BACKYARD BROADCASTING LOCAL NEWS NOVEMBER 15, 2020

Felony Child Endangerment Charges Filed

41 year old ryan DiRicco is to appear in court on the 25th of this month. Back in October a state trooper pulled over DiRicco with 3 children in the passenger seat after failing to make a complete stop at a red light. When confronted by law enforcement it was found that he had a warrant and seemed visually impaired. After a field sobriety test he was taken to nittany medical center for a blood test. After a month the results came back showing that he had a substantial amount of methamphetamine in his system. He has been charged with 3 counts of felony endangerment.

COVID-19 Vaccine in the Works

The US is currently seeing a second surge of cases, with PA reaching a total of 254,387 cases to date with 9,274 deaths. Lycoming counties total cases have reached 1300 cases with 30 deaths, a much milder number than high density places. Months of grim news around the virus have left many tired with the hysteria as the months march on, but there is actually some promising news as of now. A covid vaccine is in the works and is currently reported to be about 90% effective. While that’s an amazing thing, and is a refreshing hint of optimism there are still challenges ahead. Even if the vaccine is ready to go, and safe to use for the masses, there is still a question of scalability and distribution. Billions of units will need to be produced.

City Hall Relocation

City Hall is in the process of being relocated and many places are being considered for its new address. According to North Central PA.com one of the places being considered is the Building 1of the trade and transit center on west third street. The only issue is theat the community theatre league is already located there. Supporters of the theatre were taken aback by the news at first, and rightfully so. In response to the local outrage, Williamsport city councilman adam yoder released a statement saying the final decision of the location has yet to be made and that the theatre league will be kept in the loop regarding the location. The Community theatre league is still on the lst of possibilities and may have to relocate.

Home Invader Stabbed

37 Year old Robert J. Harer is being charged with felony burglary after allegedly breaking into a Campbell street home in Williamsport. When police arrived on scene to the residence 2 witnesses told police that Harer had forced his way into their apartment and began yelling and swinging a knife. In fear of their lives, one of them swung back with a pocket knife stabbing Harer and cutting his hand, which successfully made him leave the residence. He has been in the Lycoming county prison since Wednesday with a 100,000 dollar bail.

 

Sports

HS Soccer Tournament

AAAA Boys

Williamsport – 0

Cumberland Valley – 1

AA Boys

Lewisburg – 4

Notre Dame Green Pond – 0

AAAA Womens

Williamsport – 0

Parkland – 3

AAA Womens

Bloomsburg – 1

Wyomissing – 0

HS Football Tournament

AAA

Danville – 42

Archbishop Carroll – 21

AA

Southern Columbia – 57

Richland – 30

BACKYARD BROADCASTING LOCAL NEWS NOVEMBER 14, 2020

Trump Administration Withdraws From Court

The Trump administration has had some major setbacks in court after a federal appeals court in Pennsylvania rejected efforts to block around 9,000 mail in votes received after election day. The judges cited the “vast disruption” the nation faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the sun gazette Judge D Brooks Smith said that every lawful vote must count. They have since withdrawn their appeal. Even if they proved the 9000 votes to be illegal, despite the ruling, they’d be at least 50,000 votes short of a PA win.

South Williamsport Upperclassmen Transition

Due to an increase of confirmed COVID cases and quarantines, the South Williamsport Area School District announced yesterday that beginning Monday, Juniors and Seniors at the high school will be transitioning to remote instruction. According to the sun gazette Dr. Mark Stamm, the district superintendent said that in person instruction is likely to be brought back after thanksgiving break if all goes well. A letter to parents was sent out with information about the shutdowns, and all schedules have been emailed.

White Deer Drug Bust

Police seized a very large amount of drugs from white deer township on Tuesday. 806 bags of heroin, 14 ounces of methamphetamine and three handguns. They also found several bags of multicolored pills, nine MDMA pills, 2 plastic bags containing LSD tablets, an unknown brown powder and plastic bags with suspected cocaine. The suspects William Zwernemann and Kaitlyn Zechman were both charged with 12 felony counts of possession of a controlled substance, with intent to deliver. Zwernemann was remanded to the union county jail with a $250,000 bail and Zechman remains in jail with a $100,000 bail. A preliminary hearing for them will be on Nov 24th.

Lycoming County Prison Population and Data

The Lycoming county prison board met recently, reveling an increase of inmates. According to the sun gazette, the average daily inmate population has gone up to 245.59, from 235.37 in male prisons. As for the females, they have decreased their numbers slightly to 29.04, down from 29.27. They also revealed that their were no overcrowding inmate transfers last month, and that prison numbers have remained below capacity for both male and females for the time being. The next prison board meeting will be on dec. 11th at 8:30 AM.

Airport Repairs

The Williamsport Municipal Authority approved DGR excavation and L. Robert Kimball to do some work for the airport at their regular monthly meeting on Thursday. According to the sun gazette DGR is getting paid $80,000 for some repairs that need to be made to the pathway beneath the passenger loading bridge. Executive director Robert Howell says that the asphalt is practically sinking and needs to be replaced with concrete.  L. Robert Kimball will be handling the removal of trees at the end of the runway.

Sports

MLB

Former New York Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden has been sentenced to a year of probation in connection with a drug arrest in New Jersey in 2019.He had pleaded guilty in August 2019 to one count of cocaine possession stemming from a traffic stop in June 2019.

NBA

The Golden State Warriors have presented an ambitious plan to state and local officials to reopen Chase Center in San Francisco at 50% capacity for the upcoming NBA season, which owner Joe Lacob believes can be the model for all sports franchises and entertainment venues to safely bring back fans amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

High School Football

The Jersey Shore Bulldogs Beat Crestwood in the quarterfinal game last night. With an end score of 26-14, the bulldogs will be advancing to the state semi finals for the second consecutive season.

