Skook News - Your #1 Source for Schuylkill County News

Monday, July 25, 2016

Victim's Name Released in Drowning in Schuylkill River Sunday Afternoon

An Allentown man drowned Sunday afternoon in the Schuylkill River near Port Clinton.

Man Drowns at Peace Rock near Port Clinton Sunday Afternoon

A man drowned Sunday afternoon in the Schuylkill River near Port Clinton Sunday afternoon.

The National Weather Service has issued a Heat Advisory for Monday Afternoon and Evening for Schuylkill County and the following counties in Southeast Pennsylvania,

Light Continues Strong Second Half with U.S.S. Achey sportsman win

It has been a tale of two halves for sportsman driver Shawn Light.

Plagued by mechanical issues in the first half of the season, Light has come on strong in the second half as he held off Wayne Witmer in a fierce battle on Friday night at Big Diamond Speedway to claim the 20-lap U.S.S. Achey sportsman feature.

Other winners on Friday night were Andy Fayash III (Savage 61 roadrunners); Elvin Brennan III (No Sweat Service Group street stocks); Mike Garris, Sr., Ronnie Peck, (vintage cars) and Aaron Bowes (600 modifieds) also winners on Friday night

This Friday, the track will present Twin 20s for the CJ’s Tire & Automotive Services 358 modifieds along with the return of the ever popular American Racing Driver Club midgets along with the roadrunners and an Enduro Dash 60.

On Friday, the gates open at 5:30 on Friday with warmups at 7:45 and racing at 8:15. General admission is $25 while kids 12-and-under and active military with a valid ID are free.

Started third in the 20-lap sportsman feature, Light took the lead on lap 3 but it was short lived as Wayne Witmer got by him for the lead a lap later, a spot Witmer held until lap 7.

Light would retake the lead as he passed Witmer on the top side of Turn 1 and would clear him as they raced off of Turn 2 for the lead at the start of lap 7.

“The track was good and the high humidity help hold the moisture in the track and there could have been three lanes of racing tonight but there was definitely a high and low groove for racing,” Light said.

The race was plagued by a number of cations and on each restart, Light choose the outside lane.

“That lane was working for me,” he said of his lane choice.

The final caution came out on lap 15 and Light was able to hold off Witmer on the restart as the race went non-stop to the finish.

“We have things turned around as we are still learning this car and we now have an idea of what to do,” Light said. “That’s our third win in the six races we have finished. I think we’re doing pretty good.”

Witmer held on for second with Mike Lisowski, Ray Woodall Jr., and points leader Brandon Grosso, rounding out the top five.

Sixth through 10th were Doug Hendricks, Daryl Dissinger, Skylar Sheriff, Kyle Gruber, and T.J. Lily. Heats for the sportsman were won by Sheriff and Woodall, Jr.

The fifth win of the year in the roadrunner division for Fayash III almost didn’t happen

Fayash sprained his ankle around lunchtime on Friday and he wasn’t sure if he was going to race.

“I couldn't put weight on it until I iced it for a few hours,” Fayash said. “Luckily in the car I'm on top of the wheel enough that most of my throttle input requires straightening my leg rather than angling my foot, so driving wasn't too bad.”

Fayash, who started ninth, avoided a couple of early race incidents and then began to track down race leader Devin Trexler.

Fayash tried high and low to pass Trexler as the laps were winding down but his break came with two laps to go.

Fayash got a run on Trexler in Turn 2 and he used the high side to slip by him in Turn 4 to go on and score the win.

“Devin was running really well and he’s tough to pass,” Fayash said.

Trexler finished second with Steve Gromis, Jim Kost, and Terry Kramer rounding out the top five.

Sixth through 10th were Shon Elk, Dave Long Jr., Kyle Wingle, Dan Nagle and Tim Fitzpatrick Jr.

Heats for the roadrunners were won by Kris Ney and Devin Trexler.

Brennan III made it back-to-back wins in the 20-lap roadrunner feature, but it didn’t come easy for the former track champion.

Brennan was locked in a tight battle with Bobby Kupp for several laps as the two race side-by-side on the restarts. Brennan would take the lead for good on lap 13.

