COAL TOWNSHIP - Mary Teresa Komara, principal, Shannon Fetterman, acting assistant principal, and the fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade teachers at Shamokin Area Elementary School announced the students earning distinguished honors and honor roll for the fourth marking period.

The honor roll is based on the avarege of the major subjects.

Distinguished honor roll is in the range of 95 to 100 percent, and the honor roll in the range of 90 to 94.9 percent. Students must also earn satisfactory marks in conduct and minor subjects.

Fourth-grade distinguished honors - Alexia Alier, Alexa Bainbridge, Joshua Bashore, Hunter Bates, Kaine Bressi, Tia Bressi, Devin Britton, Katlyn Brunson, Brianna Bullock, Sean Calabro, Emma Dailey, Gavin Degreen, Kyele Dehoutaint, Collin Duganitz, Diana Faust, Ryleigh Faust, Tessa Fegley-Kublic, Victoria Fellin, Hayden Foor, Aaron Frasch, Skylar Fry and Adam Guzik.

Jackson Hancock, Blake Harris, Austin Haupt, Olivia Haupt, Thomas Herrold, Shane Hess, Carole Hinkle, Shanon Jilinski, Tyler Kalman, Rosalind Kane, Zackary Kinsey. Emma Kramer, Hayden Kramer, Gabrielle Kurtz, Kali Leiby, Destinee Leonard, Alysha Lynch, Maximus Madden, Diana Martinez, Brenton McCaffery, Rylie McCarty, Dennis McFee, Matthew Metzger and Edward Morales.

Grace Nazih, Ariana Nolter, Rileigh Nowroski, Ashlea Oakum, Alyssa Persing, Stacey Radomski, Sydney Rhoads, Mackenzie Roman, Aleyna Russell, Casen Sandri, Akeya Schartiger, Aaron Shicora, Caleb Shingara, Kathryn Slotterback, Destiny Smith, Owen Sosnoski, Gwen Sulouff, Haelee Taylor, Jacob Turner, Nicholas Velez, Tyler Whary, Kayla Yadlosky, Emma Zimmerman and Michael Zimmerman.

Fourth-grade, honor roll - Steve Bartholomew, Jonathan Bevan, Shane Billings, Emilee Bland, Collin Bozza, Thomas Bramhall, Dominick Bridi, Dasia Cardona, Grace Carpenter, Olivia Coller, Hailie Cragle, Raeanne Davis, Cornell Delvalle, Rebecca Derck, Sloan Derk, Paige Ditzel, Ethan Eltringham, Devyn Erb, Alexis Evans and Anthony Fernandez.

Kieran Gallagher, Brandon Geiger, Gary Geist, Seth Hart, Zachary Hart, Damian Hile, Hannah Hockenbroch, Tumaje Islam, Jeremiah Jashinskie, Mark Kiracofe, Paige Kleman, Marissa Lehman, Gabrielle Marrone, Hunter McKinney, Nicolas Neidig, Noah Orner, Annabelle Rapp, Isabella Roberts, Megan Roman, Shelby Searls, Paige Shoffler, Mackenzie Snyder, Derek Sosnoski, Brooke Stine, Ashley Vantaggi, Dominic Wilson, Mickolas Yarnall, Freyja Yeager, Colin Zigner and Mick Zwolinski.

Fifth-grade distinguished honors - Kanwal Alvi, Jacob Alvord, Conner Anascavage, Lily Avans, Alison Barvitskie, Margaret Bowers, Morgan Clemens, Raven Depeal. Abbey Diorio, Joshua Dombrowski, Tykera Duttry, Holly Fegley, Tate Frederick, Gaige Garcia, Benjamin Ginck, Blake Hartzel, Rhaeghan Henz, Molly Hoffman, Blake Kane, Devin Kays, Kirstyn Kehler, Hunter Kerstetter, Farrah Krum and Janet Kulish.

Emma Laughlin, Alexandria Madison, Blake Markowski, Skyler Mckinney, James Mench, Makayla Moroskie, Zachery Moyer, Ian Paul, Nathan Persing, Ashley Ponatoski, Brent Reed, Hunter Rodarmel, Abby Rodman, Sophie Rossnock, Brianna Roth, Jasmine Scandle, Angelina Schaeffer, Telaysia Shafer, Isibelle Sienkiewicz, Jasmine Slodysko, Garrett Smith, Molly Stevens, Max Tillett, Emma Tomcavage, Rhiannon Vlock-Kogut and Katelyn Zawalick.

