SUNBURY - A certification hearing to determine if a Sunbury teen charged with felony drug offenses will be tried as an adult was continued Wednesday until the juvenile undergoes a drug and alcohol evaluation.

Northumberland County President Judge William H. Wiest continued the hearing for 17-year-old Brandon Adams until May 28. The proceeding was open to the public because it involved felony charges.

Adams is charged by Sunbury police through juvenile authorities with possession with intent to deliver marijuana and conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver marijuana involving an April 15 drug raid by Northumberland-Montour Drug Task Force at his home at 122 N. Fifth St.

After extensive deliberations in his chambers with attorneys in the case, Wiest said he wanted to wait for the results of the evaluation before conducting the hearing. He ordered the evaluation be conducted May 19.

Adams, who was returned to Northwestern Academy in Coal Township, was represented by Attorney James Best, who reserved comment about the continuance, as did Northumberland County Assistant District Attorney Julia Skinner.

Adams' parents, Earl M. Adams Sr., 66, and Linda D. Adams, 50, along with his girlfriend, Cheyenne R. Ross, 20, who all reside at 122 N. Fifth St., also were charged with felony drug offenses in the raid and are awaiting preliminary hearings. They remain free on bail.

After the hearing, Brandon Adams embraced his parents and brother in the lobby outside the courtroom while saying to each other, "I love you."

Attorney Greg Stuck, representing Earl and Linda Adams, also was present. He declined comment.

Juvenile authorities are attempting to certify the charges to adult court because they believe the teen is not amenable to treatment in the juvenile system. Adams and his attorney are trying to keep the charges in juvenile court.

Approximately $52,000 in drugs, cash and possessions were seized during the raid, including a Ford Mustang and three motorcycles.

The drug bust was a result of a site visit by the county's juvenile and adult probation departments. Police said Earl and Linda Adams fled their home before law enforcement arrived April 15. Brandon Adams, who is on probation, was home at the time.

SHAMOKIN - The Northumberland County Council for the Arts and Humanities (NCCAH) Gallery will present the artwork of Danville artist Nicole Polanichka beginning with an opening reception at 6:30 p.m. today. Live instrumental music will be provided by local guitarist George Chamuris and free light refreshments will be served by the arts council.

Nicole Polanichka was raised in Dalton,the granddaughter of anthracite coal miners from Scranton. She has been creating things for as long as she can remember. On the walls of her childhood home, there remain images produced by small, inexperienced hands. As soon as she could write, cards that were handcrafted and doodling kept her from being bored in school.

Fueled by a strong dislike of fast food, she set up a mural-painting business in high school to earn extra cash. After high school, she formally trained in the visual arts at Princeton University, where she received the Louis Sudler Award for the Arts. Her work has been shown in galleries throughout northeastern and central Pennsylvania, Princeton, N.J., and in the Triangle area of North Carolina.

Polanichka is currently based in Danville, where she has a studio. She continues to study and tend to the human mind.

She can be contacted at nicolepolanichka@hotmail.com Her blog is at www.nicolepolanichka.blogspot.com.

The gallery is located at 2 E. Arch St., inside the Northumberland County Career and Arts Center on the first floor. Guests should use the rear lower handicapped entrance and follow signs once inside the building. Parking is provided in the rear of the building. This event is free and the public is invited to attend.

Contact gallery director Claude Harrington for information about the gallery at 973-632-2513. For more information about the Northumberland County Council for the Arts and Humanities, contact director Jeanne Shaffer at 570-850-9121.

KULPMONT - The April 23 meeting of the Kulpmont American Legion Post 231 was called to order by the commander, Albert Goodlunas. In its opening ceremonies, members saluted the colors while Chaplain Robert Daniels offered a prayer. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Bill Bridgeford in unison with the members, who also read the Preamble to the American Legion Constitution and the Resolution 288 POW/MIA was read.

Goodlunas recognized a guest at the meeting, retired Air Force Serviceman Richard Witrosky, visiting from Utah to see his mother, Rose Witrosky.

The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved along with the financial report. The financial report was approved on an Andy Bednarchick-Bill Bridgeford motion.

Nominations for post positions will be made at the June 25 meeting. Sign up sheets can be found on the post home bulletin board.

In unfinished business, Dave Bozza gave a bid to fix the sidewalk at the post home, three other contractors were contacted but no other bids were received. Members approved a motion to accept Bozza's bid.

Thank you letters were received from the Kulpmont Knights of Columbus, The Lower Augusta Fire Department and the Pa. Wounded Warrior Run program for the donations made to their organizations.

In new business, members approved donations to the Northumberland County Career and Technology Center for graduation awards to welding students and an electrician, and to St. Pauline's Center for its children's circus with proceeds from that to benefit Camp Pauline.

On May 16, members will place flags on veterans graves, those participating are asked to meet at the Legion at 9 a.m. On May 24, Holy Angels Church is sponsoring a breakfast for all veterans at the church's activity center after 8:30 a.m. mass. There is no charge as the church puts this on as a thank you for your service.

In his closing remarks, Goodlunas spoke about honoring veterans when they pass away, and wouldn't be remiss if he didn't mention the people who are part of the funeral detail.

"These men, no matter what weather it was, snow, rain, cold weather and below zero temperatures," Goodlunas said. "We are in need of more volunteers, the people now serving are getting older. Currently we have men on the detail in the late 60s-early 70s and some as high in age as 88 and 89."

