MILTON - Individuals and teams of students from 11 school districts within the five-county Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit (CSIU) area excelled at the Pennsylvania Middle School and High School Computer fairs.

Held at the CSIU, this year's computer fairs were sponsored by the CSIU Technology Group. CSIU Executive Director Dr. Kevin Singer welcomed students.

"The work you prepared for today's competition is the kind of experience that will serve you well in the future," Singer said. "Your pieces are not just creative works blending technology with art, they are also products of your problem-solving and communication skills."

More than 100 students displayed skills in six different categories: computer fair logo; digital movie; graphic design; web page design; programming; and animation.

Line Mountain High School student Haillie Brownawell created promotional materials for a fictitious restaurant and submitted her works in the graphic design category.

"I placed second last year with my graphic design entry, and decided I would push myself to go higher for this year's competition," said Brownawell.

Fourteen judges with expertise in each category determined the winners. Projects were judged on a clear understanding of the use of design tools and principles and students were given feedback on their submissions.

The fairs are held annually to highlight students' application skills and computer knowledge. The CSIU was one of 25 intermediate units statewide that hosted the high school competition and one of 23 to host the middle school fair.

First-place winners in each category will advance to the state competition at Dickinson College in May.

The following students placed in the competition:

Computer fair logo

Middle school: first, Patrick Bradigan, Shamokin Area; second, Ivy Savidge and Paige Sherman, Shamokin Area; third, Stephen Eyerly, Central Columbia.

High school: first, Mike Lessing, Line Mountain; second, Angela Vought and Jasmine Olvany, Southern Columbia Area.

Digital movie

Middle school: first, Willow Perkins, Cassie Coombe and Hannah Rafel, Central Columbia; second, Adele Stefanowicz, Megan Osborne and Emma Padner, Central Columbia; third, Claire Woodward and Elizabeth Bodenman, Central Columbia.

High school: first, Mary Rose Latorre, Josh Tomedi and Eric Joraskie, Mount Carmel Area; second, Erica Roberts and Dakota Milo, Berwick Area; third, Dylan Yocca, Milton Area.

Graphic design

Middle school: first, Madison Shurock and Natasha Nevis, Mount Carmel Area; second, Madeleine Lyash, Mount Carmel Area; third, Lauren Parsons and Ashley Miller, Southern Columbia Area.

High school: first, Haillie Brownawell, Line Mountain; second, Dylan Matukaitis, Mount Carmel Area; third, Hannah Fetterolf, Mount Carmel Area.

Webpage design

Middle school: first, Autumn McDonald, Katelynn Kujpers and Veronica Polyniak, Southern Columbia Area.

High school: first, Haily Moody, Shikellamy; second, Courtney Gibson, Michelle Otte and Zachary Kishbaugh, Berwick Area; third, Kogan Mitchell, Midd-West.

Programming

High school: first, Dylan Bostian, Lewisburg Area; second, Bruce Dewald, Millville Area; third, Wesley Davis, Berwick Area.

Animation

Middle school: first, Eijah Hoffman, Chase Urban and Michael Steele, Southern Columbia Area; second, Carson Quinn, Sydney Zartman and Marcos Velazquez, Shamokin Area.

High school: first, Luke Zeisloft, Brooke Snyder and Eric Mosier, Millville Area; second, Matt Kenney, Shikellamy.

LCCC dean's list

SHAMOKIN - Luzerne County Community College announces the following area students have earned recognition for outstanding academic achievement during the fall 2011 semester.

To qualify for the president's list, a student must earn a 4.0 cumulative grade point average. Students who attain a grade point average between 3.5 and 3.99 are included on the dean's list, and those with an average between 3.25 and 3.49 are included on the honors list.

President's list - Jillianne Bartholomew, of Shamokin; Jennifer Carr, of Sunbury; Amanda Conrad, of Elysburg; Kathleen Daniels, of Atlas; Brooke Derr, of Coal Township; Amanda Feudale, of Kulpmont; Shannon Getchey, of Kulpmont; Kevin Hauer, of Coal Township; Erika Herr, of Catawissa; Sheila Hojnacki, of Coal Township; Brandon Kazar, of Sunbury; Brandy Kerstetter, of Shamokin; Janessa Klinger, of Pitman; Roman Kostyk, of Catawissa; Alisha Lebo, of Trevorton; Kelsey LeVan, of Elysburg; Christopher Medon, of Elysburg; Abriel Newton, of Elysburg; Cassandra Niglio, of Kulpmont; Rebecca Noles, of Shamokin; Brian Saxton, of Sunbury; Heidi Segura, of Shamokin; Dillon Smith, of Mount Carmel; Susan Snyder-Strawser, of Sunbury; Hannah Stone, of Elysburg; Ariel Tucker, of Sunbury; Brian Turlis, of Kulpmont; Jessie Yost, of Shamokin.

Dean's list - Mark Anonia, of Paxinos; Kyle Bainbridge, of Shamokin; Abigail Beach, of Shamokin; Jeremy Berkheiser, of Paxinos; Taryn Borich, of Sunbury; Theresa Bressi, of Kulpmont; Heather Brown, of Dalmatia; Jessica Brown, of Shamokin; Virginia Brown, of Shamokin; Nicole Cervellero, of Shamokin; Brandon Clayton, of Coal Township; Brandon Cohick, of Coal Township; Hevyn Dimm, of Paxinos; Andrew Dormer, of Ranshaw; Kelly Forbes, of Shamokin; Nicole Freed, of Ashland; Jaclyn Gaugler, of Dornsife; Stephanie Geise, of Shamokin; Diane Gidaro, of Kulpmont; Amanda Hartman, of Paxinos; Ashlee Hoch, of Herndon; Anthony Holobovich, of Shamokin; Natasha Holtzapple, of Shamokin; Jennifer Honicker, of Locust Gap; Joshua Hornberger, of Kulpmont; Joshua Jurewicz, of Sunbury; Sandeep Kaur, of Sunbury; Kelsey Kodack, of Sunbury; Joseph Kort, of Marion Heights; Victoria Kramer, of Shamokin; Lindsey Lahr, of Coal Township; Kayla Masser, of Shamokin; Rebecca Megosh, of Mount Carmel; Shanda Mensch, of Coal Township; Brittany Miller, of Coal Township; Megan Minnig, of Atlas; Veronica Moore, of Coal Township; Courtney Munson, of Coal Township; Paula Palmitessa-Hardin, of Coal Township; Hailey Pitcher, of Coal Township; Cecilia Plisiewicz, of Mount Carmel; Rachel Rebuck, of Paxinos; Elizabeth Rogers, of Catawissa; Amy Sadusky, of Locust Gap; Justin Santore, of Ranshaw; Samantha Shevitski, of Coal Township; Rebecca Shoup, of Elysburg; June Steiner, of Catawissa; Kyle Stevens, of Herndon; Cynthia Thomas, of Coal Township; Tonya Wariki, of Kulpmont; Rachael Williams, of Mount Carmel; Sabrina Wills, of Mount Carmel; Angel Wright, of Shamokin; Cassy Yost, of Coal Township; Maggie Young, of Coal Township; Natalie Young, of Shamokin; Philip Zalar, of Coal Township.

