Wednesday's Schuylkill County Weather Forecast - 2/10/16

Wednesday's Schuylkill County Weather Forecast - 2/10/16

No More Registration Stickers in 2017

Did you know that registration stickers will be eliminated at the end of 2016?  How will law enforcement verify your license plates going forward?

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At the invitation of PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards, legislators and law enforcement officers  received a demonstration of Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology that provides law enforcement a better tool to verify expired vehicle registrations.

“License plate reader technology allows a single law enforcement officer to quickly, accurately and reliably check the status of thousands of license plates on a single shift using information from PennDOT’s registration database to determine if there are expired registrations or lack of
insurance for the vehicle,” said Richards. “It is a true force multiplier.”

Plate reader technology holds numerous advantages over the visual inspection of registration stickers, which can be counterfeited, sold, affixed to dead plates or applied to plates for which they were not intended. By querying the registration information using ALPR technology, a law enforcement officer
can identify expired vehicle registrations and insurance coverage. If there is something wrong, the officer would be immediately alerted by the ALPR of a problem with the vehicle’s registration.

To help law enforcement to prepare for the provision of Act 89 of 2013 that eliminates issuance of vehicle registration stickers by 2017, PennDOT is proposing a grant program utilizing the savings from the elimination of the registration stickers. The grant program could provide grants to law
enforcement officers for the purchase and maintenance of license plate readers.

With the elimination of registration stickers beginning January 1, 2017, customers will see a significant benefit in increased convenience when renewing vehicle registrations.

“Without the registration sticker, the future of Pennsylvania vehicle owners certainly looks brighter with respect to the registration renewal process,” said Richards. “By further leveraging technology, we can make renewing your vehicle’s registration and having an immediate, permanent registration
credential in hand as easy as spending a few minutes online from your home computer.”

Beginning January 1, 2017, customers who renew online will be able save a copy of and print a permanent registration card on demand. Future plans also include allowing customers to eventually upload their registration cards to their smart phones and eliminate the requirement to print a copy altogether.

Further savings will be realized in reduced mailing costs. Currently, 40 percent of customers already renew vehicle registrations online. Eliminating the need to mail these customers a registration sticker coupled with the ability to print their registration card on demand will eliminate more than $2 million per year in mailing costs. In addition, the elimination of the registration stickers will save $1 million a year in product costs, bringing the estimated first year savings to approximately $3.1 million.

The last registration sticker will be issued December 30, 2016. Customers will still need to have their vehicles registered and inspected, but will not be required to display a registration sticker on their license plate after December 31, 2016.

For more information on the plan to eliminate registration stickers, please visit www.dmv.pa.gov and look under the Registration Stickers tab under Vehicle Registration. The elimination of the registration sticker was evaluated as part of a Penn State University research study that concluded eliminating the registration sticker would have no impact on compliance with vehicle registration laws. A copy of the study is on the Driver and Vehicle Services webpage at www.dmv.pa.gov at the Registration Stickers tab under Vehicle Registration.

Two Pennsylvania Residents Test Positive for the Zika Virus

The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced Tuesday ,the first confirmed cases of Zika virus in two residents who recently traveled to countries affected by the ongoing outbreak of the disease.

Schuylkill County School Delays - 02/10/16

Schuylkill County School Delays and Closings  - 02/10/16

Assumption BVM - 2 Hour Delay

Blue Mountain - 2 Hour Delay

Gillingham Charter - 2 Hour Delay

Mahanoy Area - 2 Hour Delay

Minersville - 2 Hour Delay

Nativity BVM - 2 Hour Delay

North Schuylkill - 2 Hour Delay

Pine Grove - 2 Hour Delay

Pottsville - 2 Hour Delay

Schuylkill Haven - 2 Hour Delay

Schuylkill Maple Ave - 2 Hour Delay

Schuylkill Tech North and South - 2 Hour Delay

Shenandoah Valley - 2 Hour Delay

St. Ambrose / Schuylkill Haven - 2 Hour Delay

St. Jerome / Tamaqua - 2 Hour Delay

St. Clair - 2 Hour Delay

Tamaqua - 2 Hour Delay

Tri-Valley - 2 Hour Delay

Trinity Academy - 2 Hour Delay

Williams Valley - 2 Hour Delay

Wanted Man Turns Himself In

On February 8th, 2016 Frackville Borough Police were summoned to Magisterial District Judge Christina Hale’s office, Frackville, where a wanted person wished to turn himself in.

Schuylkill County Snow Emergencies and Parking Bans - 02/09/2016

Schuylkill County Snow Emergencies and Parking Bans - 02/09/2016

Fifth Man Pleads Guilty To Participating In Heroin Trafficking Conspiracy

SCRANTON—The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a 25-year-old Shenandoah resident connected to a large-scale heroin trafficking ring that operated in Schuylkill County during 2012 through September 2015, pleaded guilty today before Senior U.S. District Court Judge James M. Munley in Scranton.

Interstate 81 Closed Due to Tractor Trailer Rollover

Around 2:00pm Tuesday afternoon, Interstate 81 both north and southbound between the Hegins and Tower City exits due to a tractor trailer rollover at Milemarker 107-108.

There are reports of multiple accidents in the area.

UPDATE:  The Interstate is reported to be shut down at Northbound Milemarker 104 (Ravine).

UPDATE(9:30PM) - interstate is now open in both directions.

More details when they are available.

The back-up on Interstate 81 South is roughly two miles long. Traffic is completely stopped pic.twitter.com/dPGlwqYpdQ

— Eric Deabill (@ericdeabill) February 9, 2016

LCCC Hosts National Hispanic College Fair

Schnecksville, Pa., Feb. 8, 2016 –Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC) will partner with Career Council Inc. as it hosts a national college fair focused on assisting Hispanic and Latino students with college education choices. This event will be held on Thursday, March 3, from 9 a.m. to noon, in Berrier Hall, at main campus in Schnecksville, Pa.

National Hispanic College Fairs Inc.® was founded in 1998 to assist the rapidly growing Hispanic/Latino population in obtaining access to a college education. Today, CC/NHCF serves 125,000 students and 1,800 colleges/universities in over 50 locations across the United States every year.

The college fairs bring admissions representatives from a broad range of colleges/universities and vocational training institutions to high school juniors and seniors, providing them a unique opportunity to become aware of their many options and to compare the offerings of participating institutions. Students are provided with current available scholarship and grant information. Partnership with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund helps minority students gain the widest access to the resources available to them.

For more information on the National Hispanic College Fair, please contact LCCC’s Admissions office at admissions@lccc.edu or 610-799-1575.

Beyoncé to Bring Formation World Tour to Hershey

Beyoncé will bring her highly anticipated The Formation World Tour to HersheyparkStadium on Sunday, June 12 at 6:00 p.m.

Schuylkill County Early Dismissals - 02/09/16

Schuylkill County Early Dismissals - 02/09/16

Schuylkill League Basketball Playoff Semi-Final Schedule

Schuylkill League Basketball Playoff Semi-Final Schedule

Schuylkill County School Delays and Closings - 02/09/16

Schuylkill County School Delays and Closings  - 02/09/16

Winter Weather Advisory Issued for Schuylkill County

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for Schuylkill County until early Wednesday.

Pedestrian Struck Near Shenandoah, Route 924 Closed

Just after 10:00pm, Monday evening, emergency crews were called to the area of Bad Dog Fitness Center, on Route 924 outside Shenandoah for reports of pedestrian that was hit.