The meeting was closed with prayer and the retiring of the colors.

SUNBURY - The Department of Transportation initiated a safety study for the Route 61 Veterans Memorial Bridge in July 2012 to evaluate possible safety improvement measures for the bridge. The study resulted in one safety improvement measure being implemented in 2013 and two others are now planned for 2016, PennDOT reported.

In 2013, the centerline stripes were repainted to provide a greater distance between opposing directions of traffic. This fall, a second project will be bid to install a high skid resistant surface to the bridge and install centerline delineators. Construction will occur in 2016 due to the temperature restraints associated with installing the surface, which will allow for better vehicle maneuverability and improved stopping distance.

The centerline delineators will add a vertical element between opposing direction of traffic to improve driver awareness of the centerline.

Construction of the project will require temporary traffic control measures that may result in traffic delays. PennDOT is working with local government officials, local businesses and emergency responders to try to minimize the disruption. PennDOT will also be taking additional measures to minimize the disruption to traffic on the bridge by performing some of the items of work at night and accelerating the schedule for the project as much as feasible.

PennDOT's 2012 study came the same month Kirk Mahaffey, 22, and his 3-year-old son, Mayson, of Northumberland, died after their vehicle was struck by a Jeep that crossed over the center line.

COAL TOWNSHIP - A 20-year-old New York man was hospitalized Monday after suffering head injuries when his bicycle struck a truck in Springfield.

Police reported Timothy L. Lutz, 58, of 146 Moore Lane, Shamokin, was driving a 1999 Ford F-250 truck north on Sherman Street at 12:30 p.m. when a bicycle operated by Nathan Mills, of 2310 Midland Ave., Syracuse, N.Y., struck the left side of the truck after Mills failed to stop for a stop sign while riding east on Pulaski Avenue.

Mills, who was transported by AREA Services Ambulance to Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, was in fair condition Wednesday, according to a nursing supervisor.

The truck sustained moderate damage to its box area, while the bike sustained severe damage.

Chief of Police William Carpenter, who investigated the accident, said a stop sign violation is pending against Mills.

Expect delays today on Rt. 11

NORTHUMBERLAND - Motorists traveling on Route 11 between Northumberland and Danville in Point Township are advised that traffic will be restricted to a single lane from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. today while a contractor sets barriers in a work zone. Traffic will be controlled by flaggers.

Motorists should expect delays.

Holy Day of Obligation celebrated

MOUNT CARMEL - Ascension Thursday, Holy Day of Obligation, will be celebrated at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, 47 S. Market St., with Masses at 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. today.

Ralpho yard sale scheduled

ELYSBURG - The Ralpho Township Business Association will sponsor the 19th annual township-wide yard sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The event is rain or shine. It's billed as "bigger and better" each year, with sales throughout the community. Organizers ask that vehicles be parked responsibly and with respect to others' properties.

SUNBURY - A Coal Township man charged with heroin-related offenses and four burglaries pleaded guilty to multiple charges in seven cases Monday just prior to jury selection.

Eric Weikel, 35, entered the pleas before Northumberland County President Judge William H. Wiest to a felony of possession with intent to deliver heroin, four felony counts of burglary and two misdemeanor counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Weikel's pleas call for a state prison sentence of four to eight years and full restitution.

He will be sentenced within 90 days following a pre-sentence investigation into his background. Additional charges will not be prosecuted.

The charges relate to incidents in Shamokin and Coal Township in the fall of 2013. Weikel is accused of selling heroin to a confidential informant and committing four burglaries.

Northumberland County District Attorney Ann Targonski commended Assistant District Attorneys William Cole and Michael Toomey for their prosecution of the cases.

KULPMONT - After years of debate on what to do about a new borough complex, council has voted to purchase the former East End Fire Company social hall to use as its new borough building and police station.

The news was discussed at Tuesday night's regular monthly council meeting, but the vote came last week.

Minutes of a May 5 meeting, distributed and approved Tuesday night, show the board unanimously approved the purchase of the building from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a price quoted in April, $250,000.

Records show seven members of council and appointed borough officials present, but no one from the public.

Before the minutes were approved Tuesday, council President Bruno Varano asked the borough secretary

to make a correction, saying it was a regular meeting, not a special meeting as written.

Varano said after Tuesday's meeting council advertised in the beginning of the year that the governing body can hold a meeting every Tuesday for "general purposes."

In their public notice ad announcing the 2015 meeting schedule, the language reads, "The remaining Tuesdays of each month will be reserved for meetings for general purposes if needed."

Melissa Melewsky, media law counsel for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, said she doesn't believe the intent of the state's Sunshine Law was followed in this case.

"The law requires specificity, meaning a date, time and location, and saying 'we might meet at 7 p.m. on any Tuesday' isn't specific and doesn't announce a meeting date," Melewsky said. "The public can't be expected to guess when this kind of meeting might take place."

Based on Kulpmont's ad, Melewsky said the public would have to show up every Tuesday on the off chance a meeting might happen.

"The law allows agencies to call and properly advertise special meetings when the regular meeting schedule isn't enough, and they should have done so in this situation." Melewsky said.

Varano said Wednesday council was already planning to meet for a executive session on contractual and personnel matters, but when an email was received from the USDA on April 30 stating the federal branch of the agency had approved the purchase, he wanted to strike while the iron was hot.

