COAL TOWNSHIP - The Shamokin Area School District was awarded a $500,000 grant Wednesday toward upgrading its HVAC system at the middle/high school.

Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority (PEDA) issued the grant. Shamokin Area had sought $1 million. The school district was one of 27 finalists seeking a share of an estimated $12.4 million.

Ruby Michetti, curriculum coordinator at Shamokin Area, said the funds should be in district coffers by Nov. 1. The project must be completed by November 2015.

A total overhaul would cost more than $6.2 million. That's not a possibility - at least not all at once.

"We can't do that right now, it's not feasible," said school board President Ron McElwee. "Hopefully in the future we can finance a smaller amount."

Project scope will be discussed with representatives of McClure Company, an engineering firm. It will be adjusted and phased depending on the district's available finances. McElwee said any immediate upgrades to the existing system will be compatible with future upgrades.

To complete the entire project, Michetti estimates Shamokin Area would need to finance more than $2 million, and make up the difference with a combination of grant funding, bonds and renewable energy rebates. Part of the district's PEDA grant application is for the installation of solar panels to heat the middle/high school swimming pool.

McElwee put the annual operating cost of the middle/high school's HVAC system at about $200,000. "It's not efficient. It's costing us a fortune to run," he said.

Shamokin Area spends $490,515 annually on energy and utility costs at all district buildings, Michetti said. That breaks down to $1.09 per square foot district-wide. The HVAC project at the middle/high school would lower the cost to $0.83 per square foot, and an estimated savings of $3.2 million over the next 20 years.

"The biggest piece in all of this is, with a better system, it will pay for itself. You'd be looking at a very energy efficient system," Michetti said.

The heating and cooling systems at the middle/high school have failed several times in recent years. Temperatures in some classrooms spiked into the mid-90s in late spring, and dipped low enough in winter spurring teachers and students alike to wear coats indoors, Michetti said. The heat, she said, likely affected standardized test scores, with students sitting in the classrooms for 180 minutes.

The air conditioning system is at least 35 years old. Repairs have been frequent, and four units were replaced or repaired in 2013.

"We've been able to do band-aids that quickly stretch and break," Michetti said.

Michetti stressed repeatedly the role state Sen. John Gordner (R-27) and state Rep. Kurt Masser (R-107) played in obtaining the grant for Shamokin Area. No matter the strength of the school district's grant application, she said the Legislative support proved invaluable.

"We owe a lot of credit to the support our local legislators provided," she said.

For his part, McElwee also praised Michetti and other district employees for writing the successful grant. He noted the district's other grant writing success in 2014 - the $1.1 million federal fitness grant. That bought the district all new weight and cardio equipment this school year, and will bring outdoor adventure equipment over the next two years.

BURNSIDE - At Monday's meeting, Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area (AOAA) authority members announced the park has officially surpassed their first-year goal.

From the park's May 17 opening through Oct. 21, the park sold 4,492 passes for a total of $107,706.

"We've probably only expended about half of that," said Jim Backes, authority chairman.

According to treasurer's report on Monday, the organization has approximately $68,000 in its coffers.

Surplus money will be used for trail development and equipment, said Backes.

Backes anticipates the park will make double or triple that amount in 2015. Revenue will sharply grow due to increase in sales of multi-day passes after the park begins opening more days per week, he said.

David Porzi, operations director, said he is frequently asked by patrons to have the park open Thursday through Monday to allow for five-day riding trips. His goal is to make this happen by mid-April.

"We have to go after what the users are asking for," said Porzi.

With a sharp increase in visitors, the AOAA faces challenges with local infrastructure.

Authority members have lamented downtown Shamokin's lack of amenities for off-road visitors, such as parking stalls long enough to accommodate a vehicle hauling a trailer.

Dozens of single car metered spaces sit vacant in the two city lots on Independence Street daily while neither lot accommodates vehicles with trailers. All downtown on-street parking spaces are also for single car.

The shortage means visitors in vehicles with trailers frequently opt to stop on their way out of town at restaurants with large parking lots, such as Masser's Restaurant in Paxinos, rather than an in-town business, like O.I.P.

Backes said the most common request from patrons is for overnight accommodations, including campsites, bed and breakfasts and hotels. Maria and Joe Bressi, of Earthday Campground, are attempting to fill this need with a 137 site campground along Upper Road. They hope to build a direct access road from their property, which is located adjacent to the southern edge of the AOAA's "western reserve."

The western reserve is still closed to the public while it undergoes safety and security measures, but Backes said it will be opened sometime during the 2015 season.

SHAMOKIN - U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta believes Americans would want to do more - maybe not "boots on the ground," but more - to fight ISIS if they were privy to the details he hears as a member of House Committee on Homeland Security.

"They would realize how dangerous the world is and that we need to do something as a world leader and a world power," he said. "I don't think we're doing enough."

He described ISIS as a threat the world has never seen.

"They have to be destroyed. This is an enemy that's not going to stop until they kill Americans," he said.

