Deeds

Butler Township and Girardville — Theodore J. Ferrari Jr. to Theodore J. Ferrari Jr., Morganna C. Ferrari and Theodore G. Ferrari; two properties; $1.

Cass Township — Esther M. Kerwick and Joseph E. Kerwick Jr. to Joseph E. Kerwick Jr.; 1.039-acre property on Owl Road; $1.

Frackville — Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to Brian R. Wagner; 36 S. Balliet St.; $28,000.

Minersville — Ann Kreitz to James P. and Tamara B. Boris; 33 S. Delaware Ave.; $21,500.

North Manheim Township — James Kuchinsky, executor of the Estate of Joseph Yulick, to Joseph Michalik; 2.33648-acre property on Schuylkill Mountain Road; $48,000.

North Union Township and Columbia County — Sandra Manjone, guardian of the Estates of Brooke M. Manjone and Dennis L. Manjone III, Brooke M. Manjone and Dennis L. Manjone III to Dyllan D. Weikel; 11.5-acre property; $6,000.

Norwegian Township — Eleanor I. Gicking and Denise L. Ali to Denise L. Ali; 129 Main St., Seltzer; $1.

Eleanor I. Gicking and Denise L. Ali to Eleanor I. Gicking; 131 Main St., Seltzer; $1.

Pine Grove Township — Charles T. Hoover to Jamie S. and Lynette Strouphauer; 482 Old Forge Road, Outwood; $100,000.

Pottsville — Esther M. Kerwick to Joseph E. Kerwick Jr.; 1762 Market St.; $1.

Lisa M. McGovern to Brian and Renee Wetzel; 1610 Mount Hope Ave.; $142,500.

Woman cited after

Pottsville crash

POTTSVILLE — Pottsville police investigated a two-vehicle crash that was reported about 7:05 p.m. Nov. 1 at Route 61 and East Arch Street.

Police said their investigation revealed that Katie Smith, 22, of Ashland, was driving a 2008 Subaru south on Route 61 when she failed to yield the right of way while attempting a left turn at East Arch Street.

The woman then crossed into the path of a 2008 Jeep station wagon that was being driven north on Route 61 by a 36-year-old Orwigsburg man, police said.

No injuries were reported and as a result of the crash, Patrolman Cory Rainis will be citing Smith under the state Vehicle Code regarding vehicles turning left.

As a result of the crash, police said, traffic was detoured for about 30 minutes and that Schuylkill EMS and Pottsville firefighters assisted at the scene.

Police investigate

2-vehicle crash

FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — State police at Frackville investigated a two-vehicle crash that occurred about 3:50 p.m. Monday in the area of 780 Fountain St., Route 61, in Butler Township.

Police said a 17-year-old Ashland girl was driving a 2007 Nissan Altima north when she ran into the back of a 1996 Buick Regal driven by Christopher Monaghan, 37, of Gordon, who was stopped in a line of vehicles yielding for a school bus.

Both drivers and a 6-year-old boy inside the Monaghan vehicle all escaped injuries and police said firefighters from Butler Township, Lavelle, Englewood and Ashland assisted at the scene.

Theft of trail cam

investigated

TUSCARORA — A theft that occurred between 1 p.m. Saturday and 5:25 p.m. Monday at Coal Creek Ranch, 339 Old Route 209 in Schuylkill Township, is being investigated by state police at Frackville.

Police said Michael Misterkiewicz, Mohrsville, reported someone stole his brown Bushnell Aggressor wireless trail camera from the property and fled.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 570-874-5300.

2 not injured after

brakes fail

POTTSVILLE — No injuries were reported by Pottsville police in a crash that occurred about 9:55 p.m. Sunday.

Police said Nicole Finken, 38, of Pottsville, was driving a Dodge Caravan with her 10-year-old passenger west in the 400 block of East Arch Street when she tried to slow by applying her brakes but the vehicle did not respond.

Finken continued traveling west in the 300 block of East Arch Street, where she turned the van in an attempt to stop it, but went off the north side of the road and struck a property at 316 E. Arch St.

Neither Finken or her passenger were hurt and as a result of the crash Patrolman Joel Methven will be citing the woman for driving a vehicle without a valid inspection.

In addition, Methven will also be citing the owner of the vehicle, Rachel Cintron, 33, of Pottsville, for allowing Finken to operate the vehicle despite it not being insured.

Pottsville firefighters assisted at the scene and the vehicle had to be towed, police said.

Police cite man for

rollover accident

POTTSVILLE — Pottsville police investigated a roll-over crash that occurred about 12:50 p.m. Tuesday in the 200 block of North Claude A. Lord Boulevard, Route 61.

At the scene, police said, officers found a 2009 Honda Odyssey on its roof and located the driver, Dineshbhai C. Patel, 61, of Pottsville, who was able to exit the vehicle on his own.

Police said the investigation revealed that Patel veered off the roadway and up an embankment, causing his vehicle to roll over onto its roof.

Patel was treated at the scene by Schuylkill EMS and then taken to a local medical facility for additional treatment, police said, adding that the man’s vehicle was towed from the scene.

As a result of the crash, Patrolman Joseph Krammes will be citing Patel for not driving on roadways laned for traffic, police said.

Ashland

American Legion Post 434, 505 Centre St., will have a Veterans Day program beginning at 10:45 a.m. Saturday. It will start with a parade from Fifth Street to Hoffman Boulevard followed by a program at the Veterans Memorial. Afterward, a beef dinner will be served at the post home. The meal is free for all veterans and a donation is requested form anyone else. For more information, call 570-985-1026.

Heckscherville

Clover Fire Company, 8 Clover Road, will have a breakfast beginning at 7 a.m. Sunday at the firehouse. The cost is $8 for adults and $3 for children. For more information, call 570-294-0612.

Lykens

A concert by the Air National Guard Band of the Northeast is set for 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2 at the Upper Dauphin Area Middle School. One of the band members is Upper Dauphin Area alumnae Dawn Hoffman, who is an art teacher in the Millersburg Area School District. The concert is free, the public is welcome and doors will open at 6:45 p.m. Hoffman was instrumental in arranging for the performance, which also is sponsored by the National Junior Honor Society chapter, the student council and the Upper Dauphin Area Trojan Education Foundation. For more information, call 717-362-6545 or email williamse@udasd.org.

Mahanoy City

A Cork & Canvas is set for 2 to 4 p.m. Nov. 26 at McNiff’s Irish Pub, 30 W. Centre St. The cost is $35 per person and the focus will be a step-by-step painting of a holiday scene with snowman. All supplies will be included in the BYOB affair. Proceeds will benefit the Alexis Jones medical fund. For tickets or more information, call Janet at 570-773-2734.

Mahanoy City

The 24th annual Thanksgiving breakfast sponsored by the Mahanoy Area Ministerial Association will be held at 9 a.m. Nov. 21 at St. Mary Center, 620 W. Pine St. Tickets are $8 each and the deadline to get them is Nov. 16. The menu will include pastries, ham and eggs, home fries, coffee and tea. The event will include a prayer service and a guest speaker.

Orwigsburg

The Schuylkill Valley Corvette Club will have a “Dine-In” beginning at 4 p.m. Nov. 15 at DiMaio’s Mustard Seed Cafe, 110 E. Market St. Ten percent of the cafe proceeds will be donated to the club, which will use the money for its 2017 selected charities. All are welcome. For more information, call 610-223-8882.

