North Schuylkill Holds Open House of Former Cardinal Brennan Campus

On Saturday, September 5, 2015, the North Schuylkill School District held an open house of the former Cardinal Brennan Campus.  The district purchased the campus in January 2015.

Photos of the 2015 Ashland Boys' Association Parade

Ashland's 2015 Ashland Boys Association Parade took place on Saturday at 6pm.

Man Dies After Going Into Cardiac Arrest While Being Handcuffed

Just after 4:00am Friday morning, police were called to the area of 2nd and Main Street in Girardville for a man who was running down the street yelling and trying to get into passing cars.

According to the Morning Call, when State Police arrived, they found the individual to be Lucas Marcus, 33, of Minersville.  After attempting to make contact with Marcus, he was then tasered and handcuffed.

While being handcuffed, Marcus then went into cardiac arrest.

Marcus was then airlifted to a hospital in Reading where he later died on Saturday.

Full story from the Morning Call
http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-schuylkill-county-man-dies-after-arrest-20150905-story.html

Story from the Republican Herald
http://m.republicanherald.com/state-police-probe-death-of-minersville-man-1.1937964

Update with surveillance video provided by WNEP

Overturned Trailer Closes Interstate 81 Friday Afternoon in Schuylkill County

Labor Day travelers faced some traffic issues while trying to get through Schuylkill County Friday afternoon.

PPL Customers Could See Rate Increase If Settlement Approved

(PRESS RELEASE) - PPL Electric Utilities and the advocates and interest groups who intervened in the company's rate proceeding have reached a settlement that would increase delivery rates and help fund additional reliability improvements.

"This is a fair settlement among all the parties in the case," said Greg Dudkin, president of PPL Electric Utilities. "We appreciate the constructive dialogue that enabled us to reach this agreement."

The company will use the increased funding to continue its work to prevent power outages for the 3 million people who depend on PPL for safe and reliable electric service.

If approved, the settlement would mean a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month who does not shop for electricity supply would see an increase of about $7.55 a month. Their bill would increase from the current $147.31 per month to $154.86.

The majority of the company's residential customers – about 65 percent of them – uses less electricity and would have a smaller increase in their monthly bills.

There would be no increase in the fixed-charge portion of residential customer bills. PPL Electric Utilities would receive an overall increase in annual revenues of $124 million.

"We are in the midst of game-changing improvements in the quality of service for our customers," said Dudkin. The company plans to spend more than $5 billion during the next five years to renew, strengthen and modernize its electricity delivery network.

PPL Electric Utilities will continue to invest in smart grid technology, new power lines and substations, continued tree trimming activities and stronger poles and wires – all aimed at preventing outages from storms and other causes. The investments are paying off for customers:

• Customers now have 20 percent fewer outages than they did in 2007.
• Reliability is expected to improve by at least another 20 percent in the next five years because of additional investments.
• Tree-related power outages are down 18 percent compared to the average of the previous 10 years. Trees are the biggest cause of power outages in storms.
• In the first half of 2015, nearly 200,000 power outages were prevented because of work PPL is doing to improve its system.

"Our 2,300 employees are finding new ways every day to improve service to customers," Dudkin said. "And at the same time, we are focused on operating more efficiently to make sure electric service from PPL remains a good value for our customers."

The settlement must be approved by the state Public Utility Commission administrative law judge and the PUC. If approved, the increase would take effect on Jan. 1, 2016.

PPL Electric Utilities provides electric delivery service to more than 1.4 million homes and businesses in Pennsylvania and ranks among the best utility companies in the country for customer service and reliability. With 2,300 employees, PPL Electric Utilities is a major employer in the communities it serves. It is a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL). For more information visit www.pplelectric.com.

Schuylkill County High School Football Scores for Week #1

Schuylkill County High School Football Scores for Week #1

Fire Crews at the Scene of a Working Structure Fire in Hegins

Around 8:45pm Friday evening, emergency personnel were called to a house fire at 311 West Walnut Street, Hegins.

Kraft Cheese Expands Recall

The Kraft Heinz Company is expanding the voluntary recall of select code dates and manufacturing codes of individually-wrapped American slices due to the possibility that a thin strip of the individual packaging film may remain adhered to the slice after the wrapper has been removed. If the film sticks to the slice and is not removed, it could potentially cause a choking hazard.

Law Enforcement Appreciation Day at Arby's on Friday

Today, Friday September 4th, is a Law Enforcement Appreciation Day at Arby's in the Schuylkill Mall.

Good Intent Fire Company No. 1 Apparatus Housing Scheduled

The Good Intent Fire Company No. 1, Pottsville, will be holding an apparatus housing on October 10, 2015.

Be Safe, A Common Sense Approach to Self Protection

Stop by October 1, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sweet Arrow Lake County Park clubhouse for a seminar that demonstrates a common sense approach to self-protection tempered with the mentality of the martial arts. This program is for all ages, senior groups, scout groups, youth groups, etc. The presentation by Ben Rocuskie, Instructor, includes a lecture and simple escape techniques. A free will offering will be accepted. Please register by September 17th by calling Susan at 570-624-3018.

Pumpkin Decorating

Attention all crafters! Decorate your Fall pumpkins in a not so usual way. This hands-on class will be held Tuesday, September 29, 2015, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. at the Sweet Arrow Lake County Park clubhouse. This program is suitable for teens and adults and is free and open to the public. Supplies will be provided.

2nd Annual Poker Paddle

Spend an autumn afternoon floating on Sweet Arrow Lake on Sunday, September 27, 2015 starting at 1:00 p.m. You will be given a set of poker cards as you float and the best hands win. Prizes include a kayak, Cabela’s gift certificates, & more.

Backyard Compost Clinic

Fall is very near and just in time to help deal with the leaves that will be falling the Penn State Master Gardeners present a Backyard Compost Clinic on Wednesday, September 23, 2015, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Sweet Arrow Lake County Park Clubhouse.

Schuylkill County Weather Forecast for 09/04/2015

The Schuylkill County Weather Forecast for Friday, September 4th, 2015.