"We have nothing to hide; we just want to get this project moving," he said Wednesday. "We said at our April meeting that when we got the approval, we were going to do it in order to keep the process going."

Borough solicitor William Cole said Wednesday the ad is correct in giving a date, time and place for every meeting, if it is needed. Cole said the inconvenience goes both ways.

"It is possible that council could meet every Tuesday during the year, and if that wasn't enough and a special meeting was to be called, we would advertise it," he said.

The single advertisement also makes sense economically, the solicitor said.

"If council met outside the 12 regular monthly meeting dates, it would have to be advertised, which costs extra money, This way, one ad covers us for the year," he said.

Also at the May 5 meeting, the board voted to contact B3 Architects, of Sunbury, for a quote on designing plans for renovations of the East End building, with a cap of $25,000. The firm was recommended by the USDA to give an estimated cost on renovating the former social hall as Kulpmont was considering bids build a new borough hall and garage on Fir Street that were between $1.3 and $1.8 million.

At Tuesday's meeting, council member Stephen Motyka spoke about Baer's quote, received Tuesday morning. While they didn't release the number, Motyka called it "unacceptable."

"The number is way too high," Motyka said. "At this point, I recommend we hold off until we speak with (B3 architect) Rocky Baer for a new quote. If that doesn't work, we will put out a request for new proposals."

A preliminary quote Baer gave on renovating the former social hall put the price at $400,000 to turn it into borough offices and a police station. Motyka said a couple architects he recently spoke with put the fees for drawing up plans at 6 to 7 percent of the bid price. Using the $400,000, that would put the architect's price about $24,000 to $28,000.

With council agreeing to purchase the East End building, Kulpmont has abandoned any plans for a new building. On May 5, council voted to reject all bids for the Fir Street project and return the bid bonds.

Following a lengthy discussion on possible demolition of the former Wilson Grade School, the borough's current complex, council directed Cole to contact Mount Carmel Area School District solicitor Edward Greco about the district turning over the deed for the building.

BEAR GAP - A Cleveland Township family's home burned Wednesday morning, causing major damage to a kitchen and bedroom.

According to Locust Township Police Chief Allen Breach, smoke was reported rising from the eaves of a home at 59 Jackson Road, about three miles east of Route 54 at Bear Gap, north of the Roaring Creek tract of the Weiser State Forrest.

Emergency responders were dispatched about 9:45 a.m. Breach said flames were visible through a kitchen window. Firefighters initiated an interior attack.

"Once they had the first line inside, they probably had it out within the first 20 to 30 minutes, tops," Breach said.

The kitchen appeared destroyed, Breach said. Flames burned through the ceiling and into a bedroom, causing heavy damage. There was smoke and water damage throughout the home. A state police fire marshal from the Hazleton station is expected on scene today to investigate.

The home is owned by Christine and Mike Kemmerer, who reside with their three children. No one was inside at the time, Breach said.

Responding to the scene were units from Numidia, Elysburg, Overlook, Natalie, Aristes, Catawissa, Montour Township and Bloomsburg.

LEWISBURG - Coming soon to a video screen near you: An original documentary, "One Man, One Museum, One Community, Shamokin's Fire History."

Produced by undergraduates at Bucknell University, it is the story of the City of Shamokin's fire department, the Rescue Fire Museum and John F. Smith. Smith, long-time dispatcher for the city's police and fire departments who died Aug. 14, 2014, at the age of 83, was the guiding force behind the creation of the museum and the community's recognized authority on local fire department history.

The 15-minute video, which was completed at the end of April as a semester project, is the collaborative effort of the seven students who were enrolled in a video ethnography class taught by Carl Milofsky, a sociology professor. Students, all from diverse backgrounds and academic interests, planned the video in the beginning weeks of the spring semester, then spent six weeks preparing for, arranging and conducting interviews in Shamokin with Mayor William Milbrand and four

members of the Rescue Fire Company, viewing and editing video copy and, finally, condensing hours of footage into the final cinematic product.

Down to the wire

The video was a work in progress up to the convening of the students' last scheduled class of the semester on April 28. With minutes to spare, students made the final edits just in time to show their results to Milofsky and his colleague, Brianna Derr, an instructional technologist on the Bucknell staff who helped with the class.

Appearing on the video, in addition to Milbrand, were Bob Wolfe, Bill Smoogen, Lester Yohe and Corey Pilkus. The video was planned as a serious, but informal, way of studying the community, and the students viewed the project as a serious sociological study.

The interviews with the five Shamokin "subjects" captured the pride the firefighters have for the community and the fire department's heritage as well as the challenges they experience in maintaining the same level of services in a city with serious financial problems and a shrinking population.

"I doubt if we will ever get back to our heyday when anthracite was king," Milbrand said during his on-camera interview. "But I want Shamokin to always be a nice place to live, a nice place for people to bring up their families."

Star of the show

Firefighters described the early history of Shamokin's fire companies and the vital role the companies still play not only in public safety, but in supporting education and athletic opportunities for area youth, providing social opportunities and aiding community improvement projects. Acknowledging that consolidation of companies is bound to be the wave of the future, they spoke in some detail about the merger that has already taken place between the Rescue and Liberty companies.

