Anne M. Krukas and family and Carol and Jack Reilly; for Ida Joanne Fowler from Anne Krukas and family, Demko family, Joe and Trish Yankus; for Ruth Kline from Bobby and Leslie Richardson, Jean Eichman, Maryanne Bickowski, Greater Shenandoah Area Senior Citizens, Linda Mack and family and Carol and Joe Kalista; for Mary Emma Gerlott from the Demko family; for Dolores C. Milewski from Artie and Lynn DiCasimirro; for Butch Mack from Carol and Joe Kalista, Carol and Jack Reilly; for Patrick “Pat” Mease from the Mahanoy Area Class of 1965; for Kenneth “Kenny” Adams from the Mahanoy Area Class of 1965; for Joseph Holland from Joan Shimkus, Mary Edith Rhoades, Jim and Tina Davidson, Sandy and Tom Whalen; for George Miller from Carol and Bob Blue. The library also acknowledged a book memorial for Ruth Kline from Annette Purcell and family.

n New Ringgold: Miller-Keystone Blood Center blood drives are slated for 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Christ Church McKeansburg, 6 S. Race St. For more information, call 570-386-4040, and from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Zion Stone Church, 45 Cemetery Road, call 570-386-5111.

n Pottsville: The Fairlane Village mall will welcome the Easter Bunny on Saturday in events that will include a grand-arrival magic show beginning at 11 a.m. at center court. Peter Cottontail will arrive at the end of the show and be available at center court for visits and photos until 8 p.m. The first 300 children to visit the bunny will receive a voucher for a complimentary kids’ meal at Friendly’s. Digital photo packages will be available by Jalonski Photos. Those who buy any photo package will receive a free gift.

n Schuylkill Haven: This year’s Schuylkill Haven Area High School musical presentation will feature “Fiddler on the Roof” from 7 to 10 p.m. April 7 and 8 and 3 to 6 p.m. April 9 in the high school auditorium, 701 E. Main St. The cost is $8 in advance and $10 at the door. Call 570-640-4442.

n Schuylkill Haven: Grace Evangelical Congregation Church, Earl Stoyer Road, will host an Easter egg hunt at 1 p.m. April 8. Event is rain or shine. Registration deadline is today. Call Rose at 570-889-3206 or Karen at 570-875-1200. The event is sponsored by ARC of Schuylkill County.

n Shenandoah: The Shenandoah Valley High School Drama Club is offering a chance to win two tickets to see “The Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway in New York City on July 8. Tickets are $10 each and the winner, according to a release, will receive the following prize, worth $350: Two tickets to see “The Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway, a $50 gift card for a meal, round-trip bus fare provided by R.J. Transportation, orchestra seating for the show and four hours of free time to explore New York City. People can buy tickets at the following locations in Shenandoah: The headquarters of the revitalization group Downtown Shenandoah Inc. and the Catizone Barber Shop, both on North Main Street, and at The Pizza Shop restaurant, South Main Street. Tickets also are available from boosters Lori Hoffman at 570-985-8125, Amanda Hernandez at 570-985-3813, Bev Labotsky at 570-449-2091, Ellen Guers at 570-617-8908, Lisa Rudisill at 570-590-9852 and Pam Bubnis at 570-516-6651. Chances will be sold each night during the club’s production of “The Phantom of the Opera” from April 28-30. The winner will be announced during intermission at the April 30 matinee.

Newton E. Mull received a chance Thursday to break the cycle of drug addiction and crime in which he finds himself, as he entered the Schuylkill County Drug Treatment Court program.

Mull, 41, of Kaska, faces charges of burglary, criminal trespass, criminal mischief, possessing instrument of crime, attempted theft and resisting arrest.

Judge James P. Goodman admitted him into the program, which will last at least 14 months and offers those in it an opportunity to have charges against them dismissed upon completion.

However, Mull had to plead guilty to the charges against him in order to enter the program. If Mull does not successfully complete the program, those guilty pleas will take effect and he will be sentenced on the charges.

County officials started the drug treatment court program this year in an effort to combat the widespread drug-addiction problem. Other counties in Pennsylvania also have instituted drug treatment courts.

Lynn Holden, the treatment court coordinator, said Mull is the 10th defendant to join the program.

While in the program, Mull will undergo inpatient treatment and must make regular court appearances, submit to random drug testing and home visits, meet with probation officers and comply with directives from the court and those officers. He must complete all five phases in order to graduate from the program.

Saint Clair police had charged Mull with breaking into a residence at 28 Front St. in the borough about 2 p.m. Dec. 9, 2016. Police said they found Mull in a hallway of the building; he refused to be handcuffed and struggled when officers attempted to arrest him, police said.

Police said the residence was severely damaged, with walls smashed and wires being cut.

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — All 3,242 borough water customers are under a boil water advisory until further notice.

The advisory was issued at 2:40 p.m. Thursday, Borough Manager Scott Graver said.

“We lost pressure in the distribution system,” he said.

Personnel were fixing the issue Thursday.

“We have full pressure in our system now,” Graver said shortly after 5 p.m.

Customers in Cressona Borough and North Manheim Township also are under the advisory. Graver said water customers called the borough complaining of low water pressure.

Customers were notified of the boil water advisory earlier in the day by a phone message. A statement was also posted on the borough website. Those affected should bring their water to a rolling boil and let it boil for one minute. Boiled water or bottled water should be used for drinking, cooking, food preparation, dish washing, making ice and coffee, and brushing teeth, according to the message provided to customers.