Pine Grove

Outwood Lutheran Church, 174 Old Forge Road, will have a potato filling and pumpkin roll sale from 4 to 6 p.m. Nov. 20 at the church hall. Filling is $6 per quart and $3 per pint and pumpkin rolls are $8 each. The order deadline is Nov. 15. To order or for more information, call 570-345-3106 or 570-345-2739.

Pottsville

The Schuylkill County Council for the Arts, 1440 Mahantongo St., will have its annual Christkindlmarkt from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 2 and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 3. Freewill donations will be appreciated. The event will feature “beautiful decorations” and holiday gift shopping. All are welcome. For more information, call Sandra Coyle at 570-622-2788.

Tremont

A designer purse and Ugg bingo will be held Sunday at the Tremont Firehouse. Doors will open at 11 a.m. and bingo will begin at 1 p.m. The cost is $25, which includes 20 regular games. There will also be specials, jackpots, a raffle and 50/50 chances. Proceeds will benefit Pine Grove Area Lady Cardinals Softball. For tickets or more information, call Theresa at 570-449-7949.

Valley View

The American Legion Post 575 Auxiliary will have a Chinese auction from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Sacramento Firehouse. Proceeds will benefit the auxiliary’s annual Christmas party for children. For more information, call 717-216-9638.

Deeds

Ashland — Lewis C. and Beverly A. Pennypacker to Derek W. Miller; 546 Oakland Ave.; $12,000.

Branch Township — Denise Huntzinger Essler to Katrina A. Heim; 102 Willing St., Llewellyn; $34,900.

Butler Township — Charles W. Remaley Inc. to Rodney C. Dresher; 0.81-acre property on Germanville Road; $65,000.

Bertha E. Jones, by attorney in fact Theresa E. Yakubik, to Terrence E. Jones; 427 Main St., Lavelle; $44,298.

Cressona — Joseph J. and Patricia Perambo to Ronald L. Luckenbill Jr.; 25 Carpenter St.; $139,000.

East Brunswick Township — Tina M. Grube, executrix of the Estate of Charlotte M. Hendricks, to David and Helen Yoder; 1731 Chestnut St., McKeansburg; $170,500.

East Union Township — Kathleen Zanelli to David J. and Suzanne M. Yatsko; Lot 72 Pinewood Circle, Eagle Rock; $28,000.

Gilberton — Denise Fantanarosa, Jonathan M. Bashinsky and Diana Bashinsky to Denise Fantanarosa; 2030 Main St.; $1.

Minersville — 18E Real Estate LP to Chelsea M. Beach; 18 E. Sunbury St.; $165,000.

Construction ceased on Williams’ Atlantic Sunrise natural gas pipeline project after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Monday granted a temporary stay.

Several groups, including concerned citizens and environmental advocates, had petitioned to halt the 186-mile pipeline, a portion of which runs through Schuylkill County.

Williams broke ground in Pennsylvania in September for the $3 billion project that is an expansion of the Transco natural gas pipeline, connecting Marcellus gas supplies with mid-Atlantic and southeastern markets.

Meanwhile, Williams Partners L.P., Tulsa, Oklahoma, filed a motion Tuesday for clarification of the administrative stay.

“The arrogance of the industry is on full display as they rush this project and silence protesters while there are still pending cases in court,” Mark Clatterbuck of Lancaster Against Pipelines said in a prepared release from environmental organization Sierra Club. “Transco wouldn’t be rushing if they weren’t worried and I hope this is the beginning of a turning tide that will check the fossil fuel industry, an industry that has been rolling over the rights of communities for years.”

According to the Sierra Club press release, the petitioner groups represented by Appalachian Mountain Advocates and the Sierra Club include Lancaster Against Pipelines, Lebanon Pipeline Awareness, Allegheny Defense Project, Clean Air Council, Concerned Citizens of Lebanon County, Heartwood and Accokeek, Mattawoman and Piscataway Creeks Communities Council.

The groups had requested that construction not move forward unless and until the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission “conducts a comprehensive environmental review that fully accounts for the project’s short- and long-term impacts, as well as the public need for the project. A report prepared by Key-Log Economics details the ways that FERC has overstated the pipeline’s economic benefits while discounting or ignoring its true costs.”

Ann Pinca, president of Lebanon Pipeline Awareness, added, “It is an incredibly unjust system that allowed this pipeline’s construction to begin before legal cases were decided.”

Meanwhile, Micheal Dunn, Williams Partners’ chief operating officer, said Atlantic Sunrise has undergone an extensive review process and is operating in compliance with state and federal permits.

“It is important to stress that this temporary stay is administrative and not related to the project’s execution or its compliance with applicable federal or state regulations or permit conditions. It is merely intended to give the court sufficient opportunity to consider the motion recently filed by project opponents and is not a ruling on the merits of that motion. Our expectation is that the court will expeditiously complete its review,” Dunn said.

Christopher Stockton, Williams’ media spokesman, on Tuesday sent comments from several business leaders in support of the project, including Kurt Knaus,spokesman for PA Energy Infrastructure Alliance.

“This project remains critically important for Pennsylvania — and especially so for the skilled laborers and highly trained workers who now find themselves wondering what comes next. After years of review and considerable public input, Atlantic Sunrise received its legal approval. The courts should move quickly to resolve this matter and get this project back on track. Beyond the jobs affected, it’s important to understand the potential for environmental risks related to start-and-stop construction activity,” Knaus said.

Contact the writer: ; 570-628-6007

Schuylkill County residents said they wanted to make their voice heard by casting their ballot Tuesday in the General Election.

“As a U.S. citizen, it’s our right and we should exercise our right to vote,” Tom Wood, 53, of Pottsville, said after he voted at Yorkville Hose Company, Pottsville.

By 6 p.m., 360 voters out of more than 1,000 registered voters cast their votes there. The turnout was “better than we expected,” Susan Runkle, majority inspector at the polling site, said.

The weather was cold and, at times, sleet and snow fell from the sky. Turnout was somewhat lower than the last similar election. Of the county’s current 85,046 registered voters, 29,801 turned out to vote Tuesday, 35.4 percent. Four years ago, in the last district attorney/sheriff election cycle, there were 84,643 registered voters, of whom 30,500 voted, 37.2 percent. In last year’s presidential election, there were 87,592 registered voters, of whom 63,805 voted, which was 72.55 percent.

Wood and his wife, Stephanie, 53, were particularly interested in the Schuylkill County District Attorney race. Incumbent Christine A. Holman, a Republican, lost to Democrat Michael A. O’Pake.

“I believe he will do a good job,” Tom Wood said.

In addition to district attorney, other races on the ballot were Schuylkill County sheriff, a variety of local elected positions and state judges. Voters could also decide if they agreed with a change to the state constitution to increase the homestead exclusion to 100 percent of a homestead property’s assessed value.

Chester Corse, 77, of Pottsville, said voting is important to him “because I want to run my government.”

The longtime voter said people should not complain if they don’t vote. Like others, he thought the race for district attorney was the one to watch.

“In our county, the big race is the DA’s race. I think it’s a hot race,” he said.

He declined to say for whom he voted.

As of 6:18 p.m., 389 out of 1,157 registered voters in the seventh ward, second precinct, voted at Life Centre Foursquare Church on Mahantongo Street, Pottsville.

Terry Miller, 30, of Pottsville, agreed the race for district attorney was interesting. He voted at the Salvation Army building on Sanderson Street.

“I’ve been seeing Holman and O’Pake signs everywhere,” he said.

