Early Morning Crash in Schuylkill Township

From www.TamaquaArea.com 

 Emergency crews were called to the area around 116 Old Route 209 in Schuylkill Township after the driver of a passing garbage truck spotted a car into a tree about 5:30 AM today (Dec. 11, 2013). From the scratches in the road, the vehicle appeared to lose control about 100 feet to the east of the impact. Area fire departments and ambulance crews responded. State Police also responded and are investigating.

The driver of the vehicle was not at the scene.

Officers Seize 17 Poodles from Quakake Home

Poodles being cared for at the Hillside SPCA
(Pic from Hillside SPCA FB Page)

WNEP reported this evening about a hoarding situation in Quakake where a woman had 17 poodles in her home.

The dogs are now in the hands of the Hillside SPCA.

Below is the article from WNEP.
http://wnep.com/2013/12/10/officers-seize-17-poodles-in-schuylkill-county/

Schuylkill County Weather Forecast

By Monsoon Mike

My forecast played out correctly today with Skook getting a small accumulation of an inch or so while areas to our south (Berks County, etc.) saw more on the order of 2 to 4 inches. 

Next thing to be cautious of is FLASH FREEZE of any untreated surfaces tonight. Even if your neck of the woods was spared the heaviest snows, any untreated moisture on the ground will become a nice round of black ice later. Watch for this especially on bridges and overpasses and don't go cruising along at 55 because the road "looks clear." Two seconds later, you could be on black ice. 

Then get ready for a little break. Well break "precipitation wise." For sure not temperature wise. Temperatures will struggle to get out of the 20s the next few days. Heck, by Thursday, temps may not make it out of the teens across most of Skook! You know what that also means ... nights in the single digits in many spots. 

Despite that, the next few days will feature sunshine so it'll at least "LOOK" nice. But don't put those shovels and ice melt away just yet. *cues Dragnet theme for you old-TV fans out there* Saturday is our next storm .......

13 Year Old Girl Dies In Fire In Shamokin

Photo From Firewire Northumberland County

The News Item is now reporting that a 13 year old girl died in a fire in Shamokin this morning.

It is being reported that the girl was trapped on the third floor.

Crews were called to 5 S. Rock Street, Shamokin around 11am this morning and the fire spread to to 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 S. Rock Street as well.  Some of the homes were vacant, but 1, 5, and 7 were all occupied.

We'll provide more information as it comes in.

Morning Fire in Shamokin

Image from Firewire Northumberland County

Our neighbors to the west this morning are currently fighting a blaze on S. Rock St. in Shamokin.  Crews were called to the scene around 11am this morning and the fire has now spread to the entire block.

The News Item is reporting that there were initial scanner reports of a 12 year old trapped in one of the attics.

We'll provide more information as it comes in.

Firewire Northumberland County

Firewire Northumberland County

Firewire Northumberland County

Schuylkill County School Delays and Closings For 12/10/13

Schuylkill County School Delays and Closings For 12/10/13

Blue Mountain - MS and HS Dismiss at 11, Elem at 11:35

Gillingham Charter School - Early Dismissal (no time given)

Mahanoy Area - Elementary Closed - Middle/High School Dismiss at 8:30

Marian Catholic - Dismiss at 10:30

McCanns School of Business/Pottsville - Day Classes Cancelled

Nativity BVM - Dismiss at 9

North Schuylkill - Elementary CLOSED, High School Dismiss at 10:00

Panther Valley - Closed

Schuylkill Haven - Dismiss at 9:00

St. Ambrose/Schuylkill Haven - Early Dismissal, No Lunch

Tamaqua Area - Elementary CLOSED, Middle/High Scholl Dismiss at 10:30

Trinity Academy - Closed

St. Jerome Regional/Tamaqua - Closed

Schuylkill County Weather Forecast

By: Monsoon Mike

Make sure you like my 'Monsoon Mike's Weather Headquarters' fan page for the most up-to-date updates.

We have another storm on our hands for tomorrow. Once again, it looks like Schuylkill is spared the worst as the crux of the storm slides to the south. That being said, it is plenty cold so anything that falls should be in the form of snow. A general 1 to 2, maybe 3 if the storm overperforms is likely on Tuesday beginning mid-morning and ending mid-afternoon. A rather quick hitter. Nevertheless, expect tricky travel especially for your Tuesday Afternoon commute.

Then we finally get a break of sorts mid-week as long as you don't mind some serious cold with temperatures stuck in the 20s and nights flirting with the single digits.

Next precipitation chance comes this weekend.

Winter Weather Advisory Issued For Schuylkill County

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM TO 4 PM EST TUESDAY... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM TO 4 PM EST TUESDAY.

