Local News-Thursday, Feb. 22nd

Icy roads were to blame for several accidents last night and this morning. State police at Schuylkill Haven investigated three crashes late Wednesday and early today. The warmer temperatures the past two days, and below freezing nights caused runoff to freeze, causing black ice. Two crashes happened on Route 209, and one on Route 25 in the western part of Schuylkill County. One driver had minor injuries, but vehicles were significantly damaged.

Pottsville drug investigators made two arrests earlier this week. On Sunday, police picked up Jose Monroy as part of their continuing investigation into drug dealers bringing cocaine into the city from the Allentown area. Monroy was found to have crack cocaine and cash on him when arrested, and admitted that he was planning to sell the drugs. Monroy is associated with Samuel Santiago Jr., who was arrested on similar counts in January. Edward Rodriquez, West Arch Street, was arrested Tuesday for selling coke. Police observed him making the transaction around 6pm that evening. He was arraigned and taken to county prison, unable to post bail. Pottsville’s confidential drug tip hotline is 622-1234, mailbox 150.

Three individuals were arrested by Pottsville Police following a shooting spree in the city earlier this week.
The trio were alleged to have shot windows in a half-dozen cars and four homes on Davis and Fairview Streets early Monday. The Pottsville Republican reports that 19-year-old Alex Bulino, 18-year-old Jonathan Kline and a juvenile used a .22 caliber rifle to shoot at the vehicles and homes. Three of the four homes were inhabited at the time. Bulino and Kline were apprehended Tuesday, and the juvenile picked up Wednesday. The three admitted to the shootings, and reportedly said they did so for fun. They were arraigned on charges of criminal mischief, reckless endangerment, criminal conspiracy and related offenses.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission have placed Sweet Arrow Lake on their trout stocking schedule. Schuylkill Conservation District Manager Craig Morgan said at Wednesday’s Schuylkill County Commissioners work session that 2-thousand rainbow trout will be stocked by the agency on Monday, April 2nd with another 1,400 on April 25th and 1-thousand trout to be delivered on October 11th. He also said that over a thousand trout will be stocked by the Swatara Cooperative Trout Nursery in time for opening day of trout season that begins March 31st. Sweet Arrow is the only lake in southern Schuylkill County to be included on the commission’s trout stocking list. Locust Lake and Tuscarora State Parks are stocked in northern Schuylkill County.

It was a busy morning for the Schuylkill County Commissioners yesterday. The body held a regular board meeting, work session and prison board meeting yesterday, due to the cancellation of last week’s meeting because of the winter storm. Among the items discussed, the Commissioners approved a request to advertise for bids on renovations for a Senior Resource Center in Tremont. The center will be established at the former Tremont High School. Bid opening is Wednesday, March 14th with a tentative award date two weeks later.
In a related matter, the County Office of Senior Services received approval for an amendment to a cooperative grant agreement pertaining to funds from the Pa. Department of Aging for the senior community center grant program. One-hundred-eighty-five thousand will be for the Tremont facility, $51-hundred dollars for renovations and equipment at the Shenandoah Center and $9-thousand will be used for each of the six remaining centers. Rest Haven was granted approval to advertise for bids to provide linen and laundry services for a two-year period beginning May 17, 2007. Bids will be opened Wednesday March 14th and tentatively awarded on Wednesday March 28th. Rest Haven also received approval for a contract extension with the current provider to May 16, 2007 at a cost of $55-thousand-900 dollars. Also approved by the Commissioners was a vehicle maintenance contract with STS for county-owned vehicles. The contract will run from January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2007 at a rate of $31.00 per hour.

State police are investigating the theft of equipment from a coal company in Mahanoy Township. Sometime between Monday night and Tuesday, unknown thieves removed the main gate at the Locust Valley Coal Company on the Burma Road. They took a Caterpillar Track Loader by placing it on a trailer, then took off undetected. Troopers are still investigating the theft.

The Pottsville School Board met for their regular meeting last night. Directors approved the final real estate tax collection reports for 2006. Around $909-thousand-dollars in delinquent taxes will be turned over to Schuylkill County for collection that were unpaid by property owners in Pottsville City and the other communities which make up the school district. Dr. Jack Dolbin, chair of the committee on Athletics and Extracurricular Activities recommended the appointment of Dr. Robert Boran as Athletic Team Orthopedic Doctor for the next school year at a salary of $3-thousand dollars. Boran served in that position this year without a stipend, but the committee recommended that he be added to the paid staff in addition to Dr. Matthew Sophy, the team physician. The tentative school calendar for the 2007-2008 school year was also adopted. The first day of school will be Monday, August 27th, and the tentative last day is May 30th, 2008. Teachers will report for in-service on Wednesday, August 22nd. Several students were recognized for their achievements. John Jones was selected as Pennsylvania’s winner in the Al Neuharth Free Spirit Award and will receive a $1-thousand-dollar journalism scholarship. Eric Rajchel was named a Coca Cola scholarship finalist, and Timothy Camise, a semi-finalist. Next month’s board meeting date was changed to Tuesday, March 13th at 7pm. Solicitor Richard Thornburg told the board that is the last day to adopt any possible tax referendum under Act 1, the Taxpayer Relief Act.