Fifth-grade honor roll - Bryce Anderson, Dylan Bainbridge, Sara Baney, Matthew Bellis, Tessa Bowman, Gabriel Burns, Paige Campbell, Eric Curran, Trevor Dehaven, Deven Elliott, Jeremy Erb, Jeryn Fagerstrom, Mason Filarski, Madison Foulds, Gabrielle Greager, Brayden Gruszewski, Callen Herb, Danielle Hinkle, Brian Hornberger, Joseph Jackson, Elyse Kelley, Rachel Kerstetter, Kaylee Koshinski and Albert Kurtz.

Brittney Lute, Ariana Manley, Cherie Martin, Sheyenne Moore, Cory Mrowka, Andrew Nelson, Connor Nye, Brock Pancher, Robert Prawdzik, Sara Ryman, Kyra Sanders, John Schofield, Trinity Schwab, Kody Scicchitano, Rachel Shader, Emily Slanina, Savanah Smith, Alyssa Snyder, Christina Snyder, Austin Straub, Hunter Tharp, Myah Thompson, Angel Velazquez, Jonathan Washuta, Logan Williams, Cheyanne Wolf, Shen Yeager and Destiny Zimmerman.

Sixth grade, distinguished honors - Emily Backes, Nicole Bainbridge, Spencer Balonis, Alexis Barnes, Jared Berkheimer, Colby Bixler, Aidan Blackwell, Marshall Buggy, Sierra Burd, Alyssa Charriez, Gavin Clattenburg, Juliana Degreen, John Delorso, Lydia Deptula, Alyvia Erb, Ryleigh Fegley-Cull, Nicholas Feudale, Jeffrey Fuernisen Jr., Stephen Gundy, Aubree Haight, Mara Hashuga, Teagan Heath, Zachary Johnson, Chryssa Kehler, Collin Kern, Jayla Klase, Matthew Knowles, Chloe Kramer and Jameson Kramer.

Cordell Lucas, Samantha Magee, Todd Maschuck, Joseph Masser, Morgan McGinn, Abigail Nye, Cameron Orner, Jessa Paczkoski, Autumn Purcell, Robert Rebuck, Lake Rodarmel, Quinn Rollman, Shyann Rubio, Arcadio Saez, Joan Schaeffer, Matthew Schiccatano, Andrea Segura, Peyton Shurock, Mason Smink, Brooke Strausser, Matthew Swartz, Abigail Thew, Jacob Thompson, Skylar Truchon, John Wagner, Lauren Wagner, Dylan Walters, Payton Whary, Valerie Yost and Blake Zalar.

Sixth-grade, honor roll - Logan Alderson, Isabella Allmond, Melania Amato, Chase Backes, Krista Baumeister, Sarah Baumeister, Ashley Beach, Mariah Benedict, Keri Bevan, Bethany Bordell, Jolene Boscolovich, Reina Cardona, Steven Carpenter, James Coleman, Madison Collins, Dakotah Cragle, Lauren Drumheiser, Skylar Figard, Abigail Fobia, Brianna Geiger, Kenneth Gilcrest, Mackenzie Glosek, Hanna Halderman, Dakota Hart, Cain Herb, Zoey Hockenbroch and Nicholas Holmes.

Barbara Jemmott, Taylor Kashner, Timothy Kile, Luke Kiracofe, Deven Klock, Mckenzie Knarr, Brianna Lehman, Xavier Lehman, Amber Libby, Owen Long, Christina Marquez, Bryce Mummey, Keira Munns, Robert Pancher, Preston Puckett-Murphy, Madison Reigel, Terri Rouse, Destiny Sassani, Sierra Seiler, Matthew Sheriff, Joel Shurock, Jose Tejada, Tristen Troutman, Mercedes Velazquez, Richard Wright, Eric Zakareskie, Zane Zartman, Zoe Zimmerman and Viktor Zokhrabekov.

SUNBURY - Northumberland County commissioners Tuesday gave Geisinger Health System the approval it needs in accordance with state and federal laws to permit the use of bond funds for projects in the county.