BACKYARD BROADCASTING LOCAL NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2020

PA REPUBLICANS CALL FOR AN AUDIT OF ELECTION
Local Republicans have come forward this week saying extraordinary measures would be taken to make sure the election process in Pennsylvania was fair and that there is a need for an audit.  According to the Sun Gazette,  Representative Jeff Wheeland, of Loyalsock said but even some irregularities are found it will likely not change the election results.  Joe Hamm, newly elected for Pennsylvania’s 84th state House seat and a plaintiff in the recent lawsuit filed to prevent counties from tallying provisional votes said every legal vote needs to be counted and that he supports an audit to maintain integrity of our voting process.

CRACK COCAINE DEALER SENTENCED
A man who a local judge said is a career offender was sentenced recently to 10 years in prison and three years supervised release in US Middle District Court.  According to the Sun Gazette, Gary Neal plead guilty to guilty to possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine in Lycoming County. Accoridng to court records, details concerning the crimes were sealed through the county and the offenses ended in July 2017.  Neal was up against 20 years in prison.

WAHS SUPERINTENDENT CONTRACT EXTENDED
The employment contract of the Williamsport School superintendent Dr. Timothy S. Bowers has been approved by the Williamsport Area School Board for five more years this week.  According to the Sun Gazette, Bowers said he looks forward to a future here and that the school is blessed with talented people working within the school district.  Bowers new contract and the over 176 thousand dollar salary begins July first, 2021and runs through June 2026.

COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER TO HOLD DRIVE THRU SPECTACULAR THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON
With COVID being a major concern this upcoming holiday season, plans are being made to provide the annual Skip Hunsinger Christmas Spectacular in a socially distanced format this year – making it a drive throug experience.  According to the Community Arts Center, the 14th annual spectacular was originally inspired by an event held at the old Capitol Theatre, which included a free movie and gifts for children.  The CAC says the public will be able to enjoy music as well as a visit from Santa Claus and a goodie bag for the children on December 5th at 10am with cars lining up on West Fourth Street in front of the facility.  Musical guests will be Repasz Ensembles, and Autumn Breeze, playing  holiday classics.

ELECTION HEARING WILL REMAIN IN WILLIAMSPORT
A hearing involving lawyers for President Trump over litigation about some allegedly fraudulent November 3rd election results will not be moved to Harrisburg, but will take place in Williamsport November 19th in from of U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew W. Brann.  Judge Brann denied the motion for a change of venue and will allow the attorneys to be present virtually due to COVID-19 concerns.  The plaintiffs allege there’s sufficient evidence to question the presidential election results in several key counties.  Judge Brannis being asked to  make a decision before the Commonwealth certifies the votes and the Electoral College votes in December.  There’s a difference of 44,930 ballots at this time favoring Joe Biden as president-elect.

LOCAL COVID UPDATE
The COVID numbers are still rising in the Commonwealth.  Lycoming County has added 46 cases of the coronavirus and there are 28 new cases have been confirmed in Northumberland County, Tioga County added 27 cases,  Union County has 26 new cases, Snyder has 10 new cases, Montour has six new cases.  The state Department of Health confirmed 4,711 new cases statewide and 59 new fatlities.  At local universities, there are 5 active cases at Penn College, 5 at Lock Haven and zero at Lycoming College, however Bucknell now has 28 active cases, including 20 among students– their campus is on remote learning this week. Susquehanna has switched to remote learning for the rest of the semester due to case increases. There are no changes at Bloomsburg.

ANOTHER CHARGE DROPPED FOR CORRECTIONAL OFFICER
The charge against a former Northumberland County correctional officer for lying under oath has been dropped.  According to the Daily Item, the charge against 49-year-old Holly Olvany of Sunbury alleged by Northumberland County District Attorney Tony Matulewicz was dismissed at a preliminary hearing this week.  Olvany had earlier been charged with criminal counts for allegedly having drugs at the prison but five of six of those charges were also dropped.  The DA said she made two false statements concerning drug testing protocol and other allegations last February.

PSAC TO CANCEL SEASON AND CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference  announced Wednesday the cancellation of all mandated regular season and championship competition for fall sports in the 2020-21 season. The conference first suspended fall sports July 14. Out of the 10 schools involved  Bloomsburg .East Stroudsburg, Lock Haven, Mansfield and Edinboro are included.   However, the PSAC says should six or more institutions commit to participating, the conference will reinstate a championship season. A decision on winter championships seasons for wrestling, men’s and women’s basketball, indoor track and field and swimming is expected next week.

Upcoming High School games
PIAA Class AAAA playoffs
Friday
HS Football
Jersey Shore vs. Crestwood @ Danville 7pm
Saturday
Girls Soccer
Williamsport at Parkland @ 2pm
Boys Soccer
Williamsport vs.  Cumberland Valley @ Eagle View MS @4pm
PIAA Class AA playoffs
Saturday
Boys Soccer
Lewisburg vs. Notre Dame Green Pond @ Bethlehem Liberty HS @5pm

BACKYARD BROADCASTING LOCAL NEWS NOVEMBER 11, 2020

LOCAL JUDGE ASKED TO BE INVOLVED IN EMERGENCY ORDER REQUEST
A Williamsport Judge has been asked to issue an emergency order to stop election boards in seven counties and to keep Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar from certifying the results from the general election.  According to the Sun Gazette, US Middle District Judge Matthew W. Brann  will review the suit, filed by Donald J Trump for President incorporated and two electors from Lancaster and Fayette County.  The plaintiffs allege in 85 pages that Democratic voters were treated more favorably than republican voters – but no instances of voter fraud were included.  The seven counties where this applies are Allegheny, Centre, Chester, Delaware Montgomery, Northampton and Philadelphia.  Officials in Philadelphia say there is n o evidence to support any of the allegations.  Judge Brann ordered a conference call with all the attorneys to be initiated by the plaintiff.

