2022 Set the Night to Music
BACKYARD BROADCASTING LOCAL NEWS JULY 6, 2022
AVIS MAN ARRESTED AFTER HIGH SPEED CHASE
A man from New Jersey, who kept an Avis address, was involved in a high speed chase on a motorcycle Saturday with state police through parts of Clinton and Washington townships. According to the Sun Gazette, 31 year old Bueno Munoz led police for 15 minutes at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour, later crashing on Route 44 near Elimsport. Police say he tried to flee from the scene but was tased and taken into custody. Police found him with a loaded handgun but no permit to carry a concealed weapon. Munoz was charged with felony fleeing, reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and other traffic violations. He was taken to Lycoming County Prison in lieu of bail.
ILLEGAL WINDOW TINT LEADS TO DRUG CHARGES
Williamsport police pulled a Philadelphia man over along High and 3rd Streets in the City for a window tint violation and after smelling marijuana, carried out a search of the man’s vehicle, finding more drugs and a Springfield Armory XD40 firearm without a license. According to North Central PA dot com, 20 year old Carlos Salinas-Davis was charged with third-degree felony firearm, drug charges as well as improper sun screening. He is being held on $20,000 bond at the Chester County Prison on a statewide warrant for the charges.
PA LAWMAKERS NOT PASSING THE BUDGET YET
Still no budget, or even much budget activity, as of yesterday in the Pennsylvania State Capitol. According to the Sun Gazette, plans for the state legislature to return to session in Harrisburg have been up in the air, with the state House – controlled by majority Republicans – saying they will return this afternoon with public notices of a floor session to start tomorrow as well as Friday in the Capitol. The Senate said they may return to session today but details were forthcoming. Governor Wolf’s administration says the outcome looks good for a final budget product this week.
GAME COMMISSION HAS AN ONLINE TURKEY POPULATION SURVEY
The PA Game Commission wants input from residents for their Wild Turkey Sighting Survey this summer running now through August 31st. Even though the app previously used is no longer available, turkey sightings can be reported online at pgcdatacollection.pa.gov/ Turkey Brood Survey and will collect data about the number of turkey’s in an area, the location, date and the survey taker’s information so if biologists have questions they can contact you. According to Game Commission turkey biologists, last year was an above average reproduction season after the 17-year Brood X cicada hatched; providing a food source for turkeys as well as new turkey poult predators.
MAN WALKS OUT OF LOYALSOCK DETENTION CENTER
A 48 year old man from Williamsport is back in prison after walking out of a Loyalsock Township pre-release center on June 17 following his previous criminal conviction on June 10th. According to the Sun Gazette, an affidavit from the office of District Judge Gary Whiteman says, Todd Aaron Hill has since been captured and arraigned on that felony escape charge, but also faced a sentence of 5 days to six months in prison in his previous case and a permanent county probation detainer for a theft conviction. Police have not released any information about Hill’s previous cases.
TWO SENIORS INJURED IN NATALIE ACCIDENT
An accident on State 54 near Natalie Mountain Sunday around 6pm, involved a car and a motorcycle, and caused injuries to both operators. According to the Daily Item, the 71 year old man from Mt Carmel, who was on his motorcycle was more seriously injured when he struck a car driven by 74 year old RoseAnn Stewart who was driving westbound toward Natalie. The man who allegedly caused the accident when he veered into the westbound lane of Route 54, was transported to Marion Heights Baseball Field where he was stabilized before Geisinger Life Flight took him to the hospital. No word on his or Stewart’s condition today.
NEW APPRAISER RECOMMENDED BY FINANCE COMMITTEE
Williamsport City Council has another appraisal firm willing to appraise the condemned Williamsport City Hall building and the city’s finance committee has given a positive recommendation for the work. According to the Sun Gazette, Harrisburg based Don Paul Shearer Associates submitted a proposal to complete the work by September for five thousand dollars, five hundred dollars more than the previous proposal. City Hall was condemned last September after there was serious water damage done over the year from leaking pipes and cracks in the roof.
RIDE THE HISTORIC RAILROAD IN SUNBURY
Fans of the railroad have a chance to ride the historic Reading Line from Sunbury to Snydertown this weekend as part of Sunbury’s 250th Anniversary and Celebration Days on Saturday. According to the Daily Item, tickets are available at the City Clerk’s Office in City Hall or at Indie Made on Market Street for 10 dollars and fees or at sunbury250.org. There will be rides Saturday at 10am, 12:30pm, 3 and 5:30 for the 90 minute trip departing from Raspberry Avenue in Sunbury.