One of the projects is the expansion of The Ressler Center on the Geisinger-Shamokin Area Community Hospital (G-SACH) campus, and with it will come additional services from a new ophthalmology clinic and an after-hours urgent care clinic. It is expected to be open July 19.

Members of Geisinger Authority, which was established to finance certain capital projects of Geisinger Health System and other non-profit organizations within the county, approached the commissioners during the public meeting, which was recessed until a public hearing was conducted.

David Cutright, director of treasury operations, said they are requesting to proceed with up to $230 million in new bond financing plus potential debt refinancing.

The county assumes no responsibility other than granting approval, as required, under the federal Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 and the Municipal Authorities Act of 1945.

In addition to the $230 million Geisinger expects to spend in funding new health care facilities and equipment, Cutright said up to another $570 million of bonds may be used to replace existing debt if interest rates are favorable, for a total bond issue of up to $800 million.

However, he added, no more than $300 million is likely.

Proceeds from the proposed bond issue will be used to benefit patients served by Geisinger through acquisitions, renovation and construction in eight counties, including Northumberland, Centre, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Montour, Schuylkill and Union.

Cutright was joined by Dr. Maria Kobylinski, chair of community practice; Pam Cooke, operations manager; Al Neuner, vice president of facilities operations; Lori Gramley, litigation counsel, and Amber Wickard, public relations/marketing specialist.

When the public hearing was adjourned, the public meeting reconvened and the commissioners unanimously approved Geisinger's plan.

Commissioner Vinny Clausi thanked Cutright and his Geisinger associates for providing a large number of jobs for county residents and saving G-SACH from closing.

Commissioners Stephen Bridy and Rick Shoch reiterated Clausi's comments.

In other business during the 16-minute county meeting, the commissioners approved the authorization for Children and Youth Services to purchase a 2013 Dodge DR Caravan SE at a cost of $22,137 from Zimmerman Enterprise Inc. through the Costars Piggyback Program.

Second phase of renovation at Mountain View completed

COAL TOWNSHIP - Mountain View: A Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, in conjunction with Complete HealthCare Resources-Eastern Inc., announces that the second phase of a facility-wide renovation has beem completed.

The renovation is designed to enhance the experience of guests who require short-term rehabilitation, post-acute medical care or quality long-term nursing care. An open house is scheduled for Thursday.

The newly-renovated suite includes semi-private accommodations with individual flat-screen TVs, wireless Internet, new Cherry furniture, designer finishes and a newly-expanded lounge area. Two spa-inspired bathing suites were incorporated that provide a spa-like environment complete with designer tile whirlpool tubs. The newly-renovated suite is anticipated to being welcoming guests in the latter part of June.

Boil water advisory issued

EAST CAMERON TOWNSHIP - A boil water advisory is has been issued until further notice.

Paving planned

COAL TOWNSHIP - The Coal Township Street Department will be paving Arch Street from Ash Street to Woodlawn Avenue on Thursday and Friday. All residents must abide by the No Parking signs. Any vehicles not removed from this portion of Arch Street by 6 a.m. Thursday will be ticketed and towed.

Shamokin and Coal Township police have filed several felony charges against two local men for delivering Oxycodone pills to an informant during separate incidents in November and March.

Christopher Bachorik, 42, of 108 S. Fifth St., Apt. B., Shamokin, and Joshua Greenwood, of 35, of 1103 E. Race St., Coal Township, were committed to Northumberland County Prison after failing to post $15,000 and $30,000 cash bail, respectively, at their arraignments Tuesday before Magisterial District Judge John Gembic II.

Coal Township Patrolman Joshua Wynn and Shamokin Cpl. Bryan Primerano, who are members of the Northumberland-Montour Drug Task Force, filed three criminal complaints against Greenwood. The defendant was charged with three counts of delivery of a controlled substance, three counts of possession with intent to deliver controlled substance and two counts of criminal use of a communication facility in commission of a felony in connection with incidents in Coal Township and Shamokin on Nov. 2 and 20 and March 19.

According to the criminal complaints, in each instance, an informant advised police that Greenwood intended to delivery Oxycodone. The informant purchased from Greenwood four pills on Nov. 02, five on Nov. 20, and two on March 19. Police searched the informant and supplied "police controlled buy money" before each purchase.

Bachorik

Wynn charged Bachorik with delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility in commission of a felony in connection with an incident on March 22 in Shamokin.