He voted for O’Pake because of the drug problem that is draining the life from the county. He does not blame Holman for that but said he believes the drug problem in the county has gotten worse in the last four years.

“The opiate epidemic is ridiculous,” he said,

The Pottsville Area High School graduate said people he’s known have died from a drug overdose.

“I hope he tackles the drugs,” Miller said.

Out of 726 registered voters in Pottsville’s fifth ward and first precinct, who vote at the Pottsville Salvation Army building, 120 had voted as of 7:14 p.m.

At Mount Carbon Fire Company No. 1 in Mount Carbon, 18 of the 67 registered voters had cast a ballot in Tuesday’s election shortly after 4:35 p.m.

Kevin Jefferson, 64, of Mount Carbon, a Republican, said he voted for Holman.

“She’s trying to do her best,” he said.

He didn’t think twice about coming out in the snow to vote. When deciding who to vote for, he looks at the issues and person. He didn’t know if she would win the election but hoped for the best.

Dave Merrick, 52, of Mount Carbon, said “a sense of duty, a sense of responsibility,” compelled him to vote Tuesday.

He voted for Holman for district attorney. He knows her personally and believes she is the right person for the job.

In Norwegian Township, the race to watch was between Bill Kirwan, road foreman, and David T. George, for township supervisor.

Robert Davenport, 79, said he voted for Kirwan. He voted for Holman for district attorney.

“I thought she’s doing a fine job in there,” he said.

Residents of Schuylkill Haven also wanted to express their right to vote. As of 5:40 p.m., 175 of 869 registered voters voted Tuesday at the Schuylkill Haven High Rise.

“If you don’t vote and terrible people get in, you have no one to blame but yourself,” Bonnie Milchick, 58, of Schuylkill Haven, said after she voted at the Schuylkill Haven High Rise.

A woman who didn’t give her name said she was interested in the local Schuylkill Haven Borough Council race. The over-the-top purchase of the $16,000 table by the Schuylkill Haven Borough Council in 2015 didn’t sit well with her. The table was originally $21,000.

“I’m still mad about it,” she said.

She said the council members acted “arrogant” in the matter. Councilman Jerry Bowman was the only member to vote against the table. Since the vote to buy the table in May 2015, some members are no longer on council. The woman didn’t say who she was voting for, but said it was for those who didn’t vote for the table. Several incumbents on the council who voted for the table were on the ballot. The woman also said she voted for O’Pake for district attorney.

“She didn’t really do a great job. I don’t think,” the woman said of Holman.

Contact the writer: ; 570-628-6028

After voting to keep their county judges and replace their district attorney in Tuesday’s General Election, Schuylkill County voters chose who will fill various city, township, borough and school board offices.

District judges, mayors, councilmen, township supervisors and school board members were on the ballot, along with judges and inspectors of elections, township auditors and tax collectors. In many races, candidates were unopposed and, in some places, no one ran for an open office. However, numerous write-in votes could determine those races when they are examined and counted and cause surprises in others. The counting of those votes won’t begin until Monday. All results from Tuesday’s election are unofficial until certified by the county board of elections. There were four provisional ballots cast. All absentee ballots are included in Tuesday’s tallies.

Other than district attorney, the only row officer up for re-election was Schuylkill County Sheriff Joseph Groody, who ran unopposed. He received 22,769 votes, with only 160 write-ins opposing him.

Across Schuylkill County, four magisterial district judges — Christina E. Hale, James R. Ferrier, Stephen J. Bayer and James Reiley — sought re-election and faced no challenge, easily winning new six-year terms on the bench. All four ran on both Democratic and Republican ballots.

Pottsville’s mayor, James T. Muldowney, a Democrat, ran unopposed, as did both Democratic councilmen are up for re-election. The city GOP did not field any candidates.

In Ashland, Democrat Ray Walacavage defeated Republican Thomas W. Joyce in the race for mayor. Dennis Kane did not seek re-election for mayor. In Frackville, Republican Kim Phillips, the incumbent, warded off a challenge by Democrat Paul Nick Martin Sr., with 460 to 393 votes. However, in Mahanoy City, Democratic mayor Mayor Patricia Schnitzius was ousted by Republican challenger Dennis Wiessner. In Minersville, where Mayor Joseph Post did not run for re-election, Democrat Leo A. Securda defeated Terry L. Rafferty in the contest. McAdoo Republican Dane Watro defeated Democrat Robert S. Wills for mayor. Incumbent Mayor Steve Holly was not running for re-election. In New Philadelphia, Mayor Frances Tkach was the only name on the ballot and received 104 votes. However, there were 175 write-in votes.

There were 36 write-ins for mayor in Gordon where no name was on the ballot.

There were contested races for seats on the borough councils in Ashland, Coaldale, Cressona, Frackville, Girardville, Mahanoy City, McAdoo, Middleport, Minersville, Palo Alto, Pine Grove, Port Carbon, Schuylkill Haven and Tremont.

Opponents also squared off seeking the office of township supervisor in Branch, Cass, East Union, Norwegian and West Penn townships. In Hegins Township, there was an empty slot on the ballot for a four-year term for supervisor, due to a vacancy. There were 835 write-ins for the seat.

Most school board races in the county had been decided in the spring primary, with candidates cross filing for both parties, leaving a bipartisan slate for the electorate to ratify Tuesday. There were, however, contested races in Mahanoy Area, Tri-Valley and Hazleton Area, part of which lies in Schuylkill County.

There were empty slots on the ballot for the Shenandoah Valley school board, with 166 write-ins for a 2-year seat and 350 for a four-year seat.

Voters also chose judges and inspectors of elections, tax collectors and township auditors. Along with the rest of the state, Schuylkill County voted to amend the constitution granting the state General Assembly the power to make laws allowing local taxing bodies to increase the homestead exclusion to 100 percent of a homestead property’s assessed value. The vote was 18,113 to 7,987.

Contact the writer: bsmith@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6005

POTTSVILLE — Schuylkill County will have a new district attorney in 2018, as Democrat Michael A. O’Pake beat incumbent Republican Christine A. Holman on Tuesday in the one competitive countywide contest of the 2017 election.

“I think the voters realized there were some problems in the district attorney’s office that needed to be corrected and that I am the person to do it,” O’Pake said while celebrating his win at the Saint Clair Fish & Game Club.

O’Pake, 54, of Norwegian Township, defeated Holman, 54, of Barnesville, by 15,359 to 12,756, according to unofficial countywide vote totals Tuesday night.

He promised he would use a firmer hand on the office than Holman, whom he said did not lead the way she should have during the last four years.

“I believe that the current DA allowed the criminal justice system to control her rather than she controlling it,” O’Pake said.

The result, combined with Sheriff Joseph G. Groody’s unopposed re-election, again gives Democrats control of countywide law enforcement. Republicans hold the county’s seven other row offices.

Holman, who did not return several telephone calls seeking comment on the result, was the first woman to be elected district attorney in the county when she edged incumbent Democrat Karen Byrnes-Noon by fewer than 100 votes in the 2013 election and took office January 2014. Byrnes-Noon was serving as first assistant district attorney in January 2012 when she was appointed as district attorney to replace James P. Goodman, who had been elected in November 2011 as a Schuylkill County judge, a post he still holds.

O’Pake is a former assistant district attorney who currently works as an assistant public defender along with having a private law practice. He served 22 years as an assistant district attorney before resigning when Holman took office, and became an assistant public defender in 2014.

