Tree display delayed

MOUNT CARMEL - Arrival of the Mount Carmel Lions Club Christmas tree will be delayed one week from Friday due to the snow.

VFW Auxiliary to host Christmas party

LAVELLE - The VFW Ladies Auxiliary of O'Donnell-Martin-Baldino Post 7654 in Ashland will hold their annual Christmas party Tuesday, Dec. 9, at Green's Restaurant. The family-style meal will include two meats and all the trimmings. Cost will be $20 which also includes tax and gratuity.

There will not be a gift exchange, but a free-will offering will be received, and proceeds will be sent to the State President's Special Project.

Deadline for reservations is Tuesday, and members and a guest are invited to attend. To RSVP, call Ann Helwig at 570-875-0619. If no answer, leave a message on the answering machine or email at annhelwig@verizon.net.

Benefit photos planned

COAL TOWNSHIP - The annual benefit pictures with Santa event is scheduled for 5 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7, at the Bressi residence, 1440 W. Mulberry St.

A donation of $5 per photo is requested. Proceeds will be shared among Make A Wish Foundation, SPCA and Wounded Warriors.

Club party set for Wednesday

SUNBURY -The Soroptimist International Club of Snyder, Union and Northumberland Counties Inc. will hold its Christmas party at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Packer House.

The SUN Soroptimist Club is an international volunteer service organization for business and professional women who work to improve the lives of women and girls in local communities and throughout the world.

Anyone who is interested in volunteering and becoming a member to contact any club member or by calling Diane Savidge at 570-837-2532 or dmsavidge@gmail.com.

Third in an occassional series.

The Northumberland County School Board's school reorganization plan for creation of the Mount Carmel Area School District, which proceeded with the state's stamp of approval, made sense considering the geographical proximity of the member communities and the successful educational partnerships that were already in effect.

In the early 1960s when the plan was finalized, three of the five component municipalities were already closely affiliated in the Mount Carmel Joint School System. Mount Carmel Borough and Mount Carmel Township formed the joint system in 1951. All Centralia students began attending Mount Carmel schools on a tuition basis in the fall of 1960, and that borough became part of the jointure in 1963.

Marion Heights School District had been sending students to Kulpmont High School on a tuition basis since 1936, so creation of Kulpmont Joint School System in 1952 was a logical step for those two communities.

Initially, Kulpmont was not happy about the Mount Carmel Area merger. In 1963, the Kulpmont board said it was concerned about potential costs and lack of guarantees that the consolidation would provide an improved education.

Kulpmont filed an appeal with the state on the merger plan in April 1964, with board members saying that, for educational reasons, they preferred to be included with a larger district, namely Shamokin-Coal Township. Marion Heights, not a party to the appeal, severed its jointure with Kulpmont and affirmed its interest in being a part of Mount Carmel Area.

But the Kulpmont board eventually approved the jointure plan in early June, and the merger proceeded as scheduled, Kulpmont Area Joint Schools ceased to exist July 1, 1964. The old Mount Carmel Area Joint System was dissolved on the same date.

Mount Carmel-Mount Carmel Twp.

The last-minute snags related to Kulpmont's participation in the 1964 merger were minor in comparison to the trials and tribulations resulting from the formation of the Mount Carmel Borough-Mount Carmel Township jointure in 1951.

The marriage between the school districts occurred in the fall of that year after classes had already begun. Although the consolidation might have appeared sudden to the general public, it was soon reported in The Mount Carmel Item that talks between the two school boards had been going on for months. Furthermore, the Pennsylvania Economy League had already done a study that showed that, without a jointure, both districts faced potential fiscal disaster. And, behind the scenes, the state was actually encouraging the consolidation with promises of immediate aid retroactive to the start of the fiscal year.

News of the merger talks in mid-September precipitated a strike by Mount Carmel Township High School students and threats of legal action by a township taxpayers' group.

The Pennsylvania Economy League cited a disturbing 45 percent drop in student enrollment in the two districts combined over the preceding 10 years.The township faced a $57,000 deficit and a potential loss of revenue as a result of its reversion to a fourth class district and resulting loss of some taxing authority. Mount Carmel Borough fared little better, with a deficit budget and a recently enacted tax increase.

Educational reasons were cited, too. Because of a decline in enrollment, the respective schools were having a difficult time supporting the expanded offering of academic courses that were seen as vital to a quality high school education.

The Department of Public Instruction, though not officially demanding a merger, strongly encouraged the process and helped facilitate the drafting of the articles of agreement.

Revisiting the issue six months later, The Mount Carmel Item, though reporting some school directors were now experiencing buyer's remorse, admitted that, for the most part, students and teachers adjusted well to the consolidation. In fact, depending on their place of residence, some Mount Carmel Township students actually appreciated that they now had a shorter distance to travel to school each day.

A long-lasting source of dissatisfaction among township residents was the decision to close the township high school (the Bradley School) in Locust Gap, which was a larger and more modern facility than the Mount Carmel High School building at Third and Market streets. In its study, however, the Economy League found that the Locust Gap school's advantages were more than offset by its location, which was removed from the new district's center of population.

Centralia

Centralia, though located in Columbia County, was included in Northumberland County's school reorganization plan in the late 1950s after the dissolution of the borough's jointure with neighboring Conyngham Township in 1958.

After the end of "Con-Cen," Centralia junior and senior high school students - 36 in all as of 1960 - started attending Mount Carmel schools on a tuition basis. In the fall of 1960, that tuition offer was extended to include all Centralia students, kindergarten to 12th grade, with a total of 120 being transported to Mount Carmel. For the first time in the 20th century, Centralia was without a public school of its own. For reasons of declining enrollment, the Centralia School Board permanently closed its 22-room, two-story building.

Conyngham Township became part of the Ashland Area School District, and later, North Schuylkill.

Kulpmont-Marion Heights

Marion Heights School District was described by The News-Dispatch as the smallest school district in Northumberland County at the time of its admittance into the Kulpmont jointure in 1952.

At the time the jointure was instituted, all district students attended Kulpmont High School. Two elementary schools were in operation, Stevens in Marion Heights and Wilson in Kulpmont.

Shamokin-Coal Township

Monday - Poker game, 8:30 a.m., new players welcome; executive board meeting, 10:30, a.m.; game show, 11 a.m.; world news, noon; unlucky 7's, noon; new players welcome.

Tuesday - Morning cards 8:30 a.m.; walk-a-mile, 9:30 a.m.; Boscov's shopping, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; bridge, 11:45 a.m.

Wednesday - Morning cards, 8:30 a.m.; bridge lessons, 9:30 a.m.; Wii bowling, 10 a.m.; pinochle and Pokeno, 12:30 p.m.; Commodity Food distribution, 1 to 3 p.m.

Thursday - Morning cards, 8:30 a.m.; voting for officers, 9 to 11 a.m.; walk-a-mile, 9:30 a.m.; members meeting, 10:30 a.m., new officers announced after voting; nickel bingo, 12:30 p.m.

Friday - Morning cards, puzzles and shuffleboard, 8:30 a.m.; Wii bowling, 10 a.m.; game show, 11 a.m.; nickel bingo, noon.

Saturday - Cards, 7 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Mount Carmel

Monday - Wii games, 9:30 a.m.; exercise, 10:30 a.m.; lunch, 11:45 a.m.; Pokeno, 1 p.m.

Tuesday - Board games and breakfast snack, 9:30 a.m.; bean bag competition, 11 a.m.; lunch, 11:45 a.m.; unlucky 7's/pinochle, 12:30 p.m.

Wednesday - Officers meeting, 10 a.m.; lunch, 11:45 a.m.; members meeting, 1 p.m., nickel bingo follows meeting.

