BACKYARD BROADCASTING LOCAL NEWS JULY 18, 2022

LAWSUIT ALLEGES TWA 800 WAS SHOT DOWN BY ERRANT MISSILE

A lawsuit has been filed in US District Court in Massachusetts against the US Department of Defense saying that TWA 800 crashed because it was struck by a test missile fired by the US Navy and not because of an electrical fire in the fuel tank as reported.  According to the Sun Gazette, the suit says there was a false report released about the fuel tank explosion when they say evidence shows there were tests going on close to the flightpath of commercial airlines. TWA 800 was  carrying students and chaperones from Montoursville Area High School to France from New York City and all on board perished in the crash 26 years ago.

FORMER OFFICER FACING A DUI

A former Catawissa police officer who was seen swerving along the road admitted having several drinks before trying to drive last month. According to Northcentral PA dot com, 49 year old Stefani Gallie, who left the department in 2020, refused a breath test, but South Centre Township police noted she nearly fell out of her truck when they stopped her the evening of June 18. Gallie and was charged with DUI and failing to stay in a single lane of travel. She’s scheduled for a preliminary hearing on August 8th.

NEW MENTAL HEALTH HOTLINE

While everyone knows to call 9-1-1 for an emergency. Now, get ready to dial 9-8-8 for a mental health emergency. The United States’ first nationwide three-digit mental health crisis hotline went LIVE on Saturday. It’s designed to be as easy to remember and use as 911, but instead of a dispatcher sending police, firefighters or paramedics, 988 will connect callers with trained mental health counselors.

SOAP BOX DERBY WINNERS HEAD TO OHIO

The two winners from the Soap Box Derby for Greater Williamsport are headed to Akron, Ohio this week for the 84th First Energy All American Soap Box Derby at Derby Downs.  Family, friends, and fans wished Super Stock Champion, Alivia Lukowsky, and Stock Champion Grace Stoltz well as they left for a parade today to kick off the family fun leading up the race this week. Racers will compete for a share of $36,000 in Bill Speeg Memorial Scholarships, awarded to the top three finishers in the Local and Rally divisions of the world championship race.

JURY SELECTION FOR TRUCK DRIVER WHO ALLEGEDLY SHOT NY MODEL

A jury to decide the fate of the man accused of shooting a New York City model and leaving her body along the roadside at a Union County exchange of Interstate 80, will begin to be selected today . According to North Central PA dot com, the trial of Tracy Ray Rollins, Jr. of Texas is scheduled for this fall in the Union County Courthouse.  He is accused of shooting Rebecca Landrith while in his tractor trailer and leaving her body at Mile Run exit  in February of 2021.  Investigators traced receipts found in Landrith’s pockets to Rollins who was extradited back to Pennsylvania after he was arrested in Connecticut.

SUV HITS MONTOURSVILLE HOUSE

An SUV crashed into a house on Sunday in Montoursville and did damage to a front porch and a car parked nearby.  According to North Central PA dot com, around 2pm Sunday, a driver left the roadway and hit a home collapsing the porch at the 200 block of Loyalsock Avenue, bringing the debris down on the car nearest to the home.  Police say the owners of the home at there at the time but were not hurt.  Witnesses say the driver was taken to the hospital by ambulance after the incident.

LONG TERM ROADWORK STARTS TODAY

PennDOT crews want to alert drivers of upcoming work along the Farrandsville Road, near Lock Haven, beginning Monday. Motorists may experience road closures at various times. Flaggers will be on the road to keep drivers apprised of any delays or closures. Utility work will continue on the roadway through the end of the year.

FINAL WEEK KICKS OFF AT LYCO FAIR

The 151st Lycoming County Fair continues for a full week in Hughesville through this weekend. Tonight is Bike night with free parking at the 3rd St Infield with an adult admission.  There will be Live Pro wrestling in the Grandstand at 7  and Backyard Broadcasting will be live on the midway from 5-8 tonight and each night through Saturday.

SPORTS

MLB
Nationals 7                    Braves 3
Yankees 13                    Red Sox 2
Rays 7                           Orioles 5
Phillies 4                        Marlins 0
Cubs 3                           Mets 2
Pirates 8                         Rockies 3
Tigers and Guardians and the Reds and Cardinals were postponed due to rain

NASCAR Sunday Cup Series At New Hampshire
Christopher Bell took the checkered flag Sunday in the #20 Toyota, followed by Chase Elliott, Bubba Wallace, Martin Truex Jr., and Kevin Harvick rounding out the top five.
Christopher Bell is the 14th driver to earn a spot in the 16 driver playoff field with six races left to go in the regular season.

MLB Draft League
The Williamsport Crosscutters dropped Saturday night’s game to the State College Spikes 5-0. 
Williamsport finished their 1st half of the season with a 20-18 record, in a three-way tie with State College Spikes and Trenton Thunder – the League heads into their mid-season break until next weekend when all the teams will come back with a re-worked roster.