POWER OUTAGE CAUSE BY BLOWN TRANSFORMER
A brief electrical outage  Tuesday afternoon was caused by an exploding transformer in the Newberry neighborhood of Williamsport.  According to the Sun Gazette, there was an explosion at the mini-substation behind JPW Industries, around the 3600 block of West Fourth Street about 4:45 pm.  Witnesses said flames went into the air, and the fire quickly went out, but not before sparks from the explosion set some nearby brush on fire.  PPL said that some customers experienced an outage in Old Lycoming Township, near Wahoo Drive and that power was restored by 5pm

COVID-19 FUNDING FOR 15 SMALL BUSINESSES
Several small businesses in Lycoming County benefited from county COVID-19 relief funding with the recent approval by the Lycoming County Commissioners.  According to the Sun Gazette, the over 137 thousand dollars in grant funding is part of over 10 million dollars in monies that need to be spent by the end of the year.    The commissioners noted in yesterday’s meeting that the money does have requirements for its use.  Fifteen small businesses were on the list of recipients, including a few restaurants and fitness companies as well as the Central PA Tennis Center.

BRIEF HISTORY OF VETERAN’S DAY
It’s Veterans Day – a day set aside to thank and honor living veterans who served honorably in the military – in wartime or peacetime.  The day was formerly known as Armistice Day, a legal US holiday honoring the end of World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918.  But in 1954, the 83rd U.S. Congress passed legislation changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day instead and became a day to honor American veterans of all wars. Gerald Ford led the legislation to make it a federal holiday celebrated on November 11th in 1975.

GARRITY UPSETS TORSELLA FOR STATE TREASURER
Bradford County’s Stacy Garrity of Athens has created a stunning upset of incumbent Joe Torsella after being declared the winner in the Pennsylvania state treasurer race yesterday , the first Republican to win the office since 2000 and the first time an incumbent Democrat has lost statewide office since 1994. According to media outlets, Joe Torsella, conceded the race yesterday afternoon.  Stacy Garrity was the underdog, only spending  $260,000 compared to Torsella’s over $2 million campaign.

LYCOMING COUNTY COVID UPDATE
Lycoming County has 10 new cases of the Coronavirus and there are 29 new cases confirmed in Northumberland County. Lycoming County has 20 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, 2 are on ventilators; Montour County reported 4 new cases with 33 patients  hospitalized there and  7 on ventilators. Tioga County has also reported 19 new cases.  According to the  Pennsylvania Department of Health, statewide yesterday,  there were 4,361 additional positive cases of COVID-19.  As of Monday there were 62 new deaths reported.

ROLLING ROADBLOCK TOMORROW
Drivers are reminded of a rolling roadblock to pull utility cable across the interstate starting tomorrow at 9am.  Thursday morning Interstate 80 westbound and eastbound in Liberty Township, Montour County, will see the activity west of the Route 54 interchange – Danville exit 224. For westbound traffic, the roadblock will begin at mile marker 223 and will continue to mile marker 220. For eastbound traffic, the roadblock will begin at mile marker 220 and continue to mile marker 223. Mile marker 220 is approximately 5 miles east of the Route 254 interchange.

WAYS TO DESTROY SPOTTED LANTERNFLY EGGS
The spotted lantern fly is heading this way and Penn State extension has issued suggestions on identifying and destroying egg masses of the Spotted Lanternfly.  The invasive species of insect has caused “quarantining” of the egg masses found in several counties of Pennsylvania, one of which now includes Northumberland County.  Experts say spotted Lanternfly egg masses are yellow or brown and are about 1.5 inch rows of small eggs, the size of a pencil point. They can be scraped up and destroyed with rubbing alcohol then disposed of in the trash, smashed or burned. A video on removing egg masses can be found at extension.psu.edu.

SPORTS

NFL
Four Steelers players were put on the reserve/COVID-19 list yesterday, including QB Ben Roethlisburger, offensive lineman Jerald Hawkins, running back Jaylen Samuels and linebacker Vince Williams.  Tight end Vance McDonald was placed on the list Monday.  Each will be isolated for 5 days.  The only way players can be eligible to play against the Bengals Sunday will be to pass COVID tests throughout the week

NFL owners began planning for the possibility that their 2020 regular season will be cut short by COVID-19 cancellations, after  a two-hour video meeting yesterday. Commissioner Roger Goodell said he wants to complete its full regular season as scheduled, But after the league saw a sharp rise in confirmed cases, Goodell has planned a potential alternative including  expanding its postseason from 14 to 16 teams, split equally between the AFC and NFC. A total of 56 NFL employees, including 15 players and 41 staff members, returned confirmed positive tests between Nov. 1-7.

Upcoming High School games
PIAA Class AAAA playoffs
Friday
HS Football
Jersey Shore vs. Crestwood @ Danville 7pm
Saturday
Boys Soccer
Williamsport vs. District 3 Champ TBD
Girls Soccer
Williamsport vs. District 11 Champ TBD

BACKYARD BROADCASTING LOCAL NEWS NOVEMBER 10, 2020

LOCAL CORONAVIRUS TOTALS ARE ALSO RISING
The Pennsylvania Department of Health has released the two day totals concerning coronavirus numbers in our area.  In Lycoming County there have been 35 new cases of the coronavirus, with 19 hospitalized and 2 on ventilators.  In Northumberland County, there are 43 new cases.  60 new Union County cases have been reported, Snyder with 16, and Montour has nine new cases with 33 of their residents hospitalized including 7 on ventilators. There has been a two-day total of 6,311 additional positive cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania, there have been nine new fatalities.

POSITIVE NEWS ABOUT FUTURE COVID VACCINE
As the world waits for a vaccine to successfully battle COVID-19, recent positive results from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer has officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Health working on logistics to distribute it when and if it becomes available.  Pfizer announced recently that its latest vaccine candidate is over 90% effective – an astounding statistic according to health officials.  According to Dr Rachel Levine, Pennsylvania Department of Health they will use a three phase system that had been in place to prioritize distribution of the medicine, for health-care personnel and front line and emergency workers as well as vulnerable populations.  The public is included in the third phase.  One challenge to distributing the vaccine, is that it has to be kept very cold, so the Department of Health is reaching out to facilities in the commonwealth to meet that challenge.

