DEER LAKE — The Deer Lake project is almost finished.

“I will have the major part done this year,” Darrick Ballreich, project manager for HRI Inc., State College, who was awarded the contract for the $35,618,960 project, said Tuesday.

Minor additional work is still needed like blacktopping driveways. They will be back likely in March to finish such work.

“We are at 96.2 percent,” he said.

The project started in September 2012. There have been different dates for completion along the way. PennDOT information shows the estimated completion date was Oct. 25, 2015.

Both lanes northbound and southbound should be open for traffic Dec. 11, weather permitting; however, traffic could be reduced to one lane in different areas for any additional work needed.

“Everything will be complete and done by April 20,” Ballreich said.

The project spans Route 61 through parts of West Brunswick and Deer Lake Borough from Brick Hill Road in the township to a section south of Route 895 in Deer Lake. Included in the plans are more than four miles of the old Route 61 roadway into northbound lanes and about two miles of new southbound lanes. Jug handles, median dividers and three new traffic lights and bridges are also part of the project.

PennDOT has seized nearly 100 properties near Route 61 for the project.

Ballreich said the barriers along the project are temporary ones.

“We are hoping all the new barriers will be set by Dec. 10,” he said.

There will be permanent barriers starting in the north end near the Red Church and to Municipal Road. A permanent barrier will also be near Route 895.

Sean Brown, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, said the project is meant to bring added safety to the area.

“I hope motorists will enjoy the new road and increased safety on Route 61.”

Ballreich had additional good news to share Tuesday. He said the project is expected to come in under budget.

“It will come in probably about $34 million,” he said.

Even though gray skies and raindrops dampened the scenery outside Dunkin’ Donuts on Route 61 in Pottsville on Tuesday, unique flower arrangements out front remained boldly in bloom.

That’s because they’re sculptures made by a local artist, Joanne Minnick, 64, of New Ringgold, who enjoys working with metal.

“They’re made of stainless steel and mild steel which has been welded together,” Minnick said while looking over her creations Tuesday. They were installed Oct. 18.

The displays have been placed in window boxes on either side of the front entrance at the store at 413 S. Claude A. Lord Blvd. The sculptures are of sunflowers, doughnuts, coffee cups and tendrils of steam.

The large-scale replicas of coffee cups she made are filled with dark-colored rocks that look a bit like anthracite coal.

“They’re lava rocks,” Jason Bower, co-owner of the store near Route 61, said.

This Dunkin’ Donuts location has made a few efforts in recent years to improve its decor with work from local artists.

In 2012, Bower commissioned Pottsville artist Dave Naydock to paint a canvas that was roughly 8 feet tall by 5 1/2 feet wide. It was a collage of images of the past and present representing the area near the restaurant, including the Atkins Mansion and Sharp Mountain.

“Art is so important to our concept of our surroundings. And the projects Jason has been doing really elevate the way everybody should feel about their environment,” Minnick said.

“And the community,” Bower said.

“Exactly! It fosters good feelings and empowers spirit in a community. It’s a very important part of promoting the arts,” Minnick said.

Born in Madison, New Jersey, Minnick grew up in different parts of the United States. From 1986 to 1993, she ran a photography studio in Orwigsburg, Hawk Mountain Photographics.

“My husband, Charles, was a welding instructor. And he taught me how to weld,” Minnick said.

Today, she runs a business called Minnick Metal Art on Etsy.com.

Bower commissioned Minnick to do the sculptures in August.

“I was really frustrated with the plants that we would put in there. It cost a good bit of money every year to do them, and we had to maintain them, watering and everything. And people would sit on them and crush them and break them. So I was hoping we could something that was ornamental,” Bower said.

At the time, Minnick was recovering from a tennis injury, a fractured right forearm. The injury occurred on Aug. 5.

A few days later, she was talking to Bower about the job.

She said some of the pieces of metal she used to make them were “cultivator parts that I recycled.”

“We had to install them when I had laborers available,” she said.

Each of the displays weighs “about 200 pounds,” she said.

On an average day, the Dunkin’ Donuts location near Route 61 serves “about 2,500 people,” which includes “close to 1,000” walk-in customers, Bower said.

Marriages

Manual A. Abad, Pottsville, and Abby A. Sponsler, Pottsville.

SAINT CLAIR — In a 4-2 vote Tuesday evening, the Saint Clair Borough Council decided to apply for a state grant to replace the aging Lawton Street Bridge which crosses Mill Creek.

The borough will apply for a $1,130,000 grant, but if it receives it, the borough must pay 30 percent of the project cost, which could be more than $300,000, Brian W. Baldwin, a project engineer for Alfred Benesch & Co., the borough engineer, said at council’s December meeting Tuesday evening.

“It’s going to get us into debt,” Councilman William Dempsey warned.

At the meeting, council President James D. Larish made the motion to adopt the following resolution:

“Be it resolved that the borough of Saint Clair of Schuylkill County hereby request a Multimodal Transportation grant of $1,130,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to be used for the replacement of the Lawton Street Bridge. Be it further resolved that the applicant does hereby designate James D. Larish, council president, and Roland Price, borough secretary, as the officials to execute all documents and agreements between the borough of Saint Clair and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to facilitate and assist in obtaining the requested grant.”

In a roll call vote, the motion was seconded by Councilman John Burke and carried with votes from council members Michael Petrozino and Joann Brennan.