Thursday - Last day to sign up for vo-tech luncheon; Wii games, 9:30 a.m.; exercise, 10:30 a.m.; trip to Susquehanna Valley Mall, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; lunch, 11:45 a.m.; unlucky 7's, 12:30 p.m.

Friday - Morning news and coffee, 9 a.m.; lunch, 11:45 a.m.; guest speaker Victor Girardi from LATS, 1 p.m.; Pokeno 1:30 p.m.

Kulpmont

Monday - Coffee and gab in the morning; decorating for Christmas, 9 a.m.; bean bag, 10:30 a.m.; Wii bowling, 11 a.m.; Pokeno, 12:30 p.m.

Tuesday - Hand held games and puzzles in the morning; Wii bowling, 10 a.m.; cards, 12:30 p.m.

Wednesday - Chair exercise and gab in the morning; Wii bowling, 10:30 a.m.; LCR 12:30 p.m.

Thursday - Puzzles and gab in the morning; Wii bowling, 10:30 a.m.; lunch at the Pine Barn Inn, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., cost $2; bingo, 12:30 p.m.

Friday - Wii bowling and bean bag in the morning; hand held games, 9:30 a.m.; Jennifer from VNA will be speaking at noon on holiday stress and seasonal depression; nickel bingo, 12:30 p.m.

Centralia-Wilburton

Monday - Coffee and current events, 9 a.m.; Christmas puzzle, 10:30 a.m.; Walmart shopping, 12:30 p.m.

Tuesday - Coffee and snacks, 9 a.m.; chair exercise with Carol, 10:30 a.m.; bell ringer practice, 12:30 p.m.

Wednesday - Panera Bread day; advisory board meeting, 10:30 a.m.; Christmas jackpot bingo, 12:30 p.m.

Thursday - Coffee and snacks, 9 a.m.; Christmas puzzle, 10:30 a.m.; Christmas movie, 12:30 p.m.

Friday - Fun Friday! Open activities.

Elysburg

Monday - Healthy Steps, 8:30 a.m.; Wii fitness, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.; royal rummy, 10 a.m.; Pokeno, 11:30 a.m.

Wednesday - Healthy Steps, 8:30 a.m.; trim the tree party, 9:30 a.m.; Wii fitness, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.; royal rummy, 10 a.m.; bingo, noon.

Friday - Crafts, 9:30 a.m.; Wii fitness, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.; pinochle, noon; members meeting with election of officers, noon; donut day.

Trevorton

Monday - Shopping at Buckhorn Walmart 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; exercise, 10:30 a.m.; decorating for Christmas, 12:30 p.m.

Tuesday - Exercise, 10:30 a.m.; movie and snacks, 12:30 p.m.; evening bingo, 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday - Games, 9:30 a.m.; CSFP food box distribution, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Equally Opportunity Provider Christmas Banquet, 5 p.m.

Thursday - Be Red Cross Ready: preparing emergency kits, 10:30 a.m.; members meeting, 12:30 p.m.

Friday - Wii games 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.; exercise, 10:30 a.m.; bingo, 12:30 p.m.

MOUNT CARMEL - The Council of Catholic Women and Rosary Altar Society held their meeting Nov. 6 in the parish hall. President Theresa Conniff brought the meeting to order with the prayer to Our Lady of Good Counsel and the Pledge of Allegiance.

The minutes were read and approved. Debbie Gownley gave the treasurer's report. The Northumberland Council of Catholic Women held their deanery meeting at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23 in the parish hall of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. A Matter of Taste catered the party.

Maria Bridy gave the Rosary Altar Society report. Dues for this society were due in October. The meeting was closed with 10 Hail Marys for the active, sick and deceased members. Refreshments were served followed by bingo.

POTTSVILLE - Lift Your Spirits Performing Arts, which performs each year in Schuylkill and Northumberland counties, will salute veterans and commemorate the 73rd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor with two performances of "Christmas Through The Years."

The performances at 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6 and 7, at the Majestic Theater, coincide with National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

This is the new second edition of the show, and the audience will take a trip back in time and hear musical selections from the WWII era sung by such stars as Doris Day, Bing Crosby, Kitty Kallen and the Andrew Sisters, to name a few. They will also be delighted with comedic monologues from Bob Hope, Phyllis Diller, Dick Haymes and Rita Hayworth. Admission is free for all veterans and active military men and women.

Contact the theater for tickets to guarantee seats at 570-628-4647.

COAL TOWNSHIP - The Choraliers will present their annual 2014 Christmas Concert at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7, at the Shamokin Area Middle/High School auditorium. Nan Weller will direct and piano accompaniment will be provided by Bonny Klinger.

The concert will begin with "Sing We Now of Christmas," "A Celtic Christmas," "December Child," and "Mary, Did You Know?" Klinger will then entertain with a piano solo of "Jingle Bells." The concert will transition into sacred music selections of "Angels' Choir," "Silent Night," and "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel."

After a brief intermission, the concert will continue with "We Need a Little Christmas," and "Grown Up Christmas List." Soloists Bob Zedanowich, Carol Ellis and Morris Gard will present "Guardian Angels," "Jesus, Jesus, Rest Your Head," and "Candlelight Carol," respectively. The Choraliers will conclude the concert with "Skatin' with My Baby," "Silver Bells," "Frosty the Snow Man," and "Yule Be Swingin'."

Members

Sopranos are Carol Ellis, Chris Hastings, Mary Hollingshead, Kelly Jones, Angela Kuhns, Amber Madden, Valentine Mountjoy, Barbara Moyer, Norma Moyer, Ann Nowaskie, Judy Pensyl, Beverly Petrovich, Lisa Romanoski, Particia Romanoski, Margaret Schlader, Donna Schaeffer, Sandy Seroskie, Grace Shaffer, Sherri Shebelsky, Susan Shoop, Grace Stank, Darlis Tasker, Nedra Templar, Grethel Vinup and Clara Weikel.

Altos are Christine Backes, Sandy Beaver-Krebs, Joan Brown, Beverly Cooper, Maxine Harvey, Tiffany Kaseman, Pat Klemick, Linda Latsha, Ruth Paul, Peggy Prezlomski, Martha Jane Scholl, Virginia Sinclair, Carol Tarlecki, Carolyn Weaver and Mary Wydra.

Tenors are Harry Dietz, Morris Gard, David Kopitsky and Bob Zedanovich.

Basses are Ben Anderson, Robert Kline, Kenneth Mertz, Jake Ozga, Dan Schwalm and Ned Sodrick.

Tickets are available for $5 from any Choralier member or at the door. The public is invited to attend one of the first community-wide events of the Christmas season.

Shamokin-Coal Township Public Library

SHAMOKIN - The Shamokin-Coal Township Public Library has announced that memorials for the period of Sept. 16 to Nov. 24 have been presented for the following persons:

Birthday memorials

Rose Marie Bednar by Danny and Sandee Ciesluk and family.

Dolores Dupnack by Peggy Snyder.

Marlin Heitzman by Scott, Sharon, Jarrett and Tricia Heitzman.

Bertha Kohan by Danny and Sandee Ciesluk and family.

John "Jack" Latsha by wife Linda, daughter Tracy and son-in-law Bob.

Todd "T.J." Latsha by mother Linda, sister Tracy and brother-in-law Bob.

Jack and Todd Latsha by Barb Ammerman.

Charley Tamkus by Mom and Dad and Jonah.

Anniversary memorials

Kathryn Glavich by JoAnn, Richie, Rob, Kim, Ryan, Joel and Haley.

Kathryn Glavich by Sharon, Barbara, JoAnn and families.

Roger C. Schleig by Margie.

Century Club

Marian R. Diorio by the family of Lois C. Diorio

Memorials

Jean Bartos by Al and Nancy.

Irene Bernas by Shirley and Bill Golden.