He said he supported President Obama's call for airstrikes and training moderate rebels in Syria, only because "doing nothing is worse." But that won't defeat ISIS, he said.

"We're going to train people who have never fought before for six months to a year and send them out and expect them to fight both ISIS and the Syrian army," he said. "They have no chance."

He stopped short of saying the U.S. should commit large numbers of ground troops like it did with Iraq and Afghanistan, but said "it may take special forces."

Allies could contribute to the on-the-ground effort, but said they won't commit "until they realize that (the U.S.) is committed and we have a strategy to win."

Barletta ties ISIS, as well as the Ebola crisis - two new threats - to a national issue he's been fighting for decades: immigration.

"How easy would it be for someone who has Ebola to fly to Central America and then walk across our open borders?" he asked. He said those on Homeland Security "sometimes look at me like I'm crazy" when he considers such notions as terrorists intentionally spreading Ebola on U.S. soil.

"We have to use our imagination," he said.

He said he carries the 911 commission report with him to the committee meetings as a reminder to his colleagues.

"Congress passed the report, it was signed by President Bush - and we've ignored it," he said.

He said the summary references enforcement of immigration laws, including the issue of visa overstays, where people enter the country legally, then "disappear." Visa overstays account for almost 50 percent of the people who are in America illegally, and it's "the preferred method of entry by terrorists," he said.

Barletta has introduced a bill - still in committee - that upgrades a visa overstay from a civil to a criminal offense and calls for use of biometric technology when visa holders enter and exit the country.

"When you're supposed to leave, we'll know. Right now, we have no idea if you left or not," he said.

Some 6,000 people have overstayed their visas and vanished, Barletta said.

"We don't know who they are, where they are or what they're up to."

MOUNT CARMEL - The case of a Northumberland man accused of exchanging nude cell phone photos with an Elysburg girl will continue in Northumberland County's Court of Common Pleas.

David W. Klock, 46, of 128 Fallen Pines Lane, Northumberland, appeared Wednesday before Magisterial District Judge Hugh A. Jones and waived child pornography charges, avoiding a preliminary hearing. He was represented by Sunbury attorney David Noon.

He will be arraigned Nov. 24 by a county judge. Klock posted $50,000 bail Oct. 7 and remains free.

Klock is accused of soliciting nude photos from a 15-year-old girl over the course of seven months, and of sending the teen photos of his own private parts. Police said the two met in the summer of 2013 and exchanged cell phone numbers. An investigation was launched in February.

According to a criminal complaint, billing statements from the girl's phone show that she and Klock exchanged 12,864 text messages between July 2013 and February 2014. The girl sent 393 photos to Klock and he sent 41 photos to her.

Police said the girl estimated sending a half-dozen topless photos to Klock, and receiving two photos of his penis. Klock allegedly confessed to receiving and sending nude photos, and put the number of topless pictures of the teen closer to 12.

Ralpho Township Police Cpl. Bryon Chowka charged Klock with felony counts of child pornography, sexual abuse, dissemination of sexual materials to minors, unlawful contact and corruption of minors. He also faces a misdemeanor corruption charge.

SHAMOKIN - U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta said his record on fighting the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is without question. He's voted more than 50 times to "defund, derail, dismantle" President Obama's signature law reforming health care.

But what Barletta wasn't willing to do, he said, was shut down the government if the president didn't repeal the law, as the more conservative wing of his party pressed for last year.

"It had no chance of passing - it had no chance - so why would we shut the government down to try to get the president to do something when it's not going to happen?" Barletta asked during a campaign interview last week at The News-Item. "I wanted no part of it."

What he did do is consult with a handful of like-minded House GOP members who then reached out to some House Democrats who also wanted to try something to stop the developing do-or-die scenario. The group, 10 or 12 at first, put leadership aside and began meeting secretly, Barletta said.

"We had no idea what was going to happen," he said. "But we sat across the table and asked, 'What can we do to stop this?'"

The group, which grew to 30 or 40, came to a consensus: its Republicans members would work to prevent a government shutdown if the Democrats would push to repeal the medical device tax from the ACA. They thought they had the votes to get it through the House, and the Senate.

"We were very excited," Barletta said. "We finally came out of the closet, called a press conference, side by side and - the attacks came immediately."

Barletta was a RINO - Republican in Name Only; he had caved, he was told. Democrats were called to the White House and told to stop meeting with Republicans, Barletta said.

"It was very sad to see this. I thought there were enough level-headed, practical people that this was the beginning of something where we could find common ground," he said.

Such is the continuing partisanship in Congress, Barletta said, as he stumps for his third two-year term in the 11th Congressional District.

Divide and score

The ACA situation exemplifies a divide that continues to worsen in Washington, Barletta said. He noted that because many groups "score" lawmakers on their votes, they fear compromising.

With today's far right and left wings dictating so much of what happens, and with redistricting having drawn even more partisan lines among voters, lawmakers are often more threatened by primary elections than the general election, Barletta believes. Scorecards may show they're not conservative enough, and an opponent will take advantage.