Honors list - Ryan Bourinski, of Coal Township; Tanya Hancock, of Catawissa; Angela Henninger, of Mount Carmel; Marianne Honicker, of Coal Township; Christopher James, of Coal Township; Brittany Laudenslager, of Sunbury; Kiley McCormick, of Shamokin; Kaitlin Peeler, of Shamokin; Heather Peterson, of Shamokin; Jolene Reich, of Kulpmont; Derek Rompolski, of Coal Township; Jamie Ruzicka, of Sunbury; Diane Sherupski, of Coal Township; Charles Sienkiewicz, of Catawissa; Craig Smedley, of Mount Carmel; Steven Smith, of Elysburg; Rose Stine, of Elysburg; Brian Strocko, of Mount Carmel; Laura Thew, of Coal Township; Jared Trelinski, of Paxinos; Jenelle Wagner, of Shamokin; Evan Williams, of Paxinos; Randall Witcoskie, of Shamokin; Amanda Yucha, of Kulpmont.

SUNBURY - A 33-year-old Mount Carmel man convicted of assaulting a state prison correctional officer in 2010 in the borough was sentenced Monday to 3 1/2 to 7 years in a state correctional institution.

In addition to the state prison sentence, Jason M. Bozarth was ordered by Northumberland County Judge William H. Wiest to pay $1,700 in fines and make restitution totaling approximately $22,450.

Bozarth was charged by Mount Carmel Cpl. Christopher Buhay with assaulting Richard McPeak of Mount Carmel, a state correctional officer, on Aug. 18, 2010, in the area of Market and Sixth streets in Mount Carmel. McPeak suffered a broken jaw and numerous cuts, scrapes and abrasions in the assault, police said.

Wiest sentenced Bozarth to 3 1/2 to 7 years in state prison on a felony offense of aggravated assault and ordered him to pay a $1,000 fine plus an assortment of costs. He also sentenced the defendant to 2 1/2 to 5 years in state prison on a felony charge of criminal conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and ordered him to pay a $500 fine plus costs. That sentence runs concurrent to the sentence imposed on the aggravated assault charge.

Two misdemeanor counts of simple assault and one misdemeanor count of recklessly endangering another person merged with the aggravated assault offense for sentencing purposes.

The judge also ordered Bozarth to pay a total of $200 in fines plus costs on summary offenses of disorderly conduct and harassment.

The defendant must undergo anger management classes.

Bozarth was convicted Feb. 17 on all counts at the conclusion of a two-day jury trial presided over by Wiest.

Northumberland County Assistant District Attorney William Cole, who prosecuted the case, said Bozarth was ordered to pay $22,000 in restitution to the Pennsylvania Employee Trust Fund for medical bills incurred by McPeak, approximately $300 to the victim and an estimated $150 to the Victims Compensation Assistance Program.

Bozarth was represented at his sentencing by Northumberland County Conflicts Counselor Michael Seward.

SUNBURY - A 21-year-old Mount Carmel man charged with making an obscene gesture in front of two young girls in late September was placed on two years supervised probation Monday by Northumberland County Judge Charles Saylor.

Rudy Huhn, who pleaded guilty in November to misdemeanors of obscene and other sexual materials and unlawful contact with a minor, must serve the first three months of his sentence on house arrest. He also was ordered by Saylor to pay a $25 fine plus costs.

Huhn, who was represented at his sentencing by Northumberland County Public Defender Michael Romance, must avoid all contact with the two victims. The defendant, who was deemed not to be a sexually violent predator, is required to register with state police for 10 years after completing his sentence and provide all required information for each registration, including verification of his residence and compliance with counseling.

Additional charges of corruption of minors and disorderly conduct were not prosecuted.

Northumberland County Assistant District Attorney Melissa Norton represented the commonwealth at sentencing.

Huhn was charged by Coal Township Detective Jeff Brennan with rubbing his genitals, with his pants still on, against a fence post in front of two girls, ages 10 and 11, on Sept. 29 at a playground near the Ferndale ballfield.

During an interview with police, Huhn admitted he intentionally stopped at the playground to watch the children. He also told police that he wanted the girls to see him rubbing his genitals.

Special SASB meeting set

COAL TOWNSHIP - A special meeting of Shamokin Area School Board will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the cafeteria of Shamokin Area Middle/High School. Work session begins at 7 p.m. The public is welcome to attend.

AAUW offering scholarship

DANVILLE - The Anthracite Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) is accepting applications for the "Anthracite Branch Award for a Non-Traditional Student." Women five or more years past high school age who are currently enrolled in a BS, BA or associate degree program and are residents of Columbia, Montour or Northumberland counties or the Berwick School District area of Luzerne County, are eligible to apply for this award.

Students must submit a one-page essay on the topic provided on the application. The essay and application form are due April 30. The winner of the $500 Award will be chosen by the Anthracite Branch Award Committee.

For more information, contact Anthracite Branch AAUW at 1905 S & H Avenue, Danville 17821, or porkey72@aol.com (subject line: AAUW Award).

Stock Market Game results delayed

EconomicsPennsylvania, which sponsors the Stock Market Game locally, was unable to obtain last week's results from the New York City firm that compiles them in time for publication in Sunday's News-Item. The Week 8 results will be published, along with Week 9 tallies, this Sunday.

LUZERNE - On Sunday, March 11, the Central Pennsylvania District of the Calvert Province of the Fourth Degree of the Knights of Columbus held its bi-annual meeting at Maria Assumpta Council 3987. Representing 21 assemblies, 70 Sir Knights attended the District meeting.

