Friday, May 23, 2008

All charges going to court for man who burned down his house

MIDDLEBURG – All charges will go to court for the Mt. Pleasant Mills man accused of burning down his own house last month.  47-year-old Wayne Roemer appeared at a preliminary hearing in front of District Justice Willis Savidge Friday.  He faces a felony count of arson and a misdemeanor count of reckless endangerment.  Roemer admitted to setting the fire, which destroyed the home and caused $150,000 in damages.  He is in Snyder County Prison on $100,000 bail and is scheduled for a trial in July. (Sara Bartlett) 

Giving pay raises to several employees in Snyder County

MIDDLEBURG – 39 Snyder County employees will see their pay go up, effective June 1^st.  Snyder County Commissioner Malcolm Derk says the salary board approved pay raises for employees that were not being fairly compensated, with the pay scale now based on years of service to the county.  Judge Harold Woeful, the chief probation officer and the director of tax claims came up with more than $67,000 from their departments to cover the cost of the employee raises.  Commissioner Derk says minority commissioner Richard Bickhart was against the increases, saying he didn’t want to spend the money. 

Derk says under the old pay scale, Sheriff’s deputies were being paid less than some administrative positions.  With the pay increases approved, the deputies will now be paid the same as probation officers.  (Ali Stevens)

Representative Phillips happy about Governor’s boost for marina building

SUNBURY – Local legislators are pleased that the Shikellamy State Park Marina building project is moving forward thanks to a grant from Governor Ed Rendell.  State Representative Merle Phillips says the $2.5 million boost into the state’s capital budget is a step in the right direction.  Phillips says Rendell’s commitment to the project shows that the Governor thinks it is worthwhile for the region.  

The marina building will be used by a number of agencies for environmental study labs for six area colleges, offices for the Chesapeake Bay Commission, displays by the Fish and Boat Commission and more.  Phillips says the next step is to finish the architectural drawings for the building and then go out for bids and assess where the project is financially. (Sara Bartlett) 

Shamokin man facing up to 30 years in prison for selling drugs

SUNBURY – A Shamokin man was found guilty on a number of drug charges today Friday and now faces up to 30 years in prison.  46-year-old Daniel Ruskuski Sr. allegedly sold 22-year-old Hank Millard of Catawissa two patches of the painkiller Fentanyl in 2005.  Millard reportedly took the drugs and was found dead in his home the next day.  A toxicology report showed Millard’s death was due to an overdose of drugs.  Ruskuski denied any involvement with the death. 

In Northumberland County Court, Ruskuski was found guilty on charges of delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver, criminal use of communication and criminal conspiracy.  Because of his prior convictions of drug delivery, Ruskuski could face a maximum of 30 years in prison.  He will be sentence in the coming weeks. (Sara Bartlett)

One Lewisburg business owner not too happy about “Core Initiative” program

LEWISBURG – Big plans are in the works for downtown Lewisburg in an effort to connect the Bucknell University campus with the town.  Barbara Ross is the owner of Wilson Ross, an antique store in downtown Lewisburg that sits in the 400 block of Market Street where a proposed Barnes & Noble bookstore may soon be located.  She isn’t too happy about the idea, as her store will most likely be closed.

The Lewisburg Core Community Initiative has plans to close the Bucknell bookstore on campus, replacing it with a three-story commercial bookstore at the corner of Market & 4^th Streets downtown.  It’s just one of the many proposed ideas to connect the campus with the town and create more foot traffic.  Bucknell officials have previously said that the initiative would help local shops, and for the ones who would have to close, they would get help in relocating elsewhere in Lewisburg.  Ross says she doesn’t need help relocating, it’s the financial aspect that affects her and moving off the prime location of Market Street will probably put the store out of business.