SPORTS
MLB
Reds 1 Mets 0
Pirates 5 Yankees 2
Orioles 10 Rangers 9
Phillies 11 Nationals 0
Tigers 11 Guardians 4
Rays 8 Red Sox 4
Braves 7 Cardinals 1MLB Draft League
Williamsport Crosscutters 6 Trenton Thunder 2 (1-1)
Game 3 of 3 is tonight in Trenton, 1st pitch @7pm
Crosscutters come back to Muncy Bank Ballpark Friday to play the State College Spikes
Tennis
Two Americans have advanced to the Grand Slam Quarterfinals at Wimbledon today, Taylor Fritz and Amanda Anisimova. Anisimova will play 2019 Wimbledon Champion Simona Halep, and Fritz takes on Rafael Nadal, 22-time major champion and one of the greatest players in history.
2022 Set the Night to Music
BACKYARD BROADCASTING LOCAL NEWS JULY 5, 2022
ACCIDENT INTO LITTLE LEAGUE MUSEUM ALLEGEDLY INTENTIONAL
A Williamsport woman with ties to historic Little League Baseball drove her vehicle through the front doors of the Little League Museum in South Williamsport Sunday afternoon and is being treated for non-life threatening injuries following her arraignment in District Court. According to the Sun Gazette, Theresa Robinson Salazar who is related to George and Bert Bebble, 2 of the first three managers of the Little League along with Carl Stotz in 1939, was arrested following the allegedly intentional accident that thankfully did not injure any of the over 40 people inside the museum. Salazar was charged with felony terroristic threats, causing or risking a catastrophe and other charges. She was remanded to Lycoming County Prison with no bail. There was about 25 thousand dollars damage done to the museum.
MAN THREATENS ELDERLY RELATIVE WITH KNIFE
Police say a Danville man held a knife to the throat of an elderly relative before she fled from the home they shared on Maple Street June 23rd. According to North Central PA dot com, 30 year old Kevin James Millard was allegedly acting out of his mind from methamphetamine and threatened his relative before the 85 year old woman fled the home and called the Mahoning Township Police Department. Millard then barricaded himself inside with the 13 inch knife. Police then arrested Millard and took him into custody, charging him with felony harassment and terroristic threats. His preliminary hearing is July 25th and he’s incarcerated under 250 thousand dollars bail.
FARMERS CAN GET DEP REGULATION PLAN FROM SNYDER COUNTY
Snyder County farmers who want plans to follow PA DEP regulations can sign up at the Snyder County Conservation District. According to a press release, the Conservation District can help develop a manure management or agricultural erosion & sedimentation plan so farmers can comply with new agricultural environmental regulations. The PA Chesapeake Bay Program Countywide Action Plan Implementation Grants are also available for farmers for help installing or improving their operations. Farmers can apply with the Conservation District in Middleburg, or call 570-837-3000,
MU STUDENTS TO PERFORM WITH JOSH GROBAN TONIGHT
Twenty music students from Mansfield University including Emma Criswell from Lewisburg and Rachael Karwowski from Lock Haven, will perform with global recording artist and Grammy winner, Josh Groban at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, NY, on Tonight. According to a press release from the Mansfield University music department, Groban’s agent contacted the MU Director of Choral Activities requesting students from the school to provide vocals for several selections in the show, using three-part Gospel style singing. The concert by is part of Groban’s 25 city Harmony tour across the US.
SUNBURY SHOOTER GETS ANOTHER CONTINUANCE
The man who allegedly shot and killed 30 year old Kareem Jakes in a Sunbury convenience store in May, has received another continuance for his preliminary hearing coming up in Northumberland County Court. According to North Central PA dot com, 23 year old Ajani Munsh-Ousha Uhuru will face Sunbury District Judge Mike Toomey July 15th at the Northumberland County courthouse due to security concerns. Uhuru has been incarcerated without bail since he was taken into custody by US Marshals in Philadelphia May 24th while he was on the run from the shooting at Penn Jersey Food Mart May 19th.
TWO THIEVES CAUGHT BY TRAIL CAMERA
A trail camera caught the image of two thieves who was breaking into campers in Montour County in June. According to North Central PA dot com, police say 22 year old Daryl Anthony Campbell, of Berwick and 21 year old Christopher James, of Philadelphia were captured on video by the owner of the camper at the 2000 block of River Drive who reported it to Staet police in Milton. Both James and Campbell were charged with first-degree felony burglary and second-degree criminal trespassing along with criminal mischief and theft by unlawful taking. Both are scheduled to appear July 18 for a preliminary hearing.