* LOCATIONS...SOUTHERN PENNSYLVANIA AND THE POCONOS.

* HAZARD TYPES...SNOW.

* ACCUMULATIONS...2 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW.

* TIMING...BEGINNING BEFORE SUNRISE...TAPERING OFF IN THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON.

* IMPACTS...THE SNOW WILL CAUSE POOR VISIBILITY AND SNOW COVERED ROADS. THIS WILL SLOW TRAFFIC...ESPECIALLY DURING THE MORNING COMMUTE.

* WINDS...WEST 5 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH.

* TEMPERATURES...IN THE UPPER 20S.

* VISIBILITIES...AS LOW AS ONE-QUARTER OF A MILE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

HAZARDOUS WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. USE CAUTION IF TRAVELING. FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION...GO TO WEATHER.GOV/CTP OR STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO.

REPORT SNOW OR ICE ACCUMULATION TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE BY SENDING AN EMAIL TO CTP.STORMREPORTS@NOAA.GOV... POSTING TO THE NWS STATE COLLEGE FACEBOOK PAGE...OR TWEET @NWSSTATECOLLEGE WITH THE HASHTAG #CTPWX. &&

12 Days of Skook Christmas

On the 12th Day of Christmas my True Skook Gave To Meeeeeee!!!

Man Charged For Theft From Fire Company

It was reported by the State Police that  Derek Davidson, 29, of Shenandoah was charged with stealing two large soup pots and steel stands from the Continental Firehouse in Gilberton sometime between the dates of October 1 and November 5.

We posted the original story of theft, the link is below
http://www.skooknews.com/2013/11/police-looking-for-thief-who-stole-from.html

Snow and Freezing Rain Leave Roads Slick Monday Morning

Schuylkill County may not have received "inches" of snow during this winter storm but the one thing it did was create some slick roads and side walks.

At of 7:30am, most schools were on 2 hour delays to allow the roads to clear up and let the road crews do their jobs.  Main roads such as 54, 61, 901 were reported to be just wet and slushy but most back roads and sidewalks were extremely slick.

Very few accidents were reported this morning.

What was it like where you live this morning?

Schuylkill County Weather Forecast

By: Monsoon Mike

All I can say after what happened today is I am sure glad I don't claim to forecast for the Philadelphia area too much. LOL My forecast for Skook worked out just fine with a couple inches of light snow but Philadelphia was surprised and totally shocked by close to 10 inches of snow. What happened was a freak meteorological phenomenon called "mesoscale banding" where bands of snow set up shop over that part of the state and just sit there for hours. Even the best computer model or meteorologist has trouble picking up on when that sort of thing can happen.

But hang tight winter lovers. I don't think all the bad weather is over just yet. Tonight we get into round two of our storm with some freezing rain and sleet and perhaps some more snow. I expect the morning commute to be rather rough and so do schools which is why some of them are already canceling or delaying.

Things will finally dry up tomorrow afternoon but here's the thing. Some computer models are starting to pick up on something for Tuesday that they really didn't pick up on until now ... a weak backlash disturbance moving through which could surprise us with a couple of inches of snow if everything were to work out great, or it could just be totally nothing with a couple of flurries. Will know more tomorrow. As for now, it seems Old Man Winter has set up shop in our neck of the woods for a while!

Schuylkill County School Closings & Delays - 12/9/13

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Schuylkill County School Closings and/or Delays for 12/9/13

Assumption BVM - 2 Hour Delay

Blue Mountain - 2 Hour Delay

Child Development 

Head Start - Closed

Pre-K Counts - Closed

Child Care - Open

Mahanoy Area - 2 Hour Delay

McCann School of Business/Pottsville - 2 Hour Delay

Minersville - 2 Hour Delay

Nativity BVM - 2 Hour Delay

North Schuylkill  2 Hour Delay

Panther Valley - CLOSED

Penn State/Schuylkill - College opens at 10, Staff report at 10

Pine Grove Area - 2 Hour Delay

Pottsville - 2 Hour Delay

Schuylkill Haven - 2 Hour Delay

Schuylkill Maple Ave - 2 Hour Delay

Schuylkill Special Ed. Center - 2 Hour Delay

Schuylkill Tech North - 2 Hour Delay

Schuylkill Tech South - 2 Hour Delay

Shenandoah Valley - 2 Hour Delay

St. Clair - 2 Hour Delay

St. Ambrose/Schuylkill Haven - 2 hour delay

St. Jerome Regional/Tamaqua - 2 hour delay

St. Nicholas/Minersville - 2 Hour Delay - modified kdg.

