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Bartello announces candidacy for mayor

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SUNBURY - Sunbury City Councilman Joe Bartello announced his candidacy for mayor of Sunbury.

"After a lot of consideration, I have decided not to seek re-election to city council, but instead throw my hat in the ring for mayor," Bartello said.

Running as an independent in the November election, Bartello wants to unite the citizens of Sunbury.

"I'm not running as a Republican or a Democrat. I'm running as a proud citizen of Sunbury, someone who has a different philosophy and a different plan for bringing our city back to prosperity," he said.

Bartello wants to remove the restrictions on the local economy by getting rid of the nuisance fees and regulations that keep small businesses from locating to Sunbury.

"I am focused on restoring common sense to the way the city money and facilities are managed."

One example he gave was the parks and recreation department, which, he says, spends nearly $500,000 each year on facilities and programs for parks and recreation.

"If this department was self-sufficient, more money could be redirected to rehabing our neighborhoods and the infrastructure," he said.

The candidates said that people have an opportunity to change the direction of our city. "Homeowners, renters, Republicans, Democrats, blue collar or white collar, we are all citizens of Sunbury. We all strive for a clean, safe, economically sound city to live in. All citizens, regardless of party affiliation, deserve an equal chance to decide who will be the next mayor of Sunbury," Bartello said.

For more information about Joe Bartello and his campaign, go to www.joebartello.com.


Dialogue between CT, Reading Anthracite continues

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COAL TOWNSHIP - Reading Anthracite's new head of security is expected to meet with township commissioners next month.

The informal meeting slated for the commissioners' March 5 agenda session is expected to allow further discussion on a partnership for security patrols and emergency services on township coal lands.

The commissioners voted Wednesday, as expected, to indefinitely table an ordinance which would have attempted to tax anyone selling access permits for its private coal lands.

Access permits are available through Reading Anthracite and are believed largely sought after by off-road vehicle enthusiasts.

It was an about-face by commissioners from December, when they announced the ordinance in the hopes of recouping costs associated with emergency services provided on private coal lands.

They were upset because of a perceived lack of communication with Reading Anthracite. However, the company's president, Brian Rich, met with township officials last month and, out of that, relations were significantly improved.

It was promised dialogue between the entities would continue, leading to the informal meeting next month.

New position

The position of the elected treasurer will expire at year's end. In its place will be an elected tax collector, with a treasurer position filled by commissioner appointment, beginning in January 2014.

The tax collector position, which is up for election this year, will be paid by the township 5 percent of taxes collected, or up to $10,000. That position will also be compensated by both Northumberland County and Shamokin Area School District for tax collection on their behalf.

Sharon Castetter is the current treasurer, and is currently paid by the township $10,000 to perform the duties of treasurer, which includes tax collection. She is also compensated both by the county and school district.

She hasn't yet publicly announced whether she will again seek election.

Commissioners are currently working to establish what the treasurer position will entail, what compensation it will bring and who may be called upon to fill that role.

Department reports

Police Chief William Carpenter reported the department received 292 complaints in January and patrolled 5,199 miles; 90 arrests were made; 12 abandoned vehicles were reported, with 11 abated, and 30 motor vehicle accidents were investigated. Officers issued 36 parking tickets, 32 criminal complaints or citations, 16 traffic citations and five code tickets.

The code office responded to all 69 complaints made at the office last month, Code Officer Chris Petrovich reported. He issued 20 building permits, 34 occupancy permits and two citations.

The recycling center shipped 87,410 pounds of material in January, facility coordinator Charlie Shuey reported. It generated $13,346.77 in income and incurred expenses of $11,781.78, creating a profit of $1,564.99.

The street department performed the following work in January, among other tasks: plowing and treating township roads for winter weather on six occasions; filled pot holes; worked on dirt roads in Excelsior, Upper and Lower Sagon and Coal Run; picked up Christmas trees; rotated leaf piles at the township recycling center; performed building maintenance at the main garage; picked up residential recycling; rebuilt the plow frame for a township truck and performed maintenance on other township vehicles.

Explosion made local scientists' day

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The explosion of a meteor over the Ural Mountains in Russia Friday morning not only sent shock waves throughout that region, but also throughout the astronomical science community, making it a "great day" of study.

Local astronomy professors - including one who has had an asteroid named in his honor - were surprised to hear about the meteor that entered Earth's atmosphere at about 33,000 mph and exploded into pieces about 20 miles above the planet, causing a bright flash and exploding with the force of 20 atomic bombs, damaging about 3,000 buildings and shattering 1 million square feet of glass.

"Something like this happens once a year, but something of this size is a very rare occurrence," said Michael Shepard, professor of environmental, geographical and geological science at Bloomsburg University. "About 10 years ago, there was an event similar to this near Williamsport, but nothing on this big a scale."