According to a criminal complaint, an informant advised Wynn and Primerano during a meeting at the Shamokin Police Station that he had spoke to Bachorik by cell phone and made arrangements to purchase four Oxycodone pills.

Police searched the informant and supplied "police controlled buy money" before the purchase. The informant was under police supervision during the purchase, police said. The informant returned to the station with four pills, according to police.

COAL TOWNSHIP - A $29.9 million budget and small tax increase was approved for the Shamokin Area School District, and a former employee asked them to reconsider how some of the money is spent.

The 2013-2014 general fund budget for the district, $29,956,150, was approved by a unanimous vote; directors Ron McElwee, Jeff Kashner, Charles Shuey, Treina Mariano, Brian Persing, Robert Getchey, Tracey Witmer, Edward Griffiths and Bernie Sosnoskie voted for it.

A deficit of nearly $1.8 million will be erased by using funds from the district's reserve account.

The budget includes the expected property tax increase of 0.6869 mills, which is an additional 69 cents on each $1,000 of a property's assessed value, and raises the tax rate of 27.10 mills. The increase is the maximum allowed under state law without seeking voter referendum.

Taxes are levied against a property's fully assessed value. Each mill equals $1 for every $1,000 of the assessment. For a home assessed at $30,000, the tax bill under the new levy would be $813.19.

One mill of property tax generates about $65,000 based on the district's 84-percent collection rate.

Library

During public comment, former library teacher Annamae Kanuchok took exception to the "Run for the Playground" fundraiser, during which $4,000 was raised to purchase playground equipment for the elementary and annex schools. Elementary students helped to raise the money by collecting pledges for each lap they ran around the gym in 15 minutes.

"The money was raised on the back of the youngest, poorest and the most vulnerable of our students," Kanuchok said, who discussed the deplorable conditions at the elementary annex library, where she taught before being furloughed.

"The annex library is an embarrassment," she told the board. "There are so many books there being held together by book tape, and I only had a budget to purchase 53 new books for 1,200 students."

Kanuchok said students miss out on the enrichment of separate art, music and other classes.

"These students love music, but won't have a chance to explore that, because you took it from them," she said.

Board member Tracey Witmer was sympathetic to Kanuchok's words and spoke about the library at several points in the meeting. Witmer said she noticed while paying bills a number of tuition reimbursements for teachers and Act 93 reimbursements for administrators. In the case of the teachers, the amount paid was more than $1.000.

"Maybe some of those reimbursements can be donated back for the annex library," Witmer said. She made the same point when voting no, the lone dissenting vote, to hire fall sports coaches.

Other business

The following coaches, and their salaries, for fall sports were hired and approved by an 8-1 vote:

Football - Head coach Yaacov Yisrael, $3,485; assistants Randy Kehler, $2,468, Kurt Troxell and Ted Pietkiewicz, $1,530.

Junior high football - Head coach Ed Bailey, $2,331; assistant Dave Troxell, $1,020.

Boys soccer - Head coach Brandon Hockenbroch, $2,380.

Girls soccer - Head coach Matt Witmer, assistant Tony Rompolski, and volunteers Kelsey Goodman and Veronica Witmer, no salaries.

Cross country - Head coach Tammy Nazih, $2,380; assistant-Junior High coach Angela Golfieri, $1,105; volunteers Robert Cowder and Joelle Reed, no salaries.

Junior high girls basketball - Eighth grade head coach Ed Getchey, $1,275; Seventh grade head coach Eric Heim, $1,020.

Volleyball - Head coach Wanda Cook, $3,273; assistant Steve Cook, $2,331; volunteer Andrew Arnold, no salary.

All salaries were given a 15 percent reduction from the previous year.

The board also accepted the resignations of assistant boys basketball coach Anthony Carnuccio and head softball coach Christi Cryder.

Susquehanna Valley gas prices increased two cents this week to $3.469 per gallon.

National

Today's national average price for regular unleaded gasoline is $3.61 per gallon. This is 2 cents less expensive than one week ago and 4 cents less than one month ago, but it is 10 cents more than the same date last year.

Last week's national average moved higher because of sharp increases in retail prices for a handful of Great Lakes states. The near record-high prices in these states were because of continued low supplies and transportation challenges for wholesale gasoline in the Chicago market, particularly due to maintenance at the ExxonMobil refinery in Joliet, Ill., and the BP refinery in Whiting, Ind. Those same states have seen prices reverse course over the last week.