Little League
Keystone’s 9-11 baseball all-star team defeated Tri Valley on Saturday afternoon, winning 3-2, in one of the winners’ bracket semifinal gamess. Now, Keystone will face  in the championship game slated for Monday evening at 5:30 p.m. with an “if” game set for Tuesday. All the games are at Athens.

GOLF

A remarkable late surge from Cameron Smith saw the Australian win his first major in stunning fashion at the 150th Open Championship in St. Andrews, Scotland.In his event debut, the 28-year-old drained five consecutive birdies as he tore through the back nine of the Old Course, carding an eight-under 64

BACKYARD BROADCASTING LOCAL NEWS JULY 15, 2022

COMS TO APPEAL RULING OVER MOVING OF COUNTY FUNCTIONS

The Lycoming County Commissioners will be appealing last week’s ruling in Potter County Court that functions of county employees be returned to the office of Controller Krista Rogers.  According to the Sun Gazette, the commissioners said they interpret the General Assembly statute that divided the functions of the controllers and the Commissioner’s offices and they will seek clarity through an upcoming appeal process.  The functions to be transferred are payroll, accounts receivable and the general ledger.  Rogers told the paper that the Judge’s ruling last week was clear and believes an appeals court will rule the same way.

FORMER EMPLOYEE ARRESTED FOR CREATING DISTURBANCE

Police say a man who was fired from a Williamsport business two months ago, returned to the Reach Road property Friday night and ignited fireworks near a propane fill station.  According to the Sun Gazette, Joseph Dragani was allegedly drunk when he created a disturbance at Overhead Door by yelling for his former supervisor inside the business and then igniting the fireworks.  When police arrived on the scene to arrest him, Dragani fled in an SUV, driving at high speeds to his home in Muncy where police took him into custody without incident.  He was charged with felony fleeing police, DUI, and reckless endangerment, and committed to Lycoming County Prison in lieu of 25 thousand dollars bail.

PENN COLLEGE ACCREDITED FOR EIGHT MORE YEARS

Pennsylvania College of Technology has received their accreditation from the Middle States Commission of Higher Education for 8 more years.  According to a press release from Penn College, universities and colleges must reapply every eight years, which entails meeting the seven standards for accreditation including, a self-study to be evaluated by the MSCHE.  Penn College has had held accreditation since 1970 and the next review takes place in 2029.  Find out the details on the school’s website, PCT.edu.

FESTIVAL RAISES FUNDS FOR RIVERPARK

Woodward Township’s Riverfest 2022 started up yesterday with proceeds for the event going toward the Woodward Township Recreation Committee’s maintenance of Riverpark and the Lockport Boat launch area.  There will be bands on the Riverfest stage each night through Saturday afternoon before the Duck Derby starts at 5pm. and fireworks wrap up the evening at 10pm.  The Dunnstown Fire Company is one of the various food vendors at the festival offering sausages, hot dogs, pizza and more.

MOTHER GETS PROBATION IN 2020 DEATH OF INFANT

A woman who plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of her infant in April of 2020 was sentenced yesterday to seven years probation and 12 months of electronic monitoring.  According to North Central PA dot com, 22 year old Demsey Mae Long told the court she had a lot of guilt and grief  over the 3 month old infant’s death who was discovered deceased after being covered by a blanket very near to a space heater in a very warm room while Long was passed out from drug use.  A first degree felony charge had been dismissed as part of Long’s plea agreement.

MASKS WILL BE OPTIONAL AGAIN AT MONTOURSVILLE THIS YEAR

The optional masking plan that students and teachers observed last year at Montoursville Area School Board was approved to continue for this upcoming school year.  According to the Sun Gazette, the board approved the health and safety plan that also calls for them to follow contact tracing requirements by the Department of Health.  In 2021 a group of  Montoursville parents filed a lawsuit challenging the state mask mandate, but ceased litigation when the school board changed to the mask optional plan.

GOVERNOR WOLF SIGNS PA FARM BILL AGAIN

Governor Wolf signed the budget for the Commonwealth last Friday, part of which will fully fund the Pennsylvania Farm Bill for the fourth time with bipartisan support from the General Assembly.  According to the Record Online, the bill allocates millions in federal American Rescue Plan funds to agricultural conservation efforts in Pennsylvania, including $154 million to provide cost-share to farmers. Governor Wolf has supported the PA Farm Bill for four years in a row which provides investments in state agriculture to grow opportunities and resources, remove barriers to success and inspire future leaders within agriculture.

MILTON LEAGION NEEDS VOLUNTEERS TO CLEAN UP FIRE DAMAGE

The Clean up event at the Milton American Legion Post 71 will happen tomorrow at 10am.  They are asking for help from anyone with construction or carpentry skills in the community after a fire did damage to the building.   Bar manager, May Seeley said fire officials told her the fire started in the dry mulch outside the building.  They are looking for donations of cleaning supplies and any funds to help with effort at 401 North Front Street in Milton tomorrow at 10 am.