What impressed Ned Ladd, professor of physics and astronomy at Bucknell University, Lewisburg, was the different angles and ways the city of Chelyabinsk was affected by the blast, as seen in videos on YouTube and other social media sites.

"This is an event that happens every day, but not this big and without all these different cameras around to capture it all in this fashion," Ladd said.

Ladd said that the bright flash is something that typically happens when meteors start to burn in the upper atmosphere, they are typically called "shooting stars."

"Usually the meteors that cause shooting stars are about the size of a quarter. This bolide, another term for big meteor, was about the size of a city bus," Ladd said. "It's very rare that an object of this size makes it to the lower atmosphere during daylight time and creates that much air pressure that it explodes with such force."

While the meteor was a surprise, its size paled in comparison to Asteroid 2012 DA14, a piece of space junk some called it, that is about the size of half a football field, that passed the earth Friday in close proximity.

Close proximity being defined as 17,500 away from the earth, it was closer than the satellites that helped NASA track it.

Shepard and his students were glued to several webcams around the world, watching for a glimpse of DA14.

"The Jet Propulsion Labs have some of the best tools for tracking the asteroid," Shepard said Friday afternoon. It just passed the earth about an hour ago, so it is heading back into its orbit."

While Shepard called Friday's pass "a close call," he said NASA does a great job of tracking any objects that may cause a potential threat to the Earth.

"In the past, there were about 100 to 200 asteroids being tracked," Shepard said. "Now there are about 4,000 or so that are being watched, but from what the research has told us, there won't be any problems for at least 50 years."

Not even from Asteroid 20392, named "Mikeshepard" by the International Astronomical Union in honor of Shepard's work.

"When you have devoted a lot of time to the study of asteroids like I have, they name one after you, but it's a tiny rock, so I've been told," the Bloomsburg professor said.

Still, both scientists agree Friday was a pretty eventful day in their field of study.

"This was something that I've always been interested in," Ladd said. "So to have both such events happen on the same day is pretty unusual and pretty great to study."

Clausi cast a vote on grant application, not agreement

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SUNBURY - Northumberland County Commissioner Vinny Clausi did not vote to approve the homelessness prevention grant that has been the focus of much attention over the past eight months.

There is confusion over the issue stemming in part from the fact that Clausi did vote in 2009 to approve the county's submission of the "grant application," but he was not in attendance at a later meeting at which the "grant agreement" was approved.

The Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) grant was provided to the county by the state Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and was funded by federal stimulus money through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Clausi has repeatedly noted he was against the program, for which DCED says the county must repay $215,150 out of $365,361 because it did not provide

adequate documentation for a majority of the claims.

Commissioner Richard Shoch suggests Clausi has overplayed his opposition to the program considering his approval of the application and that he didn't actually vote against the agreement.

Shoch acknowledges it's "irrelevant" whether Clausi approved the grant, and said his larger concern is Clausi's defensive stance in response to DCED's questions about the program and how he "repeatedly misleads the public" about his past actions.

But Clausi says Shoch is the one misleading the public by suggesting he didn't oppose the program. When Shoch said at Tuesday's commissioners' meeting that Clausi didn't vote against the program as he claims, Clausi did not dispute it, asking only to move on. But he said later this week Shoch's comments in the newspaper made Clausi look like a liar. Clausi said it was the latest in Shoch's repeated attempts to embarrass him. He further questions how Shoch could know what happened in 2009 when he wasn't in office at the time.

2009 votes

The grant application was approved on July 21, 2009, by a 3-0 vote from Clausi and former Commissioners Kurt Masser and Chairman Frank Sawicki. Clausi said this week that, at the time, he thought it sounded like a good program.

In September, prior to final approval, Clausi said the commissioners and several county department heads were present for a phone call to Beverly Hutzel, grant manager at DCED, to ask more questions. Clausi said they were told DCED wasn't certain of all the details, especially in regard to hirings related to the program. He said he was concerned the county would be "stuck" with new employees when the funding expired.

Clausi said Sawicki maintained the county should proceed, which Clausi said upset him and he left the meeting.

Clausi said Sawicki added a motion to approve the grant agreement to the agenda of the Oct. 20, 2009, meeting, at which Clausi was not present. Minutes show Masser and Sawicki approved the program.

Clausi said he didn't know about the motion and was so angry when he learned the program was approved he refused to sign his name to any matters voted on at that meeting.

Kulpmont man, blind dog escape kitchen fire

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KULPMONT - A Kulpmont man and his 14-year-old dog escaped injury when a grease fire broke out in the kitchen of their North Fifth Street home shortly after 5 p.m. Friday.

