SECOND SHOOTING IN CITY IN LESS THAN TEN DAYS
A Williamsport woman was hospitalized after being shot last night while inside a home on the 500 block of Louisa Street .  According to the Sun Gazette, Williamsport police report the shooting took place just after 6:30 last night and she was transported to UPMC Williamsport.  Five young children, who were not injured, were seen being brought out of the house after the incident.  Police say they had sought a search warrant for the home involved in the second shooting in the city in 10 days and are following leads in the case.

MUNCY DECIDES ON COVID-19 PROTOCOL IN CASE OF INFECTION
The Muncy School District met this week to discuss the matter of following a health and safety plan if a potential COVID-19 outbreak at their schools occurred and how that was defined.  According to the Sun Gazette, the Muncy School board decided that if three students became infected at the school within a 14 day period, then the school buildings affected would close and distance learning would take place for 5 to 7 days – not the entire district.  The board meets again this Monday to approve the new plan.

SECOND LADY NOT SEEKING TO FILE CHARGES
After authorities determined that the woman who verbally attacked the Second Lady of Pennsylvania, Giselle Fetterman, at grocery store last weekend was in violation of the Pennsylvania Crimes Code, no charges will be filed.  According to the Pennsylvania State Police the Fettermans want to avoid prosecuting the woman and instead wish her to take an opportunity to engage in what they said were appropriate social services and resources.

RESIDENTS ENCOURAGED TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN TIME
With one of the most important elections in quite a while looming just weeks away and the deadline to register to vote coming up Monday,  Lycoming County residents are being encouraged to make sure they are all set registered and ready for November 3^rd.  The Lycoming County Director of Voter Services, Forest Lehman, said there is an uptick in applications for mail in ballots for which the deadline to apply is October 27^th, but those ballots can be mailed or hand delivered by 8pm on Election Day.  Lehman says the ballots which started going out in early October, can take up to 7 days to get to their destination.

COVID-19 CLINIC IN NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY
With Northumberland County at the top of the list of percent-positivity rate for the coronavirus, the PA Department of Health has begun an outdoor testing clinic in Elysburg.  According to Dr Rachel Levine, today through next Tuesday there will see up to 440 patients each day in the lower parking lot at POLAR TECH, along Route 487 from 7am til 6pm.  The clinic is on a first come first served basis and will be free.

STATE UNIVERSITIES MOVING AHEAD WITH INTEGRATION
The governing body of Pennsylvania’s 14 state-run schools this week approved the continuation of planning for integration of six of the state’s universities.  According to a press release by the Board of Governors for Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, Bloomsburg-Lock Haven-Mansfield and California-Clarion-Edinboro will integrate and each of the groupings of the three schools would operate under a single annual budget – but not share a campus.  A more expanded plan is expected to be decided by the board of Governors in April of 2021, and then be presented to the public for comment as required by Act 50 of 2020..  The combined universities are expected to operate and accept students in August of 2022.

YOUTH PROGRAMS TO BE REVIVED
A Lycoming County Youth program that was originally created to give youth criminal offenders the opportunity to be connected with positive role models in our community is set to begin again.  According to North Central PA dot com, Youth Commissions were created throughout Lycoming County in the 1980s and the newly revived Commissions will be called “The Honorable Thomas C. Raup Memorial Youth Commission”.  Judge Joy Reynolds McCoy, who currently
presides over the Juvenile Court System in Lycoming County, will revive the program  comprised of volunteer community members and mentors in November with Mayor Derek Slaughter serving as chairperson.

ROAD CONSTRUCTION DELAYED
The Duboistown road construction project slated to begin this week along Euclid Avenue has been moved to next week.  According to PennDOT, the lane closures along Euclid Avenue at the intersection with Arlington Street will begin Monday and go until Thursday October 22^nd.  The bottom of Arlington Road to be closed and flaggers will be in the work zone from 7am until 4:30 pm weather permitting.

