FATAL ATV ACCIDENT IN BRADFORD COUNTY

A man from Rome, PA was killed in an ATV accident Saturday, July 6^th near Windham, PA.  According to State police at Towanda, 30 year old Nicholas Byrne suffered a fatal head injury when he failed to negotiate a left turn while driving his 2010 Yamaha Raptor and hit a tree on Hickeys Rocks Road, just north of Greek Road in Bradford County.  Police say the accident happened around 10:30pm and that Byrne wasn’t wearing a helmet or any other safety equipment at the time of the crash and  died from his injuries at the scene.  The Warren Township Fire Department and the Bradford County Coroner assisted with the accident. 

CHILD REPORTS ABUSE TO TROOPERS IN MONTOURSVILLE

A child from Montgomery went to the State police barracks July 4^th and reported that her family member threw her and physically abused her, leading to the man’s arrest.  According to North Central PA dot com, the victim showed police bruising on her ribs and foot from the altercation that took place at a home on Cemetery Hill Road.  Troopers took 60 year old Anthony Maurice Kovaleski into custody and charged him with endangering the welfare of children, simple assault, and harassment.  He is free today on 10 thousand dollars bail.

FOREVER STAMP PRICES GOING UP

The USPS has announced a price increase – again for forever stamps and other post office services.  According to the Postal Regulatory Commission, this is the 19th stamp rate change since 2000 and the fifth rate hike in two years.  Stamp prices are set to increase by 5 cents this month with certified mail and money order fees also set to increase.  The price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp will increase from 68 cents to 73 cents on July 14, and first class mail rates increasing by roughly 7.8%.

UPTOWN MUSIC COLLECTIVE TO PERFORM IN MUNCY

The Uptown Music Collective will be featured in Muncy at a mid-summer event called “Pops at Pepper Street” – a free-to-the-public concert coming up on August 3^rd.  According to the Muncy Historical Society, they’ll host the students from the UMC’s renowned performance program for a second year, and they will present music for all ages at the Schuyler Memorial Stadium on the Muncy Junior-Senior High School campus starting at 7pm.  Free popcorn and other food will be available for purchase from the Muncy Music Association and Boy Scout Troop No. 25.  In case of bad weather the concert will be held indoors.  Get details at Muncy Historical Society’s Facebook page.

SUNBURY WOMAN WANTED FOR QUESTIONING IN NYC HOMICIDE

A woman from Pennsylvania is a person of interest in a homicide investigation in New York City, after the man she lives with in Sunbury was discovered stabbed to death in a Brooklyn apartment.  According to the Daily Item, police say Maurice Freeman was seen arguing with the woman around 5:15 am Monday before she allegedly fled from the scene in a car registered to an address in Northumberland County.  Police report a blood trail was found at 1491 Shore Parkway in the city, that went from the apartment where Freeman was discovered, across a street to a nearby park.  Freeman was hospitalized but died from his injuries.  The Sunbury Police Chief are diverting all questions about the case to the NYPD, and more information is expected to be released as the investigation continues.

TWO SHAMOKIN MEN ARRESTED FOR BREAKING IN, DRUG POSSESSION

Two men from Shamokin were arrested after witnesses called police as they were breaking into a property on North Shamokin Street.  According to The news Item, 28 year old Logan C. Faust and 33 year old Zebulon J. Keefe were apprehended by police who were alerted to the break in at about 10 am Tuesday.  K9 Pax from Coal Township was also called to the scene as well and officers discovered methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia on the two men.  Faust and Keefer were charged with criminal trespass, drug possession, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct and are in Northumberland County Jail in lieu of $7,500 cash bail.

CHANGES FOR SOME LYCO POLLING SITES

Changes to some polling sites in Lycoming County were approved yesterday by Lycoming County Board of Elections  as they work to bring all the sites into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.  According to Forrest Lehman, director of Voter Services, one long term change is for Anthony Township to move their polling site to Anthony Baptist Church at 4750 Quenshukeny Road, and Wards 3 and 4 in the Jersey Shore Borough will now vote at the Mountain View Alliance Church at 1515 Cemetery Street.  Get information about polling locations at lyco.org under voter services.

REPAVING PROJECT TO HAPPEN SUNDAY OVERNIGHT

There will be overnight resurfacing work starting Sunday on Route 87 in Montoursville Borough, Fairfield Township, Upper Fairfield Township, and Plunketts Creek Township. According to Penn DOT, there will be milling and paving along Route 87 between the 180 overpass in Montoursville Borough and Snyder’s Country Pet Food  between the hours of 9pm and 6am. Watch for single lane conditions with flaggers on the scene overnight through the work zone.