The real "star" of the video is Smith, who appears briefly in archival footage. The mayor and firefighters praise him for turning what was once a former city-owned public rest room into a repository for Shamokin's fire history. No one knew more about that history than Smith who, over the years, collected information about fires as they occurred in real time and spent hours upon hours researching fires of the past. Smith, more than anyone else, preserved this important part of Shamokin's heritage, and firefighters lamented that much of Shamokin's ongoing history is now in danger of being "lost" because he is no longer around to preserve it.

The city fire museum moved into its quarters at Liberty and Lincoln streets in the fall of 1997, but for nearly two decades prior to that, Smith's collection of local fire memorabilia was housed in the Rescue Fire Company garage.

Global perspective

The students - four senior men and three sophomore women - working on the project all come from places far different than Shamokin. They were: Colin Sygrove, of New York City, an economics and political science major; Clayton McManus, of Baltimore, an economics major; Connor Hayes, of New Jersey, an economics and geography major; Abu Chowdhury, of Bangladesh, who majored in economics and minored in sociology; Michelle Lutz, of the San Francisco area, a marketing innovation and design major; Laura Lujan, of Los Angeles, majoring in English and sociology, and Stephanie Salazar, a sociology major from Houston. Only two of the students - McManus and Hayes - were previously familiar with Shamokin because they had visited the city with their friend and Bucknell classmate, Brandon Pesarchick.

Milofsky explained that the course asked students to use their personal observations of the community and informal interviews and conversations to tell a sociological study. Milofsky learned about the existence of the fire museum through Steve Bartos, of Mount Carmel, with whom we worked on other community projects. Bartos also formerly served as the city's chief clerk.

Milofsky was impressed with the rich visual opportunities that the museum provides for telling part of Shamokin's history, but it was the seven students themselves who unanimously agreed to use Shamokin as the video topic.

Sygrove said initially the class was considering the selection of a project closer to home - an entrepreneur class at Bucknell. "When we heard about the fire history museum, we thought it was more important," he explained. "We all decided we wanted to do the video on the museum because the entrepreneur study would have turned into more of a documentary than sociological research."

Milofsky, who is greatly impressed with the museum, hopes he and others from Bucknell can eventually help the city in organizing and cataloguing materials there. "In the short term, for this semester, my students decided the starting point was to tell the story of John Smith, present the museum visually as it exists today and interview volunteers about what the museum means to them and why they are part of volunteer companies," he said.

To be shown in city

Milofsky was greatly impressed with the students' finished product. Students did it all themselves except from advice from himself and Derr, and the April 28 "screening" was the first time he saw the tangible results of their efforts.

Milofsky said he was pleased with how well the students worked together. In talking about the project, students expressed admiration for Milbrand and the firefighters they met and said they were grateful for the opportunity to learn about Shamokin.

"It's great to get out into a community and talk to people," Luhan said. "You get a sense of history, and you come to understand how this history impacts our present. The favorite part of the class for me for talking to people in Shamokin and learning about the community. Doing a video makes you look around and better understand the place you happen to be in."

When told that the video was completed, Milbrand's reaction was, "I can't wait to see it." He shouldn't have to wait too long. Milofsky hopes to show it in Shamokin in the near future, and it will eventually be posted on Bucknell's website. He said he was happy to participate in a project that focused on Shamokin, adding that it was a pleasure to meet and work with "such great kids."

Bucknell's involvement in the coal region is not new. Milofsky said he himself has been working in the Shamokin area since the early 1990s, mostly by placing students in internships in places like Shamokin Area Community Hospital. Students and faculty from other disciplines have also done research, he said. Of particular note, anthropologist Janet MacGaffey and her students did considerable research and spent much time in Shamokin that resulted in publication of a book, "Coal Dust on Our Feet."

More to come

Milofksy is also among the Bucknell staff who have been involved in planning to establish a Bucknell field station at the newly dedicated Mother Maria Kaupas Center in Mount Carmel for faculty/student research projects and volunteerism opportunities. Bucknell students - although not the same ones - have been simultaneously working on a video about Kaupas.

Milofsky will teach the video ethnography class again next spring, and his goal is to have the latest batch of students return to the coal region for another video study. Students may use the Kaupas Center as a base for their operations, Centralia is a probable subject for the next effort, Milofsky said, but added that he is attempting to identify other topics.

He noted the Bucknell faculty, over many decades, have enjoyed meeting and working with Deppen Scholars who enrolled there from Mount Carmel as well as students who came other coal region communities, including many from Shamokin. "These students have brought us into the coal region, have explained things about the region and have brought us into their communities," Milofsky said.

SHAMOKIN - Parents are offered an outlet Sunday to trade their children's outgrown clothing and unused toys.

Marty Sinopoli Ministries, a faith-based community organization, will host a Children's Clothing and Toy Swap beginning at 2 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus, Independence and Rock streets.

There were 109 pre-registrants as of Wednesday morning, with each expected to bring up to 20 clean and gently used items. Walk-ins are welcome. Everyone attending can leave with one item for each item they swap.

"We all have so much clothes," Sinopoli said Wednesday of herself and other organizers. "It's good to sell it, don't get me wrong. ... Why don't we just trade?"

More than 2,000 items are available, and almost all of it is brand name - Carter's, Gap and Baby Gap, American Eagle among them. There will be clothing in sizes ranging from newborn to teenager, including jeans, shoes, jackets, Christmas dresses and bathing suits. Play sets, bicycles, baby toys, walkers and stuffed animals are among the types of toys available.