SPORTS
MLB
In the National League championship series Game 4 –  the Braves beat the Dodgers 10 to 2 and chalked  up six runs in a decisive sixth inning  and are now one win away from their first World Series since 1999.  In the American League championship series Game 5, the Astros beat the Rays 4-3, Tampa Bay leads the series 3-2

HS Girls Soccer
Williamsport blanked  Hughesville 1- nothing, Montoursville over Southern 4-2

HS Boys Soccer
Sullivan beat Millville 2-1 in double OT, Danville over Milton 1- nothing, Wellsboro beat Northeast Bradford 8-nothing, South over Benton 2-1, North Penn Liberty over Williamson 3-2,

Field Hockey
Lewisburg defeated Midwest 3-nothing

HS Girls Tennis
In the District 4 tournament in the Semis yesterday Central Columbia beat South 3-1 and Loyalsock over Montgomery 3-nothing.  In the finals Central Columbia defeated Loyalsock 3-1

The Backyard Broadcasting High School Football Game of the Week will be tomorrow – The Battle for the Bridge between Montoursville and Loyalsock Saturday at 7 PM on our sister station the Twin Valley’s Talk Radio Network  – other 7pm Saturday games; Athens at South Williamsport, Muncy in Canton and Shamokin plays Milton at 9 AM tomorrow morning.

A 5 month old infant was bitten by a dog inside a Williamsport home Monday night and suffered serious injuries.  The incident occurred when the parent of the baby girl was visiting the home on Grant Street, where the resident’s dog attacked her.  The child was taken to Geisinger in Danville with injuries to her face and head but no word on her condition has been released.  According to the Sun Gazette Police Chief Damon Hagan said there is a criminal investigation underway after they were notified by hospital officials about the attack, and the dog is in quarantine at the local SPCA.

Lycoming County reports 5 new cases of COVID-19 as of yesterday bringing the number of cases here to 838 – Northumberland County has reported 14 new cases as of yesterday, Montour has two for a countywide total of 247 and Union has two new cases at 613 overall.  According to Penn Live, the number of positive coronavirus cases continues to rise in Pennsylvania.  Gov. Tom Wolf’s office and the state Department of Health, released information that the percentage of positive tests in the commonwealth rose to 3.9% over the past week, up from 3.4% during the previous 7-day period. The governor’s office also singled out Northumberland with a 8.6 percent rate of positive testing among 14 other counties where the percentages were highest. Centre was second highest at 7.6%, Bradford  and Lebanon counties were at 7.4% to top the list.

With a 2021 budget proposal on the way in November, South Williamsport Borough is looking toward no projected increase in property taxes or any anticipated sanitary sewer rate increase. According to the Sun Gazette, there were no budget figures presented at the meeting Monday, but without changes, the average household with an assessment on 100 thousand dollars, will pay just over 5 mills for general purpose and fire services.  The council also this week approved trick or treating for the 31^st on Southside from 6-8.

There is a controlled implosion planned for Friday morning that will bring down the last two standing smokestacks at the former Sunbury Generation Plant in Shamokin Dam.  According to media outlets the implosion will take place at 9am, so Old Trail between Park Road and Eleventh Avenue will be closed to motorists and pedestrian traffic between 8:45 a.m. and at least 10 a.m. A public viewing area on site will not be possible due to COVID-19 protocols, an no boats will be allowed nearby on the river.  It was a year ago last October when the first two stacks were brought down.

An early morning fire along the 2300 block of Wheatland Avenue had township and city firefighters respond just after 2am .  Accoring to social media, an Old Lycoming Township couple was awakened by the sound of breaking glass about 2:15 this morning and escaped the burning home through their front door .  Fire officials say the fire was under control about 3:30 am this morning.  DuBoistown, Hepburn Township, Loyalsock Township, Nisbet, Montoursville and Jersey Shore responded to the two alarm fire.

A Williamsport man was charged with felony strangulation and other charges when he allegedly assaulted a woman at a Maple Street home in early October.  According to North Central Pa dot com, 26 year old Jahlil G. Brown argued with the victim over money and lifted her by the throat, slamming her to the ground.  He was found by police hiding in the home after the woman called for help.  Brown was charged for the crime and committed to the Lycoming County Prison on Oct. 5 in lieu of $25,000 monetary bail.