SPORTS

MLB Draft League
Thunder 2            Crosscutters 1
The Cutters dropped Game 3 in the series with Thunder this week, but have a 20-8 record for the first half of the season and head out to West Virginia tonight for a two-game road trip. 

MLB
Tigers   10            Guardians 1
Mets 7                  Nationals 0
Pirates 1               Brewers 0
Phillies  5             Dodgers  1
Cubs  8                 Orioles  0
Rays  5                 Yankees  4

MLB Tonight
Oakland A’s vs Phillies  6:40pm
Guardians vs Rays  AppleTv
Yankees vs Orioles  7:05 ESPN+
Pirates  vs White Sox  8:10pm
Nationals  vs Brewers 8:10pm

NASCAR Sunday
The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VisitPA.comPocono Raceway, Long Pond
1:30 PreRace Coverage/ 2:30 Green Flag racing

NBA News
*  Kyle Lowry announced on Instagram on Thursday that he has agreed to remain with the Philadelphia 76ers.  The deal is for one year, for Lowry to return to his hometown Sixers where he’ll shore up a veteran bench including Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George.
*  38 year old Lowry joined Philadelphia in the spring after being bought out by the Charlotte Hornets, who had acquired him in a trade with the Miami Heat.

ESPY AWARDS
The 2024 ESPY Awards was hosted by tennis legend Serena Williams at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles lastnight
 * They recognized the athletes who have died this year, including Willie Mays, Bill Walton and Jerry West.
*  Legendary college football coach Nick Saban was given the ESPY icon award for all his achievements during his Alabama coaching tenure, including six national championships at Alabama, and with the one title he won at LSU, he has the most for any coach in NCAA Division I history.
*  Special award presentations included the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage for Steve Gleason, the former NFL safety who had been diagnosed with ALS and gave an emotional acceptance speech.  The Jimmy V Award for Perseverance was given toDawn Staley, South Carolina women’s basketball coach, and the Pat Tillman Award for Service was given to Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex for his work on the Invictus Games that benefits wounded veterans.

MONTOURSVILLE FIRE DISPLACES FAMILY

Montoursville, Loyalsock Township and Jersey Shore firefighters responded to a house fire Tuesday morning that has left a family and their pets displaced.  According to the Sun Gazette, a fire in the basement of the home at 1200 Fairview Drive in Montoursville tripped an alarm that called 911 just after 7am, and brought first responders to the scene.  Firefighters rescued two cats that had been caught in a second floor bedroom, and had the blaze which was confined to the basement under control in about 15 minutes.  Officials say the home was insured and will require professional cleaning before the family can return.  No one was injured, and state police are investigating the cause of the fire.

MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT IN MUNCY CREEK TOWNSHIP

Police are investigating a double motorcycle crash that happened in Muncy Creek Township Sunday at about 8:30pm.  According to the Sun Gazette, two bikers riding together, 44 year old Nathan Beitz and 50 year old Keith Thomas, both crashed and their motorcycles and were thrown into a roadside ditch at East Lime Bluff and Chippewa roads.  Both men were injured and transported to UPMC Williamsport by ambulance.  Both bikes were towed from the scene. 

880 MILLION DOLLAR EXPANSION COMING TO GEISINGER DANVILLE

A major expansion of Geisinger Medical Center’s Danville campus is on the way with an 880 million dollar investment to bring about modern spaces and tools to meet the region’s current and future healthcare needs.  According to a press release there will be an expanded main entrance area and a new 11-story tower with a larger emergency room capable of serving up to 60 patients.  The hospital plans to transition to a 100% private-room facility, as well,  allowing a more comforting and modern healing environment.  The project also proposes a multi-level parking garage near the front of the hospital that will connect to the facility with an enclosed sky bridge.  The project is set to get underway in 2025.

NEW LICENSE PLATE DESIGN FOR PA

New designs for license plates and welcome signs have been created and were announced recently by PA Governor Josh Shapiro as we get ready to commemorate the commonwealth’s 250^th birthday in 2026.  According to the press release, the design of the license plate include a white background with a Liberty bell design and the words “Let Freedom Ring”.  The Governor’s office said all existing standard issue license plate inventory will be used before transitioning to the new plate design.  In addition, there are 8 new welcome signs installed already in PA with 1 placed at the state line in Tioga County at Route 1015, and 29 more to be erected in the next few months.