SPORTS

MLB
Marlins 3             Pirates 2
Braves 5              Nationals 4
Reds 7                  Yankees 6
Ray 5                   Red Sox 4
Guardians 4        Tigers 0
Met 8                   Cubs 0

MLB Draft League
Williamsport Crosscutters on the road at Medlar Field in Lubrano Park
State College Spikes 9  Williamsport Crosscutters 5
MLB Draft League tonight
The Cutters are back home tonight to play the State College Spikes @ Muncy Bank Park with a 6:35 first pitch

GOLF
The second round of the 150th Open Championship is underway again today on the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland. After Round 1 yesterday, American rookie Cameron Young leads all golfers at 8-under-par.   Open Championship favorite Rory McIlroy is  in second place at 6-under and Cameron Smith is in third place after putting five under par.   Three-time Open champion Tiger Woods, is currently tied for 148th at 6-over. 

BACKYARD BROADCASTING LOCAL NEWS

SPECIAL TIOGA BOROUGH MEETING GETS HEATED

The meeting at the Tioga Borough Council last night had hundreds in attendance for the consideration of the resignation of president Steve Hazlett and his wife, Councilwoman Marybess Hazlett, and Timothy Loehmann, the officer who shot and killed Tamir Rice as Cleveland police officer in 2014 who was approved for hire last week by a council who had no idea of his background.  According to the Sun Gazette, the meeting got contentious when there was a motion to add the resignations of solicitor Jeffery Loomis and code enforcer Andre Reed to the agenda.  Vice President Bob Wheeler disagreed with the process and argued with councilman Alan Brooks who ran Tuesday’s special meeting. Wheeler removed himself from the meeting to the applause of many in attendance, but there was still a quorum with the remaining council members voting 2-1, approving all the resignations at once.

MAN STEALS EMPLOYEE’S DIRECT DEPOSIT INFO

A Williamsport man is free on bail after he was accused of taking an employee’s direct deposit information and used it to pay for his personal spending. According to North Central PA dot com, Iverson Pierre was in a position to steal the information and police say he attempted to use the victim’s credit card, debit card, and personal checking account, but the transactions never went through.  State Troopers took Pierre into custody and charged him with third degree felony access to a device used to obtain property.

CHANGES PLANNED FOR RIVER VALLEY PLAZA

Some changes are being planned for the River Valley Plaza that hasn’t seen any major renovations since it was built in 1985.  According to the Sun Gazette, the owners of the property off of Basin Street and Via Bella are proposing, along with Pine Ridge Construction, to revitalize storefronts and redesign the Starbucks parking lot in order to have two drive-thru lanes which will improve traffic flow in the plaza. Construction is to start after land development plans are finalized through city and county government, likely next year. 

LYCOMING COUNTY FAIR STARTS TODAY

The 151st Lycoming County Fair opens today at 4pm at the Fairgrounds in Hughesville  and will run through Saturday, July 23rd.  There is entertainment all week with free Harness racing tonight in the grandstand and music on the Red Dog Mobile Storage Stage. According to the Fairs’s Facebook page, they are seeking acts for the talent show on Tuesday, July 19th, those interested can fill out an application at the office. Thursday, July 21st, all military personnel get free admission.  

WASD TEACHER ACCUSED OF TWO SEXUAL ASSAULT INCIDENTS

More charges have been filed against a Williamsport School math teacher accused of being sexually involved with two student victims.  According to the Sun Gazette, 42 year old Christopher Yoder of Williamsport faces one set of felony charges after a student alleged the abuse in the 2011-2012 school year.  A second set of six more felony charges is from an alleged incident with a student at the end of the 2019 -2020 school year. Yoder was released on 75 thousand dollars bail after an arraignment in front of District Judge William Solomon.

MAN INJURED IN SUNBURY ACCIDENT

A Sunbury man was injured after a one vehicle crash in Kelly Township, Union County.  According to Milton State police, 58 year old Sean Finnerty crashed into a utility pole along River Road after he was speeding and traveled off the shoulder.  Troopers say Finnerty, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was able to drive himself to Evangelical Community Hospital for treatment.

GOVERNOR WOLF WILL CONSIDER STATE ELECTION FUNDING BILL

A spokesperson for Governor Wolf said that when it gets to his desk, he will review a bill put forth by Pennsylvania lawmakers that could give counties up to 45 million dollars in grant funding for elections, but will ban private funding.  According to the Sun Gazette, Republicans have been seeking this legislation for a while, passing it in the Senate by a 46-4 vote, but in the House the vote came in at a more narrow margin, 103-96.  There are some strings attached to the bill, including beginning the  counting of ballots at 7am on Election Day, but to “continue without interruption” until all ballots are counted –PA election officials feel is difficult to interpret, possibly creating more burden on the process than less. Counties can apply for the grant money starting August 15th.

