Jamie Barton Drops Out of State House Race

The Republican Herald is reporting this morning that one of the Republican candidates for the 124th State Legislate District, Jamie Barton, has dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination.

Barton was attempting to unseat the incumbent Republican Jerome Knowles.

Below is the full story
http://republicanherald.com/barton-drops-out-of-race-for-state-house-nomination-1.1657301

Schuylkill County School Delays for 03/26/14

Schuylkill County School Delays for 03/26/14

Williams Valley - 2 Hour Delay

Reports of Fuel Stolen in Porter Township

Reports are stating that someone stole about 250 gallons of off road diesel fuel from the Rausch Creek Coal Co. in Valley View, Porter Township.

It's said that the gas was stolen from the gas tanks on an excavator and bulldozer between 4pm Friday, and 7am Monday.

Anyone with information is to call State Police at Schuylkill Haven at 570-739-1300.

2 Injured in Accident on Frackville Grade Saturday

Saturday Morning, crews were called to Route 61, between Frackville and Saint Clair, in the area of Deadman's Curve for a motor vehicle accident.

Its being reported that Robert Barlow, 32, of Ashland was driving south on Route 61 when he made an abrupt right turn causing the vehicle he was driving to hit the berm of the road.  The vehicle  struck a rock and became airborne and hit a tree, and then finally resting on an embankment.

Barlow only suffered minor injuries but his passenger, Leighann Pflueger, 48, of Pottsville was flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital.  No word on her condition at this time.

List of Winners from Saturday's St. Patrick's Day Parade in Girardville

List of Winners from Saturday's St. Patrick's Day Parade in Girardville

State Police Investigating Death of Resident After Orwigsburg Nursing Home Fight

According to an article posted by the News Item, the State Police are investigating the death of a male resident at Pinebrook Assisted Living, Orwigsburgh, where two residents got into a fight last Monday, March 17th.

John Govern, 92, was transported to a hospital for a minor head injury, facial pain, and abrasions on both arms.  While being treated, Govern went into cardiac arrest and later died.

The name of the other male involved has not been released.

News Item:  http://newsitem.com/news/police-probe-death-after-nursing-home-fight-1.1655011

PAHomePage.com:  http://www.pahomepage.com/story/d/story/nursing-home-death-investigation/33691/g-fCDRMTi0aM49YIp6zzeA

BEST OF SKOOK: And the winner of "Best Hoagie/Sub" in Schuylkill County is . . . . .

And the winner of "Best Hoagie/Sub" in Schuylkill  County is  . . . . .

Yuengling Ice Cream Donates First Cases For Charity

When the iconic Yuengling Ice Cream relaunched earlier this year, one promise they made was that they would donate three percent of it's profits to charity.

Schuylkill County Native Eyes NCAA Wrestling Championship

A Schuylkill County native is eyeing the NCAA Wrestling Championship in Oklahoma City.

Josh Kindig, a native of Auburn, and graduate of Blue Mountain High School will be in the championship round of the NCAA Championships.  He went into the tournament as the 11th seed.

Kindig is a Red Shirted Junior for Oklahoma State University.

Special thanks to Allen Schrader for informing us of this story.

One Sent To Hospital After Middleport Motor Vehicle Accident

Posted from tamaquaarea.wordpress.com

According to witnesses, two children and four adults were involved in a two-vehicle accident Thursday in Middleport. Just before 4:45 PM, emergency personnel were called to the intersection of US209 and Washington Street for a report of a motor vehicle accident with injury.

Schuylkill County Clerk of Courts Under Investigation After Audit

The Republican Herald is reporting that the Schuylkill County Clerk of Courts is under investigation after an audit revealed about a dozen "irregularities"

The Republican Herald broke the story
http://republicanherald.com/schuylkill-county-clerk-of-courts-under-investigation-after-audit-1.1654389

Pottsville Native to Be Installed As Bishop of Diocese of Harrisburg Wednesday

Bishop Ronald Gainer, a native of Pottsville, is to be installed as the 11th Bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg this afternoon.

The ceremony is to begin at 2 p.m..

Bishop Gainer will oversee 15 counties.

