AMERICAN RESCUE WORKERS FEEDING HUNDREDS
Over 800 families were provided for, with compassion, caring and food last Tuesday in Williamsport. According to SUN Gazette, the American Rescue Workers held their annual Holiday Food Distribution Tuesday. With the help of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, their susucessful event provided breakfast, lunch and dinner to those in need in Lycoming County.
LOCAL COVID-19 CASES FOR YESTERDAY
The Pennsylvania Department of Health released updated COVID-19 case information for yesterday. Centre County added 56 new infections. Clinton had 10. There were 32 new cases in Lycoming County. Tioga added 3. There were 27 new infections in Northumberland County, 24 in Union, four in Snyder and two in Montour County.
JUDGEMENT AGAINST COMPANY WILL NOT GET TO FIRED EMPLOYEES
No part of the $13 million judgement against a now obsolete company will be seen by the over 900 former Wood-Mode Inc. employees who lost their jobs, when the plant, located in Kreamer, Snyder county, suddenly closed in 2019 after being a working staple in the community for over seven years. In a lawsuit against Wood-Mode and its former owners, they were charged with violating the WARN Act. However, according to attorneys, those funds cannot be collected, as WARN only allows collection from the corporation and its assets, not the officers or directors. The current Wood-Mode LLC, according to the Daily Item, is owned by Bill French has no association with the former lawsuit or company.
HISTORICAL CHURCH CLOSES ITS DOORS
A Pennsylvania church with a 221-year history held its final service and is scheduled to close at the end of the year because of declining membership and attendance. The First Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, which is nearly as old as the borough itself, held the final scheduled service on Christmas Eve after having welcomed generations of families over the course of more than two centuries. The church was established in 1800 by the same men who founded Bellefonte in 1795 at a time when there were only 16 states and counted among its members two former Pennsylvania governors.
…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM TO 6 PM
EST MONDAY…Mixed precipitation expected with ice accumulations of up to one tenth of an inch. Total snow and sleet accumulations are expected to be an inch or less for portions of central Pennsylvania from 9 AM to 6 PM EST today. Drivers should plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute. The highest ice accumulations will be on the hill tops. Slightly higher snow and sleet totals may be found north of Lock Haven.
POLICE REMIND DRIVERS OF OPERATION SAFE HOLIDAY
The New Year’s Eve Holiday has historically resulted in an increase of impaired driving crashes and arrests. With this in mind, the Old Lycoming Police Department hopes to get drivers to think if they plan on celebrating with alcohol and other substances this holiday weekend. Police officers want to take this opportunity to remind drivers that preventing an impaired driving incident is simple. Remember to plan ahead, designate a sober driver and leave extra time to get to your destination. New Year’s weekend impaired driving/DUI Task forces statewide in addition to locally in Lycoming County will be part of Operation Safe Holiday, tasked with removing impaired drivers from the roadways.
THREATS TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL PERSONNEL GET MAN CHARGES
A Middleburg man threatened EMS personnel when they responded to his calls for help. According to State Police in Selinsgrove, Walter Long called 911 and asked for help, as he was suffering from a medical emergency. DH & L Emergency Services responded to the call and arrived to find Long. He became irate and threatened EMS, eventually even refusing all medical services. Police report charges were filed with the local District Justice.
KIDSBURG PLAYGROUND IN HUFNAGLE PARK
It is first of its kind, a new playground dedicated to first responders and the essence of volunteerism. The 8,500-square-foot Kidsburg Playground is set to be located in Hufnagle Park in Lewisburg. The dedicated ceremony, set up and prepared by the creators of the park, Playworld Systems in Lewisburg, will include the very latest in innovative play equipment featuring a yellow fire engine structure, with an opening in June 2022. According to the Daily Item, Hufnagle Park is named after Gorden Hufnagle, a 25-year Lewisburg Police Department Veteran, who lost his life, saving others, in the flood of 1972. The park will reflect the colors of the William Cameron Engine Company and the imagination of Playworld.