Delegates from Bishop Lawrence F. Schott Assembly 959 of Mount Carmel were David Berezovske and Thomas Buehl, and George Kroutch was an alternate delegate. The meeting was under the direction of Master James Bailoni, also of Assembly 959.

The exemplification for those candidates taking the Fourth Degree will be held Sunday, June 3, at the Fernwood Resort, Bushkill.

The Mount Carmel assembly received the Civic Award for its patriotic activities during the past fraternal year. Bailoni presented the award to Kroutch, who accepted on behalf of the assembly.

Bailoni was recommended again to the Supreme Council as master. Others who were referred were John Burns, Assembly 980, and James Bower, Assembly 925. Auditors appointed were Thomas Whitehead, Thomas Roccograndi and Raymond Montoni.

The Fourth Degree of the Knights of Columbus was established on Feb. 22, 1900, on the principle of patriotism - love for and devotion to one's country - and Knights focus the majority of their activities on this principle. The Schott Assembly 959 was formed in 1954.

KULPMONT - A good portion of Kulpmont Borough Council's meeting Tuesday night featured an unpleasant topic - garbage.

Council reviewed a revamped draft of the borough's 2005 garbage ordinance presented by Stephanie Niglio, but many members were not in agreement with it.

Council questioned certain parts of the ordinance that were unclear. Niglio explained the wording wasn't changed from the original ordinance in 2005, so there was probably content included from the original ordinance in the 1960s.

"There is a section that talked about having wood stockpiled in the kitchen, but we don't allow that anymore. That might have been when there were coal and wood stoves in kitchens, but not anymore," Kulpmont mayor Myron Turlis said.

At one point, Niglio became frustrated with the discussion, calling it "nitpicking."

"The ordinance was first made when two men who made their bread and butter as garbage men parked their garbage trucks on the street overnight and people complained," Niglio said. "Today, we have the problem of people who are stockpiling their garbage, not paying a refuse hauler to take it away and just letting it sit there."

"I understand what you are trying to do, but I'm the one that will get the phone calls to try to explain it," Turlis said. "Who will enforce this on the weekends?"

"I've gone around with my camera taking pictures and sending them to (code enforcement officer) John Timm," and if the garbage is still there on Monday, we cite them," Niglio replied.

The councilwoman agreed to consider the changes suggested and return the ordinace to council for a second review before making a motion to advertise it.

Niglio also talked about the pedestrian channelizing devices on borough streets, and their non-enforcement by police.

"I've had a number of people tell me that they have seen pedestrians cross and drivers are not stopping for them," Niglio said, questioning police chief Richard Wilson whether any citations have been given out.

"We haven't seen any violations," Wilson replied.

Niglio questioned how often police are checking for it; failure to stop carries a $50 fine. She also noted the signs are being damaged.

"There was a motorist that ran one over at the end of town, while the police car was parked at the Chinese restaurant, and nothing was done about it," she said. "One sign has been stolen, and we have not recovered it yet. I've had a lot of people say to me thank you for bringing them to town, but if this keeps up, I don't know how long they will be there."

Council announced PennDOT gave approval to Kulpmont to lower the speed limit through town to 25 mph, and the borough ordered new speed limit signs, at a cost of $930.75.

In other business, borough council opened two bids for the design and construction of a new borough building, which will house the administrative, business and police offices, and the borough's maintenance equipment.

Bids were received from Robert Feaster Construction of Northumberland at $1.620,000, and Bradco Supply of York at $1,366,342. They will be given to the borough's engineer for review.

A special resolution was presented to the players and coaches of the Mount Carmel Area Girls Basketball Team, for reaching the state Eastern finals and finishing with a 27-1 record this past season.

by justin strawser

LECK KILL - The Line Mountain School Board voted in favor Monday night of directing their project manager to finish the drawings and specs in preparation for bidding out additions to two district school buildings.

"I'm tired of messing around," President Troy Laudenslager said to the board and public at the Leck Kill Elementary School.

Josh Bower, Line Mountain project manager representing Crabtree, Rohrbaugh and Associates Architects, presented the updated plans to the board, and said if they wanted to have their schools ready by the 2013-14 school year, the project needed to be bid out by July and awarded by August of this year.

The current $5.6 million plan is to build a four-classroom addition to accommodate kindergarten through fourth grade with another two rooms for storage at the Trevorton Elementary School, and to built a fifth- and sixth grade wing to the junior-senior high school in Mandata.

It would also call for the elementary schools in Leck Kill and Dalmatia to be closed, and the students of those areas sent to the Trevorton school. However, before they can close the schools, a public hearing must be held.

Bower suggested earlier in the meeting that it would be logical to move the students during Christmas break in 2013, but Superintendent Dave Campbell quickly shot that idea down.

"There's no way we'll be able to do that in the middle of a school year," Campbell said.

Bower then said the board would have to give him direction that night if they wanted the project finished before the beginning of the 13-14 school year.

"Twelve months of time is plenty of time to complete this type of project," he said.

Directors Lauren Hackenburg and Lamont Masser said the addition to Trevorton was not necessary, and the school could accommodate all students.

However, Director Lawrence Neidig disagreed.

"We can skip and skive and kick the can down the road for the next board, but I'm looking out for the kids at this point," he said.

Before the vote was taken, several residents criticized the board for closing the two schools and making this final decision, but the board said no final decision had been made since no bids had been accepted.

"At this point, we've exhausted all the information. We are open to other options, if there are any," Laudenslager explained.

Directors Neidig and Denise Clouser made and seconded the motion. It passed 6-3 with Hackenburg, Masser and Ron Neidig voted against it.

The board has also decided to move forward with the project without applying for state reimbursement, because they would not be eligible for any further reimbursement for older parts of the building for an additional 20 years following the project completion.

FOUNTAIN SPRINGS - More than 80 former employees of Saint Catherine Medical Center met with owner Robert M. Lane on Tuesday to get answers about the medical center's situation, but most came away frustrated.

The meeting occurred one day after the hospital filed for relief under Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of U.S. Trustee, appointed attorney William G. Schwab, Lehighton, as the Chapter 11 trustee.

Tuesday's meeting began at 1 p.m. and lasted about 25 minutes. As the employees left the building, many complained that they hadn't learned much about their personal situations or the hospital's fate. One employee was overheard saying that when the questioning of Lane became "slighted heated," Lane ended the meeting.