Barletta said he doesn't sense that in his district, which more evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. Still, he said he was confronted by a friend and supporter about his poor Heritage Foundation ranking. He was asked, "How can that be?"

"I said, 'Well, I'm pretty proud of that score. I'll tell you why,'" Barletta said.

His low rating was tied to votes that supported funding for cleanup of Hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey. Barletta said after what he went through trying to get help for those in his district after the historic flooding from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee one year earlier, "How could I turn my back on those in New York New Jersey?" he asked. "They were scoring those votes, and I didn't care. I voted to help those people."

He said more lawmakers need to take a pragmatic approach, even if that makes them easy targets.

Downtown tours

Democratic opponent Andy Ostrowski's claims people no longer have access to government, but Barletta said his Main Street Tours address that issue. He's conducted about 20, including in Mount Carmel and Shamokin, in which he meets with elected officials, tours fire stations and talks to business owners and people on the street.

"I leave with a real good knowledge of what you're dealing with and how we can help," he said.

The tours were born from his time as mayor of Hazleton, where he felt the city's issues were "beneath the problems that Washington cared out. "

He includes his Washington staff in the tours to give them a perspective outside the Beltway.

"It's easier if they can see what's happening in Shamokin when they're back there (in D.C.) and someone needs help," Barletta said. "And it opens the line of communication between the local people and their representative in Washington, where Washington doesn't seem so far away."

As for other accomplishments, he touts his Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and EMS Act, which passed the House 412-0. Though it took on a new life in the Senate, Barletta said it forced the IRS to eliminate the chance that volunteer firefighters would be considered full-time employees and thereby force hose companies or municipalities to offer health insurance coverage or risk a penalty under the ACA.

Barletta's Disaster Loan Fairness Act, which also passed the House, would have lowered the interest rate to half the market rate, and not to exceed 4 percent, for those seeking loans to rebuild after a disaster. It died in the Senate.

And Barletta said he continues to make progress through his chairmanship of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.

"We've saved $2.2 billion by moving federal agencies out of larger office space into smaller space when the lease expires," he said.

Barletta said a buyer's market provides leverage for good deals on long-term leases. Until the previous leases were challenged, however, greedy landlords were happy with the status quo.

"The first building I went into (in studying the problem), there was 1,500 square feet per federal employee," he said. "We said, very simply, when the lease expires, you're moving out."

KULPMONT - A Shamokin man who had been on the run from police for nearly three weeks was apprehended Wednesday, when a foot chase through the forest ended at a bar.

James H. Latshaw, 48, of 126 E. Arch St., Shamokin, was captured in the End Zone Bar & Grill sitting at the bar with a beer in front of him Wednesday afternoon after police, state constables, probation officers and a K-9 unit spent the afternoon hunting a wooded area along Brennans Farm Road at Den Mar Gardens, police said.

Latshaw's location was discovered after he used the bar's landline to call the cell phone of his longtime girlfriend and mother to his three-year-old twin daughters, Jennifer Geiser.

At the time of the call, Geiser was in police custody in the back of a cruiser. Police reverse traced the number and quickly located Latshaw.

Geiser was charged with misdemeanor counts of hindering apprehension or prosecution and obstructing administration of law or other governmental functions by Mount Carmel Township Police for helping Latshaw avoid police.

She told police she had found Latshaw waiting for her in her vehicle Wednesday and attempted to flag police while Latshaw made her drive, an on-site official said.

Geiser was pursued by police while driving at a low rate of speed. She failed to stop at traffic lights and did not immediately pull over after police began to follow her.

When Geiser finally stopped along Brennans Farm Road, Latshaw lept from the vehicle and took off into the woods in a "diagonal" direction, the official said.

Terroristic threats

Latshaw had been wanted by Coal Township police on charges of terroristic threats, simple assault and harassment since an Oct 2 incident in Coal Run in which he allegedly threatened to kill Geiser, choked her and held a knife to her.

The following day, he was spotted in the 400 block of West Chestnut Street, but managed to escape after leading police on a footrace through backyards.

Additional charges of flight to avoid apprehension, misdemeanors of unlawful restraint, simple assault and resisting arrest, and a summary count of harassment were filed by Shamokin Patrolman Nathan Rhodes after Latshaw again fled from police Oct. 5.

During that incident, Latshaw had hidden in the back seat of Geiser's Explorer, Geiser told police. When she entered the vehicle, he sprang up into the front passenger seat and ordered her to drive away, she said.

She said Latshaw assaulted her repeatedly during the drive, which concluded at the near Geisinger-Shamomkin Area Community Hospital when Rhodes stopped the vehicle and Latshaw took off into a wooded area. In the process of his escape, Latshaw kicked Rhodes.

Mount Carmel Township police said Wednesday night additional charges stemming from the afternoon's chase had not yet been filed, but he in custody.

Latshaw and Geiser were both remanded to Northumberland County Prison Wednesday.