Doors open at 2 p.m. Items will get a final inspection and be set out for browsing until swapping begins at 3 p.m. Swapping will be rotated, with participants allowed to turn in five tickets at a time. It will continue until all tickets are swapped.

All items left over will be eligible for quick sale. Shopping bags can be stuffed with anything for $5. Proceeds will benefit the ministries' efforts.

"The people we're trying to help with Marty Sinopoli Ministries is the working poor," Sinopoli said. "These people are trying so hard and they just need help."

For more information, visit Marty Sinopoli Ministries on Facebook. Check the "events" section for additional details on Sunday's swap.

SUNBURY - Brian E. Neuby, 46, a county inmate being housed at SCI-Coal Township, was cited by Deputy Sheriff Curtis Cooke for harassment for threatening to assault his attorney, James Best, at the conclusion of a hearing Wednesday morning at Northumberland County Courthouse.

The disturbance occurred at about 10:30 a.m. after a hearing before Northumberland County Judge Charles Saylor. The judge initially denied Best's petition to withdraw as Neuby's legal counsel since the defendant was only attempting to obtain a better plea deal. But Saylor later granted the request after Neuby stated, "I'm going to pop my attorney."

The judge heard testimony from Cooke that he heard the defendant's threat and then relieved Best of any further legal representation and contact with Neuby.

Neuby, who resides in Milton, pleaded no contest March 9 to felonies of statutory sexual assault and corruption of minors and is scheduled for sentencing at 9:15 a.m. June 1 before Saylor. The charges were filed by state police at Milton.

MOUNT CARMEL - Zack Walter and Victor Gonzalez could have been classmates of the Mount Carmel Area High School juniors and seniors to whom they spoke Friday.

Instead, Walter, 18, and Gonzalez, 17, cadets at Northwestern Academy, Coal Township, spoke to students Friday at the high school, discussing all their experiences with drugs and crime throughout their short lives.

Gonzalez, originally from Harrisburg and a self-proclaimed "knucklehead," said he fell in with the wrong crowd. He said he broke into a school and committed other petty crimes.

"It was someone in that crowd that got me to try smoking weed. Next thing I knew, I was smoking every day. My habit got so bad that I ended up spending $300 a week on weed," Victor said.

If Victor wasn't smoking it, he was selling it at a young age and eventually got caught. He went through boot camp and detention centers, spending four years away from his family.

Following his last offense, Gonzalez's mother gave him $2 for bus fare to attend his hearing. Victor watched as all the other offenders his age were there with their families, but not him. Luckily, he got hold of his father, who came with him to straighten him out.

"He cared when no one else did," Gonzalez said.

Later, his 36-year-old sister turned him onto a new drug called "spice" - synthetic marijuana. He soon learned the devastating effect the drug can have on a person.

"The next day, my sister was found on the floor with a stroke," Victor told the students. "She has to be fed through a feeding tube in her stomach, is blind in one eye and my mother has to help her move around," Victor said.

The illness scared Victor away from smoking the drug - but not from selling it. Eventually, his father found his stash and turned it over to police.

"I wasn't going to prison, so I just ran away, straight to another city," Victor said.

After turning himself in, he was sentenced to time in Northwestern Academy, where he has turned his life around.

"I'm nine months sober now and have been in for six months and eight days; I'm just about through the program," the cadet said. "I've learned so much at Northwestern."

His advice to the students: Pick the right friends, those that will help, not hurt.

"The knuckleheads did not send me one letter, no phone calls or contact with them. I just move away from them. All they want me to do is dumb stuff," Victor said.

Starting with family

Zack, a Lebanon resident, got his first knowledge about drugs when he found his stepfather's bong.

"It smelled awful. When I asked my dad about it, he said that was how he got his medicine and that I'll be the same way later in life," Zach said.

His first brush with the law happened when he and his friends broke into a printing company and stole a video camera. Their crimes later escalated into stealing cars for joyrides.

"When I got caught, the judge put me under house arrest until my trial. I turned 16 at home under house arrest," he said.

He later spent a year at the Glen Mills Juvenile Detention Center and found how rough life in detention can be.

"A guy thought he was going to show how tough he was to this skinny white kid from Lebanon, and jumped me in the shower, and I beat him up. Four of his friends didn't like what I did and at 2 a.m., came into my bedroom and beat the hell out of me," he said.

Once he got to Northwestern, Walter began to learn the errors of his thinking. He told the students about life in the facility, being told what to wear, what to eat and how to live.

"At 9 p.m., it's lights out. If you want to read after that, it's by the moonlight coming out of this small window in your room," he said.

Walter encouraged the students to make better choices in their life than what he did.

"You are remembered for the rules you break, not the rules you follow," he said.

His advice for the students is to listen to their teachers and remember that the labels they give themselves will stick with them the rest of your lives.

"The teachers are not saying these things to hear themselves talk. They want to see people succeed, not locked up. I don't want to see anyone end up like me," he said.

Following their talk, the two cadets answered questions and spoke with students one-on-one. The two cadets spoke to several grade levels in the school during their time there.

COAL TOWNSHIP - Shamokin Area School Board unanimously approved a tentative $32.3 million budget Thursday night that calls for a minimal tax increase to offset a $3.6 million deficit.

Karen Colangelo, district business manager and federal programs coordinator, said the small decrease from the current spending plan of $32,465,169 is primarily due to an enrollment decrease at Northwestern Academy.

