Overnight Fire in Washington Twp.

Approximately 1AM, emergency personnel were called to 862 Rock Road, Washington Twp. for a working house fire.

Smoke could be seen from a distance was crews fought the blaze.

No other details were given at this time.

Mahanoy City Native Continues To Fight 1991 Murder Conviction

Pennlive.com posted an article a couple days ago about Robert P. Russell, who lived in Mahanoy City before being found guilty of killing his estranged wife, Marine Capt. Shirly Gibbs Russell on March 4, 1989.

He was the first person convicted in federal court of first degree murder in which there was no crime scene, body, or weapon in the United States.

He is serving a life sentence at the Allenwood Federal Penitentiary and still maintains his innocence today.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/10/schuylkill_county_native_conti.html

Shenadoah Man Wanted By Police

Keshon Canyon

On October 15th, Shenandoah police pulled over a vehicle driven by Keshon Canyon, 22, whose last known address was 109 S. Main St., Shenandoah.  Police got this address from the individuals drivers license, but it was already suspended.

Canyon was cited and released for the suspended license and his vehicle was impounded.  A vehicle inventory was taken as part of department regulations and they found a black bag containing marijuana, cocaine, and heroine.

Fire Causes $400,000 Worth Of Damage, No Cause Determined Yet

A Sunday morning fire at Saint Clair Storage, 123 Industrial Park Road, in East Norwegian Township caused about $400,000 worth of damage, state police at Frackville are reporting.

The fire was discovered by a passing driver around 5:30am Sunday morning and when crews arrive, flames were already venting from the windows.

A cause to the fire is yet to be determined.

Anyone with information is asked to call the state police at (570) 874-5300.

Update on Last Night's Fire At Yuengling Brewery in Tampa FL.

Around 8pm last evening, fire crews were called the Yuengling Brewery in Tampa, Fl for a fire at the complex.   When crews arrived they found flames shooting from the roof of one of the buildings.  All workers were evacuated and there were no injuries reported.

Authorities say that fire started in a storage building at the facility.  They said it took about one hour to get control of the fire and cost about $1 Million in damage.  They've ruled the fire accidental but are still seeking an exact cause.

One firefighter was injured during the blaze but he was taken to a hospital were he was treated and released.

Fire Breaks Out At Yuengling Brewery in Tampa, Fl.

While this story is not near Schuylkill County, it still hits close to home.

Around 8pm this evening, fire crews were called the Yuengling Brewery in Tampa, Fl for a fire.   When crews arrived they found flames shooting from the roof of one of the buildings.  All workers were evacuated and there were no injuries reported.

Schuylkill County High School Football Scores- Week #9

Schuylkill County High School Football Scores- Week #9

Blue Mountain 27 Fleetwood 34

Jim Thorpe 14 Marian 7

Tamaqua 50 Minersville 19

Nativity BVM 30 Bucktail 32 in overtime

Panther Valley 21 North Schuylkill 48

Pine Grove 49 Tri-Valley 14

Exeter Twp 48 Pottsville 27

Schuylkill Haven 42 Mahanoy Area 12

Newport 6 Williams Valley 30

Coal Cracken BBQ's "Help Us Help Those In Need" This Thanksgiving

A BBQ Caterer and Restaurant in Schuylkill County is trying to help those in need this Thanksgiving.

Schuylkill County High School Football - Week #9

Schuylkill County High School Football - Week #9

We should see some close scores this week with a lot of evenly matched games.  Who do you think will win tonight?

County Officials Announce "Take Back" Initiative

From Sheriff Groody's Office

Schuylkill County Sheriff Joseph Groody, Schuylkill County District Attorney Karen Byrnes-Noon, The Schuylkill County Drug Task Force, The Schuylkill County Drug & Alcohol program and the US Drug Enforcement Administration with cooperation of local law enforcement and community partners announced a sixth nationwide prescription drug "Take-Back" initiative that seeks to prevent increased pill abuse and theft. County Law enforcement agencies have agreed to take part in this initiative and will be collecting potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs for destruction on Saturday, October 26th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Mayoral Candidate May Be Barred From Taking Office

Republican Dennis Wiessner, Mahanoy City, is running for mayor of the borough.  He  lost to Nancy Petritsch in the May primary by 6 votes but due to 79 Republican write-in votes, he is able to run in the general election in November.

But even if Wiessner does win the election, he may not be able to take office due to a felony conviction from over 40 years ago.

In 1972, Weissner was convicted of stealing 5 turkeys from a turkey coop just outside Allentown.  At the time, he paid a $50 fine and was on probation for two years.

The rule comes from the Pennsylvania Constitution which states:

"No person . . . convicted of infamous crimes shall be capable of holding any office of trust . . . in the Commonwealth"

Weissner has asked Governor Tom Corbett to remove this felony from his record.  He also said he will send an application to the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons.

If Weissner does win and is unable to take office, the Mahanoy City Borough Council would then appoint a mayor who would serve a two year term.

This story was first reported by WNEP.
http://wnep.com/2013/10/23/could-candidate-for-mayor-be-stopped-from-taking-office/

RECALL: Possible Listeria In Meat Products Sent To 27 States

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is recalling more than 22,000 pounds of meat products.  Particularly chicken, beef, and ham.

The recall was issued because of possible cross contamination of products with Listeria monocytogenes from contact surfaces.

The bacteria can cause a serious infection called listeriosis.  Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal problems.  It can be treated by antibiotics.

Schuylkill Haven, Schools Lose Power This Morning

This morning at approximately 11:15am, Schuylkill Haven and some of the surrounding areas lost power.  Parts of Cressona were said to have lost power for a second but immediately came back on.

For a little more than an hour schools and Schuylkill Haven were without power but crews fixed the problem and the power is now on.

Reports were said the a squirrel took out a transformer causing the outage.

No reports on the condition of the squirrel at this time.

3 Injured When FedEx Truck Collides with Car

State Police are reporting that at approximately 4:30PM, a FedEx truck driven by Brian Krepps, 44, Lebanon, collided with a car on Route 895 in West Brunswick Twp.

The driver of the car was not identified other than that it was a 16 year old male from Orwigsburg.  He is said to have suffered minor injuries.  The passenger in the car was 43 year old Christa Meyers of Orwigsburg.

It is being reported that the FedEx truck rear-ended the car that had stopped for a flagman in a construction zone.  After the truck collided with the car, it pushed the car into a woodpile alongside the road.

The driver of the FedEx truck, Krepps, is said to have been cited.

Schuylkill County High School Football Power Rankings - Week #8

Schuylkill County High School Football Power Rankings - Week #8

Where does your team stand this week?  We have a team surging up the ranks on a 5 game win streak.