Note: The latest in a series of stories about classes at the Northumberland County Council for the Arts and Humanities' new arts center.

SHAMOKIN - If you are one of the millions of people worldwide who has dreamed of becoming a rock legend, Jason Dampman's Basic Guitar class can be your first step toward achieving that goal.

The class is one of several summer programs being offered at the new Kallaway Center for the Arts.

Dampman said his class is designed for people who have never strummed a chord before.

During the four-week course, students will learn the various parts of the guitar, how to hold and use a pick and the names of the strings and their corresponding notes.

Dampman said he also might jump into chords if he and the students are feeling ambitious.

A longtime guitarist, Dampman began playing when he was in his early teens. He joined local hard rock/metal band, Dead Leaves, and spent time on the road, traveling down the East Coast to perform shows.

"It was really a good time," said Dampman.

When he was back in Central Pennsylvania, he gave lessons. From age 19, he shared his guitar knowledge with other fledging musicians in both individual and group lessons.

After getting married and having children, he took a few years off from professional music, but picked up teaching.

He's now a part-time music instructor with Kindermusik, which hosts classes at the Mount Carmel Area Public Library and Our Lady of Lourdes Regional school.

His class at the Kallaway Center is geared toward older children and adults.

To take the class, students must be at least six years old, and children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult. Dampman said he welcomes families to attend his classes, and has even instructed a group class for a family that wanted to learn to play guitar together.

Basic Guitar is limited to six students per session. Currently one session is scheduled, but Dampman is willing to add additional times for interested parties.

Dampman said he believes group instruction is ideal for newcomers.

"It's more fun," he said. "Older kids, they need people to jam with."

Students must bring their own guitars to class, either acoustic or electric. If electric, a student must also bring an amp.

Dampman said child-size guitars are available at local music stores, such as K&S Music Inc. in Paxinos. Students of all ages will also need to bring picks.

Basic Guitar will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesdays, July 9, 16, 23 and 30. The cost is $60.

For more information or to sign up, contact Jeanne Shaffer, executive director of the Northumberland County Council for the Arts, at 570-850-9121 or jeannes@ptd.net.

SUNBURY - A man seeking to bid on properties at a Northumberland County judicial sale Wednesday morning ended up being escorted from the premises and briefly imprisoned after being taken into custody on an arrest warrant for offenses committed two years ago in Shamokin.

Francis Devizia, 47, of Hawley, Wayne County, was apprehended shortly before 9:30 a.m. at the Northumberland County Administration Center, where a judicial sale was scheduled for 10 a.m. Devizia, who has purchased a few properties in the past at judicial and repository sales, was taken into custody by Sunbury police and transported to a detention cell at the county jail, where he was video arraigned at 1:15 p.m. by Magisterial District Judge John Gembic III and released on $5,000 unsecured bail.

Devizia was charged with criminal mischief and criminal trespass by Shamokin Patrolman William Miner for breaking into a vacant county property at 416 N. Shamokin St. Aug. 28, 2012, one day before the property was scheduled to go up for sale. Police said Devizia broke a lock on the property during the break-in.

The county commissioners insisted on having Devizia charged, noting it is illegal for prospective bidders to view county properties up for sale from the inside.

Susquehanna Valley gas prices rose about two cents to $3.73 a gallon this week, according to AAA East Central.

On the national front

As we approach the end of the first full month of the 2014 summer driving season, the national price for regular unleaded gasoline is $3.68 per gallon, which is the highest price for early summer in six years. The average price at the pump has increased for 13 consecutive days for a total of four cents per gallon, narrowing the gap between the current retail price and the 2014 peak of $3.70 per gallon reached on April 28.

Tuesday's average is two cents more than one week ago and motorists are paying 11 cents more per gallon than a year ago.

Violence keyed by the militant group known as ISIS (the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) has continued to expand toward southern Iraq, where the majority of the country's oil production is located. These concerns have contributed to increased global oil prices, which makes it more expensive to produce gasoline.

AAA had previously predicted that the national average price of gas would fall some 10 to 15 cents per gallon in June, but that now appears unlikely due to higher oil costs. This means that even though the national average has only increased a few cents per gallon since the Iraq violence intensified, drivers are likely to pay substantially higher gas prices than they would have otherwise.

