by peter e. bortner

Schuylkill County leaders across the political and business spectrum agree that U.S. Rep. Tim Holden, D-17, helped virtually everyone in the region during his 20 years in Washington.

"How much time do you have? He took care of his district," Pottsville Mayor John D.W. Reiley, a fellow Democrat, said earlier this month of Holden, who represented the entire county during his 10 terms in the House of Representatives.

Even though county commissioners Chairman Frank J. Staudenmeier is a Republican, he was just as enthusiastic in his praise of Holden, a conservative Democrat.

"Tim has always represented Schuylkill County very, very well," Staudenmeier said. "It was always a good sign when Tim would call me. He was bringing back some significant dollars."

Holden, 55, of Saint Clair, first ran for Congress and won in 1992 in the Sixth District, which consisted of Berks, Schuylkill and a small part of Montgomery counties.

He represented the Sixth District until 2002, when redistricting placed Schuylkill in the 17th District with Dauphin, Lebanon and parts of Berks and Perry counties. In one of the tightest and most expensive congressional races in the country that year, Holden edged Dauphin County's George W. Gekas, R-17, and held that seat until this year.

Redistricting kept Schuylkill in the 17th District but combined it with parts of Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe and Northampton counties, making it more Democratic, but also more liberal. Scranton lawyer Matt Cartwright bested Holden in the April 24 Primary Election and then won the Nov. 6 General Election; he will take office on Thursday.

For his 20 years in office, in projects as diverse as improving highways, investing in agriculture and modernizing fire companies, Holden improved the lives of countless county citizens.

"No words I can ever express would do justice to the huge impact Congressman Holden has had on Schuylkill County during his 20 years of service in the U.S. Congress," state Rep. Neal P. Goodman, D-123, whose district includes Holden's hometown of Saint Clair, said Thursday. "We will never see his likes again."

Business owners liked how Holden helped pave the way for such projects as Highridge Business Park, which is home to regional distribution centers for Lowe's, Sara Lee, Wal-Mart and other national companies.

"Economic development is driven by the team approach," said Frank J. Zukas, president of the Schuylkill Economic Development Corp. "The top of the list was Tim Holden. He was a leader of the team. His office would take the lead. He brought funding to the table."

Although he is a former Republican county commissioner, Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Robert S. Carl Jr. agreed with Zukas that Holden played an essential role in growing local businesses.

"I think that Congressman Holden has been a great partner for the business community," Carl said. "He's always been very cooperative."

Even when their views diverged, Carl said, Holden always explained the conflict and why he could not side with the business community on an issue.

Carl also said that Holden has been helpful on transportation issues, especially those involving Route 61 widening and safety in Deer Lake and Schuylkill Haven, respectively, for which he obtained $12 million.

Staudenmeier agreed.

"He was instrumental in a lot of the highway improvement projects," Staudenmeier said.

Reiley lauded Holden for his help in obtaining funding for a similar project: Union Station, the city transportation center on South Centre Street.

"That would not have been possible without the support and guidance of Tim Holden," Reiley said. Holden, who served on the House Transportation Committee, helped the city negotiate with federal transportation officials to make sure the project went through, according to Reiley.

Holden also served on the House Agriculture Committee, and, in different ways, proved valuable to farmers in and beyond the county.

"Pennsylvania is unique in agriculture," said Barron L. "Boots" Hetherington, Ringtown, co-owner of B&R Farms, whose family taught Holden how to pick strawberries. "We have a mixture of grain, hay, fruits, vegetables, greenhouse."

Hetherington said Holden helped to improve the federal crop insurance program to benefit diversity in agriculture, increased money for agricultural research and made conservation an important agricultural issue.

"(He) made our products more desirable in the markets," Hetherington said.

Hetherington also said Holden combined agricultural and economic development issues by helping to fund construction of the Masser potato plant in Sacramento.

Firefighters also counted on Holden, according to Frank Zangari, who serves as both fire chief of Girardville and president of the Schuylkill County Fire Chiefs Association.

"Tim Holden has been the best friend to the fire companies in Schuylkill County," Zangari said.

Zangari said Holden helped almost every fire company in the county get grants, which helps them save lives.

"They bring fire apparatus, turnout gear, breathing apparatus, rescue tools," he said of the grants. "He provided support and firefighter training."

Staudenmeier said Holden brought back approximately $2.5 million in grants for fire companies.

Losing Holden, on top of the 2008 death of state Sen. James J. Rhoades, hurts all local firefighters, although the county commissioners are helping to pick up some of the slack, Zangari said.

"We lost two of the biggest supporters" of volunteer firefighters, he said.

While Holden was a Democrat, and supported local Democratic candidates, Staudenmeier said that went out the window when it came to obtaining money for local projects, in an explanation that accounts for the congressman's popularity with almost everyone in his home county.

"One thing I'll always remember with Tim. It didn't matter whether you were a Republican or a Democrat," he said. "He worked both sides. He was an excellent congressman and he's a good friend."

Goodman said that Holden's work helped everyone in the county, both Democrats and Republicans.

"Every community in Schuylkill County large and small can point to a particular project and say, 'This project was made possible through the work of Congressman Holden,' " Goodman said. "Timmy will always be remembered by those who worked closely with him for the way he treated everyone equally. Timmy is a son of the Coal Region ... and his heart was always focused on the betterment of the county he loves so much."

Penn College

Pennsylvania College of Technology, Williamsport, presented student achievement awards to its December graduates.

Penny K. Shade, Schuyl-kill Haven, culinary arts and systems, received the Chef Leah Chase Excellence in Hospitality Award that is presented to a nontraditional graduate who demonstrates Chase's commitment to being a positive role model for the hospitality industry; work and scholastic excellence; stewardship of personal and professional resources; respect for self and others; and excellence and leadership in hospitality education.

Ashland Rotary

Kyrsten Runkle, a senior at North Schuylkill High School, was recognized as student of the month for November by the Ashland Area Rotary Club.

Kyrsten's high school activities include student council, Students Against Destructive Decisions, Teens Against Tobacco, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, National Honor Society, Foreign Language National Honor Society, peer mediation and the annual Powderpuff Classic. She volunteers at the Schuyl-kill Center nursing home, Pottsville.

A daughter of Scott and Melissa Runkle, Ashland, she plans to attend college and major in occupational therapy.

Tri-Valley Lions

The Tri-Valley Lions hosted Leena Reilly and her mother, Crystal, at their second meeting in November to confer the Outstanding Student in the Arts Award for her talent in vocal music and stage performance.

A daughter of Crystal and Matt Reilly, Leena demonstrated vocal talent by singing "I See the Light" from the motion picture "Tangled."

Leena is a member of the chorus, band, FFA, FBLA and SWAT and performed in the fall and spring drama shows, portraying Dolly Perkins in the stage show, "Game Show." She was also the cheerleading mascot.

Outside of school, Leena is a member of her church choir and served as a volunteer for Child Evangelism Fellowship. She was a member of the Schuylkill County Chorus and was nominated for both Best Female Vocalist and Best Female Actress at the 2012 Sovereign Majestic Awards.

Following graduation, she plans to attend Point Park Conservatory for the Arts, Pittsburgh.

Mahanoy Middle

Matthew Reed and Katie Loughlin were named students of the month for November by the Mahanoy Area Middle School faculty. The program is sponsored by the Mahanoy City Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Lodge 695.

Matthew is a son of John and Kimberly Reed, Mahanoy City, and a member of Ebenezer United Methodist Church, Quakake. A distinguished honors student, he is involved in the chorus, National Junior Honor Society, Theatre Arts, spelling bee and seventh- and eighth-grade basketball.

Matthew was an Elks Es-say Contest winner and achieved perfect attendance in seventh grade. He volunteers his time with Biddy Basketball.

His future plans are to attend college.