Kitty Brennan by Rose Marie Jones.

Matthew Carsto by Ann Marie Carsto and family.

Charles Catherman by Dianne and family.

Charles C. Clark by Robert and Hazel (Clark) Mazeski, Steve and Eileen Mazeski and children, Vincent and Cam Mazeski.

Helen Lenker-Clark by Joe and Kandy Dascani and family, FCI Schuylkill OFM/HRM Departments, PSI Master Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority.

The Rev. Lawrence R. Coakley by Tony Rosini.

Mary Elizabeth Danna by Bob and Joan McAllister.

Leona Dorkoski by Fran and Bud Butkey.

John Eby by Dave, Tina and Veronica Moore, Bruce Victoriano.

Lawrence D. Erdman by Joe, John and Maria Bressi.

Judith Feltman by Karen and Irvin Adams.

Edward James Fitzpatrick by Tony Rosini.

Allen Grow by Fran and Bud Butkie, Ray General.

Stanley P. Graboski by Rose Palovich.

Edward Gragilla by Albina Primerano.

Shirley Hale by Donna, Amy and Rob Mordan.

Kristopher Harris by Wes and Teresa Tillet and family.

James R. Holland by Joe, John and Maria Bressi, Evelyn Klemick, Connie Martini, Tony and Melinda Rosini, Chet and Marion Stesney.

Richard Hummel by Bruce Victoriano.

Al Janinski by Justin and Kathleen Kleski, Shamokin High School Class of 1957 Classmates.

Brittany Derck-Jones by Judy, Crystal, Dottie and Paula, Mr. and Mrs. Dave Talisesky.

Linda Marie Jones by Jacque Robel.

Jane Kadel by Rose Jones.

Leon Karpinski by Danny and Sandee Ciesluk and family, Debra and Terry Keefer, Max and Sandy Madrak, Susan Miriello, Tony and Melinda Rosini, Mr. and Mrs. Ron Zyla.

Frances Veronica Kalejta by Ronald Kuhns.

Janet Kelly by Mike and Diane Dwilet, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Sager.

Jacqueline Kilbride by Peggy Grinaway and family.

Frank Kolaleski by Edward Baran, Charles Breining and Jeanette Burba, Diane Dudanowicz and Marlene Fedorczak, Ronald Fedorczak, Lincoln Towers Flower Fund, Pepper, John Schleig.

Catherine Labosky by Danny and Sandee Ciesluk and family, Richard and Grace Hornberger, Mike and Jeanne Shaffer, Tuesday Night Pinochle Club.

Glenn Landau by Sharon Adams, Phyllis (Kishela) Benedetto, Kathy and Jerry Strausser.

Frederick "Fritz" Lark by Shamokin High School Class of 1959.

Dale Long by Ronald Kuhns.

Lawrence J. McGinn by Coal Township High School Class of 1957, Whitey and Joan Vetovich, James and Nancy Williams and family.

Mary Martin by Jeanne and Bill Hoffa.

Sara Moore by Joe, John and Maria Bressi, Tina and Family, Ashley's Mam Helen Brown.

Tony Niglio by Bob and Annette Sandri and family.

Robert Pappas by Fran and Bud Butkey.

Richard Patrick by Shamokin High School Class of 1955.

Arthur Payne by Jeanne and Bill Hoffa.

Mae Pensyl by Susan and Dan Tetkoskie and Linda Pensyl.

George Persing by Rescue Fire Engine and Hose Company No. 3.

Theresa Pittello by Fran and Bud Butkie, Marcella Hombosky, Vetovich family, Ron Yurkiewicz.

Richard Polan by Doris, Andy, Jess and Jen Kalinowski.

Terri Lynn Rebuck by Aunt Millie and family, Patricia Czech, Flower Fisher, Karlovich family, Sarann Keyack, Janet and Bill Lewis, Joan McAllister, Constance Martini, your work family at the Fun Shop.

Betty Robel by Emily Anderson, Beth and Ernie, Marilyn and Rodney and Jane and Jamie.

Josephine Russ by Dianne and Tom Dabulis and family.

Joan Sabo by Pat and Jim Bressi, Marlene Reitz and the Nanny Miller family.

Richard D. Sawicki by Mount Carmel Disabled Veterans Chapter 129.

Marie Scandle by Patricia Czech, Tom and Rhonda Eckman, Emily Parker, Dave and Joann Shinskie.

Veronica Schicatano by Joann and Dean Allen, Chris, Kelly and Hope Apichell, Marian Edmondson, Bill and Helen Kuzmick, Karen and Jim Linton, Ralph and Sandy Moore, Jeanette and Charlie Verano.

Roger Schleig by Margie.

John "Jack" Scholl Sr. by Knoebels Park Office Staff.

Thelma Mae Scholtes by James F. Scicchitano.

John Scoviak by Pat and Jim Bressi.

John "Bones" Shurock by Joe, John and Maria Bressi, Sharon Heitzman, JoAnn Richie, Rob and Kim, Ryan, Joel and Haley, Marcy Reidinger, Janet and Al Sabol, Jack and Janet Wachter.

John F. Smith by Rescue Fire Engine and Hose Company No. 3.

Eugenia A. "Jean" Sopp by Deborah Beck and family.

Dominick "Mickey" Stello by Albina Primerano and family.

Patricia A. Tetkoskie by Jim and Pat Bressi, Irene M. Mirack, Jacque Robel, Donna Mordan, Corrine Thomas.

George Thomas Jr. by Shamokin High School Class of 1961.

Al Valeski by Cal and Roseann Harris.

Arthur Verano by Dennis and Fran, Barb and Cheryl Verano, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Verano.

Anna Louise Walejko by Ronald Kuhns.

Leonard Walencewicz by Mount Carmel Disabled Veterans.

Catherine Welker by Peggy Snyder.

Charles Wheary by Audrey and Gerry Mroz.

Robert White by Ronald and Susan Davis, Phillip and Larice Farber, Rescue Fire Engine and Hose Company No. 3, Jeanne and Mike Shaffer, Palmer and Rose Weikel.

Alice Wysock by Cecilia Wysock, John Matthew Wysock and Lisa Ann Wysock.

Don Zak by Joe Rocuskie and Kathy Gonsar.

Wilbur Zigner by Shamokin High School Class of 1970.

Contributions to the memorial fund

Marie Scandle by Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Pasierb.

Leonard Strenkoski by Reynold and Delores Elliott.

Charley Tamkus by Mom and Dad and family and Jonah.

Patricia Tetkoskie by Bill and Jean Edmondson.

Honor a loved one and place a permanent memorial in the Library Century Club.

ATLAS - A fire early Thanksgiving morning destroyed a vacant home and burned through power lines, knocking out electric service to hundreds for nearly 10 hours.

PPL reported 449 customers were without power Thursday in Mount Carmel Township, causing many to rethink their holiday plans. On scene, officials estimated the outage affected homes from the northernmost end of Mount Carmel, through Atlas and into the neighboring village of Strong. Service was restored shortly before noon.

Considered suspicious

Police Chief Brian Hollenbush, also the township's fire marshal, described the fire at 100-102 W. Saylor St. as suspicious.

It was reported shortly before 2:30 a.m. The cause is undetermined. There was no electric service to the property, no one was living there legally, and there were no reports of anyone inside leading up to the blaze.

It's the first suspicious fire in the village since 2013, when there were four such fires. The cause of each were never determined.

"I don't know what to say," Hollenbush said when asked if there could be an arsonist in Atlas. "It's been a while since we had a fire that was suspicious in nature."

Former Tafner property

The four-story structure and a vacant lot next to it were sold Nov. 20 at a county judicial sale for minimum bids of $1,745.62 and $1,530.48, respectively, according to tax claims director Jan Nestico.