After a run-up to a new nine-month high to end last week, and with no major market-moving news over the weekend, crude oil prices moved slightly lower on Monday. At the close of formal trading on the NYMEX, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil settled 66 cents lower at $106.17.

(AAA East Central - a not-for-profit association with 82 local offices in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, New York and Kentucky servicing 2.7 million members - provides Fuel Gauge each week.)

This week's Susquehanna Valley average price - $3.733

Average price during the week of June 17, 2014 - $3.712

Average price during the week of June 25, 2013 - $3.498

The following is a list of the average price of unleaded self-serve gasoline in various areas:

Lewisburg - $3.698

Mifflinburg - $3.852

Milton - $3.710

Selinsgrove - $3.683

Shamokin - $3.51

Sunbury - $3.703

MOUNT CARMEL - A Locustdale man charged with flashing three females June 2 had his case sent to the Court of Common Pleas in Sunbury Wednesday morning after waiving his right to a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Hugh Jones.

Kevin S. Kerner, 26, of 57 Middle St., who was represented by public defender Paige Rosini, will appear for plea court or a pre-trial conference after waiving three counts each of open lewdness and indecent exposure and a misdemeanor of disorderly conduct.

Kerner also waived to court a new set of charges including three counts of driving under the influence of a controlled substance, one count of driving under the influence of a combination of drugs, possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia, failing to drive in a single lane and a turn signal violation.

Those charges were filed Wednesday by Mount Carmel Township Patrolman David Stamets Jr. in connection with an early-morning incident May 20 at Turkey Hill Minit Market in Strong.

Kerner, who remains in Northumberland County Prison in lieu of $50,000 cash bail after Jones denied Rosini's request for unsecured bail, was charged by Mount Carmel Cpl. David J. Donkochik in connection with two separate incidents in the borough when Kerner allegedly exposed himself to three different females near Fourth and Hickory streets and in the 300 block of South Market Street.

Sexual gratification

During an interview with police, Kerner admitted being the male seen in the surveillance photograph at the Dollar General Store that was released to the media. The store is only a few blocks away from where the incidents occurred, police said.

Kerner told police that prior to leaving the store, he urinated in his pants after speaking to the female clerk. He left the store and saw two females on porches near South Market Street. Kerner said he spoke to them about urinating in his pants and then pulled down his pants.

Kerner told police he also hid behind a parked car near at Fourth and Hickory streets and exposed himself to another woman.

He told police he also attempted to lure the woman, sprinted across the street and charged her. The victim began to scream and he ran away from the scene.

Kerner told police he urinates his pants for sexual gratification, especially when he is on speed.

Wearing women's clothes

In an affidavit involving the new charges, police reported finding a pack of cigarettes, a hypodermic needle, a spoon, a wooden ax handle with nails sticking out one side and a large metal chain with black electrical tape wrapped around one end inside Kerner's vehicle shortly after 2:30 a.m.

Police said Kerner, who had urinated himself, was wearing women's jeans and Victoria Secret underwear exposed on his back. Police said the defendant, who was wearing a black bandana on his head, gave off a rancid odor that was nearly unbearable.

Police reported Kerner underwent a blood test at Geisinger-Shamokin Area Community Hospital that revealed he was under the influence of bath salts, amphetamines, methamphetamine and marijuana.

KULPMONT - Two graduates of the Class of 2014 were awarded a scholarship from the Kulpmont Sportsmen's Association Tuesday evening.

Morris Gilotti, president of the organization, presented Rachel Schultz and Nick Bozza checks in the amount of $250 each at a presentation at Kulpmont Community Park.

Schultz, a graduate of Our Lady of Lourdes Regional School, will attend Elizabethtown College. Bozza, a graduate of Mount Carmel Area, will attend Triangle Tech.

MOUNT CARMEL - A New Jersey entertainer originally from Mount Carmel has made an eight-week challenge to local residents and businesses to help a local food pantry.