“It was an awesome night of racing and I have to give Jake and the track guys a big thumbs up for the great racing surface they gave us despite how warm it was and the high humidity,” Brennan said. “Bobby had a me a little concerned as I kept seeing his fender a time or two under me in Turns 1 and 2 but I had just enough to get the win.”

Kupp held on for second with Chris Derr, Eric Tripp and Kyle Saylor rounding out the top five.

Sixth through 10th were Leroy Long, Chris Heller, Mike Radocha, Rich Bossinger and Tyler Stump. Heats for the street stocks were won by Chris Derr and Kyle Saylor.

Arron Bowes won the 20-lap 600 modified feature over Rich Hitzler and Nathan Brinker. Heats for the 600s were won by Josh Bewley, Billy Koch and Bowes.

Mike Garris, Sr., won the Blast From The Past Vintage stock car feature while Ronnie Peck took the lead with two laps to go to win the modified feature.

To stay up to date with the latest news, follow the speedway on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bigdiamondspeedway and on Twitter, @BigDSpeed.

Sunday's Schuylkill County Weather Forecast - 07/24/16

Beer Vendors announced for NEPA Beer Festival Next Weekend

Wilkes Barre, PA - The countdown to the Inaugural NEPA Craft Beer Festival is on!

Saturday's Schuylkill County Weather Forecast - 07/23/16

Upcoming Schuylkill County Road Work

Upcoming Schuylkill County Road Work

Two are dead in what is being called a Murder Suicide in East Brunswick Township Friday Morning.

Friday's Schuylkill County Weather Forecast - 07/22/16

(07/22/16) A Schuylkill County Coroner has been called to the scene of a shooting in East Brunswick Township near New Ringgold Friday morning.

Schuylkill County Police Log 07/21/16

Schuylkill County Police Log 07/21/16

Thursday's Schuylkill County Weather Forecast - 07/21/16

Wild Edibles Program at Sweet Arrow Lake Park

Many people don’t realize that they are surrounded by hundreds of wild edible plants.

Schuylkill County Women's Outdoor Day

Schuylkill County Women’s Outdoor Day will be held at the Friedensburg Fish & Game Club grounds on Saturday, August 13, 2016 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

All the activities are designed to introduce women to various outdoor activities and most of the instructors will be women.

Participants must be at least 16 years of age.

This day is free with all activities and lunch included. Registration is required by contacting Christy Zulli at czulli@co.schuylkill.pa.us or 570-622-3742, ext. 114.

Indian Archeological Dig for Children

Bring your children to the Indian Archaeological Dig on Saturday, August 13, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. at Sweet Arrow Lake County Park.

Those attending will meet at the Waterfall parking lot to search for artifacts hidden in the earth of a portable dig. Children will use garden spades to find the buried items and Indian expert,

Dave McSurdy, will explain how the items were used. This program is free and suitable for children.

Wednesday's Schuylkill County Weather Forecast - 07/20/16

Vintage Cars, Street Stocks Part of Five-Division Show This Friday At Big Diamond Speedway

MINERSVILLE, PA. -- A five-division racing card is on top this Friday at Big Diamond Speedway as the Blast From The Past Vintage Stock Car Club and the No Sweat Service Group street stocks join the U.S.S. Achey sportsman, Savage 61 roadrunners and 600 modifieds.

Tuesday's Schuylkill County Weather Forecast - 07/19/16

Schuylkill County Police Log - 07/19/2016

Power Outage Reported in Parts of Schuylkill County

(07/18/16) A power outage has been reported in parts of Schuylkill County Monday afternoon.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued until Monday evening for Schuylkill County and other counties in Pennsylvania.

The National Weather Service has issued a Weather Alert for parts of Schuylkill County Monday Afternoon.

A Luzerne County Man died in a weekend crash in Schuylkill County.

Child Drowns in Knoebels Pool Saturday Afternoon

A child drowned Saturday afternoon in Knoebels Pool.

Schuylkill County Police Log - 07/16/2016

Upcoming Schuylkill County Road Work

Saturday's Schuylkill County Weather Forecast - 07/16/16

Frackville Cherry Street Commons Project Receives State Support

The Cherry Street Commons project slated for Frackville will receive support from the state, according to Senator David G. Argall (R-Schuylkill/Berks).