NEW JERSEY SHORE COUNCIL MEMBERS APPOINTED
Joe Hamm of the Jersey Shore Borough Council most recently won the race for the 84th state House seat in the Nov. 3 election, leading him to resign as borough manager and the council there accepted his resignation last night .  According to the Sun Gazette, Cody Hoover was appointed to Hamm’s position and in other business, unanimously aappointed Abbey Welker to fill the vacancy there for Mayor through December 2021 when the position comes up for election.  Welker steps in after Dennis Thompson stepped away from the seat to fill a council position in First Ward.

PENN COLLEGE WILL USE FUNDS FOR BODY CAMS
Members of the Newberry Independent Club has donated the funds to allow body camera use in the Penn College Police Department in another showing of financial support this year.  According to the Sun Gazette, the Polish Club has a history of  empowering local families and organizations.  A donation of 35 hundred dollars each will go to Penn College, Old Lycoming and South Williamsport police departments.  The club was founded in 1933 and has also supported the donation of K-9 units to local police  in past years.

GEISINGER HOSPITALIZATIONS RISE, OFFICIALS REMAIN VIGILANT
Health officials from Geisinger Medical center Friday said that COVID’s resurgence in our area is concerning but they are remaining vigilant and adaptable even as there is an uptick in positive tests and hospitalizations at their facilities.  They say that with colder weather coming and activities moving indoors more restrictions could come along  with the reminder to use masks and prioritize hand washing.  Most recently, there have been 80 to 90 patients in the hospital system who are positive with the virus, as compared to the summer months when there were less than 30 patients receiving care in the system on average.  In the past two days in Lycoming County alone, there have been 35 new cases of the virus reported.

BALLOT COUNTING CONTINUES IN PENNSYLVANIA
Counties continue to sort through and count provisional ballots this week in Pennsylvania even as more election-related lawsuits come in, some of which will be disqualified since they were postmarked past the November 3rd.  President Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani vowed last Sunday that litigation over Pennsylvania’s presidential election would continue this week, and Trump has refused to concede.  Courts have rejected Republican demands so far in Pennsylvania and other battleground states to throw out ballots or stop vote counting.  Other races also remain uncalled including the contest for state treasurer, where political newcomer Stacy Garrity from Athens in Bradford County could unseat the incumbent, Democrat Joe Torsella. As of Monday, Biden’s lead in the state stood at about 45,700 votes.

VALLEYT SCHOOL GOES REMOTE FOLLOWING 5 COVID DIAGNOSES
Selinsgrove Schools have moved again into remote learning for this week after Five COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the district.  Superintendent Dr. Frank Jankowski said in a letter to school families that two cases are at the elementary school, one at the intermediate school, one at the middle school, and one at the high school.  At this time, he says the plan is to resume in-person learning next Monday. Snyder County Emergency Management personnel and the Department of Health to are conducting contact tracing and instructing those required, to quarantine.

SOUTHSIDE HAS APPROVED NEW BUDGET WITH NOT NEW TAXES
A new budget was adopted by the South Williamsport Borough Council last night that will not increase property taxes.  According to the Sun Gazette, the $2.59 million 2021  budget is balanced and set at a tax rate at 4.48 mills for general purposes and 0.64 mills for fire protection service, for a total of 5.12 mills.  Homeowners with property assessed at $100,000 will pay $512 and there is a tax of 1 percent on earned income and net profits of residents.

SPORTS
NFL Monday Night Football
Patriots over the Jets 30-27

NBA
The NBA and players’ union have reached an agreement in principle last night on the start of the 2020-21 season, as well as an amended collective bargaining agreement. Free agency is to begin at 6pm on Friday, Nov. 20, two days after next week’s NBA draft.  There was a prior announcement that the regular season will begin Dec. 22, and the schedule will be 72 games.

HS Boys Soccer Today
PIAA Class A playoffs
Lewisburg vs. Wyoming Seminary @ Danville 7pm

BACKYARD BROADCASTING LOCAL NEWS NOVEMBER 9, 2020

GOP ANNOUNCE A CALL FOR LEGAL ACTION OVER RECOUNT IN PA
Republicans in Pennsylvania have indicated  by a letter at U.S. Congressman Fred Keller’s website, that they will call for legal action and a recount of legal votes in the recent election in which Joe Biden won the presidency via electoral college votes 290 to 214. In Pennsylvania, if the margin of victory is 0.5% of the vote or closer, a mandatory recount will take place.  Individual voters can request a recount in individual precincts or election districts,  if at least three voters make such a request in the court of common pleas. The deadline for a recount to be ordered is 5 p.m. Nov. 12.  In the event of a recount, the Secretary of the Commonwealth would order all county boards of election to conduct it.

CONGRESSMAN WANTS SHAPIRO TO RECUSE HIMSELF
U.S. Congressman Fred Keller of the 12th district joins eight other Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives partnering to call for legal action and recounts across Pennsylvania as well as the nation following the last Election week.  According to Representative Keller’s website a letter has been published urging Attorney General Josh Shapiro to recuse himself from all legal challenges to the results of the 2020 presidential election in Pennsylvania as well as claiming Shapiro has a conflict of interest as a political candidate and neutral arbiter.

SUNDAY FIRE REIGNITES OVERNIGHT
Some Selinsgrove roads  are blocked with emergency crews again this morning after an apartment house fire along 118 North Market Street rekindled overnigh.  According to media outlets, the blaze was originally extinguished after smoke and flames were reported coming from the roof last night around 5:30pm.  There were no injuries but about 10 people were displaced by the fire.   Crews were sent out again around 4:45am today, with Selinsgrove, and surrounding community volunteers helping at the scene after witnesses said the fire came back.   Parts of Market Street and Snyder Drive were closed while crews respond.

CLEANING OF AREAS OF ROUTE 15 IN OLD LYCOMING TOWNSHIP
Route 15 southbound was down to one lane for several hours last night after a tractor trailer overturned where Route 15 merges with Market Street.  According to the Sun Gazette, the NY based driver wasn’t injured when he overturned on his passenger side of the truck loaded with flour about 10:30pm Sunday night.  Diesel fuel was spilled and the wreck took several hours to clean up.