LYCOMING CO. LANDFILL HAS NEW SUMMER TRAFFIC PATTERNS

There will be a temporary change in traffic patterns at the Lycoming County Landfill in Montgomery while they accommodate changes at the facility for a new scale project starting Friday.  According to the Sun Gazette, inbound traffic is affected and those vehicles will be required to check in at the Recycling Scales until the project is complete in mid-August. According to Landfill authorities weekdays the outbound landfill scales will be used as normal and on Saturday the inbound and outbound traffic will use the recycling scales. There will be signs and traffic barriers in place during the changes this summer.

SPORTS

MLB
          Guardians 4        White Sox 1 Game 1
          White Sox 7       Guardians 0 Game 2
Pirates 3              Marlins 2
Reds 4                 Yankees 3
Blue Jays 4         Phillies 3
Ray 3                   Red Sox 2
Braves 4              Mets 1
Orioles 4             Cubs 2
Mariners and Nationals were postponed due to rain.

MLB Draft League
Frederick 7         Williamsport 3 @ Muncy Bank ballpark last night – (1-1)
MLB Draft League Tonight
Game 3 of 3 Frederick Keys in Williamsport 6:35 first pitch


NHL NEWS
Evgeni Malkin has agreed to a four-year contract extension with the Pittsburgh Penguins on the eve of NHL free agency. 35 year old Malkin,  will earn $24.4 million over four years for an average annual value of $6.1 million.  Penguins general manager Ron Hextall said Tuesday that they are thrilled to watch Malkin continue his remarkable legacy in Pittsburgh.

NCAA NEWS
Hughesville graduate, Jayden Leighow,  was named the Lycoming college’s nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year award yesterday.  According to the Sun Gazette, Leighow helped Lycoming College’s women’s soccer team win 10 games in back-to-back campaigns for the first time in program history.  Now the selection committee will determine the top three honorees from each division from the Top 30 and announce the nine finalists in the fall.

BACKYARD BROADCASTING JULY 12, 2022

CITY MAN SENTENCED FOR MANSLAUGHTER IN ARSON FOR HIRE

The Williamsport father of a man who died while allegedly carrying out a 2018 arson for hire scheme in Scranton, was sentenced to up to five years in prison for involuntary manslaughter Friday.  According to the Sun Gazette, 56 year old Brett Sweeting, Sr., pled guilty for his role as a getaway driver who left his son, Bret Sweeting Jr., behind when an explosion from the accelerant killed him at the home of Chad Kenowski, who was also in on the arson plot. According to court records, Kenowski pled guilty to third degree murder in Sweeting Jr.’s death and was sentenced in April to 22 years in state prison.

WILLIAMSPORT FIRE DAMAGES PARK AVENUE HOME

A fire determined to be caused by careless smoking caused 50 thousand dollars in damage Saturday at a home on Park Avenue in Williamsport.  According to the Sun Gazette, a neighbor saw smoke coming from the roof and called the fire department before Dennis Folk and his family escaped with their pets at about 8:20am.  Firefighters on the scene said they controlled the fire in about 10 minutes and the Folks will be able to stay with relatives while repairs are done to the home, including repairs of a collapsed second floor ceiling.

FIREWORKS LEGISLATION SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR

Governor Wolf signed new fireworks legislation yesterday that will restrict use and increase penalties for not following the provisions.  According to WHTM, House Bill 2157 includes mandatory minimum fines for fireworks violations with more clearly defined regulations.  The bill states; consumer fireworks may not be used 10pm to 10am except over July 4th and December 31st, local municipalities have authority to restrict fireworks use and the bill requires three-days-notice to livestock owners about when fireworks are going to be used, and that  the 12% tax levied from fireworks goes to emergency services use.

INTERNATIONAL TEAMS QUALIFY FOR FIRST ROUND OF LLWS

There are two more international teams who have qualified to play in the 75th Little League World Series this August in South Williamsport.  According to the Sun Gazette, the Little League team of Managua, Nicaragua clinched their 1st trip to Williamsport by defeating Venezuela 10-nothing in the 2022 Latin America Regional Championship. The Pabao Little League team from Curacao will return this year to defend their 2019 International Championship win following their win against Cuba 3-1 in the Caribbean Regional tournament.  The game between these two teams – the Caribbean and Latin American champs – is the opening round of the LLWS August 17th at 1pm in Volunteer Stadium.

TRAIN HITS A CAR IN ANTIS FORT

A car and a freight train collided near Antis Fort last evening, causing a brief investigation at the scene, but no injuries were reported.  According to the Sun Gazette, police said a Norfolk Southern train clipped the rear passenger side of a passenger car at the rail road crossing on River Mill road, west of Antis Fort.  The accident occurred just after 6pm and police were on the scene. The train sustained no damage and continued on. There was minor damage to the car, which could be driven from the scene.  Police did not release the identity of the driver.