Schuylkill County Police Log 07/15/16

Schuylkill County Police Log 07/15/16

Friday's Schuylkill County Weather Forecast - 07/15/16

Schuylkill County Little League Scores - 07/15/16

Man Arrested on Drug and Assault Charges

A man is facing drug and assault charges after an incident in Mahanoy City Thursday evening.

(07/14/16) The National Weather Service has issued an alert regarding a strong storm that will impact areas of Schuylkill County Early Afternoon

Thursday's Schuylkill County Weather Forecast - 07/14/16

Crazy 8s On Tap Friday For The Roadrunner Division At Big Diamond Speedway

If Andy Fayash III wants to join his father as a track champion at Big Diamond Speedway, he’ll need a clean night of racing on Friday as the Crazy 8s return for the Savage 61 roadrunner division.

A Shenandoah man has been charged with setting a fire in Shenandoah last week.

Around 12:45pm, Wednesday, emergency personnel were called to West Penn Township near Tamaqua for a lawn mower accident with entrapment.

Wednesday's Schuylkill County Weather Forecast - 07/13/16

Comcast Outage Causing Phone Problems

Comcast is reporting a major nationwide outage across the United States leaving many without phone service.

Tuesday's Schuylkill County Weather Forecast - 07/12/16

This Saturday, the Walk In Art Center, Schuylkill Haven, is hosting a Free Art Camp from Ages 7 to 13.

On Monday, news broke that if you use the new Pokemon Go mobile app and you are connected to it with your Google Account, you are giving the app "Full Access" to your Google Account and everything connected to it.

(07/12/16) A Schuylkill County Coroner has been called to a Tuesday Morning crash in St. Clair.

Schuylkill County Police Log 07/11/16

Schuylkill County Police Log 07/11/16

LCCC Offering Pharmacy Tech Training

Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC) is offering a comprehensive pharmacy technician course for individuals in the retail, hospital, institutional pharmacy or manufacturing setting.

Submitted Photo

The Pennsylvania State University and the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce recently announced the 2016-2017 winners of the Jim and Peg Stine Scholarships.

Monday's Schuylkill County Weather Forecast - 07/11/16

Registration Deadline for Exhibits at Schuylkill County Fair This Friday

Registration deadlines are fast approaching for the Schuylkill County Fair. July 15th is the pre-registration cutoff date for general exhibits.

Turn your dial to Thursday evening at the Schuylkill County Fair. Thursday evening on August 4 your will be thrilled with the stunts performed by Dialed BMX Show.

VonDohren Scores 300th Career Win In $4,000 Stevenson Memorial Triumph

Craig VonDohren scored his first career win at Big Diamond Speedway on Aug. 1, 1980 in a 25-lap sportsman-modified feature.

Police Seeking Male Who Stole SUV from Garage

Police are searching for a male who stole a sports utility vehicle from an area garage earlier this week.

Upcoming Schuylkill County Road Work

Sunday's Schuylkill County Weather Forecast - 07/10/16

Saturday's Schuylkill County Weather Forecast - 07/09/16

Police Seeking Owners of Stolen Property

Mahanoy Township and Mahanoy City Police are currently investigating a rash of burglaries that happened in the area.

Police have identified several suspects and charges are pending, but currently seeking owners of some of the property seized below.

Friday's Schuylkill County Weather Forecast - 07/08/16

Fire Crews Called to a Working House Fire Late Thursday

Fire crews were called to a working house fire late Thursday.

To expand upon the new “Schuylkill Grown” product promotion, the Chamber of Commerce, Ag Committee and the Schuylkill County Fair is excited to announce that the second Schuylkill Grown Cooking Contest will be held during the Schuylkill County Fair.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Wednesday that 10 different firms are recalling their hoverboards due to a fire hazard.

Shawn Klush will return to the M & T Stage on the Schuylkill County Fairgrounds for two performances Thursday evening August 4.

Monday, July 25, 2016

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Saturday, July 23, 2016

Friday, July 22, 2016

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Monday, July 18, 2016

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Friday, July 15, 2016

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Monday, July 11, 2016

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Friday, July 8, 2016

Thursday, July 7, 2016