Halloween Schedule

Friday Trick or treat

6 to 8 p.m. - East Cameron Township.

6 to 9 p.m. - Zerbe Township.

6 to 8:30 p.m. - Marion Heights.

Saturday Trick or treat

5 to 8 p.m. - Mount Carmel and Mount Carmel Apartments (use back door).

5:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Mount Carmel Township and Kulpmont.

MOUNT CARMEL - A parade and pep rally for tonight's Shamokin-Mount Carmel Area football game turned into a lockdown situation for students at the Silver Bowl after three students dressed in camouflage were found nearby carrying plastic rifles.

Mount Carmel Area High School band members, football players and other students were first kept inside the stadium and later the field house for approximately one hour as police investigated.

"The most important thing to us was the safety of the students," Mount Carmel Area Superintendent Bernard Stellar said Thursday night.

While the rifles and other pistols they were carrying only shoot non-lethal rounds, one juvenile was carrying a real 10 to 11-inch Ka-Bar knife in a backpack

Stellar said school personnel are trained in safe crisis management. He added that the situation was "under control by officials 100 percent."

Stellar said Thursday's incident had "nothing to do with the Shamokin/Mount Carmel area rivalry" and will not impact tonight's game.

"It has not even been mentioned to postpone the game," Stellar said. "Parents are reassured that students can attend the game safely."

After the students were allowed out of the fieldhouse, Mount Carmel Township Police Chief Brian Hollenbush, standing with them inside the stadium and speaking to parents on the other side of the fence, briefed them on the situation. Hollenbush allowed the students to leave at about 8:50 p.m.

Three 15-year-old students, two from Mount Carmel and the third from Lavelle, were detained by borough police following the incident before being released into the custody of their parents.

Mount Carmel Borough Cpl. David Donkochik reported a male who was "clad in camo from head to toe," and carrying a large backpack and what appeared to be a long rifle, similar a sniper rifle, was seen walking in the area of Fourth and Poplar streets.

Two males, standing on the sidewalk waiting for the parade, called out to the individual to see if he was OK, but the male continued walking away.

The two males called police. Officers, already at the stadium to escort the parade, were mobilized.

A police search of the area discovered the male trying to conceal himself behind a parked car in the Hope Community Church parking lot, near Fourth and Birch streets.

Officers converged on the scene and the youth surrendered to authorities after police drew their guns on him.

The rifle the juvenile was holding was a plastic airsoft rifle, a non-lethal firearm that shoots plastic BB-like projectiles by compressed aid.

Donkochik said the rifle was painted to look like a real weapon. The backpack, he said, contained fireworks, smoke bombs and another air soft pistol, along with the knife.

A conversation with the youth discovered that there were two more youths, dressed the same as he was, hiding out in a wooded area in Dooleyville, also carrying the airsoft rifles.

The youths were contacted and told to come out of the woods and place the rifles on the ground, and wait for the officers at the Beaverdale Fire Company. They complied and were taken into custody.

Those two youths were also carrying fireworks and an airsoft pistol in similar backpacks.

Donkochik said the investigation into the incident is continuing. He was assisted at the scene by officers from Mount Carmel Township and Kulpmont Borough.

COAL TOWNSHIP - Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), which includes students in grades seven to 12, participated in Red Ribbon Week activities this week. The observance is held in schools throughout the nation to symbolize and promote the importance of an alcohol- and drug-free lifestyle.

The student body participated in various activities to create peer unity and awareness of the consequences of drug and alcohol use. Various activities were held. Red ribbons were distributed for faculty, students and staff to wear. SADD members decorated cars with the ribbons.

As part of the Olweus bullying prevention program, students took part in a class meeting activity where they practiced how to meet friends, how to get along at school and how to develop partner relationships.

Grim Reaper Day was held Thursday, an activity that reminds students that every 53 minutes, a life is lost as a result of a crash caused by impaired driving. A special bell rings every 53 minutes. When the bell rings, seniors and juniors who, as SADD officers, are dressed as grim reapers pick "victims." In order to signify the trauma caused by the loss of a person, "victims" are not allowed to talk the entire day.

SADD students were permitted to wear T-shirts today for a dress down day.

Robert Schaeffer, traffic safety project coordinator, from North Central Highway Safety, Network, presented safe driving/safe riding classes to students in grades nine to 12. The classes are implemented to increase student awareness of the dangers of alcohol-related craches.

Students also participated in the first Mix It Up and Lunch Day. They were asked to sit at random tables and try to meet someone new. This activity has been implemented in school because school cafeterias are where a school's social boundaries are most obvious. Students wearing red ribbons throughout the week were awarded with prizes.

SADD officers are Taryn Riegel, Caitlin Funk, Brian Christiana and Cage Crissman.

MOUNT CARMEL - Mother Maria Kaupas, founder of the Sisters of St. Casimir, will be returning to Mount Carmel in a special, spiritual way during the 10:30 a.m. Mass Sunday at Divine Redeemer Church.

A portrait of Mother

Maria provided by the Sisters of St. Casimir, Chicago, will be placed in a position of honor near the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue at the front of the church. The proximity to the statue is fitting in light of her devotion to the Sacred Heart.

The Lithuanian immigrant, who also established the first Lithuanian Catholic school at the former Holy Cross Church in Mount Carmel, was declared venerable in 2010 and is awaiting Vatican verification of a miracle that will enable her to be beatified, the final step before sainthood.

"It's exciting to remember someone who walked on our streets is being considered for sainthood," said the Very Rev. Martin O. Moran III, pastor of Divine Redeemer.

The parish was created in 1995 by a merger of five parishes that were originally founded by immigrants. They included Holy Cross, Lithuanian; St. John the Baptist, Slovak; Our Mother of Consolation, Polish; and St. Peter's and St. Paul's, Italian and Tyrolean.

"Mount Carmel has always been a welcoming community for immigrants," said Moran. "How wonderful it is to keep that spirit alive."

The ceremony will take place after the homily. The painting will be carried to its new home by Marion Wydra, one of the parish's oldest Lithuanian members, and her great-nephew, Jared Shutt. Wydra was among a group of local residents who have been involved in Mother Maria Kaupas' journey toward sainthood. The artwork will be blessed by Moran.

The painting at Divine Redeemer is the latest in the local commemoration of Mother Maria's life and ministry. The St. Pauline Center in Kulpmont has been home since 2010 to an extensive display of paintings of the sister and items made by or presented to Mother Maria.

The event is the result of a dialogue between the Sisters of St. Casimir, the Diocese of Harrisburg and Divine Redeemer, noted Moran.

The pastor pointed out the 75th anniversary of Mother Maria Kaupas' death will be April 17, 2015. He said the parish is planning several other ways of honoring the sister's life.

He pointed out that if Mother Maria Kaupas is canonized, she will join St. Pauline Visintainer, the namesake of the spiritual center in Kulpmont; her cousins are local residents.

SUNBURY - Erick R. Trometter, now facing two felony counts of aggravated assault, was placed in jail in connection with his confrontation with a Sunbury police officer that led to the officer shooting and seriously wounding the defendant.

Trometter, 23, came before Magisterial District Judge Michael Diehl, of Milton, Thursday for arraignment on the charges nearly four months after the incident. He was placed in the Northumberland County Prison on $250,000 straight bail.

During the arraignment, the only words he spoke were to ask the judge if he would still be on house arrest. Diehl said Trometter would be transported to prison.

After the July 8 incident, Trometter was placed in the county jail for one day following his release from Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, after being treated for an abdomen/groin injury he suffered in the shooting. He was in the hospital seven weeks.

He has spent the past two months under electronic house arrest at the home of his mother, Tammy, in Elizabethville.

Trometter is also charged with misdemeanors of possession of an instrument of crime, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person. The charges were filed by state police Trooper Ronald Zanella, of the Stonington barracks, with information obtained from an investigation into the shooting by Brad Hare, then acting chief, now chief, of the Sunbury Police Department.

An investigation conducted by Northumberland County District Attorney Ann Targonski determined Hare was justified in shooting Trometter.

On Wednesday, the court denied Trometter's request to have charges dismissed in the alleged July 8 assault of his 67-year-old grandmother.

Thursday's charges stem from an incident a few hours after that assault when Trometter was confronted by Hare, as Trometter walked along Mile Post Road just outside the city in Upper Augusta Township. Trometter became nervous and agitated and refused to comply with a request for a pat-down.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, Trometter was passively resisting until Hare attempted to retrieve a brown-handled object protruding from Trometter's right pocket.

Police said, at that point, Trometter pushed Hare back, hit the chief's arm with his hand and pulled a large knife from his pocket. Hare put distance between them as Trometter said he wasn't going back to jail and held the knife in an aggressive manner.

Hare then pointed a Taser at Trometter and commanded him to put down the knife, but Trometter advanced toward him. Hare deployed the Taser and hit Trometter in the chest, dropping him to one knee before he recovered and continued to advance toward the officer.

The chief deployed the Taser two more times, but Trometter swatted the prongs away and continued to advance. Hare then threw the Taser away and drew his service weapon, pointing it at Trometter and giving him verbal commands to drop the knife.

Trometter continued to advance toward Hare with the knife pointed at the officer.

"Chief Hare, when Trometter was within 10 to 15 feet of his reactionary gap, discharged one round from his service weapon into the center mass of Erick Trometter to stop his action," the affidavit reads.

Diehl conducted the arraignment in the office of Magisterial District Judge Benjamin Apfelbaum, of Sunbury. Apfelbaum is out of town this week. Trometter's preliminary hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Nov. 13.

ELIZABETHTOWN - A 2-year-old boy given a grand tour of Northumberland County's firehouses earlier this year died Oct. 19, succumbing to a rare disease he's had since birth.

Bryce A. Bigler, of Elizabethtown, was named honorary fire chief of departments including Atlas, Elysburg and Kulpmont. Joined by his mother, Cortney Showalter, and her boyfriend, Jonathon Stanford, they made an eight-hour tour in February.

The tour was organized by Kulpmont Fire Department firefighter Matt Siko. King Coal Tours chauffeured the guests to 13 different firehouses where Bryce, 17 months at the time, was treated to a hero's welcome. In all, 20 departments participated, with some providing mementos.