Charlie Prose, who has entertained audiences both locally and around the world, said he will match up to $1,000 in monetary donations to the Mount Carmel Area Food Bank, located in First Congregational Church, North Market Street.

"I know that things are not good up there," Prose said last week by phone from his Mays Landing, N.J., office. "Things are tough for everyone, and I want to do my little part."

Inside a room the church provides for the pantry, organizer Bernice Price, a woman in her 80s, and several of

her volunteers look over the stockpile of food.

"We're a little down, but that doesn't bother us; we have great people that help us and businesses like Walmart, Weis, Boyer's and the Central Pa. Food Bank," Price said.

While she is satisfied with the amount of food, it's money that the organization needs.

"We need to help pay the electric bill to keep some refrigerators going and the lights on in the place," Price said. "We have other bills we need to pay, and also to buy emergency food if we need it. Our bank account is pretty low."

Price said 260 people are registered to receive food, but 50 or 60 come for each bi-monthly distribution.

Upping the ante

In past years, Price contacted Prose for a donation, and the entertainer has never turned them down. When it came time for a donation this year, Prose decided to up the ante, using an old incentive he would do while hosting a telethon.

"Not only do I hope that this will turn $1,000 into $2,000, but it will also give them a little bit of visibility and show the good work they are doing," Prose said.

He said he's always been proud during his long career to tell people about his hometown.

"I've always told people on stage that I come from a little town called Mount Carmel, Pa., a great community with great values," Prose said. "I still feel that way about the place today. It is a community that will help one another when needed, and this is something the Mount Carmel Food Pantry needs today."

Anyone wishing to send a monetary donations toward Prose's challenge can mail it to the Mount Carmel Area Food Bank, c/o Bernice Price, P.O. Box 258, Marion Heights 17832.

ROCKEFELLER TOWNSHIP - A Sunbury area man was listed in critical condition Thursday evening following a crash on Route 61 earlier in the day in which his car hit a parked vehicle, causing it to flip onto its roof, and a home.

State police at Stonington said a Mercury Cougar driven by Jason Attinger, of 225 Black Mill Road, Sunbury, was traveling south on Route 61 near Carroll Road about 2:24 a.m. Thursday when the car crossed the double yellow lines and entered the northbound lane. Police believe Attinger overcorrected and his car went off the highway, across a lawn and struck the parked vehicle, causing it to flip over, before hitting the house.

Attinger was removed from the vehicle by emergency personnel and taken to Geisinger Medical Center, Danville.

Assisting were members of the Sunbury, East Sunbury, Stonington and Upper Augusta Township fire departments and Americus Ambulance.

The vehicle that flipped appeared to be parked close to the house. Its roof appeared crushed.

The accident occurred about 4 miles east of Sunbury.

DALLAS, Pa. - Samantha Weikel, a 2011 graduate of Shamokin Area High School, has completed her junior year at Misericordia University with a 3.53 grade-point average.

A medical imaging major, she has been accepted into the sonography program.

She is a daughter of Norm Weikel and the late April Kline.

COAL TOWNSHIP - An estimated $40,000 in concessions from Shamokin Area School District administrators was formally approved by the school board during a special meeting Thursday.

Under the existing Act 93 agreement with 12 administrators, they will now pay 5 percent of the premiums for health care, vision and dental coverage. With the exception of the 2012-13 school year, they had not been required to pay anything toward the coverage. A stipend for uncovered health expenses was lowered from $4,000 to $1,250.

A district match of tax-deferred annuities for the administrators was lowered from 4 to 3 percent, and mileage reimbursement to other district buildings was eliminated, with the exception of travel to Northwestern Academy.

Disability coverage is offered at 60 percent of annual salary, up to $6,000 a month, and is capped at 60 months. It had previously been offered until the age of 62.

The savings are estimated annually through the end of a binding agreement that ends in 2018. The figure could change after 2016 when the district's existing health care contract expires.

Administrators were extended a benefit for their cooperation: personal days were increased from five to seven days annually. As many as 14 can be accumulated.

The 12 administrators covered under Act 93 include the elementary and high school principals and assistant principals, of which one is the federal programs coordinator; special education supervisor, curriculum coordinator, supervisor and assistant supervisor of building and grounds, dean of students, technology coordinator, director of food and nutrition and the athletic director.