BUCKNELL SURVEY ASKS CHILD SUPPORT QUESTION
A Bucknell Institute for Public Policy survey has discovered through recent polling out of 1500 people, nearly half the respondents gave the opinion that they would be in favor of child support payments that would begin at conception. According to the Bucknell Poll, Republicans and Democrats, as well as in those who describe themselves as pro-life and pro-choice, almost half of every group was in favor of the child support payment question. About 28 percent opposed it and about 25 percent weren’t sure. The poll was conducted by YouGov America and was done last month between June 13th and June 23rd.
JERSEY SHORE TOWN MEETING THIS WEEK
The 61st annual Jersey Shore Town Meeting Fourth of July celebration started Sunday and will continue through this Saturday. The event which celebrates the Tiadaghton area’s revolutionary war history of declaring Independence before the Founding father’s did in 1776 continues traditions all week in addition to free entertainment, rides, carnival games, and over 30 food vendors. A fireworks show will be held at 9:45on Saturday night. The Queen Tiadaghton crowning will be held on Thursday evening.
SPORTS
MLB
Marlins 3 Nationals 2
Orioles 7 Rangers 6
Tigers 4 Guardians 1 Game 1
Tigers 5 Guardians 3 Game 2
Red Sox 4 Rays 0
Brewers 5 Cubs 2
Mets 7 Reds 4
Braves 6 Cardinals 3
Twins 6 White Sox 3
The Chicago White Sox and Major League Baseball discussed postponing their game against the Minnesota Twins after a gunman opened fire on an Independence Day parade Monday in suburban Chicago, killing at least six people. But the game was played as scheduled, however they did cancel postgame fireworks and observed a moment of silence before the first pitch of the Twins’ 6-3 victory.
MLB Draft League
Trenton Thunder 7 Williamsport Crosscutters 4
Cutters stay on the road tonight for Game 2 of a 3 Game series /7pm 1st pitch.
Williamsport is back in Muncy Bank ballpark Saturday against State College Spikes/6:35 1st pitch
NASCAR
Tyler Reddick outdueled Chase Elliot who had the pole position and lead for 36 of 62 laps, by just over three seconds Sunday at Road America followed by Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain, and Daniel Suarez rounded out the top five
Hot Dog Eating
Joey Chestnut won Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest for a 15th time, eating 63 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes – down from the record 75 he set last year. Women’s record holder Miki Sudo chomped 40 hot dogs to win the women’s title after skipping last year because she was pregnant.
BACKYARD BROADCASTING LOCAL NEWS JULY 1, 2022
FIRE DESTROYS MONTGOMERY HOME
A devastating multi-alarm fire in Montgomery destroyed a home yesterday about 2pm and killed the family’s dogs, but no humans were injured. According to the Sun Gazette, Eli Hessler and his daughter who is 14, escaped the fire after unsuccessfully attempting to rescue the animals at the home on First and Broad Streets. Hessler’s wife Steph and two other children were not home at the time. Montgomery firefighters were close to the fire at their carnival grounds and responded right away however, water pressure was an issue from the hydrants in the community, so nine other companies were dispatched to the scene to assist with more tankers of water. Fire officials say the sides of home collapsed after 20 minutes and it was under control about 3pm. Damage was estimated at about 150 thousand dollars.
SLOW TRAFFIC ON ROUTE 147 AGAIN TODAY
The soil remediation project that began yesterday along Route 147 in West Chillisquaque Township will cause delays again today as Penn DOT says they’ve extended the work through Friday. There were significant delays yesterday throughout the day north and southbound on Route 147 with a flagger on the scene taking traffic down to one lane before Ridge Road. The crews will work on the southbound side where an accident had occurred earlier this year. Work is scheduled to be complete by 6pm tonight.
ROW HOME FIRE IN NORTHUMBERLAND
Several row homes in Northumberland County were damaged by fire early Thursday. According to the Daily item, a fire broke out in the homes along East 7th Street in Mount Carmel about 7am. The Northumberland County Firewire reported that everyone who was a resident in the homes escaped safely, but there is no word at this time on what caused the blaze. Officials should be determining that today.
PA LEGISLATURE APPROVES KEY ISSUES
Five important measures were approved this week in the Pennsylvania House and Senate, with the Republican majority mostly carrying the approval. According to the Daily Item, there were approvals for designating athletics by biological sex and one expanding access for poll watchers, each were sent to the Governor for approval. Other bills seek to prohibit classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and they went to the house for consideration. A fifth resolution called for a Select Committee investigation into Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner who has been accused of dereliction of duty with respect to gun crime in the state’s largest city.
