Local News-Wednesday, June 6th

A jury of his peers made quick work in deciding a verdict in John Phillips' case yesterday. Following two hours of deliberation, they found the Pottsville man guilty of drug and weapons charges, according to the Republican and Herald. An undercover investigation led to his arrest last September, after city police found he was growing marijuana in his backyard. They also uncovered an unlicensed firearm and other paraphernalia. Phillips has been defiant with police about his marijuana farming and use, indicating that he needs it for medicinal reasons. Court records indicate that he said he has a constitutional right to carry an unlicensed firearm.
Judge Cyrus Palmer Dolbin ordered a pre-sentence investigation, in preparation for sentencing next month. He could see time in state prison for the crimes he was convicted of.

State police are continuing their investigation of a fire and vandalism at a construction site in North Union Township. Fire Marshal John Burns reports that a drill rig, owned by SJB Service of Cortland, New York, was damaged by fire Saturday. The rig was being used to take soil samples for a wind farm. A part of a wooded area near the site on Route 924 between Brandonville and Shenandoah, was also burned. Equipment damages are in excess of $80-thousand-dollars. Police do not know who intentionally set the fire, but are continuing their investigation. Anyone with information should call State Police at 874-5300.

A New Ringgold man was taken into custody Monday after assaulting another man with a gun in the 200 block of North Nicholas Street in St. Clair. The incident reportedly happened before noon May 30th. Saint Clair police say Justin Green, was brought before a judge on charges of aggravated assault, terroristic threats and related counts. Police say Green was involved in a fight with Robert Koons involving a gun where he jammed the gun into Koons throat causing injury, and threatened to kill him. Green was spotted by police fleeing the scene with the gun. They later found the handgun which was stolen. He’s now locked up in the Schuylkill County jail on $35-thousand dollars bail.

A McKeansburg woman was hurt after she fell from a pickup truck in Minersville yesterday. Minersville police report that Catherine Lechlitner was a passenger in a truck driven by Joanne Strenkoski of Branchdale. When the truck made a turn from Sunbury to Third Street, the passenger door opened and she fell out. The Republican and Herald reports that the passenger door had been damaged in an accident earlier in the day. Lechlitner was taken to the hospital for treatment. She will be cited for not wearing a seatbelt.

Two Pine Grove area teens were injured in a crash Monday. A 17-year-old female and a 14-year-old male were driving east on Mountain Road near Route 125 in Pine Grove Township when her car struck a guide rail and a tree. The impact caused the car to spin, coming to rest back on the road. Both complained of minor injuries. The driver was cited for speeding.

An area Senator honored area high school students Tuesday at the Capitol for completing cleanup projects on illegal dumpsites in his district. Senator Jim Rhoades recognized the students from five schools who volunteered their in the COALS program, which stands for Clean Up Our American Lands and Streams. It's a partnership between environmental groups and state, county and local governments to identify and clean up illegal dumpsites and protect these sites from future pollution. High school students from Mahanoy Area, Minersville, Tamaqua, Williams Valley and the Schuylkill County Vo-Tech worked hard to clean up select sites across the region.

A federal agency is looking to bolster the ranks of its inspectors, including our area. The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration is continuing its efforts to hire new coal mine inspectors by conducting applicant screenings June 15 and 16 at the Indiana County Technology Center, 441 Hamill Road, Indiana, Pa., for positions available in Pottsville, Shamokin and Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Interested persons who have not previously registered via MSHA’s Web site are welcome to attend, subject to space availability. These screenings are intended to recruit candidates for surface, underground and electrical positions only. Registration will begin at 7 a.m. EDT and testing will begin at 8. Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety Richard Stickler says they are looking for qualified people dedicated to the agency's mission and those who want to end accidental injuries and fatalities in our nation’s mines.
For additional information, please visit MSHA's Mine Inspector Career Trainee Program Web site at msha.gov.

The region's US Congressman is out of commission for a little while following surgery. Congress returned from its Memorial Day recess minus Pennsylvania's Representative Tim Holden. He is spending the week at home on bed rest following back surgery. The Schuylkill County Democrat underwent the surgery Friday to repair two herniated discs. He says he plans to be back at work next week, but he will be limited in physical activity. Right now, Holden is passing the time watching world news, Phillies games, Sports Center and American Movie Classics, and
catching up on reading. He says, "I'm bored out of my mind."