Both the district superintendent and business manager have separate contracts and are not affected by the terms of the Act 93 agreement.

Concessions to the agreement had previously been agreed upon for a single school year, 2012-13, at a time when about $5 million had to be cut from the district's budget. Included were a salary freeze and a 1 percent contribution for health benefits. In turn, the district extended the length of the agreement from 2016 to 2018.

Charles Shuey, school board director and head of the negotiating committee, again acknowledged that the administrators could have rejected any negotiations to the contract. Instead, he said they led by example.

The changes come at a time when the district and its unions - the education association and AFSCME - are engaged in contract negotiations. Both unions have been working under the terms of expired contracts since last July.

Negotiations with the teachers union began in January and both sides have made proposals. Progress seems to have stalled, and the union had voted to authorize the use of a strike. Its perceived effect was seemingly stymied by this year's September start of school, perhaps a calculated move by the school board. The start of school had for years begun in late August. The later start doesn't change how long the union can strike, but it does prevent it from lasting through a Labor Day holiday, preventing the perception of a prolonged work stoppage.

In other business, the school board amended Tyler DiRienzo's contract start date from June 23 to July 1. The son of new head varsity football coach Pat DiRienzo, he was hired last week to lead the district's Gets FIT program, a three-year federally funded initiative. Health benefits are not offered with the position.

An agreement with Safety Net Counseling was reached for the 2014-15 school year, as was the distribution of IDEA funds totaling $464,133 through the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit for next school year.

SHAMOKIN - The body found Wednesday in the Roaring Creek Tract of the Weiser State Forest has been identified as Michael E. Kenney, the missing Northumberland man at the heart of a weeklong search.

James F. Kelley, Northumberland County coroner, said Kenney, 55, died as a result of drowning in the Bear Gap Reservoir, located just off Route 54.

Foul play is not suspected, Kelley said.

Kenney was last seen jogging at the state forest about 7 p.m. June 18. He was reported missing by his family that night about 10:20 p.m., and his car was discovered early the next morning, between 3 and 4 a.m. parked in the lot along Route 54. The car keys and his cellphone were inside and a window was down.

His body was discovered about 11 a.m. Wednesday, and he was pronounced dead by Kelley about one hour later.

Kelley said an autopsy was performed Thursday at Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown. A final ruling on the cause of death is pending results of toxicology testing and investigation by the coroner's office and Mount Carmel Township police.

Hundreds of volunteers began searching since June 19, covering more than 5,000 acres and 90 miles of trails.

Kenney's age had previously been reported as 54.

No further information will be released at this time, Kelley said.

Park open

The forest opened to the public Thursday for the first time since June 18.

In a statement, Robert Martynowych, of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, reminded the public that swimming is not permitted and that there are restricted areas of the forest, including dam breastworks. He encouraged visitors to read the regulations posted in the kiosks at the parking areas.

Martynowych thanked members of the public for their patience and cooperation during the search activities.

Line Mountain School Board is disputing the claims made by a contractor that says the district owes it approximately $260,000.

Further clarifying stories in The News-Item from Wednesday and Thursday, The Robert Feaster Corporation, Northumberland, has not sued the district; rather, it has presented a claim to the district disputing the amount it has been paid for the project. Outstanding issues concerning the claim involve credits, change orders and unfinished work, district solicitor Rich Roberts said.

The school board has voted to retain a law firm, McNees, Wallace & Nurick LLC, Harrisburg, to represent the district in the situation. The contract allows the two entities to mediate the dispute before any type of litigation begins, Roberts said, and he expects mediation to occur.

In April 2013, the board voted to hire Feaster for general construction and approved a $1,335,300 contract.

Safe Haven law expands

HARRISBURG - The Senate on Thursday passed legislation to expand the state's Safe Haven law to include police officers, according to Sen. John Gordner (R-27).

House Bill 1090 by Rep. Rosita Youngblood (D-Philadelphia) passed the Senate unanimously and has been sent to Gov. Tom Corbett for his signature to become law.