“This is a rough one. When you added up all the costs of the repair. But I think I have to say yes,” Brennan said.

Dempsey and Councilman John Houseknecht voted against it.

Valeria Davis were absent from Tuesday’s meeting.

Baldwin and the borough council were not certain when the Lawton Street Bridge was constructed.

“I think it was around the 1920s or 1930s. The two-lane bridge is made of adjacent concrete beams. That bridge type was popular in that era,” Baldwin estimated.

“It’s wearing out. It’s getting old,” Larish said.

Mayor Richard Tomko said it was really weather-beaten by the flood Hurricane Agnes caused in 1972.

Baldwin estimated “less than 1,000” vehicles crossed the bridge per day. And he discussed the grant while giving his monthly report.

“PennDOT is currently accepting applications for transportation improvement projects under the Multimodal Transportation Fund. The MTF was created by Act 89 of 2013 to assist with funding road, bridge, rail, aviation, transit, bicycle and pedestrian related projects. For fiscal year 2016-17, there is $40 million in grants available, of which $35 million must be used for highway or bridge projects. Municipal bridge and road projects are eligible for this funding, however there is a 30 percent local match. This is a grant program with the funds being paid on a reimbursement basis. The sponsor will pay for the work as it is completed and invoice PennDOT for reimbursement,” Baldwin said.

“PennDOT will evaluate the applications and make selections based on such criteria as safety, benefits, regional economic conditions, the technical and financial feasibility, job creation, energy efficiency and operational sustainability. Grants are available for projects with a total cost of $100,000 or more,” Baldwin said.

“Applications are due by Dec. 18. PennDOT expects to announce grant recipients in early 2016 for the funding that becomes available in July 2016,” Baldwin said.

Before the vote, council members asked questions.

“Carol, the way the budget sits right now, would we be able to fund this project over two years without making any changes?” Burke asked Carol Sutzko, borough treasurer.

“Without increasing revenue in some way, I don’t believe so. You could not fund it with normal operating revenue right now. Perhaps council could put a mill on for debt service or whatever, but that would be council’s decision. One mill would give you about $36,000,” Sutzko said, referring to the bridge project.

The local match, 30 percent of the potential project cost of $1,130,000, could be $339,000.

“Looking at about $300,000, probably with one mill you could pay it off in 12 years. If you put two mills on, probably six years,” Sutzko said.

In other matters at Tuesday’s meeting, the council approved its 2016 budget — a $2,524,604 spending plan — and kept the real estate tax at 5 mills, or $5 for each $1,000 of assessed property.

HARRISBURG — Northeast Pennsylvania nonprofits face hundreds of thousands of dollars in loan interest payments as the state budget stalemate goes into its six month.

“The hole keeps on getting deeper and deeper,” Gary Drapek, executive director of United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne counties, said Tuesday.

Nonprofits providing social services took out loans to keep operating in the absence of state payments. These loans carry interest charges that eventually have to be repaid.

The budget stalemate has lasted since July 1 because of the lack of a bipartisan budget deal between Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and the Republican-controlled Legislature.

Yet the closed-door budget negotiations have yielded no signs of agreement so far about state aid to help nonprofits meet the costs of unanticipated borrowing.

And, it’s not just nonprofits suffering.

Combined interest payments on loans taken out by school districts reached $14 million a month ago, state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said.

At least 16 counties have taken steps to borrow money, according to the latest survey by the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania. They include Luzerne and Monroe counties.

Wolf proposed last August that the state reimburse school districts and small nonprofits for interest payments tied to the stalemate as part of a final budget. He targeted nonprofits with 100 or fewer employees that rely on the state for 50 percent of their operating revenues in this proposal.

The negotiations cover a broad front of issues, including boosting state aid for public education, erasing a revenue deficit, reducing public pension benefits and changing the state liquor system.

Budget Secretary Randy Albright said the governor’s proposal is part of the discussions. He cited a stock negotiating phrase: Nothing is settled until it’s all settled.

Covering borrowing costs is just one of many issues being discussed, House Majority Leader Dave Reed, R-62, Indiana, said.

“There is some conversation on this. No resolution,” top Senate GOP aide Drew Crompton said.

For nonprofits, the new round of borrowing is the latest in a series of blows, Drapek said.

Many nonprofits borrowed to get through a late budget in 2009 during the Rendell administration and received no state reimbursement to cover interest costs, he said. Then they experienced cuts in state funding for human service programs during the Corbett administration.

n Frackville: Two events are on tap at First United Methodist Church, 25 S. Balliet St., on Dec. 13. A children’s Christmas party will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. It will include games, snacks and a craft. To register children, people must call the church office at 570-874-0792 by Sunday. There will be a living Nativity at the church from 6 to 8 p.m., including all of the characters in the first Christmas story plus live animals. All are welcome.

n Frackville: The Frackville Elks Lodge, 307 S. Third St., will have an all-you-can-eat mackerel breakfast from 8 to 11:30 a.m. Sunday at the lodge. The cost is $8 and takeouts will be available. The lodge will also have its annual memorial service from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at St. John the Baptist Polish National Catholic Church, 414 W. Oak St. Admission is free and the ceremony is open to the public. For more information, call 570-590-3330.

n New Ringgold: An open house plus an opportunity to get family and pet photos with Santa is set for noon to 4 p.m. Sunday sponsored by the Schuylkill County Animal Response Team, “Making it Pawsible,” at Char Will Kennels Training Center, 2 E. Railroad Ave. The cost is $8 per photo. The event will also include holiday items on sale, a silent auction, refreshments, door prizes and obedience demonstrations. For more information, call 570-573-3366.