WNEP is running a live stream of the ceremony beginning at 2pm.
http://wnep.com/2014/03/19/live-installation-of-bishop-ronald-w-gainer/

BEST OF SKOOK: And the winner of "Best New/Used Car Dealership" is . . . .

And the winner of "Best New/Used Car Dealership" is . . . .

Washington Township Fire Monday Morning

Crews were called Monday morning to 1246 Deturksville Road for a working structure fire.  The location is Blue Mountain Enterprises.

The fire is reported to have started in the building where they store wood chips, shavings, and sawdust.

The Republican Herald posted the following.
http://republicanherald.com/fire-damages-business-in-washington-township-1.1652083

Week in Review - Week Ending 3/15/14

Skook News Week In Review for the Week Ending 3/15/14

Wind Turbine Fire Saturday Evening

Crews were called to the Locust Ridge Wind Farm, Mahanoy Township,  Saturday Evening for a fire of one of the turbines.

Hit and Run Along Route 54 Near Girardville

The State Police are investing a hit and run along Route 54 in Girardville.

Jesse Coolbaugh, of Lost Creek, was walking along Route 54 near Girardville when he was struck by a vehicle that kept on going.

Man Taken To Hospital After Flipping Vehicle on Interstate 81 on Friday

Posted from TamaquaArea.Wordpress.com

An unidentified man was taken to the hospital for unknown injuries after flipping his vehicle around 5:45 PM, Friday along the northbound lane of Interstate 81 in Mahanoy Township.

790 Bags of Heroin Seized By Mahanoy City Police Friday Evening

Image Courtesy of the
 Mahanoy City Police Department

Friday evening, John Wronski, 27, of Mahanoy City was arrested after 790 bags of heroin and other drugs along with cash were seized by Cpl. Dissinger and Officer Rentschler of the Mahanoy City Police Department.

A controlled buy was done by the department when they discovered the drugs, which had a value nearly $16,000.

Schuylkill Haven Man Dies After Being Hit By Tractor Trailer in Orwigsburg

Thursday, Orwigsburg Police were dispatched to 403 North Warren Street, Classtex Mills, in the borough just after 7:00 am for a report of someone struck by a vehicle.

Soldier from Ashland Returns From Aghanistan

Spc. Kevin Blank, a 2010 graduate of North Schuylkill High School, a member of the American Hose Co. #1 Ashland, and the American Hose Co., Fountain Springs, returned home Monday.

Graco Car Seat Recall

In addition to Graco's recall of over 3.8 million car seats last month, they now added an addition 403,000 car seats to the recall.

Aviation Web Site Offers Aerial Views of Schuylkill County

David Truskowsky, who's been flying for the past 24 years, has built a web site for aviation enthusiasts in the Schuylkill County area..

Mahanoy City and Reading Man Attempt to Evade Shenandoah Police After Traffic Stop

Images Courtesy of Shenandoah Police FB Page

In the early morning hours March 8, 2014 around 1:15am, a Shenandoah Police Officer observed a vehicle commit a traffic violation at the intersection of Main and Centre St. in the borough.

Two in Custody After Police Chase Tuesday Evening

Brian Shafer, 43, of Hazleton, and the passenger of the vehicle he was driving were taken into custody after a high speed chase that ended in a crash outside of Mahanoy City, in Union Township Tuesday evening.

WNEP has all the details of the chase in the article below.
http://wnep.com/2014/03/12/state-police-investigate-high-speed-chase/

"Skook State of Mind" Video Going Viral Around Schuylkill County

A video made by a young man out of Deer Lake is going viral around Schuylkill County.

Matt Freiler, from Deer Lake,  was bored last Wednesday and began writing lyrics.  By that evening, he had "Skook State of Mind".

Wind Advisory Issued For Schuylkill County for Wednesday Evening Into Thursday

WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO NOON EDT THURSDAY...

Rush Township Police Looking For Woman with Two Outstanding Warrants

UPDATE:  Rush Township Police are reporting that White has been found.

The Rush Township Police Department is looking for the public's help in finding Katherine Rose White, 39.  The Department has two outstanding warrants on White.  She may be in the Summitt Hill or Lansford Area.

If anyone knows the whereabouts of White, you are asked to call the Rush Township Police Department at (570) 668-4242, or the Schuylkill County Comm Center at (570) 668-6100.