He raised several issues during his campaign. They included what he said were Holman’s low conviction rate, excess of outstanding bench warrants, the misleading of the court in a bail case and the dropping of too many cases.

Holman said she had kept her promises, including starting to bring cases against slumlords, continuing the fight against drugs and emphasizing the prosecution of criminals who prey on senior citizens and children.

O’Pake said it is too early to begin considering who will be on his staff.

“I have not given it much thought,” O’Pake said of who his assistants will be, although he is limited in whom he can replace.

One thing he has thought about is fighting the opioid epidemic that is cutting a wide swath across the county, affecting people in all socio-economic groups. He said that before he takes office on Jan. 1, 2018, he will start fighting opioids, adding that he wants to talk with doctors, law enforcement and school officials about ideas on how to combat the scourge.

Another of his ideas is to reduce the number of people who are walking around in spite of bench warrants being issued for their failure to appear in court.

“One of the first things I’m going to do is make sure that the 1,000 criminals walking around Schuylkill County with bench warrants are brought to justice,” he said.

O’Pake said he will do that by assigning a person to lead the effort to round up those people. He wants that person to be on the street, not in the office, saying he does not want to see them for his first month in office so as to make it easier for him or her to catch the fugitives.

He also said his campaign, unlike Holman’s, stuck to the issues. He said Holman put what he terms “misleading and deceitful information” before the voters, and it backfired on her.

“I think I ran a hard campaign. I ran a clean campaign,” O’Pake said. “I don’t think she ran a clean campaign. I think the voters are tired of it.”

Contact the writer: pbortner@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6014

SAINT CLAIR — Two judges on the Schuylkill County Court of Common Pleas easily won their retention bids in Tuesday’s General Election to remain on the bench.

Schuylkill County President Judge William E. Baldwin and Judge Jacqueline L. Russell will begin new 10-year terms on the county court in January. Since the decision for the voters was whether each judge should or should not be retained, neither ran against any challengers.

Baldwin received 19,787 votes for retention versus 6,198 against. Russell received similar numbers at 19,616 votes for retention and 6,109 against.

A native of Pottsville, Baldwin was first elected as judge in 1987 and is completing his 30th year on the bench and earned retention two previous times. He became president judge in 1998. Before serving on the county court, Baldwin was a state legislator in the 125th District for three two-year terms and was a solicitor in Branch and New Castle townships, Minersville borough and the Minersville Area School District.

Russell is a native of Tremont and has served 20 years on the court, having been elected in 1997 and retained in 2007. She served as a law clerk for state Supreme Court Justice William Hutchinson, was a county assistant district attorney and served as solicitor in municipal government in the county, including Pine Grove Area School District, Tremont borough, and the townships of Branch, Frailey and Tremont.

According to the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania website, county Common Pleas court judges, as well as justices on the state Supreme Court and judges on the statewide Superior and Commonwealth courts run as a member of a political party for full terms of office for the first time.

“After serving initial 10-year terms, those jurists who seek re-election do so through ‘retention elections’ in which they are not affiliated with any political party,” according to the website. “Retention is a nonpolitical method of re-electing Pennsylvania judges and is intended to be politically neutral as they do not require judges to engage in campaigning against other candidates. Retention is specifically designed to keep judges out of the political fray while at the same time holding them accountable to the voters based on their overall records and performance in office. The intent is to provide a fair and nonpartisan way for the public to judge its judges.”

The website explains that “in retention elections, judicial candidates do not participate in spring primary elections. Their names appear on the ballot only in November general elections. Voters are asked to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on whether to re-elect each judge seeking retention. The names of the candidates are listed on a separate area of the ballot, apart from individuals running for executive and legislative offices. No political affiliation is listed for retention candidates.”

Baldwin and Russell were both appreciative of the retention results and are ready to begin their fourth and third terms, respectively.

Baldwin was asked how the kinds of cases going before the courts have changed during his 30 years on the bench.

“Drugs are the real big problem, not just in our county but across the country,” Baldwin said. “The drug use not only reflects in the criminal docket, but also reflects in other things, like our children and youth cases, where children are being abused and neglected. We have children born with addictions because their parents were using drugs when they were conceived and during the pregnancy and their parents aren’t in any condition to take care of them. It reflects in everything involving kids in the custody cases, the divorce cases. A lot of it is influence by drugs. We’ve always had a high number of cases in all these cases, but drugs are impacting everything in the court system now.”

Russell was also asked how the mixture of cases has changed during her time on the bench, and she echoed Baldwin’s remarks on drug-related issues.

“There is a great increase in hard drugs,” Russell said. “A significant increase. There are so many people who complain about people who use drugs go to jail because of drug-related matters, but so many of those people are the ones who are committing other property crimes and terrible violent crimes. Many times we find out that people are on drugs, either bath salts, methamphetamine and heroin, when they’re committing terribly violent offenses.”

Russell added, “Twenty years ago, we probably knew most of the heroin addicts in Schuylkill County. They’re not the kind of people we necessarily see in court today. But the drug problem is now seeping into the family, and the family has disintegrated, so we have a enormous amount of family-related matters, including many dependent children, meaning that children who don’t have parents that are willing to or capable of taking care of them. Instead of having a few children and youth cases every week, we now have an enormous amount of children and youth cases. We have quite a few mothers giving birth to babies who are addicted. That’s a travesty.”

Russell said that the courts depend on the decisions of the prosecution on how to provide remedies to the problem.

“Some things are out of my hands,” Russell said. “Some things depend on the prosecution. If the prosecution rounds up a lot of people and charges people with deliveries, and then the prosecution decides to drop the deliveries charges and comes to court and present someone with a plea bargain for paraphernalia, there’s not much a judge can do. A lot of what people think a court can do really rests with the prosecution. I am a strong believer in penalizing people who are destroying the fabric of Schuylkill County.”

Contact the writer; jusalis@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6023

LOYALTON — The Upper Dauphin Area school board on Tuesday made several purchases, upgrading its worn out vehicle fleet and its high school auditorium sound system.

The board approved, 5-1, purchasing a new 10-passenger van for $29,197 and a new pickup truck for $31,197 through Sunbury Motors, a COSTARS vendor. The truck will be used for plowing and salt spreading. The van will be used for longer field trips and athletic activities that don’t require a full-size bus.

Directors approving the purchases were Angela Mattern, Kirk Wenrich, Kathy Talhelm, Mills Eure and David Barder. Director Jack Laudenslager cast the lone dissenting vote. Board members Roni Mace, Steve Welker and the Rev. Nathan Minnich were absent. Funds for the purchases will come out of capital reserve, according to Superintendent Evan Williams.

The board also approved a new, digital sound system, by the same 5-1 vote, for $13,530.70 from CSESI, Columbia, Lancaster County. The price does not include the cost of a mixer, which would be a separate purchase, Business Manager Mary Bateman said. Laudenslager voted no.

In other business, the board approved:

• The request to retire from Donna Enders, learning support teacher, at the end of the 2017-18 school year.

• Purchasing a new plotter for the high school drafting lab at $5,995.99.

• Service agreement with Daniel Schell for water treatment.

• Support agreement with Heartland Payment Solutions for the point-of-sale systems in the cafeterias.

• Cory Shade as a classified employee substitute for cleaning for the 2017-18 school year.

• Mandy Bucker as a bus driver for Rohrer Transportation.

• A facilities use agreement between the district and the American Red Cross to use the UDA facilities as a mass care shelter in the event of a disaster or emergency.