MAN DIES FROM TRACTOR ACCIDENT
A man from Beaver springs who was cutting brush in a field in Snyder County was killed Wednesday morning and police are unsure of exactly what happened. According to the Daily Item, there were no witnesses when the man who was using a tractor in a field near 1662 Middle creek road was mortally injured; either from falling from the tractor and being struck, or from a medical incident. The Snyder County Coroner has not released the identity of the victim, pending family notification. The tractor was located in another field from where the man’s body was discovered.
PA BUDGET IS BEHIND SCHEDULE
Governor Wolf and the Republican controlled legislature have been called weekend voting sessions in order to get a working $42 million budget plan signed before the 4th of July. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, talks have been stalled due to different priorities among the Governor and Republican leaders and exact details on the state’s multibillion-dollar spending plan, along with hundreds of pages of accompanying legislation, were still being debated as of Thursday’s budget deadline – even with a multi-billion dollar surplus in the bank. Some of the details of the budget have not been disclosed .
PENNDOT HOSTS A RIBBON CUTTING AT CSVT BRIDGE
The ribbon cutting for state dignitaries was held this week for the new CSVT bridge and the its’ northern section and the ceremonial groundbreaking for the southern section also occurred for work to be completed in 2027. According to the Daily Item, Eric High, the PennDOT District 3 Executive for Engineering hosted republican senator John Gordner from Berwick and US Senator Bob Casey who said the bipartisan infrastructure bill passed last November also played a big role in the completion of both sections of CSVT. The bridge and new highway is slated to open to traffic after the 4th of July.
EVANGELICAL CLOSES ON SUSQUEHANNA MALL PROPERTY
Evangelical Hospital has purchased the Susquehanna Valley Mall property at 21 Susquehanna Valley Mall Drive. According to North Central PA dot com, the property right now houses SUN Orthopedics of Selinsgrove and their Imaging Center, Evangelical’s Physical Therapy practice, Family Practice facilities and Corbin Audiology. According to hospital administrators, Corbin will move to a new location this month and other imaging and orthopedic practices will relocate to the mall in 2023. Negotiations were announced last March and the closing on the property was yesterday.
SPORTS
MLB
Guardians 5 Twins 3
Phillies 14 Braves 4
Astros 2 Yankees 1
Pirates 8 Brewers 7
Cubs 15 Reds 7
MLB Draft League
Williamsport Crosscutters 8 West Virginia Black Bears 5
Williamsport gets the series victory.
MLB Draft League tonight The Cutters host the Mahoning Valley Scrappers in their next 3-game series – 1st pitch tonight @6:35
(Saturday night’s Red, White and Boom features fireworks after the game – at Historic Bowman Field. )
Big Ten Football
In a surprising and seismic shift in college athletics, the Big Ten has voted to add Southern California and UCLA as conference members beginning in 2024. The expansion to 16 teams will make the Big Ten the first conference to stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The announcement comes almost a year after Oklahoma and Texas formally accepted invitations to join the Southeastern Conference in July 2025.
NBA Draft
In NBA Free Agency, Karl Anthony Towns stays in Minnesota with a 224 million dollar, 4 year supermax deal…Nikola (knee COLA) Jokic (JOKE itch) 5 years, 270 million with the Denver Nuggets and the Philadelphia 76ers sign former Miami Heat forward PJ Tucker for 3 years and 33 million dollars.
BACKYARD BROADCASTING LOCAL NEWS JUNE 30, 2022
WILLIAMSPORT NEEDS NEW FINANCE DIRECTOR
Members of City Council have received notice that Joseph Pawlak, Williamsport’s Interim Finance Director will no longer be working for the city, and that the critical position needs to be filled quickly. According to the Sun Gazette, there is no information given about whether Pawlak was let go or took another position elsewhere. City officials said that as an at-will employee, Pawlak is not able to appeal or have a hearing on the matter. He was first brought on in October 2005 with Mayor Mary Wolf, later with Mayor Campana and now with Mayor Slaughter since 2020. Pawlak handled payroll, cut checks and would provide information to council and finance committees.
ELDERLY WOMAN WHO CRASHED IN PARKING GARAGE DIES
The 90 year old woman from Danville who was seriously injured Monday after hitting several vehicles in a parking garage has died, According the Montour County Coroner’s office. Edith Barnhart crashed into multiple vehicles in her Toyota Camry Monday around 1pm while she was at a Geisinger outpatient clinic parking garage. Barnhart’s initial accident began a chain reaction of accidents that caused her serious injury. She was transported by ambulance to Geisinger but passed away overnight Tuesday.