Katie is a daughter of Dennis and Cindy Loughlin, Mahanoy City, and is a member of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Roman Catholic Church, Mahanoy City. A distinguished honors student, she is involved in chorus, middle school concert band, Paw Print, ski club, Theatre Arts, seventh-grade class secretary, seventh- and eighth-grade cheerleading, Biddy Basketball, swim team, track and field team, Biddy Volleyball and National Junior Honor Society.

Katie volunteers her time at Vacation Bible School, and she plans to attend college in the future.

With today's interest in vintage interior design concepts, wallpaper featuring old-style imagery is making a huge comeback. Wallpaper has developed as a decorative art form, which is easily changed as the styles change. Many of us are interested in sprucing up the place around the holidays, so installing new or even old wallpaper can be a fun redecorating project.

Dating as far back as the early days of decorative papyrus papermaking in ancient Egypt, wallpaper as we know it has evolved over time. The Chinese first glued rice paper to walls around 200 B.C. By the 12th Century A.D., wallpaper had spread throughout Europe.

Some believe that wallpaper's imitative character - trying to look like something it's not, like chintz, tapestry, or velvet - makes the use of wallpaper a cheap option. Others embrace wallpaper's easy and transitional quality. Many folks enjoy the fact that wallpaper can bring a desired look or new feel to a room at little expense.

Some of the most popular wallpapers have been decorated with repeated images, like the wallpaper produced in 1481 for King Louis XI of France featuring angels on a blue background.

The engraver Jean-Michel Papillon invented wallpaper as we know it using block designs in a continuous pattern in 1675, but it would take another 100 years for the wallpaper printing machine to be introduced.

American papers

Wallpaper was introduced to Americans by a Philadelphia printer in the late 1730s. By the end of the 1770s, wallpaper print workshops were established in the original 13 colonies. Patriotic wallpapers were popular in the late 1700s, as were those with repeated images of fruit and flowers for dining rooms and living room walls.

The installation of wallpaper changed significantly and so did design tastes in the late 1880s. The first ready-to-use wallpaper paste came onto the scene in 1888. And, design innovations of the Art Nouveau period demonstrated wallpapers featuring organic forms from nature, scrollwork and embellishments sparked by the aesthetic ideas of art innovators Louis Comfort Tiffany and William Morris.

By the early decades of the 1900s, the golden age of wallpaper was in full swing and as many as 400 million rolls of the printed decorative papers were sold worldwide.

During this era, high-class wallpapers typically feature exotic locales, lush green landscape vistas and images of social events like polo matches and hunting scenes. In fact, animals of all kinds were among the most popular features on wallpapers of the early 20th century. Dogs, cats, rabbits and fish made wallpaper imagery all the rage.

In the mid 1900s, wallpaper was popular with young American families setting up housekeeping in new Levittown homes after World War II. Printed and playful images on wallpaper provided an inexpensive and long-wearing interior design solution. New materials of the day, including plastics and resins, changed the wallpaper industry when mid-century modern wallpapers boasted durability and strength.

Old is new

However, in the market today, collectors have been known to feature even small pieces of antique and vintage wallpaper as framed works of art. Full rolls of wallpaper dating back to the 1800s rarely come onto the collectibles market, yet there have been some wallpapers sold on the antiques market dating back to the Victorian era and to the Roaring 20s (that is, the golden age of wallpaper). It is rare for large pieces of antique wallpaper to come to market, so large supplies of old wallpaper command high prices for their rarity when sold at auction or online.

Recent advances in digital printing techniques have allowed the replication of historic images and the production of decorative papers. Large scale vinyl cut-out decals and silhouette images are adhered to walls along with life size full-color photographs of football and baseball players. These new images have ushered in a new generation of wallpapers.

(Dr. Lori presents antique appraisal events nationwide and is an appraiser on Discovery channel's Auction Kings. Learn about your antiques at www.DrLoriV.com, www.Facebook.com/DoctorLori or call (888) 431-1010.)

Winter stargazing, in my opinion, is simply the best in eastern Pennsylvania. I do some my best stargazing, telescoping and celestial photography in January. There's so much beauty in the heavens this time of year, but there's also so much cold. Dress for the cold because it is so worth it. Have a big thermos of something warm with you if you're out for an extended night making the stars your old friends. One of my best weapons against the cold are those instant chemical heat hand and feet warmers that work 7 to 8 hours. Put those magic little bags of heat in your gloves and boots and you're good to go. You can buy them at most sporting goods stores and hardware stores.

Once armed with your winter survival gear, get out and enjoy the best stargazing of the year. You'll notice that the eastern half of the sky has many more bright stars than the west. Over the last couple of months, the last of the summer constellations have slowly sunk lower and lower in the west and now they are gone, not to be seen again in the evenings until next June. They, of course, didn't move, but we did. While Earth continues its annual circuit around the sun, the nighttime side has now turned away from the stars of summer.

The dominant constellation of autumn, Pegasus the giant winged horse, is still hanging in there in the west. Look for the distinct great square, actually a tilted rectangle that makes up the torso of the mighty flying horse. With a good pair of binoculars or a small telescope, scan about halfway between the Pegasus and the bright "W" that makes up the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen, and see if you can spot the Andromeda Galaxy. It's our Milky Way galaxy's next-door neighbor. All you'll really see is a faint little smudge, but that little smudge is a whole other galaxy, one and a half times the size of our own, more than two million light-years away. If you're new to astronomy, one light-year equals almost six trillion miles.

The eastern sky is still lit up like a Christmas tree. There are many bright stars and constellations, and this winter the bright planet Jupiter is among them and the brightest shiner of them all. I call this part of the heavens "Orion and his gang," with the mighty constellation Orion the Hunter in the middle of them all. The mighty hunter looks like a sideways bowtie rising diagonally in the southeastern sky. What really jumps out at you are the three bright stars in a perfect row that make up Orion's belt. There's also the bright star Rigel, at Orion's knee, and Betelgeuse, at his armpit. By the way, keep your eye on this star because sometime in the next million years or so, Betelgeuse could explode in a tremendous supernova explosion.

Elsewhere in Orion's gang there's Auriga, the retired chariot driver with the bright star Capella. There's also Taurus the bull with the little arrow pointing to the right that outlines the face of the bull with the reddish star Aldebaran as the angry red eye of the beast. Just above Taurus are the Pleiades, a beautiful bright star cluster that resembles a tiny Big Dipper. The Pleiades is made up of more than 100 young stars, probably less than 100 million years old.

The very brightest "star" in Orion's gang is actually the planet Jupiter. In fact, it's the brightest star-like object in the entire evening sky. If you have that new Christmas telescope, give Jupiter a look-see. You should easily see at least some of its cloud bands across the 88,000 diameter mega planet. You should see up to four little "stars" either side of the great planet that are four of its largest moons. They're always changing positions while they orbit Jupiter in periods of two to 17 days. By the way, when you're using that new scope, make sure you let it and all the eyepieces sit outside for at least a half hour to let the optics adjust to the cold.

Comets

Comets, the dirty snow balls of our solar system are always showing up in showing up in our evening skies, but the vast majority of them are so faint, you really have to be a sharp telescope jockey to see them. If you do, all they really look like are little fuzz balls with wimpy little tails. This year though, two comets show some promise of being really bright. The first one is Comet Panstarrs that could be bright enough to see with the naked eye in the mid-March morning sky. In December, Comet ISON may be really bright with a long tail, but hold on. I want to emphasize though that comet brightness forecasting is extremely difficult and already there have been some claims on the internet that ISON could be the brightest comet of all time. It's way too early to make that claim and there's also a chance that one of both of them could fizzle. The bottom line? Stay tuned.

(Lynch is an amateur astronomer and author of the book, "Stars, a Month by Month Tour of the Constellations.")