WOMAN DOES DAMAGE TO AN ACQUAINTANCE’S HOME

A Williamsport woman has been arrested after police say she did over 10 thousand dollars in damage to the home of a male acquaintance at the Harvest Moon Park in Woodward Township on June 21st.  According to the Sun Gazette, 30 year old Sherilee McCaslin smashed a shoe through a window of the modular home, damaged a flat screen TV, carved into wooden and glass surfaces and poked holes in many walls and doors with a blunt object.  McCaslin was arraigned in Lycoming county Court and was incarcerated under 10 thousand dollars bail.

RENOVATION ORDINANCE TO BE UPDATED

Williamsport’s Architectural Review Board, or HARB, has been given a 10 thousand dollar grant to update the city’s historic architecture ordinance that could allow for major changes in exterior renovation rules.  An original ordinance from 1975 is in need of an update to streamline and upgrade the renovation process including policies and procedures for using modern materials and best practices for structure review. According to Williamsport officials, once an outside consulting firm is hired to address renovations, the processes that are required can be more clearly spelled out. 

NEW FIREARM RULES FOR TURKEY HUNTING

The Board of Game Commissioners adopted new regulations for turkey season in Pennsylvania this fall at their meeting on Friday.  According to a press release from the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the restriction keeps turkey hunters from using single projectile firearms including slug guns, muzzleloading rifles and handguns starting this fall.  The Game Commission said it should impact less than 1% of hunters and that the restrictions are additional means to protect turkey populations without reducing the length of the season.  Only shotguns and archery gear will be lawful for fall turkey hunting. 

SPORTS

MLB
Pirates 5              Marlins 1
Rays 10               Red Sox 5
Guardians 8        White Socks 4
Cardinals 6         Phillies 1
Mets 4                 Braves 1
          Royals 3 Tigers 1 Game 1
          Royals 7 Tiger 3  Game 2

MLB Draft League
Williamsport Crosscutters 9          Frederick Keys 1
MLB Draft League Tonight Game 2 @ Muncy Bank Ballpark 6:35 1st pitch

Little League
Keystone defeated Montgomery for the District 12 Little League Junior Division Championship 8-3.  Keystone was leading 4-3 going into the Top of the 7th inning, when they got a three run triple and scored one more run to seal the game.

BACKYARD BROADCASTING LOCAL NEWS JULY 11, 2022

EMERGENCY MEETING IN TIOGA BOROUGH TOMORROW

The  Tioga Borough Council are scheduled to meet in emergency session tomorrow night over the withdrawal of application from Timothy Loehmann the officer who fatally shot Tamir Rice, while as an officer with the Cleveland Police Department as well as to consider the resignations of President of the Council, Steve Hazlett and his wife, who is also a councilmember.  According to the Sun Gazette, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Tioga Borough officials violated state law when they hired Timothy Loehmann, the police officer who killed Tamir Rice in Cleveland in 2014. Borough Mayor David Wilcox swore in Loehmann on Tuesday night after the borough council voted to approve his hiring. There have been protests over the move in the borough since. 

FUGITIVE CAPTURED IN PIATT TOWNSHIP

The man who escaped from the Lycoming County Pre-Release Center on June 17th is facing charges after police captured him while allegedly involved in criminal activity.  According to North Central PA dot com, authorities in Piatt Township took Todd Hill into custody after they surrounded a property near Route 220, and found him hiding inside.  Police allege Hill had fentynal in a cooler at the residence. Hill was charged by Tiadaghton Valley Regional police with felony flight to avoid apprehension and drug charges. Hill waived his preliminary hearing and is incarcerated on no bail.

UPMC CONSOLIDATES TWO OFFICES TO DOWNTOWN WILLIAMSPORT

UPMC has announced that they have consolidated two of their practices in Duboistown and South Williamsport, to downtown Williamsport. Both offices from UPMC Family Practice and UPMC Pediatrics will relocate to the new facility on the second floor of 175 Pine Street, Williamsport; They are scheduled to begin seeing patients there today.

SEVERAL BILLS VETOED BY GOVERNOR WOLF

Governor Wolf vetoed two bills last Friday on banning transgender female athletes from participating in sports in high school and college, as well as a bill sponsored by Franklin County Senator Doug Mastriano, that looks to allow poll watchers from any county to observe election activity where they are not registered. A third bill that would have kept the Department of Human Services from hiring a vendor to manage financial services for home health for the elderly, was also vetoed by the governor.

