Williamsport Man Given Mitigated Sentence

Judge Marc F. Lovechio recently handed down a 1 to 3 year sentence to a Williamsport resident. Jamal Brown, 41, faced the court Friday for his involvement in a robbery homicide that occurred in in 2016. According to the sun gazette the case was likely unsolvable before Brown’s confession, and everyone including the prosecution believed that Brown was a changed man. Judge Lovechio told brown that he had made substantial strides, going as far to say he had been a role model and therefore deserved a mitigated sentence.

Possible New Casino License Auctioned Off

The Pennsylvania gaming control board recently auctioned off a mini casino license for 10 million dollars to Ira Lubert, a Philadelphia area private equity investor. Lubert does not have to name an exact location of where he plans to build until 6 months from now when the paperwork is due, but has announced a 15 mile radius in Centre County by the Unionville borough. Legally, if all goes well and the casino is constructed it can have up to 750 slot machines and 40 table games.

Felony Evasion Charges Filed

A Lancaster county resident is facing charges stemming from an incident during a traffic stop on high street. Koryna Costella was being detained and questioned about a felony offense she had on her record. According to the sun gazette it was the transfer of an illegal firearm. She then reportedly tried to flee, quickly accelerating forward before one of the 2 police officers on the scene stepped in front of the vehicle with his gun drawn, ordering her to get out. She was arrested shortly after, and is currently waiting to be arraigned in lieu of a 75,000 dollar bail.

Fentanyl Distributor Sentenced to 20 years

David Piaquadio, a 63 year old man from Galeton has been sentenced to 20 years in a federal prison after distributing narcotics that resulted in the death of one of his customers. Piaquadio was charged by Judge Christopher C. Conner after the victim who overdosed on fentanyl sold to him was found unconscious with a syringe hanging out of his right arm. According to the sun gazette, after his arrest Piaquadio confessed to authorities that he and his girlfriend sold around 120 oxycodone tablets and 10 fentanyl patches.

UPMC Death Threats

A nurse at UPMC Muncy overheard one of the patients admitted to the facility on the phone, saying that he was going to come back and shoot everyone. According to the sun gazette a second nurse also heard the threat, and was concerned because of the comments he had made earlier about owning 200 guns. An investigation was opened for Galzenlichter, the 68 year old potter county resident, and conducted by state trooper Logan webb. He eventually learned that similar threats were also made at UPMC Williamsport, where galzenlichter threatened to kill a physician. He is currently in the Lycoming county prison with a 90,000 dollar bail set.

Sports

MLB

Fridays games scores are in! Twins over tigers 2 to 0, Blue Jays over Red Sox 8 to 7, Yankees over Orioles 6 to 5, Reds over Pirates 4 to 2, Braves over Nationals 7 to 1 and Cubs over Cardinals 4 to 1.

NFL

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory was conditionally reinstated by the NFL on Friday, and he thanked the league on social media for giving him a second chance after suspension due to multiple violations of the league’s substance-abuse policy going back to 2015.

NBA

Denver Nuggets coach Micheal Malone recently aired some frustrations with the NBA in regards to quarantine. Malone stated that the policy of not allowing coaches to bring their families into the NBA bubble is criminal in nature.

Two teenage suspects have been charged with assaulting a 76 year old man at a Williamsport basketball court where he was a security guard on August 25^th.  According to WNEP, the 15 and 17 year olds will be in in juvenile court for the incident against Richard Parker at Flanigan playground at Little League Boulevard and Walnut Street.   The organization that oversees the court will meet today to decide if the basketball courts will be reopened again this summer.

Lycoming County has 5 new cases of Covid 19 reported as of yesterday at midnight and 531 positive cases to date according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Lycoming County has eight hospitalized patients, one is on a ventilator.  There are 816 additional positive cases of the virus, bringing the statewide total to 135,611. There are 21 new deaths reported which has added up to 7,712 total fatalities from COVID-19.