In July 2001, a newborn infant's body was discovered in a trash compactor at the Sunbury Municipal Transfer Station. "Baby Mary's" death led to the enactment of the state's Safe Haven law by former Sen. Edward W. Helfrick in 2002, which allows parents of newborns to safely abandon them at medical facilities without fear of prosecution. House Bill 1090, once signed into law, will allow legal abandonments to also occur at police stations if the infant is surrendered to an officer.

Since a rash of national infant abandonments in the late 1990s, all 50 states have enacted Safe Haven statutes, and many include provisions that allow safe abandonments with police. The National Safe Haven Alliance estimates more than 1,000 babies have been saved due to the laws, including several in Pennsylvania.

On the Net: www.secretsafe.org.

SUNBURY - Miranda Barbour's confession to police that she murdered Troy LaFerrara will be admissible at trial, a Northumberland County judge ruled Thursday.

Judge Charles H. Saylor denied a motion by Barbour's defense that sought to suppress statements made at the state police station in Selinsgrove. Saylor found that Barbour's Miranda rights were not violated, that she was not due a court-appointed attorney and that there was no undue influence in her making a confession.

Barbour, 19, and her husband, Elytte, 22, are charged with the Nov. 11 stabbing death of LaFerrara, 42, of Port Trev-orton. Some have called them the "Craigslist killers" because the victim answered an ad on the Internet site from Miranda Barbour offering companionship for money prior to being killed.

The confession came after 5 a.m. Dec. 3 when

Barbour visited the state police station voluntarily and said she wanted "to tell you guys so badly what happened." But she didn't want to do it without a lawyer.

Snyder County District Attorney Michael Piecuch told her that since she wasn't charged with a crime, she wasn't eligible for a court-appointed attorney. Saylor found that Piecuch's statement was correct, citing appellate court rulings in similar instances, and that Barbour understood it. He noted that the murder suspect and the district attorney went back and forth on the point several times.

Barbour had been escorted to the station by plainclothes police officers the night before, on Dec. 2, and was read a Miranda warning before denying any involvement in the murder. It was an official police interview. Such a warning wasn't necessary on Dec. 3 since Barbour showed up on her own and was free to leave at any point, Saylor found. She waited in the station lobby for an hour for an investigator to arrive, was told that she could leave, and went to the bathroom without escort before returning and making the confession.

Chief Public Defender Ed Greco argued his client's 5th and 6th Amendment rights to counsel were violated. He said the second police interview should have ended when Barbour requested an attorney. He also argued that she was influenced by Piecuch to waive her right to counsel and make a confession.

Saylor said neither right applied since she wasn't charged with a crime and wasn't in police custody. She was advised that if she wanted legal representation present, she'd have to obtain it herself and pay for it on her own. He pointed out that Barbour was permitted to call her husband and seek advice from him, and that the conversation between Miranda Barbour and law enforcement remained cordial.

Greco said Thursday that he'd reviewed Saylor's order and that "we're just going to move on to our next issues and at this point proceed to trial."

Remaining at issue is the legality of a search warrant served at the Barbour's residence that had a wrong address listed three times. A legal brief is due from the prosecution in two weeks, and a ruling will follow.

MOUNT CARMEL - Taylor Getty, of Mount Carmel, a sophomore at West Chester University, was named to the dean's list for the spring semester with a 3.86 grade-point average. She is majoring in pre-pharmaceutical development.

Getty is working a summer internship at Reaction Biology in Malvern.

Getty, a 2012 graduate of Mount Carmel Area High School, is a daughter of Bret Getty and the late Leanne Getty, and a granddaughter of Gerald and Pauline Getty and Michael and Sylvia Boslego.

Parade route

North on Shamokin Street, from Willow to Spurzheim

West on Spurzheim to Lincoln

West on Lincoln to Market

South on Market to Chestnut

West on Chestnut to Sixth

North on Sixth to Independence

East on Independence to Shamokin

*Please clear all vehicles from the parade route by noon July 5

Parade participants

Shamokin and Coal Township police

Fireman's tribute

The Shoreliners leading the pre-parade car cruise

U.S. Marine Corps Color Guard, Harrisburg

Our Shamokin Band

Active duty service members

Honorably discharged veterans from World War II to present

Grand marshal in the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro convertible

Honorary marshals Kitty Klebasko and Harry "Chick" Mattis

Avalon Mummers String Band of Philadelphia, hosted by the Independence Fire Co.