Misericordia

Jennifer Lee Cory, a senior sports management major, attained dean's list status for the fall semester at Misericordia University, Dallas, Luzerne County, with a 4.0 GPA.

She is a daughter of Dave Cory, Pottsville, and the late Diane Cory, and a granddaughter of Ann Piccioni, Pottsville, and Anna Halalokus, Wyomissing. She is a 2009 graduate of Minersville Area High School.

Jamison Perkins, West West Terrace, was named to the dean's list for the fall semester at Misericordia with a 3.94 GPA. He is pursuing a doctorate degree in physical therapy and earned a bachelor's degree in psychology.

He is a son of Debbie Perkins, West West Terrace, and the late Bob Perkins, and a 2009 graduate of Nativity BVM High School.

Luzerne

Brian Jenkins, 31, of Ashland, an elementary education major at Luzerne County Community College, achieved a 4.0 GPA for the fall semester.

A 1999 graduate of North Schuylkill High School, he works full-time at Ashland Foundry and Machine Shop and goes to school full time.

RIT

James M. Dudish, Pattersonville, Ringtown, has been named to the dean's list for the fall quarter at Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, N.Y.

A fifth-year student in RIT's B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences, James is studying software engineering.

He is a son of Jim and Dianne Dudish, Pattersonville, and a 2008 graduate of North Schuylkill High School.

East Stroudsburg

Keith Evans, a senior athletic training/physical therapy major at East Stroudsburg University, made the dean's list for the fall semester with a 4.0 GPA.

A 2009 Pine Grove Area High School graduate, he is a son of Dave and Jane Evans, Pine Grove, and a grandson of Russell Evans, Tamaqua.

Wyoming Prep

Lindsey Strouse, Pottsville, a freshman at Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School, Kingston, was named to the dean's list for the fall 2012-13 academic term.

She is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Keith Strouse, Pottsville.

Chief honored

Stanley P. Brozana Jr., Orwigsburg chief of police, was honored by friends and co-workers who gathered at a surprise event Dec. 15 at Blue Mountain Elementary East.

Stan was hired by the Orwigsburg Borough Police Department on Sept. 14, 1977, and became chief of police by the latter part of 1978.

He was presented with plaques on behalf of the officers of the Orwigsburg police department and members of the Orwigsburg Borough Council.

Penn College

Pennsylvania College of Technology, Williamsport, presented student achievement awards to its December graduates.

Penny K. Shade, Schuyl-kill Haven, culinary arts and systems, received the Chef Leah Chase Excellence in Hospitality Award that is presented to a nontraditional graduate who demonstrates Chase's commitment to being a positive role model for the hospitality industry; work and scholastic excellence; stewardship of personal and professional resources; respect for self and others; and excellence and leadership in hospitality education.

GORDON - The borough council formally adopted its 2013 operating budget at a special meeting Friday that includes no tax increase.

Vice President Mary Ellen Mulligan conducted the meeting with a quorum of four.

Councilman Jeffrey Hoffman made the motion, with Councilman Barry Brecker providing the second. The vote was unanimous, with Mulligan, Hoffman, Brecker and Polly Wolfgang in favor. Absent from the vote was Michael Rader, Kurt Lynch and Valerie Stitzer.

Real estate taxes will remain at 8.5 mills. The budget includes $361,963 in revenues and $361,777 in expenditures.

"It's balanced with no tax increase," Brecker said after the vote.

"There is only $186 left that is unappropriated, so you know the budget is pretty tight," Paul L. Snyder, borough secretary/treasurer, said.

The council also adopted the 2013 tax ordinance to set the tax rates.

Since the special meeting was advertised for general purposes, the borough council also voted to retain Donald Cuff of Entech Engineering Inc. as project manager for the roof replacement project on the municipal building. Cuff will prepare the bid document and provide inspection services during the project and do a final inspection for $6,000.

After the meeting, Snyder showed some areas where the roof has been leaking and caused damage to ceiling tiles, indicating the need for the roof replacement.

"Out in the hall and going to the truck bays, it's leaking like a sieve," Snyder said.

Ashland Rotary

Kyrsten Runkle, a senior at North Schuylkill High School, was recognized as student of the month for November by the Ashland Area Rotary Club.

Kyrsten's high school activities include student council, Students Against Destructive Decisions, Teens Against Tobacco, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, National Honor Society, Foreign Language National Honor Society, peer mediation and the annual Powderpuff Classic. She volunteers at the Schuyl-kill Center nursing home, Pottsville.

A daughter of Scott and Melissa Runkle, Ashland, she plans to attend college and major in occupational therapy.

Tri-Valley Lions

The Tri-Valley Lions hosted Leena Reilly and her mother, Crystal, at their second meeting in November to confer the Outstanding Student in the Arts Award for her talent in vocal music and stage performance.

A daughter of Crystal and Matt Reilly, Leena demonstrated vocal talent by singing "I See the Light" from the motion picture "Tangled."

Leena is a member of the chorus, band, FFA, FBLA and SWAT and performed in the fall and spring drama shows, portraying Dolly Perkins in the stage show, "Game Show." She was also the cheerleading mascot.

Outside of school, Leena is a member of her church choir and served as a volunteer for Child Evangelism Fellowship. She was a member of the Schuylkill County Chorus and was nominated for both Best Female Vocalist and Best Female Actress at the 2012 Sovereign Majestic Awards.

Following graduation, she plans to attend Point Park Conservatory for the Arts, Pittsburgh.

Mahanoy Middle

Matthew Reed and Katie Loughlin were named students of the month for November by the Mahanoy Area Middle School faculty. The program is sponsored by the Mahanoy City Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Lodge 695.

Matthew is a son of John and Kimberly Reed, Mahanoy City, and a member of Ebenezer United Methodist Church, Quakake. A distinguished honors student, he is involved in the chorus, National Junior Honor Society, Theatre Arts, spelling bee and seventh- and eighth-grade basketball.

Matthew was an Elks Es-say Contest winner and achieved perfect attendance in seventh grade. He volunteers his time with Biddy Basketball.

His future plans are to attend college.

Katie is a daughter of Dennis and Cindy Loughlin, Mahanoy City, and is a member of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Roman Catholic Church, Mahanoy City. A distinguished honors student, she is involved in chorus, middle school concert band, Paw Print, ski club, Theatre Arts, seventh-grade class secretary, seventh- and eighth-grade cheerleading, Biddy Basketball, swim team, track and field team, Biddy Volleyball and National Junior Honor Society.

Katie volunteers her time at Vacation Bible School, and she plans to attend college in the future.

HOMETOWN - Rush Township police responded to a report of a man carrying a long-rifle case on the grounds of Marian High School on Sunday afternoon, according to a Schuylkill County Communications supervisor.

The call came in at 3:54 p.m. and police responded to secure the grounds. Assisting Rush Township were state police at Frackville and municipal police from Tamaqua, Kline Township, McAdoo and Mahanoy City, according to the supervisor.

At the time, a varsity girls' basketball game between the Marian Fillies and Dunmore Bucks was being played.

When police arrived they secured the building, checked the grounds and conducted a search of the school, but could not locate the man with the rifle case, according to the supervisor. Rush Township police could not be reached for comment Sunday night.

Dunmore sophomore Jillian Korgeski said the players were in the locker room when news of the possible shooter was delivered by another player's parent.

"We were scared, but our coaches and all the adults around us knew how to handle it," she said. They said, "we would be fine, to calm down and the state police were on their way."

Dunmore Head Coach Ben O'Brien said after the lockdown, the prevailing feeling was "concern." Both girls' basketball teams were moved to a downstairs room to wait for state and local police to address to concern.

"Obviously, they were a little shaken up," O'Brien said of the players. "A lot of our team's families were at the game and (players) weren't sure what was going on."