Ross, who rents her space, says she was approached by the building’s owner with an offer to buy, but the store couldn’t afford it.  She says she doesn’t blame the building owner for wanted to sell it, and doesn’t blame Bucknell for wanting to buy it.  Other business owners in Lewisburg seem to have a positive outlook on the initiative and are grateful that Bucknell is willing to help make the downtown thrive.  A meeting for business owners and the public to learn more about the Lewisburg Core Community Initiative will be held Thursday May 29^th at 7:00p.m. in the Parkview at 6^th and Market Streets. (Sara Bartlett)

The Valley’s local leadership school is looking for enrollees

SUNBURY – Are you a natural born leader? The Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce is once again planning to offer the Leadership Susquehanna Valley class. The wide range of experiences would be helpful for people of all ages, according to Ryan Unger, a senior program analyst at SEDA-COG.

Unger is a graduate of the Leadership program and is now on the Leadership board, and he told us, their goal is to educate the members of the class about our region and prepare the students for community leadership. Also on the program, several other ‘leadership’ personnel and graduates. You can hear more about the leadership class this weekend on our Roundtable program. You can hear Roundtable Sunday on:

• Eagle 107 (107.3FM) at 6a.m.
• 100.9, The Valley, at 6a.m.
• WKOK at 9a.m.
• Talkradio 1380 WMLP, 11a.m.
• 94KX at 11p.m.

Shikellamy marina building project receives $2.5 million dollars

DANVILLE – The effort to turn the Shikellamy State Park Marina building back into a regional environmental center has received a $2.5 million boost from the governor of Pennsylvania. Skip Weider, who is the convener of Susquehanna River Heartland Coalition for Environmental Studies, said the money is being added to the state’s capital budget.

That means the governor supports the project, added it to the list of important projects which will require funding soon, and the governor does plan on releasing the money. Weider said the marina building will be used by the six colleges, state agencies, Trout Unlimited, Chesapeake Bay organizations and other partners, who will have a home for their meetings, research and education efforts.

The project will now move forward and has the support of local legislators. You can find out more about the Susquehanna River Heartland Coalition for Environmental Studies at www.srhces.org. WKOK is a partner in the coalition.

Attempted homicide charges filed after home invasion

MIFFLINBURG – One man is in custody and three others are at large after allegedly breaking into a Mifflinburg area home and attempting to kill its lone occupant. State Police say 22-year-old Robert Schreffler of Williamsport broke into a room occupied by 20-year old Carson Sampsell. The assailants allegedly struck Sampsell on the face and head with a pistol.

One of the suspects then pointed a gun at the victim and pulled the trigger. However, the gun did not discharge and the suspects fled the West Buffalo Township home at about 3:30 a.m. One shot was fired in the house, and Sampsell claims to know his assailants. Schreffler was arraigned before District Justice Leo Armbruster and charged with attempted homicide and burglary. (Sara Bartlett)

110th annual reunion for Northumberland High School held this weekend

NORTHUMBERLAND – The Northumberland High School Alumni Association is getting ready for their 110th annual reunion Saturday. The social event will also include a presentation of their two annual awards, the “alumnus of the year” and “senior student of the year. ”

Last year, lifelong Northumberland resident and 1941 graduate Jack Kerwin won the alumnus of the year award. Shikellamy High School student Blake Kimmey was honored as the senior student of the year. The Northumberland High School Alumni Association is the 2nd longest running alumni group in our area.

Association past President Ed Zerbe credits the group for keeping in contact with everyone and meeting every week to put together a great banquet. Last year, nearly 300 people attended the event and Zerbe says they plan to have that many, or more, this year. The banquet is held at the Front Street Station. (Sara Bartlett)

Beavertown Rose Garden to unveil new war memorial

BEAVERTOWN – Senator John Gordner (R-27th, Berwick) will be the guest speaker at a Memorial Day event at the Beavertown Rose Garden, featuring the unveiling of a new war memorial. A committee was able to secure a grant to pay for the memorial, honoring the veterans from Beavertown who have died in wars dating back to the Civil War.

Pat Saylor is the president of the garden association and says the garden is celebrating a 60-year anniversary. The land was first rented in 1948 from the Beaver Lutheran Church and a payment of one rose a month was paid in exchange for the garden. Since then 500 rose bushes were planted there.