There are reports of complaints from Williamsport residents that an individual is going door-to-door saying they are an employee of Lycoming County Voter Services and asking for personal information.  According to a news release, the Office of Voter Services says they do not have anyone on their staff who conducts registration activities door to door,  and if someone claiming to be from voter services comes to your door requesting information, do not share it with them,  and call 570-327-2267 to report any suspicious encounters.

A decision has been made statewide regarding sports and the number of spectators.  Legislation was passed yesterday to put the decision of  how many fans on local school boards, and the same day  Governor Wolf updated his previous guidelines – not allowing spectators at all for all sports permitted to operate during the COVID-19 disaster – to 25 or fewer people for indoor activity, 250 or fewer people for outdoor activity with the facility as a whole not exceeding 50 percent of total occupancy.  Spectators must follow the Universal Face Covering Order and social distancing guidance.

The Northumberland County Jail has reported there are 33 total positive tests for the coronavirus in the facility.  According to the Daily Item, the county court administrator there said six inmates and two staff members tested positive earlier this week, but no additional staff members that have tested positive.  The prison is still processing inmates into the jail, but  inmates court hearings are being conducted via video conferences. In an effort to mitigate the spread of the virus, 30 inmates have been released, bringing the inmate population to below 200, and the jail has a capacity of 284 inmates.

Criminal charges have been dropped against an 18 year old Williamsport man who was accused of felony child pornography and misdemeanor corruption of minors on July 7.  According to North Central PA dot com, police say 18-year-old Cole L. Johnson did not record or upload a sexually explicit video involving Cole, another adult and two minors aged 16 and 17.  According to State police it was one of the minors who managed the video which got over 19,000 views before it was deleted.  Johnson’s case is now closed.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board auctioned off a gaming license Wednesday for $10 million to a Philadelphia-area private equity investor and there are reports they might build it near the Penn State University campus in State College.  Formal paperwork naming an exact location of the required within six months by the winning bidder, Ira Lubert, but the Nittany mall is listed as one possible area .  In 2017 a PA state law expanded gambling, and authorized auctions of 10 mini-casino licenses that allow the holder to operate up to 750 slot machines and up to 40 table games, not within 40 miles of another casino.

Traffic fatalities, injuries, and crashes have decreased overall at various selected roundabouts around the state, according to PennDOT.  At intersections that were previously stop or signal controlled, the roundabouts in the study were selected based on having at least three years of crash data available before and after their construction. Police-submitted crash reports spanning the years 2000 through 2019 shows that fatalities at these locations were reduced by 100 percent and the total number of crashes decreased by 24 percent. In addition to the 22 roundabouts meeting the selection criteria, 34 other roundabouts have been built on state routes and over 40 more are in design.

SPORTS
NBA
Heat beat the Bucks 116 to 114 in the East semifinals Game 2 – Miami leading 2- nothing. Rockets won the series beating Thunder 104 to 102 in final Game 7 of the West 1^st Round.

MLB
Rockies beat the Giants 9 to 6, Mets over the Orioles 9-4, Reds beat the Cardinals 4-3, Blue Jays beat the Marlins 2-1, Rays over the Yankees 5-2, Phillies over the Nationals 3-nothing, Cubs beat the Pirates 8-2, Braves over the Red Sox 7-5, Brewers beat the Tigers 8-5, Indians over the Royals 5-nothing, Astros edged the Rangers 2-1, Twins bumped the White Sox 8-1, Padres over the Angels 11-4, Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks 3-2, A’s and the Mariners are postponed

In the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs West Second round Game 6 last night Avalanche beat Stars 4-1, the series tied up 3

Two people died as a result of a three car accident after a car traveled the wrong way and caused a crash on Route 15 near West Milton early Sunday.  According to Penn Live, 32 year old Matthew  Jodon  of Sunbury in a 2005 Chevy Cobalt was traveling north in the southbound lane of the interstate in Kelly Township after 2am Sunday , and struck a Subaru legacy head-on in which  Joseph Rodriguez – who graduated earlier this year from Midd-West – was a passenger, then continued to travel  north, striking the passenger side of another vehicle who’s owner has not been identified.  Route 15 between the West Milton and New Columbia interchanges was closed until nearly 11 a.m.  Coroner Dominick Adamo said the two young men died from blunt force trauma.