Customers will be notified when the advisory is lifted.

“There is a series of samples that must be taken,” Graver said.

Many community improvement projects in Schuylkill County may not have been possible had it not been for the federally funded Community Development Block Grant program. If that program is cut in 2018, local officials said it could be “devastating” to their communities.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration outlined its preliminary 2018 budget that included the elimination of the $3 billion federal CDBG program and an overall 13 percent reduction to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s budget.

“It would be devastating,” Thomas A. Palamar, Pottsville city administrator, said Wednesday. “I can’t believe they would be entertaining it.”

The CDBG program is one of the longest, continuously running programs by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to the government website at www.hud.gov. Since 1974, the program has provided local communities with funding to address a wide range of development needs.

Communities with more than 4,000 residents receive entitlement funds through the program while other municipalities have funding distributed through a competitive grant program with county government. Allocations are also based on population. As the only city in the county, Pottsville administers its own funding.

In addition to Pottsville, nine more municipalities are entitled to their own federal funding: Butler Township, Mahanoy City, Minersville, Pine Grove Township, Schuylkill Haven, Shenandoah, Tamaqua, Wayne Township and West Penn Township.

Every other municipality applies to use the county’s annual allocation. The county has been administering federal CDBG funding for all municipalities, except Pottsville, since 2015.

Projects eligible for CDBG funding include: property acquisition, resale expenses, public improvements including streets, sidewalks, storm and sewer, parks, community centers and fire stations, demolition, structure rehabilitation, code enforcement, historic preservation, economic development and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

It is a very worthwhile program and a program that has been cut, but every year during the Reagan years it was to be axed,” Gary Bender, county administrator and CDBG coordinator, said Wednesday. “I don’t see it being totally eliminated, but you never know.”

The county received $277,069 for 2015, Bender said. In 2010, the county received $443,206 and was able to fund eight stormwater and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance projects and 10 demolitions.

“Historically, communities have concentrated on three things: safe drinking water, stormwater and sewers and demolition,” Bender said. “These are projects that could not get done otherwise. The program is designed for low-income municipalities and those are the ones that are going to be hurt the most.”

No less than 70 percent of the annual block grant funds must be used to benefit low- and moderate-income people. The county designates the remaining 30 percent for demolition projects.

Generally, about $80,000 of CDBG funding is bookmarked for demolition projects. However, Bender said that since the county received a $1.4 million state grant late last year to demolish blighted properties, that funding may be used for other CDBG projects. Bender said 125 projects have been submitted for the state grant.

While that funding will allow for the demolition of many blighted proprieties in the county, it is not an annual funding source that can replace the CDBG program.

“It was basically a one-time shot in the arm,” Bender said.

Bender said federal legislators often look at the CDBG program when discussing potential cuts because the projects take about 15 months to complete and funding is not immediately spent. In fact, 2015 CDBG funding for the county was just finalized about two months ago.

“You are looking at a whole lot of money sitting out there, but it is just the way the program operates,” Bender said. “These things take a lot of time.”

Meanwhile, Pottsville received $274,500 from the program for 2015, Palamar said. Funding will be used for demolition, sidewalk improvements on Market Street, street improvements and code enforcement.

“There has been a steady trend to cut the program every year, which is alarming because this funding we use for projects in our community every year and to leverage other funding,” Palamar said.

In 2010, the city received $419,744 in CDBG funding.

“It helps fund the investment in our business district,” Palamar said. “In the absence of the CDBG program, we would have to use our general budget and any projects we do would have a direct impact on the taxpayers.”

Palamar said the city is organizing a presentation about the CDBG program to educate people about the projects and the projects and programs it helps fund.

“We can’t let people forget how vital these programs are to local communities,” Palamar said.

Palamar said there may be a misconception that the program is wasteful at the federal level, but that could not be further from the truth.

“The CDBG program is so stringently ran,” Palamar said. “You have to be very specific about what you spend in a three-year plan. You are forced to put a lot of time into how you are spending money and what to do with it and the time spent on it. I don’t think any program has been as stringently run as CDBG. There is no waste and there is no frivolous spending and there are all kinds of community needs we can meet through this program.”

Like his colleagues, U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III could not stop thinking about fellow federal jurist Edwin Kosik, who also serves in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and was missing for two days.

Kosik, 91, was found safe Thursday evening in a wooded area in Dunmore.

“We’re just heartsick about it,” Jones, who lives in Pottsville and maintains his chambers in Harrisburg, said earlier Thursday.

Kosik, a senior U.S. district judge, had been missing since early Wednesday morning from his home in Covington Township, Lackawanna County. U.S. marshals were searching for him.

He has been on the federal bench since 1986, and became a senior judge in 1996. In February, he assumed inactive status for health reasons and no longer is hearing cases on a regular basis.

Jones said that even though Kosik’s chambers are in Scranton, he is no stranger.

“I know him well. We have a close court,” Jones said. “He’s not just a colleague, but he’s a good friend. He has had an amazing judicial career.”

That career probably is best known for the “Kids for Cash” case involving Luzerne County judges Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. and Michael T. Conahan, who are serving prison terms of 28 years and 17 1/2 years, respectively, for their roles in the scheme under which they accepted money from the owner of a juvenile detention facility in exchange for sentencing young offenders to serve time in them.

Jones also praised Kosik, an Army veteran of World War II, as a member of the Greatest Generation.