The Lycoming County Commissioners said in their meeting Tuesday that as a result of not knowing how much financial assistance the county might receive from the state, the budget is tight.  According to the Sun Gazette, the commissioners said Harrisburg itself is facing a 5.5 billion dollar budget deficit and project the deficit hole will be hard to close without cutting back on programs or staff and without federal assistance.  The discussion included an intention to trim back where possible, noting the potential cutbacks make it difficult to hire even when hiring is needed.

There will be construction and  lane closures in Duboistown this Thursday.  Morotists heading through on Routh 654 are advised of construction and lane closures  for pipe work and other minor improvements will occur  According to PennDOT, flaggers will be controlling traffic at the bottom of Arlington Road and Euclid Avenue between 7:00 AM to 4:30 PM through  next Tuesday weather permitting.

SPORTS
NFL
Titans defeated the Bills 42-16 in their make-up game from earlier in the week

Running back Le’Veon Bell was released from the New York Jets yesterday.  Bell was a free agent in 2019 and signed with the Jets in a four year $52.5 million contract.

MLB
National League Championship Series Game 2 –  Braves edged  the Dodgers 8-7, Atlanta up 2 – American League Championship Game 3 the Rays beat the Astros 5-2 with Tampa Bay up 3.

HS Girls Soccer
Muncy beat CMVT 6-nothing,
HS Boys Soccer
Montoursville beat Hughesville 4-3
Sullivan county beat South Williamsport 6-5 in overtime .
HS Cross Country
Williamsport came in under Montoursville 15-50, Girls – Williamsport 24 Montoursville 32.

HS Football News
Mount Carmel’s football team, the winningest program in Pennsylvania history, will forfeit its final 3 games of the season due to an ongoing hazing investigation.

FIVE DAY CLOSURE UNDERWAY FOR TWO MILTON AREA SCHOOL BUILDINGS
Milton Area School District, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Health, will implement a 100% virtual model of instruction beginning tomorrow for through this Thursday, October 15^th when students at the middle and high school buildings are tentatively scheduled to return to in person classes.  The middle and high school buildings will be closed but other district buildings will remain open.  Students who attend Baugher Elementary School and White Deer Elementary School will go to school following their regular schedule and educational option.

NEW ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR HIRED IN WILLIAMSPORT
There is a new city director has been hired to fill the Department of Economic and Community Development position left vacant after a retirement in the department.  According to the Sun Gazette, after being selected by Mayor Derek Slaughter, August “Skip” Memmi was approved in a formality by City Council. Memmi and his family will soon move into the area as per ordinance requirement.  Memmi who is a small business owner in Dauphin County, told city council that he wants to uplift the economic environment and help the city move in the right direction.

WILLIAMSPORT FIRE BRINGS TWO COMPANIES
There was a fire late Sunday night that brought out emergency crews to the 900 block of Park Avenue.  A call came in just after 10pm last night, crews from Williamsport and Montoursville handled most of the fire and got it under control in less than fifteen  minutes.  Witnesses say there was smoke pouring from the front door of the home.  Fire crews say the origin may have been in the kitchen but the official cause is under investigation.

A community effort made “Autumn at the Shore”, hosted by the Jersey Shore Town Meeting, a success on Saturday.  According to the Sun Gazette, 5 & under Rylee Copenhaver , 6-10 year old Jade Alexander and 11-14 year old Caleb Kilpatrick placed first in the inaugural pumpkin roll down Thompson Street.  Pumpkins were donated by Jersey Shire Elks Lodge and Riders #1057 and the Manufacturing class at the Senior high school made the grand prize trophy.  Overall distance winner was Andrew Button

A proposal by Hutchinson Development LLC to construct a Dollar General 305 Washington Boulevard in Williamsport was recently approved by City Council. According to the Sun Gazette community members expressed concern about the construction, worried about the increased traffic and potential litter that could decrease quality of life. Hutchinson released a statement saying that they promised a clean and properly maintained store, with considerations for the neighborhood like a similar construction and feel of the Lycoming college buildings, early morning truck deliveries a single time per week and a smaller design than originally proposed.

