Interstate 81 Open Again After Being Closed for Over 4 Hours

Interstate 81 Southbound near the Pine Grove exit and above is reportedly open to at least 1 lane after being closed for over 4 hours.

The Interstate has been closed to traffic at the 104 (Ravine), 107 (Tower City), and 112 (Hegins) exits.

Tuesday Morning Fire in Mahanoy City

 Posted from TamaquaArea.wordpress.com

A woman is displaced after a fire destroyed her Mahanoy City home Tuesday morning.

Schuylkill County School Closings/Delays for 2/19/14

Schuylkill County School Schedule Changes for 2/19/14

Due to the the icy weather conditions, schools have changed dismissal times or cancelled.

Icy Road Conditions Wednesday Morning

The freezing rain that was predicted for this morning proved to be dangerous once it began falling just after 8am this morning.

Accidents have been reported from Route 61 in Orwigsburg, Route 61 near Port Clinton, Owl Creek Road in Tamaqua, and all over Interstate 81.

The Interstate is reported to be closed southbound from at the exits at 104 (Ravine), 107 (Tower City), and 112 (Hegins).  Multiple accidents were reported within a 2 mile stretch of the Interstate near the Pine Grove exit.  One of the accident was reportedly to involve a car and a tractor trailer.

There were also accidents reported Northbound on Interstate 81 near milemarker 131.

Current Closures (at 9:56am)

 - Interstate 81 Southbound - Milemarker 112-100
 - 209 between Tamaqua and Coaldale
 - Hometown Hill near Hometown
 - Owl Creek Road, Tamaqua

Tuesday's 3 Vehicle Accident in West Penn Township

Just after 2 PM, Tuesday, crews were called to a 3 vehicle head on accident along Route 443 in West Penn Twp.

Freezing Rain Morning Update

 

 

Freezing Rain Morning Update

5:50AM: Good morning! Our precipitation is currently out in Western Pennsylvania. It will begin to reach Eastern PA anytime after 8am. The main concern for freezing rain will be in the valleys.

Warmer air is moving in aloft. Basically the higher up you go, the warmer it is. In fact, elevations are pretty warm this morning. In Frackville it's already 30 degrees. These temps will continue to rise as we head through the morning hours. In the valleys, such as Tamaqua and Pottsville, we are stuck between 16-18 degrees. With that being said, freezing rain will hold on longer in valley locations. However, if an elevation starts to see rain and it's 33 degrees, it could still freeze. Ground temps are colder than the air temp. So until the ground warms up, freezing rain will be a concern for just about all of the area.

Best Chance for Freezing rain will be after 8am and lasting until noon. Beyond that, temps will be warm enough to support plain rain. Again, freezing rain will hold on longer in valley locations today. Highs today will reach the lower 40's later this afternoon. Just be careful out there if traveling between 8am and 12pm. Most main roads should be ok. It's the side roads and untreated surfaces that ya gotta worry about. Stay safe and have a great Wednesday!

One Arrested in Connection with Wal-Mart Arson

One man was arrested Tuesday evening for allegedly setting a fire  in the lawn and garden section of the Hometown Wal-Mart.

WNEP is reporting that Police said Johnathan Maldanado, 20, from Hazleton admitted to starting the fire by lighting a can of Silly String and leaving it on a shelf in the store.

Johnathan L. Maldonado, 20, of Hazleton is in custody, arraigned and placed into Schuylkill County Prison on $50,000 straight cash bail.  

No word if there are any other persons of interest.

Link to earlier article with surveillance of other suspects

http://www.skooknews.com/2014/02/police-need-help-identifying-4-people.html