HARRISBURG - Members of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) elected new officers and at-large representatives for 2015 at its delegate assembly Tuesday at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center.

The officers and representatives will take their offices in January as part of an 11-member PSBA governing board.

Kathy K. Swope, president of the Lewisburg Area School Board since 1997, was elected president. She is a member of the NSBA Federal Relations Network and PSBA Charter School Legislation Advisory Workgroup.

Swope has played an active role in PSBA service on the pension advisory workgroup, legislative platform committee, bylaws committee, and as chair of the regional directors' coordinating council transition team. She received her Bachelor of Arts in elementary education from Susquehanna University.

Other officers are vice president, Mark B. Miller, Centennial School District (Bucks Co.); treasurer, Otto W. Voit III, Muhlenberg School District (Berks Co.); at-large representative-east, Michael Faccinetto, Bethlehem Area School District (Northampton Co.); at-large representative-central, David Hutchinson, State College Area School District (Centre Co.); at-large representative-west, Daniel J. O'Keefe, Northgate School District (Allegheny Co.).

DEN MAR GARDENS - In a bizarre twist, a man was taken into custody after refusing to move from a one-lane blockade established during the hunt for a local fugitive.

Michael Shemonsky, of 523 Sixth St., Weatherly, was apprehended by police after he stopped his vehicle behind police cars parked on Brennans Farms Road in front of the entrance to Den-Mar Gardens.

A probation officer, who had been flagging traffic throughout the afternoon, noticed Shemonsky had stopped and motioned for him to continue forward. When Shemonsky remained stopped, she approached the vehicle and knocked on the window.

"He was just sitting in the car," said Mount Carmel Borough Police Chief Todd Owens, who had been called to the scene for the fugitive hunt.

Police had to use a lock out tool to open the vehicle because Shemonsky had locked the doors and rolled up the windows. Shemonsky then resisted exiting the vehicle, clinging to its interior surfaces.

Owens and Mount Carmel Township Police Chief Brian Hollenbush worked together to bring Shemonsky into custody. He was taken to Geisinger-Shamokin Area Community Hospital for evaluation after it was discovered his strange behavior may be related to a medical condition, said Owens.

No further information on his condition was available Wednesday night, according to an official with Geisinger Health System.

Program on medical marijuana set

NORTHUMBERLAND - The Susquehanna Valley Progressives will host a free public forum entitled "The Case for Medical Marijuana" from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday at the Front Street Station.

The forum is intended to provide both personal and informed perspectives on the issue. Among the participants is state Sen. Mike Folmer, co-sponsor of Senate Bill 1182, the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act. Other participants are a mother turned activist who will discuss her daughter's condition and the politics behind the issue; a mother and registered nurse turned activist who will share both personal and medical perspectives, and a retired emergency room physician.

More information is available at SVprogress.org.

Public welcome to Kallaway event

SHAMOKIN - The public is invited to the ribbon-cutting and open house Saturday at the Kallaway Center for the Arts, 144 E. Lincoln St.

The ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. and the open house goes until 2 p.m.

There is no charge.

The former home of Dr. John and JoAnn Kallaway was bequeathed to the Northumberland County Council for the Arts in late 2012.

Band wins, will compete Saturday

Shamokin Area Competition Band won the Greater Susquehanna Chapter 4 Tournament of Bands Championship with a score of 86.265 and specialty awards for high percussion, high guard, and high drum major.

They will compete at 3:15 p.m. Saturday in the Atlantic Coast Championships at Central Dauphin High School in Harrisburg. The competition is open to the public; tickets are $22.

14 to graduate treatment courts

SUNBURY - A ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday for graduates of all four of Northumberland County's treatment courts. Judge Charles H. Saylor will preside in Courtroom 1 of the county courthouse.

There are six graduates from drug court, four from driving impaired court, two from behavioral health and two from veterans court. This brings to 195 the number of graduates since the treatment court programs began.

Jeffrey Reed, a 2011 graduate of drug court, will be the featured speaker. Reed is employed at the Gaudenzia treatment clinic in Sunbury. Some graduates will also speak.

'Elvis meets Tom Jones' for benefit

SUNBURY - Two-time world champion Elvis impersonator Andy "Elvis" Svrcek and Tom Jones impersonator Irv Cass will meet on stage for a hip-shaking, melody-crooning evening to raise funds for Gym Starz at the Sunbury American Legion, 611 Market St., Saturday, Nov. 8.

Tickets are $25 per person and include dinner, tap beer, soda and a night of "Jailhouse Rock"-ing.

Doors open at 6 p.m. and dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. Attendees must be over 21. For tickets call 570-490-9752.

WILLIAMSPORT - A Shamokin man already jailed on state charges that he exposed and photographed himself with a toddler was indicted Thursday on child pornography allegations by a federal grand jury.

Abraham D. Gordon, 31, of 903 N. Shamokin St., was indicted on three felony counts: production, attempt to distribute and possession of child pornography.