Voting to approve the budget that will increase tax millage from 27.95 to 28.76 (.7933 mills) were board President Ronald McElwee, Rosalie Smoogen, Charles Shuey, Edward Griffiths, Richard Kashnoski, Bernie Sosnoskie, Jeff Kashner and Matt Losiewicz. Director Robert Getchey was absent for the brief meeting.

Colangelo said revenue totals $28,687,795, while expenditures are $3,626,479. One mill is equivalent to approximately $114,000.

In order to balance the budget, $3.6 million will be taken from the current fund balance of $8,407,661.

The tentative spending plan will be available for inspection at the district office for 30 days and also will be advertised on the district's website, beginning today. A final budget will be adopted next month.

McElwee commended Colangelo and curriculum coordinator Ruby Michetti for their hard work in helping secure a $325,000 accountability block grant from the state for next school year. Colangelo said the district has received approximately $204,000 in funding from the grant in each of the past few years that has been used for remedial reading teachers at the elementary school. But with the anticipated increase, she said the district plans to reinstate the elementary school music program next school year.

She said the district last received approximately $325,000 through the grant during the 2011-2012 school year.

Colangelo noted the allocated grant money is contingent upon the state budget being approved by legislators and the governor.

In other business:

- Shuey was elected to serve as board treasurer for the 2015-2016 fiscal year at a salary of $2,700. Griffiths voted to elect Shuey to the position with the stipulation that he doesn't receive a salary. Shuey abstained, while the remaining board members granted approval for him to receive the salary.

- Directors approved a four-day work week for district personnel from June 22 to Aug. 13 with the exception of the week of the Fourth of July as an energy/money saving measure.

- Superintendent James Zack, who was not in attendance, was reappointed as an alternate delegate for the district on the Northumberland County Act 32 Tax Committee.

- At the beginning of the meeting, high school Principal Chris Venna commended News-Item photographer Larry Deklinski for donating to the high school a portrait of the 1887 Shamokin graduating class and two professors.

Upon being questioned after the meeting, Venna said the district's revised discipline policy won't go into effect until next school year.

He said the current policy requires any student involved in a fight to receive a three-day, out-of-school suspension. That policy will remain in effect until the end of the current school year.

Next year, Venna said the policy will require students to serve a five-day, out-of-school suspension for their first offense of fighting and a five-day, out-of-school suspension and 15 days in an alternative education program for their second offense.

Last month, parents of two students involved in a fight complained to the board about a revised policy that would require the kids to serve a three-day, out-of-school suspension, a 20-day suspension from all extracurricular activities, 20 days in an alternative education program and enrollment in anger management classes.

The change was made by the board with the intent to deter fighting at the school and improve discipline in the district .

The two sophomores involved in the fight and other students who have been involved in fights since the last school board meeting only received three-day, out-of-school suspensions, Venna said.

HARRISBURG - It was double the fun for several area lottery players in April because they found ways to win more than once in the 30-day period.

Carl Weaver, of Danville, and Michael Novakoski and Raymond Bartosic, both of Mount Carmel, had the right combination to win two prizes of $2,500 each in the Pennsylvania Lottery's Pick 4 game. Weaver and Novakoski won their prizes in the afternoon drawings while Bartosic won for the evening drawings.

The double-wins did not end with the number games as Leonard Yablonski, of Coal Township, Duane Rissinger, of Dalmatia, and Dale Wilk, of Coal Township, each claimed two $1,000 prizes during April. Wilk was the only one of the three who found two $1,000 winning tickets in the same game, the $30 Triple Million ticket.

According to information provided by the Pennsylvania Lottery and the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, area lottery players claimed a total of $67,536 in prizes of $1,000 or more in April, raising the yearly total for area winners to $4,591,813.

Winners of $1,000 or more in the month of April are:

Ashland

- Andrew Feher, $1,000, $1 Million Payout, $20.

- Rebecca Spencer, $1,000, $1 Million Payout, $20.

- Jean Kramer, $1,000, $1,000,000 Super Cash, $20.

Catawissa

- Bradley Smith, $1,000, $1 Million Payout, $20.

- Walter Gosciminski, $1,000, $300,000 Buried Treasure, $10.

- Henry Mussleman, $1,000, Three Million, $30

Coal Township

- Ronald Yost, $1,000, $1 Million Payout, $20.

- Kelly McCarthy, $1,000, $1,000,000 Golden Ticket, $20.

- Leonard Yablonski, $1,000, $1,000,000 Peppermint Payout, $20.

- Lyle Shipe, $1,000, $1,000,000 Super Cash, $20.

- Andrew Hauer, $1,000, Daily Crossword, $3.

- Wendy Lentes, $1,000, Monopoly Millionaires Club, $20.

- Leonard Yablonski, $1,000, Monopoly Millionaires Club, $20.

- Leonard Feese, $1,000, The Wizard of Oz, $10.

- Michael Yost, $1,000, The Wizard of Oz, $10.

- Dale Wilk, two wins of $1,000, Triple Million, $30.

- Janet Povich, $2,500, Pick 4 (night), 50-cent bet.

Dalmatia

- Rickey Newman, $1,000, Three Million, $30.

- Duane Rissinger, $1,000, The Wizard of Oz, $10.

- Duane Rissinger, $1,000, Triple Million, $30.