Bryce was born with Niemann Pick Disease Type A. Just 1,500 cases have been reported worldwide. It affected his muscles, organs and mental development.

Siko attended Bryce's memorial service Oct. 25. He said Bryce accomplished much in his short time on Earth, and that he helped remind some in the local firefighting community what brotherhood is all about.

"It feels good knowing that if having him see some local fire apparatus made his life a little better and made him smile, it was all worth it. It's also good know that the fire service has another angel looking over us," Siko said Friday.

Bryce is also survived by his father, Matthew Bigler.

COAL TOWNSHIP - More than $21,000 was saved when the Shamokin Stingrays boosters turned to an unlikely source to upgrade the dive blocks at the Shamokin Area Middle/High School swimming pool - an auto body shop.

The six worn and weary dive blocks at the pool needed to be refurbished or replaced. Rich Kashnoski, school board member and volunteer dive coach, estimates the price at $24,000 for brand new blocks of his choice. Installation would have added to the cost.

It was a price the booster club couldn't immediately afford. Seeking advice, Kashnoski turned to a Rutgers University swim coach who suggested he find someone who works with fiberglass.

That someone was Jason Dunkelberger, owner of Steve's Body Shop in Trevorton. The two met one night, talked it over and visited the pool. Dunkelberger took the job.

"If cars are made of fiberglass and we repair them, we could do fiberglass blocks as well," Dunkelberger said Wednesday inside the natatorium as the blocks were installed.

It was a first for Dunkelberger. Five blocks were sanded and re-coated with resin. The sixth was built from scratch using plywood and fiberglass. He estimates about 40 hours of work.

Kashnoski handed him a check Wednesday for $3,125. Dunkelberger thanked him, pulled out a personal check of his own and filled it out for $1,562.50 - donating half the cost back to the Stingrays.

About $13,500 remains in the booster club's coffers. They're looking to purchase a pair of timing touchpads for the pool along with a new timing board.

Kashnoski credited the Stingrays, its swimmers and their parents for remaining dedicated to keeping the pool open. It's a natural target for a school district struggling to balance an operating budget.

Shamokin Area's varsity team has 44 teens registered for the upcoming season, which begins Dec. 5. The Stingrays youth team had 65 swimmers last season. Without the new and improved dive blocks, the season could have been jeopardized.

"Never take no for an answer," Kashnoski said of the booster club's efforts.

A Chinese auction benefitting the Stingrays will be held at noon Dec. 6 at the St. Francis Club on Race Street in Shamokin.

Earlier this year, this column focused on a drawing of a laughing/smiling Jesus, a piece of art that used to hang in the office of my boss. The message was that since Jesus was fully human as well as fully divine, He experienced the range of human emotions from laughter to tears.

The painting gained a new perspective when I talked to Phil Yucha after the column appeared. Phil, who is a retired publisher of this newspaper, said the picture now hangs in his home office.

He said the story of the "happy" Jesus portrait involves the 40 days and nights Christ spent in the desert as he prayed and fasted before starting His public ministry. This 40-day period eventually became the 40 days of fasting in Lent.

Phil said the reason Jesus was smiling with joy in the portrait is because Christ had just felt the first few drops of rain after nearly 7 weeks in the desert.

While few, if any of us, spend much time in a desert, we all go through periods of spiritual dryness. For some of us, this might be momentary. For others, this could be lifelong. However long we remain in this desert of despair, we are never alone no matter how lonely we feel.

The life-giving water offered by God is there for our asking in our prayers. If we seek God in love, we can be certain that our face will be illuminated with joy the way Jesus' was when He emerged from His desert of prayer.

+++

God is always willing to share His joy with us.

LAVELLE - Concern about the perceived environmental risk a fly ash project poses to an active aquifer spurred Butler Township supervisors to seek federal intervention for the testing of residential water wells.

Supervisors are awaiting a decision from the Environmental Protection Agency to its request to have background testing performed on residential wells in the Lavelle-Mowry area. They also ask for quarterly and annual analysis. The tests aren't required by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

"Without this data it will be impossible to establish background levels in groundwater and detect threats to the well users in our jurisdiction," Supervisor Chairman David Kessler writes in the letter.

A 6.2-acre pit at a Gilberton Coal mine site in Mount Carmel Township will be filled with about 400,000 tons of fly ash over the next 10 years. The site is near the border with Butler Township, Schuylkill County. It's a PPL Corp. project, and the fly ash will likely come from the company's Montour coal-fired power plant. The site is being prepared, but a company spokeswoman

says there is no start date for the fly ash to be hauled there. Fall had been the previous estimate.

DEP studies find that groundwater from the project site will flow north and away from the Butler Township villages. The studies cite gradient of the land, testing of a barrier pillar and studies of underground mine maps.

Robert Gadinski, a project opponent and a retired DEP hydrogeologist, believes otherwise. He says the groundwater could flow south down-gradient through mine tunnels and natural faults into the Lykens Valley No. 4 seam and seep into the water table. Dozens of wells are at risk, he says, including the well at his own Mowry home.

His concern is shared by Kessler.

"Since there is ample evidence of mining and geologic connections between the disposal area and the used aquifer in the Lavelle/Mowry area, we are requesting help from your agency to sample the down gradient wells in this area in order to protect our citizenry," Kessler writes in his letter.

But DEP says the fly ash will work like concrete, plugging the pit and preventing groundwater from seeping into the underground tunnels. There are two active monitoring wells in place in the Lavelle area that would detect contaminants if groundwater would flow south.

The scientific data supporting the determination that groundwater will flow north was backed by an environmental review board that tossed Gadinski's challenge to the project.

Clover Hose haunted house

MOUNT CARMEL - The Clover Hose Company haunted house will run from 6 to 8 p.m. today. The hours are dictated by the time of sundown; to get the effects of the scene, organizers note that it's best to wait for the sun to go down.

Annual art auction scheduled

SHAMOKIN - The annual art auction of the Northumberland County Council for the Arts will begin Friday and run through Nov. 14.

An opening night reception will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Arts Center, 2 E. Arch St.

The Fine Art Gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Veterans breakfast planned

ELYSBURG - Service men and women living in the 107th Legislative District are invited to join Rep. Kurt Masser for his veterans appreciation breakfast from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Elysburg Fire Company, 1 E. Mill St.

Those who plan to attend are asked to RSVP to Masser's district office in Elysburg by calling 570-648-8017.

All Saints

All Saints Evangelical Lutheran Church, 12th and Scott streets, Kulpmont.

Pastor - The Rev. Alfred J. Bashore.

Worship service - 9 a.m.

Participants - Richard Kovach, lector; Marsha Karnes, acolyte and communion assistant.

Assumption BVM

Assumption B.V.M. Ukrainian Catholic Church, Paxton Street, Centralia.

Pastor - The Very Rev. Archpriest Michael Hutsko.

Confessions - Sunday, 10:30 a.m.

Divine liturgy - Sunday, 11 a.m.

Augusta Baptist

Augusta Baptist Church, 1371 Boyles Run Road, Sunbury.

Pastor - Robert S. Commerford.

Sunday school - 9 a.m.

Morning worship - 10:15 a.m.

Evening service - 6:30 p.m.

Activities - Sunday, youth group, 6 p.m., kids club, 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Bible study and prayer meeting, 6:30 p.m.; fourth Thursday of the month, L.I.F.E. for seniors age 55 and up, noon.

Augustaville Wesleyan

Augustaville Wesleyan Church, 2556 State Route 890, Paxinos.

Pastor - Greg Clendaniel.

Sunday school - 9:30 a.m.

Worship service - 10:30 a.m.

Evening service - 6 p.m.

Activities - Wednesday, adult Bible study, children's ministry and youth Bible bowl, 7 p.m.

Bethany Bible

Bethany Bible Fellowship Church, 654 Wilburton Road, across from Mount Carmel Estates.

Pastor - Philip Norris.

Sunday school - 9:30 a.m.

Morning worship - 10:45 a.m.

Message - "Solomon Challenged the People."

Special music - Choir.

Evening service - 6 p.m. in fellowship hall.

Message - "Change."

Activities - Sunday, choir practice, 7 p.m.; Wednesday, children and youth programs and adult prayer and Bible study, 7 p.m.

Bethany EC

Bethany EC Church, 1238 Market St., Ashland.

Interim pastor - Marlin Lafferty.

Sunday school - 9:15 a.m. (adults and children).

Worship service - 10:30 a.m.

Activities - Wednesday, weekly Bible study, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.; free clothing closet, every first and third Saturday of each month, 10 a.m. to noon.

Bethel Union

Bethel Union Chapel, West Cameron Township.

Pastor - Dave Butler.

Sunday school - 9:30 a.m. All ages.

Morning worship - 10:30 a.m.

Special Music - Donna and Jeff Reitz.

Nursery - Kristin Knock and Jaymie Lenker, 10:30 a.m..

Junior Church - Opal Lenig and Audrey Ditty 10:30 a.m.

Evening worship - 6 p.m.

Activities - Tuesday, prayer worship, 6 p.m.; Wednesday, Bible study, 6 p.m., King's Kids, 6:30 p.m.

Calvary Bible

Calvary Bible Fellowship Church, 35 S. Second St., Shamokin.

Pastor - Ferd Madara.

Sunday school - 9:30 a.m.

Morning worship service - 10:35 a.m., Praise team. Communion.

Message - Pastor Madara.

Coal Township High Rise service - 2 p.m.

AWANA clubs youth group - 5:45 p.m.

Evening service - 6 p.m.

Church of the Nazarene

Church of the Nazarene, Route 901, Lavelle.

Pastor - Jeremy Smallwood.

Sunday school classes for all ages - 9:30 a.m.

Worship service - 10:45 a.m.

Clark's Grove UMC

Clark's Grove United Methodist Church, Irish Valley Road, Paxinos. Handicapped accessible.

Pastor - Billy Frick.

Sunday school for all ages - 9 a.m.

Worship service - 10:10 a.m.

Youth service - 6:30 p.m.

Activities - Wednesday, prayer and Bible study, 6:30 p.m.

Divine Redeemer

Divine Redeemer Church, West Avenue and Poplar Street, Mount Carmel.

Pastor - The Rev. Martin O. Moran III.