Only employees were allowed to attend the meeting, leaving Guy Wiederhold and Jo Waugh-Derk, staff representatives of District Council 89 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 13, waiting outside.

"We truly thought they would let us in but obviously that didn't work," Wiederhold said.

Wiederhold, Waugh-Derk and Barry Spieles, president of AFSCME Local 2482, which represents 87 of the hospital's employees, asked everyone to gather in the parking lot after the meeting so members could complete paperwork.

"We're going to have you fill out forms," Wiederhold said to the group. "Our attorneys want you to fill them out to make sure you get everything you're entitled to."

"We were told (by Lane) the bankruptcy lawyers are going to take charge and their first priority is to pay the employees the salaries they're owed and the 'PTO,' which is the vacation time that we had filled out," Spieles said.

Echocardiographer Christine Hamilton, of Pottsville, who worked at the hospital for 13 1/2 years, was upset about the lack of information at the meeting.

"It was a waste of time for all of us to come here," Hamilton said in the parking lot. "All he (Lane) said is he doesn't know anything and the bankruptcy lawyers would be handling everything. That was pretty much it. He pretty much talked in circles."

Hamilton said Lane spoke five to 10 minutes and then opened the floor for questions.

"He pretty much didn't answer anything," Hamilton said. "He was asked why our money was stolen from us, and his answer was that he didn't know what was going on and that the CEO and the CFO were running the hospital."

Hamilton said she noticed problems more than a month ago, especially in getting paid on time.

"Our pays started to become late, and two weeks later our pays didn't happen - and still hasn't happened," she said. "Personally, they owe me three weeks of pay, but there are other people who are owed six weeks."

She also talked about having deductions taken from the employees' paychecks that weren't forwarded.

"They stole our money on the things we were paying into," Hamilton said. "We were contributing to our 401(k) and the money never made it to that. Our union dues haven't made it to the union in well over a year. Our short-term disability was canceled and we never knew. Our life insurance was canceled last year and we were still paying for it. I'm the sole provider of my family and if I would have died, they wouldn't have gotten anything. No one ever contacted us about anything. There is no one to help us now. All they do is lie to us. I have things in my office that I can't get to."

Word of mouth

Hamilton said she learned about not having a job by reading in the newspaper that all outpatient services were stopped.

"No administration person called me to tell me I was laid off," Hamilton said.

When asked how she found out about Tuesday's meeting, Hamilton replied, "Facebook. It was word-of-mouth through Facebook. If I didn't have Facebook or the newspaper or TV, I wouldn't know anything."

Hamilton said she had enjoyed working at the hospital.

"I loved this place. They were like family," said Hamilton of her co-workers. "I liked to come to work every day. There are good people here - good doctors, good workers. We took care of each other. I thought I would retire from here."

Melissa Ramsdale, of Atlas, worked for six months as a certified nursing assistant in the hospital's long-term care center until she was fired in January after an argument with payroll employees about a late paycheck.

Ramsdale said she had been told about four times Jan. 20 that the paycheck would be available for pickup, but at 2 p.m. it still wasn't ready.

"I went into the office demanding my pay, and the payroll ladies said they were working on it," Ramsdale said. "I said, 'You're supposed to working on this for two days.'"

Ramsdale said the argument caught the attention of then-CFO Merlyn Knapp, who came into the office.

"He heard me screaming at them and them screaming at me," Ramsdale said. "Knapp took me to his office and said he would see what he could do."

She received her paycheck about 20 minutes later but still couldn't cash it at the bank.

"There was a problem at the bank to hold the checks," Ramsdale said.

She worked shifts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and then received a phone call from the long-term care center manager that she was terminated because of what happened in the payroll office.

"I had no union representation. It was done over the phone," Ramsdale said. "I filed for unemployment and they denied me."

Struggling with small things

Ramsdale also said that there was an ongoing shortage of supplies at the hospital.

"There were never any supplies. We were constantly running out of everything," she said.

Spieles, of Ashland, worked in the boiler room for 10 years. He said that as a union representative, he has received complaints over time.

"With me being president of the union, I hear them all," Spieles said. "During the last six months, we've been struggling with the small things. People had supplies but they didn't have them in abundance. As far as the boiler room, I was never without coal. When you get down to the bottom line, it was management. Management closes businesses. We are workers here. We're dedicated here. We're dedicated to this hospital because we're like family around here."

Wiederhold spoke to many union members in the parking lot and said not much was learned in the meeting.

"What I learned about the meeting was not much of anything other than the fact that they're going into bankruptcy," Wiederhold said. "Once our people started asking questions, they cut it off. It wasn't much of an information session."

Wiederhold said the forms completed by the members were being forwarded to AFSCME attorneys.

"Our attorneys are already working on this," he said. "They've reached out to Schwab (Chapter 11 trustee) and the attorneys at Saint Catherines. The process has already been started."

SUNBURY - District Attorney Tony Rosini said the plan to cut a secretary position in his office is an act of retaliation by Commissioner Vinny Clausi that could jeopardize public safety.

The commissioners' decision also may have violated the Sunshine Act, the DA said Tuesday, a claim Clausi and his two fellow commissioners dispute.

News of the DA office layoff raised tension in the county a week ahead of an April 17 salary board meeting at which a vote on three layoffs - the others in the sheriff's department and prothonotary/clerk of courts office - are expected.

Rosini issued a press release late Monday after Clausi announced a letter had been sent to the union as required about the layoff plan. The DA said it "makes no sense economically or in considering our ever-increasing workload, and it is only explained as a vindictive act of retribution by Clausi."

Rosini said when he convinced the other two commissioners, Chairman Rick Shoch and Stephen Bridy, to not go through with the layoff of two senior staff members at the county prison earlier this year, Clausi was upset. During an executive session, Clausi told Rosini he "owed me one," the DA said.

"Other people told me that he said that he 'lost face' when the commissioners backed off their original position and that he would get back at me for that," Rosini's statement said.

Asked to respond Tuesday, Clausi said he was talking about a "candy bar" and joking around when he said those words. He declined to elaborate.

Rosini fought against the commissioners when they voted earlier this year to eliminate one of five assistant district attorneys (ADAs). Clausi said Monday the cut in a secretary's position correlates to the loss of one of the ADAs, and that the commissioners weren't targeting the DA's office. He said the county continues to address rising costs by trimming employees in various departments.