Danville

- Mark Kurzawa, $1,000, $1 Million Payout, $20.

- Patricia Roney, $1,000, $1 Million Payout, $20.

- Jeremy Fritz, $1,000, $1 Million Payout, $20.

- Beth Temple, $1,000, $300,000 Buried Treasure, $10.

- Jeffrey Conner, $1,000, 10X the Money, $10.

- Tyler Gregg, $1,000, Three Million, $30.

- Carl Weaver, two wins of $2,500, Pick 4 (day), 50-cent bet.

Elysburg

- Irvin Shoup, $1,000, $1 Million Payout, $20.

Herndon

- Leroy Schrader, $1,000, Beeline Bingo, $3.

Kulpmont

- Kathleen Cipriani, $1,000, $1 Million Payout, $20.

Marion Heights

- Robert Dallazia, $1,000, $1,000,000 Super Cash, $20.

- Barbara Blaskow, $1,000, Cash Ka-Pow, $5.

Mount Carmel

- Margaret Troutman, $1,000, $1 Million Payout, $10.

- Delmar Roughton, $1,000, $1 Million Payout, $20.

- Arthur Watkins, $1,000, Big Money Bingo, $5.

- Christian Scipio, $1,000, Money Multiplier, $5.

- Erik Williams, $1,000, The Wizard of Oz, $10.

- Michael Novakoski, two wins of $2,500, Pick 4 (day), 50-cent bet.

- Raymond Bartosic, $1,000, Pick 4 (night), 50-cent bet.

Natalie

- Robert Mummaw, $1,022, Match 6, $1 bet.

Ranshaw

- Robert Topolski, $1,000, The Wizard of Oz, $10.

- Dennis Myers, $1,014, Match 6, $1 bet.

Riverside

- Rose Straub, $1,000, 10X The Money, $10.

Shamokin

- Kenneth Harris, $1,000, $ Million Payout, $20.

- Jeffrey May, $1,000, 10X the Money, $10.

- Nicholas Bressi, $1,000, Beeline Bingo, $3.

- Thomas Gulba, $1,000, Happy Mother's Day, $5.

- Ashley Mutschler, $1,000, Love to Win, $5.

- Michael Simpson, $1,000, Red Hot Crossword, $5.

- Janet Burgess, $1,000, Red Hot Crossword, $5.

Trevorton

- George Herb, $1,000, $1 Million Payout, $20.

- Marlene Lukoskie, $1,000, Beeline Bingo, $3.

- Cindy Kehler, $1,000, Cash Ka-Pow, $5.

Ambulance anniversary celebration

TREVORTON - Trevorton Community Ambulance will celebrate its 75th anniversary from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday with a block party at the ambulance building, 510 W. Market St.

The event includes a pig roast and other food, equipment demos, music by the Codi and Joe Show and child fingerprinting.

At 3 p.m. a memorial dedication will honor Harry Swinehart, a 66-year member of the Trevorton Fire and Ambulance companies.

Miracle fundraiser at Dunkin'

DANVILLE - Fifty-eight Dunkin' Donuts restaurants across northeastern Pennsylvania, including in Northumberland County, will host a day-long fundraising event Tuesday to raise money for Children's Miracle Network at Geisinger.

They will offer a free medium iced coffee to customers who make a donation of $1 or more to support Children's Miracle Network at Geisinger.

Children's Miracle Network funds are used to provide pediatric equipment, programs and services at Janet Weis Children's Hospital and throughout Geisinger Health System.

For more information about the campaign, call the Children's Miracle Network Office at 1-800-322-5437. To find a nearby Dunkin' Donuts restaurant, visit www.dunkindonuts.com.

COAL TOWNSHIP - The Our Lady of Lourdes Alumni Foundation credits the alumni-backed implementation of the Pennsylvania Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) program with saving the school from closing, helping needy families with financial aid and increasing enrollment by 35 percent.

After three full school years of support from business donors, the EITC program boosted current school year enrollment to 472 - 122 more than 2011-12. Expected enrollment for 2015-16 is 500.

"The key to moving OLOL forward to a bright future means continually getting the word out about the EITC program and being sure to fill out EITC applications every year - and on time," Tony J. Varano, head of the alumni foundation, said in a press release issued this week. "We have nothing but heartfelt gratitude to all those supporting OLOL through the EITC, and we are asking for your continued support."

In April 2012, the Diocese of Harrisburg was on the verge of closing Lourdes. The school, "which had produced so many wonderful memories for so many alumni," was in dire need of help, Varano said.

Local parishes were financially supporting OLOL with an annual commitment of $875,000, but a request for an annual reduction was granted from $875,000 to $457,000 starting immediately.

"Without the sustaining income from the parishes, this left the diocese with a difficult decision to close the school," Varano said.

Alumni met with the then-Bishop Joseph McFadden and he expressed his commitment to supporting the alumni and the school if they were able to close the gap through different fundraising opportunities.

"The alumni stepped up and aggressively took advantage" of EITC, Varano said.

EITC allows Pennsylvania business taxpayers to donate money to educational institutions and programs and receive 90 percent of what they donated back in a tax credit. Also, since the remaining donation is federally deductible, the out-of-pocket after-tax outlay is approximately 6 percent. For example, if a business donates $10,000, it gets approximately back in tax credits $9,400; the real donation is $600.

During the 2012 school year, with the help of the business donors through EITC, $243,000 went to help families.