John Slodysko, 61, of 501 N. Fifth St., said he was ready to cook french fries on his stove when grease in a pan reportedly ignited, causing moderate damage to the appliance, wall and cabinets in his kitchen. Slodysko, who was in his computer room when he heard the smoke alarm activate, said he attempted to douse the grease fire with a fire extinguisher, but it didn't work. Slodysko, whose home is located in a wooded area near Ash Street, is insured.

The Kulpmont man and his Boston Terrier named Bandit, which is blind, were able to safely exit the home. The dog just turned 14 on Thursday, Slodysko said.

Kulpmont firefighters quickly responded to the scene and contained the fire to the kitchen area. Kulpmont Fire Chief Raymond Siko II said heavy smoke filled the residence while the kitchen area sustained moderate fire damage. Fans were used to clear smoke from the home.

The scene was cleared at about 6 p.m.

Also assisting were Kulpmont Assistant Fire Chiefs Kevin O'Hearn and Jeff Gilotti, Atlas firefighters, borough fire police, Kulpmont and Mount Carmel Township police, AREA Services Ambulance and Shamokin Emergency Squad.

Huffington Post founder to speak at Bucknell U.

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LEWISBURG - Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington will speak at Bucknell University at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Weis Center for the Performing Arts.

Huffington's speech, "The Brave New World of the 'New Media'," is part of the Bucknell Forum series "tech/no," which focuses on the evolution of technology's role in society and its potential to impact the world in both positive and negative ways.

Huffington is the president and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, and is a best-selling author. She has been named one of TIME's most influential people in the world.

God's forgiveness washes away our sins

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A scene from my grandfather's childhood is vivid because of his daughter's (my aunt's) memory. The original Walter J. Kozlowski was only 8 or 9 years old. If he were that age today, he would be in third or fourth grade.

Instead, he had already begun his career as a breaker boy. He and other boys would spend the day sitting on planks set over chutes through which water propelled a rush of coal, slate and rocks. Their job was to pick out the slate and rocks from the coal. If they slackened for a moment, there was a sharp-eyed boss who got their attention with the whack of a stick.

The sharp-edged slate frequently cut the boys' fingers and the acid water heightened the pain. Aunt Catherine said her dad told her that when he got home from his 10-hour shift, he would lie behind the coal stove in the kitchen and whimper like a pup in pain.

Granddad eventually worked his way up to become an anthracite miner. The hard coal would leave the creases of his palms, whorls of his fingertips and cuticles of his nails blackened. No matter how long he scrubbed his hands, black reminders of his labors remained.

A similar phenomenon occurs to our soul. We receive God's forgiveness for our sins, but the lure of sin always remains. The cycle begins again when we give in to temptation.

Our hope is that the way we lived our lives will one day enable us to spend eternity with Our Lord. Then, and only then, will the blackness of sin be washed away completely by the Living Water.

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God's forgiveness washes away our sins.

DCED deadline extended

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HARRISBURG - Northumberland County has received official notification of a monthlong extension to provide additional information to address the payback of state grant money for the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP).

Commissioner Richard Shoch provided The News-Item Friday with a copy of a letter from the state Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) to U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-11, that states the Feb. 7 deadline has been extended to March 11. The letter is dated Feb. 12, which was 11 days after Barletta wrote a letter to DCED on behalf of the commissioners seeking to have the deadline extended 30 days.

During Tuesday's commissioners' meeting, Shoch said the county was anticipating an extension to provide more information to DCED to address the payback of state grant money for the HPRP.

HPRP was authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), and the funding was dispersed to state and local governments to keep individuals in their homes or to help individuals and families who were already homeless find affordable housing. The county received $365,361 from DCED to implement the program, and it must provide documentation to support the use of $215,150.66 to clients deemed ineligible by DCED.

The following are excerpts from the letter sent to Barletta by Clyde "Champ" Holman, deputy secretary for Community Affairs and Development with DCED.

"As a courtesy to you, the Department of Community and Economic Development agrees to extend the deadline," he wrote. "If the county is unable to meet the extended deadline, we encourage the county to propose a repayment schedule to DCED.

"We thought it would be helpful to provide a chronology of DCED'S efforts to provide training and technical assistance to the county and to highlight that DCED has previously extended deadlines," he wrote.

"As you may be aware, the performance review was conducted on July 20, 2012. At the conclusion of the review, DCED staff met with county staff and expressed concerns due to the lack of documentation to support costs under the program. At that time, DCED staff reiterated previous training and technical assistance regarding the required information/documentation necessary to support costs expended under the HPRP grant. Up through November 2012, the county continued to provide and DCED continued to accept for review additional documentation to support case files.