All tips will remain confidential.

Mahanoy City Borough Approves Purchase of New Fire Truck for Washington Hook and Ladder

During Mahanoy City's Regular Borough Council meeting Tuesday evening, the council approved unanimously  the payment of $225,000 from fire insurance proceeds from the Southhampton Fire Company in Bucks County for the purchase of a ladder truck for the Washington Hook and Ladder.  The truck is a 1997 Emergency One Custom 75' Quint.

They also approved a refurbishment contract from Fireline Equipment to refurbish and outfit the truck for the amount of $132,485.43.

The Washington Hook and Ladder have been without a truck since a fire in their fire house destroy their ladder truck on August 24, 2013.

Wednesday Forecast

By: Ryan Fannock

Rain showers will start popping up anytime after midnight tonight. Scattered rain showers will be with us through daybreak. As we head into mid morning, the rain will gradually pick up in intensity. During the afternoon, the rain may be heavy at times. Some rumbles of thunder are also possible. Highs will top out in the lower 50's. Temps will start crashing during the late afternoon hours. By evening, we'll end up below freezing. Any rain will changeover to sleet/snow. In the valleys, you can expect anywhere from only a trace to as much as one inch of snow. If you live in elevations such as Frackville, Delano, and Mcadoo you stand the best chance at 1-2 inches of snow. All precipitations will end before midnight on Thursday. During the evening, winds will increase. Sustained winds will range from 20-30mph with gusts to 45mph at times. Winds will be with us throughout the night and into Thursday.

PIAA State Basketball Playoff Scores for Schuylkill County - 3/11/14

PIAA State Basketball Playoff Scores for Schuylkill County - 3/11/14

Girls

Neumann-Goretti - 60
Minersville - 42

Boys
Church Farm - 56
Mahanoy Area - 52

Susquehanna Twp. - 52
Pottsville - 45

2 Arrested on Outstanding Warrants in Shenandoah, Heroin Found

Images from Shenandoah Police FB Page

In the early morning hours of March 5, 2014, around 1:30am.  Shenandoah Police observed Tiffany Jadus, 24, and Dimetrius Crawley, 18, walk out from between two buildings in the 100 block of South Market St..  When Jadus and Crawley spotted police, they attempted to run into another building.  Police stopped them before entering.

BEST OF SKOOK: And the winner of "Best Location for Live Music" in Schuylkill County is . . . .

And the winner of "Best Location for Live Music" in Schuylkill County is . . . .

Gilberton Woman Wanted on Drug Charges

The Schuylkill County DA and Detective's office are looking for Amy Marie Dower, 39, of Gilberton.  Her last known address was 2424 Water St., Gilberton.

She is wanted on multiple drug charges including delivery of a controlled substance bath salts.

Dower is said to be Caucasian, 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing approximately 135 pounds.

If you or anyone you know has information on Dower's whereabouts, you are to call the District Attorney's office at (570) 628-1350 and refer to incident 03-09-14.

Saturday's PIAA State Girls Basketball Playoff Scores

Saturday's PIAA State Girls Basketball Playoff Scores - 3/8/14

Saturday, March 8th, 2014

Girls
Marian Catholic - 47
Northeast Bradford - 23

Shenandoah Valley - 33
Phi-Mont Christian - 56

Rush Township Police Arrest 2 For Intent to Deliver

Images from Rush Township Police FB Page

Friday, the Rush Township Police Department made 2 arrests for intent to deliver drugs.

Schuylkill County PIAA Basketball State Playoff Scores

PIAA Basketball Stye Playoffs for Schuylkill County for

Friday, March 7th, 2014

Girls

Final

Minersville - 55

Central Columbia - 36

Boys

Final

Mahanoy Area - 57

Galeton - 20

Philadelphia Electric - 68

Blue Mountain - 50

Final
Pottsville - 58

Lower Moreland - 38

2014 Schuylkill County Lent Specials

And the Winner of the Cesar Millan Tickets Is . . . .

And the winner of the 2 tickets to see Cesar Millan is . . .