Letter confusion

The letter announcing the layoff, signed by Joseph Picarelli, director of human resources, orders the DA to inform the commissioners of the position he decides to cut within 15 days or they will cut the lowest paid person.

The language prompted Rosini to suggest the commissioners violated the Sunshine Act.

"This is the second time the commissioners, or at least two of them, as my information is that this action was ordered by commissioners Clausi and Bridy, have met privately behind closed doors and away from the press and public, and agreed to take action to terminate a county employee. Clausi and Bridy often tout that they want an open administration and are against corruption, but this act shows their willingness to flaunt the law and act outside of the public eye," he said.

The commissioners said what they have done is legal because no meeting was held and no vote was cast.

Bridy did acknowledged Tuesday that the letter sent to the union notifying of the layoff was the wrong one. He said it's a version of the letter that typically goes out after the salary board vote, not before it. The one that should have been sent would only notify of the intention to cut the position and invite discussion of that plan at the salary board meeting.

Shoch does not believe the commissioners did anything wrong.

"If we got together and decided this and took a vote, yeah, it would be a violation. It did not happen," he said.

But Rosini said he believes the action is illegal, and so he will not follow it.

"Several of the commissioners think they can act on their whim, but their power is to vote at public meetings after discussing the issue," he said.

He said he will seek court intervention to prevent the cut from being enforced, if necessary.

Public 'endangered'

Rosini said eliminating one of three secretaries will "prevent us from processing our cases." He said those employees make less then $25,000 and are hard-working individuals.

"They process all of the paperwork for about 1,500 criminal cases and a total of around 2,500 total case filings and handle all of the people that come in or call the office," he said. "They have been having difficulty keeping up with the increased workload, and losing a secretary on top of the cut of an ADA will slow the process down even more," he said.

He said Clausi and Bridy's attempt to "handicap" the DA's office is an affront to all law enforcement officers and "endangers the safety of all of our citizens."

"I have never dealt with commissioners who are so anti-law enforcement and who seem to want to make it easier for criminals to get away with their crimes," he said.

Clausi said he is insulted by those accusations, noting he never charges any law enforcement officer who comes into his restaurant in Coal Township.

"Mr. Rosini is out of order," he said.

Bridy called the accusation "crazy."

"I wouldn't want to do anything from impeding law enforcement to incarcerate criminals. I don't take this lightly by any stretch," he said. "We need to maintain public safety."

CATAWISSA RR - State funding cuts have wrongly put the burden for public education on local taxpayers, and that must change.

That's the message the Southern Columbia Area School Board expressed in a resolution passed Monday to be sent to state officials.

The state is required by its own constitution to provide revenue for maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public education, the resolution states.

"Expectations for success and requirements inherent in developing positive student accomplishment do not diminish during times of economic difficulty, but rather require more investment of available resources," the resolution states.

Southern and other school districts have been forced to cut programs and staff as state subsidies has been reduced.

The resolution cites the basic subsidy remaining at the 2008-09 level, special education funding holding level for a fifth year and the establishment of a "Student Achievement Block Grant" that bundles several former programs.

It also endorses unfunded plan of construction cost reimbursement that reduces payments over two years, but increases the demand for funds by making charter schools eligible.

The resolution passed unanimously in a block of personnel items. Director Eric Stahley instructed Tresa Britch, board secretary, to send copies of the resolution to state Sen. John Gordner (R-27) and state representatives Kurt Masser (R-107) and David R. Millard (R-109).

Gov. Tom Corbett continues to defend his education cuts, saying the recession has held down state tax revenue while costs continue to rise. He has pledged not to raise taxes and instead make cuts across the state budget. Last year, for the 2011-12 fiscal year budget, he said the reduction in education funding also reflected the end of federal stimulus funding.

Change orders

The board also approved six change orders pertaining to the middle and high school building projects. For two of the change orders, $3,657 will be credited back to the district while the other four will cost an additional $7,856.

Barb Splitt, of Cleveland Township, questioned why the district needed to pay for a door that was supposed to swing the opposite direction as part of the change orders.

"It swung in instead of out," Vice President Charlie Porter explained. "It couldn't be grandfathered in, because it was work we would have already been doing. If it had been noticed before, it would have been in the bid specs, and would have been more expensive."

Both the credits and additional costs were approved, but Stahley voted against the additional costs.

"I won't vote in favor of it, because, historically, I have not voted in favor of anything that increases the costs of the building project," he said.

In other business, Superintendent Charlie Reh informed the board that the teachers and AFSCME unions will be discussing switching health insurance providers, as per request of the board to save money, and will be meeting to vote on the issue this week.

FOUNTAIN SPRINGS - St. Catherine has been spared, at least temporarily, the loss of almost $700,000 worth of equipment because a Schuylkill County judge on Tuesday halted a lawsuit filed by a New Jersey company seeking repossession.

In a two-page order, Judge Charles M. Miller granted the automatic stay of the lawsuit filed by Siemens Financial Services Inc., Iselin, N.J., which had filed the lawsuit earlier in the day.

Such a stay, or temporary halt, is required under the federal Bankruptcy Code, Miller ruled. Siemens, and all other parties, are barred under federal law from enforcing any judgment obtained before the filing of the bankruptcy petition, according to Miller.

The stay will remain in effect until the federal bankruptcy case is resolved, according to Miller's order.

Siemens obtained the judgment for $699,456.97 plus costs on Feb. 23 from the New Jersey Superior Court Law Division in Middlesex County.

In the petition it filed Tuesday in Schuylkill County Court, Siemens had sought to enforce its judgment by repossessing a dual detector Gamma camera and an Emotion 16 Slice CT machine.

The equipment will remain at St. Catherine, Miller ruled.

KULPMONT - Registration is now open for Camp Pauline Children's Diabetic Day Camp's 2012 session, set for July 16 to 20 on the grounds of the St. Pauline Complex in Kulpmont.

The day camp, currently in its second year, is for children who have been diagnosed with diabetes. It provides introduction for them into a camp environment.

In addition to camp activities and play time, attendees will provide relevant information on diabetes nutrition, life style and lectures by health care professionals. The staff of Camp Pauline are experienced health care professionals, all using a team approach to develop diabetic management. While children participate in activities, adults may attend diabetes awareness sessions.