"On Nov. 28, 2012, DCED staff and I met with one of the county commissioners and their staff to review the issues contained in the performance review. At the conclusion of the meeting, DCED agreed to delay the issuance of the performance review report. This delay was in response to the county and legislative delegation's request, which provided them additional time to obtain the necessary information."

Holman provided summary of information and technical assistance provided to the county.

"In particular, HUD guidance on eligibility determination and documentation guidance was provided to the county on May 20, 2010, which details the documentation necessary for the program files and documentation on determining client eligibility," Holman wrote.

Accompanying the two-page letter was a list of dates involving DCED training for the program and announcements about HPRP issues.

Also included was a list of 24 dates where DCED says it addressed or sent e-mails to Northumberland County staff regarding the program from Sept. 10, 2009, through Jan. 31, 2012.

On Jan. 20, 2012, DCED said it sent an e-mail to county grants manager Kathy Jeremiah asking her to confirm whether or not clients who were being assisted with HPRP funds had lease agreements. Documented for the same date is this note, "Received an e-mail from Kathy with a response from Gregg Stavinski (director of county Adult Services) stating that the county did not have lease agreements on file for any consumers." The second half of the sentence, starting at "the county," is underlined for emphasis in DCED's list.

The same day, DCED contacted Jeremiah by phone "to express DCED staff concerns of not having lease agreements," and says a conference call was suggested involving DCED staff, Jermiah and Stavinski. That call was made on Jan. 31, 2012, and DCED notes in its documentation for that date, "It does not appear that they are following the program guidelines and the staff at DCED expressed their concerns that money may need to be repaid."


Noteworthy: Saturday, February 16, 2013

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Progress reports out next week

The Shamokin Area Middle/High School will distribute progress reports to students Friday.

All students in grades seven to 12 will receive a progress report to update parents on their child's academic status.

3-D art comes to life at BU

BLOOMSBURG - Installation art grabs the spotlight during an exhibit by Carlie Trosclair, which opens Thursday at Bloomsburg University's Haas Gallery of Art and continues through March 15.

Winner of the St. Louis Riverfront Times Mastermind Award, Trosclair creates art that alters the sense of place. She draws from architecture and uses basic tools like textiles, wallpaper and furniture to create art that explores new worlds.

Trosclair, who lives and works in St. Louis, Mo., recently attended residencies at Vermont Studio Center and Woodside Contemporary Artists Center in New York.

For more information, contact gallery associate Rebecca Morgan, rmorgan@bloomu.edu.

The Haas Gallery of Art is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from noon until 2 p.m.

Coach to speak at breakfast

SHAMOKIN - Danny Hale, head football coach of the Bloomsburg University Huskies and one of the winningest coaches of all Division II football, will deliver a Christian message at the men's club breakfast of St. John's United Church of Christ, 117 N. Eighth St., at 8 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 23.

There is no charge for the meal of scrambled eggs, sausage, hashed brown potatoes, coffee, juice and toast.

For reservations, call Eugene Boughner at 648-6775 no later than 6 p.m. Thursday.

2013 season for special-needs campers runs June 1 to Aug. 13

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PA Lions Beacon Lodge Camp announced its 2013 camping season opens June 1 and closes Aug. 13. Camp sessions are six or ten days based on eligibility criteria.

Beacon Lodge is supported by the Lions/Lioness/Leo clubs of Pennsylvania. Its mission is to provide special needs individuals the opportunity to enjoy a camping experience encompassing recreational, educational and personal enhancement. Special emphasis is placed on stimulating interest and appreciation for recreation and learning and to encourage attempting new challenges.

The camp's most important goal is to motivate each person to focus on what they can do, not what they can't.

A dual program helps children and adults; children are accommodated in cabins, while adults are housed in dormitories.

Activities include bowling, swimming, arts and crafts, music, hiking, rock climbing, zip-line, spelunking, fishing, paddle-boating, canoeing, kayaking, archery, nature study, games, kickball, basketball, lawn games and aerobics.

Beacon Lodge is located in the mountains of central Pennsylvania along the Juniata River. For more information, write to PA Lions Beacon Lodge Camp, 114 SR103 South, Mount Union 17006; go to www.beaconlodge.com, or e-mail beaconlodgecamp@verizon.net.

Merck accepting requests for 'Neighbor of Choice' grants

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RIVERSIDE - Requests are now being accepted for Merck's "Neighbor of Choice" community grant program for nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations.

Cherokee Parmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Merck Sharp and Dohme Corporation, announced that grant proposals will be accepted until Feb. 25 for funding requests up to $10,000 for organizations in the Riverside, Danville and surrounding areas.