National gasoline markets in recent months have been driven by regional supply and production issues rather than by the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil, which has traded in a narrow $5 range. At the same time regional gasoline production and distribution concerns have eased and retail prices have inched lower, market-watchers have turned a wary eye to escalating geopolitical tensions in Syria. While Syria is not a major oil producing nation, there is the risk that fighting might spread to other countries in the region, and this has kept some upward pressure on crude oil prices. At the close of formal trading on the NYMEX last Friday, these tensions drove WTI to settle at $97.85 per barrel which was the highest mark since January. At the close of Monday's formal trading, WTI settled down 8 cents at $97.77 per barrel.

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

SUNBURY - The Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way Board voted by majority Tuesday not to release $11,300 of discretionary funding to the Susquehanna Council of Boy Scouts of America after four months of placing that money on pause while the national Boy Scouts of America organization reviewed its policy of not granting membership to open or avowed homosexuals.

The board's action was in response to the recent decision at the national Boy Scouts level to partly change its long-standing membership policy. The new policy states that youth members will not be excluded based on sexual orientation, but maintains a membership ban on open or avowed homosexual adults.

"We applaud the Boy Scout organization for including gay youth, but without any rationale, they've excluded gay adults," said Keri Albright, president and CEO of Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way. "I've called the National Boy Scouts office and asked for an explanation on their revised policy but have received no response."

United Way policy

United Way maintains a diversity and inclusion policy, which states that resources will support and fund community partners that provide programs to individuals regardless of sexual orientation, among other factors.

Documentation provided to United Way from the Susquehanna Council includes a non-discrimination policy, which states the Council "does not unlawfully discriminate... on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, ancestry, disability or handicapped status, veteran status, marital status, or political affiliation."

The majority of the United Way Board did not feel the local Council's policy met United Way's standards and mission, Albright said.

"It's a reality that some discrimination is still lawful, including discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation," she said.

The application received for 2013 funding from the Susquehanna Council of the Boy Scouts of America stated that the program for which funding is being requested targeted both youth and adult members. The Council applied for funding for the "Prepared. For Life" program. This year's application stated that United Way funding would be used to train 100 percent of the Council's 711 adult volunteer leaders in their positions, 100 percent of new youth enrolled, and 50 percent of 1,269 youth currently enrolled in the United Way service area.

Why stop now?

"People ask us, why stop funding the Boy Scouts now?" said Eric Rowe, United Way Board chair. "We've long funded the local Council on the belief - and through conversations - that they don't discriminate. However, when asked if they would state that publicly, they declined. As a board, we're also thinking about the young scout with a gay parent who wants to be a volunteer leader. The message that's being sent to that kid now is that his dad is not okay if he's gay, perpetuating a stereotype that United Way can't support."

Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way has been distributing donations specifically designated to the Susquehanna Council in payments that began in March. United Way will continue to do so, until those designations are paid in full. United Way will also continue to honor designations specifically in future campaigns, and as always, the application process reopens annually.

"The Boy Scouts undeniably have a long history of positively affecting both youth and adults, so this decision is less about other organizations and more about how Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way will lead in the communities we serve," said Albright. "We fund programs that reflect the value and practice of welcoming people of diverse backgrounds. We're not straight adults or gay adults. We're adults. There is strength in unity and that's what we're promoting."

Row said there is a need for programs like the Boy Scouts in the region.

"That's why we hope down the line, the Boy Scouts are eligible to receive funding for a program that reflects United Way's priorities and mission. Our motto is Live United," he said.

COAL TOWNSHIP — The township street department will pave Arch Street from Ash Street to Woodlawn Avenue Thursday and Friday. 

All residents must abide by the no parking signs. Any vehicles not removed from this portion of Arch Street by 6 a.m. Thursday will be ticketed and towed.

NORTHUMBERLAND - A 6-year-old Shamokin boy was rescued Wednesday from the bottom of the pool at Liberty Splashdown in Northumberland.

According to The Daily Item in Sunbury, the boy, who was not identified, was administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation by lifeguards after being pulled from the pool. Witnesses told the newspaper his body was limp. He was reportedly not wearing a flotation device.

The boy was taken by ambulance to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, and he was reported to be conscious Wednesday evening.