Archive - 2011
December 8th
Church of God. The seniors â (from left) Tyler Presloid, Dane Roken, Tyler Young, Dan Triponey, Seth Gray and Quinten Weber â were recognized for their hard work and effort throughout the 2011 season. Seniors C.J. Langley and Justin Ray were not present at the banquet.
Shane Biesinger, 27, of Punxsutawney, bagged this nine-point buck, weighing in at 180 pounds, last Monday, which was the first day of rifle season. Biesinger was hunting in Sand Ridge at 8:45 a.m. when he took down this deer, his first.
PUNXSUTAWNEY â Just as the weather is beginning to turn frightful comes the news that PennDOT District 10 Jefferson County Maintenance is ready for Mother Natureâs worst, with salt and anti-skid and snow plows.
The annual PennDOT plow inspection in last month went very well, said Paul Koza Jr., P.E., county maintenance manager.
Everything is ready to go, except for a few trucks that are receiving routine maintenance, Koza said.
All trucks are stationed at the county stockpile locations in Punxsutawney, Brookville, Emerickville, Brockway and Ringgold.
PUNXSUTAWNEY â
Itâs the battle of titans the world has awaited for more than 100 years, beginning this winter and ending this coming spring.
In this corner, Punxsutawney Phil; in the opposite corner, science.
But Punxsutawney Area Middle School students taking part in a program to track the growth of tulips in various parts of the world â and taking into consideration the onset of spring â believe their hometown hero will emerge victorious.
âThey think they will be right along with Philâ and his Feb. 2 prognostication, whatever it may be, said PAMS fifth-grade teacher Jeff Kuntz.
Betty M. Geer, 31, formerly of Punxsutawney, died Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011, in Shreveport, La.
She was born June 23, 1980, in Punxsutawney, a daughter of Leona M. Courson Geer, who survives, of Mayport, and the late David D. Geer.
Miss Geer attended Punxsutawney Area High School and Jeff Tech.
She was employed as a cleaning personnel staff and enjoyed fishing, spending time outdoors, traveling and spending time with family and friends.
She was a member of Latter Day Saints in Tropic, Utah.
Jamey Eugene Stormer, 41, Somerset, died Thursday, Dec. 8, 2011, in Somerset.
He was born Aug. 16, 1970, in Brookville, a son of the late Robert E. Stormer and Margaret (Shirey) Stormer, who survives.
He was a carpenter and member of the Pine Valley United Methodist Church and the Worthville United Methodist Church.
December 7th
PUNXSUTAWNEY â Joseph (Joe) V. Harrick (1895-1958), Punxsutawney native and former Punxsy coach, was recently inducted into the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame.
The WVU Sports Hall of Fame honors former athletes and others connected to Mountaineer athletics.
Harrick attended WVU from 1917-1921 and is the only known 16-time letterman in WVU history.
His greatest feat was earning four varsity letters each in football, baseball, wrestling and track and field â an accomplishment unheard of in the modern sports era.
Sometimes, I wish I were around in the "Good Ol' Days."
Directly to this column's left, on Page 6, is an article that was submitted to me this week about a man, Joseph Harrick, who was recently inducted into the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame for being the only known individual in school history to earn 16 letters â a feat that is simply unheard of today.
First of all, athletes today have three sports seasons, and except for the occasional kicker-who-is-a-soccer-player, the idea of an athlete playing two sports in one season is practically extinct.
PUNXSUTAWNEY â Itâs a chance to take a breather from shopping, to find some new ideas for holiday decorating, or a way to see how other local residents embrace and perpetuate their own Christmas traditions.
Thatâs what the annual Holly Tour is all about, and it runs from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday at six different locations in the Punxsy area (see the accompanying box on Page 3).
The tour, which is at least 20 years old, was first established by the former Young Womenâs Club, of which Katie Laska, who owns Laskaâs Pizza and Caterinaâs Dolce Cucina, was a member.
PUNXSUTAWNEY â The Punxsutawney Area School Board welcomed its newly elected members at Wednesdayâs reorganization meeting and re-elected its sitting president.
District Judge Douglas Chambers swore in new board members Melissa Snyder and Jim Baun, as well as incumbents Jack White and Penny Muth Pifer.
During the boardâs annual reorganizational meeting, Lesa Conner nominated and then made a motion to re-elect current school board president Gary Conrad. Pifer seconded her motion.