Tuesday Morning Fire in Pottsville

Just before 6am, crews were called 211 Deerfield Drive.  Police were first on the scene and smoke was visible coming from the roof.  When fire crews arrived they found a working fire in the attic of the home.

Crews were able to knock down the fire quickly and were on scene for just more than an hour.

No injuries were reported and no cause has been given.

The Schuylkill Haven RIT Team assisted.

Information provided by www.pottsvillefire.com

8:30PM WEATHER UPDATE

By: Ryan Fannock

8:30PM UPDATE: Hope you're ready for another night below zero. The wind will be calm so we won't have insane wind chills. However, it's still brutally cold out there. Sunshine will be with you to start your day on Tuesday. As the day progresses, clouds will increase. By late afternoon it will be mostly cloudy. Below are your projected lows for tonight across the county. Bundle up!

 CLICK HERE TO VIEW LARGER  

BEST OF SKOOK: And the Winner of "Best Family Restaurant" in Schuylkill County is . . .

The winner of "Best Family Restaurant" in Schuylkill County . . . .

Ashland Borough Tickets Cars For Snow Emergency, Revoking Tickets Issued

Last evening, the Ashland Borough announced a snow emergency.  During the overnight hours, the police still ticketed vehicles on the Snow Emergency route even though the borough didn't receive any snow.

According to the Ashland Borough office, the tickets should not have been written due to there being no snow fall.

Any residents that received a ticket for the 3/2/14-3/3/14 snow emergency can take their ticket to the Ashland Police Station where they will revoke the ticket. No fine needs to be paid.

1 Person Dies, 2 Injured in Lykens Fire

Just after 10pm, Sunday night, fire crews were called to the 600 block of Main Street in Lykens.  1 woman has reportedly died in the fire.  2 other people were injured when they jumped from a second story window.

Fire crews had the fire under control in about 45 minutes.

The cause of the fire is not yet know but one of the homes was reported to have contained oxygen tanks.

8 people reportedly have been displaced by the fire.

Man and Woman Arrested for Theft at Hometown Walmart

Images from Rush Township Facebook Page

Posted from TamaquaArea.com

The Rush Township Police Department arrested Steven A. Smith, 36, of Plains, and Barbara L. Figueiredo, 34, also of Plains, on retail theft, receiving stolen property, criminal conspiracy and drug paraphernalia charges. In addition, the pair is facing charges for 4 other theft-related incidents at the Hometown Wal-Mart. Both were arraigned by Judge James Reilly early today (Sunday, March 2, 2014) and are currently lodged in the Schuylkill County prison. Sgt. Duane Frederick said the total value in the 5 thefts is over $2,000.

Skook News: Week in Review for 2/23/14 through 3/1/14

Week in Review for 2/23/14 through 3/1/14

PIAA State Basketball Playoff Schedule

The schedule for Schuylkill County Basketball teams in the State Playoffs are as follows

Nuisance snowfall will impact the county...

By: Ryan Fannock

7:00AM UPDATE: Good morning! If you have been following me on Tamaqua Area Weatherman, I'm sure you are aware of all the changes. Around midweek, the models picked up awesome agreement on this storm. They were quite consistent run after run. Friday afternoon, everything started to change. The models started flopping around. One run the snow would impact Scranton the hardest and the next run it would impact Philly. So with that said, here's my forecast for our area. Snow showers will be isolated throughout the day today. Little or no accumulation is expected. The main area of snow will move in during the late afternoon hours; towards evening. It won't snow very hard in Schuylkill County. The heaviest snow will stay just to our South. We'll have snow showers with us throughout the night and into Monday morning. Most of us will see a general 1-3 inches. The southern portion of the county will end up on the higher end. Maybe even an isolated 4" amount. The northern areas in the county will be on the lower end. It's a sharp cut off line between heavy snow and light snow. So if this storm were to shift North at all, we would see an increase in snow. As of now, I do not see that being likely. Again, 1-3 inches with an isolated 4" amount in the county. Snow will wrap up early Monday morning.

Winter Weather Advisory Issued for Schuylkill County

The National Weather Service had issued a

 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 1 PM EST MONDAY ...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW ...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 1 PM EST MONDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.
* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ...3 TO 6 INCHES.

Winter Storm Watch Issued for Schuylkill County

...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON ...