stage of Radio City Music Hall.
MISS USA PAGEANT TONIGHT
Miss Pennsylvania, Sydney Robertson of Williamsport, is in Tulsa, Oklahoma to compete in the 70th edition of the Miss USA Pageant which can be seen tonight at 8 p.m., and viewed on FYI Network or live on the streaming service Hulu. If Sydney wins the title of Miss USA, she will travel to Israel next week to compete in the Miss Universe Pageant.
UPDATED LOCAL COVID-19 CASES IN OUR AREA
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Sunday reported 4,160 new COVID-19 cases. Clinton County reported 22 new cases. In Centre County 82 new cases were recorded. Lycoming County added 59 new cases. There were 48 new infections in Northumberland County, 10 in Snyder, six in Montour and five in Union County. Tioga County had 19 new COVID cases listed yesterday.
FIRE IN SHAMOKIN DAM
A family is displaced, as a fire destroyed a home in Shamokin Dam Saturday night. According to an online media outlet, nine fire companies responded around 11:30 pm. There were no injuries and, according to an online media source, the Red Cross was called to assist the family.
MONEY LAUNDERING GETS NIGERIAN MAN PRISON TIME
A federal judge in Pennsylvania has sentenced a Nigerian man to more than seven years in prison for conspiring to launder approximately $1.89 million in mail and wire fraud proceeds in a scheme that targeted women. Jabin Okpako, and his wife, Christine Bradley of Sayre, transferred the funds out of the United States to three separate bank accounts in Nigeria, prosecutors said. Authorities said the couple targeted women, ranging in age from 55 to 85, who visited online game, relationship and dating websites. According to prosecutors, the fictitious purposes included to help a worker in Alaska who fell from a tower, to aid the United Nations and to recover a $6 million inheritance. The judge ordered Jabin to make restitution in the amount of $440,950 and to forfeit proceeds of the criminal activity.
A DATA CORRECTION IN PA NUMBERS OF VACCINATED ADULTS
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week dropped its percentage of vaccinated adults in Pennsylvania by nearly five percentage points in what apparently was a data correction to weed out duplicates. The agency on Wednesday adjusted the percentage to 68.9%, after a day earlier putting the percentage at 73.7% of Pennsylvanians 18 and older. The downward revision amounted to a reduction of about 1.2 million doses. Pennsylvania’s Department of Health said it sends its data to the CDC, and began in July to refine its data to remove duplicate information and correct data on first, second and booster doses. The data correction comes as infections, hospitalizations and intensive-care unit cases are rising in Pennsylvania and many other states.
FLEEING WITH CHILD IN CAR
A Linden man fled from police with a child in his car. A State Police Corporal stopped Jarod Tedesco, on Wednesday night, as he was weaving in-and-out of his driving lane and traveling well below the posted speed limit. The stop, just outside of Williamsport, was brief because Tedesco took off when a second trooper arrived to assist. The pursuit, winded south on Route 220 and ended in Woodward Township on Stewart Street. He was cooperative until he was searched and then he became belligerent and struggled with troopers. Again, he attempted to flee, this time on foot, until a trooper deployed his tazer.
Tedesco was medically cleared by UPMC Williamsport, arraigned in front of District Judge William Solomon on multiple charges, and committed to the Lycoming County Prison in lieu of $99,000 bail.
MAN KILLS MOTHER WITH BAT
A Coal Township man allegedly struck his mother in the head with a baseball bat, killing her, in their home last weekend. Christopher Depka is charged with killing Sarah Jones and wrapping her body in blankets in her bedroom. According to WNEP, Depka was seen via surveillance video at Rite Aid with her ATM card one day before she was found dead. A search of the property, revealed a bloody aluminum baseball bat in Depka’s bedroom. He was arraigned and commited to Northumberland County Jail with no known bail.
SUNBURY FIREFIGHTERS FIGHT FLAMES A SECOND DAY
For the second day, Sunbury firefighters dealt with a house fire in the city. The fire, on Susquehanna Avenue on Friday afternoon, damaged multiple rooms of an apartment complex. It began in a bedroom of the second floor, extended to the attic and out a first floor window, where it lit a neighboring residence on fire. The two alarm blaze brought firefighters from Sunbury, Northumberland, Shamokin Dam, Selinsgrove and 9 other companies. According to an online media outlet, the home is a loss and uninhabitable. Although no injuries were reported, the Red Cross was on scene to help residents. The fire is under investigation.
LOWE’S MONEY SCHEME GETS SUSPECTS JAIL TIME
A money scheme has been running on local Lowe’s Home Improvement stores. Montoursville police reported possibly three suspects entered Lowe’s and preyed on cashiers. They purchased items. Using a Global Cash Card and returned the items, at a neighboring Lowe’s … receiving cash back. Montoursville Police identified Savannah Danielle Dillard and Ahman Shantone Mack Boxley of Michigan. Both have been charged with multiple felonies and have been committed without bail. According to the Northcentralpa.com, the third individual has not yet been identified.
PENALTIES FOR FAILING TO PAY PA TURNPIKE TOLLS
After more than $104 million in Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls went uncollected last year, a state senator says he’s come up with a way to prevent future losses. Sen. Marty Flynn, D-Lackawanna, a member of the 14-member Senate Transportation Committee, says he plans to introduce a package of bills to prevent future uncollected tolls, commonly referred to as “leakage.” If a driver fails to pay, a lawsuit could be the next step. But if a motorist has $500 or more in unpaid toll violations or invoices over three years, the Turnpike Commission can request to suspend their registration. This makes it easier to bill commercial drivers who utilize the more than 550-mile system. Flynn’s proposal, a Senate companion to legislation in the House, would lower the threshold needed to trigger a registration suspension from six unpaid tolls to four — or from $500 to $250. It also proposes raising the statute of limitations from three to five years to give Turnpike officials more time to pursue offenders.