The next board meeting will be at 7 p.m. Dec. 5.

Contact the writer: ; 570-628-6007

POTTSVILLE — The Knights of Columbus Schuylkill Council 431 will again host a free Thanksgiving dinner for those in need.

This is the ninth year for the event. Ron Whalen, financial secretary for Schuylkill Council 431 and treasurer of Schuylkill Council Charities, the nonprofit entity of Schuylkill Council 431, said an average of 1,500 meals are usually distributed. So far, about 250 meals have been ordered.

The meal consists of stuffing, turkey with gravy, yams/sweet potatoes, corn, bread, cranberry sauce and dessert.

Those who need a Thanksgiving meal should call 570-691-1429, 570-628-3333 or 570-516-9514 and leave a name and phone number. Deadline to call is 5 p.m. Nov. 16.

Donations from businesses, people and organizations make the generous outreach possible. Donations are tax deductible.

For the third year in a row, students from Schuylkill Technology Center-South Campus, Mar Lin, and Schuylkill Technology Center-North Campus, Frackville, will help prepare the food. Students from STC-South will cook, prepare and slice the turkey, while those from STC-North will prepare the stuffing and sweet potatoes.

Schuylkill Council 431 will pick up the food Nov. 22 for delivery between 10 a.m. and noon Nov. 23. Someone must be at the residence; meals will not be left if no one is home.

Volunteers, preferably those familiar with the area, are still needed for meal delivery. Whalen said about 100 drivers are needed. Those interested should call 570-294-6337.

“Helpers are always welcome,” Whalen said.

Contact the writer: ; 570-628-6028

James R. Ferrier

ORWIGSBURG — Authorities are looking for a Wayne Township woman who did not attend her preliminary hearing Monday in two cases involving separate incidents of alleged driving under the influence.

Tracy Ann Miller, 41, of 307 Frieden Manor, Schuylkill Haven, faces charges of DUI, disregarding traffic lane, failure to drive at a safe speed, careless driving and seat belt violation in one case and DUI, failure to keep right, disregarding traffic lane, texting while driving, failure to drive at a safe speed and careless driving in the second.

After a preliminary hearing, Magisterial District Judge James R. Ferrier ordered all charges in each case held for court. Ferrier also asked the court to issue a bench warrant for Miller.

State police at Schuylkill Haven filed each set of charges against Miller.

In the first case, police alleged Miller was DUI at 10:21 p.m. July 4 at 276 Chestnut St. in North Manheim Township. Police said Miller drove a white 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee through a fence and onto that property.

Miller admitted drinking and taking drugs before that accident, police said.

In the other case, police alleged Miller was DUI at 12:36 p.m. Sept. 14 on Route 61 in North Manheim Township. Police said Miller crashed a white 2006 Toyota Highlander, which sustained heavy front-end damage.

Miller also admitted she had been drinking before that accident and refused to take both blood-alcohol and breath tests, according to police.

Other defendants whose cases Ferrier considered on Monday, the charges against each one and the judge’s dispositions of the matters included:

Jason Browning, 44, of 304 St. Charles St., Schuylkill Haven; aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and harassment; right to preliminary hearing waived, charge of aggravated assault withdrawn, other charges bound over for court.

James J. Bynon II, 46, of 315 Schuylkill Ave., Tamaqua; possession of drug paraphernalia; right to preliminary hearing waived, charge bound over for court.

Luis A. Cruz Jr., 39, of 627 E. Susquehanna St., Allentown; DUI, DUI while suspended, failure to keep right, disregarding traffic lane and careless driving; right to preliminary hearing waived, charges bound over for court.

James J. Culbert, 44, of 120 W. Railroad St., Pottsville; four counts of retail theft; right to preliminary hearing waived, charges bound over for court.

Tyler J. Hauck, 22, of 376 W. Bertsch St., Lansford; DUI, disregarding traffic lane, failure to drive at a safe speed, careless driving and seat belt violation; right to preliminary hearing waived, charges bound over for court.

Jason H. Hill, 27, of 47 Mush Dahl Road, New Ringgold; two counts of resisting arrest and one each of escape and flight to avoid apprehension or trial; right to preliminary hearing waived, charge of escape and one count of resisting arrest withdrawn, other charges bound over for court.

Kim L. Mull, 60, of 129 Ideal Park Road, Catawissa; bad checks; right to preliminary hearing waived, charge bound over for court.

James A. Polusky, 27, of 402 E. Norwegian St. Apt. 1, Pottsville; four counts of retail theft; charges held for court after preliminary hearing that Polusky did not attend. Ferrier asked the court to issue a bench warrant for Polusky.

Adrianne M. Rodgers, 29, of 8 Kaska St., Middleport; receiving stolen property and retail theft; right to preliminary hearing waived, charges bound over for court.

Kelly F. Webber, 48, of 1035 E. Norwegian St., Pottsville; four counts of retail theft; right to preliminary hearing waived, charges bound over for court.

POTTSVILLE — Instead of taking his case to trial, an Ashland man admitted Friday to a Schuylkill County judge that he was under the influence of both alcohol and drugs when he drove in September 2016 in Pottsville.

With a jury ready to hear his case, Trevor J. Mitros, 20, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence.

Judge James P. Goodman, who was to have presided over the trial, accepted the plea and, in accordance with an agreement between prosecutors and the defendant, sentenced Mitros to serve 72 hours to six months in prison, pay costs, a $1,000 fine, $100 to the Substance Abuse Education Fund and $520 restitution to Lehigh Valley Health Network, undergo a mental health evaluation and perform 100 hours community service. Goodman made the sentence effective at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Pottsville police alleged Mitros was DUI on Sept. 18, 2016, in the city.

Also in the county court, Jerome F. Kimmel, 42, of Auburn, pleaded guilty but mentally ill on Wednesday to DUI, accident involving damage to attended vehicle or property and careless driving. Prosecutors withdrew charges of failure to keep right, failure to stop and give information and operating vehicle without required financial responsibility.

Judge Cyrus Palmer Dolbin, who was to have presided over Kimmel’s nonjury trial, instead accepted the plea and, pursuant to an agreement between prosecutors and the defendant, sentenced Kimmel to serve 48 hours to six months in prison and an additional 12 months on probation, pay costs, $525 in fines, a $100 SAEF payment, a $50 payment to the Criminal Justice Enhancement Account and $520 restitution to Lehigh Valley Health Network, and perform 10 hours community service.

State police at Schuylkill Haven alleged Kimmel was DUI on July 10, 2015, in West Brunswick Township.

By pleading guilty but mentally ill, Kimmel accepted responsibility for what he had done, prosecutors acknowledged he was suffering from a mental illness and each side agreed he did not meet the definition of a legally insane person — not knowing the difference between right and wrong at the time he committed the crime. He will receive treatment for his mental illness as a result of the plea.

Pennsylvania and a number of other states instituted the guilty but mentally ill defense after John Hinckley Jr. was found not guilty by reason of insanity after trying to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981.

Contact the writer: pbortner@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6014

POTTSVILLE — Pottsville Area High School has a new telescope through the generosity of the community.

“No school district money that has been spent,” Adrian Portland, lead science teacher at the high school, said.

High school custodial staff brought the telescope to the Dr. Alex Addy Observatory at the high school recently.

“I love it. It’s going to let in a lot more light,” Portland said.