MANSFIELD MAN IN CUSTODY AFTER SHOOTING FATHER

A Tioga County man is in jail today after he allegedly shot and killed his estranged father at a home on Route 6 on Saturday.  According to the Sun Gazette, State police took 28 year old Zachary McCoon into custody at the residence in Sullivan Township without incident after he himself called 911 to report that he had shot 49 year old Trevor McCoon.  The victim was the man’s estranged father who had arrived at the residence and charged at him, according to police reports.  The younger McCoon is in the Tioga County Prison on no bail.

NEW JUDGE NOMINATED TO FILL VACANCY

William Carlucci has been approved by the Pennsylvania Senate to fill the unexpired term of former Judge Joy Reynolds-McCoy, who resigned earlier this year as the judge in the Lycoming County Court of Common Pleas. According to the Sun Gazette, there is still one more vacancy to fill in Lycoming County, that of Judge Mark Lovecchio, who resigned in 2021. Senior judges have been filling in and taking care of the caseloads, until appointments are confirmed by the state. Carlucci will start his duties in August.

PAYMENT APPROVED FOR BANDSHELL IMPROVEMENTS

The Williamsport City Council has approved paying Gannett Fleming $47,400 to complete the design in preparation for renovations of the Brandon Park Bandshell.  According to the Sun Gazette, the design costs are covered by a gift from the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania. The work to be done includes brick work, structural repair of the stage and ceiling, accessible bathrooms, humidity control and the installation of an accessible wheelchair lift. The city says they will be using a contingency fund in some amount for any extra costs that arise.

TAX ASSISTANCE POSSIBLE FOR WEST PHARMACEUTICAL

With the potential prospect of adding 125 jobs in Jersey Shore; Lycoming County Commissioners’ approved a Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance ordinance, aimed at offering tax abatement for a possible expansion program at West Pharmaceutical Services in Jersey Shore. The tax abatement is over a seven-year period and begins when construction of the expansion at the site is complete on Oliver Street in Jersey Shore. The Jersey Shore School District last week approved a resolution in support of West’s request for the abatement and the borough is expected to vote next week.

SPORTS

NASCAR Chase Elliott won his first NASCAR cup victory at Atlanta Motor speedway Sunday, followed by Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Eric Jones, and Ryan Blaney rounding out the top 5.  Chase won the Quaker State 400 in front of his home crowd where his father Bill Elliot “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville” won 5 times. The Elliotts are the 3rd father-son duo to take the checkered flag at the historic track, who also includes Ned and Dale Jarrett and Dale Earnhardt and Dale Junior

MLB
Orioles 9             Angels 5
Braves 4              Nationals 3
Marlins 2            Mets 0
Reds 10               Rays 5
Royals 5              Guardians 1
Pirates 8              Brewers 6
Cardinals 4         Phillies 3
Red Sox 11         Yankees 6

MLB Draft League
State College 6 Williamsport 5 at home yesterday
MLB Draft tonight
Crosscutters play the Frederick Keys at home tonight – 6:35 1st pitch.

MLB News
The full All-Star game roster was announced on Sunday. Yankees, with the best record in the league, lead all the teams with 6 players selected.  The Game comes up on Tuesday, July 19 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA

Tennis
Number 1 seed, Novak Djokovic defeated Nick Kyrgios in 4 sets Sunday for his 4th consecutive Wimbledon title and seventh overall.

BACKYARD BROADCASTING LOCAL NEWS JULY 8, 2022

NEW TIOGA BOROUGH POLICE HIRE SUBMITS RESIGNATION

Some residents of Tioga Borough protested outside the borough office last night over the swearing-in of Timothy Loehmann, the officer who fatally shot Tamir Rice as an officer of the Cleveland Police department. According to the Sun Gazette, the sentiment of some in the community who have been without an officer for over a year, would rather have no officer than Loehmann.  Records show that he was fired from the Cleveland Police for lying on his application.  Loehmann has submitted an intent to withdrawal his application to serve in Tioga and the Borough council will consider it at their next meeting on July 12th at 6pm.

WILLIAMSPORT MAN WANTED IN FLORIDA FOR DRUG CHARGES

A man wanted in Florida on drug charges was taken into custody last Sunday by Old Lycoming Township police.  According to the Sun Gazette, police arrested 30 year old Jamaal Charles Jackson, who lives on Lycoming Creek Road for felony drug charges that originated from St Lucie County, Florida.  The sheriff’s office there filed a fugitive warrant for Jackson and he was committed to Lycoming County Prison on no bail.

BUDGET TALKS STILL HAPPENING TODAY

Pennsylvania Lawmakers in the House began passing some legislation yesterday, avoiding much debate over the main budget bill, voting 180-20 in favor of it.  The majority Republicans stated that the 42.8 billion dollar spending plan will positively affect transportation, police and election operations, including millions of dollars in funding for K-12 education in the state’s 100 poorest districts. In the senate,  a Republican spokesperson said discussion continues on the framework the budget.  The Wolf Administration compromised and agreed to pull charter school regulations that had been approved in March.