As an extension of Merck's commitment to the community in which they do business and where their employees live and work, the Neighbor of Choice grants program makes funding available for eligible groups who align with Merck's philanthropic focus areas.

These areas include: improving access to and building capacity for quality health care, particularly among underserved populations, strengthening science education and science educational opportunities for the underserved, and addressing the needs of Merck communities through support for local, environmental, cultural, social, medical and civic issues.

Grant applications will be evaluated on the basis of relevance to the mission and strategic philantrophic interests of Merck, Cherokee Pharmaceuticals and the surrounding community.

The level of funding provided varies depending on the resources available and the volume of proposals received. Multi-year grant requests are not eligible for support.

Organizations requesting funding support consideration should contact the local representative, Christine Moyer, to request an electronic application. Complete the application and return via e-mail.

For more information, contact Moyer at 271-4171 or christine.moyer@merck.com.

Landlord-tenant disputes: February 18, 2013

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Landlords have filed the following claims of recovery of real property against tenants in magisterial district court:

Office of Hugh Jones

Mount Carmel

- Kerry Blum, Martins Creek, against tenant Karen Reilly, Mount Carmel, for $980, filed Feb. 6. A hearing is scheduled for 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20.

Office of John Gembic III

Shamokin

- Anthony and Deirdre Orabona, Staten Island, N.Y., against tenants Mason Phillips and Andrea Flynn, Shamokin, for $1,280, filed Feb. 12. A hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday, Feb. 25.

- Conduit Estates LLC, Shamokin, against tenant Eric Smith, Coal Township, for $1,600, filed Feb. 8. A hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 25.

- Larry Chubb II, Northumberland, against tenants Tracey and Janice Cameron, Shamokin, for $1,700, filed Feb. 8. A hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 25.

- Camil Pelinku, Staten Island, N.Y., against tenant Eugene Schnee, Coal Township, for $750, filed Feb. 7. A hearing is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 25.

- S&S International Property Group, Shamokin, against tenant Susan Moore, Coal Township, for $1,300, filed Feb. 7. A hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday, Feb. 25.

- Joseph M. Amrich, Kulpmont, against tenants Christopher Banks and Candice Zimmerman, Shamokin, for $1,450, filed Feb. 6. A hearing is scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21.

- Robert A.A. Leffler, Coal Township, against tenants Darrell Jackson, Joyce Phillips and Kachurka, Shamokin, for $5,160, filed Feb. 1.

Shamokin Area student receives Congressional service award

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WILLIAMSPORT - Kyla Martin, 17, of Paxinos, was presented a Congressional Youth Service Award Jan. 7 by Congressman Tom Marino in his Williamsport office.

The senior at Shamokin Area Middle-High School received a Congressional Bronze Medal for her volunteer activities throughout her community. Participants may earn bronze, silver and gold certificates or medals by achieving personally challenging goals in community service, personal development, physical fitness and exploration/expedition.

Each participant works with an adult adviser who helps with setting challenging but achievable goals, and then verifies all activities and hours prior to sending information to Washington, D.C. Martin's adviser for the award was Jen McLaughlin, of Shamokin.

To earn her award, Martin volunteers with the charity Angels at Work to help people in her community. She coordinated clothing and food drives and special events for children, and helped with after-school programs and community baby showers. Martin also raised money by hiking.

For her personal development, she worked on improving her equestrian skills. For her physical fitness, Martin worked on strength training and soccer skills. Her expedition included a camping and hiking trip to a state park in which she explored the effects of changing seasons on nature, especially hiking trails.

During a special ceremony in his office, Marino commended Martin for her outstanding efforts and pointed out that few youths her age receive the award.

"The Congressional Youth Service Award has helped me learn how to set goals and follow through with them," Martin said. "I enjoyed working with others putting together programs to help all ages throughout my community. It was nice to see how the community came together for people in need. Working on the award allowed me to set personal goals for my equestrian skills, which helped keep me on track and introduced me to new areas in equestrian sports."

She was awarded the President's Volunteer Service Gold Award in 2009 for over 100 hours of volunteer service during the year.

She is a member of the National Honor Society and is a distinguished honor student at Shamokin Area Middle-High School. She enjoys all types of equestrian activities, reading and writing. She serves as president of Angels at Work and is the editor of the school newspaper known as the Indian Times. She also is a member of the high school yearbook committee.

Martin is currently working on achieving a gold medal by completing all requirements by the end of the summer. To attain a gold medal, participants must complete over 400 hours of community service, 400 hours in personal development and physical fitness, and a four-night exploration project.

She plans on attending college to earn a degree in journalism and equestrian facilitated learning that involves working with disabled children and adults in equestrian therapy, including riding and vaulting.