The Lawrenceville police department charged a local woman after calls about her dog being locked in a shed on a hot summer day. According to North Central PA.com 27 year old Victoria Foutz’s neighbors called the police department multiple times on July 2^nd reporting that the dog had been in the shed since 6am and later on, Tioga County Housing Authority in Elkland came to free the dog while police officers were on the scene.  Police say Foutz was charged with animal cruelty and disorderly conduct as a result of her alleged actions. She is scheduled for an arraignment at the Tioga county courthouse today.

The moratorium on utility shut off will remain in place in Pennsylvania until September 17th according to the Public Utility Commission who is seeking options for customers for financial relief when the moratorium does lift.  Lawmakers sent letters to the commission asking to keep the moratorium in place for a few more weeks, warning that people are still being hit hard economically by the fallout from the virus. According to the Sun Gazette, the commission states that growing unpaid dollar amounts can lead to an increase in terminations, it said. Customers who are falling behind in paying their bills should be notified about utility and government assistance programs, it said, and it warned that a lack of payment may hurt the ability of utilities to provide safe and reliable service.

The Lycoming County Republican Committee will welcome son of the president, Eric Trump to Cogan Station for a fundraiser next month for the local party.  According to the Sun Gazette, the younger Trump, who is the executive vice president of the Trump Organization, will greet some residents and local party candidates September 19^th at Former Congressman, Tom Marino’s home in an outdoor setting.  Registration information is on the Facebook page of the Lycoming County Republican Committee

Williamsport Police are investigating reports of a 76-year-old man who was assaulted while he was locking up the basketball courts in Flanigan Park in Williamsport last Tuesday.  According to North Central PA dot com,  Tony Parker, the son of Richard Parker who is contracted with Firetree Place to lock the courts up each night at 8pm,  shared a video from social media that was circulated showing his father being attacked by a group of about 10 people ranging in age from 17 to 20.  Officials from Firetree said they were disappointed with the incident but did not release any details about who the suspects are or whether charges will be filed.  Firetree Place and the Alize Johnson Foundation, Inc. met Wednesday to discuss appropriate action about the basketball courts at Flanigan Park which will now be closed until information is brought forward with who was involved.  Please contact the Alize Johnson foundation with information 570-666-3211

There are 10 new cases of the coronavirus being reported in Lycoming County bringing the total here to 518 cases to date.  As of yesterday at midnight  there are 670 additional positive cases of COVID-19 in PA for a statewide total of 133,504. Two new deaths were reported in Pennsylvania , that’s 7,673 total deaths attributed to COVID-19. The department of health reports the statewide recovery rate today as 82 percent

Williamsport City Council and Loyalsock Township officials are working on a memorandum of understanding to the state Department of Environmental Protection in which they propose best practices to remove 10 percent of the sediment heading into the waterways leading to the Chesapeake Bay.  The five-year Chesapeake Bay Pollution Reduction Plan, could cost up to 5 million dollars.  According to the Sun Gazette, there are an estimated 25 primary and 16 secondary projects that will help to reduce sediment.

Little League International Board of Directors have made the decision to bring the 28th Little League International Congress to Williamsport, Pennsylvania in 2022.  According to the Sun Gazette, after the coronavirus caused the postponement of a milestone celebration, the International Congress will convene June 10-13, 2022, in the Williamsport community with the final session kicking off  National Little League Week, for  the Little League International Tournament Season, and the celebration of the 75th Little League Baseball World Series.