The Meade Lx600 ACF (Advanced Coma-free optics) telescope cost $8,000. It replaces a Meade Lx 200 Classic, which cost about $4,500 when it was bought in 1992. The old telescope still works and will be used for community events and can be taken out in the community.

A $10,000 donation from the Crimson Tide Foundation and outside donations made the purchase possible.

Portland said the main advantage of the new telescope over the old one is it can lock on and track objects in the sky.

“The telescope slowly moves by itself,” he said.

The previous telescope didn’t have that capability and would have to be re-adjusted if an object in the sky moved. The new telescope has Starlock, a tracker that follows the location of the object in the sky and moves accordingly. It can follow an object for about an hour, Portland said.

The telescope also has a GPS. With the touch of a remote control, the telescope has the ability to find 145,000 objects in the sky.

The telescope runs on eight C batteries, but also has a cord to plug in. Funds were used to buy an All Sky camera that can afford a 180-degree view of the sky. The camera can fit in the palm of one’s hand.

“This is active day and night,” Portland said.

The All Sky camera, costing about $400, will be located on the roof of the observatory.

A Mallincam Skyraider DS2.3-plus camera was also bought for less than $1,000. It will stay inside near the telescope.

“We should be able to see some deeper space objects,” Portland said.

Those could include galaxies and nebulae they were not able to see before.

The plan is for visitors to be able to see what can be viewed through the telescope and a link could be posted on the Pottsville Area School District website to view what the telescope sees if it is in operation.

The day and nighttime sky can also be viewed because of the All Sky camera.

“I’m real excited,” Portland said.

A monthly open house for the observatory and planetarium is planned for 7:30 p.m. Monday at the high school for students to hear a presentation by Ben Serano, a real-time operation engineer at the Space Telescope Science Institute at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland. Serano is a Pottsville Area High School graduate. Registration is required. To register, visit the Pottsville Area School District website at www.pottsville.k12.pa.us and click on the motivational science center link or call 570-617-8035. Space is limited to 75 people. As of Wednesday, 20 people were registered.

Contact the writer: ; 570-628-6028

Construction will be allowed to resume immediately on the nearly $3 billion Williams’ Atlantic Sunrise pipeline project, which runs through Schuylkill County. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Wednesday denied an emergency motion to stay the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s authorization of the project.

Reaction was swift from one local nonprofit group.

“The system is rigged to side with corporations and not the average working class people of Schuylkill County,” Leah Zerbe, Washington Township, co-founder of Schuylkill Pipeline Awareness, said late Wednesday night.

“FERC has approved every proposed pipeline, even unnecessary ones that provide no local gas supplies, like the Atlantic Sunrise pipeline. Schuylkill County farmers and landowners are forced to watch and endure the corporate takeover of their property while taking on the risks associated with having a high-pressure natural gas pipeline beside their homes,” Leah Zerbe said.

Williams, meanwhile, said thousands of workers in Pennsylvania will be back on the job today.

“We are pleased that the court has lifted the administrative stay of construction activities and denied the emergency motion for stay filed by the project opponents. We will promptly resume construction activities on this important pipeline project, which will leverage existing energy infrastructure to deliver economic growth and help millions of Americans gain access to affordable Pennsylvania-produced clean-burning natural gas,” Micheal Dunn, Williams Partners’ chief operating officer, said in a prepared release.

The 186-mile project is an expansion of the Transco natural gas pipeline and is expected to be placed into full service in mid-2018. At the Franklin Road job site in Tremont, there are approximately 370 people employed there, according to Lee Bone, Williams’ construction manager.

Construction on the project commenced seven months ago after a nearly four-year, comprehensive federal and state regulatory review process. During peak construction periods, the project is anticipated to directly employ about 2,300 people in 10 Pennsylvania counties. In addition, the project could support an additional 6,000 jobs in related industries and generate up to $1.6 billion in economic activity, according to researchers at Penn State University and Williams’ release.

The court on Monday had granted a temporary stay of construction, which was lifted Wednesday. A more permanent stay was what petitioning environmental organizations and citizens’ groups had hoped for.

“Right now, Pennsylvania is the Wild West of pipelines. Corporations are just trying to get pipe into the ground before our citizens have time to fully learn about the known threats: loss of private property rights, explosions, toxic leaks, pollution, lower property value, damaged crop yields. It’s classic boom-and-bust,” Leah Zerbe said.

She and her sister, Faith Zerbe, are co-founders of Schuylkill Pipeline Awareness. She describes it as a nonprofit organization with the goal of educating landowners about pipelines, the easement acquisition process, and the risks of high-pressure pipelines and the hydraulically fracked gas they carry. Her sister works for the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, a nonprofit advocacy program for the Delaware River watershed.

Leah Zerbe has not spoken directly to Bone, but is open to connecting with him, she said. She said that while conservation districts do what they can, they and the state Department of Environmental Protection don’t have the manpower to properly inspect and catch all violations.

“We see this at pipeline construction sites across the state. Just a few weeks ago, a farmer on the Atlantic Sunrise pipeline path had to helplessly watch her topsoil wash away during a rainstorm. This is something the pipeline company promised, time and time again, would not happen,” Leah Zerbe said. “This is a ‘shortcut’ pipeline that is bulldozing private property, farms and forests. The corporation is saving money by taking a shortcut through Schuylkill and other counties, sometimes by using eminent domain to take Schuylkill County citizens’ land. Imagine waking up one morning and learning that you don’t truly have control of your own land. This is happening now in Schuylkill County. It’s un-American.”

According to Leah Zerbe, the county is assuming all of the risk and no benefits, since the gas is largely headed to the coast for export to foreign countries and Southern states.

“Schuylkill Pipeline Awareness, along with our allies of families, religious leaders, businesses and families up and down the Atlantic Sunrise path, want to see this pipeline permanently stopped. We are sick of serving as a sacrifice zone for big business … this is our community,” Leah Zerbe said. “We should have a say in what happens here, not an Oklahoma corporation with no ties to our area. We are the ones who have to live with decades of negative impacts long after the workers head back to their home states.”

Contact the writer: ; 570-628-6007

ASHLAND — The submission of the water allocation permit renewal application by the Ashland Area Municipal Authority was approved by the board at its Oct. 30 meeting.

The permit renewal paperwork had been in process for several months by Alfred Benesch & Co., Pottsville, which is the authority’s consulting engineers.

The authority was informed in January by Benesch project manager Jennifer M. Kowalonek that its permit for withdrawal of surface water from the Susquehanna River basin would expire in July 2018.

The renewal application is submitted to the state Department of Environmental Protection Water Allocation Permit for the Susquehanna River Basin Commission. The SRBC recommends that the renewal process should start 18 months before the permit expiration. The submission of the renewal application and associated fees are due six months in advance of the expiration date of the docket. The last time the authority had its allocation permit renewed was in 1993.

The permit application informs the SRBC that the authority will be taking water from the river basin and from where it is being taken. The water treatment plant receives its operating permit from DEP.

In her written report to the board, Kowalonek explained that the permit fee is $25. She asked that all paperwork be approved and submitted to Benesch no later than Nov. 28 in order to attach the certification and fee for the permit submittal by Benesch. The board decided to approve the application submission rather than wait until the November meeting.

In other business, the board was informed that the waterline replacement project drawings and specification for the work planned on East Centre Street (state Route 54) near Groody’s Catering Hall and Ashland Foundry and Machine Shop have been completed. However, the project will not be advertised for bids until all work at the reservoir is completed, which is not expected until summer 2018. The project would replace 810 feet of old waterline at an estimated cost of about $100,000. The water main project will replace an old line that has had many repairs due to leaks. The project could also include a waterline replacement along Middle Street from Eighth to 10th streets in the borough.