A 36 year old Hughesville mother was apprehended by police when she allegedly ran into another vehicle on South 3^rd street in early August while drunk. Police say there were 2 children in the car when Kristin Rae Walters, refused to listen the police asking her to exit the vehicle, resulting in them forcibly removing her. She was detained and taken to UPMC in Muncy for a blood alcohol test, which resulted in a .30. When at the hospital, Walters admitted to drinking alcohol and  she was charged with DUI, resisting arrest, and child endangerment.

Joe Biden visited a union hall in Erie, Pennsylvania Saturday, and as he traveled from the airport, supporters gathered along the roadway for both Biden and President Trump. In his campaign address to the people in attendance, Biden pledged to fight for working-class Americans and rebuild the economy from the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic. According to Erie News Now, Erie County was one of three counties in Pennsylvania that backed President Barack Obama before swinging to Trump in 2016, breaking from its Democratic roots.

An alleged giant fossilized Clam has been pulled out of a Roaring Branch Creek tributary in Southern Tioga County.  According to North Central PA dot com, a Williamsport man found the almost 500 pound mass that looks like a 3 foot long rock, and he had an archeologist from Lycoming College examine it.  The man who discovered it, Michael Roan, said the experts think there’s a 50/50 chance it could be a clam.  They’ll have officials from Penn State look at it next.

SPORTS
NFL
The Steelers defeated the Eagles 38 to 29, Cowboys beat the Giants 37-34, Dolphins over the 49ers 43-17,  Ravens beat the Bengals 27-3
Rams over Washington 30-10, Texans beat the Jaguars 30-14, Browns over the Colts 30 to 23, Seahawks beat the Vikings 27-26,
Monday night football tonight
Chargers and the Saints play in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans at 815, Bills and the Titans play tomorrow at 7 PM in Nashville.
The game between Denver and New England is postponed with no word on a make-up date

The emotions of a last-second win against the New York Giants could not overcome the disappointment the Dallas Cowboys felt Sunday after losing quarterback Dak Prescott for the season.  Prescott suffered a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle that required surgery Sunday night. The injury occurred on a 9-yard run while being tackled by Giants defensive back Logan Ryan with 6 minutes, 33 seconds to play in the third quarter, and it quickly brought a hush to the AT&T Stadium crowd

NBA
Lakers beat the Heat 106 to 93  – LA wins Game 6  – their 17th Franchise Title.

NASCAR
Chase Elliot wins the Charlotte Roval 400 Road course – advancing into the Round of 8 for the 4^th straight year, Joey Logano finished second, followed by  Eric Jones 3rd and Kurt Busch fourth
MLB
Rays beat the Astros 2-1 in the American League Championship Game yesterday.
Houston plays Tampa Bay today at 4:07 PM, Atlanta is in Los Angeles for their National League Championship Game 1 at 8 PM

HS Football
Loyalsock will play at Warrior Run tonight at 7pm – a make-up game from Week One.

All football players will get 2 tickets for their parents to attend.

PUBLIC REMINDED ABOUT VIRUS PROTOCOLS
Local medical experts are sending the message to the public that with local numbers of the coronavirus increasing – and yesterday the state reporting the largest one-day increase of positive COVID-19 tests since April – that basic precautions should still be used, handwashing, limiting gatherings and wearing masks.  According to the PA Department of Health,  Lycoming County reported 24 new cases yesterday with 15 reported in long term care facilities.  In a statement released by Western PA Regional Chief Medical Officer Consortium the focus should be on continuing to use best practices such as getting a flu shot this year, social distancing and staying home when you are ill because the virus is real so avoid the damage that can be done by underestimating it.