That was the case for senior Molly Burke, who said that her parents attended the game.

"They were in the bleachers and I didn't know where everybody in the bleachers went," she said.

The team was escorted to the bus about an hour after the lockdown commenced, according to O'Brien.

"We were happy that we got out of there," Jillian said of the talk on the drive home. "We couldn't believe it happened and that it actually does happen around here."

TREMONT - The Union Street bridge could reopen in January after being closed to traffic for about eight years.

Gerald Fasnacht, a Tremont borough councilman and code enforcement officer, said Friday that the borough-owned bridge could open in two weeks, weather permitting.

Its reopening is also thanks to a joint effort by borough officials and area businesses.

Build in 1950, the bridge that runs over Middle Creek closed because PennDOT determined it was not suitable for use.

Efforts have been made over the years to fix the bridge. Previously, U.S. Rep. Tim Holden, D-17, secured $400,000 for the bridge, but due to PennDOT construction regulations, that money was not used because it would require too much of a contribution by the borough, officials have said.

Work on the precast concrete deck with steel girder bridge began about three weeks ago, Fasnacht said, noting that while costs are not finalized, they could come in at $23,000.

When completed, the bridge will support 15 tons, which is enough to support vehicles like a school bus or emergency vehicles, council President Bob Donmoyer said.

Project manager Thomas Schreffler, P.E., with Light-Heigel & Associates Inc., Schuylkill Haven, said work on the bridge involves two phases. One required putting a concrete scour wall along the bottom of the bridge on the north face and installing concrete pilasters or vertical columns that support the 24 beams under the bridge. Schreffler said the creek was eroding the bridge.

The second phase required replacing or repairing the steel beams.

On Friday, one of the beams was leaning and an area of the beam was clearly rusted. Fasnacht said three of the beams were replaced with new steel and six more were repaired.

"We're going to maintain this bridge," he said. "We're not going to let it get to the point where we have to come in and rebuild it again."

Fasnacht said he paid $18,500 for the concrete work for the bridge, done by Steve Franz, Pine Grove.

Borough workers, Fasnacht and James Kintzel of Kintzel Portable Welding and Fabricating, Pine Grove, also did work on the bridge.

Donmoyer confirmed Fasnacht paid for a portion of the work.

Donmoyer said the final cost could come in at $30,000. Of that, about $7,000, which was a reduced rate, was engineering work by Light-Heigel & Associates Inc.

The effort to open the bridge to vehicular traffic is a joint one by many, Fasnacht said.

For example, Butch Kreiser, Lebanon, donated the steel. Kreiser has a store in the borough.

Solicitor Christopher Hobbs donated his time for legal matters and even Newswanger's Lawn and Garden, Pine Grove, helped by fixing a piece of equipment for free, Fasnacht said.

Robert Donmoyer, owner of Donmoyer's V Service, 29 Union St., on the other side of the bridge, said the opening of the bridge could increase business to his shop. He's been at the location for 44 years.

Jessie Clark, 23, also lives near the closed bridge. She lives at 18 Union St. and said she would welcome the bridge's opening. It was an inconvenience at first when the bridge closed, she said.

Getting in her car she, had to turn around to go toward East Union Street because of the bridge closure.

"It will be a lot more convenient," she said.

"With this refurbishing work, this bridge should last at least 25 years," Schreffler said.

Editor's note: The following are the top stories of 2012 covered by The Republican-Herald, in no particular order.

Holden defeated

For 20 years, U.S. Rep. Tim Holden has represented Schuylkill County in Congress, serving the county in which he grew up and lives.

That ends Thursday, when Scranton attorney Matt Cartwright takes over the 17th District, which looks quite different than it has for the last 10 years.

Holden, D-17, the dean of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation, lost the April 24 primary election to Cartwright, Moosic.

Cartwright beat Holden with 33,255 votes to 24,953 in April, and then went on to win the Nov. 6 General Election, defeating Republican Laureen Cummings, an Old Forge businesswoman, with 157,629 votes to 102,754.

Holden, Saint Clair, had been in Congress since 1992, representing the Sixth District for his first 10 years and the 17th District for his last 10.

In the end, Schuylkill County was the only part of Holden's district that remained from either his time in the Sixth or his first 10 years in the 17th, and that change, more than anything else, contributed to his defeat.

More conservative than most congressional Democrats, Holden represented Berks, Schuylkill and a small part of Montgomery counties in what was a balanced Sixth, and then Dauphin, Lebanon, Schuylkill and small parts of Berks and Perry counties in the old Republican-leaning 17th.

Redistricting in 2012 made the 17th far more Democratic-oriented, adding to Schuylkill parts of Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe and Northampton counties, including the Democratic strongholds of Easton, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. Republicans, who controlled the redistricting process in Pennsylvania, put as many Democrats as possible into the district in order to help the re-election chances of U.S. Reps. Lou Barletta, R-11, Charlie Dent, R-15, and Tom Marino, R-10, each of whom won Nov. 6.

Cartwright, a lawyer in the firm of Munley, Munley & Cartwright, is considered more liberal than Holden, and his views dovetailed with the more liberal Democratic primary voters. Furthermore, there are far more Democrats in the Lackawanna and Luzerne sections of the district than in Schuylkill County.

Although Holden had the endorsements of Democratic leaders in those counties, large infusions of money from liberal political action committees resulted in numerous television advertisements being run against him.

Under Pennsylvania law, Holden could not run as an independent in the General Election, as some people in Schuylkill County wanted him to do, and he endorsed Cartwright. One of Holden's former staff members, William Hanley, will work for Cartwright, who plans to open a Schuylkill County office early in 2013.

Hospital shuts down

Northern Schuylkill County lost its only hospital in the spring after admissions and medical services were halted by the state at Saint Catherine Medical Center Fountain Springs due to financial problems that led to lack of supplies and employees not getting paid.

When the doors closed in early April, it left 160 employees out of work. On April 9, Saint Catherine's Hospital of Pennsylvania LCC, the owner of the medical center, filed for relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

The closure began following an inspection by the state Department of Health, according to DOH Deputy Press Secretary Holli Senior, who said that on March 23, the DOH completed a complaint investigation to determine whether the hospital was complying with state and federal regulations.

"As a result of this investigation, the department discovered serious deficiencies and violations of applicable regulations that it felt posed a significant threat to the health and safety of the patients at the facility," Senior said, and a ban on new admissions was imposed.

Within a week, a ban on performing laboratory services and accepting emergency room patients was also imposed, and a short time later, the 24 residents in the hospital's long-term care center were ordered to be moved, most being transported to local personal care and nursing homes.

The bankruptcy and closure affected employees who had been at the facility up to 32 years, and many were still owed up to six weeks in back pay. Due to the sudden layoffs, the Rapid Response team of the state Department of Labor & Industry held a two-hour information session for the employees Apr. 18.

The medical center had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Apr. 9, which would allow time for the corporation to reorganize with the hope of opening in the future, but on April 18, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge John J. Thomas ordered that the case be changed to Chapter 7, which allows for liquidation of a business' assets.

In October, an auction was held to sell the medical center's assets, from computers and medical equipment to wheelchairs and other items. The building and grounds were not part of the auction.

The hospital was opened by the commonwealth in 1883 as the State Hospital for Injured Persons of the Anthracite Coal Region, though was usually referred to as the "Miners' Hospital," since it only took in injured miners, railroad workers and textile workers after its creation. Eventually, it opened to anyone needing hospitalized care. When Ashland State General Hospital was divested by the commonwealth in the early 1990s, it was renamed Ashland Regional Medical Center. In 2006, it became Saint Catherine Medical Center.

Man tied to tree dies

Bryan R. Smith, 26, of Orwigsburg, died in May after being gagged and tied to a tree in a secluded area of South Manheim Township.