She is a daughter of Kathy and Dave Witcoskie, of Paxinos, and Jeff Martin, of Augustaville, and granddaugher of Charles and Jean Korzenaski, of Shamokin.

Martin thanked her family, friends and area businesses, especially The Plumbing Outlet and VNA Health System, who helped support many of her community service projects.

Police investigate homicide

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BEAVER TOWNSHIP - State police at Selinsgrove are continuing their homicide investigation today into the death of Bonnie Jean Snook, 71, of 1542 Creek Road, Middleburg, who was found in her home at about 4 a.m. Sunday.

Police said a person of interest in the investigation has been placed in Snyder County Prison on a state parole violation and the public is not in danger. No other details in the homicide investigation were released by police in a brief report issued to the media late Sunday afternoon.

Noteworthy: February, 18, 2013

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Scholarships available from House

HARRISBURG - High school seniors can now apply for a Pennsylvania House of Representatives Scholarship to help cover the costs of higher education, Rep. Lynda Schlegel Culver (R-108) announced. Each year, two students preparing for post-secondary education are awarded four-year scholarships. The program is privately funded by individual and corporate donors. No tax or other public funds are used.

The program is open to graduating high school seniors who are Pennsylvania residents with plans to attend a Pennsylvania college, university or career school as a full-time student. Students must have attained a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average in high school in order to be eligible for the scholarship. A student's commitment to community, leadership qualities, extracurricular activities and financial need are also taken into consideration.

The scholarship program is administered through the Foundation for Enhancing Communities. To apply, interested students should visit www.LyndaCulver.com and click on House Scholarship Information. The application deadline is March 1. Scholarships are awarded through an independent panel of judges chosen by the foundation.

Newspaper, cardboard recycling

KULPMONT - Kulpmont residents may deposit newspaper and cardboard recyclables in the bins provided at the borough recycling area from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to noon on the second Saturday of every month, starting March 9.


MCA bubble gun incident studied as part of discipline in schools

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Waiting in line for the bus, a Pennsylvania kindergartener tells her pals she’s going to shoot them with a Hello Kitty toy that makes soap bubbles.In Maryland, a 6-year-old boy pretends his fingers are a gun during a playground game of cops and robbers. In Massachusetts, a 5-year-old boy attending an after-school program makes a gun out of Legos and points it at other students while “simulating the sound of gunfire,” as one school official put it. Kids with active imaginations? Or potential threats to school safety?