VETERAN APPRECIATION IN MIFFLINBURG TODAY
There will be a Drive-through veteran’s appreciation event today  in Mifflinburg organized by the office of State Representative Lynda Schlegel Culver.  According to her website, the socially distanced event will start at 9:30 at the Susquehanna Valley Mall and continue through 11:30, and will include, live music, a chance to see state and local officials and gift bags for those participating.  Yesterday, the American Legion Post 44 in Northumberland is held a Veterans Day service at Riverview Cemetery.

ANIMALS SAVED FROM BARN FIRE
All the livestock was removed by firefighters at a barn fire that occurred Saturday afternoon in Penn Township.  According to the Sun Gazette, the fire on the property owned by Paul and Sally Bower started around 5:30 and was extinguished by just before 7pm.. Several companies were on the scene at 1671 Dr. Pouse Road near Lairdsville and used water from a pond there to put out the fire.  The fire marshal is investigating the blaze.

FIRE AND EXPLOSION AT A LYCOMING COUNTY HOME
There was a fire Sunday morning  along Grimesville Road in Old Lycoming Township after calls came in about a house fire and explosion in Lycoming County.  There is drone footage of the incident Old Lycoming Township Volunteer Fire Company’s Facebook page, and according to the Sun Gazette, Jerry and Shelly Crist the owners, were not home at the time of the blaze about 9:30 a.m. yesterday, a firefighter was treated and released for a knee injury, and two pets may have been lost.  The Red Cross was called to help assist the family in Lycoming County.

SOUTHSIDE TENNIS MAKES HISTORY
In High School girls tennis, South Williamsport’s Olivia Dorner made history by winning the PIAA Double A tennis singles title in Hershey and became the first ever District 4 girls tennis player to achieve state gold. Dorner dominated Villa Maria Academy’s Tara Thomas in straight sets Saturday, 6-0, 6-1.

CLEANING OF THE INTERSTATE JERSEY WALLS STARTS TODAY
There will be lane closures starting today on Route 15 north between Foy Avenue and the Hepburnville exit in Old Lycoming Township.  There will be cleaning of the Jersey barriers along the passing lanes of the northbound side of Rt. 15 today through Wednesday.   Starting this Thursday through Monday November 16th, cleaning will take place on the southbound side.  All work will be done between 8am and 3pm weather permitting.

 

SPORTS
NFL
The Steelers beat the Cowboys 24-19, Saints beat the Bucs 38-3, Giants over Washington 23-20, Bills beat the Seahawks 44-34, Chiefs over the Panthers 33-31, Falcons beat the Broncos 34-27, Titans over the Bears 24-17, Ravens beat the Colts 24-10, Vikings over the Lions 34-20, Texans beat the Jaguars 27-25, Raiders over the Chargers 31-26, Dolphins beat the Cardinals 34-31

NFL Monday Night Football Tonight
Patriots play the Jets in NJ with an 8:15 kick off

NASCAR
Chase Elliot, Son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott won the NASCAR cup championship in Phoenix yesterday after starting at the back of the pack.  At 24 years old, Chase Elliott is the third youngest driver to win the NASCAR cup title, the same day teammate Jimmie Johnson had his final race as seven-time champion.

HS Football from the Weekend
Jersey Shore won their third consecutive District 4 Championship, defeating Shamokin on Friday night.  They now head to the state tournament to play district champ Crestwood Friday at 7 PM.

HS Girls Soccer
Williamsport won its fifth consecutive District 2-4 Class AAAA girls soccer title beating Hazleton, 5-0, Saturday at Balls Mills Soccer Complex.

The PIAA playoff game is TBD next weekend vs. the District 11 champion.

HS Boys Soccer
Selinsgrove captured the District 4 Class AAA boys soccer championship Saturday night in a 5-0 victory over Jersey Shore

BACKYARD BROADCASTING LOCAL NEWS NOVEMBER 6, 2020

BIDEN EDGING AHEAD IN PENNSYLVANIA
Pennsylvania continues to be the state to watch in the 2020 Presidential Elections as legally cast mail-in ballots are counted and former Vice President Biden chips away at Trump’s lead in Pennsylvania.  As of this morning the two candidates now separated by just 18,229 votes – the president is leading but both have just over 3.2 million ballots cast and according to Secretary of State, Kathy Boockvar, website says there are 120,128 remaining to be counted.  Pennsylvania voted for Democratic presidential candidates in six consecutive elections before President Trump flipped the blue state red on his path to the White House in 2016.

TRUMP WON A CASE OVER BALLOT COUNTING IN PHILADELPHIA
A win was secured in a lower Philadelphia court by the Trump Administration yesterday when Poll watchers are now allowed to be within six feet of ballot counting at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, rather than the previous 20-foot perimeter.  After noon Thursday, the Philadelphia Board of Elections filed an emergency petition for an allowance of an appeal in Commonwealth Court due to lack of “transparency” as votes were being counted.  The order also requires all poll watchers to abide by COVID-19 protocols.

ACCIDENT SLOWS TRAFFIC ON 220NB
The sun may have been a contributing factor in an accident yesterday morning that slowed traffic on Route 220 northbound near Rt. 287.  According to the Sun Gazette, three people were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after one driver rear-ended the other vehicle and overturned.  Traffic was backed up due to the roadway being down to one lane and PennDOT assisted at the scene with traffic control.  According to Tiadaghton Valley police noted that witnesses to the accident contributed to the slow traffic when some onlookers were ordered to movie along while they were taking pictures.

LYCOMING COUNTY VETERAN’S PARADE
The Veteran’s Day parade in Montoursville is a go this weekend forming at the middle school and ending at MOntoursville  high school.  President of the Lycoming County Veteran’s Parade Committee, Staff Sgt US Army Retired Richard L. Swank Senior says there will be a chance to thank out veteran’s following the parade in Montoursville as well.   The parade will step off from McCall Middle School at 10am following a brief flag ceremony and 21 gun salute.