Weekday Masses - Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 7 a.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m.

Weekend Masses - Saturday, 4 p.m. (Sunday obligation); Sunday, 8 and 10:30 a.m.

Holy day Masses - 6 p.m., eve of holy days. 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., holy day.

Confessions - Saturday, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.; after morning novena Wednesday, or any time by appointment.

Novenas - Monday, Miraculous Medal novena after morning Mass; Wednesday, St. Jude Thaddeus novena after morning Mass; Saturday, St. Francis novena after morning Mass.

Elysburg Alliance

Elysburg Alliance Church, 113 W. Alpha Ave., Elysburg.

Pastor - The Rev. Andrew Knisely.

Service - 8 and 10:30 a.m., with a message from Pastor Knisely.

Sunday school for all ages - 9:15 a.m.

Activities - Sunday, AWANA for children ages 4 to fifth grade, 6 to 7:30 p.m., junior high youth, for grades 6 to 8, 6:15 to 7:15 p.m.; Wednesday, prayer ministry, 7 to 8 p.m., youth group for grades 9 to 12, 7 to 8 p.m.; Nov. 2, 50th anniversary celebration, 9:15 to 10:30 a.m.

Elysburg Presbyterian

Elysburg Presbyterian Church, 320 W. Valley Ave. (Route 487), Elysburg.

Pastor - Matthew Young.

Sunday school for all ages - 9 a.m.

Worship service - 10:30 a.m. Nursery provided. Church family Sunday.

Message - Pastor Young will preach on "Let's Eat."

Scripture - John 6:48-59.

Musicians - Debbie Cecco, organist; Eileen Reigel, pianist.

Activities - Sunday, junior high youth group, 3 to 5 p.m., senior high youth group, 5 to 7 p.m., Lifetree Cafe, "Second Chances," 7 p.m.; Monday, Bear Gap Anchor Group, 7 p.m.; Tuesday, Daniel Plan meeting, 1 p.m.; Wednesday, church pot luck, 6 p.m., choir practice, 6:30 p.m., bell choir practice, 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Breakfast with Jesus Bible study, 8:30 a.m.

Elysburg UMC

Elysburg United Methodist Church, 171 W. Center St., Elysburg.

Pastor - The Rev. Michelle Beissel.

Morning worship with Holy Eucharist - 8:30 a.m. No Children's Sunday school.

Adult Sunday school - 9:45 a.m.

Participants - Steve Appel, head usher; TBA, greeters; Gregory Rishel, acolyte; Linda Wodzak, scripture reader; Edna Ehret, shepherding, and Olivia Bodner, organist.

Activities - Sunday, Community Spirit Choir practice, 7 p.m.; Wednesday, Bible study, 9 a.m., prayer circle, 10:30 a.m.; Thursday, Elysburg Food Pantry, 10 a.m. to noon, Elysburg UMC.

Emmanuel UMC

Emmanuel United Methodist Church, 328 Center St., Coal Township.

Pastor - The Rev. Betty Ford.

Coffee fellowship - 8 to 9 a.m.

Worship - 9:30 a.m., with children's Sunday school.

Activities - Tuesday and Thursday, exercise class, 6:30 p.m.; third Wednesday of month, cookie ministry, 5 p.m.; second Saturday of the month, health screening, 8 to 10 a.m.; fourth Sunday of the month, movie night, 5 p.m.

Faith Bible

Faith Bible Church, Burnside.

Pastor - Perry Ross.

Pianist - Robert Witmer III.

Sunday school - 9:30 a.m.

Worship service - 10:30 a.m.

Evening service - 7 p.m.

Activities - Wednesday, Kids Club, Bible study and prayer, 7 p.m.

Faith Community Church

Pastor - Dale Hill, 570-751-5101.

Sunday worship - 10:30 a.m.

First Baptist, Shamokin

First Baptist Church, 10 E. Lincoln St., Shamokin.

Pastor - The Rev. Samuel Derr.

Church school - 9:45 a.m.

Morning worship - 10:45 a.m.

Choir organist - Judith Pensyl.

Evening service - 6 p.m.

Pianist - Redelia Shoffler.

Activities - Wednesday, choir rehearsal, 1 p.m., prayer, praise and testimony and Bible study, 7 p.m.

First Baptist, Trevorton

First Baptist Church of Trevorton, 510 S. Ninth St., Trevorton.

Pastor - Dan Conklin.

Sunday school - 9:30 a.m.

Morning worship - 10:40 a.m.

Evening service - 6 p.m.

First Presbyterian

First Presbyterian Church, Sunbury and Liberty streets, Shamokin.

Pastor - The Rev. Jim Phillips.

Worship - 10:30 a.m.

Special music - Morris Gard.

Participants - Noriene Ladd, organist; Mary Anne Stump, assistant organist; William Milbrand, choir director; Bill Persing Sr. and David Boyer, ushers and greeters; Andrew Ladd, acolyte; William Persing Sr., sexton; Charlene Lesher, Terry Persing and Wendy Wary, Sunday school; Wendy Wary, secretary.

Activities - Today, youth group - Kindergarten through sixth grade from 5:15 to 6 p.m., grades seven to 12 from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m.; Monday, deacons meeting, 6 p.m.; Wednesday, trip to the Tabernacle and Sight and Sound to see "Moses". Be at the church for 9:15 a.m., bus will leave at 9:30 a.m. If you haven't paid, please give money to Wendy Wary; Nov. 12, session meeting, 7 p.m.; Nov. 15, soup sale, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for orders only. Call Morris Gard at 570-648-4816 for more information.

First UMC, Kulpmont

First United Methodist Church, Ninth Street, Kulpmont.

Pastor - Beverly Petrovich.

Worship - 9:30 a.m., with children's Sunday school.

Activities - Second Saturday of the month, Angels Table luncheon, 11 a.m. All are welcome.

First UMC, Mount Carmel

First United Methodist Church, 46 N. Hickory St., Mount Carmel.

Pastor - The Rev. Susan J. Roehs.

Worship service - 9:30 a.m. All Saints Sunday.

Sunday school - 10:30 a.m.

Sermon - "The Beatitudes."

Participants - Sharon Styer, organist; Jim Weissinger, head usher; Chet Heisey, greeter; Bret Getty, sound technician; Barb Malick, liturgist; Katie Moncavage, acolyte; Pastor Susan, children's time; Jim and Sherry, counting team.

Activities - Monday, Trustees meeting, 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Brownie Troop meeting, 6 p.m., Al-Anon, boardroom, 7 p.m.; Wednesday, Leaders' Small Group, 6:30 p.m.; Thursday, New Beginnings., 7 p.m.

First UMC, Shamokin

First United Methodist Church, Sunbury Street, Shamokin.

Pastor - Zachary Hopple.

Adult and children's Sunday school - 9:15 a.m.

Worship service - 10:30 a.m.

Participants - Kay Berry, liturgist; Cindy Powell and Heather and Peyton Puttmann, greeters; Laura Herman, nursery duty.

Activities - Monday, Bible study, 6 p.m., in parlor; Thursday, Ad Council meeting, 7:30 p.m.

God's Missionary Church

God's Missionary Church in the Valley, 768 Bear Valley Ave., Shamokin.

Pastor - The Rev. Howard R. McKenzie.

Sunday school - 9:45 a.m.

Sunday worship and children's church - 10:45 a.m.

Evening service - 6 p.m.

Activities - Thursday, prayer meeting, 7:30 p.m.

Good News Bible Church

Good News Bible Church, 221 Main St., Locustdale.

Sunday worship - 3 p.m.

Speaker - Pastor Keith McCarthy speaking on "Walking in the Light," based on Isaiah 2:5.

Participants - Shirley Brass, prayer chain coordinator; Bob Keener, church ministry coordinator, and Jill Keener, music coordinator.

Activities - Wednesday, prayer gathering and Bible study, 6:30 p.m.

Good Shepherd

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 35 N. Ninth St., Ashland.

Pastor - The Rev. Dana Heckman-Beil.

Worship service - 9 a.m.

Grace Chapel

Grace Chapel, 126 Airport Road, Shamokin.

Pastor - Alan Langelli.

Sunday Bible fellowship groups for all ages - 9:30 a.m.

Sunday morning worship - 10:30 a.m.

Sunday evening worship/young couples class. Discovery Station youth group - 6:30 p.m.

Nursery child care is provided for all Sunday services.

Participants - Jim Zimmerman, Tim Blue, Steve Carpenter and Mike Flore, ushers; Tim Blue, Cameron Flore, greeters; Ed Begis, Bible reading and prayer; Cathy and Rob Klinger, Marcy Donmoyer, Emma Donmoyer, Ed Karns, Donna Blue, Diane Seger, Karen Graboski, Lori Langelli, Sandy Thomas and Ed Begis, praise team; Luke Donmoyer, sound system; Charlie Wayne, computer system.

Activities - Nov. 2, Combined Sunday school classes for grandparents day with Caz Russell and Chilli; Nov. 11, business meeting; Nov. 12, Ladies Fellowship; Nov. 13, Mens' prayer breakfast; Nov. 15, Super Saturday Sunday School Seminar; Nov. 22, Shepherd's meeting; Nov. 23, Harvest Home/Volunteer Appreciation Dinner; Nov. 30, Missions presentation, luncheon and combined services with Ken Davis; Monday, ladies Bible study, and Thursday, ladies and men's Bible study.

Grace Evangelical

Grace Evangelical Independent Church, Locustdale.

Pastor - The Rev. Rose Marquardt.

Sunday school - 9:45 a.m.

Worship service - 11 a.m.

Children's Sunday school - 11 a.m.

Grace Lutheran, Shamokin

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, 10 S. Seventh St., Shamokin.

Pastor - The Rev. David M. Byerly.

Adult Sunday School - 9 a.m.

Service of the Word and Sacrament - 10:15 a.m.

Participants - Dave Kopitsky Sr,, worship assistant; Ethan Tharp, acolyte/crucifer; Mr. and Mrs. Terry Keefer, communion bearers; Debra Keefer and Karena Weikel, altar care; Sandee Cupp and Art Martin, greeters; Craig Rhoades, driver; Adam Swift Jr., Lamar Grow, Ron Kerstetter, Willie Marsh, Bruce Romanic, John Strausser and Frank Yost, ushers; Walter Boyer, organist, Charlene Pell, choir director; Shelley Faust, cantor.