Borough Manager Raymond Jones Jr. said he and water plant operator Patrick J. O’Boyle of M&B Environmental Inc. discussed the poor condition of the access road to the plant from Malone’s Road.

“The road at the plant has been eroded to the point that some days it is not even passable,” Jones said. “We have gone out several times with the backhoe to repair it, but you get a storm and it washes right out.”

Jones contacted a local contractor and received a quote of $9,500 to repair it.

“It has to be regraded. The road is a bunch of grooves,” Jones said.

With winter weather approaching, the board decided to approve the work on an emergency basis due to the need for safe access to the plant.

“If we can, let’s just go ahead and do it if it has to be done,” board Chairman Francis Menne said.

“Let’s just have a statement on the record that you’re content that it is an emergency and we could have an issue if there is a problem there,” solicitor S. John Price advised.

“If we get a snowstorm, there are going to be problems because we won’t be able to plow it,” Jones said.

“Or heavy rain,” Price added.

The board approved a motion for the road work on an emergency basis.

Contact the writer: jusalis@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6023

ASHLAND — The historic and landmark Mothers’ Memorial was recently damaged by vandals who used paint to mar its surfaces.

The Ashland Police Department is investigating the act of criminal mischief.

A local resident discovered the vandalism and contacted police Nov. 4. Officer Richard J. Haraschak III responded and found that someone smeared and splashed red and brown paint around the memorial. Paint ran down the face of the statue and was also found on the base and walkway around the statue.

The memorial was created as a project by the Ashland Boys Association in 1938, when it was dedicated Sept. 5. After sculptor Emil Siebern designed the statue, it was sculpted by Julius C. Loester. The statue is 7 feet tall and twice life-sized.

An article in the Sept. 3, 1938, edition of the Ashland Daily News states, “It is the first time that Whistler’s famous painting has been sculptured in clay and cast in bronze. Just as the ABA is unique, so is the Mothers’ Memorial unique. And in erecting it, the ABA has unconsciously provided a memorial for itself. Until this 38th reunion, there was no permanent means of identifying the association with Ashland. Another 38 years will come and go and even if the ABA should wither or die in that time it will have left a very visible mark within our community — a beautiful statue of bronze in a setting itself so beautiful that it threatens to detract from the very beauty of the bronze.”

Anyone who has information on the vandalism can contact Ashland police through the county communications center’s non-emergency line at 570-462-1991.

Contact the writer: jusalis@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6023

Woman cited in

armor truck crash

McADOO — Two people escaped injury when the armored truck they were in crashed about 2:40 p.m. Tuesday on the northbound Interstate 81 off ramp to Route 309 in Kline Township.

State police at Frackville said Dorothy Henry, 28, of Wilkes-Barre, was driving the 2015 Peterbilt armored truck north on Interstate 81, exited and was following a tight right curve to enter Route 309 north on a snow-covered road.

Henry was driving too fast to negotiate the curve, slid on the highway and struck the concrete “jersey barrier” lining the left shoulder, police said. The truck then bounced off the barrier, re-entered the highway for a short distance and slid into the barrier again before coming to a stop.

Henry and her passenger — Devin J. Green, 22, of Kingston — were properly secured in safety belts and not hurt, police said, adding that as a result of the crash, Henry will be cited for driving at an unsafe speed.

Woman charged

with trespassing

McADOO — A 20-year-old Hazleton woman was arrested by McAdoo police and charged with criminal trespass after an incident about 7:50 p.m. Oct. 29 on East Elm Street.

Police said officers were called to a home in the area for an unwanted person and spoke to a man who said Mayrie Reynoso-Santana, his ex-girlfriend, was at the home and would not leave.

Police said officers found the woman on the front porch and charged her with trespass after she was given the opportunity to leave but did not comply.

Woman allegedly

punches man

McADOO — McAdoo police arrested a 31-year-old borough woman for an incident about 9 p.m. Oct. 31 at a home on South Kennedy Drive.

Police said officers were called to the home for a report of an assault and spoke to the victim who reported Christal Zizzo punched him in the eye during a dispute.

The man showed signs of injuries and police said Zizzo fled the scene before officers arrived.

As a result of the incident, police said, Zizzo was charged with simple assault and harassment.

Man cited for

public drunkenness

McADOO — McAdoo police charged a 24-year-old borough man with public drunkenness after officers were called to a disturbance about 12:45 a.m. Oct. 27 on East Monroe Street.

Police said the man responsible, Jonathan Evanko, fled before officers arrived but was located in the middle of East Garfield Street stumbling and talking in a matter that he could not be understood.

The man told officers he was “extremely high” and he was then returned to his home and issued a citation for public drunkenness, police said.

State police report

call, crime counts

ELIZABETHVILLE — State police at Lykens reported receiving 507 calls for assistance during the month of October.

In the criminal division, police said, they received 143 reported offenses and that 138 were determined to be valid and 92 cleared resulting in 92 criminal arrests.

In the patrol division, police reported investigating 44 crashes and eight hit and run crashes that resulted in two fatalities, one DUI related, and 11 injuries.

Police also made six DUI arrests and issued 222 traffic citations and 71 warning notices.

Teen cited in

1-vehicle crash

WICONISCO — A Williamstown teenager escaped injury when the 2002 Chevrolet Tracker he was driving crashed about 8:05 a.m. Sunday on Pottsville Street in Wiconisco Township, Dauphin County.

State police at Lykens said the 17-year-old boy was driving in the area when he went off the road and struck a utility pole.

The vehicle was towed from the scene and police said the teenager will be cited for driving at an unsafe speed as a result of the crash.

State police probe

theft of $210

LYKENS — State police at Lykens are investigating an incident of theft of property lost or delivered by mistake that occurred about 7:25 p.m. Oct. 3 at Boyer’s Market in this Dauphin County community.

Police said a Tower City woman reported dropping $210 that was then picked up by another person and not returned to her.

Anyone with information is asked to call state police at Lykens at 717-362-8700.

New Boston woman

injured in accident

HALIFAX — A New Boston woman suffered suspected minor injuries when the 2006 Dodge Stratus she was driving crashed about 3 p.m. Tuesday on Route 147, near Hale Road in Halifax Township, Dauphin County.

State police at Lykens said Emma J. Fisher, 23, was driving south and as she began to negotiate a left turn her car began to slide off the right side of the road where it struck an embankment and rolled over.

The woman was wearing her seatbelt at the time of the crash and was taken to Harrisburg Hospital for treatment, police said, adding that Halifax firefighters and EMS assisted at the scene.

Altamont

The Altamont Fire Company will have an all-you-can-eat breakfast from beginning at 8 a.m. Nov. 26 at the firehouse, 215 S. Green St. The cost is $9 per person and the menu, in addition to standard breakfast items, includes pancakes and omelets. The company auxiliary will host a Veterans Day spaghetti dinner from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday. The cost is $10 for people 13 and older, $6 for children ages 6-12 and $3 for children 5 and younger. The menu includes spaghetti, meatballs, salad, garlic rolls, dessert and beverages.

Frackville

The Frackville Free Public Library, 56 N. Lehigh Ave., is having a fresh holiday greens sale through Nov. 21. Items include wreaths, garland and cemetery crosses and other fare. Delivery of fresh greens will be Dec. 5. For more information, call 570-874-3382.