COACH RETIRES AND NEW ONE IS SOUGHT
Penn State women’s volleyball head coach Russ Rose announced his retirement today after 43 years leading the Nittany Lions. Rose retires from his post as the winningest coach in NCAA Division I women’s volleyball history with 1,330 victories in his illustrious career. Rose will remain in an advisory role within the athletics department. Katie Schumacher-Cawley will serve as interim head coach as Penn State opens a national search for its next head coach. Rose guided the Nittany Lions to seven NCAA titles, including four-straight championships, and 17 Big Ten crowns. He has been at the helm of all 41 of Penn State’s NCAA Tournament appearances, making the Nittany Lions the only team in NCAA history to appear in all 41 tournaments.
19TH ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF TREES
Two local businesses were recognized for their achievements in the 19th annual Festival of Trees. The Trail Inn of Cogan Station received the People’s Choice Award, and Professional Lawn and Landscape Co. of Trout Run was deemed “Best of the Festival.” The Salvation Army Williamsport Corps will present both businesses with plaques in January. The People’s Choice award winner was decided by the public voting for their favorite tree with monetary donations at the Lycoming Mall and at sponsoring businesses. The ornately decorated Trail Inn tree received upwards of twice as many votes over any other tree was the winner for the People’s Choice Award. The Best of the Festival award raised over $1,000 for the Salvation Army’s local programs and services. That tree was the Professional Lawn and Landscape Co.
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT CHRISTMAS TREE PROGRAM A SUCCESS
The South Williamsport Police Department’s first of its proposed annual Christmas Program helped upwards of 14 families in the South Williamsport and DuBoistown Boroughs. The ambitious program gave to those who were unable to provide gifts to children. Headed by a retired Jersey Shore Police Officer, who was very familiar with the program – as he ran it for years there, who is now the South Williamsport Mayor Marlin Angelo and also South Williamsport Police Officer Seth Stropp. Members of the South Williamsport Borough Council with South Williamsport Police Officers delivered the wrapped gifts to families on Christmas eve morning. According to Mayor Angelo, monetary donations for the Christmas Program will be accepted year round, to help make each year more successful than the last.
VOLUNTEERS NEED HELP
The state of volunteer firefighting is in a crisis. That is the assessment of Acting Pennsylvania State Fire Commissioner Thomas Cook and multiple fire officials in the state, nation and Valley. The current model of volunteer firefighting in Pennsylvania is based on the long-standing tradition going back to the 1700s when Ben Franklin founded the first volunteer department in Philadelphia. That model has continued virtually unchanged since that time, said Cook. The issues are complex. Cook and other fire leaders said they range from aversion to change to societal transformations of the family unit where both spouses are now working to increasing extracurricular activities for children. It means fewer people are coming out to fight fires, which leads to second and third alarms being called not due to the severity of the incident but to the lack of manpower.
OPERATION SAFE HOLIDAY
Operation Safe Holiday continues through New Year’s Day. Law enforcement will conduct impaired driving enforcement details, with zero tolerance toward drivers impaired by drugs or alcohol. According to PennDOT data, there were 1,175 crashes resulting in 31 deaths during the same period in 2019. Drivers are also reminded to obey Pennsylvania’s Move Over Law, which requires drivers to move over or slow down when they encounter an emergency scene, traffic stop, or disabled vehicle. The goal of the Move Over Law is to protect law enforcement, emergency medical providers, and other first responders when responding to crashes.
COMING AROUND THE CORNER TO HARRISBURG
The 2022 Pennsylvania Farm Show, Saturday, January 8 through Saturday January 15, will feature a return of fan-favorites like the 1,000-pound butter sculpture, famous Farm Show Food Court, bunny hopping and sheep shearing competitions (among hundreds of other competitive agricultural events), cooking demonstrations at the PA Preferred® Culinary Connection, and more than one million square feet of hands-on agriculture education opportunities and chances to engage with the people who power Pennsylvania’s $132.5 billion agriculture industry.
A LOCAL HERO FOR THOSE IN NEED
It has been five years since her first fundraiser. Since then, Cecilia Fink has raised over $60,000 towards a variety of local organizations and children. Some may call it fate, when her father, Jason Fink, just a week before Christmas, had an aortic dissection. When Cecilia experienced the outpouring of support, she knew she wanted to give back. According to SUN Gazette, it started with a collection for Nolan McLaughlin, when she made ear rings to see at First Fridays to help Nolan get his heart transplant. Now, she is older and a freshman in college, she continues to help those who need help in dire times. A forward thinker, Cecilia hopes to move her Be You Boldly earring sales to an online format so she can make her earrings and fundraise for charity wherever she goes.