ONE INJURED IN MUNCY SHED FIRE
There was a fire in Muncy that injured one man and brought out emergency crews to New Street just before midnight on Wednesday.  According to the Sun Gazette, firefighters from Muncy area and Pennsdale were dispatched to fight a 20 foot storage building that was engulfed in flames.  Fire officials say that the fire may have been caused by sparks that ignited it from a nearby controlled burn earlier in the day and that a man had been injured after falling into fire.  The unidentified individual was taken to the burn unit at Lehigh Valley Hospital.  The fire was put out in a few minutes and kept from spreading to nearby homes

PENN COLLEGE TO HOLD VIRTUAL CAREER FAIR
Penn College will hold a Virtual Fall Career fair on October 20^th and 21^st . According to college officials last year’s in-person fair had 458 companies and a record 1,942 students participate, and this year they say the online career fair management tool is a suitable substitute for face-to-face interaction between employers and future employees. Both students and employers create online profiles and participate in video chats with multiple opportunities and interactions available through the online system. A link where employers can register for the Career Fair until October 16^th is available at WILQ WBZD at https://pct-csm.symplicity.com/events.

LOYALSOCK FALL SPORTS GUIDANCE
Loyalsock Township Schools approved a plan for fall sports at the school board meeting last night as well as a recommendation for the number of spectators who can attend.  After Governor Wolf this week announced new directives on public gatherings on a sliding scale, Loyalsock with a stadium that can hold 3,570, will be able to have 714 people at the stadium for home football games.  The number includes members of both teams, the band and cheerleaders and  essential personnel, first. Then two tickets per person will be given out so that participant’s family members can attend the games while wearing masks and maintaining a social distance.

LANDLORD CHARGED WITH BURNING TENANTS ITEMS
Charges have been filed against a landlord in White Deer for burning the possessions of a tenant with whom he had a dispute.  According to the State Police in Milton, 72 year old Ronald Barraclough had a disagreement with a female tenant on Gray Hill Road in White Deer Township, after which he removed items from the property and burned them.  Barraclough was charged with arson and cited for dangerous burning  in Union County court.

SPECIAL NEEDS COMMISSION TO BE FORMED TO ASSIST WITH EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Community Members with special needs will be able to take advantage of a newly formed commission after it was announced yesterday by Lycoming County Commissioners in their Tuesday meeting this week. Officially recognizing October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month, the commissioners hope the discussion and the variety of help that can be given to those who are differently abled will bring positive changes for people in Lycoming County. .

There is an update of the travel advisory list announced by the Pennsylvania Department of Health that shows  states with high COVID-19 prevalence and the ones in which a traveler must quarantine for 14 days upon their return to the commonwealth.  No neighboring states to Pennsylvania are on the list, the closest to us being Kentucky and Tennesee among the states with higher spikes and risks involving the coronavirus.  The full statement by the Pennsylvania Department of health is available here.

The owner of the Crosscutters has been retained by Major League Baseball to help transition the league into a smaller group of affiliates.  According to Major league baseball Peter B. Freund and Trinity Sports Consultants has been retained to work on the project that will shrink the number of affiliated teams from 160 to 120, however the league announce it will retain baseball in the minor league cities losing affiliations with an Appalachian League starting next year as a college summer circuit for rising freshmen and sophomores.

SPORTS

NFL
Thursday night football
Bears beat the Buccaneers 20-19

The NFL announced schedule changes for Week 5:
Denver at New England will be this Monday at 5 pm on ESPN….And Buffalo is at Tennessee on Tuesday night at 7 on CBS.
These decisions were made to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel and in consultation with medical experts.

MLB
National League Division Series Game 3
Braves blanked the Marlins seven nothing winning the series 3-nothing, Dodgers stomped the Padres 12-3, winning their series 3 nothing.  The American League Division Series Game 4 – Astros beat the A’s 11-6, winning the series 3-1, and Yankees beat the Rays 5-1, tying up their series in Game 4 – 2 and 2

HS Football
The Backyard Broadcasting High School football game of the week tonight Bucktail at South Williamsport – Coverage begins at 6:30, Kick off at 7pm on our sister station WWPA or WILQ’s HD3

HS Girls Soccer
Lewisburg beat Williamsport 2-nothing, Mount Carmel beat Loyalsock 6-3, Montoursville and Shikellamy tied 2-2 in double OT, Mifflinburg over Jersey Shore 2-1, and Sullivan County beat Millville 4-nothing,
HS Boys Soccer
South Williamsport beat Montgomery 11-2