CSVT BRIDGE PARTIALLY OPEN IN BOTH DIRECTIONS

PennDOT opened the northbound lanes of the new Route 147 to traffic early yesterday . A portion of the southbound lanes were opened a little later, between the new Ridge Road interchange in Northumberland County and Route 15 in Union County, so the river bridge is now open in both directions. The remaining portion of the southbound lanes of the new roadway – traffic entering from existing Route 147 south from Milton – will open today.

DRUG TASK FORCE NABS TWO SUSPECTS FROM SUNBURY

Two people from Sunbury are facing felony drug charges after they sold 165 bags of heroin in a controlled drug buy set up by the Northumberland Montour Drug Task Force.  According to media outlets, 39 year old Randy Baylor and 27 year old Bridget Miller sold the drugs to a confidential informant who was working with the Sunbury Police.  Baylor and Miller have been jailed in lieu of 20 thousand dollars bail.

REPUBLICANS VOTE ABORTION AMENDMENT THROUGH

Republicans advanced a constitutional amendment on abortion rights yesterday. According to Penn Live, the GOP voted and shut down Democratic opposition to the legislation with their majority late Thursday night.  Proposed amendments must pass both chambers in a 2-year legislative session, and be advertised publically before the fall session – it goes to the voters after that and does not require the governor’s support. A full slate of voting for the budget is set up for today in Harrisburg.  With the billions of dollars in surplus this year, some are calling this a “Christmas in July budget”.

GAME COMMISSION MEETING CAN BE WATCHED ONLINE

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners will meet today and tomorrow and will hear and comments from the public Saturday.  The session today is for staff comment only.  The time for public comment tomorrow is limited to five minutes and requests will be accepted for the meeting on a first-to-register, first-to-speak basis. Registration begins when doors to the Harrisburg headquarters open at 7:45 am and the meeting begins at 8:30.   Those unable to attend the meeting can watch much of it on the Game Commission’s You Tube channel.

BUCKNELL STUDENT QUALIFIES FOR AMATEUR GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

A Bucknell senior golfer has qualified for next month’s US Amateur Championship by earning an 8 under 64 in the second round of the Amateur Qualifier at White Eagle Golf Club in Illinois.  According to the Sun Gazette, the qualifier tournament Tuesday had two automatic spots for the Championship in New Jersey coming up in August, and Blake Wisdom earned it.  He posted the best competitive round of his playing career, eagling two par-5s on the opening nine and three birdies on the back nine for his bogey-less 64.

SPORTS

MLB
          Pirates 4     Reds 2 Game 1
          Reds 5        Pirates 1 Game 2
Phillies 5             Nationals 3
Orioles 4              Angels 1
Mets 10               Marlins 0
Yankees 6           Red Sox 5
Cardinals 3         Braves 2

MLB Draft League Tonight
Williamsport Crosscutters host the State College Spikes – Muncy Bank Ballpark 6:35pm 1st pitch

TENNIS
Rafael Nadal announced his withdrawal from Wimbledon before his semi-final match today against Nick Kyrgios with a torn abdominal muscle.

Kygios will now either face 1st seed Novak Djokovic or Cameron Norrie they play their semifinal match today at 9:30am Eastern

NASCAR

The Quaker State 400 is at Atlanta Motor Speedway Sunday at 3 PM listen to all the NASCAR cup series coverage on our sister station, the Twin Valleys Talk Radio Network WWPA or WILQ‘s HD3

BACKYARD BROADCASTING LOCAL NEWS JULY 7, 2022

TIOGA HIRES CLEVELAND OFFICER WHO SHOT TAMIR RICE

A police officer who was cleared of wrong doing by a grand jury for the shooting of Tamir Rice in November of 2014, and fired by the Cleveland Police department, was hired and sworn-in in Tioga, PA on July 5th after a unanimous vote by the council there.  According to the Sun Gazette there were protests outside the Tioga Borough Building over Timothy Loehmann’s hiring.  Tioga Mayor David Wilcox told the paper even though he oversees the police and swore-in Loehmann, he said he hadn’t been informed of the officer’s history.

WELLSBORO MAN SENTENCED TO FEDERAL PRISON FOR FRAUD

A man from Wellsboro who used COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Funds to buy a beach home in Alabama has been charged in federal court with money laundering and bank fraud Wednesday.  According to the Sun Gazette, the US Attorney’s Office alleges that 57 year old Nicholas Perkins , the owner of Well-versed Oil Fields LLC,  used most of a 465 thousand dollar loan meant to help small business cope with financial issues from the pandemic, for the vacation property . He then applied for loan forgiveness for the costs, saying he used it for payroll costs and other eligible expenditures.  Perkins faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.