n Pottsville: A presentation called “A Broadway Christmas” will be held at 6 p.m. Dec. 13 at the Majestic Theater, 209 N. Centre St. Admission is $15 per person. It will feature youngsters performing holiday songs from Broadway shows plus traditional favorites. For more information, call 570-449-1293.

n Pottsville: East Norwegian Township Fire Company will hold a prize raffle Dec. 19 at 16 Sunshine St., Dieners Hill. The winner will receive a 2015 Honda Pioneer 500 side-by-side UTV 4-by-4 or $6,000 in cash. Tickets are $20 and can be bought by mailing a check or money order to 16 Sunshine St., Pottsville, PA 17901. A stub will be mailed back, according to a company release. For more information, call 570-429-0867.

n Schuylkill Haven: The Schuylkill Haven Dive Rescue & Recovery Team will sponsor a country dance from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday at the Schuylkill Haven Neighborhood Center, 340 Haven St. The cost is $10. Refreshments will be provided and proceeds will benefit the team. For more information, call 570-449-2145.

n Schuylkill Haven: The South Schuylkill Garden Club met recently for a workshop on creating a holiday wreath with the Forget-Me-Not Florist of Pioneer Evergreen Farms, Orwigsburg. Ken Fetteroff Jr., owner of Forget-Me-Not, and his team of designers assisted club members in arranging and decorating pine wreaths, according to a club release. The wreaths were made of Fraser fir in a circular shape. Fraser fir is the most popular evergreen chosen for this type of application because of its soft needles. Garden club members decorated the wreaths with natural and artificial material and tied the designs together with many types of seasonal ribbon, according to the release. Fetteroff spoke to the group about the types of pine and fir trees used to make wreaths at this time of the year. He also spoke about how to maintain evergreen wreaths throughout the season, telling members to keep them out of direct sunlight and mist them daily to refresh the greens.

n Shenandoah: The Father Walter J. Ciszek Prayer Group meets at 6:30 p.m. Mondays in the Father Ciszek Convent, 18 E. Oak St. All are welcome. Ciszek, a Shenandoah native and son of the former St. Casimir Roman Catholic Parish, is a candidate for sainthood in the Catholic Church whose cause is now under consideration in Rome.

RAVINE — A multi-vehicle crash occurred at 11:18 a.m. Tuesday on Interstate 81, mile marker 103, in Pine Grove Township and closed the northbound lane from Pine Grove to Ravine, according to state police at Jonestown.

Police said Stanislav P. Nechitaylo, 51, of Anderson, South Carolina, was driving a 2001 Freightliner Century north in the construction zone, failed to stop in time and struck the right side of a 2000 Subaru driven by Samantha L. Carbaugh, 35, of Marietta. The vehicle was partially wedged under the trailer. Abdoulaye Moussa, 37, of Harrisburg, who was driving a 2010 Prostar, did not see the stopped vehicles and hit the rear of the tractor-trailer.

Police said Carbaugh and a passenger in her vehicle, Crystal McCullough, 24, of Marietta, were transported by ambulance to Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, where they were treated and released. Ravine Fire Company had to extricate McCullough from the vehicle. Moussa also suffered a minor injury, police said.

Police issued citations to Nechitaylo and Moussa for following too close and careless driving.

Deeds

Minersville — Charles T. and Patricia A. Forney to William H. Beck; 215 Lewis St.; $24,500.

Federal National Mortgage Association to William D. Henry and William J. Maher; 113 North St.; $17,000.

New Philadelphia — Gregory J. Gustas to Matthew Gibas; 90 Water St.; $38,000.

North Union Township — Eagle Rock Resort Co. to Dennis R. Dela Cruz; Lot 36HF1, Eagle Rock; $26,900.

When visiting the Pottsville Blight Task Force at its December meeting Tuesday, Schuylkill County District Attorney Christine A. Holman reported some progress on the local war on blight.

“Recently, the municipal housing code avoidance statute was repealed and replaced, simultaneously, under the borough code Title 53, 6115. Now, if you ignore three citations it’s a misdemeanor of the first degree and if you ignore two, it’s an M-2. And that’s a tribute to Pottsville and everyone who has been in their legislator’s ear about strengthening these blight laws,” Holman said at the meeting, held in the conference room on the second floor of city hall.

She was referring to Act 34 of 2015, which amended Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) and Title 53 (Municipalities Generally) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes. It was approved July 10 and took effect 60 days afterward.

“This is a perfect example of how government can work, starting locally and working its way up to the district attorney’s office and into the legislators, so let’s keep the full-court press on,” City Administrator Thomas A. Palamar said.

“We try to continually look at new things because I think, to deal with our more hardened cases, who have to try some new, innovative approaches,” Palamar said.

She also talked about a decision President Judge William E. Baldwin made Sept. 8 in Commonwealth of Pennsylvania vs. Ata Richard Zandieh.

Zandieh, Harrisburg, owns 216 and 218 W. Spruce St., Mahanoy City, and on March 27, 2012, those properties were damaged in an arson fire. Since then, municipal officials have filed 23 citations for building code violations related to the property. The defendant has been charged with recklessly endangering another person and commission of a public nuisance, according to the opinion of the court.