They were owned by Thea Tafner, the former ambulance director at American Hose in Mount Carmel who pleaded guilty to embezzlement and served time in a federal prison.

Hydrants fail

Charles Gasperetti, chief of the Atlas Fire Co., said he could see the flames from his front porch about two blocks away. The structure was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived, ruling out an interior attack. They concentrated efforts fully from the exterior.

Two hydrants malfunctioned. One on Saylor Street lacked any water pressure, and a second on Girard Street had low pressure. Gasperetti said 2,500 feet of hose had to be run to the scene from a hydrant at Columbia Avenue and Route 61.

The fire was under control within 40 minutes, and was largely extinguished within 90 minutes save for a few hot spots, Gasperetti said.

Hollenbush was among the emergency responders initially on scene. He stayed until 10 a.m. to investigate. The fire left the structure in rubble.

"The fourth floor is in the basement. There's not a lot that I can do with it," Hollenbush said.

Snow that had fallen throughout Wednesday may have prevented the fire from spreading, Gasperetti said, because embers extinguished on contact when landing on snow-covered roofs nearby.

One firefighter injured his foot on a ladder truck, and was treated for a minor injury.

Assisting Atlas firefighters were crews from Wilburton, Mount Carmel Township, Mount Carmel, Kulpmont, Coal Township and Shamokin, along with tanker trucks from several communities.

COAL TOWNSHIP - Our Lady of Lourdes Regional School conducted its annual Thanksgiving liturgy Nov. 19. The Rev. Alfred Sceski, chaplain, was celebrant for the special liturgy. The Revs. Martin Moran and Andrew Stahmer were concelebrants, and Deacon Martin McCarthy proclaimed the gospel.

Members of the Boys Service Club and Girls Action League were in charge of arrangements, under the direction of Violette Feudale.

Participants included Brian Christiana, cross bearer; Marcus O'Brien and Claudia Rawa, altar servers; Caitlin Funk, lector; Liela Bellis and Caleb Gensemer, offertory gifts; Regina Perez and Mikayla Persing, distribution of programs, and Nicholas Adams, William Allen, Jordan Hauer and Dakota Maneval, flag bearers.

Christian service is a long-standing tradition at Lourdes.The annual Manna drive, which is coordinated in association with the Thanksgiving liturgy, receives enthusiastic response from the entire Lourdes community. During the liturgy, the student body presented baskets of food and other items for Thanksgiving. In addition, monetary donations were received to provide gift certificates with each basket.

Under the direction of Joyce Sickora, Anne Marie Tehansky, Mary Bias and Rita Nolter, the pre-K and kindergarten classes, dressed as Pilgrims and Indians, performed the song "God Bless America," as a reminder of the first Thanksgiving. Following the liturgy, members of the Boys Service Club and Girls Action League delivered baskets to 35 needy families in local communities in time for Thanksgiving dinner.

Several boxes of food were also delivered to Manna for the Many in Shamokin.

HARRISBURG - Upholding law and order at the local level comes with a hefty price tag in Pennsylvania.

Municipalities report spending $1.3 billion on police services in fiscal 2012-13, according to a new legislative study that examines approaches to promoting mergers of police forces.

The $1.3 billion sum doesn't include what Philadelphia and Pittsburgh spent, but it covers costs reported by nearly 1,000 municipal police departments, regional police forces and municipalities that contract with others for police services.

In addition, the state police spent $540 million in 2012 to provide both full- and part-time police services to more than 1,700 municipalities that don't have a police department, the study said.

Merging police departments and requiring municipalities to pay for state police coverage have been topics for debate in Harrisburg for decades.

Yet more than four decades after the first regional police forces were created, only 35 such units exist across the state.

Regional solutions

Hopefully, the study by the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee will lead to more regional police forces, thereby building on existing regional efforts to fight street crime and gang violence, said Sen. John Yudichak, D-14, Plymouth Township, Luzerne County. Yudichak is a long-time advocate of municipal cooperation and has spurred creation of council of governments in Luzerne and Carbon counties.

"Clearly, when you talk about spending $1.3 billion on local police costs, are you getting the best value for the tax dollar?" Yudichak asked. "We have to have crime solutions that are regional in nature. Criminals do not care about municipal boundaries."

This recognition has led to Operation Gang Up in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties and the deployment of the state attorney general's Mobile Street Crime Unit earlier this year in Hazleton, Yudichak said.

In February, representatives of Coal Township, Mount Carmel, Mount Carmel Township, Shamokin and Zerbe Township heard a presentation from the Governor's Center for Local Government Services, part of the state Department of Community and Economic Development, about the benefits of regional police. Officials from all five municipalities, along with Kulpmont Borough, expressed interest in at least having a study done about regionalization.

A governor's center official told the local officers that its policy is that no full-time officer loses his or her job due to regionalization. Police unions would be integrated into a regional force, however, and existing collective bargaining agreements would need to be dissolved by the union to move forward with consolidation.

Costs push mergers

Local taxpayers bear the brunt of the municipal police cost, although the state provides some funding to help underwrite police pension costs and returns revenue for motor vehicle violations cited by local police.

Costs and loss of control are two key factors Pennsylvania towns consider when it comes to merging their police department with a neighboring municipality, the study said.

The size and demographics of a municipality, its approach to policing and support from local residents should also be part of any cost-benefit analysis, it said. It determined that regional police departments offer a higher level of police coverage and service, which can mean more spending in the short-term.

The study urges lawmakers to pass legislation to set guidelines for regional police forces and provide start-up funding to them.

Yudichak suggested that rising costs is the driving force behind mergers.

"That is forcing them to look at state police coverage or regional coverage," he said.

COAL TOWNSHIP - Black Friday crowds appeared thin mid-morning at The Plaza at Coal Township.

The relatively slow business followed a trend nationwide of a weakening of what was once a frenzied day of holiday shopping mayhem into several days of steady sales.

Sales clerks at the Shoe Dept. described the morning as slightly less busy than a typical Friday.

"I've been here since 5:30 (a.m.) and we did not get a customer until 9 (a.m.)," said Shoe Dept. keyholder Diane Gidaro.

The store had not opted to open on Thanksgiving, but still offered "good sales," Gidaro said.

Still, she had not braced herself for the typical onslaught of early morning customers.

"My boss kind of figured it was going to be dead," Gidaro said.

At 10 a.m., the plaza parking lot was less than a quarter filled. Across Route 61, the parking lot of Walmart Supercenter appeared as full as a typical Friday morning.

At least one store opted to forgo Black Friday altogether. Radio Shack remained dark throughout Thursday and Friday. Hours listed online showed it would reopen Saturday morning. No one from the company be reached to explain why the store would be closed Black Friday. Others at local malls were open Friday; the Columbia Mall store was open Thursday evening, in fact.

Locally-owned shops in the area will have another go at reigning in sales today during Small Business Saturday. Participating businesses include individual shops, such as the Fun Shop, as well as franchises, like H&R Block.

SHAMOKIN - The police union and City Hall are awaiting word from an arbitrator on the makeup of a new collective bargaining agreement.

The two sides, each with legal representation, met in March with arbitrator John Skonier. Both presented contract proposals, but, eight months later, a new contract remains in limbo.

The previous pact expired Jan. 1, but its terms remain in effect until a new deal is ratified.

Patrolman Shane Mowery, a union representative, said it had been estimated in March that a decision would come from the arbitrator within four to 12 months.

"We're eight months into it and we haven't heard a peep," Mowery said Monday.

$132,459 more in '14

Police department expenses account for 43 percent of the city's proposed $2.9 million general fund budget in 2015. Salaries and insurance costs are expected to dip since the department has 10 full-time officers, one less than at the start of 2014. But the overall police budget totals $1,234,651, an increase of $132,459 over 2014. Much of that is reflected in an increased pension payment - from $205,769 in 2014 to $319,714 in 2015.