Some school officials are taking the latter view, suspending or threatening to suspend small children over behavior their parents consider perfectly normal and age-appropriate — even now, with schools in a state of heightened sensitivity following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in December.
The extent to which the Newtown, Conn., shooting might influence educators’ disciplinary decisions is unclear. But parents contend administrators are projecting adult fears onto children who know little about the massacre of 20 first-graders and six educators, and who certainly pose no threat to anyone.
“It’s horrible what they’re doing to these kids,” said Kelly Guarna, whose 5-year-old daughter, Madison, was suspended by Mount Carmel Area School District last month for making a “terroristic threat” with the bubble gun. “They’re treating them as mini-adults, making them grow up too fast, and robbing them of their imaginations.”
Mary Czajkowski, superintendent of Barnstable Public Schools in Hyannis, Mass., acknowledged that Sandy Hook has teachers and parents on edge. But she defended Hyannis West Elementary School’s warning to a 5-year-old boy who chased his classmates with a gun he’d made from plastic building blocks, saying the student didn’t listen to the teacher when she told him repeatedly to stop.
The school told his mother if it happened again, he’d face a two-week suspension.
“Given the heightened awareness and sensitivity, we must do all that we can to ensure that all students and adults both remain safe and feel safe in schools,” Czajkowski said in a statement. “To dismiss or overlook an incident that results in any member of our school community feeling unsafe or threatened would be irresponsible and negligent.”
The boy’s mother, Sheila Cruz-Cardosa, said school officials are responding irrationally in the wake of Sandy Hook. She said they should be concentrating on “high school kids or kids who are more of a threat, not an innocent 5-year-old who’s playing with Legos.”
Though Newtown introduces a wrinkle to the debate, the slew of recent high-profile suspensions over perceived threats or weapons infractions has renewed old questions about the wisdom of “zero tolerance” policies.
Conceived as a way to improve school security and maintain consistent discipline and order, zero tolerance was enshrined by a 1994 federal law that required states to mandate a minimum one-year expulsion of any student caught with a firearm on school property. Over the years, many states and school districts expanded zero tolerance to include offenses as varied as fighting, skipping school or arguing with a teacher.
Some experts say there’s little evidence that zero tolerance — in which certain infractions compel automatic discipline, usually suspension or expulsion — makes schools safer, and contend the policies leads to increased rates of dropouts and involvement with the juvenile justice system. Supporters respond that zero tolerance is a useful and necessary tool for removing disruptive kids from the classroom, and say any problems stem from its misapplication.
The original 1994 federal law, and most state and local zero tolerance policies, give school administrators the flexibility to tailor punishments to fit the circumstances, noted school safety expert Kenneth Trump.
“Contrary to the myth of zero tolerance, most school board policies provide options and flexibility for administrators. What you see is poor decision-making and poor implementation of the policies, rather than the fact school administrators are handcuffed in terms of their discretion,” he said.
Trump said most school officials bend over backward to be fair. But he added there’s no question that Sandy Hook weighs heavily.
“It’s a normal occurrence to have a heightened sensitivity after a high-profile tragedy, but that does not negate the need for common sense,” he said.
Maryland father Stephen Grafton said common sense was in short supply in a case involving his 6-year-old son, who he said was suspended from White Marsh Elementary School in Trappe for using his hand as a “gun” during recess.
Grafton, a staff sergeant in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, said administrators were criminalizing play. He said he told his son he shouldn’t shoot pretend guns because it makes some children upset, “but it was a difficult conversation to have because he didn’t do anything wrong.”
The school lifted the suspension after a day and removed it from his record, Grafton said.
“It’s a very hypersensitive time,” he said. “But, still, common sense has to apply for something like this, and it looks like common sense just went completely out the window.”
The school principal did not respond to messages.
Zero tolerance traces its philosophical roots to the “broken windows” theory of policing, which argues that if petty crime is held in check, more serious crime and disorder are prevented. So it’s no accident that students are often harshly punished over relatively minor misbehavior, said Russell Skiba, a zero tolerance expert at Indiana University’s Center for Evaluation and Education Policy.
“We’ve seen literally thousands of these kinds of episodes of zero tolerance since the early 1990s,” said Skiba, who co-authored a 2006 study for the American Psychological Association that concluded zero tolerance has not improved school security.
In the Pennsylvania case, Guarna, a former police officer, said she was summoned to her daughter’s school last month and told that 5-year-old Madison had talked about shooting her pink bubble gun.
The kindergartener was initially suspended for 10 days and ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation, according to documents supplied by Guarna’s attorney. The suspension was later reduced to two days, and the incident was reclassified as “threat to harm others.”
But Guarna wasn’t satisfied. The counselor who evaluated Madison indicated she was a “typical 5-year-old in temperament and interest.” Guarna and her attorney, Robin Ficker, demanded the district expunge Madison’s record, apologize and make policy changes.
The parties met recently and Guarna went away happy, though she said she was asked not to reveal the terms of her agreement with the district. The district’s attorney declined to comment, citing privacy law.
Guarna said she intends to push for changes in state law.
“My daughter had to suffer. I don’t want to see other kids suffering,” Guarna said.
Mark Terry, a Texas principal and president of the National Association of Elementary School Principals, said most principals he knows are “not big supporters” of zero tolerance policies because they discount professional judgment.
But when discipline policies do provide leeway, he said: “I would hope that principals would, number one, use discretion and common sense. And if you do make a mistake, apologize and say, ‘Hey, that was a boneheaded move.’ Our sensitivities are just too high and we need to back off a little bit and take a look at what our real safety plan is.”

OLOL inducts new members to 2 societies

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COAL TOWNSHIP - Our Lady of Lourdes Regional School gathered to celebrate the feast of its patroness, Our Lady of Lourdes, on Feb. 11.

The program included a prayer service and the induction ceremonies for the French and Spanish honor societies, La Societe Honoraire de Francais and La Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica.

Deacon Martin P. McCarthy, Lourdes administrator and high school principal, presided over the prayer service, which was coordinated by French teacher Ann Mains and Spanish teacher Brian Major.

Nicholas Taylor welcomed the congregation to the prayer service. CharLee Rosini and Caitlyn Funk led the congregation in praying the Hail Mary in French and English, John Fitzpatrick and Michael Sowash led the litany of Our Lady of Lourdes in Spanish and English and Dakota Maneval read the Intercessions. John Fitzpatrick was the crossbearer.

Kara Kuehner and Ania Rawa conducted the candle-lighting ceremony, "La Course du Flambeau," during which three new members were inducted into the Societe Honoraire de Francais. The new members include Dakota Maneval, Caitlyn Funk and Grace Rompolski. After the induction, Rompolski led the French students as they prayed the Consecration a la Sainte Mere de Dieu.

Peyton Klembara and Richard Gusick conducted the Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica initiation ceremony. The new inductees included Jessica DeLong and Mikayla Persing. Each new member lit a candle, the flame of which symbolizes inspiration toward high ideals.

