Local News-Tuesday, Dec.5th

An institution of higher education in Pottsville is no longer accepting new students, and is expected to close when current students graduate. Schuylkill Institute of Business and Technology officials announced that the Centre Street campus will no longer accept new students, and the current population will complete their programs before the campus closes in 2008. According to the Pottsville Republican, SIBT officials say that enrollment is not sufficient to keep the doors open. The school moved to its present location in 2005 from their campus on the Gordon Nagle Trail. SIBT opened its doors in 1977.

A hearing will be held in the Dan Shields case next week. Schuylkill County Court Judge John Domalakes will hear a request from Shields' counsel on several items relating to charges that he secretly videotaped female athletes undressing in the school locker room, and that he inappropriately touched one of the athletes during a one year period between 2004 and 2005. According to the Pottsville Republican, Shields' attorney, Emmanuel Dimitriou, is seeking to have the charges tried separately, and to either have the trial held outside of Schuylkill County, or decided by an out-of-county jury. Dimitriou said that in order for his client to receive a fair trial, a change of venue or jury is necessary. He cites pre-trial publicity as the reason for the request. The hearing is scheduled for Thursday, December 14th at 9:30am at the county courthouse. Shields remains free on bail.

A Sunday fire in Minersville has been ruled accidental. That is the determination of State Police Fire Marshal John Burns. He believes that the fire started in the living room of the Robert Lemke family, 144 New Street, and was caused by a space heater. Burns was assisted by Minersville fire officials.

A teenager is to be charged for making a bomb threat at Williams Valley High School late last month. Lykens State Police say that the 14-year-old wrote a message on a locker threatening to bomb the school on November 29th. The message was found by janitorial staff at the school. A subsequent search of the building found no bombs, but evening activities at the school were cancelled that day, and employees sent home. Charges of making terroristic threats and threats to use a weapon of mass destruction will be filed against the student with Dauphin County Juvenile authorities.

Two economic development projects benefiting local agricultural companies will receive loan guarantees. State Representative-elect Tim Seip of the 125th Legislative District announced that the Commonwealth Financing Authority's First Industries Loan Guarantee program will aid Keystone Potato Products in purchasing equipment to produce potato products. The package will supplement bank and company financing. The Helper Family Farm will receive $160-thousand-dollars to construct a barn and make improvements to their milking operation. The First Industries Fund is a program for Pennsylvania's two largest industry segments, agriculture and tourism. The fund provides low interest financing for farms and owners of tourism-related businesses.

The US Postal Sevice is gearing up for the holiday mail rush. USPS is expecting to deliver 20 billion letters, packages and cards in the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas, with the busiest day expected to be Monday, December 18th. On that day, the Postal Service is expected to process more than 280 million cards and letters, more than twice the average processed on any given day. Mail carriers will deliver Express Mail on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. A special web page has been set up at usps.com, offering services to streamline your holiday mailing needs.

Hunters who are lucky enough to bag a doe or buck this deer season can share the harvest with those less fortunate in Pennsylvania. Since 1991, Pennsylvania's Hunters Sharing the Harvest has channeled hunter's donations of venison to local food banks, soup kitchens and needy families. These donations have provided hundreds of thousands of meals to needy Pennsylvanians. From its inception, the HSH program has asked hunters with extra venison to donate it and pay all or part of the processing fee. These donations, combined with the financial assistance of sponsors, are what make the entire process possible. According to HSH, nearly 1 in every 11 people in Pennsylvania is at risk of going hungry, and an estimated 450-thousand-people per month meet part of their food needs through a food pantry or soup kitchen. Details on the program are available online at sharedeer.org.