He's accused of filming himself undressed with a boy between the ages of 1 and 2, between March 1 and June 5. The boy was allegedly holding his penis in one image. Five images were allegedly emailed by Gordon between June 5 and 7. The recipient was not identified. Another "visual depiction" was reportedly discovered on his laptop computer.

Gordon's arraignment before U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew W. Brann is not yet scheduled. He would enter a plea at that time. Wayne Samuelson is the lead prosecutor.

The federal charges stem from an investigation by the state police Computer Crimes Unit and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

State police arrested Gordon Aug. 1, one day after Google Inc. alerted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that child pornography had been sent from an address police link to Gordon.

He's currently held in State Correctional Institution-Houtzdale on charges of computer sex acts, child pornography, dissemination of child sex acts, criminal use of a communication facility, indecent assault and unlawful contact.

Gordon, who turns 32 Tuesday, is contesting the charges. He is represented by John Broda, a Northumberland County public defender. The case is in the pre-trial stage, and discovery evidence has been requested.

He rejected a plea deal that could have sent him to prison between five and 10 years.

BURNSIDE - Scavenging the woods for goblins and Frankensteins is a frightening feat.

But for riders this weekend at the Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area (AOAA), hunting down spooks will be done with the added excitement of mud and grime.

Participants in Monster Moto's Halloween Hunt Scavenger Ride will scour the hills above Burnside in search of more than a dozen Halloween-themed items from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Prizes for the scavenged items and for raffle winners will be given out at the trailhead between 2:30 and 3 p.m.

Riders and spectators will then have the opportunity to change outfits and compete in a costume contest at 3:45 p.m.

Daniel Brocious, co-founder of Monster Moto Enterprises, said the company's advertising for the

event has received a lot of response. He's anticipating as many as 800 attendees.

He said that although the main focus will be riding, non-riders are welcome to join in the fun.

"Just because they don't ride doesn't mean they can't participate," said Brocious.

A non-rider can enter the costume contest for a $5 judging fee, he said.

The contest is included in the standard rate daily riding fee for the scavenger hunt, which is $15 for Northumberland County residents and $20 for everyone else. Items in the quest will be stationed along an 18-mile loop on the eastern section of the AOAA and a 20-mile loop on the "Western Reserve," which is still closed to the general public while it undergoes safety and security enhancements.

Participants will be allowed to freely traverse the eastern half of the property after concluding their scavenger hunt ride. The eastern half will also be open to the general public for normal operating hours.

Brocious said Monster Moto Enterprises decided to host an event at the AOAA after reading about the park in a tourist magazine in Colorado.

He and his business partner, twin brother Dennis, visited the park and decided it would make an excellent location for a ride.

"It's a very large park, it's brand new and it's got a lot of good trails and a lot of potential," said Brocious.

Brocious said he and his brother already plan to return with future events, especially if the nearby Earthday Campground gets a direct road connection. Then, Monster Moto events at the AOAA could become multi-day stints.

Registration for Monster Moto's Halloween Scavenger Ride begins at 9 a.m. at the AOAA trailhead, located along Route 125 near Burnside.

SUNBURY - It's been more than eight months since a Milton woman was shot in the head and left for dead on Irish Valley Road.

Salicia Yost, 21, was taken by ambulance before sunrise on Feb. 8, and before sundown, Rafael Diroche and Esteven Soto were taken into custody. They were jailed early the next day.

But the men weren't charged in her shooting. No one has been. Instead, they were charged with felony gun and drug possession following the search of a vehicle and a Mount Carmel apartment where they were staying - Diroche as a resident and Soto as a guest, they say. They've remained in Northumberland County Prison ever since.

As of today it's been 257 calendar days, and both want out. They say authorities have exhausted the 180 days state law allows for a defendant to be held on bail prior to trial under Rule 600. Both are due nominal bail, they say, but neither has gotten it.

Trial term ends today

Court procedures can stall the clock or add time to it, depending on how it's perceived. Simply counting the days on a calendar doesn't often apply; county Judge Charles H. Saylor ruled Oct. 2 that was the case for Soto.

The defendant filed a motion Sept. 15 to be released Sept. 20. A hearing wasn't held until Oct. 1. The day after, Saylor determined defense motions and continuances added 65 days, putting his earliest release at Oct. 10. There remained a possibility, too, that Soto would be brought to trial this month. The trial term ends today. Public defender Paige Rosini said she had to wait for the term to end before filing another motion for release on nominal bail. That should come soon.

Soto had previously motioned three times for a reduction of the $250,000 cash bail levied against him. Three times he's been denied.

Diroche's bail is even higher - $300,000. He hasn't been in court since early May for a pre-trial conference. He's since filed a pair of motions on Aug. 25 and Sept. 15. He cites Rule 600 in both. A hearing hasn't been scheduled.

William Cole, assistant district attorney, is prosecuting the case. He wasn't available Thursday. His boss, District Attorney Ann Targonski, said Cole intends to take both cases to trial. The earliest a trial will be held is February, according to the court administrator's office.