Shamokin's total 2015 budget is estimated at $3.7 million. Proposed increases in real estate and earned income taxes are sought to erase a deficit of $621,000. The city is enrolled in the state's Act 47 program for financially distressed municipalities.

Richardson Todd Eagan of Lightman Welby & Stoltenberg, Harrisburg, represents the union. The city had been represented by Barley Snyder, Reading. Susan Friedman of Stevens & Lee, Lancaster, has since taken on the role. A division of her firm, Financial Solutions, is an Act 47 consultant for Shamokin.

Street pact ends Dec. 31

Negotiations for a second union contract are expected to begin soon. The pact between Shamokin and its AFSCME employees - the street department and the city technician - expires at year's end. Public works account for $657,299, 23 percent, of the city's proposed general fund budget.

Mayor William D. Milbrand said city council will negotiate that contract itself.

He was among those who voted in 2013 to hire Barley Snyder for the police contract negotiations, and said he was pleased with the firm's work. At the time, he felt uncomfortable negotiating, and noted the city's poor fiscal condition.

Looking back, though, he believes it was a mistake.

"I think it probably was" a mistake, Milbrand said Monday. "Did we really need to spend money on that?"

CATAWISSA R.R. - The Southern Columbia Area Middle School has announced its honor roll for the first marking period of the 2014-15 school year.

Distinguished honor students have those with grade averages of 95 percent or better. Honor students are those with grade averages between 88 and 94 percent.

Distinguished honors

Grade 5 - Colby Bernhard, Chase Billig, Kole Biscoe, Natalie Bodnar, Morgan Brill, Jacob Cambria, Savich Chapman, Justin Chen, Chase Conway, Brock Dunkelberger, Brady Feese, Jaron Ferrara, Clarissa Fox, Gavin Garcia, Kelly Irons, Hanna Keller, Abigail Knouse, Avery Konyar, Matthew Masala, Elizabeth Miller, Mackenzie Palacz, Joseph Quinton, Kylee Reeder, Madison Reidinger, Kianna Rizzo, Wyatt Roadarmel, Giana Rovito, Carson Savitski, Cassidy Savitski, Tammy Schultz, Lauren Smith, Ella Trathen, Kathryn Waltman, Christian Woodruff, Michael Yancoskie, Patrick Yost and Michael Zsido.

Grade 6 - Joshua Bainbridge, Faith Callahan, Megan Champoux, Hannah Knoebel, Garrett Krebs, Meadow Morris, Katherine O'Donnell, Bryson Pita, Logan Potter, Campbell Reck, Karly Renn, Emma Schultz, Colin Sharrow, Sienna Sosnoski, Jayden Toczylousky and Paige Urban.

Grade 7 - Jared Broscious, Mikaela Brouse, Hailey Ciocco, Madison Colella, Jessica Delbo, Kayla Gallagher, Gaige Garcia, Gina Gratti, Cal Haladay, Cameron Haladay, Kayla Hauer, Braden Heim, Jacob Herr, Sophia Koschoff-Rapkin, Allyson Kranzel, Taylor LeVan, Kathryn Pollard, Lear Quinton, Emilia Raup, Brady Reese, Lauren Rose, Emma Rosko, Erick Shufeldt, Max Tillett, Aden Trathen, Chloe Wegrzynowicz, Rilyn Wisloski, Leslie Wolfe, Preston Zachman and Ronald Zsido.

Grade 8 - Zachary Bainbridge, Allison Beaver, Colt Bernhard, Hannah Bradley, Jadyn Brezinski, Carly Britch, Kari Cambria, Haleigh Carter, Autumn Chassie, Morgan Cole, Nathaniel Crowl, Hanna Davis, Benjamin Dodson, Troy Donlan, Jilian Dunkelberger, Jared Ebersole, Kortney Fasold, Susan Gembic, DeeDee George, Tiffany Horton, Gabriella Kaminski, Lindsey Kerstetter, Ethan Knoebel, Brooklynn Kuijpers, Allyson Leiby, Caitlyn Lichtel, Joseph Lobos, Meghan Longenhagen, Maria Maresca, Jillian Marks, Connor McGinley, Shane Miller, Michael Miner, Gabriel O'Donnell, Samantha Palacz, Jacob Petro, Sarah Rodriguez, Viktoria Romania, Haley Scopelliti, Marley Seger, Alec Sharrow, Cassandra Sharrow, Kevin Sincavage, Jacob Stahley, Michael Steele, Emma Steely, William Wegrzynowicz and Alexandra Willhouse.

Honor roll

Grade 5 - Emily Allen, Sarah Allen, Wesley Barnes, Landon Beagle, Clayton Bennage, Mallory Betts, Owen Bosworth, Gabrielle Bradigan, Ryan Brown, Stephanie Campbell, Ethan Carpenter, Nicholas Chesney, Evelyn Cook, Toren Cooper, Cailee Davis, Nataliah DeMarco, Emily Dodson, Michael Evert, Connor Gallagher Stanley Hodder, Rachel Hollenbach, Gatlin Hovenstine, Nathan Hoy, Matthew Hricenak, Reese Humphrey, Ryan Kerstetter, Liam Klebon, Abigail Knoebel, Olivia Long, Wyatt Mack, Rhiannon Marion, Hailee Mayernick, Mallory McBride, Rayne McCoog, Jillian Morgan, Alexander Morrison, Tyler Novak, Grace Persinger, Rylee Petro, Riley Reed, Austin Reeder, Janet Rodgers, Griffin Romania, Jake Rose, Faith Seedor, Dakota Simpson, Paige St. Andre, Marlee Swank, Olivia Thompson, Summer Tillett, Kailey Wagner, Ashley Whyne, Gauge Wommer, Lexi Yeager and Alexis Zanini.

Grade 6 - Kaleena Barcavage, Emily Bender, Zackariah Buono, Emily Callahan, Grace Callahan, Kaiden Carl, Taylor Christman, Kylee Danglovitch, Jacob Davis, Chase Derk, Tyler Derk, Lauren Duncan, Patrick Edmondson, Brionna Gallagher, Brandon Gedman, Maddelynn Griscavage, Tyler Hajdu, Chade Haladay, Cordell Helwig, Garrett Hummel, Tyler Jeffrey, Bradley Klaus, Jordan Letterman, Kayla Levan, Marissa Levan, Madison Longenhagen, Allie Lunger, Monica Maresca, Jennifer Maurer, Troy Meier, Ruth Miller, Nicholas Miner, Chase Petro, Jaymie Petro, Jaxson Purnell, Samantha Remaley, Addison Sharrow, Alexis Steenburg, Lucas Stewart, Tyler Waltman, Timothy Witcoskie, Ian Yoder and Thomas Ziemba.

Grade 7 - Evan Bebenek, Maura Blusius, Hannah Bridy, Victoria Brown, Camron Bugg, Grace Bzdak, Max Clark, Hunter Colosimo, Halle Cox, Elliott Dobson, Stephanie Dunkelberger, Tiffany Dunkelberger, Amelia Esposito, Ethan Haupt, Matthew Hess, Nathaniel Hicks, Nathan Hunsinger, Nathan Kearney, Makenna Keefer, Michelle Kerstetter, Wade Kerstetter, Brianna Kopp, Aaron Koschoff-Rapkin, Austin Leiby, Cade Linn, Sierra Long, Veronica Manuel, Morgan Marks, Gage Michael, Meghan Morrison, Ian Nevius, Ayzah Quinn, Ty Roadarmel, Elijah Rush, Keegan Shultz Alyssa Strocko, Joseph Szuler, Alicia Trathen, Brandon Walz, Bristol Welliver, Dorran Wetzel, Gage Whitenight, Thomas Williams and Mary Zakrzewski.