Camp hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and children and adults may attend more than one day. The St. Pauline Complex is located about 15 minutes away from Knoebels Amusement Resort and five minutes from Weiser State Forest. Families can make this trip a planned vacation with a recreational experience for the child with diabetes while providing diabetes management and self-esteem.

The camp is named for St. Mother Pauline Visintainer, patron saint of diabetes. The Mother Pauline Foundation started the camp in 2011 to educate young people about type I diabetes, for which more than 15,000 children, 40 per day, are diagnosed with in America each year. As many as three million Americans may have type I diabetes.

Admission to Camp Pauline is open to all applicants, and staff members will work with parents to obtain funding, either through private donations or by the availability of donations and scholarships that will allow them to send a child to camp. Financial assistance is available; however, donations are accepted from families toward the expense of the camp.

Registration deadline for this year's session is June 15. More information can be obtained by contacting Bob Greco at 373-3350 or by mail at P.O. Box 115, Kulpmont 17834.

MOUNT CARMEL - Area residents will get a rare look at a varied art collection over the next three weekends in Mount Carmel.

The "Art in Our Town" exhibit at the Guaranty Trust Building, Third and Oak streets features more than 90 works of original art and prints, all part of a private collection from a person who is allowing the art works to be displayed for three weeks.

"This is something different we are trying," said Mount Carmel Downtown board member Cathy Welker. "We wanted to bring an art show to the area, and the exhibitor, who wishes to remain anonymous, was gracious in making his collection available."

Artists represented in the show features such names as Pablo Picasso, J. Aiden Weir, Irving Ramsey Wiles, Charles Hargens, Frederick Remington and much more.

"There are some really great pieces of work that will be on display," Welker said.

The event is sponsored by Mount Carmel Downtown Inc., the Mount Carmel 150th Anniversary Committee and Realty World, Molesevich and Associates.

Representatives of the Mount Carmel organizations will be on hand to help guide the public. Times for the shows are 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays and noon to 2 p.m. on Sundays. The exhibit will open Saturday and is available for showings on April 14 and 15, 21 and 22, and 28 and 29.

Special showing times may be arranged for schools or other groups by calling Welker at 339-1937.

Admission to the exhibit is free, but free-will donations will be accepted for Mount Carmel Downtown Inc. and the Mount Carmel 150th Anniversary.

The show is located on the first floor of the Guaranty Trust Building, on the corner opposite from the Original Italian Pizza Restaurant to the West and the Union National Bank.

SHAMOKIN - Artist Fred Scherr, of Mount Carmel, will have his first solo exhibition at the Northumberland County Council of the Arts Fine Arts Gallery, 2 E. Arch St., with an opening reception from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday.

Fred Scherr grew up in Levittown, just outside of Philadelphia. He attended Neshameny High School in Langhorne. Scherr was a multi- line auto appraiser for an insurance company for 25 years. He raised his family as a single parent in Pine Grove and has lived in Mount Carmel for the past three years.

At the age of 46, Scherr became an artist self-taught in oil painting, watercolors and acrylic along with some aluminum casting. He has also worked with sculpting wax and candle making. Currently he is fine-tuning his skills at painting and has put together a beautiful collection on display in the gallery.

SHAMOKIN - The following hearings took place Tuesday before Magisterial District Judge John Gembic III. Defendants who waive their cases or are held for court were ordered to appear for plea court May 21 at Northumberland County Courthouse, Sunbury, where they can plead guilty or no contest, or seek a trial by pleading not guilty.

n Danielle Lee Aikey, 23, of 135 Birch St., Shamokin, pleaded guilty to harassment and was ordered to pay a $50 fine plus costs. Additional charges of simple assault, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness were withdrawn.

Aikey was charged by Shamokin Patrolman Raymond Siko II in connection with a March 3 disturbance in which she allegedly scratched her boyfriend, Jimmie Driggers II, 21, of 20 N. Diamond St., Shamokin, in the face, and screamed in the middle of the street while arguing with Driggers.

Police said the disturbance took place at Grant and Birch streets.

Driggers pleaded guilty to possession of drug paraphernalia in connection with the same incident and was ordered to pay a $300 fine plus costs and placed on supervised probation for one year.

Additional charges of disorderly conduct and public drunkenness were withdrawn.

n Charges of simple assault and harassment filed by Shamokin Patrolman Raymond Siko II against Caitlin E. Oshowy, 25, of 138 W. Third St., Mount Carmel, were withdrawn due to insufficient evidence.

Oshowy was charged with assaulting her boyfriend, Justin Ruiz, at 128 S. Market St. on Feb. 27.

n Shayla Snyder, 21, of 1544 W. Mulberry St., Coal Township, waived to court charges of possession of Suboxone, delivery of Suboxone and criminal use of communication facility relating to a July 26 incident in the 1500 block of West Mulberry Street.

The charges were filed by Coal Township Patrolman Joshua Wynn.

n Peter Pereira, 18, of 212 S. Franklin St., Shamokin, pleaded guilty to harassment and was ordered to pay a $50 fine plus costs. Additional charges of simple assault and theft by unlawful taking were withdrawn.

Pereira was charged by Shamokin Patrolman Jarrod Scandle with assaulting Alicia McDonald and stealing $200 in cash and two PlayStation 3 video games from McDonald's apartment at the rear of 317 N. Shamokin St. on March 26.

n Jennifer J. Byers, 34, of 138 S. Franklin St., Shamokin, waived to court two counts of driving under the influence of alcohol and a taillight violation.

Byers was charged by Shamokin Patrolman Scott Weaver in connection with a June 23, 2010, incident at Spurzheim and Shamokin streets.

n Eric J. Janoka, 32, of 1328 Scott St., Kulpmont, waived to court charges of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property.

Janoka was charged by Coal Township Patrolman Jason Adams with stealing a cellphone valued at $729 from the Precision Wireless Store along Route 61 on Aug. 18.

n Robert T. Malia, 43, of Ashland, pleaded guilty to possession of drug paraphernalia and was ordered to pay a $300 fine plus costs and placed on supervised probation for one year.

Additional charges of possession of bath salts and harassment were withdrawn.