Baldwin’s decision was added as “an addendum” to the “Blight Toolkit” Holman prepared to help municipal leaders deal with blight problems. And she went into further discussion about it Tuesday morning at a forum hosted by Anti-Blight Action Team Enforcement, or ABATE, in the commissioners boardroom.

“I’m very proud to report that after two years the district attorney’s office has achieved a conviction on municipal housing code avoidance. There was a gentleman who owned dilapidated properties in Mahanoy City. I did talk to the gentleman right before we were about to go into a non-jury trial and I can tell you he was begging for mercy,” she said, referring to Zandieh.

“It was sad. And I simply said ‘look, if you wouldn’t have ignored the code enforcement officers, if you would not have ignored the citations and showed up at the district justice office, you would have been able to clear these up and I would have been more than happy to offer you an ARD. Now I have a criminal complaint that’s been filed. And you have six convictions. You failed to appear at the DJ’s office for six citations. You appealed every one. You lost your appeals. So, you’re tying up individuals and you’re wasting money fighting these citations instead of applying the money to the properties that, perhaps, need the attention,’ ” Holman said.

“His response to that was ‘I’m not a criminal.’ I said ‘I’m not saying you are, sir.’ He said, ‘I made a bad business decision.’ I said ‘yeah, not unlike many investors that, perhaps, made bad decisions. Sometimes it turns into a crime. It’s unfortunate,’ ” Holman said.

As to the addendum, it’s simply this: It’s the court order showing the conviction. It’s a sample of some of your work,” Holman said.

Date incorrect

A Frackville man was flown from the scene of an accident that occurred Sunday on Route 924, Center Street, in East Union Township. The date of the incident was incorrectly reported in Tuesday’s edition.

Date incorrect

The eighth-grade class at St. Ambrose School, Schuylkill Haven, will host a Breakfast with Santa from 9 a.m. to noon Sunday in the parish center. The day was incorrect in a submitted caption in Tuesday’s edition.

Information incorrect

Homelessness in the state has declined over the last five years. The headline in Tuesday’s edition was incorrect.

Some suggestions made at a county blight discussion at the courthouse Tuesday morning may be taken to a state blight meeting in Harrisburg on Monday, according to Mary Beth Dougherty, aide to state Sen. David Argall, R-29.

One was made by William P. Anders, manager of engineering services for Lehigh Engineering, Pottsville. Lehigh is the engineering firm for municipalities including the townships of Blythe and Butler and the borough of Deer Lake. Anders was one of 15 people who came to a forum hosted by ABATE (Anti-Blight Action Team Enforcement) and Schuylkill County District Attorney Christine A. Holman in the commissioners boardroom.

“If you have a judicial sale, can you add somewhere that within 45 days of the new owner taking possession, that new owner has to bring the property into conformance with local codes, otherwise it reverts back to you for another sale?” Anders asked officials from the county tax claim bureau.

“The tax claim bureau is silent about codes or conditions of properties,” Glenn T. Roth Jr., assistant solicitor for Schuylkill County, said.

“Basically its function is to collect delinquent taxes and such properties are sold to people who pay an approved fee. We’re silent on code issues. I mean, if we could we would. The best thing we can do is if you have demolition orders or if you have code violations, send us a letter about that before the date of our sale and we’ll read it at the sale and we’ll do our best. But even when I read those things people have bought properties with demolition orders on them. We even sold a Superfund property. And they certainly have the right to purchase it,” Roth said.

Roth said municipalities have the right to make new owners of troubled properties responsible for the code violations that came with those acquisitions.

“But from the standpoint of the tax claim bureau, we have no authority to compel that,” Roth said.

Pennsylvania’s Statewide Blight Task Force has scheduled a meeting for 10 a.m. Monday at the capitol at Room 14 East Wing, Dougherty said.

“We have a task force meeting in Harrisburg this coming Monday and one of the agenda items is what you just raised,” Dougherty said.

“Angela, do you know off hand how many properties are scheduled to go to judicial sale?” Roth asked.

“We have about 2,000 that need to go to judicial sale, and it’s because there was a point in time when the county didn’t hold judicial sales. So we kind of got backed up,” Angela D. Toomey, director of the county tax claim bureau, said.

Since there are so many, it’s difficult for the tax claim bureau to know the histories of every property, Roth said.

“We can’t say whether it’s going to sell or not. If they don’t get sold at judicial sale then they’re on what’s called the repository list. That’s kind of like in limbo,” Roth said.

“Is there a number of years you have to be delinquent on your taxes before you can start this process?” asked Sandra L. Palokas, borough secretary/treasurer for Port Carbon.

“Yes. It’s almost two years. At the upset sale we just had in September, if you were delinquent on 2013 or older years that put your property in jeopardy of sale,” Toomey said.

“You think that will ever change? Maybe that gives them a little too much leeway. I mean all you have to do then is pay that one year and you can continually then add two more,” Holman said.

“Then there’s also the option of an agreement which we’re obligated to do. We have an affirmative duty to offer an agreement and all they need to do is come up with 25 percent of the total taxes due and that removes from the sale list too. It’s been like that for a while,” Roth said.

“There’s been some talk in the legislature of revising RETSL (Real Estate Tax Sale Law) but it’s not gone anywhere. I remember two or three years ago, state Representative Chris Ross from Chester County had a bill in draft form and there was a hearing on it. And everybody and their brother was there, both pro and con, and you had school lawyers who were opposed to it. And by the time I walked out of that room, I was so confused. But it’s never really grown legs and walked as a concerted effort,” Dougherty said.