Activities - Monday, Brownies, 5 p.m., Fellowship Hall; Tuesday, Election Day.

Grace Lutheran, Mount Carmel

Grace Lutheran Church, 145 W. Avenue, Mount Carmel.

Interim pastor - The Rev. Alfred Bashore.

Service with communion - 10:45 a.m. at St. Matthew's (Slovak) Lutheran Church, 301 W. Avenue, Mount Carmel, Today is food pantry Sunday.

Guest speaker - The Rev. Dr. Ronald Shellhamer.

Grace UCC

Grace United Church of Christ, Third and Market streets, Mount Carmel.

Pastor - The Rev. Joan A. Brown.

Morning worship - 9 a.m.

Sunday School - 9 a.m.

Participants - Bryan Lapinski, organist; Aurora Froutz, acolyte; Rich Mauray and Ray Rothermel, ushers.

Activities - Monday, Consistory meeting, 7 p.m.; Nov. 4, pancake and sausage supper, 4 to 7 p.m.; Wednesday, Outreach at Mount Carmel Nursing Home, 6 p.m.

Harvest Worship

Harvest Worship Ministries, 2079 Upper Road, West Cameron Township, 570-850-4280, harvestworshipministries.com.

Pastor - Sandy Wary.

Sunday school - 9:30 a.m.

Worship service - 10:30 a.m.

Hidden Valley

Hidden Valley Community Church, 162 Hidden Valley Lane, Mifflinburg. A non-denominational Bible church.

Pastor - Gary L. Owens.

Pastor Gary can be reached by calling the office at 570-966-1330, or by cell at 570-486-3967.

Himmel's Church

Himmel's Church, 107 Covered Bridge Road, Dornsife.

Pastor - Jane H. Compton.

Sunday school - 9 a.m.

Worship service - 10:15 a.m. with communion being celebrated the first Sunday of every month.

Holy Angels

Holy Angels Church, 855 Scott St., Kulpmont.

Pastor - The Rev. Andrew Stahmer.

Confessions - Saturday, 4 to 5 p.m.

Weekday Masses - Monday, 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m.

Weekend Masses of obligation - Saturday, 5:30 p.m.; Sunday, 8:30 and 10:30 a.m.

Activities - Saturday, Masses for All Saints, 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.; Sunday Masses for All Souls Day, 7, 8:30 and 10:30 a.m.; Sunday, PREP grades 6 to 8, 9 a.m.; Monday, PREP grades 1 to 5, 5:30 p.m.; Tuesday, bingo in the activity center, doors open at 4:30 p.m., games begin at 6:15 p.m.; Wednesday, adult choir practice, 7 p.m.; Thursday, Parish Council meeting, 7:15 p.m.

Holy Trinity

Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 150 E. Lincoln Street, Shamokin.

Clergy - The Rev. Frederic G. Stevenson, rector, and Deacon Richard Hazzard.

Sunday worship - 10 a.m. with holy eucharist in the parish house. Children's Sunday school during worship. Coffee hour following the service.

Participants - Esther Bashore, greeter and intercessor; Linda Riley, lector; Ron and Mary Slovick, oblations; Oliver Fesniak and Frank Zaretski, ushers; Joshua Bashore, Hannah Bashore and Kyrstin Kinnaman, altar servers; Grethel Vinup, pianist.

Activities - Wednesday, holy eucharist and healing, 10 a.m.

Hope Community Church

Hope Community Church, non-denominational Bible church, 551 W. Fourth St., Mount Carmel.

Pastor - Dan Renno.

Christian education for all ages - 9 a.m.

Fellowship time - 9:45 a.m.

Praise and worship service - 10:15 a.m.

Johnston City UMC

Johnston City United Methodist Church, 200 Main St., Ranshaw.

Pastor - Dan Siddle.

Worship service - 9 a.m.

Living Power Ministries

Living Power Ministries, 45 E. Fourth St., Mount Carmel.

Pastor/teacher - Walt Kriskie.

Pre-service prayer - 10 a.m,

Praise and worship - 10:30 a.m., followed by celebration service.

Sunday evening service - 6 p.m.

Activities - Wednesday, mid-week Bible study, 7 p.m., refreshments served.

Miller's Crossroads

Miller's Crossroads UMC, 1929 Plum Creek Road, Stonington, Sunbury RR 4.

Pastor - Michelle Beissel.

Sunday school - 9 a.m.

Worship service - 10:15 a.m.

Participants - Betsy Bradigan, organist.

Ministry of the Water and Spirit

Ministry of the Water and Spirit Church, 829 W. Pine St., Coal Township.

Pastor - James Bowers.

Sunday service - 10 a.m., pastor's home.

God's Chuck Wagon is an outreach of the Ministry of the Water and Spirit.

Mother Cabrini

Mother Cabrini Church, North Shamokin Street, Shamokin.

Pastor - The Rev. Martin Kobos, O.F.M., Conv.

Parochial vicar - Adam Ziolkowski, O.F.M., Conv.

Sunday Masses - Saturday, 4 p.m.; Sunday, 7, 9 and 11 a.m.

Confessions - Daily, 7:30 to 7:50 a.m.; Saturday, 3 to 3:45 p.m.

Activities - Saturday, All Saints Day. Confirmation candidate and sponsor meeting, 2:30 p.m., church hall, service time and sponsor meeting sheets to be collected. Confessions followed by Rite of Sending at the 4 p.m. Mass for all candidates; Sunday, All Souls Day. religious education classes for kindergarten through grades four, 10 a.m. to noon. Students to meet in the church hall at 8:45 a.m. to attend the 9 a.m. Mass. Monday, Bingo in the hall at 6:15 p.m.; Tuesday, Confirmation practice for all candidates and their sponsors at Our Lady of Hope Church at 5:30 p.m.; choir practice, 6 p.m.; Friday, First Friday visits to the scheduled homebound after 9 a.m.

Novena to Mother Cabrini following 8 a.m. Mass, Wednesday through Friday.

Mountainside

Mountainside Assembly of God, 1900 Trevorton Road, Coal Township.

Pastor - The Rev. Richard H. Earl.

Coffee and breakfast snacks for all - 9 a.m.

LIFEQuest Sunday school classes for all ages - 9:30 a.m., with nursery available.

Morning worship - 10:30 a.m. Nursery and children's church.

Youth night - Biweekly, 5 p.m.

Activities - Wednesday, adult prayer and Bible study, Royal Rangers, ages 5 to 18, girls ministry, 6:30 p.m. Coffee served.

Monthly activities - First Sunday, communion and children's sermon, during 10:30 a.m. service; prayer burst on the first Sunday night of the month, 6 p.m.; second Tuesday, Women of Purpose meeting, 7 p.m.

Mount Zion

Mount Zion Welsh Congregational United Church of Christ, Grant and Church streets, Shamokin.

Pastor - Gerald Lloyd Jr.

Worship service - 10:30 a.m.

Scripture - Psalm 107: 1-7 and Matthew 23: 1-12.

Sermon - "Practice What You Preach."

Participants - Philip Maue, organist.

Sacrament of holy communion is celebrated the first Sunday of every month.

New Life Church

New Life Church of God, 129 W. Second St., Mount Carmel.

Interim pastor - The Rev. John D. Ashbaugh.

Sunday school - 9:30 a.m.

Worship service - 10:30 a.m. Junior church and nursery available. Handicapped accessible, wheelchair available, church side/back entrance.

Activities - Prayer room open mornings; prayer, fellowship and coffee, Saturdays, 9 a.m.; Nov. 23, Sunday evening praise and worship service, 7 p.m.

Oak Grove UMC

Oak Grove United Methodist Church, Marley Road, Overlook.

Pastor - The Rev. Zachary Hopple.

Worship - 9 a.m.

Sunday school for all ages - 10:35 a.m.

Activities - Monday, Bible study, 6 p.m., First United Methodist Church; Thursday, free karate classes at church, children ages 5 to 12, 6:30 to 7:15 p.m.; 13 and up, 7:30 p.m.; Open Arms outreach, 6 to 8 p.m., first and third Fridays of the month.

Our Lady of Hope

Our Lady of Hope Parish, Chestnut and First streets, Coal Township.

Pastor - The Rev. Steven G. Frenier, OFM Conv.

Daily Masses - Monday through Friday, 7 a.m., Holy Spirit Chapel.

Weekend Masses - Saturday, 4 p.m.; Sunday, 7 and 11 a.m.

Holy day of obligation Mass - 5:30 p.m. Vigil Mass and 7 a.m. morning of the holy day.

Sacrament of reconciliation - Saturday, 3 to 3:45 p.m.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 47 S. Market St., Mount Carmel.

Pastor - The Rev. Francis J. Karwacki.

Deacon - The Rev. Mr. Martin McCarthy.

Weekday Masses - 8 a.m. Monday through Saturday.

Weekend Masses - Saturday, 4 p.m.; Sunday, 8:30 and 11 a.m.

Holy days of obligation - 6:30 p.m. on the eve, 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. on the holy day.

Confessions - Daily 7:30 to 7:55 a.m. including Saturday or any time by appointment; Saturday, 3 to 3:50 p.m.

Peifer's Evangelical

Peifer's Evangelical Congregational Church, Mandata Road, Herndon.

Pastor - Bradley D. Hatter.

Sunday school - 9 a.m.

Worship - 10:30 a.m.

Queen of the Most Holy Rosary

Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Church, 599 W. Center St., Elysburg.

Pastor - The Rev. Alfred P. Sceski.

Masses - Weekdays, 8 a.m.; Saturday, 5 p.m.; Sunday, 8 and 10:30 a.m.

Confessions - Saturday, 4 to 4:30 p.m.

Restoration Ministries

Restoration Ministries Church, 525 W. Chestnut St., Shamokin.

Pastor - Paul K. Eby.

Pre-service prayer - 9 a.m.

Sunday school - 9:30 a.m. for all ages, JoAnne Long, superintendent.

Sunday worship service - 10:30 a.m. Pastor Paul will speak. The worship team will lead praise and worship. Special prayer will be available. Nursery care will also be available.