MUNCY CREEK TOWNSHIP MAN CHARGED WITH ARSON

A man from Muncy Creek Township is facing arson charges after police determined a fire in his basement bedroom was intentionally set Saturday. According to the Sun Gazette, 31 year old Tyler Newman who lived with mother at a home on Musser Lane, was away from the home about 3am Saturday when his mother discovered the fire and called 911.  Police say following the determination that the fire was caused by suspicious circumstances, Newman returned home and was questioned about his whereabouts.  After allegedly providing contradictory statements, he was taken into custody and charged with two felony counts each of aggravated arson and arson endangering the lives of others plus one felony count each of reckless burning, and causing or risking a catastrophe and more.  He is in custody under 100 thousand dollars bail.

CAR SALESMAN CHARGED FOR NOT COMPLETING STATE PAPERWORK

A Bloomsburg Car salesman is being charged with theft after he sold over 100 thousand dollars worth of inventory but never turned in completed paperwork to PennDOT.  According to North Central PA dot com, a customer said  they contacted authorities after 62 year old Bradley A. Breisch didn’t turn over the titles for paid-in-full vehicles.  Police audited the records at the Columbia Blvd business, and found 10 vehicle sales and no paper work completed.  IN addition to a tampering with public records charge, Breisch is being charged with 10 counts of theft by deception and unprofessional conduct.

NEW LOCATION FOR LYCO COMMISSIONERS MEETING

The Lycoming County Commissioners will hold their first public meeting this week in their new location on the third floor of the Third Street Plaza, located at 33 West Third Street.  According to the commissioners there will be a ribbon cutting after the meeting at 11:30am Thursday to allow the public to get familiar with the new space.  The sale of the former meeting location, offices at the Executive Plaza building on Pine Street was approved for sale in 2023 to Horizon Federal Credit Union.  The Third Street location houses the commissioner’s public meeting room and offices, the treasurer’s office, Office of Voter Services, Veterans Affairs, and for now, the coroner’s office until renovations are complete at the new facility on Wahoo Drive.

VIGIL FOR TEEN PILOT WHO DIED JULY 4^TH

There will be a vigil this week to honor and remember Maisie Bitler of Hughesville who died in a plane crash on July 4^th.  Maisie was a recent graduate of Hughesville Area Junior Senior High School and had been working on earning her private pilots license.  Officials from the NTSB said Bitler had logged about 22 hours of flight time and was on her second solo flight when the Cessna 172N Skyhawk she was operating went down in the woods near Lock Haven.  Friends and family will gather at the Hughesville Junior Senior High School, 349 Cemetery St, Hughesville at 8 p.m. Thursday, July 11. Organizers ask participants to bring a candle and photos to share.

SPORTS

MLB Draft League
The Williamsport Crosscutters defeated Trenton Thunder  6-3 last night at home in the 1^st game of a 3-game series this week.
With last night’s win, the Cutters clinched the first half of the MLB Draft League and will host the MLB Draft League Championship on September 5^th against the 2^nd Half Champion.

MLB
Guardians 9         Tigers  8
Cubs 9                  Orioles  2
Phillies  10           Dodgers  1
Rays  5                 Yankees 3
Mets  7                 Nationals 5
Pirates  12            Brewers  2
MLB Tonight
Cubs vs Orioles  6:35pm
Yankees  vs Rays  6:50pm
Dodgers vs Phillies  7pm ESPN
Nationals vs Mets  7:10pm
Pirates vs Brewers  8:10pm

Tennis Wimbledon – Men’s
 * After some medical treatment on and off the court yesterday by his trainers, top-seeded Jannik Sinner lost to Daniil Medvedev 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 , 2-6, 6-3 in the Wimbledon quarterfinals on Tuesday.

*  Medvedev will take on defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals for the second consecutive year.

Women’s
* Donna Vekic, a 28-year-old Croatian, reached her first Grand Slam semifinal in her 43rd appearance at a major tournament by beating qualifier Lulu Sun 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 Tuesday.

*  She will face No. 7 Jasmine Paolini for a spot in the final. 

MEMORIAL HELD FOR CENTRAL MOUNTAIN TEEN

A candlelight memorial occurred last night near Lock Haven City Beach to memorialize the Central Mountain teen who drowned Saturday at in the West Branch of the Susquehanna River.  Administrators at Central MNoutnain High School say that 18 year old Gavin Frey, of Howard was a hardworking leader among his friends.  A 22 year old man who was with Frey on Saturday was flown to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville after the accident and remains hospitalized in unknown condition.  Monday, support services were announced to be available at Central Mountain High School, according to the school district Facebook page.  . Frey is the second Centre County teenager to die this year of drowning. 16 year old Nathan Dan, of Bellefonte, died in May while swimming at Raystown Lake in Huntingdon County.