Local officials at the ABATE meeting Tuesday included: Gary Bender, county grant writer and director of community development; Mary Luscavage, executive director of Downtown Shenandoah Inc.; Michelle O’Connell, assistant coordinator and compliance officer in the county’s community development office; and David J. Petravich, Pottsville building code officer.

“This idea of a code enforcement association is about education and learning from each other. It gives us the opportunity to share stories about what you encounter in your communities and to look to each other for advice,” Holman said.

She’s planning to hold another ABATE presentation in February.

The trees were almost all decorated Wednesday for the weekend’s eighth annual Christmas Gala at the Pulaski Masonic Lodge 216 in Pottsville.

In all 21 trees are on the fifth floor of the building ready for the enjoyment of the holidays. Students from Pottsville Area High School, D.H.H. Lengel Middle School and Blue Mountain High School decorated some trees Wednesday.

Madison Dalton, 13, an eighth-grade student at D.H.H. Lengel Middle School and a member of the student council, was there.

“I think it’s really neat to help the community out,” she said.

There were 21 eighth-grade students from D.H.H. Lengel, five from the Blue Mountain High School ninth- through 12th-grade life skills class, and nine 11th- and 12th-grade students from the Pottsville Area High School life skills class.

The trees donated to the gala from six local growers will be donated to people who might not be able to purchase a Christmas tree. All trees have been designated.

With the song “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” playing in the background, the students placed their ornaments on the trees, some of which they decorated.

The builders club of the lodge is hosting the event this month from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and Dec. 12 and 13 at 4. S. Second St. in the city.

“Admission is free,” Bob Thomas, organizer of the event for the lodge, said.

Children can have lunch with Santa at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, look at the trees, vote for their favorite and see the two trains on the fourth floor. Voting starts at noon Saturday and ends 6 p.m. Dec. 13. Voters must stop by the lodge the days of the gala to vote. More than one vote is permitted. Winners will be announced Dec. 13. Two trophies will be awarded to the winning trees, one for people’s choice and judges’ choice.

Zane Rist, a member of the Christmas Gala committee and member of the builders club, said people enjoy coming to the event.

Daunte Hogan, 19, a senior at Blue Mountain, said this is the third year he has helped to decorate trees. He said it gets him ready for the holiday season.

Thomas said the event is “a community celebration of Christmas.”

Last year, about 1,100 people attended the event.

MINERSVILLE — Minersville police have obtained an arrest warrant for a borough woman on drug charges.

Patrolman Jeffrey Bowers charged Shannon Lee Arndt, 29, of 19 N. Fifth St., with two felony counts each of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and delivery of a controlled substance and two misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance.

Bowers said Tuesday that Arndt is in Schuylkill County Prison after being picked up by Schuylkill County Adult Probation officers on a violation. She will be arraigned on the drug charges by Magisterial District Judge David A. Plachko, Port Carbon.

Bowers said the charges against Arndt stem from an incident in the area of North Fifth and Lewis streets about 7:10 p.m. Nov. 13.

The was investigation was the sale of illegal drugs in the borough and received information that Arndt had a half gram of methamphetamine for sale.

About 7:05 p.m. an undercover officer met Arndt near North Fifth and Lewis streets. The woman entered the vehicle driven by the officer, pulled out two glassine baggies containing suspected methamphetamine and was given $120.

After Arndt exited the vehicle Bowers said the officer met him at a pre-determined location where the substance inside the baggies was tested and gave positive readings of methamphetamine.

The drugs were sent to the state police crime laboratory for analysis. Arndt will have to appear for a preliminary hearing on the charges at a later date before Plachko in his Port Carbon courtroom.

TREMONT — Fourteen people arrested in the Nov. 18 anti-drug sweep in western Schuylkill County are headed to court after all but one waived their right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday on drug-related charges.

In the 13 cases in which a defendant waived his or her right to the hearing, Magisterial District Judge David J. Rossi bound over all charges for court.

Those defendants included Erica Lynn Bertasavage, 21, of Tremont, and Michael S. Klinger Jr., 38, of Muir, who are facing the most charges.

In the 14th case, the only one in which a defendant asked for a preliminary hearing, Rossi ordered charges held for court in two cases against Richard H. Osag, 35, of Williamstown.

Bertasavage, who entered Rossi’s courtroom wearing a prison jumpsuit, leg shackles, handcuffs and a belt, left after the judge reduced her bail to $50,000 unsecured, meaning she will not have to post any money to leave prison.

However, Rossi warned her to obey all conditions of her bail.

“If I get any call whatsoever” about any violations, she will not be released on unsecured bail, Rossi warned Bertasavage.

She faces 16 counts of conspiracy, seven each of delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia and six of criminal use of a communication facility.

Prosecutors alleged Bertasavage sold substantial amounts of heroin and methamphetamine during the investigation, which lasted several months.

They alleged the same against Klinger, who faces eight counts each of delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and conspiracy, 15 of possession of a controlled substance, nine of possession of drug paraphernalia, seven of criminal use of a communication facility, five each of manufacture of a controlled substance and adulteration or misbranding of a controlled substance and one of possession with intent to deliver drug paraphernalia.

Rossi kept Klinger’s bail at $50,000 straight cash, and the defendant returned to prison in lieu of posting that amount.