Investigation ongoing

State police are investigating the shooting, which hospitalized Yost for nearly a month.

Criminal complaints and search warrants don't link Soto to Yost. Diroche, though, is connected to the woman.

Police say in warrants that he and Yost were together the day before the shooting. They were in contact hours before the shooting, too, police say, citing text messages that allegedly spoke of coke, dope and ecstasy. One specifically spoke of "being on Irish Valley Road" minutes before Yost was discovered about 5:30 a.m., according to a police affidavit.

A passerby found Yost alone inside a 2013 Chevy Sonic with Ohio registration. It appeared to have crashed into a snow pile along Irish Valley Road, three miles north of Shamokin. Hours later, after a bullet wound to the left side of Yost's head was confirmed with police, an attempted homicide investigation was launched.

Later that day in Mount Carmel, Diroche was detained outside a South Poplar Street apartment building. Police say they entered Apartment 3 without a warrant after Soto allegedly ran inside as officers arrived. Heroin, cocaine and marijuana were recovered, along with three firearms, according to police.

A 1994 Honda Accord was searched. Police say it was registered to Diroche and Jazmin Hernandez, who also lived in the apartment. Cash, various drugs including LSD and a revolver were found inside, police say.

Both Diroche and Soto are convicted felons and are restricted from possessing a firearm, according to police.

Diroche, 29, was originally charged with persons not to possess firearms, a second-degree felony, and firearms not to be carried without a license, a third-degree felony.

The charges were withdrawn March 4 and replaced that day with a much longer criminal complaint: six counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, six counts of illegal possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm without a license, receiving stolen property and criminal use of a communication facility, all of which are felonies. Diroche is also charged with misdemeanors of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Soto, 30, of 1752 Walton Ave., 6A, Bronx, N.Y., is charged with three felony counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, one felony count of illegally possessing a firearm, and three misdemeanor counts of possession of controlled substances.

MOUNT CARMEL - The woman police say assisted a man in evading police capture for nearly three weeks remains in Northumberland County Prison in lieu of $15,000 bail.

Jennifer L. Geiser, 38, of 126 E. Arch St., Shamokin, was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Hugh A. Jones Thursday. She is charged by Mount Carmel Township Police Chief Brian Hollenbush with misdemeanor counts of hindering apprehension or prosecution and obstructing the administration of law.

In a criminal complaint, Hollenbush said at 1:32 p.m. Wednesday he received information that James H. Latshaw was inside a 2003 red Ford Explorer located near SOS Metals on Route 54 in Mount Carmel Township. The vehicle was driven by a female and Latshaw was reportedly in the passenger's seat.

Latshaw had been wanted by police in Coal Township on charges of terroristic threats, simple assault and harassment since an Oct. 2 incident in Coal Run in which he allegedly threatened to kill Geiser, choked her and held a knife to her.

Additional charges of flight to avoid apprehension, misdemeanors of unlawful restraint, simple assault and resisting arrest, and a summary count of harassment were filed by Shamokin Patrolman Nathan Rhodes after Latshaw again fled from police Oct. 5.

After Mount Carmel Township police were alerted to Latshaw's location, they located the vehicle traveling eastbound on Route 54. As the vehicle approached the intersection of Route 61 its turn signal was activated. When police pulled up behind the vehicle, the turn signal was taken off and the SUV proceeded straight onto the Strong Connector. The vehicle then turned right onto Route 2034 and proceeded toward Den Mar Gardens.

Hollenbush attempted to stop the vehicle by activating his emergency lights. The vehicle pulled to the right side of the road and stopped just prior to Washington Drive.

Latshaw then jumped out of the front passenger side door and took off on foot, police said. He was pursued by police, but escaped. He was captured a short time later at the End Zone Bar & Grill in Kulpmont.

Geiser was also taken into custody. She had previously been told numerous times by Northumberland County Probation and Parole Agents and the Shamokin Police Department that if she harbors Latshaw she will be arrested.

She told police Wednesday that he was waiting in her vehicle when she got into it and that she had attempted to flag police as he made her drive off.

A preliminary hearing for Geiser is scheduled Wednesday.

Latshaw is also being held in Northumberland County Prison on a bench warrant. He is scheduled to appear before President Judge William H. Wiest at 11:15 a.m. today.

SHAMOKIN - Dogs locked in hot cars, disappearing cats and euthanasia are just a few of the topics touched upon Thursday night at the Independence Fire Co. during the Community-wide Humane 101 Demonstration.

The event brought more than 50 members of the community concerned with local animal issues together with representatives of state and nonprofit animal agencies.

The talks were both informal and informative.

Kristen Penn, state dog warden supervisor, opted to spend most of her speaking time taking audience questions.

Audience members appeared surprised when Penn told them that dog wardens had no jurisdiction in handling animal cruelty cases. In Pennsylvania, only a Humane Society officer can investigate animal cruelty.