MILL HALL CNA CHARGED WITH ABUSE

A former Mill Hall CNA is facing charges after she allegedly abused a patient in her care while she was employed at a skilled nursing facility in Jersey Shore in May.  According to the Sun Gazette, police say in an affidavit that 41 year old Sara Marie Watkins intentionally and repeatedly moved a patient in a lift, intentionally causing pain and mocking the patient when they cried out.  Watkins case has been held for court on the charges of abuse of a care-dependent person and harassment And she is free n 45 thousand dollars bail. The woman is no longer employed by the Jersey Shore Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

DATA BREACH AT GEISINGER

Geisinger has announced that up to a million files of patient information may have been involved in a data breach that occurred in November of 2023.  According to a press release, the outside vendor, Nuance Communications Incorporated, had terminated an employee who, upon the firing, accessed data to some of Geisinger’s patient records before Nuance could disconnect their access.  That former employee is now facing federal charges.  Geisinger reports the information breached varied by patient, but included more personal data than financial data or social security number data. 

PROGRAM HELPS OFFICERS UNDERSTAND RESIDENTS WITH AUTISM

PA state police have created a resource to help community members who are diagnosed with Autism communicate effectively when they have an encounter with a police officer.  According to State police officials, a card has been created that can be shared that helps reduce barriers between officers who may not be familiar with the needs of the Autistic person.  The card alerts law enforcement that the person may be uncomfortable with loud noises or with being touched or other barriers to communication, and police can then respond appropriately.  The cards are available online at psp.pa.gov under “public safety documents”.

HOMELESS MAN ATTACKS EMPLOYEES WHERE HE WASN’T HIRED

A homeless man who was overlooked as a new hire at the Sheetz store on West Fourth Street in Williamsport, went inside the store last May, threatening employees and causing a disturbance.  According to the Sun Gazette, Rhamir Hatcher went to the store on May 13^th at about 5pm and told employees he would kill them by stabbing, before he scattered over 800 dollars-worth of items around the store and pushed a cash register off the counter.  Court records say Hatcher was charged with terroristic threats, felony criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, shoplifting and criminal trespassing.  After the incident at the Sheetz, the man had been taken into custody for a probation violation.  He remains in jail in lieu of bail.

REPAVING OF SIX STREETS IN THE CITY TO START THIS SUMMER

Williamsport city council has approved a bid for re-paving of six streets in Williamsport and work is expected to be complete by September with considerations to avoid congestion during Little League World Series in August.  According to the Sun Gazette, Glenn O. Hawbaker was approved with a bid of just over 170 thousand dollars to pave the six streets, including Hollywood Circle, Taylor Place, Vallamont Drive, First Avenue, Wayne Avenue and East Third Street.  There is a reconstruction project also scheduled for Little League Boulevard  from Mulberry to Walnut Streets as well.  The public works committee will be discussing the detours around construction for a few weeks. 

TRIANGLE TECH TO CLOSE

The Pittsburgh based Triangle Tech, including the location in Sunbury, will be closing after this current semester is complete.  According to school officials the tech school that has operated for 80 years teaching various trades and assisting with job placement was struck hard by the COVID pandemic, changes in the industry landscape and strenuous government regulations along with a decline in enrollment, leading to the closure.  Other campuses effected include Greensburg, DuBois, Bethlehem, and Chambersburg are also.

GAME COMMISSION DOING THIRD BIRD ATLAS

The PA Game Commission is looking for the public’s help counting birds in Pennsylvania.  According to a press release, the Game Commission and Hawk Mountain Sanctuary are conducting the third Pennsylvania Bird Atlas between now and February of 2029.  Volunteers are asked to observe birds in Pennsylvania and report the findings online at ebird.org/atlaspa.  Instructions and tools to participate are also noted on that site under the explore tab. Coordinators of the program say, whether a volunteer observes one bird or 100, all the reporting is important.

SPORTS

NHL Stanley Cup Final
Game 7 in Edmonton
Panthers 2    Oilers 1  Florida wins 4-3
*  It’s been 25 years since the Panthers had a playoff victory
*   Oiler, Connor McDavid won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the 2024 postseason.

 *   McDavid is the sixth player in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe from team that lost in the Stanley Cup Final. He’s only the second skater after Reggie Leach of the Philadelphia Flyers, who was named MVP in 1976.

MLB
Guardians 3        Orioles  2
Phillies  8            Tigers  1
Reds  11              Pirates  5
Padres  7             Nationals 6
MLB Today
Guardians vs Orioles  6:35
Phillies vs Tigers  6:40pm
Yankees vs Mets  7:10pm TBS
Pirates vs Reds  7:10pm
Nationals vs Padres  9:40pm ESPN+

MLB Draft League
The Crosscutters are in West Virginia today for the 1^st of three games on the road. 
Friday Williamsport Cutters vs Frederick Keys – Friday night at home @6:35pm first pitch.