Keith A. Reber, 48, of Schuylkill Haven, and Daniel Dull, 25, of Orwigsburg, were charged in Smith's death.

State police said Smith was tied to the tree at 3 a.m. May 28 and left there for 20 hours. When Reber and Dull returned, they found that the man had died and, after a delay of several hours, they went to the Schuylkill Haven borough police to report the death and then led authorities to Smith's body.

State police charged Reber with criminal homicide, kidnapping, aggravated assault, conspiracy, recklessly endangering another person, unlawful restraint, two counts of simple assault, prohibited possession of a firearm and possessing a firearm with an altered manufactured number.

Dull is charged with criminal homicide, kidnapping, aggravated assault, conspiracy, unlawful restraint, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.

An autopsy was conducted May 29 in Reading.

At a hearing Dec. 10, Reber's lawyer, Frederick J. Fanellli, Pottsville, argued the autopsy said drugs played a role in Smith's death. He said the official cause of death is "excited delirium due to amphetamine use" and that the charges should be dismissed.

The prosecution said that such arguments should be made before a jury. County Judge Charles M. Miller has given lawyers until Jan. 25 to file briefs outlining their position.

Reber remains in Schuylkill County Prison while Dull is in Carbon County Prison in connection with another case.

Firefighters find pot

While battling an electrical fire at a duplex in Port Carbon on Nov. 28, firefighters uncovered an elaborate marijuana-growing operation in the home where the fire started.

That night, members of the Schuylkill County Drug Task Force charged Dean Vermeersch, the owner of the home at 233 Coal St., with running the hydroponic garden with more than 75 marijuana plants.

Vermeersch, 53, is in Schuylkill County Prison on $50,000 straight cash bail awaiting his preliminary hearing that is slated for 1 p.m. Jan. 10 at the office of Magisterial District Judge David A. Plachko, Port Carbon.

The two properties in the duplex include:

- 233 Coal St., a two-story apartment home owned by Vermeersch. He bought 233 Coal St. on March 30 from Dale J. Smith for $14,000, according to the online Schuylkill Parcel Locator.

- 231 Coal St., a three-story home owned by Lamar E. Staller, 44, and his wife, Katrina M., 43. They lived there with their daughter, Becky, 14, and six cats. The Stallers have owned 231 Coal St. since 1997, when they bought the home from Joseph W. and Rose Ann Snyder for $46,000, according to the parcel locator.

The electrical fire started at 233 Coal St., according to borough fire Chief Michael E. Welsh.

Vermeersch was charged with three felonies, one count each of possession with the intent to deliver a controlled substance, manufacturing a controlled substance and causing or risking a catastrophe; seven misdemeanors, one count each of operation of a drug manufacturing establishment and being a public nuisance and five counts of possession of a controlled substance, and one summary violation of disorderly conduct, according to the criminal complaint.

Schuylkill County Assistant District Attorney Douglas Taglieri said Friday he will be representing the commonwealth in the case.

County borrows $21M

The Schuylkill County commissioners are borrowing $21.4 million to take care of infrastructure improvements, yet managed to hold the line on taxes for the ninth consecutive year.

The loan will help the county comply with federally mandated upgrades to the county communications network, buy a new building and make other infrastructure improvements.

The board approved a resolution during a work session in October to issue a general obligation bond, taking advantage of a record-low interest rate of 3.6 percent. The resolution also refinances $1.7 million still owed by the county from a 2008 bond, bringing the total debt obligation to $23.1 million.

Upgrades to the county's public safety communications network were mandated by the Federal Communications Commission to narrowband radio frequencies. The board made a contract final with Motorola Solutions Inc. in December to make the improvements for $16,388,145. Communication services not in compliance with the FCC's mandated standards as of Tuesday will face substantial fines and can have licenses revoked.

On Wednesday, the commissioners said they have been in negotiations for several months to buy the former Empire Beauty School at Centre Street and Laurel Boulevard to relieve overcrowding at the human services complex just across the street. The county's Children & Youth Services will move to the new location.

Empire Beauty School recently moved into a new building across from Fairlane Village mall in East Norwegian Township. However, a tenant at the former beauty school building, Telecommunications On Demand, or TOD, has yet to relocate.

On a 2-1 vote Wednesday, the board gave county solicitor Al Marshall permission to seize the property through eminent domain, paying the fair market value of $740,000.

Other projects using the funding include extensive renovation to the Human Services Building at 410 N. Centre St., a new roof at the prison and county Communications Center and other infrastructure improvements yet to be announced.

Hurricane effects slight

Superstorm Sandy, which caused more than $62 billion in damage across the nation, only brushed Schuylkill County in the last week of October.

The storm soaked the county, dropping more than 6 inches of rain, knocked down trees with 60 mph winds and left some homeowners without power for two days or more. The damage, however, was minimal, John W. Blickley, operations and training officer at the Schuylkill County Emergency Management Agency, Pottsville, said Thursday.

"Superstorm Sandy was mainly a wind event in Schuylkill County," he said. "There was only minor flooding in low-lying and urban areas reported. There were three homes that sustained damage to roofs - one in Kline Township, one in East Brunswick Township and one in Ryan Township."

Then again, the county wasn't in the storm's bull's-eye.

Sandy is being blamed for about $62 billion in damage and other losses in the United States, most of it in New York and New Jersey. It's the second-costliest storm in U.S. history after Hurricane Katrina, which caused $128 billion in damage in inflation-adjusted dollars, according to The Associated Press. Sandy killed more than 125 people in the U.S.

In Schuylkill County, the storm knocked out power to "approximately 27,000" PPL customers, leaving some in the dark for days, Blickley said.

Emergency responders locally were ready for Sandy, having dealt with flooding caused by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011.

"Several local roads and state routes were closed during the first 24 hours of the storm for cleanup of downed trees and power lines. All local schools were also closed during the event," Blickley said. "Local municipal emergency operations centers and fire stations were staffed in preparation of the storm. Several local declarations of disaster were issued, as well as a county declaration.

"Local warming centers were set up in municipalities to provide assistance to residents without power. No public infrastructure damage was reported from local municipalities. We are not aware of any resident still recovering from storm damage."

Battle over BRADS continues

The eight-year battle over making the Blythe Recycling and Demolition Site landfill a reality continued this year.

The state Department of Environmental Protection issued a permit July 16 to allow Blythe Township to construct and operate a municipal waste facility, also known as BRADS, on 252 acres along Burma Road. In turn, the Saint Clair Borough Council filed an appeal over the landfill's application.

The proposed site is 2,400 feet from Wolf Creek Reservoir, the drinking water source for Pottsville, Mechanicsville, Palo Alto, Port Carbon and Saint Clair and parts of Blythe, East Norwegian, New Castle and Norwegian townships. The landfill proposed to only accept construction and demolition waste and have a 1,500-ton daily volume.

At the Saint Clair council's September meeting, Brian Baldwin of Alfred Benesch & Co., Pottsville, the borough's engineer, said an appeal of DEP's decision to approve the landfill application had been filed. The appeal was amended to add three or four points to the borough's points of contention.

The borough has until February to complete the appeal and no hearing date has been set.

When the borough adopted an ordinance in December setting the real estate tax rate and occupation tax for 2013, it announced that the real estate tax rate will be set at 4 mills and the occupation tax at $2.10. Roland Price, borough treasurer, said the millage is a 0.66-mill increase from last year to help finance the continuing battle against the landfill.

At the time of DEP's decision in July, James D. Larish, borough council president, said the borough had spent about $700,000 in attorney and engineering fees.

Blythe Township originally submitted its application in 2004. The application has since gone through a series of reviews, including an environmental assessment, also called a "harms-benefits analysis" and a technical review.

