BACKYARD BROADCASTING LOCAL NEWS MARCH 12, 2024

TREE FALLS ON MT HOLLY SPRINGS HOUSE, KILLS OCCUPANT

Heavy winds caused a tragic accident early Monday that brought a tree down onto a Mt Holly Springs home and killed a man inside.  According to the Daily Item, a large tree on the 800 block of Baltimore Pike in South Middleton Township fell at about 3:10am where 43 year old Scott Quickel was inside the home and was fatally injured.  The Cumberland County Coroner, Charley Hall said that Quickel’s death was an accident and that he suffered from multiple traumatic injuries.  Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the incident. 

WOMAN ARRESTED FOR ASSAULT AFTER PUNCHING OFFICER

A Williamsport woman who punched a city officer March 6th has been charged with assault. According to the Sun Gazette, 41 year old Nytasha Jordan attacked the officer after they were called to her Hepburn Street home for a disturbance at about 8:50pm last Wednesday.  Jordan allegedly punched and grabbed the officer causing cuts and abrasions, and removed a flashlight from their vest, threatening to spit on them.  She was arrested and faces the assault charges along with robbery, resisting arrest, reckless endangerment and more.  Jordan was committed to the Lycoming County Prison in lieu of 85 thousand dollars bail.

OLD CITY WILLIAMSPORT PROJECT PARTICIPANTS CHANGING

The Old City revitalization project in Williamsport will be moving forward without the participation of the Williamsport Redevelopment Authority.  According to the Sun Gazette, members of the RDA formally requested to be removed from further negotiations with Pine Ridge Construction Management Inc. of Williamsport and Delta Development Group, the developers and consultants working on the Old City Williamsport project.  Skip Memmi, the executive director of Williamsport’s community and economic development said there have been no negotiations in 6 months, and RDA is no longer interested in being involved.  Lycoming County and Lycoming College are still involved in the mixed-use project, but officials say in a different way from how it was originally envisioned.

SOIL REMEDIATION IN NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY

A lane of I-180 in Northumberland County will be restricted tomorrow for a soil remediation project after a previous car accident.  According to PennDOT, a contractor will be on the westbound side of I 180 Wednesday approximately 2.5 miles from the Interstate 80 interchange.  Watch for the right driving lane and shoulder to be restricted between the hours of 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM, weather permitting.

ONE CAR ACCIDENT IN FLEMINGTON

Flemington Goodwill Hose Company assisted at the scene Monday morning after a one-car accident may have injured a child.  According to the Lock Haven Express, the accident occurred about 8:30am and witnesses say there were four people in the car that crashed at Huston and High Streets in Flemington.  Emergency responders said a child may have suffered a head injury and was hospitalized.  State police at Lamar were also on the scene and blocked the road for about 30 minutes while they cleared the crash.  No victims in the accident have been named at this time.

WOMAN FACES TEN FELONIES FOR DEFRAUDING BANK

A Williamsport woman is facing up to10 felony fraud charges after she wrote bad checks and defrauded an East Third Street bank in June of 2022.  According to the Sun Gazette, court records say 20 year old Imunique Johnson took part in a scheme in which she deposited bogus checks into several accounts at Woodlands Bank using local and out of state ATMs.  She then withdrew funds before fraudulent deposits were discovered by bank officials. The fraud totaled close to 20 thousand dollars.  Johnson was arraigned Friday and released on 15 thousand dollars bail.

WARRIOR RUN FIRE VOLUNTEERS COULD SEE TAX BREAK

The Watsontown borough Council last night approved an income tax exemption for fire department personnel who live there. According to the Daily Item, the ordinance through the Volunteer Service Credit Program is approved for those who are active volunteers living in Watsontown Borough and are members of Warrior Run Fire Department.  Borough officials said the program has been authorized in Pennsylvania since 2017 and will now allow an income tax exemption for those who qualify of up to $300 per year.