LYCOMING COUNTY VOTER SERVICES CONTINUE TO COUNT BALLOTS
Post-election work in Lycoming County continues to be busy as counting military and overseas ballots are added to the count in the Commonwealth.  According to the Sun Gazette, Lycoming County Voter Services workers will also cure provisional ballots, which could take up to 10 days.  According to Secretary of State, Kathy Boockvar, there are over 140,128 ballots remaining to be counted.  Biden has closed a lead president Trump had in the race in Pennsylvania, and despite legal action by the President and the Republican Party over aspects of the count, counties continue to count the legally cast ballots in the 2020 election.

DOWN-BALLOT RACE CHANGING SLIGHTLY
The original Republican-showing in Pennsylvania’s down-ballot races have shifted just a bit since counting of the remainder of ballots has taken place after Election Day in the Commonwealth.  Democrat Josh Shapiro has edged Heather Heidelbaugh in the race for Attorney General as more of the mail-in ballots are counted from Philadelphia County.  For Auditor General, Republican Timothy Defoor captured just over 50% of the vote, defeating Democrat Nina Amahd by about 5 percentage points.  Republican Stacy Garrity still commands a slight edge over Joe Torsella for State Treasurer.

LOCAL COVID-19 UPDATE
Lycoming County has 12 new cases of the coronavirus as of yesterday at midnight, with ten hospitalized patiens and one on a ventilator.  According to the PA Department of Health.  Northumberland County has 38 new cases , Snyder County- eleven new cases Union County- three new cases. In Montour County- there are two new cases but there are hospitalized patients today at 20 and  7 on ventilators.  Statewide, the department of health reported the commonwealth’s highest daily increase of cases at 2,900 and 47 people in the state passed from the virus yesterday.

ROUTE 15 JERSEY WALL CLEANING NEXT WEEK
There will be lane closures next week on Route 15 north and south between Foy Avenue and the Hepburnville exit in Old Lycoming Township.  There will be cleaning of the Jersey barriers along the passing lanes of the northbound side of Rt. 15 Monday through Wednesday.  Then Thursday through Monday November 16th, cleaning will take place southbound.  All work will be done between 8am and 3pm weather permitting.

 

SPORTS
NFL
Thursday Night Football
Packers beat the 49’ers 34-17

HS SPORTS
HS Girls Soccer
District 4 Class AA Semifinals
Montoursville beat Central Columbia 2-1


District 2-4 Class AAAA Semifinals
Williamsport beat Delaware Valley 2-nothing


Weekend HS Football

Backyard Broadcasting HS Football Game of the Week
District 4 Class AAA Championship
Danville at Montoursville  Saturday 1pm

District 4 Class AAAA Championship
Shamokin @ Jersey Shore 7pm tonight

PIAA Class A Tournament (States)
Muncy @ Steelton-Highspire

NCAA BigTen
Maryland @ Penn State – Saturday 3:30pm

BACKYARD BROADCASTING LOCAL NEWS NOVEMBER 5TH, 2020

Pennsylvania is still undecided for it’s choice for President, Where incumbent Donald Trump leads over Former VP Joe Biden in the commonwealth by. a slim margin with more legal ballots to count this week.  Governor Tom Wolf condemned the Trump campaign for filing a lawsuit to stop the counting of ballots in Pennsylvania. In a statement, the Governor said that every vote will count and he will make sure that everyone has their voice heard. He said that in Philadelphia, officials are administering the election with the highest degree of transparency, including a livestream of the ballot-counting process available throughout the count, and all parties have canvass observers.

A woman was flown to Geisinger Medical Center Wednesday morning after being seriously injured at work in Jersey Shore.  According to the Sun Gazette, Tiadaghton Valley Regional police were called to C&E Container in Porter Township after a woman there had gotten her right arm entangled in a roller machine.  Police did not release her name, but paramedics went to the scene around 7:30 am Wednesday where the woman was freed from the machine and then transported to Antes Fort by ambulance to Long Lane, where the medical helicopter had landed.  No word on the woman’s condition today.

Pennsylvania has had its’ largest increase in COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began as of yesterday at midnight.  There are 8 new cases of the coronavirus in Lycoming County today at 2,875.  Lycoming County has 8 of those cases with 11 hospitalized patients and one on a ventilator, There are 17 new cases in Northumberland County 11 in Snyder County, Union with 7 cases, Montour has one new case according to the PA Department of Health, but there are still 17 patients hospitalized from there with 6 on ventilators .  32 people have died from the virus in the state as of yesterday.

Cogan House awaits the count of the township votes which, when official, will allow alcohol liquor licenses there.  According to the Sun Gazette, almost 86% or about 552 voters participated Tuesday and 341 voted yes for the sale of alcohol, This could bring alcohol sales to Fry’s Turkey Ranch, with the added possibility of a future package store.  Cogan House Township has been “dry” since its inception in the 1800’s.

There was a three car accident near Linden this morning one car reportedly overturned.  According to scanner reports, the accident happened on 220 Northbound near Huffman Street and had traffic backed up toward 287. Police say there was one injury.  There was another accident reported in the backups on 220 NB before Rt 287 which had traffic backed up to Route 44. Two wreckers were dispatched to the area to clear the wreck.

There was a fire call last night at about 10:30pm in East Buffalo Township in Union County in which a fire in a garage there began and spread to the home on Field of Dreams Lane near Lewisburg.  According to media reports, the fire chief of Cameron Engine Company said crews arrived and quickly put out the fire, but that a propane tank nearby slowed their efforts.  No injuries were reported and three cats were saved from the blaze.  Firefighters from Winfield, New BERlin, and Shamokin Dam responded and were assisted by Buffalo Valley Regional Police.

As Pennsylvania Voter Services workers continue to count provisional, military and overseas ballots that are still coming in, a scenario they say is normal behavior following Election Day, a suit alleging illegal ballot manipulation in the commonwealth has been filed.  According to the Sun Gazette, the plaintiffs, including newly elected state Representative Joe Hamm, allege that there is a violation of the Pennsylvania Election Code, saying there hasn’t been sufficient time to allow flawed ballots in smaller counties to be corrected and returned.