Children's church - 11:15 a.m. for ages 4 through 11, directed by Shirley Cintron.

Student Life Ministry youth service - 6:30 p.m. for all teens ages 12 to 18.

Activities - Monday, soup kitchen, 5 to 6 p.m.; Tuesday, cross training youth disciple class, dinner at 3 p.m., class taught by Fran Jones from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, Soul Seekers group for ages 18 and older, 7 p.m.

St. John Lutheran

St. John Lutheran, 29 High Road Danville.

Pastor - Kris Brown.

Sunday school - 9:15 a.m.

Worship service - 10:30 a.m. Reformation Sunday.

Participants - Connie Shulski, organist; Irene Rife, lector; Pat Burlone, acolyte; Larry and Mary Lou Wolfe, communion assistants; Larry and Mary Loue Wolfe, ushers and communion assistants; Pastor Brown, worship leader.

St. John's UCC

St. John's United Church of Christ, 117 N. Eighth St., Shamokin

Pastor - The Rev. Robert B. Peiffer, Ph.D.

Guest pastor - The Rev. Betsy Martin Bruaw.

Sermon - "Deep Joy."

Contemporary service - 9 a.m., fellowship hall.

Special music - Geof Levan

Coffee and fellowship time - 10 a.m.

Sunday school classes for children and teens - 10:10 a.m.

Traditional service - 11 a.m., sanctuary.

Sacrament of Holy Communion will be celebrated at both services.

Special music - Adult choir.

Participants - David Searles, children's message; Margaret Morris, organist; David Spotts, lay reader; Abbey DiOrio, acolyte.

Activities - Today, organ recital with Dr. Marcos Krieger of Susquehanna University, 3 p.m. in sanctuary with refreshments to follow in Fellowship Hall; Sunday, 175th Anniversary Prayer Service, 3 p.m. in the sanctuary with a reception to follow in Fellowship Hall; Monday, Cub Scouts/Webelos 1 and 2, 5:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Cub Scouts/Tiger and Bear Dens, 5:30 p.m., Boy Scouts, 6:30 p.m.; Thursday, adult choir rehearsal, 7 p.m.

St. John's UMC

St. John's United Methodist Church, 1211 W. Arch St., Coal Township.

Pastor - The Rev. Karyn Fisher.

Lay leader - Paul Stehman.

Worship - 9 a.m.

Message - Beginning a new sermon series "Moving Beyond - Moving Within."

Children's church - 9:20 a.m.

Sunday school for all ages, and welcome course - 10:30 a.m.

Activities - Tuesday, men's group and Banner Buddies, 6 p.m.; Wednesday, mid-week gathering for prayer and conversation, 6:30 p.m.; today, choir practice, 8 a.m., cantata practice, 8:30 a.m., "Book and Breakfast" women's fellowship, 9:15 a.m.; chicken barbecue, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Sunday, Harvest Home Sunday; Nov. 14 and 16, women's retreat at Sandy Cove.

New member class is forming, see Pastor Karyn for details.

St. Joseph's Church

St. Joseph's Church, 11th and Walnut streets, Ashland.

Pastor - The Rev. John W. Bambrick.

Sister Elizabeth Kealy, IHM, director of religious education.

Confessions - Saturday, 3 to 3:30 p.m. Any time by appointment.

Rosary prayed before all Masses.

Mass schedule - Today, 4 p.m. (Vigil for Sunday); Sunday, 8:30 a.m.; Monday and Tuesday, 8 a.m.; Wednesday, adoration all day from 9 a.m., concluding with night prayers, benediction and Miraculous Medal devotions at 4:45 p.m., Mass at 5 p.m.; Thursday, 8 a.m.; Friday, noon; first Fridays Sacred Heart devotions.

St. Ann's Chapel, open each day for prayer. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Wednesday, 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon; Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

St. Mark Lutheran

St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 225 N. Market St., Elysburg.

Worship Leader - Pastor Kris Brown.

Worship service - 9 a.m. Reformation Sunday.

Participants - Calvin Dietrick and Marilyn Robel, ushers; Connie Shulski, organist; Pastor Brown, worship leader.

Activities - Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Elysburg senior center open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Wednesday, AA, 7 p.m.; Thursday, Boy Scouts, 8 p.m.

St. Matthew Lutheran

St. Matthew (Slovak) Lutheran Church, 301 W. Avenue, Mount Carmel.

Interim pastor - The Rev. Alfred Bashore.

Service with communion - 10:45 a.m. The Sunday after All Saints Day. This is Food Pantry Sunday.

Guest speaker - The Rev. Dr. Ronald Shellhamer.

Participants - Linda Rubendall, organist; Kenneth Kautter, lector; Thomas Pivarnik and William Snyder, ushers; Joseph Melichercik, president; Donna Lindenmuth, treasurer.

St. Michael Orthodox

St. Michael's Orthodox Church, 131 N. Willow St., Mount Carmel.

Pastor - The Rev. Theophan Marckey,

Divine liturgy - 9 a.m.

St. Patrick

St. Patrick Church, 331 W. Shamokin St., Trevorton.

Pastor - The Rev. Steven G. Frenier, OFM Conv.

Weekend Mass - Sunday, 9 a.m.

Weekday Mass - 8 a.m. Wednesday.

Sacrament of reconciliation - Wednesday after morning Mass or during the day.

St. Paul Lutheran

St. Paul Lutheran Church, 4663 Upper Road, Gowen City.

Pastor - The Rev. David M. Byerly.

Service of word and sacrament - 8:15 a.m.

Participants - David Henninger, lector; Claire Bonshock and Stephanie Boyer, communion assistants; Jack Tobias, acolyte/crucifer; Walter Boyer, organist and choir director.

Activities - Tuesday, Election Day Soup and Bake Sale, municipal building,

St. Paul's Reformed

St. Paul's Reformed United Church of Christ, Gowen City.

Pastor - Jerry Schlegel.

Worship time - 9 a.m. with Holy Communion.

Message - "Reality Versus the Shadow."

Participants - Clifford Artman, organist; Virginia McWilliams and Esther Whary.

St. Pauline Visintainer

St. Pauline Visintainer Center, 1150 Chestnut St., Box 115, Kulpmont.

"Chapel of the Crucified."

Eucharistic adoration - Friday, noon to midnight, and Saturday, 6 to 7 p.m.

St. Pauline Visintainer Center, open Saturday, Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.

Relics on display of Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, and St. Peter Apostle.

St. Peter's Lutheran

St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Aristes.

Interim pastor - The Rev. Alfred Bashore

Service and sacrament of holy communion - 9 a.m. All Saints Sunday.

Guest speaker - Rev. Ronald Shellhamer.

Participants - Linda Rubendall, organist; Carol Buffington, choir director; Diane Wetzel, lector.

SS Peter and Paul

SS Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church, Avenue and Beech Street, Mount Carmel.

Pastor - The Very Rev. Archpriest Michael Hutsko.

Confessions - Saturday, 3:15 p.m., and Sunday, 8:15 a.m.

Weekday divine liturgies - 8 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Weekend divine liturgies - 4 p.m. Saturday and 9:15 a.m. Sunday.

Religious education classes - 6 to 7:15 p.m. Monday.

St. Peter's UCC

St. Peter's United Church of Christ, Overlook

Pastor - Paul T. Gurba Jr.

Morning worship - 8:30 a.m.

Sermon - "Man Plans: The Pitfalls of Procrastination, Part 2."

Verse of the day - James 4:17, "... therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."

Organist - Virginia Nefsky.

St. Stephen's

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Fourth and Maple streets, Mount Carmel.

Clergy - The Rev. Frederic Stevenson.

Service 8:30 a.m. Holy eucharist.

Handicapped accessible.

Second Saturday, 5 p.m. Holy Eucharist at the St. Stephen Center.

Salem UCC

Salem United Church of Christ, 1300 W. Pine St., Coal Township.

Pastor - The Rev. Jean Eckrod.

Morning worship - 10 a.m. Sacrament of Holy Communion will be celebrated.

Participants - Aidan Wetzel, acolyte; Suzzette Steinhart, lay leader; Julie Updegrove and JudyLynn Weaver, beginners class; Barbara Skrivanek, junior class; Grace Stank, pianist; Michael Toter and George Zalar, communion assistants; Taylor Kashner and George Zalar, greeters; MacKenzie Glosek, Abigail Nye, Sophie Rossnock, Brooke Strausser and Michael Toter, ushers; Larry Diorio, lighting/sound.

A quiet room for young infants and nursery care for infants and toddlers is available during the morning worship hour at 10 a.m. Christian education is provided for children ages 3 to 12 immediately after children's time at the beginning of the worship service.

Activities - Monday, Preparation for Election Day Pot Pie Dinner starting at 8 a.m.; Tuesday, Election Day Pot Pie Dinner starting at 11 a.m.

Salvation Army

Christian Enrichment Center, 1300 W. Spruce St., Coal Township.

Commanding officer - Maj. Tina Streck.

Holiness meeting (worship) - 9:30 a.m.

Sunday school - 10:45 a.m.

Seibert Evangelical

Seibert Evangelical Congregational Church, Route 147, Herndon.

Pastor - Bradley D. Hatter.

Worship - 9 a.m.

Sunday school - 10:15 a.m.

Seventh Street

Seventh Street Primitive Methodist Church, 34 N. Seventh St., Shamokin.

Pastor - The Rev. David Wildoner.

Sunday school - 10 a.m.

Morning worship and children's church - 11 a.m.

Message - "Two Ingrediensts of a Great Church."

A nursery is available for children birth of age 5 during morning worship service and children's church is available for children over 5 with focus on lessons from the Bible.

Participants - Kathy Albright, station steward; Joseph Rodman, head usher; Benjamin Brudnicki, Alaina Glowatski, and Jordon McDowell, acolytes; Bryan Lapinski, organist; Linda Yost and Kay Venn, greeters; Art Walburn, servant of the month; Jennifer Brudnicki, children's church teacher; Kathy Jeremiah, nursery worker.

Manna for the Many for November is boxed stuffing mix.

Shoe Ministry Time to fill shoe boxes for Samaritan's Purse. Boxes must be at the church by Nov. 16. Please remember to include a bar of soap, wash clothe, tooth brush and tooth paste along with other items for children.

