Pennsylvania Heroin Ring Bust Nets 10

Counties constituting the Happy Valley Region of Pennsylvania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Police arrested 10 people for drug possession and distribution offenses, marking the second phase in the dismantling of a heroin ring operating in Centre and Lycoming counties, Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane announced Thursday.

Evidence and testimony regarding the alleged drug network was presented to a statewide investigating grand jury, which recommended the criminal charges.

The grand jury found a New York heroin and cocaine source was living in Pleasant Gap and using residents to make drug deliveries in the State College and Williamsport areas, according to prosecutors. Investigators said agents used court-ordered wiretaps to determine area users and dealers were also getting heroin from contacts in Philadelphia and Williamsport.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/Alleged_heroin_ring_bust_nets_10.html#oA5Wd1EHG1HqFzOj.99

Mother Of Montoursville Flight 800 Victim Surprised At New Crash Cause Claim

This photograph is part of the National Transportation Safety Board accident report for TWA Flight 800. The date on the photograph shows as May 20, 1997. It is figure 29 of the report, which is described as: A photograph of the large three-dimensional reconstruction, with the support scaffolding visible. Uploaded at full size as pulled from the report. URL of this report: http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/2000/AAR0003.pdf (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

MONTOURSVILLE — Claims of proof that the cause of the TWA Flight 800 crash in 1996 was an external detonation comes as a surprised to a mother of one of the 21 people from Montoursville, Pa., who died aboard the plane.

Irenay Weaver, whose daughter Monica was one of the 16 Montoursville High School students killed, said she was feeling disbelief upon learning Wednesday that former investigators of the crash are making that claim in a documentary that’s slated to be released next month.

Weaver questioned why people will not let it go.

“We’ve let it go,” she said of the victims’ families. “I don’t think we will ever know (the cause.).”

Read more:  http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/06/mother_of_montoursville_flight.html#/0

Study: Poor Health Habits Prevalent In Northeast Pennsylvania

Counties constituting Northeastern Pennsylvania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A project aimed at establishing a benchmark of regional residents’ health reinforced something already known — Northeastern Pennsylvania residents, generally speaking, are not very healthy.

The study, conducted by the Scranton-based Northeast Regional Cancer Institute, was done so the effects of the Marcellus Shale industry on the region’s health can be gauged in the future.

“We wanted to create a baseline on the health of the community to use as a benchmark against future studies to see what effects, if any, and to what extent the industry will have had on the region’s health,” said Bob Durkin, president of the Cancer Institute.

Dr. Samuel Lesko, principal investigator for the survey, said a variety of issues related to “fracking” and other processes used to produce natural gas have contributed to community concerns about potential adverse health outcomes.

Read more:  http://www.timesleader.com/news/local-news/405891/Study:-Poor-health-habits-prevalent-in-region

Marcellus Shale Yield Skyrockets In Allegheny County

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Allegheny County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The amount of Marcellus Shale gas produced in Allegheny County more than doubled in the first half of 2012, with nine online wells concentrated in Frazer and Fawn producing more than 3.6 billion cubic feet of gas, according to new data released by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Even with the increase, the county still contributed a pittance to total statewide production figures.

Gas production across the state climbed from January to June, with 704 billion cubic feet of gas produced, up from the 630 billion cubic feet reported from July to December 2011.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/marcellusshale/county-marcellus-shale-yield-skyrockets-649379/#ixzz246GMjMrr

Williamsport Cuts 35 School Positions

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lycoming County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WILLIAMSPORT, PA – Thirty-five positions are eliminated under a $75.5 million budget approved by the Williamsport Area School Board for the next fiscal year.

The board also is increasing its property tax by .339 of a mill to balance the budget, approved by a 5-2 vote this week.

Faced with a multi-million dollar deficit due to decreased or flat state subsidies against rising personnel, insurance and pension costs, the board voted 6-1 to eliminate 15 teaching jobs and 20 support staff. Eight of the 45 took voluntary layoff. The layoffs are effective July 1.

“Everyone is not happy … for the number that we furloughed, but it could have been worse,” said Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Kelley.

Read more: http://www.lockhaven.com/page/content.detail/id/539537/Williamsport-cuts-35-school-positions.html?nav=5009

Construction Begins On 70-Megawatt Wind Farm In Northern Lycoming County

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WILLIAMSPORT, PA — Seven years after the project was announced, a subsidiary of Duke Energy has started construction on a 70 megawatt wind farm on Laurel Hill Ridge off Route 14 in northern Lycoming County.
    
Half the pads for the 30 turbines have been poured, and Laurel Hill Wind Energy of Rutland, Vt., anticipates the more than $150 million project will be in production by late summer, spokesman Robert Charleboif said Tuesday.

Read more: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/01/construction_begins_on_70-mega.html

Williamsport Ranks Among 25 Safest Metro Areas In U.S.

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A recently released report on crime in American cities ranks the city among the 25 safest metropolitan areas in the nation.

CQ Press, an independent publishing company that releases the report each year, ranked the Williamsport metropolitan area, which includes all of Lycoming County, as 21st in the nation out of 354 metropolitan areas.

The statistics compiled by the company are based on the number of crimes, including homicides, rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts, reported to the FBI in 2008.

Read more: http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/572032/DA–Rankings-reinforce-statistics-suggesting-crime-trending-downward.html?nav=5011

Marcellus Shale Gas Boom Has A Downside – Crime

In a modern-day echo of the raucous Old West, small towns enjoying a boom in oil and gas drilling are seeing a sharp increase in drunken driving, bar fights and other hell-raising, blamed largely on an influx of young men who find themselves with lots of money in their pockets and nothing to do after they get off work.

Authorities in Pennsylvania and other states are quick to point out that the vast majority of workers streaming in are law-abiding. But they also say the drilling industry has brought with it a hard-working, hard-drinking, rough-and-tumble element that, in some places, threatens to overwhelm law enforcement.

Read more: http://www.stargazette.com/article/20111029/NEWS01/110290358/Pa-towns-see-crime-surge-amid-gas-boom?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Lycoming County Declared Disaster Area As A Result Of Flooding

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Record-breaking flooding is occurring in parts of Lycoming County.  Hughesville, Picture Rocks and Glen Mawr were evacuated due to rising waters from Muncy Creek.

Loyalsock Creek is flooding at record levels and causing major problems.  Many roads are closed as a result of flooding.

Muncy police are requesting that people only travel if necessary in the borough.

Kohl’s New Downtown Williamsport Store Holding Job Fair Starting Tomorrow

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If you need a job and live in the Williamsport vicinity, Kohl’s new downtown store is hiring 130 people.  The store will hold its grand opening on September 28th.

To read the article from the Williamsport Sun and get information about the job fair, click here:  http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/566968/Kohl-s-to-hire-130-employees–prior-to-opening-next-month.html?nav=5011

Williamsport Scores A New Kohl’s Store Downtown

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Kohl’s will be building a brand new store in downtown Williamsport.  The city will once again have a major department downtown.  The store will be built at Third and Williams Sts.  Construction will begin over the summer and the store is projected to open in October. 

The City of Williamsport owns the lot and was paid $1.6 million now and will receive another $1 million after the site pad is prepped on March 15^th.  That will certainly fill the city coffers.

Williamsport, like many cities, lost much of their downtown after the Lycoming Mall opened and as strip shopping centers and big box retailers sprung up around the city and suburban areas.  I remember shopping at L.L. Stearns & Sons downtown back in the 60’s and 70’s.  Stearns was Williamsport’s big downtown department store back in the day.

Congratulations to Williamsport city officials for their perseverance.  It paid off handsomely.