With respect to Osag’s hearing, Rossi ruled prosecutors produced sufficient evidence to support all charges, which he ordered held for court.

Those charges include delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, criminal use of a communication facility, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia in one case and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia in the other.

Prosecutors alleged Osag sold $150 worth of heroin on two occasions in August in Reinerton, Porter Township.

Osag remained free on $10,000 straight cash bail in each case. He neither testified during, or said anything after, the hearing.

The other defendants who waived their right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday before Rossi, and the charges against each one, included:

• Shawn M. Bonawitz, 28, of Pine Grove; delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, criminal use of a communication facility, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is free on $50,000 unsecured bail.

• James D. Eichert, 42, of Tower City; three counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, two of possession of a controlled substance and one each of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, manufacture of a controlled substance, adulteration or misbranding of a controlled substance and possession of a small amount of marijuana. He is free on $50,000 unsecured bail.

• Frederick A. Hauser III, 51, of Pottsville; eight counts of conspiracy, four each of delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance, three of possession of drug paraphernalia and one each of criminal use of a communication facility and possession with intent to deliver drug paraphernalia. He is free on $50,000 unsecured bail.

• Jason M. Hill, 40, of East Stroudsburg; four counts of conspiracy and one each of delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He remains in prison on unrelated charges.

• Molly Jo Jenkins, 29, of Tower City; four counts of conspiracy. She is free on $50,000 unsecured bail.

• Janine M.A. Koppenhaver, 26, of Gratz; delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, criminal use of a communication facility, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. She is free on $50,000 unsecured bail.

• Steven A. Lucas, 43, of Hegins; manufacture of a controlled substance, possession of liquefied ammonia, possession of items to manufacture methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, misbranding of a controlled substance and possession of a small amount of marijuana. He is free in this case on $50,000 unsecured bail.

• Randy S. Reidler Jr., 36, of Tower City; delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, criminal use of a communication facility, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is free on $2,500 straight cash bail.

• Robert W. Ruggles, 43, of Pottsville; eight counts of conspiracy and two each of delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is free on $50,000 unsecured bail.

• Ryan R. Stump, 32, of Pine Grove; four counts of conspiracy. He is free on $50,000 unsecured bail.

• Timothy J. Whiteash, 34, of Williamstown; delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, criminal use of a communication facility, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is free on $50,000 unsecured bail.

First Assistant District Attorney Maria T. Casey said the proceedings should serve as a warning that drug dealers will face problems in Schuylkill County.

“We’re taking a hard line on these cases because of the impact on law-abiding citizens. That’s why we didn’t drop any of the charges at the preliminary hearings,” she said. “It’s sending a message that we will continue to conduct large-scale operations with state and federal agencies in order to shut these drug dealers down.”

Hundreds of shoppers browsing for special gift ideas are expected to visit the Schuylkill County Council for the Arts 7th annual German Christmas Market, or Christkindlmarkt, this weekend.

The event will be open 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at the SCCA headquarters at the Yuengling Mansion, 1440 Mahantongo St., Pottsville.

Kathy Connelly, Christkindlmarkt vendor coordinator, said 25 to 30 vendors are expected to participate, with most of them from Schuylkill County.

Among the new items offered this year, Connelly said, are ornately painted icons; jewelry; mixed-media decor; hand-painted scarves; felting creations such as hats, neckwear, shawls and ornaments; and handmade, hand cut soaps.

She said artisans send in photos of their wares, and vendors are selected to join in the Christkindlmarkt based on the diversity of their products, among other qualities.

“We want handmade items, all hand created,” she said.

Other customer favorites returning to the Christkindlmarkt include pzanki eggs; chocolate candies and beer bread; art painted with drumsticks; knitted and crocheted items; painted glass and stemware; stained glass; fresh greenery wreaths and swags; lighted bottles; quilted creations; books; painted Christmas balls and ornaments.

Each year, Christkindlmarkt Artistic Director Peter Cieslukowski, Shenandoah, decorates rooms throughout the Yuengling Mansion and stairway, and adorns vendor tables. Cieslukowski also serves as a member of the SCCA board of directors.

“He makes it very festive, and some people come just to see that,” Connelly said.

She shared details on three of the rooms Cieslukowski is preparing for this weekend’s event. One room will be adorned with a nature and forest theme; another with a traditional design highlighting a Christmas tree and decorated fireplace; and a third room will feature Hummel figurines.

Patrons can also visit the kitchen to buy snacks and lunch.

On Sunday only, Yuengling’s Ice Cream will be selling ice cream and hot chocolate, Connelly said.

Last year, an estimated 500 patrons visited the property, listed on the Pennsylvania Inventory of Historic Places.

In 1978, the heirs of Augusta Yuengling donated The Frank D. Yuengling Home, built in 1913, to SCCA.

“It’s a draw because of the venue,” Connelly said, remarking on the historical significance of the mansion, in addition to the variety of goods available.

“I love it. It’s one of the favorite things I do each year and I look forward to it,” said Connelly, a watercolor artist and fellow vendor who’s president of the Allied Artists of Schuylkill County.

There is no admission charge to attend the Christkindlmarkt, but a freewill offering will be accepted. The event offers visitors a chance to win door prizes, and hear musical entertainment while they browse.

“So many people come to do their Christmas shopping and it’s really a step back in time,” Connelly said.

