Local News-Thursday, Oct. 5th

A new Sheetz convenience store and gas station expected to be built Schuylkill County will require upgrades to a traffic signal in North Manheim Township. At Wednesday's County Commissioners work session, County Engineer Lisa Mahall requested approval to enter into a maintenance agreement to upgrade the county-owned traffic signal at Route 61 and Manheim Road, just South of Penn State Schuylkill Campus. Mahall said the upgrades will be made in accordance with plans approved by Penn DOT and paid for by the developer. She said the county will be reimbursed by the developer for all additional maintenance costs incurred by the signal upgrade. When construction will begin on the new Sheetz is unknown at this time. WPPA/T102 News attempted to contact a Sheetz representative at their headquarters in Altoona Wednesday afternoon, but no one was immediately available for comment. According to the company web site, the family owned business operates more than 300 stores in six states including Pennsylvania and had more than $3.4- billion-dollars in revenue for 2005. Sheetz employs more than 10-thousand people.

A Hometown man faces additional charges for illegally obtaining drugs in the borough. Rush Township police report that Joseph Sharpe is accused of acquiring controlled substances by misrepresentation, relating to an incident in August at a Hometown Pharmacy. Sharpe allegedly had a woman call the pharmacy, representing a physician's office, to phone in a prescription for Oxycodone and fentanyl patches for Sharpe. The woman told the pharmacy that the doctor prescribing the meds was on vacation, and that a written script would be delivered to them upon the doctor’s return. Sharpe picked up the drugs August 24th. Police investigators say that no doctor ever called in the prescriptions. Sharpe was arrested with Dennis Helfrich on September 13th in the death of Helfrich's half-brother, Eugene Moyer, who died as a result of an overdose of fentanyl on July 1st. Sharpe was committed to county prison on those charges. Sharpe was also charged in a different drug related case on September 4th, along with Christopher Shea of Hometown for delivery and possession of a controlled substance.

A Tamaqua man faces extradition to Lehigh County on charges. William Patton, who last resided on Hunter Street in Tamaqua, was picked up Tuesday afternoon by borough police. A woman reported receiving a phone call from Patton, who said he was returning to the area from Florida, and was expected to be back in Tamaqua mid-afternoon. She later told police that Patton was at her home, banging on her door. Police apprehended Patton there.
He was wanted on an outstanding warrant in Lehigh County for escaping from a work release program he was participating in. He had previously arrested for DUI. Patton is in Schuylkill County Prison, awaiting extradition.

A case of road rage affected an Orwigsburg man yesterday morning in Berks County. State police at Hamburg say that Steven Bair of Orwigsburg, and an unknown man had a verbal altercation about each other's driving habits at Cabela's in Tilden Township. The unknown man pushed and punched Bair. He then took off in a blue Chrysler. The man is described as being 6 feet 2 inches tall with black hair.

The Schuylkill Conservation District is seeking county approval to apply for a grant for Sweet Arrow Lake County Park renovations and additions. District Manager Craig Morgan attended Wednesday's County Commissioners Work Session to seek approval to submit a $317-thousand-dollar Growing Greener 2 County Environmental Initiative Grant Application to the Governors Office. Accompanying the proposal will be a list of the proposed improvements at the park amounting to a total of $634-thousand-dollars. The local match of $317-thousand-dollars will come from funds controlled by the Conservation District.

Two people were hurt in a crash on Interstate 81 in Mahanoy Township early Wednesday morning. Frackville troopers report that Jesse Markle of Hazleton entered I-81 from the Route 54 on-ramp and lost control of her car. She crossed both lanes of traffic and struck a guiderail near the median of the highway. Markle and her passenger, Edward Chesscattie Jr. of Mahanoy City were taken to Hazleton General Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Markle will be cited in the incident.

The Schuylkill United Way is about one quarter of the way to their 2006 campaign goal. The charity released an update about the progress of this year’s "Good To Be Home" campaign. The county pledges total $217,399 of the $815-thousand-dollar goal. In Tamaqua, just under $20-thousand-dollars have been raised thus far toward the $100-thousand dollar goal. The Pacesetters Club have enrolled 171 participants, with pledges totaling $152,726. The campaign runs through November.