SPORTS
HS Football
Bloomsburg High School had one of its football players test positive for COVID-19 late last week, according to the Press Enterprise.  The entire football team is now quarantined for two weeks, meaning the Panthers will have to finish heat acclimatization upon its return. Superintendent Dr. Donald Wheeler said this weeks scrimmage against Mahanoy Area and the Week 1 game on Friday the 11th against Hughesville will likely be canceled.
In the NBA
Semifinals Game 1 – Celtics beat the Raptors 112-94.   Boston leads.  In the West 1^st Round Game 6 – Clippers over Mavericks 111-97 with LA winning  4-2, Nuggets beat jazz 119 to 107 in the 1^st round Game 6 – the series tied up 3-3

MLB from Sunday
Yankees beat the Mets 8- 7 in Game 1, and again in Game 2, 5-2 in a doubleheader yesterday, Reds routed the Cubs 10-1, Tigers edged the Twins 3-2, Rays bumped  the Marlins 12-7, Red Sox over the Nationals 9-5, White socks beat the Royals 5-2, Pirates beat the Brewers 5-1, Cardinals over the Indians 7-2, Dodgers over the Rangers 7-2, Blue Jays edged  the Orioles 6-5, Padres thumped the Rockies 13-2, Giants beat the Diamondbacks 4-1, Mariners over the Angels 2-1, Braves over the Phillies 12-10, A’s and Astros were postponed due to illness.

NASCAR
William Byron made it to the playoffs by earning his first career Cup series victory at Daytona on Saturday night.  Jimmy Johnson unable to get the points for the playoffs in his final full-time season, after being caught up in the pack of a late wreck, and restarting back too far to recover in overtime.  Chase Elliott finished second, followed by Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr. and Bubba Wallace.

NHL playoffs
Stars beat Avalanche 5-4 in the West 2^nd round Game 4, Dallas leading the series 3-1, Golden Knights over the Canucks 5-3 in the West 2^nd round Game 4 with Vegas leading 3-1.  Islanders beat the Flyers 3-2 in the East 2md Round Game 4 New York leading 3-1

Eric Trump to Visit Cogan House

The Lycoming County Republican Committee will welcome son of the president, Eric Trump to Cogan Station for a fundraiser next month for the local party.  According to the Sun Gazette, the younger Trump, who is the executive vice president of the Trump Organization, will greet some residents and local party candidates September 19^th at Former Congressman, Tom Marino’s home in an outdoor setting.  Registration information is on the Facebook page of the Lycoming County Republican Committee.

Elderly Man Assaulted at Flanigan  Park

Williamsport Police are investigating reports of a 76-year-old man who was assaulted while he was locking up the basketball courts in Flanigan Park in Williamsport last Tuesday.  According to North Central PA dot com,  Tony Parker, the son of Richard Parker who is contracted with Firetree Place to lock the courts up each night at 8pm,  shared a video from social media that was circulated showing his father being attacked by a group of about 10 people ranging in age from 17 to 20.  Officials from Firetree said they were disappointed with the incident but did not release any details about who the suspects are or whether charges will be filed.  Firetree Place and the Alize Johnson Foundation, Inc. met Wednesday to discuss appropriate action about the basketball courts at Flanigan Park which will now be closed until information is brought forward with who was involved.  Please contact the Alize Johnson foundation with information 570-666-3211

Sediment Reduction Plan Introduced

Williamsport City Council and Loyalsock Township officials are working on a memorandum of understanding to the state Department of Environmental Protection in which they propose best practices to remove 10 percent of the sediment heading into the waterways leading to the Chesapeake Bay.  The five-year Chesapeake Bay Pollution Reduction Plan, could cost up to 5 million dollars.  According to the Sun Gazette, there are an estimated 25 primary and 16 secondary projects that will help to reduce sediment, such as wood chip infiltration and swale construction.

Sports

MLB
The Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics jointly walked off the field following a moment of silence, draping a Black Lives Matter T-shirt across home plate as they chose not to play Friday night.  The decision came on Jackie Robinson Day across the majors, and in the wake of 29-year-old Jacob Blake, a Black man, being shot by police in Wisconsin on Sunday. There have been 11 big league games postponed this week as clubs joined teams in the NBA, WNBA, NHL and MLS in calling off games while protesting social injustice. Major League Baseball let teams decide whether to play or not

NBA
LeBron James and Chris Paul led a subcommittee of players following a contentious players’ meeting Wednesday who reached out to former President Barack Obama for advice. A call between players and owners ironed out three initiatives sought through the boycott: the formation of a social justice coalition; a commitment from every city where the league has a franchise to convert team facilities into mass-voting locations; and a creation of public service announcements, to be aired by the league’s network partners during every playoff game, aimed at promoting civic engagement in local and national elections and raising awareness about voter access and opportunity.

NASCAR
NASCAR drivers do not plan to skip Saturday night’s race at Daytona International Speedway to raise awareness of social and racial injustices in the wake of the most recent police shooting of a Black man, in Wisconsin. Bubba Wallace, the only full-time Black driver in the elite Cup Series, tweeted about how the  decision should not be interpreted as “turning away from the dark and evil acts that have taken over our nation.  The 26-year-old Wallace has been a leader in pushing NASCAR for more diversity and its recent ban on the Confederate flag at racetracks.

GOVERNOR WOLF ASKS FOR LEGISLATION TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA
Governor Tom Wolf outlined plans yesterday for the spending of coronavirus relief funds in the state and also asked for a bill to legalize the recreational use of marijuana by adults in the commonwealth which he says could be one way to plug a hole in revenue and also help historically disadvantaged businesses in the state.  During a press conference Governor Wolf announced his plan for 1.3 billion dollars in federal relief funds which includes $225 million for hazard pay for workers on the front lines of responding to the pandemic, money for low income communities to establish remote learning systems in schools and relief for the state’s restaurants and bars among other proposals.

FUGITIVE FROM NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY FOUND IN ILLINOIS
A Riverside woman who fled from Northumberland County with her two children after disregarding court instructions in a custody battle, has been found in Niles, Illinois and the children have been taken into custody by child serving agencies and the 4 year old and infant will be returned to Riverside.  According to a press release by the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force found and arrested 39 year old Sawsan Hadidi, formerly of Danville for interference in Child Custody and endangering the welfare of a child.  Hadidi is in custody of Cook county Illinois authorities.

SECOND ROUND OF CORONAVIRUS FUNDING FOR LYCOMING COUNTY SMALL BUSINESSES
Two hundred thousand dollars in funding for small business was provided yesterday by the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce.  According to the Sun Gazette,  the Lycoming County Commissioners heard the details about loans and grants for 92 local businesses in the county in a second round of funding allocations in the small business relief program.  Chamber President Jason Fink told the commissioners that the applications were reviewed by chamber and county officials.  Small businesses with annual revenue not exceeding $3 million were eligible to apply.

LOYALSOCK SCHOOL BOARD TO HAVE MEETING TODAY
A special meeting will be held today for the Loyalsock Township School Board tonight at 6pm.  According to the  Sun Gazette the virtual meeting will be held to discuss sports and extracurricular activities and any other issues that could be brought up to the board.  Residents and those wishing to attend the online meeting can go to the district website and log on prior to 6pm, at loyalsocklancers.org.

CORONA VIRUS UPDATE FOR LYCOMING COUNTY
There are 8 new cases of Coronavirus in Lycoming county as of yesterday for a total of 492 positive cases to date.  There are ten COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Lycoming County, one is on a ventilator Statewide there are 561 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 130,035.  There have been 26 fatalities reported as of yesterday for a toll of 7,605 fatalities.

SUSPECT IN RESTAURANT PARKING LOT SHOOTING RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL INTO POLICE CUSTODY
The man accused of shooting two people outside of the Buffalo Wild Wings in July has been discharged from the hospital and is now is in custody awaiting a preliminary hearing in Snyder County Court.  According to media outlets, the Snyder County DA said  55-year-old Christopher Fernanders of Paxinos was determined to be well  enough to stand trial after being hospitalized from a gunshot following a bystander shooting and disabling him after the parking lot incident.  Fernanders will have a hearing September 29^th and face cha4rges in the murder of 46-year-old Heather Campbell and 52-year-old Matthew Bowersox of Mifflinburg.

COVID-19 TESTS RAMPING UP AT PENN STATE
Penn State has done coronavirus testing for over 17,000 students with 148 students testing positive for the virus. Penn State has a mask requirement for students and mandate that they should stay 6 feet apart inside academic buildings, but parties off-campus are the concern.  According to WNEP, the university suspended two fraternities, Pi Kappa Alpha and Phi Kappa Psi after they had large gatherings last week.  The Centre Daily times says, Penn State recently confirmed a new partnership with Quest Diagnostics and plans for new equipment that should allow for faster test results.  Penn State classes started Monday and at this time, the plan is for students to attend class until Nov. 20, when the university will switch to remote instruction after Thanksgiving break.

EAST LYCOMING AP[PROVES SPORTS FOR FALL
At their virtual school board meeting Tuesday night, the East Lycoming School Board voted that fall sports will continue but the district will need to comply with state and PIAA guidelines including no spectators, and a limit of 250 people at events. The media could also be included in those permitted to attend.  There are plans to investigate the use of a video production group to televise as many sporting events as possible.

ACCIDENT ON ROUTE 15 SHUTS DOWN TRAFFIC
Traffic is being diverted from Route 15 North and South this morning due to an accident and vehicle fire near B& C Autowreckers that may involve injuries.  Wires were reportedly down causing first responders to re-route Rt 15 between Montgomery and South Williampsort.  Northbound traffic is being detoured to Route 54, 405 and I-180, Southbound detoured to I-180.  According to PennDOT, the roadway is expected to be closed throughout the morning.

SPORTS
NBA
In the West, 1st Round Game 5,  Nuggets beat Jazz 117 to 107 Utah leads the series 3-2, Clippers beat the Mavericks 154 to 111 with the LAClippers leading 3-2, East 1^st Round continues with Game 5  Magic and Bucks today at 4pm.  West continues tonight with Thunder and Rockets playing at 6:30 – Thunder and Rockets tied 2-2 for the series – and Trailblazers and Lakers play at 9pm and Lakers lead their series 3-1
MLB
Astros beat the Angels 6-3 in Game 1 of their Doubleheader, Game 2 – Angels beat the Astros 12-5, a Doubleheader for the Marlins who blanked the Mets 4-nothing Game 2 – Marlins blanked the Mets 3-nothing,  Phillies thumped the Nationals 8-3, Red Sox beat the Blue Jays 9-7, Rays beat the Orioles 4-2, Indians over the Twins 4-2, Tigers routed the Cubs 7-1, A’s over the Rangers 10-3, White Sox beat the Pirates 4-nothing, Brewers edged the Reds 3-2, Royals beat the Cardinals 5-4, Mariners over the Padres 8-3, Rockies beat the Diamondbacks 5-4, Giants over the Dodgers 10-8, Yankees and Braves are postponed by weather.
NHL
Lightning beat Bruins 4-3 in Game 2 of the 2nd round in the East their tied up 1-1, Canucks over the Golden Knights 5-2 in the West for their 2^nd Round Game 2, that series also tied up 1-1, New York Islanders play the Flyers today at 3pm Islanders leading 1- nothing, Bruins and Lightning playing Game 3 at 8 PM – their series tied up.  Avalanche and Stars play Game 3 at 10:30 PM Dallas leading 2-nothing