Local law enforcement

Elected officials from the greater Shamokin area

Shamokin's 150th Anniversary Committee

Rajah Shrine String Band of Reading

Zembo Shrine with motorcycles, sports cars and mini-cars

Bernie Romanoski Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame

City of Shamokin featuring city queens: Lydia Sandri, Daizy Barrett, Elyse Grace Whitmer, Kelsey Olszewski

David Kaleta float

Salem United Church of Christ

Society of American Muslims with Chaplain Fahruddin Alvi

Salvation Army with Major Tina Streck

The Victorian Highwheelers

Miss Pennsylvania Amanda Smith, hosted by The National Ticket Co.

Boy Scout Troop 254 and Cub Scout Pack 3254, of St. John's United Church of Christ

Irish Thunder Pipe & Drum Corps of Philadelphia, hosted by Jim and Patti Kelley and family

Ancient Order of Hibernians of Shamokin

U.S. Olympian Jayson Terdiman, hosted by The Lithuanian Club of Shamokin and Coal Township

Fromm Barriers

Rescue Sump Pumpers 1925 Ahrens Fox, parading in Shamokin since the 1964 centennial

Uptown Mummers String Band of Philadelphia, hosted by the Shamokin Moose Lodge

Miss Fifth Ward Jamie Levy and court

"Queen Elsa" of the Disney movie "Frozen," portrayed by Angela Kinder

Schuylkill Historical Fire Society antique fire apparatus

Nittany Highlanders Pipe & Drum Corps of State College

Yuengling horse-drawn delivery wagon

Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Red Raiders cheerleaders

Shamokin Rotary Club

No. 9 Coal Mine & Museum of Lansford

Polish American Mummers String Band of Philadelphia, hosted by The Saint Francis Club and Society

Knoebels Amusement Resort

Line Mountain Four-Wheelers

E.H. Kleckner beverage distributors

MacKay Pipe & Drum Corps of Bethlehem, hosted by The G-Lounge in memory of Kelley Rose Gusick

Ancient Order of Hibernians, John "Jack" Kehoe Division No. 1 of Girardville

Rajah Shrine "Forks of the Delaware" Tin Lizzies

Fifth Ward Parade Committee

Probably the most misunderstood gift of the Holy Spirit is fear of the Lord. The story of two priests and how they handled incidents 50 years apart helped me to understand the gift better.

Both of my brothers were altar servers as adolescents and teens. At one service, one of them dropped an incense burner which sounded louder than the church's bells as it clattered to the altar's uncarpeted floor.

Probably, the priest was having a bad day because he muttered under his breath, "I would have been better off doing it myself." As a result, my brother had a fear that he might make a similar accidental mistake.

Flashing forward to the recent past, I was doing duty as an altar server one Saturday morning. I was running late and got to the church only a few minutes before the service. The priest was waiting and he could have commented on me cutting it so closely.

Instead, he welcomed me with words and a smile, and waved aside my apology as unnecessary. That left me more determined to get to church with time to spare. I wasn't afraid of repeating my mistake; I wanted to avoid it to live up to the confidence my pastor expressed in me.

The Holy Spirit's gift of fear of the Lord is a present born of respect and gratitude; not a sense of dread of being punished or criticized.

It is very similar to the kind of "fear" we have for good parents. We are more concerned with disappointing our parents by our actions than we are afraid of what they will do to us as punishment.

As usual, St. Francis de Sales summed it up very nicely, "All that we do must be motivated by love and not force. We must love to obey rather than fear to disobey."

+++

When we love God, we have nothing to fear.

COAL TOWNSHIP - Ian Carnaghan doesn't talk much, but he sings his heart out when it comes to rock 'n' roll.

The 4-year-old township boy, who has been diagnosed with autism, didn't pass up an opportunity to sing several songs with Deuce, which was performing at Ian's brother's high school graduation party.