WILLIAMSPORT CONTRACT CHARGED WITH FELONIES
A Lycoming County Contractor has been charged by the Pennsylvania Attorney General for taking over 86 thousand dollars from clients and never delivering the work. According to North Central PA dot com, Michael Bloom of Williamsport will face 37 felonies including home improvement fraud and theft by deception. If you or anyone you know has been defrauded by Bloom, file a complaint online with the Bureau of Consumer protection or email scams@attorneygeneral dot gov, or call 800-441-2555.
LANE CLOSURE TO CAUSE SLOWDOWNS
There will be a lane closure in West Chillisquaque Township in Northumberland County today so that PennDOT crews can complete a soil remediation project following a previous crash. According to PennDOT, a contractor will have Route 147 southbound down to one lane just before the Ridge Road intersection. The right travel lane and shoulder will have flaggers alternating lanes between 7am and 6pm.
POLICE INVESTIGATE SHOTS FIRED AT A VEHICLE
State Police in Selinsgrove are investigating reports of shots fired at a vehicle on June 24th while it was traveling on Route 35 in Snyder County. According to North Central PA dot com, the driver of a Toyota Yaris says their vehicle was struck by small round object from a bb or pellet gun. Police say it was between 9:30 and 10:30pm last Friday. If anyone has information that can assist in the investigation, call State Police in Selinsgrove.
TWO WOMEN TO BE CHARGED WITH HARASSMENT
Charges of harassment are pending after two women threw water bottles and slushies at each other during a concert at a winery in Rockefeller Township June 24th. According to State police in Stonington, a child spilled shaved ice on the shoulder of the woman sitting right in front of him. This accident prompted the woman to turn and throw a water bottle at the woman who was with the child. That woman then threw a slushy on her. Police continue to investigate the Northumberland County incident, and say they will file harassment charges.
LOCAL JUDGE TO DECIDE ON ALLOWING A REVEAL OF VOTER RECORDS
Lebanon PA private investigator may get a ruling from a judge in Lycoming County for a chance to examine voter-by-voter records from the 2020 elections, even though the state Office of Open Records said the records are confidential and previously denied her request. Heather Honey of Haystack Investigations is still seeking a digital copy of the Lycoming County “cast vote record”, but now county officials say what she is looking for could disclose the identity of voters. Governor Tom Wolf asked acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman to intervene, saying in court earlier this month that records Honey seeks from many counties in Pennsylvania, are produced before tabulation and counting of votes has occurred, so it isn’t a really digital tally that Honey would get. She would get the unprocessed data and Chapman says that is problematic.
FORMER LEWISBURG MAYOR HONORED
A former Lewisburg Mayor has been honored with a Bronze star that is displayed now on Market Street after a ceremony Tuesday. According to media outlets, Judy Wagner was honored as athank you for her work as the mayor of Lewisburg for 20 years. Wagner retired in December. She was also a teacher and guidance counselor in the Lewisburg Area School District for 38 years and now serves on the Regional Police Commission and the Lewisburg Shade Tree Commission.
SPORTS
MLB
Yankees 5 A’s 3
Pirates 8 Nationals 7
Astros 2 Mets 0
Mariners 9 Orioles 3
Braves 4 Phillies 1
Red Sox 6 Blue Jays 5
Guardians 7 Twins 6
Cubs 8 Reds 3
MLB Draft League
Williamsport Crosscutters 5 West Virginia Black Bears 4
(1-1) Game 3 tonight -Muncy Bank Ballpark, 1st Pitch @6:35pm
NBA
Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden has declined his $47.3 million option and will become a free agent, according to ESPN. Harden could negotiate a new deal with Philly that would deliver the Sixers roster-building flexibility in free agency — including use of the full $10.5 million exception. Teams may begin negotiating deals with free agents starting at 6pm tonight. However, those players cannot officially sign until 12:01 p.m. Eastern on July 6.
NCAA Football
The 21 thousand seat student sections at Penn State’s Beaver stadium sold out in minutes again this year as reported by Penn Live, as each section is sold in waves to each incoming class – but there are still seats available around the stadium for the seven home games this year. First game is at Beaver Stadium on Sept. 10 against Ohio. The annual Whiteout game is Oct. 22 against Minnesota, and Ohio State is here Oct. 29.