By providing this type of information to the public, co-organizers Julia Dwilet and Ronda Balonis hoped local animal issues will be handled more appropriately.

Humane Society police officer Wayne Risch and Purrfect Love Humane Society president Darla Risch minced no words when addressing the local feral cat population.

Following a May report that Shamokin Code Enforcement Officer Rick Bozza is endorsing a cat policy stipulating all unlicensed cats be euthanized, public support for trap, neuter, release (TNR) programs cropped up. To the surprise of many in the audience, the

Susquehanna Valley gas prices dropped seven cents to $3.221 a gallon, according to AAA East Central's Fuel Gauge report.

On the national front

The national average price for regular unleaded gasoline Tuesday was $3.09 per gallon. This is a dime less than one week ago, 25 cents less than one month ago and 26 cents less than one year ago. Drivers are saving an average of 61 cents per gallon compared to the 2014 high of $3.70 (set April 28).

Compared to one week ago, the average price at the pump is down in 48 states and Washington, D.C. The largest weekly discounts are in Kentucky and Indiana (-16 cents each). Motorists in 17 states now pay an average price below $3 per gallon.

Geopolitical tensions in Iraq continue to be viewed by market watchers as posing a minimal threat to the region's oil production. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), responsible for 40 percent of the world's oil production, is scheduled to convene Nov. 27 in Vienna to discuss whether to sustain or reduce production levels. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) closed out last week by settling up a nickel at $82.75 per barrel at the close of formal trading Friday on the NYMEX.

(AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 82 local offices in Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia serving 2.7 million members.)

KULPMONT - Michael J. Fantanarosa, chairman of the Kulpmont Lions Halloween Parade Committee announced the winners of this year's Kulpmont Lions parade, held Thursday.

Grand marshall choice

"Little Coal Miners," Olszewski kids.

Judges choice

"Cancer Super Heroes," Girl Scout Troop 60527.

Singles winners

"Parrot" Brynnlee Balliet

"Mouse in Trap," Brady Kodack.

"The Headless Horseman," Caleb Gensemer.

"Pirate," Masyn Spaid.

"Dracula," Lindsay Schuck.

"Tootsie Roll," Lauren Davis.

"Elvis," Ryan Davis.

"The Slenderman," Jackson Gensemer.

"Annabelle," Angel Barwicki.

"Iron Patriot," Killyun Derr.

"Clown," Kennadi Joseph.

"Little Lady Bug," Kylie Cuff.

"Day of the Dead," Juliana Klusman.

"Shadow," Broc Bowman.

"Elsa(Frozen)," Angelena Maria Scott.

"Dead Mary had a Little Lamb," Kali Joseph.

"Dorothy," Melanie Vezo.

Doubles

"Little Red Riding Hood and Big Bad Wolf," Kamry and Gavin Kotzo

"Roaring 20s," Lexi Kane and Leah Shedleski.

"Pirate Ship," Aliyah Hixson and Zavier Blevins.

"Dorothy and the Scarecrow," Halley Johnson and Robert Green.

"Batman and Robin," Bailey and Brayden Pisarz.

"Day of the Dead," Embry and Beth Gensemer.

Groups

"Snow Happy to be Friends," Cuff, Carnuccio and Venna families.

"Little Superheroes," Lubeskie, Higgins and Tom's families.

"Frozen Halloween Dance," Makayla, Arianna and Charles Adams.

"Batman and Robin," Colton and Landon Worhach.

"Scooby Doo, Daphne and Shaggy," Landon, Tabitha and Eric Perry.

Judges for the parade were Sherri Bozza, Rita Buggy, Linda Bozza and Ann Martino.

Providing music for the parade were the Mount Carmel Area Band, dressed in costume, and "The Shoreliners" on the Lions Club float. Other participants included Kulpmont Police and fire police, East End Fire Co., West End Fire Co., Strong Fire Company, Marion Heights Fire Company, Mount Carmel Ambulance, AREA Services and Kulpmont Ambulance.

All participants were treated to refreshments prepared by the Kulpmont Halloween Committee and Lions Ladies in West End Fire Company social rooms.

Fantanarosa thanked the parade sponsors, parade committee, Kulpmont police and fire police, Lions Ladies, parade judges, the Rev. Andrew Stahmer, pastor of Holy Angels Parish, Rhoades Florist, J.T. Welding, Mayor Bernard Novakoski and Kulpmont Borough Council, St. Pauline Visintainer Center Board of Directors, West End Fire Company and all participants who helped make this years parade a great success.

Prizes can be picked up from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Kulpmont Lions Den, Chestnut Street.

BEAR VALLEY - A group of high school students from New York stopped at several mining-related sites, including the Whaleback, during a field trip to the lower anthracite region Thursday.

Twenty-four seniors accompanied by four teachers from Scarsdale High School in West Chester visited the unique formation for about two hours. The stop followed a visit to the Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine and Centralia.

During the Whaleback visit, teachers discussed with students the hazards and physical aspects of mining, the origin of coal and how coal is used as an energy source. Students also searched for fossils and learned how the Whaleback formed and how it was exposed.