Malia was charged by Shamokin Patrolman Raymond Siko II in connection with a Jan. 28 incident at an apartment in the first block of West Independence Street.

n Katie R. Hurlburt, 19, of 313 E. Sunbury St., Apt. 3, Shamokin, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was ordered to pay a $50 fine plus costs.

Charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a small amount of marijuana were withdrawn.

Hurlburt was charged by Shamokin Cpl. Bryan Primerano in connection with Feb. 5 incidents on Sunbury Street and Hurlburt's apartment.

n A charge of theft by deception filed by Shamokin Patrolman Jarrod Scandle against Lisa M. Orner, 30, of Millersburg, was withdrawn when the defendant paid full restitution in the case.

Orner was charged with issuing a bad check in the amount of $15 for a parking ticket Feb. 8.

n James P. Wehr, 48, of Coal Township, waived to court charges of burglary, criminal trespass, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property.

Wehr was charged by Coal Township Patrolman Joshua Wynn with stealing $1,137 in cash from Anthracite Provision Company at 510 S. Pearl St. on Jan. 28.

n Judith P. Fenix, 47, of 112 Potter Drive, Elysburg, waived to court two counts of driving under the influence of alcohol relating to an Oct. 15 accident between Route 225 and Sixth Street near the Cameron Bridge.

The charges were filed by Coal Township Patrolman Joshua Wynn.

n Aaron Bressi, 31, of 1727 Pulaski Ave., Coal Township, pleaded guilty to making false reports and was ordered to pay a $300 fine plus costs and placed on supervised probation for six months.

Bressi was charged by Coal Township Patrolman Matthew Hashuga with calling Northumberland County Communications Center on April 4 to falsely report that his girlfriend, Kimberly Rickert, ransacked their house, while knowing he was the person who ransacked the residence.

n Mary Goodlunas, 39, of 129 S. Hickory St., Mount Carmel, waived to court two counts of delivery and possession of bath salts, one count of possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal use of a communication facility and recklessly endangering another person involving an April 5 incident in the 300 block of North Shamokin Street.

The charges were filed by Shamokin Cpl. Bryan Primerano.

n Robert M. Rickert II, 21, of 641 S. Market St., Shamokin, was held for court on charges of possession with intent to deliver marijuana, possession with intent to deliver Xanax, possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia and criminal conspiracy relating to a Nov. 21 incident in the parking lot at Weis Markets.

The charges were filed by Shamokin Cpl. John Brown.

n Luis Torres, 34, an inmate at SCI-Rockview and formerly of Shamokin, was held for court on charges of delivery of heroin, possession with intent to deliver heroin and criminal conspiracy in connection with a March 25, 2011, incident in Shamokin.

The charges were filed by Shamokin Cpl. Bryan Primerano in connection with a Nov. 15 drug bust coordinated by the Northumberland-Montour Drug Task Force.

Exhibit shares history of rations

BOALSBURG - The Pennsylvania Military Museum has a new exhibit that interprets the history of packaged rations for front line troops.

The Combat Ration, is part of the Historical and Museum Commission's annual theme, The Land of Penn and Plenty: Bringing History to the Table.

The exhibit is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday through November.

The Pennsylvania Military Museum and 28th Infantry Division Shrine, administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, is located on South Atherton Street (Business Route 322), three miles east of State College.

For more information, call 814-466-6263 or visit www.pamilmuseum.org.

COAL TOWNSHIP - A strong recruiting effort by officials at Northumberland County Career and Technology Center (NCCTC) and the three home schools have helped increase the projected enrollment at the vo-tech facility for next school year by 30 students in less than a month.

Although serious concerns still exist over how successful a predominantly one-year, full-time, senior-only program being instituted in September will be, members of the school operating agency were optimistic after hearing Wednesday night that the projected enrollment is 87 students, which is 30 more than what was predicted when the board held its last meeting March 21.

James Monaghan, administrative director at NCCTC, outlined the new enrollment figures at the outset of the session, while board chairwoman Donna James of Mount Carmel Area School District stressed that there is no intention at this time to close any shops.

Monaghan said the enrollment includes 35 full-time students from Shamokin Area, 19 full-time students from Line Mountain, 25 half-time students from Mount Carmel Area and 8 full-time students from Mount Carmel Area.

There is projected to be 62 seniors, four juniors and 21 sophomores at the school.

The following is list of students in each shop and their instructors:

Health occupations (RuthAnn Helfrick), seven; cosmetology (Mary Heim), 16; culinary arts (James Schiavoni), 13; computer tech (Debbi Dobson), five; heating, ventilation and air conditioning (Andrew Bartholomew), two; automotive tech (Dan Shuman), eight; collision repair (Jeremy Johnson), five; carpentry (vacant due to retirement of James Yurick), two; electrical construction (Richard Roughton), five; protective services (Matt Dunn), four; welding (Michael Bradley), 12; and occupational child care (Gwen Spurr), eight.

In addition to the strong recruitment, enrollment figures increased when school officials agreed to allow sophomores and juniors at Mount Carmel Area to attend certain classes on a half-time basis. Shamokin Area and Line Mountain students also have been offered the same opportunity.

James said, "Before the changes were made, we only had four students coming here next year from Mount Carmel Area. We are trying to accommodate all the districts."

Mount Carmel Area Acting Superintendent Bernie Stellar commended guidance counselors in his district with convincing more students to attend the vo-tech school by working hard to adjust their schedules at the home school.

"We are happy more students decided to enroll here," Stellar said. "Hopefully, this program will encompass the needs of all the districts."

Stellar pointed out that no new students from Mount Carmel Area have enrolled at the Schuylkill County Technology Center (SCTC) next school year. He said there are currently eight students attending programs at SCTC that aren't offered at NCCTC.

Director Charles Shuey of Shamokin Area School District said he doesn't believe the senior-only program will work at NCCTC due to a lack of students that could result in the elimination of some shops. He said SUN Area Vocational-Technical School, which was used by NCCTC officials as their model when developing the senior-only, full-day, one-year program, encompasses five school districts and approximately 900 students; whereas NCCTC only has three school districts and far less students.

Barry Michael Buriak, former longtime auto mechanics instructor and cooperative education coordinator at the school, said Wednesday he was glad to hear enrollment was increasing, but remained skeptical about the one-year program.

"You can't have a handful of students in shops because it won't be affordable to the home school districts," Buriak said. "I think you should go back to a half-year program. I've put a lot of years in here and I don't want to see the building crumble."