Activities - Monday, Trustee board meeting, 7 p.m.; Nov. 14, Christmas dinner at Brewser's - signup sheet at church; Nov. 12, Combined Thanksgiving Eve Service, 6 p.m., at Our Lady of Hope Church; Nov. 26, Thanksgiving Eve Service.

Shamokin Alliance

Shamokin Christian and Missionary Alliance Church, Second and Arch streets, Shamokin.

Pastor - Samuel Bellavia.

Sunday school - 9:45 a.m. Classes available for all ages.

Worship services - 8:30 and 10:50 a.m.

Wednesday ministries - 6 to 7:30 p.m. Age range is four years to high school senior.

Evening service - 7 p.m.

Offered are small groups and cottage prayer meetings for adults. Contact church at 570-644-1718 for information.

Shamokin Seventh-Day Adventist

Shamokin Seventh Day Adventist Church, 7 E. Sunbury St., Shamokin (former Jewish synagogue), 570-648-7770.

Pastor - John Peters.

Saturday sabbath school - 9:30 a.m., with classes for children and adults.

Saturday worship - 11 a.m.

Tuesday, Bible studies, 5 p.m.

Stonington Baptist

Stonington Baptist Church, Hosta Road, Paxinos.

Pastor - The Rev. J. Douglas Hallman.

Sunday school - 9 a.m.

Morning worship - 10 a.m.

Evening service - 6 p.m.

Activities - Wednesday, AWANA clubs for children in kindergarten through sixth grade and Word of Life clubs for grades 7 to 12, 6:30 p.m., prayer service, 7 p.m.

Trevorton UMC

Trevorton United Methodist Church, Shamokin Street, Trevorton,

Pastor - The Rev. Al Schell Jr.

Sunday school - 9:30 a.m.

Worship service - 10:45 a.m.

Nancy Korenkiewicz, pianist, organist and choir director.

Activities - Thursdays, Bible study taught by Roxanne Klinger, 7 p.m.; second Tuesday of month, United Methodist Women, 7 p.m.

Trinity Evangelical

Trinity Evangelical Congregational Church, 28 W. Arch St., Shamokin.

Pastor - The Rev. Brian C. Betsworth.

Sunday school - 9:50 a.m.

Worship service - 11 a.m.

Activities - Wednesday, prayer and Bible study, 7 p.m. Recovery in Christ, a new Bible-based 12-step support group, 6 p.m., Wednesdays. For more information, call Betsworth at 570-648-1682.

Trinity Lutheran

Trinity Lutheran Church, 65 E. Sunbury St., Shamokin.

Pastor - The Rev. David Hauck.

Worship Service - 10 a.m.

Participants - Linda Leschinskie, lector; Carol Eidam, communion assistant, communion assistant; Corey Levi, cantor; Andrew Jones, acolyte; Jan Morrison, organist; Jon Hoover, altar guild; Carol Eidam, counter.

True Grace

True Grace Bible Ministry, 950 W. Arch St., Coal Township.

Pastor/teacher - Michael Marcheskie.

Sunday school - 9:30 a.m.

Sunday service - 10:30 a.m., with children's study time.

United Presbyterian

United Presbyterian Church, 100 E. Fifth St., Mount Carmel.

Minister - The Rev. Ted Plott.

Worship service - 11 a.m.

Message - "The Family of God."

Scripture - Mark 3:31-35.

Participants - Dale Schimpf, organist; Deb Wydra, acolyte; Ellsworth George, Andrew Mekosh and Robert Shaw, ushers; Caalvin Evans, greeter.

Victory Bible Church

Victory Bible Church, Snydertown Highway, three miles from Elysburg.

Pastor - Kevin Kline.

Worship - 10 a.m., with Sunday school for youth at the same time.

Evening worship - 7 p.m.

Wilburton UMC

Wilburton United Methodist Church, Wilburton.

Pastor - Rose M. Marquardt.

Worship service - 8:45 a.m.

Children's Sunday school - 10 a.m.

Zion UMC

Zion United Methodist Church, Aristes.

Pastor - The Rev. Rose M. Marquardt.

Worship service - 9:50 a.m.

Children's Sunday school - 10 a.m.

Zion Methodist

Zion United Methodist Church, Trevorton Road, Coal Township.

Pastor - The Rev. Betty Ford.

Sunday school - 10:30 a.m.

Worship - 11 a.m.

PAXINOS - A packed Indian Hills Golf and Tennis Club heard the sounds of New Jersey Friday night as the first "Concert on the Hill" brought the music of Bruce Springsteen to life.

About 250 patrons enjoyed the sounds of The B Street Band on Halloween night, dancing up a storm and enjoying a number of Springsteen's hit.

Lead singer Glenn Stuart told the audience they were going to start off a little slow, launching into the hits "I'm on Fire," and "Brilliant Disguise," and even the crowd favorite "Pretty Woman," as dancers cut a rug in front of them.

Later in the night, the crowd was ready to cheer and sing along as the six-piece band played the Springsteen classics like "Born in the USA," and "Born to Run."

That classic was one that J.P. Jacoby was waiting to hear.

"Bruce is such a classic artist and that is my favorite song," Jacoby said. "It's legendary."

Indian Hills' Don Spieller was pleased with the turnout for this first event.

"We wanted to do something here that was open to the public to show what we have to offer at Indian Hills," Spieller said.

The original plan was to have the band during the summer, but they were booked up so they had the concert now.

Spieller said that they are hoping for several future events at the Paxinos golf and tennis club.

"We are in talks to do a concert outside when we can have about 600 to 700 people here," he said. "We are also talking about a beer or maybe a wine festival for the community."

KULPMONT - Kulpmont American Legion Post 231 has several activities planned during November.

On Friday, the organization will join the Mount Carmel Area Joint Veterans for a combined Veterans Day program at the Mount Carmel Area Elementary School for the students.

On Sunday, Nov. 9, a joint Veterans Day Mass will be held at 8:30 a.m. at Holy Angels Church, celebrated by the Rev. Andrew Stahmer, with members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and ladies auxiliaries attending. Following the Mass, memorial ceremonies will be held at Roosevelt Court.

Commander Al Goodlunas will honor all veterans living and deceased. There will be a raising of the flag and rifle salutes. "Taps" will be played by Jerry Buchinski on the bugle after the national anthem. Prayers will be offered by chaplains Frank Rutkowski of the VFW and Bob Daniels for the Legion. All citizens are invited to participate, and all members are invited to join and participate in these events honoring service men and women.

On Wednesday, Nov. 12, the Legion will travel to Mountain View: A Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for a service for all retired veterans. Bernie Stellar and the Mount Carmel Area High School Band will provide military musical numbers along with the national anthem. A luncheon will follow.

The officers and the honor guard members of the American Legion thanked all who support the organization in remembering the sacrifices made for freedom, saying, "Let's protect it, while we still have it." The organization is again on record supporting the flag amendment to protect the colors from being desecrated.

MOUNT CARMEL - The Mount Carmel Area Public Library is grateful for the following donations, the library's most important and basic source of income.

Birthday memorial

Leona Karwacki from Marie and Frank Crawford.

Cathy Welker, Nov. 17, from Sylvia and Annie.

Anniversary memorial

Joseph J. Guzevich from daughter Irene Casari.

In memory of

Virginia (Jeanie Wywada) Balon from Virginia and Don James; Patti and John Karycki; Mount Carmel High School Class of 1959.

Mary T. Cimino from Rick and Gloria Catino; Frank and Sue Cimino; Frank and Marie Crawford; Jim Darrup; Frank and Shari Hynoski; Paul Karwacki; Betty Kehler; Robert and Margaret Lutz; Jack and Theresa McDonnell; Carlie McGinley and family; Karen and Carlie McGinley and family; Tony, Karen, Cheslie and Carlie McGinley; Charlie and Sue Mannello; Fritz and Ellie O'Hearn; Todd and Lisa Owens; Frank and Mary Sawicki; Richard and Theresa Schetroma, Cathy Ream and Jeff Schetroma; June Smith; Gloria and Paula Tresca; Welker, Walsh and Besser Families; Marilyn and Jack Williams Sr. and family; Winnie the Pooh Staff; Mount Carmel Area Public Library.

Marshall Deitz from Jim Darrup; Frank and Mary Sawicki.

Colleen deManicor from Dolores Klusman and family.

Leona Dorkoski from Jerry Criniti; Rita Criniti; John and Dianne Darrah; Kathleen Honecker; Sylvia Hynoski; Trina and John Leshinski; Diane Maschal; Ruth Rimokaitis and family; Melanie Wengrenovich.

Edward Gragilla from Holly Green Ficca; Jack and Theresa McDonnell.

Nancy Goodeliunas from Michele Guido Varano.

Twilia S. Hinkel-Hess from Lorraine M. Criniti.

Gary Hixson from Dolores Klusman and family; Leo and Millie Powell.

John James from Dolores Klusman and family.

David Kehler from Mike and Deborah Kaleta; Dolores Klusman and family; Trina and John Leshinski; Larry and Dot Morata; the Namath family; Gayle and Tom Pivarnik and family; Ruth Rimokaitis; Mary M. Rudisill; Frank and Mary Sawicki; Mr. and Mrs. Dave Shinskie; Terri and Bill; Vince and Janet Yuskoski.

William James Klusman Sr. by wife Dolores and children.

Lance Klimowicz from Jean and Chris Mathias.

Dennis Koronkiewicz from Millie and Leo Powell.

Eleanor Kowaleski from Dolores Klusman and family.

John J. Labota from Jim Darrup; Jeanette Roscoe and family; Richard Zinda.

Mary Anne Langton from Miriam Berezovske; Lisa Harrison; Hildenbrand family; Mr. and Mrs. John McDonnell; Ann Shirmer; Rose Marie Troutman; Richard Zinda.

George Leonovich from Ray and Mary Ann Bartosic; Pam and Joe Begis and family; Jim and Gingie Britton; Marlin Brosius; Irene Casari; Marilyn Kanezo; Patti and Lenny Kimsal; Robert and Margaret Lutz; Rose and Frank Pecaitis; Gayle and Tom Pivarnik and family; Michelle and Guido Varano; Melanie Wengrenovich; Mount Carmel Area Retired Educators.

