Schuylkill River Sojourn 2016 to Begin This Weekend

POTTSTOWN—The annual Schuylkill River Sojourn is always a weeklong celebration of the river. This year, the over 200 paddlers participating in the 7-day journey from June 4-10 will also celebrate the 18th Annual Schuylkill River Sojourn itself.

Two Girls Hit By Vehicle Wednesday Morning

Just before 11:00am, two young girls were reportedly hit by a vehicle in the 100 Block of North Railroad Street, Tamaqua.

Wildlife Day Camps at Sweet Arrow Lake Park

Eagles, animals, trees and water are just some of the things that can make for a great summer outdoor program. Children are naturally curious and enjoy exploring and learning about plants and animals especially at Sweet Arrow Lake County Park in Pine Grove. Two day camps for children are being offered this year:

• * Wildlife Day Camp #1 (children ages 4-6) from Wednesday, June 22 to Friday, June 24 from 9:30-11:00 a.m.
• * Wildlife Day Camp #2 (children ages 7-9) from Wednesday, June 22 to Friday, June 24 from 1:00-2:30 p.m.

Both camps will be led by “Porcupine Pat” McKinney of the Schuylkill Conservation District and are being run on a “donation only” basis. “We want to make the camps available to all children regardless of ability to pay,” added “Porcupine.” “You can pay for one day or all three days, whatever you decide is fine.” The focus of each camp is learning about wildlife, insects, and plants and will include fun activities designed to stimulate curiosity and natural awareness. These camps are sponsored by the Snayberger Memorial Foundation and the Schuylkill Area Community Foundation. All campers must be pre-registered by contacting “Porcupine Pat” at the Conservation District at 570-622-4124, ext. 113 or via email at porcupinepat@yahoo.com

Both camps will be held under the Large Pavilion at Sweet Arrow Lake County Park.

Police Looking for Suspect in Armed Robbery

Police in Carbon County are asking for the public's assistance in apprehending a subject of an armed robbery that took place Wednesday morning.

Three Injured, One Flown to Hospital After Tuesday Morning Crash

Photo Courtesy of Andrew Leibenguth /
TamaquaArea.com Public Forum

Around 10:30am Tuesday morning, emergency crews were called to the border of Tamaqua and Schuylkill Township along Route 209 for a motor vehicle accident with injuries.

Schuylkill County Ambulance Catches Fire on Interstate 81 in Lebanon County

Photo Courtesy of Andrew Leibenguth/TamaquArea.com
Public Forum

A Schuylkill County Ambulance caught fire Tuesday afternoon in Lebanon County.

Big Diamond Speedway Point Standings as of May 27

Big Diamond Speedway Point Standings as of May 27

Lottery Winning Employees Charged for Stealing Money from Store

The Pennsylvania State Police have charged four employees of a Schuylkill County store with stealing money and using it on the Pennsylvania Lottery and other items.

According to Police, Kerry Titus, 54, Joan Lechleitner, 51, Samantha Schaeffer, 25, and Tyler Schappell, 21, all of Pottsville were arraigned Tuesday afternoon on charges of theft by unlawful taking and theft by deception for allegedly stealing over $175,000 from the Cressona Agway, located on 22 North Second Street where they all worked.

The thefts were reportedly made through fraudulent product returns between May 2011 and March 2016.

The accused then reportedly spent the money on various items including Pennsylvania Lottery tickets.

According to the Pennsylvania Lottery, the four hit the Cash 5 Jackpot on September 11, 2015 for $261,000.

The four were arraigned before Magisterial District Judge James Ferrier, Orwigsburg.

USDA Rural Development Funds Two New Minersville Trucks through a Loan and Grant Combo

USDA Rural Development is funding the purchase of two new trucks for the use of the Borough of Minersville, Schuylkill County. The Borough of Minersville is an eligible rural area in the state of Pennsylvania.

“USDA Rural Development is happy to fund vehicles for communities like Minersville,” said Rural Development State Director Tom Williams. “Funding these vehicles will ensure that the Borough of Minersville continues to respond to calls around the community in a timely and efficient manner.”

The funding comes in the form of a Rural Development Community Facility loan of $96,600 as well as a Community Facility grant of $20,600. This loan and grant combination will be used to purchase two 2016 Chevrolet 3500HD trucks. One truck will come equipped with a dump box, snow plow, and salt spreader packages while the second truck will come equipped with a snow plow package. A $200 applicant contribution puts the total project funding at $117,400.

In Pennsylvania last year, the USDA Community Facility Program invested over $199 million in rural Pennsylvania through 58 community facilities loans and grants. Community Facilities programs help build, expand, rehabilitate, purchase, and support the development of police and emergency fire stations and equipment, museums, child care centers, hospitals, clinics, schools, and more.

Photos of Mahanoy City's Annual Memorial Day Parade 2016

Friday's Results from Big Diamond Speedway - 05/27/16

Friday's Results from  Big Diamond Speedway - 05/27/16

Upcoming Schuylkill County Road Work

Upcoming Schuylkill County Road Work

Hawk Mountain Council to Host Service to Youth and Community Breakfast

The Hawk Mountain Council, Boy Scouts of America will hold a Distinguished Citizen Breakfast to honor the Schaeffer Family, H. Slayton Altenburg and other local community leaders.

Schuylkill County Fireworks Schedule for 2016

Schuylkill County Fireworks Schedule for 2016

Yuengling to Present Donation to VFW at National Convention

D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc., announced Thursday that it will recognize the sacrifices that America’s veterans have made by presenting a generous donation to the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) at the 117th VFW National Convention in Charlotte N.C. this July. The donation will go toward the VFW’s many veteran and military assistance programs which help countless veterans, service members and military family members each year.