Last month, Buriak voiced similar concerns. He agreed that students need to attend full-day sessions, but said instruction shouldn't be limited to only seniors.

In other business, the board recognized Line Mountain senior Brittany Vogel for being named Shamokin Rotary Club Student of the Month for April at the vo-tech school. Vogel, a student in the protective services program, commended her instructor, Matt Dunn, and other personnel at the school for her successful career at NCCTC.

Vogel, who plans to become a police officer, will be among 16 vo-tech school students to participate in the SkillsUSA Conference/Competition on April 18-20 at Hershey. Instructors Dunn, Dobson and Shuman will accompany the students.

The board reappointed Herring & Roll, a certified public accounting firm, to perform an audit of the school for the school year ending June 30, 2012, at a cost of $5,425.

Directors also renewed a management services agreement with Charles J. Mannello, a certified public accountant from Kulpmont, from July 1, 2012, through June 30, 2013.

Joseph Jurewicz, a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) director at SCI-Coal Township, and Eric Specht of Frank's Electric, Leck Kill, were added to the HVAC Occupational Advisory Committee.

The board granted permission to Coal Township VFW Post 317 to utilize the school's 2.5-ton military truck in the annual Memorial Day Parade on May 28. Welding instructor Michael Bradley will drive the truck in the parade.

ELYSBURG - Ralpho Township supervisors were informed Tuesday evening that the Elysburg Fire and Rescue companies may be out of money by October.

Harvey Boyer, president of the Elysburg Fire Company, submitted and read a prepared statement at the supervisors' meeting and read aloud a five-point letter describing the financial strains the companies are experiencing.

Boyer said investigations by the fire department revealed several problem areas, including supporting the ambulance service.

The Elysburg Volunteer Fire Company annual expenses related to the ambulance service are between $13,000 and $18,000.

"This expense can no longer be absorbed by the (fire) department as we look forward to upkeep of equipment, appliance and building maintenance," Boyer said. "The service is operating on the lowest possible level."

The ambulance service employs three full-time employees. The rest are part time. These employees have not seen a raise since 2008, Boyer said.

Boyer said if financial help doesn't come through soon, the fire and rescue companies will not be able to function.

Patients not paying bills

More than 4,000 membership pamphlets were sent out to the community last year, but only 800 returns were received.

Boyer added that almost 50 percent of the patients they serve have not paid their bills. In previous years, it was closer to 30 percent.

He pointed out that some patients have received insurance checks but have not used them to pay for fire or rescue service, which is a form of insurance fraud. The company is looking into taking legal action, he added.

The board voted to give the companies $20,000, which was budgeted to be distributed later in the year. Supervisors continued to discuss possible ways to further help out. Supervisor Blaine Madara said the companies' goal is not to make a profit, just make ends meet.

"It's time to stop the bleeding," he said.

'Tremendous setback'

When informed about the fire company's concerns Wednesday, state Rep. Kurt Masser said he planned to contact Boyer. Masser said that after he is briefed on the companies' problem, he will investigate what, if any, assistance can be provided through his office.

Northumberland County Public Safety Director Jerome Alex said he has heard rumors about financial problems with the Elysburg fire and rescue companies, but received nothing official from fire company officials.

He said if the fire company and ambulance services were forced to shut down, it would be up to Ralpho Township officials to determine which neighboring fire and ambulance companies would serve as the primary responders in the Elysburg area. He said in the vast majority of cases, the next closest fire or ambulance service would be dispatched for calls.

Joseph Muscato, public relations director at Knoebels Amusement Resort, said losing the Elysburg fire and rescue services would be a tremendous setback for the entire area.

"They are a very important resource not only to us, but the entire community," he said. "Some of their members work here and they provide a great service. But it's getting harder and harder to pay expenses for fire and emergency services, and it's also getting more difficult to get volunteers."

Muscato said park officials would choose the next closest and available fire and ambulance units to provide services at the amusement resort if the Elysburg companies had to shut down. He noted the park, which is located in three townships, also is provided fire, police and emergency services from other nearby communities.

In other business

The supervisors took a 17-minute recess from their monthly meeting to hold a public hearing on the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG). Jamie Shrawder, project coordinator for community development, SEDA-COG, explained the rules, stipulations and application processes necessary to receive funds through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The township would receive money every year for three years. It would receive $67,554 the first year, with $14,793 going to the county for administrative costs.

Thirty percent of the money can be used to remove blighted structures. The remaining funds must be used to benefit low-to-moderate income individuals.

The board chose to start with blighted building demolition and sewer line repairs. The process for receiving the funds takes time, Shrawder said. Following approval, it could take six to nine months before the project begins.

Department reports were presented by Harvey Boyer, planning commission; Vince Daubert, streets; Madara, buildings and zoning; Stephen Major, police and safety; Chip Wetzel, recreation; and Dan Williams, recycling. Township manager Joseph Springer, solicitor Todd Kerstetter and engineer Justin Keister also presented reports.

SUNBURY - Northumberland County cannot directly impose a drilling impact fee on natural gas drillers.

The reason: There are no wells in the county.

Act 13 of 2012, the law that established the fees, gives only those counties affected by Marcellus Shale drilling the right to enact ordinances to receive money for local and state purposes.

As soon as the law was passed, Northumberland County Planning Department Director Pat Mack started his research.

"We looked into it because we are close to where the action is," Mack said. "I participated in several conference calls with other planning directors and state agencies."

Mack said the there is only one well within the county borders, That well, erected by Penn State, was used at one time for educational and research purposes.

The county may eventually be able to tap into a state pool of collected funds.

According to the law, after earmarked money is allocated to offset the statewide impact of drilling, 60 percent of whatever is left will go into funds to help the affected municipalities and the other 40 percent goes toward statewide initiatives.

Future funds

If the law is someday expanded to include other industry businesses, Sunbury Mayor David Persing said the city would look into getting its fair share.

An industrial park owned by Moran Industries at the former Knight Celotex site has been proposed as a site for a residual waste transfer station from the Marcellus Shale industry.

"We were told that with the trucks coming in, we could use community block grant money to fix the roads," Persing said. "However, if the transfer station takes off, close to 100 trucks a day could be on Sunbury streets, so we might need some kind of light system to help alleviate traffic. Hopefully, we could get some impact fee monies to help with that."