Grade 8 - Michael Adamski, Brett Brassington, Gavin Corrigan, Emily Davis, Meredith Fahringer, Alexus Fetterman, Jacob Gessner, Edward Gleeson, Chase Haught, Abigail Henrichs, Reese Houseknecht, Matthew Irons, Kaitlyn Karlovich, Nicole Kerstetter, Kaitlyn McHale, Calista Noll, Kevin Olvany, Rachyl Podpora, Bryce Reidinger, Michael Sabo, Cally Seidel, Parker Shadle, Johnathan Sherman, Oak Six, Cameryn Sock, John Stabinski, Madison Straub, Shayla Swartz, Riley Thomas and Ross Wertman.

'Magical Memories' event planned

MILTON - "Magical Memories" will hold its annual Christmas event for children from Union, Columbia, Montour, Snyder, Columbia, Lycoming and Northumberland counties who suffer from life threatening and terminal illnesses at 1 p.m. Dec. 6 at Christ Wesleyan Church, 363 Stamm Road.

More than 300 children and family members are expected to attend this day for the children to put their illness behind them for a moment.

The event will feature Woody Wolfe, Aaron Kelly, ventriloquists, magicians, crafts, professional photographers, Kozmo and Dexter from Knoebels Amusement Resort, Kingdom kid puppets, Troop 622 Boy scout troop, local sports teams, a candy buffet, balloon creations, Home Depot make and takes, chocolate fountains, games, photo booths, princess makeovers, Santa and Mrs. Claus and a petting zoo.

LARC service set for Sunday

SHAMOKIN - Annual service of "Sharing the Gift of Christ's Love," sponsored by Lutheran-Anglican-Roman Catholic (LARC) group, will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at Grace Lutheran Church, Chestnut and Seventh streets.

BURNSIDE - The Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area (AOAA) is throwing open its gate for hunters.

Drive-in hunters will be permitted to travel onto AOAA land on Monday, Dec. 1, Tuesday, Dec. 2, and Saturday, Dec. 6, through an opened gate on the upper access road, located just south of the trailhead driveway entrance on Route 125.

Operations Director Dave Porzi said hunters will be allowed to park anywhere along the upper access road between the gate on Route 125 and a predetermined point at least one mile onto the property.

Hunters can then walk from their selected parking space onto any part of AOAA land owned by Northumberland County.

Porzi, who will be voluntarily opening the gate around 4 a.m. and closing it at dusk, said he's had several people contact him for more information on the AOAA's hunting policy.

The policy permits walk-on hunting from dawn to dusk on days the park is not open for motorized use and from dawn to 9 a.m. on days when motorized users are allowed in the park. It also stipulates the park will close for motorized use for the first two weeks of rifle deer season, except on Sundays when hunting is not permitted by the state.

Hunters are "walk-on" only, except on the three days Porzi is opening the gate on the upper access road. He said hunters can also park along the paved cul-de-sac that leads into the park on any day hunting is permitted.

The volume of hunters that will use the AOAA's lands is unknown as the park is in its first year. Porzi and the AOAA authority have indicated during the policy-making process that the number of drive-in and motorized use closure days will be adjusted for next year based on the popularity of hunting AOAA lands this year.

COAL TOWNSHIP - Shamokin Area Elementary School announced its distinguished honor roll and honor roll for the first marking period of the 2014-15 school year.

The honor roll is based on the average of the major subjects. Distinguished honors is the range of 95 to 100 percent and honor roll is 90 to 94 percent, along with earning "satisfactory" in conduct and minor subjects.

Distinguished honors

Grade 6: Amanda Angstadt, Alexa Bainbridge, Joshua Bashore, Jonathan Bevan, Shane Billings, Emilee Bland, Tia Bressi, Devin Britton, Nathan Buranich, Alexis Carl, Olivia Coller, Emma Dailey, John Davalos, Joseph Daya III, Ryleigh Faust, Victoria Fellin, Adam Guzik, Blake Harris, Olivia Haupt, Austen Heffner, Tyler Kalman, Rosalind Kane, Jaden Kodack, Hayden Kramer, Emma Kramer, Kali Leiby, Destinee Leonard, Maximus Madden, Diana Martinez, Rylie McCarty, Jarret Miller, Grace Nazih, Nicolas Neidig, Ariana Nolter, Ian Paul, Nathanael Pennell, Alyssa Persing, Brent Reed, Sydney Rhoads, Mackenzie Roman, Megan Roman, Aleyna Russell, Casen Sandri, Kathryn Slotterback, Jadyn Slovick, Destiny Smith, Mackenzie Snyder, Gwen Sulouff, Elizabeth Swilp, Haelee Taylor, Tyler Whary, Kayla Yadlosky and Emma Zimmerman.

Grade 5: Exsomiah Alvarado, Kathleen Amato, Cameron Annis, Skye Balonis, Adam Bentinez, Makenzie Bixler, Sarah Blenkinsop, Kameron Bowers, Mackenzie Clattenburg, Benjamin Cohoon, Abigail Cryts, Dominic Delorso, Robert Depeal, Dominic Diehl, Brian Donner, Matthew Erb, Rachael Fortune, Tricity Frederick, Kayla Harvey, Mason Hogancamp, Emily Honicker, Sarah Hoover, Annie Hornberger, David Kaleta, Isabelle Kapushinski, Skye Keefer, Craig Kerstetter, Garrett Kitchen, John Kodack III, Cynthia Loftus, Colton Lynch, Riley Macaluso, Iris McKown, Marcus Moyer, Morgan Nolter, Carson Ososkie, Bryce Pancher, Airin Petrovich, Noah Phillips, Hunter Rodman, Brenden Rogers, Ethan Roughton, Mackenzie Rowe, Hannah Schaeffer, Dallas Scicchitano, Colin Seedor, Claudia Seidel, Jadyn Shipe, Airiana Smallwood, Carter Smink, Madisen Smith, Sarah Snavely, Owen Sosnoski, Henry Stevens, Taylor Swank, Kyle Todd and Madyson Waugh.

Grade 4: Madox Bailey, Hannah Bashore, Brandon Bellis, Mackenzie Bogetti, Dahlia Brabitz, Sebastian Clymer, Sarina Cramer, Blake Fryberger, Octavia Henninger, Rylee Herman, Chloe Kalman, Kennedy Kerstetter, Princess Kiracofe, Carter Kramer, Blake Lahr, Selena Lin, Madison Lippay, Nathan Long, Stephanie Martinez, Gracie Maschuck, Jayden McKeen IV, Ayden Mikulak, Evelyn Murphy, Brett Nye, Emma Nye, Rylee Pensyl, Kolin Redd, Madison Rodman, Molly Rossnock, Rylie Sanders, Macie Sassani, Mikayla Seedor, Scott Segedy Jr., Eliana Seidel, Sophia Sienkiewicz, Rachel Slotterback, Camden Smith, Emily Smith, Samantha Stancavage, Emily Stanton, Sydney Startzel, Camry Steinhart, Gabrielle Thomas, Madison Thomas, Lillian Yost, Shain Yost and Eric Zalar.

Honor roll

Grade 6: Charles Allen, Hunter Bates, Thomas Bramhall, Kaine Bressi, Madison Bridy, Brianna Bullock, Sean Calabro, Faith Carpenter, Grace Carpenter, Katye Clark, Gavin Degreen, Kyele Dehoutaint, William Delbaugh, Paige Ditzel, Diana Faust, Aaron Frasch, Madison Frey, Jackson Hancock, Seth Hart, Thomas Herrold, Carole Hinkle, Gabrielle Kurtz, Aaron Leiby, Brenton McCaffery, Kierstyn McDonald, Dennis Mcfee, Matthew Metzger, Bryanna Molzon, Edward Morales, Ashlea Oakum, Ariel Sauer, Akeya Schartiger, Corrina Schweinebraten, Aaron Shicora, Caleb Shingara, Jessica Simpson, Joseph Tarr Jr., Nicholas Velez, Brionna Wyland, Freyja Yeager and Michael Zimmerman II.