The memorable moment occurred last Saturday at the St. Francis Club in Shamokin, where Jim Oakum, Bill Adams and Kevin Collins - three out of five members of the local band - were playing an acoustic set.

Despite having a condition that has limited development of his social and communication skills, Ian sang "Lick it Up" and "Beth" by Kiss and "Turn the Page" by Bob Seger with the band. The spontaneous performance came as a surprise to the Deuce members and Ian's family.

"This made his dream come true," Ian's mother, Theresa, said. "He hasn't stopped talking about it."

Ian likes all types of music, but has taken a strong liking to Johnny Cash, Kiss and, of course, Deuce.

Band members said they were thrilled to have Ian join them in the performance and said he is their biggest little fan. Ian had an encore performance with the band Tuesday night at Springfield Music Shop.

Ian didn't say much Tuesday when asked if he enjoyed singing with the band, but he nodded several times when asked if he would be at Deuce's next show. That's set for 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Clover Hose Fire Company block party in Mount Carmel.

HARRISBURG - A former Mount Carmel police officer imprisoned after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography can proceed with claims his counsel was ineffective while he seeks to have his conviction and sentence overturned.

Judge William W. Caldwell ruled Wednesday in favor of Blaine Handerhan, ordering the federal government to respond to two of his claims.

Caldwell agreed with the government attorney who sought to have Handerhan's appeal dismissed, saying a valid guilty plea waives claims of an illegal search or a violation of Miranda rights. However, he says the defendant's appeal is different in that it alleges his former counsel was ineffective in having not pursued claims based on these rights.

The former police lieutenant is locked up at a federal prison in Fort Dix, N.J., after pleading guilty to a charge of possession of child pornography - a plea he says he gave reluctantly due to the stress of defending himself against the allegations. Police say more than 147,000 images and 1,200 video files were discovered on his personal computer at his home in Swatara Township, Lebanon County. Handerhan says peer-to-peer file sharing software allowed remote access to his machine. He was sentenced in August 2012 to serve eight years.

Handerhan's appeal filed in February includes allegations that attorney Matthew Gover failed to file motions to dispute the legality of a search warrant and to suppress statements made to police allegedly given in violation of his Miranda rights. Gover gave up law altogether while Handerhan's case headed toward sentencing after he was diagnosed with brain cancer, according to the appeal.

The government was ordered by Caldwell to file a supplemental brief addressing these two claims, after which Handerhan will be allowed to respond.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-11, announced Friday he will be heading to the U.S. border with Mexico to attend a field hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee to discuss the "growing crisis" of illegal immigrant children at the border.

Barletta said he will seek answers to questions that raise serious issues of national security, health, and what are apparent human trafficking infractions during his visit Thursday.

"I want to see with my own eyes what is going on," Barletta said in a news release. "I have grave concerns about the risks to our national security resulting from the growing problem of tens of thousands of illegal immigrant children amassing at our southern border. Our border patrol agents, who are already undermanned and stretched thin, are now being tasked with changing diapers, warming formula and babysitting children. Our borders have never been truly secure, but now that our agents are busy essentially running daycare centers, at this moment they are more porous than ever."

Barletta also expressed dismay at the role the federal government has played in the route many children have taken in getting to the border in the first place. It has been reported that drug cartels are involved in arranging transport of children from countries such as Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

"The United States government has become complicit in what amounts to human trafficking," Barletta said. "The drug cartels are charging thousands of dollars per child to transport them more than 1,000 miles to the U.S. border. At that point, American government officials take over and deliver the children to family members elsewhere in the country. That makes our government a participant in the human trafficking transaction, which could include physical and sexual abuse along the way. This is unconscionable."

"This is what happens when you tell the whole world that you're rolling out the welcome mat for illegal immigrants," Barletta said. "I blame the administration and anyone in Congress who openly talked about a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, which in reality means amnesty for anyone who has broken our immigration laws."

The hearing, titled "Crisis on the Texas Border: Surge of Unaccompanied Minors," is scheduled for 1 p.m. (Eastern time) at South Texas College's Technology Campus, in McAllen, Texas.