Loved Ones from Joyce Yodis.

Thomas McMillan from Leon and Mary Kay Polites.

Mary Mostik from Pam and Joe Begis and family; Rick and Gloria Catino; Lenny and Rita Kelmelis; Dolores Kleman and family; Karen McGinley and family; John and Mary Mazurkevich; Mr and Mrs Thomas Rusnak and family; Sylvia, Cathy, Len and Jack Pizzoli; Welker, Walsh and Besser families; Joyce Yodis; Richard Zinda.

Ann Olbrish from Richard and Eleanor DiRienzo; Diane and Sonny Olbrish and family.

Theresa I. Pittello from Col. and Mrs. Leo Bradley; Melanie Wengrenovich.

Barbara Semerod from Joe and Dolores Tomtishen; Marilyn and Jack Williams and family.

Marie and Joseph Shearn from Joanne Greco and family.

Harold Smith from wife June.

Mary J. Stellar from Anna Flynn; Julie and Bob Griffiths.

Constance C. "Connie" Sulick from Jim and Gingie Britton; Mary Hirsch; Mount Carmel Township Class of '44.

Matthew Tucker from John and Mary Mazurkevich

Claire E. Vasilauskas from Dwilet family; Kathleen Honecker; Helen Pavis and family; Mary M Rudisill.

Catherine (Cathy) Welker from Dianne Adzema and family; Deborah Beck; Anna Flynn; Julie and Bob Griffiths; Dolores Klusman and family; Alice O'Donnell; Todd and Lisa Owens; Millie and Leo Powell; Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Rusnak and family; the Skonecki family; Sylvia and Annie; Marilyn and Jack Williams and family; ACT; the Mount Carmel Library staff.

Charles Wheary from Leo and Millie Powell.

The library appreciates all the donations that were received during the 2014 fund drive.

A special thanks goes to the following families for their very generous donations:

R.A. Adinolfi,Thomas Beierschmitt, Leanne Bjorklund, Joan Ecker, Jose Gonzalo, Phil Gergen, Richard Hazzard, Elaine Jepko, John Kealy, Martha Klaus, Dolores Klusman, John Koronkiewicz, Frederick Lutz, Esther Maurer, Andrew Mekosh, Judy Polites, Frank Sawicki, Ricky Schnee, Joseph Swatski, Michelle Teevan, John Tomaschik, Velvet Vincenzes, Academy Sports, Pappy Baluta and Sons, Belski Community Pharmacy, Boyers Food Market, Knights of Columbus, C.P. Langton Trucking, Mount Carmel Firedex, Mount Carmel Township, Shimock's Furniture Store, St. Michael's Orthodox Church, Susquehanna Bank, Taddeo Body Works and Union Bank.

HERNDON - The Herndon Lions Club, sponsors of the borough's annual Halloween Parade, report the following results from Thursday's parade.

Section A. Individuals up to 10 years of age:

1. Kyan Peters

2. Jonah Lyter

3. Koledn Bordner

4. Ella Shipe

5. Leah Schwalm

6. Stephen Schwalm

Section B. Individuals up to 10 years of age (same as A):

1. Logan Fisher

2. Cy Miller

3. Cam Morgan

4. Owen Miller

5. Ace Shipe

6. Jordan Shingara

Section C. Individuals over 10 years of age and groups up to six individuals:

1. Evan and Evelyn Schaffner

2. Unclaimed

3. Ayden and Katelyn Walters

4. Sadie Walshaw and Meadow Walshaw-Wertz

5. Noah Troutman

6. Levi and Kari Ferster

Section D. Seven individuals or marching groups:

1. Girls Scout Troops 60075 and 60076

2. Cub Scout Troop 3311, Rebuck

Section E. Floats:

1. Graci and Griffin Wilson, Hayden, Harmony and Hadley Zulauf, Caitlyn, Cassidy, CJ and Canyon Koperna.

2. Noah's Landing Day Care

3. Unclaimed

Marriage licenses

Elam D. Smucker, 591 Amish School Road, Herndon, to Martha S. Zook, 275 Chubb Road, Elizabethville. Issued Nov. 1.

Jonathan Raymond Krah, 923 N. Orange St., Shamokin, to Samantha M. Zanni, 145 S. Willow St., Mount Carmel. To be issued Nov. 3.

Property transfers

Ralph J. Yeddo to Linda Lesher and Heather Lesher, property in Coal Township, $37,500.

Richard Scott Lubinski, Nicole Frederick and Nicole S. Lubinski to Bank of New York Mellon Trust Co. NA, property in Mount Carmel Township, $1.

Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company NA to Joe Gushen, property in Mount Carmel Township, $96,600.

Cristi L. Miller to Mistilynn Woolsey, property in Zerbe Township, $1.

Wilbur A. Fegley and April A. Fegley to Gary Adams Jr., property in Coal Township, $27,500.

Stephen W. Gross and Alicia H. Gross to Bernard M. Sosnoskie Jr., property in Shamokin, $63,500.

Kelly Yordy (trustee) and Evelyn Yordy Irrevocable Grantor Trust (by trustee) to Randy S. Cunningham and Mary E. Cunningham, property in Rockefeller Township, $1.

Tarry Hall Properties LLC to Cristi L. Miller, property in Zerbe Township, $118,000.

John Maciejewski and Catherine Maciejewski to Stephen J. Maciejewski and John A. Maciejewski, property in Kulpmont, $1.

Anthony Elias and Glenda M. Elias to Amber M. Kemberling, property in Upper Augusta Township, $93,000.

Daniel G. Hower and Dorothy I. Hower to Paul R. Precht, property in Ralpho Township, $92,500.

Michael G. Adzema and Susan J. Adzema to Michael G. Adzema and Susan J. Adzema, property in Mount Carmel, $1.

Robert M. Schell to Robert M. Schell and Cindy L. Schell, property in Coal Township, $1.

Marlowe L. Kemrer to Kyle G. Troutman, property in Lower Augusta Township, $1.

Mark Noll to Mary T. Stout and Deborah Lazarski, property in Ralpho Township, $30,000.

Mary Frances Polites to Mary Frances Polites, property in Mount Carmel township, $1.

William J. Schultz Sr. to Hickory Street Holdings LLC, property in Mount Carmel, $1.

William J. Schultz Sr. to Budget Boo Inc., property in Mount Carmel Borough, $21,000.

Arthur J. Brosius to NEPA Homes LLC, property in Mount Carmel, $2,000.

Danielle M. Bressi, Joseph S. Bressi and Darlene M. Bressi to Mary S. Dorko, property in Coal Township, $22,000.

Barry J. Ladd II and Vanessa L. Peifer To Timothy D. Snyder and Carol L. Snyder, property in Shamokin, $1.

Mary C. Durham to Joshua M. Jurewicz, property in Shamokin, $10,000.

Gerald A. Huber and Patricia A. C. Huber to Patricia A. C. Huber, Mount Carmel, $1.

DLJ Mortgage Capital Inc. (by agent) and Selene Finance LP (agent) to Arthur E. Steele and Mary L. Steele, property in Coal Township, $26,000.

Benjamin J. Defacis and Linda Defacis to Anita L. Miller, property in Zerbe Township, $1.

Marian E. aka Marion E. Pickering to Tara Moore, property in Coal Township, $1.

William A. Mull Jr. and Wendy J. Mull to Alec H. Mull and Shavaun B. Fisher, property in Upper Augusta Township, $1.

Charles H. Phillips (trustee), Joyce R. Phillips (trustee) and the Phillips Family Irrevocable Trust to Jeffrey T. Dunn and Ressie L. Dunn, property in Little Mahanoy Township, $10,000.

Candace H. Armstrong to Jena Hassinger and Nathan Walsh, property in Rockefeller Township, $90,000.

Restoration Ministries Church of Shamokin Inc. and Restoration Ministries of Shamokin Inc. to Megan E. Zarkoskie, property in Coal Township, $130,000.

Kurt Baylor and Beth Baylor to Nathan Kaleta and Tami Kaleta, property in Shamokin Township, $213,474.10.

Aubrey B. Tasker Jr. to Aubrey B. Tasker Jr., property in Shamokin Township, $1.

Norman Fornwalt and Janet Fornwalt to Robert L. Britton and Donna L. Britton, property in Shamokin, $5,000.

SNYDERTOWN - A 50-year-old borough woman escaped serious injury when her car crashed into a barn and a large wooden support beam crashed through her windshield.

Janet Sampsell exited the car after the crash along Snydertown Road (Route 4012), about two miles east of the borough's residential section, late Friday night in Shamokin Township.

The impact tore a large hole in the barn and dislodged a 6-by-6-inch support beam that fell and shattered the windshield between the driver and the passenger compartments. Sampsell, of 110 Snydertown Road, was alone in the car.

She told investigating officers from state police at Stonington that she was driving west, toward Snydertown, shortly before midnight when a deer darted in front of her car. Swerving to miss the animal, Sampsell lost control and her car went off the south side of the highway and into the structure.

Because of the possibility of collapse, police said the car was not towed from the scene until the situation could be assessed in daylight. The scene was cordoned off by firefighters from Stonington and Elysburg until early Saturday morning.

The hard work and forward thinking of the Coal Township Board of Commissioners is paying off.

In 2014, $84,000 in demolition money has been increased by $125,000 thanks to a Keystone Program grant secured by the Housing Authority of Northumberland County. One property's demolition is underway and numerous others are in the planning stages.

In addition, St. Anthony's Parochial School in Ranshaw has been acquired by the township, historically cleared and is scheduled for demolition in the summer of 2015. On top of that, a nice surprise was found in the school with plenty of construction and maintenance items leading to an auction and sale of scrap metal that produced more than $13,000 that will go toward the demolition of the school building.

In the past two weeks, $500,000 in grant funding was secured for renovations to the Quaker Run channel in Ranshaw to alleviate flooding that has ravaged numerous abutting homes, and to top it off, just a few days ago, $188,000 was secured to begin an indoor recreation facility at the rear of the Arch Street Playground to be used in conjunction with another grant already in hand to revitalize the entire playground area with new and safer play equipment.

Lots of construction design will be occurring in the next few months and projects should begin in the spring.