Grade 5: Skye Adams, Wade Alleman, Samantha Bainbridge, Kloey Baney, Jenna Barker, Maddisyn Barrett, Julissa Bednar, Dylan Briggs, Logan Brill, Jada Burd, Gina Carapellucci, Terelina Conbeer, Brent Costa, Jordan Cruse, Braelyn Duncheskie, Abigail Eschbach, Anthony Feudale, Zandra Finkelstein, Adam Furr, Savana Gordon, Robert Harvey, Destiny Hinkle, Layla Hunter, Caydin Kern, Frank Kinger, Mitchell Knowles, Kalli Lahr, Dominic Michaels, Savannah Monroe, Xavier Negron, Samantha Nicola, Gavin Nye, Brianna Pancher, Odin Rabka, Michael Roman, Joseph Sacco IV, Anastasia Schank, Rachael Schoch, Libby Shingara, Paige Shingara, Jesse Shultz, Kandi Slodysko, Scott Snyder Jr., John Swank, Clara Swinehart, Daimyan Thorpe, Sarah Vazquez, Isabella Wagner, Allison Walters, Emily Wheary, Elyse Whitmer, Jesse Worgen and Alexis Zawalick.

Grade 4: Corey Adams, Autumn Barnes, Mikala Bressi, Jenna Calabro, Maya Calabro, Dylan Chamberlain, Aidan Clark, Austin Dabrowski, Cole Dangler, Isaac Deivert, Christopher Dinoia, Grace Donahue, Jude Frye, Samantha Geiswite, Yediel Gonzalez-Ayla, Mackenzie Greager, Madilyn Herb, Zakary Herman, Devin Jurevicz, Ethan Kauffman, Peyton Korbich, Korbin Kramer, Jason Leiby, Carly Lubeskie, Victoria Maryott, Connor Mattern, Airis McCarty, Brayden Mensch, Desiree Michaels, Broc Nye, Agam Patel, Sean Poe Jr., Melody Powell, Payten Puttmann, Katherine Rapp, Destiny Rubio, Aydenn Sanders, Lawrence Sayles, Karlsen Schaffer, Luke Sejuit, Tucker Snyder, Henry Straub, Daren Sulouff, Jocelyn Surace, Mariah Vetovich, Nicholas Voelcker, Kaitlyn Wary, Emilee Williams, Brayden Wright, Elizabeth Zalar and Ryder Zulkowski.

Fourth in an occasional series

Two-thirds of what became the Line Mountain School District had already been a functioning jointure for 18 years when the new district was formed in 1966.

The Mahanoy Joint School District, comprising municipalities in southwestern Northumberland County, began operations in 1948. The jointure included Herndon Borough and Jackson, Jordan, Lower Augusta, Lower Mahanoy, Upper Mahanoy and Washington townships.

The Mahanoy Joint merger posed something of a quandary for Zerbe Township because, as The News-Dispatch reported, about one-third of the high school student population at Trevorton High School was from some of these rural townships. The newspaper talked about recent efforts by Zerbe school officials to try to effect mergers of its own with some of the districts that eventually made their way into Mahanoy Joint.

Zerbe Township obviously recognized that some kind of school merger was inevitable. The Zerbe district was placed, along with Little Mahanoy and West Cameron townships, two small districts that frequently utilized Trevorton schools, in a hypothetical new district, "Unit 8," in a 1953 reorganization plan prepared by the Northumberland County School Board. However, the state Department of Public Instruction rejected Unit 8 because of its small size.

Despite this setback, Little Mahanoy continued to demonstrate its preference for a Trevorton-led jointure. In the summer of 1956, the Little Mahanoy board voted to close its two remaining elementary schools and send all of its students to Zerbe on a tuition basis. Prior to that decision, only high school students from Little Mahanoy attended Zerbe.

Efforts continued to persuade the state to accept a "Trevorton Area Schools" consolidation, with a new version of the plan proposing an alignment of Zerbe, Little Mahanoy, West Cameron and Shamokin townships. Shamokin Township had been involved in joint school agreements with Shamokin City, so the Shamokin School Board was not happy about a potential Shamokin Township alignment elsewhere. According to accounts in the Shamokin News-Dispatch, Shamokin School Board was approached on March 11, 1956, about the possibility of joining the Zerbe jointure but declined, citing its involvement in a jointure with East Cameron Township.

In the May 1957 primary election, Shamokin Township residents, voting in a non-binding referendum, expressed their opposition to a Trevorton merger by a margin of 259-175. This expression of public opinion, as well as continuing state concerns that a proposed Trevorton Area configuration would be too small, combined to effectively kill the proposal. Total enrollment, using 1957 figures, would have been 1,176 students.

Another proposed reorganization plan involving Coal Township, Shamokin and East Cameron, West Cameron, Little Mahanoy, Zerbe and Shamokin townships was the subject of a January 1958 informal discussion sponsored by the Shamokin School Board.

A revised Northumberland County reorganization plan completed in 1960 placed Zerbe, West Cameron and Little Mahanoy townships in a proposed "Administrative Unit 6," along with Shamokin, Coal Township and East Cameron and Shamokin townships. There was sentiment for placing Zerbe, West Cameron and Little Mahanoy instead in "Unit 5," which comprised the municipalities then affiliated with Mahanoy Joint. The county school board favored that change as an obvious precursor to a Zerbe-Mahanoy Joint merger.

Zerbe, Little Mahanoy and West Cameron townships joined Coal Township in filing an appeal with the Department of Public Instruction against another incarnation of a school reorganization plan drafted by the Northumberland County School Board in 1962. That plan would have united 13 municipalities - from Little Mahanoy on the west end to Centralia on the east - into a mega-district.

The four townships claimed that this large alignment would threaten plans for a new technical school and argued at one point that the plan should be abandoned in favor of Coal, Zerbe, Little Mahanoy and West Cameron combining to form their own district.

Progress was reported in The News-Dispatch on June 1, 1965 on planning for the new school merger. Boards from the seven districts that comprise Mahanoy Joint, as well as boards from Zerbe, Little Mahanoy and West Cameron were all represented at a meeting. It was noted then that Little Mahanoy, an independently operating district, was sending all its students to Zerbe. West Cameron was still maintaining an elementary school but was paying tuition to send students to Trevorton High School.

On Dec. 3, 1965, the News-Dispatch reported some sentiment on the Zerbe Township School Board for a merger with Shamokin Area. However, later that month, an interim board was established to facilitate planning for the Line Mountain merger.

The Class of 1966 - 50 students in all, from Zerbe, Little Mahanoy and West Cameron townships - was the last to graduate from Trevorton High School. Ninety-eight seniors graduated from Mahanoy Joint the same year.

SHAMOKIN - While retailers nationwide faced thinning crowds on Black Friday, local shopkeepers were thrilled with the turnout for Small Business Saturday.

Small Business Saturday was started in 2010 by American Express as a way to incorporate small businesses into one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year.

Sherri Shebelsky, president and owner of Bader's Fine Furniture, 704 N. Liberty St., Shamokin, said that, so far, this holiday season has been the store's busiest since 2009.

"We had some lean years prior to this year," she said. "It's a much better year this year."

She noticed an uptick in customers about two weeks ago and said the store was busy all day during Small Business Saturday.

Shimock's Furniture, 900 Chestnut St., Kulpmont, also hosted a steady flow of customers. Salesclerks were showing several groups of customers couches, chairs and vanities in the early afternoon.