The Clinton County Coroner has identified the human remains that were found last July along the Susquehanna River in Pine Creek Township.  According to a news release, an investigation concluded that the remains were positively identified through DNA testing to be those of 31 year old Alex F. Mardis, who was reported missing in October 2019 after being last seen fishing  in Wayne Township.  State police at Lamar investigated the case.

In observance of Veteran’s Day, PennDOT announced that all driver license and photo centers will be closed Wednesday, November 11.  A complete listing of PennDOT driver and photo license center closings in 2020 is available online.You can still get product and services online through PennDOT’s Driver and Vehicle Services website, www.dmv.pa.gov.

 

SPORTS
Thursday Night Football
Green Bay at San Francisco – kick off at 8:20pm

HS Sports
HS Boys Soccer
Williamsport defeated Wilkes-Barre in the District 2-4 Class AAAA Playoffs, 1-nothing.
District 4 Class AA Boys Soccer Semi-finals
Lewisburg defeated Warrior Run 6-1.

HS Sports Today
HS Girls Soccer
District 4 Class AA Semifinals;
Lewisburg at Bloomsburg @ 2:30pm, Montoursville at Central Columbia @3pm.

District 2-4 Class AAAA
Williamsport at Delaware Valley 5pm

HS Boys Soccer
District 4 Class AA Semi-finals
Midd-West at Wellsboro @5pm

HS Girls Volleyball
District 4 Class AA Championship
NorthPenn Liberty vs Wellsboro @ Williamson 6:30pm

BACKYARD BROADCASTING LOCAL NEWS NOVEMBER 4, 2020

PENNSYLVANIA: BATTLEGROUND STATE
Our state is the battleground for the presidential election with President Donald Trump and Former Vice president Joe Biden locked in a race here that is right now  (at 6am) separated by just  under a million votes with over 2 million left to count from mostly mail-in ballots legally cast before the election.  In Pennsylvania, mail-in ballots and ballots received on election day are able to be counted until November 6th

The Pennsylvania GOP is looking at positive numbers for a sweep of the local legislature, even as the state remains in a tight race between incumbent President Trump and Former Vice President Joe Biden.  Early morning numbers show Fred Keller with over 71 percent of the ballots cast over Democrat Lee Griffin even with mail-in ballots still to be counted before November 6th.  With Garth Everett not seeking reelection in the 83rd House race, Joe Hamm is in positive territory against Amanda Waldman.  In the 84th State House, Jeff Wheeland has the majority over Airneezer Page at this time and Gene Yaw is also looking at higher numbers over Jackie Baker for a reelection to his seat in the 23rd State Senate.

Republicans at this time show a majority for Attorney General, Auditor General and State Treasurer.  Republican Heather Heidelbaugh has a slight lead over Attorney General incumbent Josh Shapiro, Timothy DeFoor holds a lead over democrat Nina Ahmad for Auditor General and candidate Stacy Garrity holds a lead over Joe Torsella

Unofficially, Lycoming County is all red with local legislators Sen. Gene Yaw and Rep. Jeff Wheeland possibly retaining their seats . Nearly 80% (58,354) of the registered voters in the county turned out to vote, either in person, or through mail-in ballots. In the 2016 presidential election, just over 52,000 turned out to vote.  Incumbent Rep. Fred Keller, held a solid lead over Lee Griffin, with over 71% of the votes.

MAN CHARGED FOR SPITTING BLOOD AT POLICE
A Williamsport man was charged with felony assault after throwing glass and spitting fluids at a Williamsport Bureau of Police officer.  According to North Central PA dot com, Raymond Young was involved in a domestic dispute at a home on the 400 block of Germania Street  on October 10th, and when officers arrived, he was taken into custody spitting blood at the officers feet.  Following an altercation, police attempted to mask Young who then threatened the officers.  Young was charged with a charge of felony assault and  two misdemeanor counts of simple assault he’s in Lycoming County prison in lieu of 95 thousand dollars bail.

ROLLING ROADBLOCK THURSDAY
There will be a rolling roadblock on east and westbound I-80 tomorrow in White Deer Township right around 9am.  According to PennDOT, it will be just west of the Route 15 interchange.  A contractor will be pulling utility cables across the interstate so for westbound traffic, the roadblock will begin at mile marker 210 (Route 15 interchange) and continue to mile marker 207, eastbound it will begin at mile marker 204 and continue to mile marker 208. The rolling roadblock is expected to last approximately 15 minutes

VOTER SERVICES NOTE SLOWDOWNS FROM ELECTION DAY
In their effort to serve the public, Lycoming County Voter services workers’ efforts culminated in a busy election night in Williamsport.  According to the Sun Gazette, Voter Services Director Forrest Lehman said there were slower moving lines at the polls yesterday due to some constituents bringing their unfilled out ballots to precincts with the intention to hand them in and then vote in-person, causing extra work for poll workers.  Lehman cited issues with the Postal Service not delivering some ballots that voter services had to then re-issue that also slowed the process.  Mail in ballots will continue to be counted until November 6th in Pennsylvania.

LOCAL COVID-19 UPDATE
The largest increase in new coronavirus cases in our area today is Northumberland County, reporting 11 new cases as of yesterday at midnight Lycoming County has 8 new cases reported and there are 11 hospitalized COVID patients at this time with one on a ventilator.  Montour County has an increase of one case but there are still 17 patients hospitalized and  6 on ventilators.  There are 5 new cases in Snyder County, Clinton is reporting 5.  The state Department of Health reported 2,875 new positive cases of COVID-19 yesterday in the commonwealth and there were 32 fatalities.

SECOND COVID-19 CASE IN DANVILLE
There was a second positive COVID-19 test at Danville Middle School  in a week. In an alert to parents.  According to Superintendent Dr. Ricki Boyle the student was last in school Monday morning and contact tracing has informed parents of students who need to quarantine The school will still remain open.