The purpose of the language honor societies is to reward high scholastic achievement and to stimulate interest in the study of world languages and culture. Candidates must be in at least the second semester of level two of their language studies. They must have also attained a minimum average of 90 in the language for the six quarters prior to their induction.

McCarthy presented certificates to the new inductees.

After the prayer service, a reception was held for the members of the honor societies and their guests.

MCA to present 'Grease'

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MOUNT CARMEL - Tickets go on sale today for Mount Carmel Area High School Music Department's presentation of their spring musical "Grease." The show will be held at 7:30 p.m. March 15 and 16 in the Richard F. Beierschmitt Auditorium at the Mount Carmel Area Junior-Senior High School.

An eight-year run on Broadway and two subsequent revivals, along with innumerable school and community productions, place Grease among the world's most popular musicals.

Rydell High's senior class of 1959: duck-tailed, hot-rodding "Burger Palace Boys" and their gum-snapping, hip-shaking "Pink Ladies" in bobby sox and pedal pushers, evoke the look and sound of the 1950s in this rollicking musical. Head "greaser" Danny Zuko and new (good) girl Sandy Dumbrowski try to relive the high romance of their "Summer Nights" as the rest of the gang sings and dances its way through such songs as "Greased Lightnin'," "It's Raining on Prom Night" and "Alone at the Drive-In Movie" while recalling the music of Buddy Holly, Little Richard and Elvis Presley who became the soundtrack of their generation.

The MCA cast includes as Miss Lynch, Joanna Rompallo; as Patty Simcox, Kathryn Fest; as Eugene Florczyk, Douglas Cole; as Jan, Isabella Stellar; as Marty, Tara Demko; as Betty Rizzo, Alexandria McLeod; as Doody, Cody Deitz; as Roger, Luke Darrup; as Kenickie, Daniel Lesko; as Sonny LaTierre, Christopher Stellar; as Frenchy, Hannah Fetterolf; as Sandy Dunbrowski, Jessica Pachuski; as Danny Zuko, Eric Joraskie; as Vince Fontaine, Dylan Patrick; as Johnny Casino, Luke Duceman; as Cha-Cha DiGregorio, Chelsea Matos; and as Teen Angel, Jared Maciejewski. T-Birds (along with Danny, Kenickie, Doody, Roger, Sonny) include Bobby Beierschmitt and Elijah Duran.

Ensemble includes Elizabeth Cooper, Shelby Scott, Rachel Startzel, Katie Milo, Jessy Stankavage, Chantelle Skavery, Peyton Worhach, Kelsey Deitz, Ashley Docherty, Sierra Nolter, Nicole Brosius, Taylor Stefovic, Madison Watkins, Erin Scicchitano, Natasha Nevis and Cameron Getty.

The pit orchestra is comprised of Sharon Styer, piano; Jason Laczkoski and Christopher Lahr, tenor saxophone; Bret Getty, guitar; Dennis Carpenter, electric bass; and Bernard Stellar, percussion.

The "Grease" production staff consists of Sharon Styer, director; Gary Wychock, choreographer; and David McFee, set/detail director.

All seats are reserved. Tickets are $10 and available in advance by calling 339-1500 ext. 3125.

Noteworthy: Tuesday, February 19, 2013NOTEWORTHY: Tuesday, February 19, 2013

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Candidate petition period starts

SUNBURY - Candidates for county, municipal and school board office in the May 21 primary election may begin circulating nomination petitions beginning today.

Petitions, which must contain the required number of signatures, must be filed with the Northumberland County Board of Elections no later than March 12.

Kindergarten registration at SASD

COAL TOWNSHIP - The Shamokin Area School District is currently taking appointments for their 2013-14 kindergarten program, to be held March 5 and 6 at the Shamokin Area Elementary Building. Please call the elementary school office after Feb. 1 at 648-5721 ext. 2900 to make an appointment. Children must be five years of age by the first day of school, tentatively set for Monday, Aug. 26, 2013, to qualify.

Life Flight helicopter damaged during landing

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DANVILLE - A Life Flight helicopter was damaged when one of its rotor blades clipped a flagpole atop a crane while landing at Geisinger Medical Center on Thursday.

The chopper was lowed off the rooftop helipad Friday so it could be repaired, and was not flown off the roof because of the damage to the blade, Mike Ferlazzo, Geisinger spokesman, told the (Bloomsburg) Press Enterprise.

The helicopter was inbound at the medical center Thursday when contact with the flagpole splintered the end of one of four rotor blades. The crane involved in the mishap was not far from the helipad. It's being used for construction of the Annex building, the newspaper reported.

The helicopter was loaded on a flatbed truck for transport to a repair facility at the Reading Regional Airport, according to the story.

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