While a furniture store may not immediately jump to mind as a place to go for Christmas gifts, Shebelsky said small furniture pieces, such as recliners and lamps, have been popular during the holiday season.

Whole room sets also sell during the holiday season, she said. She recalled a customer who bought an entire bedroom suite to give as a Christmas gift.

"They asked us to wrap it - and we did!" she said, laughing.

Hardware - and toys

Reid Bergeron, manager at Scicchitano's Ace Hardware, 27 N. Oak St., Mount Carmel, said that he's noticed an increase in sales this year.

"It's been busy for the past couple days," he said, adding that Friday is still the more popular shopping day at the store.

Bergeron said the store carried some toys like Tonka trucks, but that many customers also came in to buy accessories and batteries for gifts purchased elsewhere.

William Bielski, assistant manager of Jones Hardware, 115 E. Independence St., Shamokin, said the most popular item at the store on Saturday was a large rolling toolbox that sold out early in the day.

He said the store has long been a common place to find gifts for fathers, but this year the store also opted to stock more toys.

"Cleaning products are popular, too, in terms of gifts," Bielski said.

Suits and candy

Jeff Whipple, a salesclerk at Matlow's, 141 S. Oak St., Mount Carmel, said suit jackets were a popular item at the men's clothier during Small Business Saturday. The store offered 50 percent off of all sport coats throughout the day.

"This morning was very busy," he said.

One block away at Catino Vino , 23 S. Oak St., Mount Carmel, Art Catino was busy answering questions on wine kits and corks.

"I'm very busy," he said.

His wife, Maria Catino, said her neighboring store, Catino's Candy and Gift Shop, had seen so many customers earlier in the day she called over to Art for help. He responded that he could not come because he also had his hands full.

"It was a great day," she said.

SHAMOKIN - Slower business than expected will not deter local independent salespeople from returning next year for a spot in a storefront organized by the Brush Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce for Small Business Saturday.

About 15 vendors were expected to sell various home party merchandise - Scentsy, Mary Kay, Primitive Crafts and others - in the storefront next to Susquehanna Bank downtown Saturday, but only five showed.

Lisa Wengrenovich, who operated a table selling Scentsy products, attributed the poor turnout to the weather.

"This morning didn't start out so great," said Wengrenovich. "We had snow and sleet."

Diana Rafter, proprietor of Diana Rafter's Handmade Country Primatives, said she had several customers interested in her collection of holiday décor throughout the morning. Her most popular items were "sitters," large flat snowmen and Santas.

The low foot traffic isn't deterring Rafter from returning for future Small Business Saturdays.

"I'm going to shoot for it next year," she said.

Wengrenovich also plans to return, and already has ideas of how to improve the storefront, including creating bigger, more eye-catching signage to alert passersby to the location.

"The first year's always tough," she said.

Autumn came late to Paris this year. After a summer of rain and cold, September and October were two months of warm, sunny days. On Nov. 1, All Saints Day, a holiday in France, families picnicked outside and sunbathers peeled off jackets to bask in the light of a generous mid-autumn sun. Leaves on the trees remained mostly green, with here and there a splash of pale yellow. Autumn, the season of crisp air, crisp Macintosh apples and hillsides aflame with color (my memories of the season in Schuylkill County), was nowhere in sight.

By mid-November things had changed. Temperatures dropped, gray skies returned and rain washed away the dusty remains of summer so that autumn could finally settle in. Keeping up a family tradition - in the fall, with my mother and aunt, I often took a Sunday afternoon walk along the western slope of Sharp Mountain or in the woods behind our home - I set out to search for autumn in what I consider my "backyard," the neighborhood where I live.

In Schuylkill County, autumn is easy to find. Most towns are nestled in valleys or gaps between the ridges of the Blue Mountain chain of the Appalachians. Lifting their eyes to the hills, residents can take in a riot of fall color. In the surrounding countryside, dry corn stalks rattle in the wind, and backyards are carpeted with fallen leaves that need to be raked.

In Paris, I lift my eyes to a gray sky and lower them (remember, I'm on the sixth floor) to macadam and gray facades, cars and buses. Craning my neck, further up the street, I can see a few chestnut trees whose leaves turn from green to brown and then fall. The next step is for municipal workers to blast them off sidewalks with leaf blowers while blasting the ears of anyone within a 100-foot radius.

The view from my living room window is not promising, but my "backyard" is full of surprises, proof that autumn in the city has splendors all its own. For example, in Belleville Park at La Maison de l'air, "the House of Air," a modern structure with a glass facade, where visitors can learn about atmospheric conditions in Paris, I meet Agnes Joly, an agricultural engineer. To explain her work to us, she takes time off from tending her aquaponic garden, a long row of above-ground edible plants fertilized by dozens of gold fish swimming in a pool at the garden's base.

Founder of Joly Mer (mer means sea), Agnes has been chosen by the city of Paris to develop aquaponic gardening as part of a plan to promote urban farming and innovative green spaces. In her above-ground garden, Agnes is tending three separate plant beds, each devoted to a different form of urban gardening, all thriving without soil. In a modular unit holding several small pots, kale, chives and basil take root among clay pebbles receiving a balanced flow of oxygen, nutrients and water. In one unit, plants receive mineral fertilizers (hydroponics), in another, organic (bioponics), and in the third (aquaponics), the fish provide the nourishment the plants need.

Using less water than traditional agriculture, with no need of soil, above-ground gardens of this type can be installed almost anywhere, even in a city apartment, and the ultimate goal, as in traditional truck gardens, is to give city dwellers access to fresh, locally grown produce. And that is Agnes Joly's plan: to sell her fresh greens and herbs to Parisian restaurants, proving that aquaponics is a viable economic and ecological model of urban farming.

On a crisp autumn day, against a changing Parisian sky, Agnes tends her garden, one moment awash in sunlight, the next, darkened by threatening black clouds. A few steps away, in the same hillside park, the leaves turn red and orange on the vines of one of the city's oldest vineyards, still producing Chardonnay grapes. Centuries ago, these vineyards belonged to one of the abbeys that farmed the hills above Paris, irrigating their crops with the water of nearby springs.

Wandering through my neighborhood, I come across vestiges of that long-ago time in street names: rue des Cascades (waterfalls), rue de la Mare (pond) or rue Savies, named after an underground spring first mentioned in a document dating back to the 11th century. It was one of many still surging from sources beneath the hill where I live. With fields and vineyards located far from the Seine, the monks understood the value of these springs and watched over them as carefully as they did their crops, building springhouses and stone trenches with descending steps to control the water's flow.

They called each springhouse a "regard" because it was the place where monks could not only observe the workings of the source but also care for it. In rue des Cascades, a fine specimen still remains, a small building made from cut stone, with a sloped stone roof. Built in the early 17th century, known as "le regard Saint Martin," it protects Savies spring, which flowed naturally from its source until 1986, when the construction of an apartment building got in the way.

On a recent walk I found the door open and got to step inside. A local historian, holding a gas lantern, showed us the steps along which the spring flows, thick with lime deposits. This is very hard water, neither good for boiling or working up a sudsy lather. For centuries, however, it served agriculture and industry in the section of Paris known as Belleville.

Leaving the "regard" behind, we climb stone steps, crossing a small wood. Somewhere among the trees another springhouse is hidden. In the woods, leaves are falling, some orange, some bright yellow. Not yet five o'clock on a Sunday afternoon and already dusk is closing in.

In Paris, too, autumn has finally arrived. This is the urban version, where we can come across a micro-farm or a springhouse hundreds of years old. With luck, we may see some bursts of fall color and, above our heads, the expanse of a magnificent autumn sky.

(Honicker can be reached at honicker.republicanherald@gmail.com)