MISLEADING STORY ON SOCIAL MEDIA ABOUT ONE VOTING MACHINE HICCUP
There was just one voting machine that jammed yesterday morning in Scranton, but misleading social media posts claimed that multiple machines were disabled for hours.  According to the Sun Gazettem  Lacakawanna County poll workers said the machine was restored within minutes.  In addition, a person claiming on Facebook to have thrown out hundreds of ballots in Erie County that were for President Trump was found to have not ever been employed there and not even a registered voter.  Facebook and Twitter were said to have scrambled to take down the misleading posts that were posted and shared thousands of times.   Pennsylvania’s race is closely watched because of the surge of mail-in ballots this year

 

SPORTS

HS Girls Soccer
District 2-4 class AAAA playoffs
Williamsport beat Scranton 6-nothing advancing to the semis tomorrow.
District 4 Class A semi finals
Southern Columbia beat South Williamsport 2-nothing

HS Girls Field Hockey
District 4 Class A Semifinals
Bloomsburg defeated Muncy 6-nothing

Today Sports
HS Boys Soccer
District 2-4 Class AAAA playoffs
Wilkes-Barre comes to Williamsport at 5 PM,
District 4 Class AA semi finals
Warrior Run plays at Lewisburg @230
HS Tennis
P I-AA Class AA singles and doubles Quarterfinals Tournament begins at one today at the Central PA Tennis Center

BACKYARD BROADCASTING LOCAL NEWS NOVEMBER 3, 2020

TWO CAR CRASH SENDS FOUR TO THE HOSPITAL
A Pickup truck overturned following a crash with a Nissan Rogue Monday around 8am on Lycoming Mall Drive.  According to the Sun Gazette, Montoursville volunteer firefighters worked to free the unidentified driver from the truck and then took him to UPMC Williamsport.  A woman driving the Rogue and two children were also treated for injuries from the wreck that occurred at Lycoming Mall Drive and Fairfield Road in Fairfield Township.  The injuries were not life threatening according to police.

WILLIAMSPORT MAN FACES CHARGES IN FATAL EVERDOSE
A 30 year old WilliamsPort woman died after allegedly taking a fake Percocet that a city man sold to her last July, and he is now facing felony drug charges.  According to North Central PA dot com, a witness told police she was present when the victim made arrangements to buy the drug from 31 year old Kijifa Anderson, and when the woman was found dead at a home at the 200 block of Eldred Street that witness was compelled to reach out to police.  Anderson has been confined to the Lycoming County Prison since Oct. 30 in lieu of $95,000 monetary bail

HISTORIC ELECTION DAY REMINDERS
As people in Lycoming County come to the polls on this historic Election Day, voters should be aware of their polling places as they head to the polls and can get the exact information about where they need to go online at lyco.org.  Voters have been notified if their polling places have been changed after a court order took the number of wards in Williamsport from 17 to 13.  Polls open at 7am and remain open until 8pm.  As long as a mail-in ballot is mailed on November 3rd and is received at the Election office by November 6th, a ballot is valid, after courts extended the deadline.

SCHOOL STAYS OPEN AFTER ONE POSITIVE COVID CASE REPORTED
Warrior Run School District middle school buildings will remain open even after a staff member tested positive for the coronavirus there.  The school told media outlets that they were in consultation with the Department of Health and found no requirements to quarantine any close contacts with the infected person.  This is the first positive COVID-19 case has been reported in the Warrior Run Area School District. Warrior Run custodial staff cleaned and sanitized the affected areas.

HIGH SPEED CHASE ENDS IN ACCIDENT IN NEW COLUMBIA
A high speed chase along Route 15 October 16th has resulted in felony traffic charges for a New York man who fled from police and crashed into parked cars and utility poles in New Columbia, Union County.  According to police they attempted to stop 20 year old Kai Heyward of Brooklyn NY who was speeding on I-80 near mile marker 210.  Heyward fled onto Main Street in New Columbia, wrecked his black Kia Sorento and then fled on foot.  He was taken into custody a short time later by Milton State Police. He posted 25 thousand dollars monetary bail after being arraigned in Mifflinburg.

POLICE READY IN CASE OF UNREST
Williamsport police have said they are prepared in the case of Election Day chaos or post-election violence happens, saying that they have not gotten any intelligence that there are planned demonstrations or word of disruptive gatherings.  According to the Sun Gazette, Police Chief Damon Hagan said they are better prepared after considering the potential problems that could have arisen following the Neo-Nazi rally last July.  Hagan also said at the polling places in the area, police are not permitted to be within 100 feet of the building except in case of an emergency, however, a constable may be at the polling location.

LOCAL CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
There are 19 new cases of the coronavirus in Lycoming County with 10 hospitalized COVID-19 patients and 1 on a ventilator.  In Northumberland County there are 30 new cases, Montour has three new cases at 312 overall, however, Montour has 16 hospitalized patients with 5 on ventilators.  Clinton has 7 new cases, Union County has 20 new cases and Snyder has nine new cases.  According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed two-day total of 3,969 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 211,996. Daily increases are now the highest they have ever been since the start of the pandemic.

BUCKNELL HEADING BACK TO IN PERSON CLASSES
Bucknell University will resume some in-person instruction this week, even as the university had 10 new cases reported recently.  According to the University President, John Bravman, classes with less than 25 students can meet in-person this week at the instructor’s  discretion.  The Library and the campus gym are reopening  and Athletics and student clubs will resume Wednesday.

SPORTS

NFL Monday Night Football
Buccaneers beat the Giants 25-23 after a NY failed a two point conversion in the final minute.

HS Sports Today
Girls Soccer
District 4 Class A Playoffs
Southern Columbia at South Williamsport today at 2:30
District 2-4 Class AAAA playoffs
Scranton at Williamsport today at 5 PM
Field Hockey
District 4 Class A Playoffs
Muncy vs Bloomsburg at Selinsgrove at 5pm, Central Columbia vs Lewisburg in Selinsgrove at 7pm

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