Tamaqua - 2 Hour Delay

Tri-Valley - 2 Hour Delay 

Trinity Academy - 2 Hour Delay

Williams Valley - 2 Hour Delay

Schuylkill County Closings and Postponements

Nativity B.V.M.

POSTPONED Band & Chorus Concert until 12/22 @ 2 PM

If anyone else has a postponement or closing to report please notify us at skooknews@outlook.com

Check back here throughout the evening for anymore Closings

Schuylkill County Christmas Display: St. Clair, PA

Do you want to show off your Holiday/Christmas light display?  Send your pics our way to skooknews@outlook.com or message us through our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SkookNews

Overnight Fire in Blythe Twp

Around 11:45pm, crews were called to 210 Winfield ave. for a house fire.

Not long after arriving, the fire was reported working.

The house was reported a total loss.   It was reported that 3 people are now homeless and the Red Cross is helping them.

No cause has been determined yet.

1 Person Dies in Interstate 81 Crash

1 male died this morning in an accident around 11am this morning in Foster Township on Interstate 81.  The accident happened around the northbound milemarker 114.  The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

There were a total of 5 occupants in the vehicle that was described as an SUV.  2 Adults and 3 children.

The other 4 in the vehicle were reported to have non-life threatening injuries.

UPDATE:  According to police, the man's name who died in the crash was Garfield Beynon, 71, of Scranton.

It is being reported that the SUV lost control, went off the road, hit the guardrail, and stopped on it's side on the berm of the road.

Schuylkill County Weather Forecast

By:  Monsoon Mike

Our busy busy weather pattern continues on Sunday afternoon into Monday morning.  During our most recent storm Friday into Friday night, northern Skook got a bit of snow and ice. Southern Skook hardly saw anything but some sleet mixing in at the tail end. But, if you like wintry weather, and you're in that southern portion and feel ripped off after the the last storm, I think EVERYONE gets in on some moderate action Sunday p.m. into Monday a.m. 

I expect snow to move in mid Sunday afternoon and accumulate an inch or maybe two before a switch over to sleet, freezing rain, and then eventually probably plain rain Monday morning. But here's the thing. I think cold air gets trapped at the surface Sunday night and early Monday and that switch to plain rain is in no major hurry. The result? A nice glaze of dangerous ice overnight Sunday into early Monday. Expect moderate to major travel headaches at those times. Make sure you follow my "Monsoon Mike's Weather Headquarters" Facebook page for on-the-run updates as this long update here only usually comes once a day, usually in the evening.

Then, another round of mainly light snow could hit is on the backside of everything on Tuesday afternoon after breaking Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning .

THEN, things get brutally cold for the rest of the coming new week. Got all that? Good. :-) Be careful out there folks and again, "like" my page for on-the-fly updates. 

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=277030735667101

Winter Weather Advisory Issue For Schuylkill County

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM SUNDAY TO 10 AM EST MONDAY ...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW ...FOLLOWED BY MIXED PRECIPITATION ... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM SUNDAY TO 10 AM EST MONDAY.

* LOCATIONS ...PORTIONS OF THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY AND EAST CENTRAL MOUNTAINS.

* HAZARD TYPES ...LIGHT SNOW ...CHANGING TO SLEET THEN FREEZING RAIN.

* ACCUMULATIONS ...AN INCH OR TWO OF SNOW ...FOLLOWED BY A LIGHT COATING OF SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN.

* TIMING ...LIGHT SNOW WILL OVERSPREAD THE REGION FROM SOUTH TO NORTH DURING THE LATE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS SUNDAY AND LIKELY ACCUMULATE AN INCH OR TWO. THE SNOW WILL CHANGE TO SLEET THEN FREEZING RAIN SUNDAY NIGHT ...WITH THE FREEZING RAIN LINGERING INTO MONDAY MORNING.

* IMPACTS ...HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS ARE PROBABLE DUE TO SLICK ROADS AND ICY CONDITIONS.

* WINDS ...EAST TO SOUTHEAST 5 TO 15 MPH.

* TEMPERATURES ...IN THE UPPER 20S TO LOWER 30S.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS ...

HAZARDOUS WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. USE CAUTION IF TRAVELING. FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION ...GO TO WEATHER.GOV/CTP OR STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO.

REPORT SNOW OR ICE ACCUMULATION TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE BY SENDING AN EMAIL TO CTP.STORMREPORTS@NOAA.GOV ... POSTING TO THE NWS STATE COLLEGE FACEBOOK PAGE ...OR TWEET @NWSSTATECOLLEGE WITH THE HASHTAG #CTPWX.

Schuylkill County Christmas Display: St. Clair, PA

Do you want to show off your Holiday/Christmas light display?  Send your pics our way to skooknews@outlook.com or message us through our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SkookNews