Senator Gordner is scheduled to speak during the monument’s unveiling at 10:30 Monday at the rose garden, located across the street from the Beavertown Library. The county commissioners will also be in attendance along with a brass band and choir. The garden already has an existing monument, but decided a new monument was needed. (Ali Stevens)

The debut of Indiana Jones is here!

SELINSGROVE – Indiana Jones opened in theaters at 12:01 Thursday morning and fans are expected to flock to theaters this Memorial Day weekend. Movie Mike will review the movie on WKOK Friday, but he did encourage folks who are fans of the previous Indiana Jones movies to go see this one.

He also says you should buy your tickets early because there may be sell-out crowds. When it comes to the actors, Movie Mike says even though Harrison Ford is 65-years-old, it looks like he is having more fun then ever in the movie.

He adds that the return of Karen Allen, who was Indiana Jones’ love interest in the first movie, made a big difference in tying the new movie together with the previous films. Mike also felt Kate Blanchett did a great job playing the villain. His complete review can be found online at www.wkok.com. (Ali Stevens)

Barnyard improvements to be funded by Farm Bill

HARRISBURG – The U.S. Senate completed the override of a presidential veto Thursday, and enacted the Farm Bill. Pennsylvania Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation Matt Erhart says it includes $480 million dollars over five years to maintain watershed quality of the bay region.

It includes conservation funding such as barnyard improvements for small farms, enabling them to water livestock while preventing the herd from fouling streams. Erhart is based in Harrisburg and notes it will take awhile for upstream improvements to be noticed in the Bay itself.

The 82-13 vote in the Senate followed a 316-108 vote in the House Wednesday night. However, not all of the bill is becoming law right away because of a printing error. The version the president vetoed was missing 34 pages on international food aid and trade. That mistake may require sending the White House another bill.

Accelerated local bridge improvement proposed

HARRISBURG – More than a dozen bridges in the region could see repairs done more quickly if a proposed “Rebuild Pennsylvania Initiative” is approved. Locally, Snyder County has the greatest number targeted. They include three crossings of Mahantango Creek, bridges over Middle Creek in Penn, Union, Franklin and Beaver Townships, and a span of Penn’s Creek in Jackson Township.

Six bridges in Northumberland County are on the list of more than 1,100 statewide, including the Route 61 bridge over the North Branch of Shamokin Creek in Mount Carmel Township and the Route 225 bridge over Schwaben Run in Jackson Township.

Four in Union County and two in Montour County would also be covered by the measure, which needs state legislative approval and governor Ed Rendell’s signature. The governor says a sped up repair schedule would help beat price increases for construction material now estimated at 12% annually. (Matt Farrand)

Multiple thefts at a recycling center in Northumberland County

MILTON – A series of thefts have been reported at a recycling center near Milton. State police say on Tuesday and Thursday of last week, and Monday of this week, someone removed several items from Price’s Recycling off of Route 405 in West Chillisquaque Township, Northumberland County. State police say items removed include bags of aluminum cans, batteries, electric motors, iron, aluminum and copper.

Troopers say the known suspect, who has not been identified, then put the items on the ground near the front of the business and told employees he was selling the items. He received more than $424 from the business. He attempted the same scheme on Thursday, without success. The investigation continues. (Ali Stevens)

Local Ford dealer deals with announced production cuts

SUNBURY – Ford Motor Company says its cutting North American production for the rest of the year as high gas prices and the weak economy depress sales. We asked Tom Mertz of Sunbury Motors what that means for local buyers and Ford Dealerships.

Mertz says it will help them as they have an adequate supply of F-series vehicles on their lot and as time goes by, more rebates will be put on these vehicles and it will stimulate the local economy. They will be able to sell what they have on the lot without buying more product that isn’t selling as fast as they want it to.

Mertz says there is a new plan for Ford trucks in 2009, so Ford nationally will hold back on production of the 2008 F-series and proceed with the 2009 line. Mertz says the best sellers for them right now are the Ford cars, the Focus and the Fusion. However, if you prefer a truck or SUV, he says rebates are high, which can help buy a lot of gas. Nationally, Ford plans to increase its production of cars and crossovers as pick-up and SUV sales plummet. (Ali Stevens)

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