One of the last major advancements in the battle before the July decision was in August 2011, when DEP approved the Phase I permit application, due directly to a decision by Michael Krancer, DEP secretary, according to newspaper archives.

Bigfoot blamed for damage

The story of a 39-year-old man from the Lykens area claiming that a bigfoot damaged his Winnebago made national news online as several major networks, including ABC News, picked up on the strange incident after it was first reported by state police at Lykens in October.

According to police, John Reed reported that someone - or something - smashed the windows and tail lights of his 1973 Winnebago on Lykens Road in Jackson Township, Dauphin County, between Sept. 15 and Oct. 8.

Reed said he had seen a bigfoot around his vehicle, describing the creature as large, brown and walking hunched over. Reed also said the creature threw rocks at a light to avoid being seen.

State police at Lykens have since said the incident is no longer under investigation due to lack of evidence.

According to the article on www.abcnews.com, Reed is a self-described Sasquatch tracker and founder of the Lykens Valley Sasquatch Hunters. The story also said it was third time Reed said he has come into contact with a Sasquatch.

Schuylkill County firefighters responded to 366 structure fire calls in 2012, including two fires that claimed the lives of five people.

The fatalities were the result of two separate fires in Shenandoah - four lives were lost in one blaze and one life was lost in the second.

On March 27, Tiffany Matejick Sanchez and her son, Christian Sanchez, 10, died in a blaze along with the woman's two nephews, Damian Lopez, 10, and Aziah Hernandez, 7 months.

Matejick Sanchez was able to get her other son, Diego Sanchez, 8, out of a back window and onto a roof of their 117 E. Coal St. home before flames engulfed the room, fire officials said.

Diego Sanchez suffered from smoke inhalation and burns but has since recovered from his injuries.

The blaze destroyed that home and three others, leaving a total of 11 people homeless.

Later in the year, on July 7, a 52-year-old Shenandoah man died after a fire tore through his home and an attached, unoccupied home.

Samuel J. Nitolo Jr., 222 W. Columbus St., was rescued from his home during a heroic effort by firefighters but died a short time later.

Schuylkill County Deputy Coroner Andrew Szczyglak said he pronounced Nitolo dead about an hour and 15 minutes after the first fire call came in.

Flames gutted the upper floors of the Nitolo home as well as an attached home at 220 W. Columbus St. A garage adjacent to the 220 W. Columbus St. home sustained heavy fire damage, officials said.

State police fire marshal Trooper John F. Burns of the Frackville station investigated both fires but has yet to release a cause on either.

In addition to the loss of life, flames tore through at least four county businesses during the year.

On May 31, a firefighter was injured when he fell partially through a floor while battling a fire to the rear of Schuylkill Gun Works in downtown Schuylkill Haven.

The firefighter was inside a building off Wilson Street Alley, to the rear of the gun shop at 22 W. Main St., when the floor gave way. He was quickly rescued by other volunteers and taken to an ambulance for treatment of nonlife-threatening injuries.

Flames destroyed the garage attached to the gun shop along with a garage next to that, which housed a privately owned woodworking shop, and two other garages.

The Schuylkill Gun Works storefront sustained damage including smoke and broken windows and the Downtown Tavern at 24 W. Main St., owned by Michael Bubeck, sustained smoke damage.

A building that houses two apartments at 26 W. Main St. escaped with minimal damage while two other apartment buildings, the former Cully's Sub Shop at 20 W. Main St. and a corner building at 18 W. Main St., sustained minimal damage as well.

Less than a month later, on June 24, a late-night fire severely damaged Madeline's Restaurant at 1100 E. Market St., Orwigsburg.

Firefighters had the blaze under control in a just over an hour but not before it caused extensive damage to parts of the building.

Fire also destroyed a Frackville eatery Sept. 9. Firefighters were called to J Co. Bagel shop at 10 W. Oak St. and found heavy smoke coming from the building.

The blaze was under control in about 30 minutes but not before the building sustained smoke and some fire damage.

On Nov. 28, fire destroyed a landmark business in Girardville that was scheduled to re-open within weeks.

Flames tore through the former Jiffy Mart store at 146 N. Second St., bringing firefighters from the borough and surrounding communities to the scene.

Girardville fire Chief Frank Zangari Jr. said that after examining the scene with state police fire marshal as well as private insurance investigators, it was determined the fire was electrical and deemed accidental.

The blaze started with wiring inside the building, which was still the original wiring, Zangari said, noting some of the electrical system had been updated.

Firefighters worked for hours to completely extinguish the fire and at one point, a part of the roof above the convenience store collapsed.

On July 30, a massive fire destroyed seven vacant homes on North Main Street in Mahanoy City, reducing all but one house at the end of the block to rubble.

Firefighters were called to the first block of North Main Street at 2:38 a.m. and found heavy fire throughout the home at 21 N. Main St., with fire extending into the remaining six homes at 23, 25, 27, 29, 31 and 33 N. Main St.

Since all of the homes were unoccupied, firefighters began defensive operations and called for multiple alarms, bringing in firefighters from as far away as Schuylkill Haven and Hazle Township in neighboring Luzerne County.

Borough fire officials said all of the affected homes were abandoned after the Flood of 2006 and most were not safe for firefighters to enter.

No firefighters were hurt battling the blaze that quickly went to three alarms, officials said.

Saturday's snow kept homeowners and municipal workers busy on Sunday.

Some people's eyes filled with wonder on Saturday when the falling snow made the area look picturesque. Last year's mild winter didn't give Schuylkill County residents many opportunities to see it. But on Sunday, the illusion had worn off.

At 10:30 a.m. Lori Hasker, 423 Pine St., Frackville, was out sweeping a covering of snow 4 inches thick off her red sedan.

As a persistent wind brushed snowflakes off rooftops at 10:42 a.m., Don Zimmerman, public works director for the Borough of Frackville, was conducting a snow removal operation at the intersection of North Balliet and West Frack streets.

"We put 12 hours in on Saturday. We'll put four in today. Today, we're cleaning off the snow near the corners so when people turn they don't get stuck," said Zimmerman, who was working a front-end loader.

At 11 a.m. Joe Moyle, 517 E. Pine St., Mahanoy City, was riding a tractor with chains on its back tires, plowing snow for family and friends, cleaning out parking spots.

"I took the cutting blades off and put a plow on it. I was out about seven hours on Saturday and only two hours today," Moyle said.

According to the website for the National Weather Service, State College, tonight there will be a 20 chance of snow showers with a low about 27. And New Year's Day will be cloudy with a high near 33.

"I heard it's going to be really cold on Thursday or Friday. I heard it would be a high of 18 degrees and a low of 9 or 5 degrees," Hasker said.

Wednesday will be mostly cloudy with a high near 26 and Wednesday night, temperatures will drop to a low near 11. Thursday will be partly sunny with a high near 23 and Thursday night, temperatures will drop to a low around 13. And Friday will be partly sunny with a high near 27 and Friday night, temperatures will drop to a low around 12, according to the weather service website.

Deeds

Coaldale - Chad Gerber and Sherri Gerber to Federal National Mortgage Association; 4 W. Lehigh St.; $1.

East Brunswick Township - Blackstone Funding LLC to Charles S. Fix; 875 Summer Valley Road; $35,000.

Hubley Township - Mark A. and Brenda E. Smeltz to Masser & Bailey Enterprises LP; 90.14-acre property on Mahantongo Street; $618,000.

Brent T. Coleman and Tyson D. Coleman to Drew D. Coleman; 2111 E. Main St.; $50,000.

Business in Schuylkill County had its share of ups and downs in 2012, from the announcement of two power plants planned in Porter Township to the closing of a longtime apparel manufacturer in southern Schuylkill.

The county's Fairlane Village and Schuylkill malls welcomed new tenants during the year.

