Saturday, April 19, 2008
Area woman dies after two-vehicle crash
ELYSBURG – A Shamokin woman is dead after a two-vehicle crash in Northumberland County Friday morning. State Police say 27-year-old Nicole Sheriff was driving on Route 54, near Elysburg, when she crossed the centerline of the highway. Her vehicle struck another vehicle nearly head-on. Sheriff was flown to Geisinger Medical Center and succumbed to her injuries Friday.
The driver of the second vehicle involved in the crash was 46-year-old Shaun Recla of Danville. Recla was also taken to Geisinger, where he was treated and released. Route 54 was closed for about an hour and a half following that crash in Rush Township around 5:45 Friday morning. (WKOK)
Teen leads police on chase in stolen car
LEWISBURG— An area teen led police on a high-speed chase in a stolen car in Union County last night. The Daily Item reports that an unnamed 16-year-old male from Winfield, led officers on the chase after police attempted to pull him over for faulty equipment. The incident started along Route 15 in Lewisburg and ended when the teen lost control of the car and crashed at the Route 405 intersection.
East Buffalo Township police say the teen did not have a valid driver’s license and it was discovered that he had stolen the car just minutes before the chase occurred. The incident occurred around 10 last night. The teen was taken to Evangelical Community hospital for minor injuries. (Sara Lauver)
Lycoming College welcomes Barack Obama
WILLIAMSPORT – U.S. Senator Bob Casey welcomed Barack Obama to Lycoming College in Williamsport Friday. Over 2,000 supporters greeted Obama. Obama spoke and then took questions from the audience.
The democratic presidential hopeful first responded to those who question why he is running so early in his career, and he answered with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, saying it’s the ‘fierce urgency of now.’ He says America cannot wait to fix schools, healthcare, the economy and the war.
Obama spoke about gradually pulling troops from Iraq, investing in energy efficient technology like wind, solar and bio-diesel and his stance on registering illegal immigrants so that they can become legal citizens. He also answered questions about paying for higher education and a revision of ‘No Child Left Behind.’
Obama ended by saying he has faith in the Democratic Party and whatever differences he has with Senator Hillary Clinton, they pale in comparison to those of Senator John McCain. From Williamsport, Obama went to a rally in Philadelphia. Saturday he will speak in Lancaster, then on the steps of the state capitol in Harrisburg. (Sara Bartlett)
Thousands of Obama supporters come out to Williamsport
WILLIAMSPORT – It was a big day in Williamsport…that was an often-heard phrase as hundreds waited outside of Lycoming College’s Lamade Auditorium to hear democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama speak.
Lewisburg resident Selicia Swartz was a volunteer at the event, and says she was excited to be involved, she said she just turned 18 and it’s fun to get involved, help support jobs and the economy and get behind a candidate she can support.
Some drove as far as Annapolis, Maryland and Reading for the event. Obama showed his usual confidence and laid back character, sometimes even coming into the audience to let those with questions use his microphone. The speech was sold out, with over 2,000 people in attendance. (Sara Bartlett)
Market higher, though local stocks mostly lag
NEW YORK – Losses announced by financial giant Citigroup were less than expected, hence many stocks ended the week on an upbeat note. However, losers outnumbered gainers among stocks of local interest.
Food producers Sara Lee, Conagra, and utility PPL Corp retreated, as did a number of banks of local interest. M&T Bank settled down a fraction, MidPenn Bancorp was down more than 1.2% and FNB Corp fell more than 5.0% to 16 dollars per share. The Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust lost a fraction to 25.05. Community Health Systems dropped less than a quarter of a percent to 36.46.
But Sovreign Bancorp gained nearly 4.0% to 9.29, homebuilder Fleetwood Enterprises was up nearly 5.0% to more than 4 dollars per share, and pipeline operator Sunoco Logistics ended the week higher at 51.30. Meantime, the Dow Industrials gained more than 225 points on Friday to 12,849. It gained 4.3% for the week in spite of record high oil prices. (Matt Farrand)
University searches for successor to coach Pat Flannery
LEWISBURG – Bucknell Head Coach Pat Flannery will leave the Bison with a record of 234 wins and 178 losses, including 125 wins in the Patriot League. But he will be most notably remembered for guiding the team to consecutive Patriot League men’s basketball championships.
“Voice of the Bison” Doug Birdsong says it’s an achievement unlikely to be duplicated any time soon. The Bison defeated both the Universities of Kansas and Arkansas in their NCAA Division I tournament appearances.
Friday it was announced that Coach Flannery is stepping down from the head coaching position effective July 1st. He will remain with the University in a fundraising capacity. Flannery’s career coaching the Bison is the most successful coaching career in Patriot League history. University president Brian Mitchell says a search for a successor is underway. (Matt Farrand)
Danville CDC holds fundraising event
DANVILLE— The Danville Child Development Center is holding its second annual celebrity waiter event today. The event is being held today at Caldwell Consistory in Bloomsburg. Proceeds go to the Center, which is a non-profit agency committed to providing high quality early learning experiences for area children. More information is posted on the Center’s website at www.danvillecdc.org.
Volunteers meeting to clean up fishing area in Union County
WEIKERT— Trout Unlimited is sponsoring a clean-up event in Union County Saturday morning. Volunteers are asked to meet at the Union County Sportsmen's Club in Weikert to help clean up debris in and around the “Fish for Fun” area. The project will start at 9 a.m. and shuttles will be available so that the cleanup can take place there and along Penns Creek.
Conference to be held on post-traumatic stress disorder
DANVILLE— It was first pinpointed in Vietnam War veterans, and today, post-traumatic stress disorder is affecting many. Dr. Joseph Boscarino, with Geisinger Health Systems, says the disorder can be seen in anyone who has suffered traumatically in the past. He says that includes soldiers coming home from the Iraq War, or even someone who had a troubled childhood.
Boscarino says more research needs to be done, but progress is being made. Boscarino has been researching the disorder for nearly 30 years. He say Geisinger Medical Center will host a national conference next month, which will address the disorder and those who have been affected by it. (WPGM)
Woman sues over trip to Middleburg in police car
MIDDLEBURG – A York County woman is filing a lawsuit against Snyder County and District Attorney Mike Sholley. According to the Patriot-News, Marci Bittner, of Spring Grove, claims her constitutional rights were violated after being handcuffed and driven to Middleburg in a police car for failing to honor a subpoena in Snyder County.
Bittner says a member of Sholley’s staff agreed to arrange transportation for the 87-mile drive to attend her ex-husband’s criminal trial, but when police arrived to her home, she was reportedly handcuffed and served a bench warrant.
She alleges that the trip to Middleburg was in a sweltering hot car and that he rights were violated because she was subjected to excessive physical force. Sholley has said that Bitter never was promised transportation, and that all of the proper procedures were followed. The suit seeks unspecified damages, it was filed Wednesday in U.S. Middle District Court.
Merrill Linn Conservancy hosts day of free events
LEWISBURG – Celebrate Earth Day this weekend with the Merrill Linn Land & Waterways Conservancy’s Caring for Communities. The 5th annual event to be held Sunday puts the spotlight on agriculture, wildlife and music.
All of the events are free and include workshops for kids, bluebird house building, live bat presentations, string music, Celtic and Appalachian flute music and talks about honeybees. Lunch and snacks will also be served and the day will round down with a performance by Larry Lawson and the Lawson and Disorder Trio.
The event will be held Sunday outside of Lewisburg on the Dale/Engle/Walker property on Strawbridge Road, off of Route 192 from 1:00p.m.-5:00p.m. Everyone is encouraged to attend this free event. (Sara Bartlett)