EASTER EGG EVENT IN BELLEFONTE

Historic Bellefonte is planning the Bellefonte Easter Egg Hunt for 2024 that will be held Saturday, March 30th at 1pm snow, rain or shine.  According to the Lock Haven Express, the event is free with no registration for children 12 and under, and plans to have an Easter Bunny visit along with 15 thousand eggs supplied by many volunteers and members of the local community.  Those who have special needs should contact the organizers to make arrangements by March 15th at [email protected].  The event is recommended for student volunteers who have to complete community service hours, call 814-574-3240 for more information.

SPORTS

PIAA Basketball Tonight
State Playoffs Second Round 
Boys Quad A
Danville vs Carver E&S (6pm at Catasaqua)
Boys 5A
Selinsgrove vs Franklin Regional  (730pm at Altoona)
Girls Double A
Muncy vs Sacred Heart Academy  (730pm at Pottsville)
Girls Triple A
Loyalsock vs Lake Lehman (730pm at Berwick)
Hughesville vs West Catholic  (6pm at Pottsville)

NCAA Men’s Basketball
West Coast Conference Tournament
Gonzaga 89          San Francisco  77
St Mary’s  79       Santa Clara  65
NCAA Men’s Basketball Tonight
(17) Gonzaga vs (21) St Mary’s  9pm ESPN

NBA

Piston 114                     Hornets  97
Suns  117             Cavaliers  111
Mavericks 127     Bulls  92
Warriors 112        Spurs 102
Nuggets 125         Raptors  119
Celtics  121          Trail Blazers 99
NBA Tonight

76ers vs NY Knicks  7:30pm TNT
Celtics vs Utah  9pm
Minnesota vs LA Clippers  10pm TNT

NHL

Blues  5      Bruins  1
Rangers  3  Devils  1
Jets  3         Capitals  0
Kings  3      NY Islanders  0

NHL Tonight

Detroit vs Buffalo  7pm
Pittsburgh vs Ottawa  7pm
San Jose vs Phila  7pm
NY Rangers vs Carolina  7pm


NFL News
Securing a new backup for Aaron Rodgers and adding to his offensive line, the New York Jets agreed to terms Monday night with former New York Giants quarterback Tyrod Taylor and former Baltimore Ravens guard John Simpson. The Jets also finalized a deal with former San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw who was a 2020 first-round pick.

BACKYARD BROADCASTING LOCAL NEWS MARCH 11, 2024

WIND ADVISORY THROUGH THIS EVENING

A wind advisory remains in effect today until 8pm with the National Weather Service saying there could be intermittent wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour and northwest winds 20 to 30 miles per hour expected as well.  Watch for downed  tree limbs that could effect wires and bring about power outages.  Penn DOT says some roads in Union county were closed yesterday for flooding in the area of Creek Road between Millmont Road in Lewis Township and Shirk Road in Hartley Township.

ONE-CAR ACCIDENT KILLS NEWPORT MAN

A Newport man was killed in a one-vehicle accident last Wednesday in Perry County.  According to the  Daily Item, State police say 30 year old Roberto Lugo III lost control of his Mitsubishi Outlander while traveling west on Newport Road and veered off the northern side of the roadway, before veering back and hitting a guardrail and then an embankment, overturning.  The Perry County chief Coroner pronounced Lugo deceased at the scene.  Newport road was closed for the investigation over two hours with Newport Fire & EMS assisting on site.

TEMPORARY POLLING PLACE FOR THIRD WARD THIS APRIL

Williamsport’s Third Ward has a temporary voting location change for their upcoming April 23rd primary election.  According to the Sun Gazette, director of Elections said delayed water and sewer construction has forced them to change to the Monsignor Fleming Center at 720 West Fourth Street.  The Third Ward previous voting site at Williams-Hepburn is expected to be ready for November.  The ninth ward will share the Fleming Center location this spring, but at the opposite side of the room.  The county is working toward making all polling sites compliant with the American with Disabilities Act, so that the facilities are accessible to all voters in the future.

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR MIFFLINBURG STUDENTS

The Mifflinburg Area Community Scholarship Trust is offering 60 thousand dollars in scholarships to high school students looking to attend a 2 or 4 year institution or trade school.  According to the Daily item, applications are  due by April 15th and are available online at www.macst.org under the Forms tab.  The mission of the Mifflinburg Area Community Scholarship Trust, Inc. is to provide a perpetual source of funds for deserving Mifflinburg Area High School graduates. Winners will be announced at the end of the school year.