The arrival of Kohl's department store at Fairlane Village began with a soft opening March 4 and a grand opening March 7. The 55,628-square-foot site once housed Value City, with 47,546 square feet designated for sales.

Fairlane Village welcomed another tenant in August when Michaels held a soft opening Aug. 17 and a grand opening two days later. The arts and crafts retailer signed a lease for a 22,192-square-feet space in January and employs more than 60 people.

Dunham's Sports opened its doors June 29 at the Schuylkill Mall. It sells sports equipment, clothing and other items in a 58,000-square-foot site that was formerly occupied by Black Diamond Antiques.

The antiques store relocated to the site of the former Steve and Barry's that went out of business in 2009.

The Schuylkill Mall also saw the start of construction of The Pearl Stadium 8, the renovated movie theaters, in July. The theater's new VIP auditorium opened in December, along with a new and expanded concession area. Patrons 21 and over will be able to have beer, wine or liquor in the designated area once the state Liquor Control Board approves the the license.

Mark Clement, theater manager, said construction to provide the more up-to-date experience for customers could be finished by April.

On Aug. 26, Pottsville's downtown said goodbye to a long-time eatery when Coney Island closed its doors.

The business at 215 N. Centre St. welcomed customers since the 1920s and was one of three Coney Islands in the Pottsville area. Ray Westcoat operated the location for more than 20 years.

The Coney Island restaurants are linked to the Palles family, according to newspaper archives, with the "Palles Trust" owning the building in which the Coney Island Downtown operated. The Coney Island at 2290 W. Market St. is owned by Mickey Palles and one at Fairlane Village, Coney Express, is owned by Randy Palles.

On the county's west end, Canadian power developer EmberClear Corp. announced plans in November to build a 300-megawatt generation plant. The plant, Good Spring NGCC 2, will be a natural gas combined cycle electricity plant.

The new facility comes on the heels of Good Spring NGCC1, an $800 million electricity plant in Porter Township whose construction is expected to begin in 2013 by SK E&C USA.

Each plant will be capable of serving 300,000 or more households in the northeastern United States.

As the announcement of a power plant construction came in November, so did the closure of longtime garment company FesslerUSA at 1506 Center Turnpike, Orwigsburg.

Walter Meck, president/CEO, said Nov. 5 that the company started as Meck & Co. in 1900, making underwear. It eventually switched to tees and tops, and earlier this year returned to making high-end men's underwear.

FesslerUSA provided design services and manufactured knit fabric and apparel and consumer products. Until recently, it employed 130 people, including office staff, sales employees, knitters, sewers and operators.

The FesslerUSA facility does not stand empty, however. It is now home to Warrior Boot Camp, a get-fit class that uses tractor tires and other equipment to promote physical health.

The site also houses bottled water by Advance H20, which recently signed a five-year lease to use part of the premises.

With New Year's Eve celebrations set to begin in just a few hours, party-goers are reminded that state, county and local police will be out in force looking for impaired or aggressive drivers and those disregarding seat belt laws.

The state Department of Transportation and police statewide have joined forces for "Operation Safe Holiday," an initiative aimed at keeping roads safe this holiday season.

The operation began just before Thanksgiving Day with the Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement campaign.

From that point and into the new year, police conducted sobriety checkpoints, roving patrols and regular traffic safety patrols to crack down on motorists who are speeding, driving aggressively or driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol.

"Every year we see an increase in travel during the holiday season, and unfortunately we also see more crashes," said Barry J. Schoch, PennDOT secretary. "If we all take the simple steps to buckle up, take our time and drive safe and sober, the holidays will be safer for everyone on Pennsylvania's roadways."

PennDOT statistics show that the holiday season continues to be the leading time period for traffic crashes.

During the 2011 Thanksgiving Day period, there were 4,235 crashes and 49 fatalities including weekends before and after the holiday. During the Christmas and New Year travel periods, there were a combined 1,994 crashes and 19 fatalities.

Schloch said PennDOT encourages motorists to make sure they are well-rested and alert before traveling. Travelers should also rotate drivers and take frequent breaks.

He said drivers should allow extra time for travel and expect to encounter traffic delays.

Since weather and road conditions can worsen quickly at this time of year, motorists should always check the forecast for their entire route and make sure their vehicle is equipped with a winter emergency kit and tires with good traction, PennDOT said.

Weather and travel information for more than 2,900 miles of state roads is available by calling 511 or visiting www.511pa.com before leaving home. Law enforcement officials urge motorists to be on the lookout for impaired or aggressive driving and to report those drivers immediately by calling 911.

While Schuylkill County experienced murder and theft in 2012, of particular note to law enforcement was an increase in arrests for sexual offenses against minors. Meanwhile, among the thefts of were cases of people stealing from organizations that had entrusted them with their financial well-being.

Photos lead to arrest

On Dec. 20, Robert Lee Raeder Jr., 44, of 107 Gay St., Tamaqua, was arrested by state police at Frackville and charged with raping a young girl and sexually abusing another girl in 2001.

Raeder was charged with one felony count each of rape of a child and aggravated indecent assault; two felony counts each of sexual abuse of children and unlawful contact with a minor; two misdemeanor counts each of corruption of minors and indecent assault; and one misdemeanor count of indecent exposure.

He remains in Schuylkill County Prison unable to post $100,000 straight cash bail.

Police charged Raeder with the crimes after an April 29 community cleanup along Valley Road in Walker Township uncovered 53 Polaroid pictures depicting child nudity and sexual assault.

The pictures were eventually linked back to Raeder, who admitted committing the crimes and disposing of the snapshots.

Teacher charged

A Lancaster County man who served as a teacher in the Pine Grove Area School District was charged by state police at Schuylkill Haven with trying to get a teenage student to have sex with him.

Matthew R. Pfautz, then 29, of Blue Jay Drive, Stevens, was charged with corruption of minors and unlawful contact with a minor.

The charges against Pfautz stem from incidents involving a 17-year-old girl at the Pine Grove Area High School and in the borough between Sept. 11, 2011, and May 30, police said.

During that time period, police said Pfautz, both in person and via text messaging, enticed the teenager to perform sexual acts with him both in and out of the school building.

Men charged with assaulting boys

In February, McAdoo police arrested Clark E. Mead, then 28, of 129 Tobyhanna Road, Box 753, Gouldsboro, and charged him with six felony counts each of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child and indecent assault of a person under the age of 13 along with two felony counts each of corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children.

Police allege Mead raped two boys ages 5 and 4 in the borough between August of 2005 and June of 2006.

Rush Township police in May arrested a then-79-year-old Barnesville man and charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy over a seven-month period

Gene S. Lutz, 36 Hilltop Road, was charged with of eight felony counts each of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a person less than 16 years old and corruption of minors along with two misdemeanor counts each of indecent exposure and indecent assault of a person less than 16 years old.

Several charged in assaults on girls

In August, Hegins Township police charged a then-31-year-old Tremont man with sexually assaulting two girls a month earlier.

Sgt. Beau Yarmush charged Alan R. Donmoyer, 423 W. Main St., with one felony count each of aggravated indecent assault and corruption of minors; two misdemeanor counts of indecent assault; one misdemeanor count of corruption of minors; and a summary charge of driving while operating privileges are suspended or revoked.

Yarmush said the assaults occurred in the area of Old Mill Road and involved girls who were 14 and 16 at the time.

In July, state police at Frackville charged an Oklahoma man with raping a teenage girl in Kline Township in June.

Alexander G. Leshko, then 40, of the 200 block of Fir Ave., Elgin, was charged with one count each of rape and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, as well as six counts each of unlawful contact with a minor, indecent assault and corruption of minors.

Police said that the victim, a 16-year-old from Elgin, Okla., reported that between June 15 ad 23 Leshko entered her room at 234 Haddock Road numerous times and touched her inappropriately.