Man injured

in Route 61 crash

SAINT CLAIR — A 52-year-old Palo Alto man suffered moderate injuries when the 2003 Ford Ranger he was driving crashed, about 7 a.m. Wednesday, in the northbound lanes of Route 61, just south of Mall Road in Blythe Township.

State police at Frackville said William Shive was driving in the right lane when he lost control on a curve, went off of the road and struck an embankment causing the truck to roll over onto its roof.

Police said Shive was taken to Schuylkill Medical Center-South Jackson Street by Schuylkill EMS for treatment and that Saint Clair firefighters assisted at the scene.

Shive will be cited as a result of the crash, police said.

Woman suffers

injures in crash

NEW PHILADELPHIA — A 41-year-old Lansford woman suffered minor injuries when the 2004 Suzuki Vitara she was driving crashed about 2:05 p.m. Tuesday on Route 209, just south of Coal Street in Blythe Township.

State police at Frackville said Denise E. Skrabak was driving south when she went off the road and struck a dirt and rock embankment while rounding a left curve.

The car then rolled over onto its driver’s side and came to a stop on the north shoulder of the highway, police said.

Skrabak suffered several small cuts on her arm and sought treatment at St. Luke’s Hospital, Coaldale Campus.

Schuylkill EMS assisted at the scene, police said.

n Mar Lin: An American Red Cross blood drive will be held from 2 to 7 p.m. Monday at Tredegar Film Products, 30 Maple Ave. To make an appointment or for more information, call 800-733-2767. People 17 and older, weighing at least 110 pounds and in general good health, are urged to donate blood.

n Orwigsburg: The borough hall is serving as an official Toys for Tots drop-off location for the Schuylkill Marine Corps League. Unwrapped new toys may be dropped off in the lobby from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call the borough hall at 570-366-3103.

n Pottsville: An American Red Cross blood drive will be held from 1 to 5:45 p.m. Monday at Trinity Lutheran Church, 300 W. Arch St. To make an appointment or for more information, call 800-733-2767. People 17 and older, weighing at least 110 pounds and in general good health, are urged to donate blood.

n Pottsville: Schuylkill Medical Nurses’ Auxiliary will hold a Christmas candy and pastry sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 10 at Schuylkill Medical East next to the gift shop and Dec. 11 at the Schuylkill Medical South auditorium. Sweets for the sale are supplied by C&C Candies and Country Store, Friedensburg.

n Saint Clair: The Schuylkill Transportation System is offering a “Holiday Dollar Day” promotion in which all fixed-route bus rides this Friday and Dec. 11 and 18 will be available ride for $1 all day. Passengers may buy their tickets from the driver upon boarding the vehicle. Registered senior citizens 65 or older always ride free with their pass, according to an STS release. For more information regarding scheduled fixed-route times and locations, call STS at 570-429-2701 or 800-832-3322. Fixed-route schedules can also be found on www.go-sts.com.

n Schuylkill Haven: In conjunction with the Wreaths Across America effort there will be a ceremony for Schuylkill County veterans at noon Monday at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial along Route 61 near Penn State Schuylkill. Local schools and churches are asked to send representatives so they may teach the next generation about the price of freedom, organizers said in a press release. A ceremony also is slated at noon Dec. 12 at Fort Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, where wreaths will be placed on graves.

n Shenandoah: Restoration Fellowship, Oak and West streets, will host the Teen Challenge Prison Team for a Christmas concert celebration and banquet dinner at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the church. For more information, call 570-462-0374.

n Shenandoah: The group Healthy Shenandoah will sponsor “Be Part of the Park” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Anthony P. Damato American Legion “Medal of Honor” Post 792, 116 N. Main St. The “town meeting” will be aimed at improving Bicentennial Park in the borough’s southeast section, according to a release. Participants will “work together to create a plan of action for next spring,” organizers said in the release. Refreshments and lunch will be served. Reservations are requested; call 570-622-6097.

n Shenandoah: The William Penn Fire Company will stage a basket bingo Sunday at Columbia Hose Company, 742 W. Centre St. Doors will open at noon and bingo will begin at 1:30 p.m. There will be a free buffet. Tickets are $20 each and include five specials. For tickets or more information, call 570-462-2242.

n Tamaqua: Dr. Susan M. Featro will perform a concert of holiday music at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the Tamaqua Community Art Center, 125 Pine St., in a benefit for the center and the Tamaqua Blue Raider Foundation, which funds special projects in the Tamaqua Area School District. Featro is a graduate of Tamaqua Area and a teacher in the district. Steve Toth, Tamaqua Area High School principal, will be a guest performer along with Emily Barrett, a Tamaqua Area High School student, and Tom Flamini, who has been a guest performer with Featro every year for the benefit concert. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. For tickets or more information, call 570-818-4135.

Schuylkill County’s mental health, developmental services and Drug & Alcohol programs received a grant for a program designed to get input from the clients they serve.

The county commissioners approved an agreement Wednesday with Columbia Montour Snyder and Union Counties of Central Pennsylvania Service System through Sept. 29, 2016, serve as the agency distributing the federal funding to Schuylkill County. CMSU is a cooperative arrangement between the four counties to provide mental health, mental retardation and drug & alcohol services, according to the joinder’s website at www.cmsu.org.

“The primary purpose of the program is to include families and kids who are in the system in a leadership team so that they have more of a direct impact on how the system has worked for them, how it hasn’t, what they need to do more of, what they need to do less of, just to get a better perspective and more cooperative relationship with people who receive the services,” Daniel McGrory, administrator for the county mental health, developmental services and drug and alcohol departments, said.