FUGITIVE FROM SUNBURY CAUGHT

The man who escaped from a Sunbury home on North Second Street on February 26th during a police stand-off,  returned to the area and is now in custody.  According to the Daily Item, 41-year-old Barry Beaver was found inside the home where the previous stand-off took place last Thursday following the issuance of a search warrant by Sunbury police.  A female who had been in the home during in February had been taken into custody on a Northumberland County warrant.  Beaver will now be extradited to Texas for charges against him there.

BLOOMSBURG MAN FACES CAHRGES FROM 2023 DRUG ARREST
A Bloomsburg man was arrested last November after police found him with 29 pills of fentanyl and various other drugs and charges have now been filed.  According to media outlets, a consensual encounter with Bloomsburg police at the Unity Mart in the 300 block of East Seventh Street, brought about a search of Shawn Spink’s vehicle. Police found two warrants out of Monroe and Schuylkill counties for him before finding the drugs, that later tested positive for fentanyl, in his car. 

LEGISLATION APPROVED TO ALLOW SCHOOL BUS CAMERAS

Pennsylvania legislators have updated by Act 19 which allows school districts to install and operate automated camera systems for the purpose of enforcing Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping Law and increasing safety for children riding school buses across the state.  Violations identified by a camera system are reviewed by police under agreement with the school district. Also under the law, the car owner has the right to request a hearing to contest liability before a PennDOT Hearing Officer.. For more information on school bus safety and Act 19, visit  PennDOT.pa.gov/Safety.

JANE FONDA TO SPEAK AT BUCKNELL

Polarizing actor, producer, author, and activist Jane Fonda, will be featured in a program at Bucknell University next week.  Fonda will close out the Bucknell Forum 2023-24 series, presenting in a moderated discussion with Bucknell President John Bravman on the theme “Freedom of Expression” at 7:30 p.m. March 19, in the Weis Center for the Performing Arts. She will do a limited  Q&A, taking questions from Bucknell students.  Fonda is a two-time Academy Award-winning actor, and has accumulated more than 50 film credits while also championing political causes such as women’s rights, Native American rights, and environmental advocacy.

SPORTS

PIAA Wrestling Saturday
Champions
Brandt Harer, Montgomery – 133
Reagan Milheim, Warrior Run – 145
Conner Harer, Montgomery – 160 
Runners-up
Mason Barvitskie, Southern Columbia  145
 Garrett Garcia, Southern  Columbia  189
Austin Johnson  Muncy  215
PIAA Basketball tomorrow
State Playoffs Second Round 
Boys Quad A
Danville vs Carver E&S (6pm at Catasaqua)
Boys 5A
Selinsgrove vs Franklin Regional  (730pm at Altoona)
Girls Double A
Muncy vs Sacred Heart Academy  (730pm at Pottsville)
Girls Triple A
Loyalsock vs Lake Lehman (730pm at Berwick)
Hughesville vs West Catholic  (6pm at Pottsville)

NCAA Men’s Basketball Sunday
(3) Purdue  78  Wisconsin  70
(12) Illinois  73  Iowa  61
NCAA Men’s Tonight
West Coast Conference Tournament Semifinal
Santa Clara  vs (23) St Mary’s 9pm  ESPN
San Francisco vs (19) Gonzaga 11:30pm ESPN

NBA
Bucks  124                     Clippers  117
Pelicans  116        Hawks  103
Wizards  110        Heat 108
Pacers  111                    Magic  97
76ers  79              Knicks  73
Nets  120              Cavaliers  101
Thunder   124      Grizzlies  93
Lakers 120                     Timberwolves 109

NHL
Oilers 4                 Penguins  0
Wild  4                  Predators  3
Hurricanes  7        Flames  2
Blackhawks  7      Coyotes  4
Islnaders  6                    Ducks  1

NASCAR
Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs racing got the checkered flag at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday.   Chris Buescher 2nd , Ty Gibbs  3rd, Brad Keselowski 4th , and Ryan Blaney rounded out the Top 5.

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