Leshko was interviewed and admitted that he touched the girl on numerous occasions and also forced the teenager to touch him as well.

Child suffocated

Pottsville police charged Jennifer K. Bossler, then 28, on April 19 for suffocating her 13-month-old son weeks earlier, on April 1.

Pottsville police De-tective Steven Guers charged Bossler with one felony count each of criminal homicide and aggravated assault stemming from the death of James Blake Bossler.

Pottsville police and Pottsville-Schuylkill Haven Area EMS were called to the home about 5:30 p.m. and found the child in cardiac arrest. The boy was taken to Schuylkill Medical Center-South Jackson Street and pronounced dead a short time later.

Police began their investigation into the death that culminated with Bossler admitting to causing the death of her son.

Man bludgeoned to death

Also in April, state police at Frackville arrested Jarvin Malik Huggins, then 18, of Mahanoy City, and charged him with killing another borough man by beating him with a cast-iron window weight inside his home during a burglary.

Huggins was charged with felony criminal homicide, burglary, robbery, aggravated assault, theft by unlawful taking and criminal trespass as well as misdemeanor offenses of theft by unlawful taking and unauthorized use of automobiles stemming from the death of Gene M. Slavinsky inside the man's 408 W. Centre St. home.

Slavinsky was found on the basement floor of the home with what appeared to be severe head injuries caused by blunt force trauma. The cause of death was determined to be homicide and Huggins linked to the crime.

Also in Mahanoy City, on Christmas Day, Richard C. Weikel, 37, shot his wife, Stephanie, inside their home at 3 N. 10th St. and then turned the gun on himself.

Borough police have not said whether they have a motive for why Weikel committed the acts.

Missing money

Two people were charged with stealing money from the organizations of which they were either a member or employee.

In May, the former treasurer of the Mahanoy Area Youth Wrestling Club was charged with stealing more than $10,000 from the organization while serving as its treasurer.

Kelly M. Lewandowski, then 40, of 1022 Main St., Gilberton was charged with one felony count each of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property.

Lewandowski was arrested by Mahanoy City police Chief Mark Wiekrykas and Schuylkill County Detective Dorothy Malec and charged with allegedly stealing $11,320 from the group between February 2007 and December 2010.

Wiekrykas said the charges reflect only the amount of $10,860 because the remaining amount is out of the statute of limitations to be included as offenses.

In October, Minersville police charged a woman with stealing more than $50,000 over a three-year period while employed by Goodwill Fire Company, Minersville, and Minersville EMS.

Brenda S. Shuman, then 47, who resided at 382 N. Second St., Pottsville, was charged with two felony counts of forgery; seven felony counts each of theft by deception, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property; two felony counts of theft by failure to make required disposition of funds; and five felony counts of access device fraud.

Patrolman Jeffrey Bowers charged Shuman with the thefts totaling $50,067 that occurred between August of 2008 and November of last year while was treasurer and billing office manager of the company and EMS organization.

Men charged in bank robberies

In September, three men were charged with three bank robberies in the Tremont and Tower City area.

Juan R. Cooke II, 32, of 504 Graham St., Harrisburg, and Darrell D. Dixon, 28, of 424 Harris St., Harrisburg, were charged with robbing Miners Bank at 29 E. Main St. in Tremont on Aug. 23.

Kevin E. Smith, 28, of 628 Curtain St., Harrisburg, is charged with robbing Miners Bank in Tremont on June 6 and also Halifax Bank at 920 E. Wiconisco Ave. in Tower City on June 29.

It's been a New Year Day tradition at the Pottsville Club for decades, a concert at noon with Pottsville's Third Brigade Band.

More than 40 of the band's 60 musicians will gather at the club at 201 South 26th St. on Tuesday to play favorites including "The Old Scottish Melody (Auld Lang Syne)," "A Christmas Festival," "Sleigh Ride," Armed Forces Salute" and "Turkey in the Straw," as people gather to raise a glass of egg nog.

But Leslie Kraft, Pottsville, the band's president, would also like them to toast the band's future.

In recent years, the band has been hurt by the troubled economy and it's become difficult to raise the more than $10,000 it costs to keep the band afloat every year, Kraft said Friday.

"Unfortunately, because of the strain of the current economy, few businesses and individuals are able to offer support. I've spoken to many local business owners who would be more than willing to donate if they were not facing shortfalls themselves. The same is true for individuals who value the arts in our community," Kraft, a trumpet player and an English teacher at Pottsville Area High School, said Friday.

Kraft said the band's budget varies from year to year.

"It's averaged at about $10,200 every year for the past five years," Kraft said.

Expenditures include:

- $1,700 in insurance, utility and maintenance costs for the band hall at 14 N. Third St. The property is owned by the City of Pottsville, which charges the band $1 a year to rent it.

- $7,900 to reimburse band members for time and travel expenses for attendance at gigs.

- $600 in band-owned instrument and music upkeep.

While the band is a 501c3 nonprofit organization, its musicians are usually reimbursed for their performances.

"It's usually $15 to $20 per musician per event," Kraft said. The sources of the money differs, depending on the concert and the venue, she said.

The Third Brigade Band has several loyal sponsors who make annual donations. She said they include the City of Pottsville, Norm Kauffman, The Walton-Ebert Insurance Agency, The Pottsville Club, Pod & Petal, Heisler's Dairy and M&T Bank, Kraft said.

"That does not include the time and funds donated by band members. Many members do not take reimbursement for gigs and volunteer their time and money to play, transport equipment to gigs, complete band paperwork and bookkeeping, solicit donations, hang fliers, advertise concerts and complete maintenance work at the band hall. There are also many jobs we play, as a band, without any reimbursement each year for veterans organizations and other memorial services, where the cause is worthy but the organizers do not have the funds to reimburse us," Kraft said.

Sponsorships give the band an estimated $3,700 each year.

"That leaves $6,500 that must be raised each year to keep the band in operation," Kraft said.

The troubled economy cut some funding sources over the years.

"In the past, much of this money has come from trusts and grants that have run out or become unavailable in the past five years. For example, the Braun Trust closed in 2008 and the band's Schuylkill County Council for the Arts grant was discontinued in 2010. While we have come close to breaking even over the last five years with one-time donations received from individuals and businesses, we have been using our very limited band savings to cover the difference. If we continue to run short of funds, the band will not be able to maintain operating costs for more than the next few years," Kraft said.

To raise funds, Kraft sends letters to potential donors, visits businesses and fills out grant applications each year.

"Anyone interested in donating to the band or becoming a sponsor should contact me at lkraft@pottsville.k12.pa.us or 570-294-4648," Kraft said.

The "Joseph H. Zerbey History of Pottsville and Schuylkill County," published in 1936, includes a bit of history on the band: "On Aug. 2, 1881, Gen. J.K. Sigfried mustered the band into the National Guards as the Third Brigade Band of Pennsylvania. After Gen. Sigfried was succeeded by Gen. JPS Gobin, the band still held its position on the Third Brigade staff."

Lee Wesner, a Port Carbon native who resides in the area of Boyertown, Berks County, began playing with the Third Brigade Band in 1956. He is the band's historian.

"I began playing with the Third Brigade Band in 1956. Then I played trumpet, but in recent years I have converted to Euphonium, the baritone horn," Wesner said.

Wesner and band members interviewed Friday weren't sure how many years the Third Brigade Band had been playing the annual New Year's Day concert at The Pottsville Club.

"I don't think anyone knows exactly. Word is that both John O'Hara and Walter Farquhar wrote about it early in the 20th century. As recently as the 1970s the band 'serenaded' around town on the morning of January 1, visiting our patrons, then going to the Pottsville Club to play the concert at noon. I personally remember some very cold New Year's Day mornings trying to get valves and keys on instruments to work," Wesner said.