McAdoo

St. Michael Byzantine Catholic Church, 17 E. Blaine St., will hold its annual spaghetti dinner from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $8 for adults, $4 for children 5 to 14 and free for children under 5. Tickets will be available at the door. This year, in addition to the dinner, a 50/50 drawing will be held at 2 p.m. on the day of the dinner. The 50/50 tickets may also be purchased at the door.

Orwigsburg

The 12th annual Holiday Stop and Shop sponsored by Salem United Methodist Church, 133 S. Liberty St., will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. Team Orwigsburg will have a soup-and-bake sale and 18 vendors will be on hand for shopping. Proceeds will benefit Team Orwigsburg and the Salem block party. For more information, call 570-366-0201.

Pottsville

The city will hold a fall recycling event from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the city garage, 425 E. Railroad St. The city will accept scrap metals, TVs, computers, monitors, laptops, scanners, printers, fax machines and tablets, officials said in a release. Fees are involved and the event will be cash only. More information is available at www.city.pottsville.pa.us. The city has a comprehensive solid waste and recycling program that includes unlimited household trash, a bulk item per month, curbside, single-stream recycling as well as cardboard collection at the city garage. The missing piece has been in offering a way to dispose of TVs. The recycling event will give area residents the chance to get rid of CRT TVs by weighing the TVs and charging by the pound. LCD, LED and plasma TVs will have a flat rate disposal fee. City residents must bring a photo ID, such as a valid Pennsylvania driver’s license. For more information, call the office of the city administrator at 570-628-4417.

Pottsville

The Pottsville Free Public Library recently acknowledged the following memorial donations: For Wesley Anchorstar from Cathy and Kate Zimmerman and Ken Singley; for Arthur Bohard from Dr. William R. Davidson, Cathy and Kate Zimmerman and Ken Singley; for John Buch from Cathy and Kate Zimmerman and Ken Singley; for Greta W. Derbes from Chrissey and Jacquie Dormer, Sandi Murton, Dr. William R. Davidson; for Joseph Ferhat Sr. from Jim and Elaine Barbetta, Board of Trustees and Staff of the Pottsville Free Public Library; for Savas G. Logothetides from Dr. William R. Davidson, Cecelia C. Muench; for Cecelia Weiss from Cathy and Kate Zimmerman and Ken Singley; for Julia Williams and Hayley Wetzel from Cathy and Kate Zimmerman and Ken Singley; for Mary Jane Zimerofsky from Cheryl and Stephen Bobiald; for Bill Zimmerman from Cathy and Kate Zimmerman.

Shenandoah

St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church, 114 S. Chestnut St., is having an Advent/Christmas tree lottery raffle with a scratch-off ticket countdown to Christmas, $150 in scratch-off tickets. Tickets for the countdown are $2 each or 3 for $5. For more information, call 570-462-0809. The church also has a raffle in which the first prize is $300 off the purchase of home heating oil from American Home Heating, which must be used by Dec. 31, and a second prize of $100 off the Service Electric bill for the Hazleton, Mahanoy City and Shenandoah areas, which must be used by Jan. 31. Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5. Call the aforementioned number for tickets or more information.

ORWIGSBURG — This year, borough real estate taxes went up 1 mill. But in 2018, the borough council is planning a 3-mill increase.

“The 2018 budget allocates and locks in a guaranteed $100,000 for the borough road improvement program, and it takes a huge step forward in attempting to establish a true 24/7 police presence with the hiring of an additional police officer that was requested by multiple residents,” Robert A. Williams, borough manager, said at the council’s November meeting Wednesday night.

On Oct. 11, the council hired that additional full-time officer, Bryce Lewis, who will have a salary of $50,308 for 2018.

“We didn’t budget that additional police officer this year, 2017. But we added him. And the new budget will cover the new full-time police officer. And that costs roughly $100,000 if you count up salary, benefits, Social Security and medical,” Williams said.

Further discussing the proposed tax increase, Williams said, “It includes additional funding for police training and a much-needed new police vehicle, and it begins to address the annual inherent structural deficit in our community.”

The council already bought the new police vehicle, a 2018 Ford.

“We bought it about a month ago. We don’t have it yet. We just ordered it. But that’s in the 2018 budget,” Williams said.

The council unanimously agreed to advertise the proposed 2018 budget, which includes a general fund of $1,247,700, a water fund of $754,115, a sewer fund of $825,900 and a sanitation fund of $289,346.

The proposed 2018 real estate tax is 9 mills. There are 3,250 citizens in the borough and about 1,200 properties. One mill will generate $62,500 in revenue for the borough, Williams said.

The average real estate tax bill in the borough in 2017 was $317.29. If the budget plan is given final approval, the average real estate tax bill in 2018 will be $476.05, Williams said.

With a motion by Councilman Paul J. Bedway Jr., which was seconded by Councilwoman Michelle Rudloff, the council unanimously agreed to advertise the tentative spending plan.

But Councilwoman Susan L. Murphy made it known she was not in favor of the 3-mill tax increase, which is proposed under Ordinance No. 429.

“I’m in favor to advertise, but I am not in favor of the 9 mills,” Murphy said.

“But you’re in favor of the budget?” a citizen, Bill Knecht, asked.

“I’m not opposed to advertising the budget. I just want it known that I’m not in favor of the 9 mills at this time,” Murphy said.

“I believe her position is, correct me if I’m wrong, that she’s OK with advertising it. But she’s pre-empting next month’s vote, stating that she’ll probably be against it unless she changes her mind,” council President Buddy Touchinsky said.

Other council members present at Wednesday’s meeting were Darle W. Cresswell, Angie Hoptak-Solga and Brian W. Baldwin.

The council will give the budget final approval at a public meeting at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13 at the Charles J. Sterner Council Chambers on the second floor of borough hall.

Police coverage

For some time, the borough has been trying to figure out how to provide 24-hour police coverage in the borough, according to Williams and Police Chief John Koury.

In 1997, the state Department of Community and Economic Development Center for Local Government Services, Harrisburg, provided the borough with insights on how it can develop a police department to provide such coverage.

“A formula utilized by the Center for Local Government Services recommends that in order to achieve a full-time department, you need to have a minimum staffing of five full-time officers, excluding supervisory personnel,” Ronald L. Stern, a local government policy specialist, said in a two-page letter to the borough on Dec. 23, 1997.

“I surmise that over time, because of budget concerns, they never manned-up,” Williams said.

But a few incidents that occurred recently made the council reconsider.

“A few years ago, we had a bank robbery here,” Williams said.

The robbery occurred at 1:05 p.m. Dec. 11, 2014, at M&T Bank, 100 W. Market St., Route 443, according to the newspaper’s archives.

“And then Shakey’s Gun Shop was robbed twice,” Williams said.

Those incidents occurred at 4:25 a.m. July 12 and 2 a.m. Sept. 21 at the gun shop at 202 E. Market St., according to the newspaper’s archives.

With the addition of Lewis, there are five full-time and six part-time officers currently working for the borough. The five full-time officers include Koury. So the department isn’t running 24/7, but the chief said it’s close to it.

“We need five full-time officers and myself. But with our full-time and part-time officers, we’re going to try to do everything we can. By hiring Lewis, we’re close, providing that nobody takes sick, nobody takes vacation and nobody is away at training. If nobody is taking off and our part-timers are helping out, we’re close to 24/7,” the chief said.

Contact the writer: spytak@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6011