After hours event

Join the Brush Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce and its newest member, Cigar Box, of Coal Township, in a business after hours event from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Please e-mail Whitney Fetterman at wfetterman@censop.com if you will be attending.

(Robert Slaby is Coal Township manager and a member of the chamber's board of directors. Your Chamber is published on the first Sunday of each month.)

There's no fly ash on the ground yet at a mine reclamation site in Locust Summit, but it's coming - 400,000 tons of it.

The project is deemed a beneficial use of the coal waste by PPL, which says scientific research and strict protocol greatly minimize environmental impact. It's received state approval and underwent years of scrutiny after a nearby resident and retired geologist contended that the dumping risks contaminating dozens of residential water wells.

An environmental review board disagreed. The five-judge panel sided with the state Department of Environmental Protection's scientific reviews that say groundwater will flow away from the Lavelle area, and that a proper monitoring system is in place.

"If we were not doing this, we would be taking farm fields up and building landfills. We're taking a by-product and putting it to use as opposed to treating it as waste material," said Larry LaBuz, PPL's Coal Combustion Products supervisor.

More testing

None of this eases the mind of Bob Gadinski. The Lavelle resident laments the prospect of 350,000 cubic yards of coal ash being applied one mile uphill from his home. He fears the health risks, citing the study of a cancer cluster in Northeast Pennsylvania, including

Schuylkill County. It was inconclusive in determining a link between polycythemia vera and exposure to chemicals like those found in fly ash. Paul Roda, a Geisinger doctor and leading researcher into the cause of the blood cancer, died last December.

Gadinski maintains that the state should have tested residential wells to better monitor potential environmental impact. Without knowing the status of the wells before the fly ash is spread, he says it may be impossible to officially determine the source if the wells become polluted. He also believes the project should have required a liner beneath the fly ash. Neither measure is mandated.

"This ash is not the same as out of a stoker. This stuff is an industrial waste, and it should be treated as a waste," said Gadinski, who worked 18 years for the state Department of Environmental Protection before retiring.

The concern is shared by Butler Township supervisors (whose letter to the Environmental Protection Agency asking for well testing was detailed in Saturday's edition). Although the project is in Mount Carmel Township, Northumberland County, the fear is that it will discharge into the Schuylkill County villages.

"If this stuff leaches," says supervisor Chairman Dave Kessler, "it's going to effect a lot of people."

The supervisors are awaiting word from the EPA about their request to have residential wells tested.

The Burnside example

Fly ash was expected to arrive later this fall at the Gilberton Coal site east of Route 901 near the Locust Summit Breaker. Once it does, it's expected to be trucked there intermittently for the next 10 years.

The project is similar to the reclamation of coal land near Burnside, just south of Shamokin in Coal Township. There have been 1.2 million tons of fly ash spread and compacted there over the past decade, and another 300,000 tons will be delivered before the project is closed in the next two to three years. According to DEP, not a single environmental violation has been noted.

Like the Locust Summit site, the Burnside site also is owned by the Rich family of Schuylkill County, operators of Gilberton Coal and Reading Anthracite. It, too, is a PPL project.

The ash for the Locust Summit project will largely come from PPL's Montour plant near Watsontown. It can burn up to 120 train cars of coal daily when both units are operating at full capacity. In those instances, as much as 1,200 tons of coal ash results. Some of it is slag, or bottom ash, and is sold to municipalities for anti-skid material. The other is fly ash, akin to an orange-tinted baby powder.

The ash is stored in silos. When prepped for delivery, water is added, constituting 20 percent of the resulting mix. It helps prevent the ash from flying out of the back of a tri-axle. The road into the project site is dampened to further prevent airborne ash.

A 4-foot layer of soil separates the ash from the surface in Burnside. The top foot is top soil. LaBuz says the soil will absorb water and prevent it from seeping into the mine pool. And the fly ash will act as a concrete of sorts, plugging fissures in the ground.

When PPL's power plants are taken over by a new company, Talen Energy, the project is expected to continue as is.

Special conditions require a minimum 8 foot separation between fly ash and any coal seam or groundwater elevation. The ash must be spread and compacted within 24 hours of delivery.

Sharon Hill and Nathan Houtz, DEP geologists, say in court documents that proper placement of ash will prevent leaching and pollution, and that the groundwater monitoring plan is sufficient.

Fly ash is used in concrete, and also drywall. And since 1986 it's been approved by the state as "beneficial use" for mine reclamation. Prior to that, a waste disposal permit was needed to dump it at mine sites.

There have been no federal regulations for the coal waste. That will change if the EPA meets its self-imposed deadline of Dec. 19 to debut regulatory measures.

Maps 'outdated'

DEP determined groundwater flow based on gradient, a study of existing barrier pillars below ground, and a review of mine tunnel maps. Gadinski says the studies were inadequate. Geological history shows heavy fractures, folding and faults. He says the pillars won't prevent a southerly flow, and the maps are outdated. Besides, he says those same maps support his belief that groundwater will flow south.

The review board ultimately sided with Gilberton and its DEP witnesses, saying they were more credible than those presented by Gadinski, including the appellant himself.

It hasn't changed his beliefs. He points to the environmental hazard caused when 100 million gallons of coal ash slurry spilled into the Delaware River at PPL Martins Creek in Northampton County. Concern has been raised at the State Correctional Institute at Fayette in LaBelle where environmentalists believe fly ash to be the cause of an uptick of cancer among inmates. Water temperatures beneath a mine site filled with fly ash reach 84 degrees, Gadinski says. Several factors could have caused this, he says, including the fly ash.

It will take at least seven years for metals in fly ash to leach into the ground, and Gadinski believes the monitoring will stop once trouble begins. In contrast, landfill monitoring lasts 30 years, he says.

Gadinski moved to Mowry in 1981 from Centralia after the underground mine fire all but emptied the town.

"Once again it seems I'm being haunted by coal mining issues," Gadinski says.

It was a homecoming of sorts for the top Roman Catholic archbishop in the U.S. Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, D.D., who gave the keynote speech Wednesday at the University of Scranton's 13th annual disABILITY conference, has had ties to the area since serving as a professor at St. Pius X Seminary in Dalton. The 68-year-old archbishop, now a resident of Louisville, Kentucky, was born in Mahonoy City. The speech touched on his life with his brother, George, who had Down syndrome.

He taught at St. Pius from 1973 to 1976 and earned a master's degree at Marywood University. In 2013, he was elected president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Before his speech, Kurtz sat down with The Times-Tribune, a Times-Shamrock newspaper, for a discussion that covered how disability fits into God's plan, his use of Twitter and Pope Francis' recent remarks on same-sex attraction and evolution. The discussion was edited for clarity and brevity.

Q. Is your brother George the jumping-off point for your speech?

A. I'd have to say that my family is the jumping-off point for pretty much anything I do.

My brother, George, was 5 years old when I was born. I have three older sisters. By the time I got to be 4 or 5 years old, my sisters were already out of the house, so very much it was my mom and dad and my brother, Georgie, and me growing up together.

I didn't know it at the time, but I was very influenced by George. My mom and dad would often say, "Now, don't forget, bring Georgie with you when you go to the game or play ball." We became very much a team.

Q. Was there a certain point when you realized he had Down syndrome?

A. I can remember being in the Poconos, when my dad and brother were in one boat and I was in another fishing at Brady's Lake. I was maybe in fourth grade, and I had never met anyone else who had Down syndrome.

All of a sudden, I looked and I saw Georgie in an alpine hat on the shore. And I thought, "What's Georgie doing there?" And it wasn't George. It was another person with Down syndrome but had all the many features that Georgie had.

In the talk, I'll be talking about Dr. Jerome Lejeune who in 1959 actually discovered the genetic composition of Down syndrome, trisomy 21. This is something rather recent in terms of knowing the complexity and even the gifts of people who are born with Down syndrome.

Q. Disability in general, how could it be part of God's plan?

A. Every blessed one of us - because of aging and because this life on Earth is not permanent - will have disabilities.

As beautiful as this Earth is, it's temporary. I think part of God's plan is to uncover what's going to be lasting.

My sense is that there is a mystery in everyone's life. Maybe in heaven we will discover more clearly why such and such is. But at least I have an inkling of it, that I am a different person than I would have been if it weren't for my brother George.

I believe that when we look at persons with disability in our culture, it's an opportunity for someone to deepen their understanding of what it means to be fully human.

Q. Today, when many people experience a moment of crisis, they turn to the Internet for answers. How have the Internet and social media changed the church?

A: I'm someone who Tweets. I would say that the church at its best has always used media, so I don't see them in opposition. I think the first printing press product was the New Testament.

There's great opportunities with the Internet but there's also a certain mean-spiritedness that comes from anonymity and speed. They make people say things that they would never say to somebody in a civilized way.

Religion has a lot to offer people as they try to navigate what they think is good and what they think is fair. If they start to think about what is good and fair, before you know it they'll be praying.

Q. What is Pope Francis really saying about homosexuality?

A. On that question, the Church's teachings are not clearly understood by people. The most basic church teaching is saying each one of us as a human being is made in the image and likeness of God. There's a tremendous sense of dignity that is in every person.

Secondly, we are all called to what I would call the virtue of chastity, which is very rarely talked about. That is this understanding of why did God make me, and what does it mean to have good, holy and healthy friendships with other people?

The church's teachings run up against some of the societal movements - there's no question about that. But I think sometimes people too quickly look at where the clash is.

We are called to see the person first. The key will be our capacity as the church to enunciate what I call the beauty of that vision and to do it in a way that both listens and welcomes people.

Q. What about evolution and the theories of the origins of the universe?

A. The pope is repeating what has been said for quite a while. A lot of time people incorrectly make faith and reason opposed to one another: You have to either be a person of faith and be stupid or a person of science and have no belief.

Those who would like to make that sharp divide have a lot of work to do. Anybody who's a student of history understands that what is reasonable and what is faithful both need to be answered in a person's life, and they're not opposed to each other.

When we look at who began the first universities in the Middle Ages, it was the Catholic church. That notion of scholarship and science has been something that has been at the very beginning.

The Big Bang theory was first enunciated by a priest. Did you know that? (Belgian Monsignor Georges Lemaitre in the 1920s).