"With this in place, more families were able to continue to send their children to OLOL with the tuition assistance. Equally important, families that were not able to send their children to OLOL because of financial reasons were now able to do so with tuition assistance," Varano said.

He said nearly 180 families are assisted every year through Lourdes' EITC program.

One business owner has consistently contributed approximately $150,000 per year to Lourdes through EITC. He has confirmed that his out-of-pocket cost for such a game changing contribution is approximately $9,000 per year, and added that the EITC allows him to "really get a bang for (his) charitable buck," according to Varano.

He said OLOL's "bright future" is also exemplified in several ways unrelated to the success of the EITC program. Debt owed to the catholic Diocese of Harrisburg will be retired this year. The ongoing capital campaign to modernize science labs has thus far been a huge success, and students will soon be learning in first-class labs, he said.

Added to that was Lourdes' news Thursday of re-accreditation of its academic programs and environment from the prestigious Middle States Association. The MSA called Lourdes "a beacon of light on a hill."

"We really think OLOL's best years are yet to come," Varano said. "The town needs OLOL more than ever. The success of the EITC program and increased enrollment acted as a catalyst to unleash other incredible OLOL successes in the past three years."

Alumni and staff encourage those needing more information to call the school at 570-644-0375.

COAL TOWNSHIP - A year-long process for Our Lady of Lourdes Regional School has paid off, and the school has received reaccreditation from a prestigious organization.

At a Mass Thursday with teachers and students in attendance, Daniel Rufo, director of accreditation for the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, presented principals Deacon Martin McCarthy and Sister Margaret Quinn with their accreditation certificate.

"This certificate shows the dedication that this staff and everyone involved with Lourdes has in this school," Rufo said Thursday. "You should all be very proud of this."

Quinn discussed how staff and administration embarked on the process, called "Excellence by Design," a year ago.

"This was a true team effort," Quinn said.

The co-chairs of the project, teachers Mary Bias and Heather Krebs, then began the process for reaccreditation, starting with their application to show that Lourdes met the MSA-CESS's 12 standards for accreditation, namely mission, governance and leadership, school improvement planning, finances, facilities, school organization and staff, health and safety, information resources, educational program, assessment and evidence of student learning, student services, student life and activities.

"There was a lot of work involved with getting the application together," Bias said. "Many, many hours spent getting it all together."

After the application process was completed, the school prepared for its toughest test, a three-day visit by a team of peer-reviewers from other institutions. It was there that Lourdes received its most glowing compliment.

"One reviewer was so impressed with what we are doing here, he called the school 'A beacon of light on the hill," McCarthy said.

The accreditation is good through 2022, but the school will continue to work on the standards and making the school better.

"The work doesn't stop here," Rufo said. "Schools conduct an annual review of their action plan, and we require a mid-term report from the schools to see how they are doing and putting their ideas to work."

Thursday, though, was a day of celebration for the parochial school.

MOUNT CARMEL - Boy Scout Troop 174, Mount Carmel Elks, is rechartering at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Clover Hose Company, Sixth and Oak streets.

All boys between the ages of 11 and 18 from the area are invited to attend the meeting to see what Scouting is all about and also to attend the next camp-out.

The troop is planning trips to Poe Valley, Locust Lake and white-water rafting.

The troop is also involved in the Wightman's Dam Nature Trail with the Mount Carmel Lions Club.

For information, call sam Cimino at 570-339-5021.

SUNBURY - In an effort to collect more than $25 million from wanted individuals, people delinquent in child support payments and others who owe court costs and fines, Northumberland County officials will lease two billboards for $750 a year to post photos of approximately 700 offenders to shame them into paying.

The collaborative effort, which was officially approved Thursday by the county cost collection task force, is being headed by Prothonotary Justin Dunkelberger, Sheriff Robert Wolfe and Chief Probation Officer Jim Cortelyou. The cost of leasing the billboards will be shared by the prothonotary, sheriff and probation offices.

Dunkelberger said he hopes to start posting the photos on billboards June 1.

He said a billboard company has agreed to make mid-month changes to the signs if offenders make payments.

Dunkelberger said county officials also will post active warrants on Facebook, a practice currently used by Montour County to solicit tips from the public about the whereabouts of the delinquents.

According to the prothonotary, as many as 31 sheriff departments and more than 100 police departments use Facebook to make public communications. But only Allegheny County, which covers Pittsburgh, uses billboards to display violators.

Dunkelberger said there are currently more than 600 open warrants for court costs plus an additional 100-plus domestic and criminal warrants.

The prothonotary thanked Wolfe, Cortelyou, President Judge William H. Wiest and the commissioners for their continued support in going after delinquents.

As of 2014, $3.6 million was owed by 552 parents in the county. Dunkelberger said 2015 figures are still being compiled.

He said cost collection has improved dramatically, noting approximately $800,000 has been taken in since the beginning of the year. At the current collection rate, Dunkelberger said he expects the county to exceed last year's collection by 40 percent.

Commissioner Chairman Vinny Clausi applauded the aggressive efforts against the delinquents.

"I support it 100 percent," he said Thursday. "We must go after the deadbeats because they have to support their children. The children are the innocent victims here and they deserve better from their parents."

Clausi said better collection methods for fines, costs and child support payments have been discussed many times in the past, but have finally become a reality. He added, "It is very necessary in our county to do whatever is required to increase the collection rate."