SHAMOKIN - The weeklong celebration of the city's 150th anniversary begins Sunday and concludes next Saturday with some 12 hours of activity. Here's what to know and where to be.

Sunday

The Shamokin Area Ministerium will host an ecumenical service at 3 p.m. at Claude Kehler Community Park, led by the Rev. Sam Bellavia of the Shamokin Alliance Church.

Tuesday

Our Shamokin Band will perform in Claude Kehler Community Park beginning at 7 p.m.

Wednesday

A pet and toy parade begins at 7 p.m. Children 12 years old and younger can register beginning at 6 p.m. at the municipal parking lot on Independence Street near the post office. Participants are to bring their pets, bikes, wagons, Cozy Coupes and other wheeled travel toys for use in the parade. Kids are encouraged to dress in red, white and blue.

The parade will travel from Independence Street to Sixth Street and onto Arch Street, where it ends at Claude Kehler Community Park. Free food, including chicken fingers, hot dogs and chips, will be served to children.

Thursday

An anniversary ball will be held at the Loyal Order of the Moose, Lodge 1149, Rock Street. Cocktails start at 6 p.m. and the ball begins at 7 p.m. Cost is $10 at the door and includes a buffet and entertainment by DJ Chad Evans. Dress is semi-formal: no jeans or sneakers.

Friday

Independence Street will be closed between Eighth and Ninth streets from 6 to 10 p.m. Both Lookout and Bunky Hendricks will perform on the main reviewing stand. Miss Pennsylvania Amanda Smith will be welcomed.

Saturday, July 5

Events begin at 10 a.m. and end just shy of 9:40 p.m., when Shamokin's annual fireworks display starts. Live music will be performed on two stages. Food and drink vendors will set up throughout the day at Eighth and Independence streets and also near the Shamokin Post Office. Independence Street will be closed to traffic all day long.

The grand parade begins at 2 p.m. in the Fifth Ward. That's where the parade organizers hail from, and since they volunteered to put it all together, why begrudge them the honor of launching it from their neighborhood?

Some four dozen groups of parade participants will start out on Shamokin Street and wind their way about 2.2 miles through Shamokin, ending at the east end of Independence Street. It includes a firemen's tribute at the start - 65 fire companies outside Shamokin have been invited - and a classic car cruise before the "grand parade" officially sets out. Three DJs and MCs will be stationed along the parade route, and the main reviewing stand will be on Independence Street near Wendy's. (See accompanying parade route and expected participants.)

The Most Rev. Ronald W. Gainer, bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg, will bless the parade from a stand outside Mother Cabrini Church, North Shamokin Street. Kulpmont Mayor Bernard Novakoski and Mount Carmel Mayor Philip Cimino will judge the parade from the main reviewing stand.

At least one question will remain unanswered until Saturday morning: who will be the parade's grand marshal? It could be anyone who purchased a $10 raffle ticket for the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro convertible. Miss Pennsylvania will pull the winning ticket at 10 a.m. on stage near Susquehanna Bank, Independence Street. Berwick's Jayson Terdiman, a member of the U.S. Olympic Luge Team who competed in the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games, is expected to be on hand for the drawing and will participate in the parade. Tickets have sold slowly and are still on sale. Look for a story in Monday's edition about a special deal parade organizer Bill Dudeck says is absolutely necessary to fund the parade.

A classic car show will follow the raffle on Independence Street, along with the first of six musical performances. The Mahoney Brothers will perform until 1:30 p.m. on the stage near Susquehanna Bank. At 1:30 p.m. the band Autumn will perform hits from the 1950s on the main reviewing stand down the street.

After the parade is over, live music will resume on both stages.

Autumn will return to the main reviewing stand and perform until 7 p.m. Angela Kinder will follow for a half-hour performance, portraying "Queen Elsa" from Disney's hit movie "Frozen." The Fobias take over at 7:30 p.m. and will perform up until the fireworks start at 9:40 p.m.

At the Susquehanna Bank stage, The Shoreliners will perform until 7 p.m., followed by Bean Soup Bunky.