"It's just too bad it was left behind like it is," teacher Elise Levine said, referring to the lack of reclamation laws decades ago that didn't require mining companies to backfill the area. "The Whaleback is a good, accessible area to see the results of mining."

But, as the visitors proved Thursday, it's also an educational tool and, as of this week, a potential tourist attraction. On Tuesday, state Sen. John R. Gordner (R-27) and Rep. Kurt Masser (R-107) announced that a $150,000 grant to build an observation deck overlooking the Whaleback was approved by the Commonwealth Financing Authority.

Challenging access

The state money will also be used to improve access to the site. That need was evident Thursday.

The New York group came to Coal Township in a charter bus, a trip that took about 3 hours and 15 minutes. The large bus traveled slowly on a narrow, pothole-filled, partially paved road that delivered them to within walking distance of the Whaleback. Getting the bus there and back was an adventure in itself, but was made easier with the help of officers from the Coal Township Police Department who escorted the bus.

Levine said this the fourth or fifth time students from Scarsdale have visit the Whaleback, named for its resemblance to, obviously, a whale's back. It is an anticline, defined as a fold in the shape of an upside down "U." It formed more than 250 million years ago when compacted rock folded under the stress of tectonic plate shifts.

Strip mining unearthed the approximately 400-yard long formation, exposing a three-dimensional view of the warped rock about which geologists rave.

MOUNT CARMEL - Convicted drug dealers would be denied a place to rent if borough council adopts a proposed ordinance banning landlords from leasing to certain felons.

Anyone convicted of a felony of manufacture, distribution or possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance would be restricted from renting a residence in Mount Carmel. The ban would be lifted seven years after the appeals process ends, and if there are no additional convictions for the drug offenses. A landlord's occupancy permit could be revoked if the ordinance was knowingly violated.

The proposed ordinance applies only to a felony conviction of the state's controlled substance act, not simply an arrest or a conviction on a misdemeanor offense. It also does not seek to bar the sale of residential property.

"You can't prohibit someone from buying property, this is still America," council President Tony Matulewicz said Friday after sharing a draft proposal. It's expected to be put to vote at council's Nov. 20 meeting.

The proposal is based on ordinances enacted in Sunbury and Berwick. Matulewicz says the Fair Housing Act supports it.

Federal statute prohibits landlords and real estate agents from discriminating against potential tenants based on several factors, including race, religion and disability. A drug addiction is considered a disability under the act. But the statute does not offer discrimination protection to, among others, persons convicted of illegal manufacture or distribution of a controlled substance.

Matulewicz said the proposal was born out of a conversation earlier this month with a state parole agent, who said Sunbury's ordinance was working in the city's favor. State inmates on parole whose home plans listed a Sunbury address had to seek housing elsewhere after landlords turned them away.

Sunbury's council adopted its ordinance in 2012. It hadn't been challenged as of August. Berwick's was challenged, and it was upheld on appeal in state court.

Anything can be challenged in court, Matulewicz said.

"If it's challenged, it's challenged," he said.

Shamokin Mayor William D. Milbrand had said this summer that he also was interested in a similar ordinance.

SUNBURY - A homicide trial will begin next month for a Mount Carmel man accused of causing the July 2013 traffic accident along Snydertown Road that killed a Mount Carmel Area High School graduate.

Hasan Mustafa Abuomar, 21, of 239 S. Hickory St., Mount Carmel, will be tried on charges of homicide by vehicle and two counts of aggravated assault by vehicle, all of which are third-degree felony counts.

Abuomar, 19 at the time, is accused of grabbing the steering wheel of a 2001 Pontiac Sunfire driven by Marcelle R. Barber, 18, of 15 State St., Mount Carmel. The vehicle slid across both lanes and rolled onto its driver side before coming to rest on its roof. Barber was pronounced dead at the scene.

The trial is scheduled to begin at 9:15 a.m. Nov. 12 at the Northumberland County Courthouse. Jury selection is scheduled for Nov. 10. A pre-trial conference will be held at 9:15 a.m. Nov. 7. Should Abuomar accept a plea agreement, he would plead guilty at this hearing.

Abuomar is represented by Sunbury attorneys Timothy A. Bowers and Kymberley Best. He also faces misdemeanor charges of involuntary manslaughter and three counts of recklessly endangering another person, along with summary counts of reckless driving, careless driving and disregard traffic lane.

Two other passengers in the vehicle at the time of the accident - Tyler J. Karycki, then 21, of Mount Carmel, and Brianna L. Bailey, then 18, of Kulpmont, both underwent emergency room treatment. Bailey's injuries are cited in the aggravated assault charge, while Karycki's injuries are cited in the reckless endangerment charge.

Barber was employed as a hostess at Mattucci's Willow Cafe in Mount Carmel. She and Bailey graduated from Mount Carmel Area High School in June 2013, and Karycki and Abuomar graduated from the school in 2011.