HARRISBURG WOMAN CHARGED WITH STEALING LAPTOP RELEASED TO CUSTODY OF HER MOTHER
The Pennsylvania woman who was charged with stealing a laptop from the US Capitol during the January 6th riots in Washington DC was released from prison into the custody of her mother late yesterday until her court appearance in federal court Monday. According to media outlets, 22 year old Riley June Williams turned herself in earlier this week for the theft, obstruction and trespassing charges. A Virginia-based FBI agent said Williams was recorded on closed-circuit cameras in the Capitol going into and coming out of Nancy Pelosi’s office. Williams will be under electronic monitoring, she has no prior criminal record.
SCHOOL DISTRICT AUDIT TURNS OUT POSITIVE
The results of the audit of the Williamsport Area School District determined that the district is in good shape financially despite the pandemic circumstances. According to the Sun Gazette representatives of Baker Tilly conducted the final audit for the district said even with the unprecedented situation caused by the health crisis, expenditures from the date of closure until the end of the school year that just were not incurred because schools were shutdown, so the the 2019-20 fiscal year was actually a good one for most school districts.
MIDDLEBURG TO GET NEW WATER SYSTEM
The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority or PENNVEST will fund a new infrastructure upgrade for Middleburg’s water system. The Middleburg Municipal Authority received $555,000 in grant money, and over $4 million in low interest loans to replace old cast iron and asbestos cement, iron piping, and replace the old reservoir with a 290,000 gallon concrete storage tank. According to the authority, there will be meter and control upgrades and water pressure may improve after the installation of a steel standpipe tank. PENNVEST offers grants and loans assisting municipalities with important water projects.
VACCINATIONS IN HIGH DEMAND
Geisinger Medical Center and other local entities are working hard to roll out the COVID-19 vaccine with an allocation of doses that has yet to match the demand from local residents seeking to be vaccinated. According to the hospital system media relations, people in the Phase 1A groups including people over 65, and those with high-risk medical conditions can schedule an appointment at any of the health system’s community-based vaccine centers online. It’s required to receive both vaccine doses at the same location and both appointments are scheduled at the same time. Anyone who is 18 or older can call 570-284-3657 to set up a MyGeisinger account.
WILLIAMSPORT PROPERTIES GET ATTENTION
There was a virtual public hearing this week in Williamsport that resulted in listing Williamsport city property as blighted and will allow the owners more time to complete a rehabilitation of the properties at 510 Rural Ave. and 928 High St. in the city. The four member board chaired by Patrick Marty decided the owner of the blighted property on High St. gets 9 months to make improvements, but the owner of the 510 Rural Ave., property was not at the meeting, so according to the Sun Gazette, Joseph Gerardi, city codes administrator said the house can be seized and either razed or sold to a developer to rehabilitate. The High St. property will be revisited by codes inspection in nine months and the report turned over to the committee.
COVID UPDATE
The Pennsylvania Department of Health said there were 5,664 additional positive cases of COVID-19 as of yesterday , and state is reporting 260 new deaths today, which takes PA across a milestone number of fatalities, 20,128 since the pandemic began. Lycoming County has 63 new cases reported, Northumberland has 40, Union County has 30, and Montour has 19. The COVID Tracking Project reports that Pennsylvania’s seven-day average of deaths reported hit its highest point in the pandemic earlier this month, but the numbers of patients in hospitals and intensive care units have continued to drop throughout January,
YOUTH SERVICE AGREEMENT APPROVED IN LYCO
The Lycoming County Commissioners voted this week to approve several youth agreements in the county. According to the Sun Gazette, Lycoming County Children & Youth Services Director Mark Egly said costs have increased by 2 percent from 2020, and range from $78.79 per day to $315.21 per day. The contract approved with Adelphoi Village, Inc. to cover foster care and residential care services. Contracts with Justice Works YouthCare, Inc. and Dwell Lycoming County were also approved.
BUCKNELL EDUCATORS INVOLVED IN SPACE DISCOVERIES
Local college educators and researchers are part of an international team making strides in Astrophysics. According to the Daily Item, Bucknell physics and astronomy professor Katelyn Allers and postdoctoral researcher Blake Pantoja have elped discover a new, low-mass binary planetary system located 450 light years from Earth. They recently released a study in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. The system is named Oph 98.
SPORTS
NBA
Lakers beat the Bucks 113 to 106, Jazz beat the Pelicans 129 to 118, Knicks beat the Warriors 119 to 104,
Tonight NBA
Nets play the Cavaliers in Cleveland and the 76ers and the Celtics tip off in Philly at 7:30, the Knicks and the Kings are in Sacramento at 10 PM Eastern.
NHL
Bruins beat the Flyers 5-4, Islanders beat the Devils 4-1, Lightning over the Blue Jackets 3-2, Jets beat the Senators 4-1, Canadians beat the Canucks 7-3, Kings over Avalanche 4-2, Panthers and Hurricanes were postponed.
NFL
The Conference Championships are Sunday at 3:05pm between the Buccaneers and the Packers, the Bills play the Chiefs at 6:40pm
HS Boys Basketball
Williamsport beat Altoona 67-43, Northumberland Christian over Bucktail 65-33
HS Girls Basketball
Selinsgrove beat Jersey Shore 57-22, Towanda beat Cowanesque Valley 55-19 , Wyalusing beat North Penn Liberty 55-43, Troy beat Canton 37-16, Athens beat Williamson 62-23
HS Wrestling
Montgomery defeated South Williamsport 61-6