WILLIAMSPORT AUDITORS WAITING FOR FINANCE DOCUMENTS

Auditors working for Williamsport are waiting for a number of documents that they have requested from the City Finance office in order to complete the 2019 audit, even though they’ve made multiple requests and not received the information.  According to the Sun Gazette, the auditor for Zelenkofsky Axelrod says they spoke with Mayor Derek Slaughter and he said there would be a new person in the finance office to help move the process along.  The audits done by Zelenkofsky Axelrod are for the general fund and community and economic development.

AUTHOR GALA THIS OCTOBER TO BENEFIT LIBRARY

The James V Brown Library has just announced their 19th Annual Author’s Gala and online auction to be held this October, featuring best-selling author Elin Hilderbrand as the guest speaker on the Community Arts Center Stage that night.  Hilderbrand’s latest book, “Hotel Nantucket”, is on sale now, and she will sign copies for attendees.  The Gala will be livestreamed for a fee if you can’t attend in person and will also feature an online auction running from October 6th til the end of the actual Gala event at 10pm on October 13th .  Reserve your tickets today at caclive.com.

MAN WHO STOLE FROM A CORPSE EXTRADITED TO SHAMOKIN DAM

A Puerto Rican man was extradited back to the United States this week to face charges that he stole credit cards from the body of a man who died at a Snyder County hotel where the suspect worked in 2019.  According to North Central PA dot com, police say 33 year old Jose Miguel Hernandez-Thurbhus was seen on surveillance cameras taking items from a dead body that had yet to be discovered by police, and then used the cards to make purchases of cigarettes and snacks for a few days  before fleeing to Puerto Rico.  Family members of the deceased man discovered the charges made on his accounts after the time of death.  US Marshals worked with foreign authorities to catch Hernandez-Thurbhus who was brought back to Harrisburg and picked up by Shamokin Dam police Tuesday.  He was arraigned on forgery, access device fraud and abuse of a corpse and is in Snyder County prison in lieu of 250 thousand dollars monetary bail. 

BERWICK MAN FACES CHARGES FOR FILING A FALSE REPORT

A man who accused his ex-girlfriend of breaking into his home, has been charged with filing a false police report that incriminates another person.  According to North Central Pa dot com, Todd Ipher of Berwick told police Shelby Holdren had broken a window to come in when she wasn’t allowed on his property.  However, when police investigated, they questioned Holdren who said after she and Ipher had spent the day together at the apartment on Sycamore Street on May 8th, they had a fight and she left the property.  Police say she left her phone behind and when knocking on the door to get it back, the window broke, and she cut herself before retrieving the phone and leaving.  Ipher has a preliminary hearing August 1st .

NINE REPUBLICANS ON BOARD WITH SHAPIRO

Nine Pennsylvania Republicans have endorsed Democrat Josh Shapiro for Governor of the Commonwealth describing Doug Mastriano as dangerous, extreme and divisive for Pennsylvania.  According to Penn Live, the nine break-away Republicans include two former congressmen, a former lieutenant governor and a former state House speaker as well as Lt. Gov. Robert Jubelirer of Blair County.  Shapiro said that Republicans, Independents and Democrats must come together and that he’s grateful so many see the high stakes of the upcoming Governor race.

MORE SLOW TRAFFIC TODAY EXPECTED ON ROUTE 45

Maintenance crews will be replacing lightbulbs on the Lewisburg River Bridge for a few hours today and commuters may see some slow traffic again as a result.  According to Penn DOT, watch for congestion again in West Chillisquaque Township on Route 45 at the intersection with Route 405 – there will be single lane conditions and a flagger on the scene from about 7:30am until 2pm.

SPORTS

MLB
Tigers 8               Guardians 2
Mets 8                 Reds 3
Braves 3              Cardinals 0
Yankees 16         Pirates 0
Orioles 2             Rangers 1
Nationals 3         Phillies 2
Rays 7                 Red Sox 1

MLB Draft League
          Trenton Thunder 6      Williamsport Crosscutters 2
MLB Draft League Friday
Williamsport Crosscutters are at home against the State College Spikes at Muncy Bank Ballpark, 6:35 1st pitch.

TENNIS
– Wimbeldon Women’s Quarterfinals yesterday – American Amanda Anisimova was defeated by 16-seeded Romanian Simona Halep 6-2, 6-4 on Center Court.
– In the Men’s Quarterfinals Rafael Nadal of Spain won a 5-set thriller against American Taylor Fritz; it was 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 with a tie-breaking 10-4 victory allowing second seeded Nadal to reach his 8th Semifinal at the all England club. Nadal is set to play in the Grand Slam Semi-final today going up against Nick Kyrgios.
– The match between Number 1, Novak Djokovic and Britain’s 9th seeded Cameron Norrie is also today at 8am in the US on ESPN.

Little League District 12

Little League District 12 Winners bracket Game Keystone 5 Muncy 3
District 12 12U tonight 5:45 @South Williamsport – Muncy vs. Montoursville 

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