The federal grant will reimburse up to $50,000 of program expenses, McGrory said. Schuylkill County started the program about a year and a half ago with a state grant worth up to $25,000 in reimbursements. The federal grant will be renewed every four years, he said.

McGrory said it is essential to look at the services being provided from a different perspective.

“In order to be responsive to them, we need to see it the way they it,” he said. “We need their input.”

The program has included meetings with family members and children, surveys and other outreach initiatives.

“We have great hopes for it,” McGrory said. “We know just from our early experience that it is going to require a lot of focus and work.”

In other news, the commissioners renewed a three-year library maintenance agreement with Thomson Reuters, also known as West Publishing, to continue updating and replacing subscriptions for legal print references. The contract total for the three years is $317,280. It is about a 5 percent increase from the previous agreement.

The county received one bid for cleaning of the Children & Youth building. TKO Cleaning Service, Pottsville, submitted a bid of $86,400 for the three-year contract.

Alan Minnig, Schuylkill Haven, was reappointed to the a five-year term on the Schuylkill County Airport Authority through 2019.

The board also renewed the lease agreement with Stephen and Ann Marie Buzalko, Pottsville, for the Pottsville Nutrition Center, 201 N. Center St., Pottsville. The lease consists of 3,500 square feet on the first floor and is for five years through 2020. The monthly rent is $3,050, which equals $10.46 per square feet.

The commissioners’ retirement board meeting will be held Wednesday immediately following the commissioners’ public meeting.

MINERSVILLE — Borough residents will not see a tax hike in 2016.

The Minersville borough council voted Tuesday for the final budget that maintains the 16 mill rate.

The budget adopted by the council has revenues of $2,149,110 and $2,139,473 in expenses, leaving a surplus of $9,637. One mill brings in $36,000. An average assessed house value in the borough was not provided. Council member Walter Miscavage was absent.

In other news, borough residents might think their sewer bills stinks when they find they must pay more for service. The sewer authority voted at its 7 p.m. Nov. 18 meeting to increase sewer rates 5 percent, Bob Mahalchick, borough manager and sewer authority manager, said.

The authority provides service to the borough, and Norwegian and Branch townships. The authority board made the request Oct. 28. The council voted previously to approve the 5 percent sewer rate increase. The hike brings the minimum use bill of 600 cubic feet to $81.27 from $77.40 a quarter effective Jan. 1. The last hike was two years ago, which was a 5 percent increase from $73.71 a quarter to the current rate.

Funds will be used to replace aging equipment. The borough is also facing increasing costs, Mahalchick said.

The additional funds will help pay for aging sewer lines and two pump station generators, one in Norwegian Woods and the other in Heritage Heights. The cost could be $35,000 each, Mahalchick said. He did not know the age of the generators. The previous increase was because of increasing maintenance costs.

There are two openings on the Minersville Area Sewer Authority Board. The term of Santino Angelo has expired but he has submitted his interest in serving on the five-member board. Keith Adams submitted his letter of resignation effective Dec. 31. He is resigning due to personal reasons. Those interested in serving on the board should submit a letter of interest to the borough by Dec. 31. The council will make a decision on the openings at a later date.

HECKSHERSVILLE — Cass Township police arrested a man in connection with the theft of numerous items including motorcycles, jet skis and trailers.

Patrolman Gerard Daley charged Shawn Sukeena, 38, whose last known address was 58 Sculps Hill Road, Orwigsburg, with three felony counts of receiving stolen property, five felony counts of disposition of vehicles or vehicle parts with altered Vehicle Identification Numbers and one felony count of persons not to possess, use, manufacture, control, sell or transfer firearms.

Sukeena was taken into custody Tuesday morning by Pottsville police on a separate warrant and arraigned by Magisterial District Judge James K. Reiley, Pottsville, on the Cass Township charges. He was then released on unsecured bail pending further court action.

Daley said the thefts came to light on Nov. 18 when he was contacted by Mount Carmel police and asked to check on a possible stolen motorcycle, a black Suzuki with lime green wheels.

Mount Carmel police said the vehicle was last seen in the yard at 26 Courtneys Road in Heckshersville, Cass Township.

Daley said he went to the property, saw the vehicle to the rear of the home and when knocking at the door was met by the homeowner, Tom Boris.

When asked about who owns the motorcycle, he replied it was owned by Shawn Sukeena, Daley said. The man added that there are other items on the property owned by Sukeena that he was asked to store there.

Daley said Boris gave consent to search the property to investigate the stolen motorcycle complaint. The officer said the registration on the motorcycle came back as being stolen but the VIN was removed.

Mount Carmel police were called and came to the property where Patrolman Jonathan Powers identified the vehicle as the stolen motorcycle.

Daley said this discovery led him to check other vehicles in the yard which were also coming up as being stolen.

They included a 1996 Bombardier Sea-Doo stolen from Brigantine, New Jersey; a 1996 Kawasaki street bike stolen from Mount Carmel; and a Suzuki LTR 450, a pop-up camper and a trailer.

With this information on hand, Daley said Sukeena was contacted and said none of the vehicles were stolen and that he had a bill of sale for everything that was in the yard.

Daley said he then told Sukeena that he would have to provide that information and documents showing ownership.

All of the owners of the stolen items were identified and contacted about their property being recovered, Daley said.