Archive - Feb 2012
February 10th
PennDOT, property owners discuss crosswalk devices
PUNXSUTAWNEY â Friday, representatives from PennDOT District 10 met with a group of concerned citizens regarding the placement of pedestrian crosswalk sign activation buttons.
Joe Ferrara, who, along with his wife, Joan VanDyke, owns the building at the corner of East Mahoning and South Findley streets, has spoken at several Punxsutawney Borough Council meetings about his unhappiness with the placement of the walk and donât-walk activation buttons.
BROOKVILLE â Those who were closest to him said Connor Gerg could make friends with anyone.
This was especially true at school and at the Brookville YMCA, Tina Householder said, where Connor spent most of his time.
"Although I wasn't in school with him, I saw that he had such a gift of being friends with everybody," Householder said. "And he often helped the underdog. He was such a kind, kind kid."
Sunday, Feb. 19, the Brookville YMCA is hosting Share the Love, a run/walk event to honor the life Connor lived.
Martha Lillian Costanzo, 98, of Derry, and formerly of Punxsutawney, died Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012, in the Bethlen Home, Ligonier.
She was born June 26, 1913, in Punxsutawney, a daughter of the late Evritt and Lillie Bell Weiss Dunn.
She was married to Frank A. Costanzo, who preceded her in death.
Mrs. Costanzo was a member of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church of Derry.
Surviving relatives include two sons, William J. Costanzo and wife Virginia of Derry, and Charles E. Costanzo and wife Lee of Birmingham, Ala.; eight grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Lois L. Dinger, 77, Brookville, died Friday, Feb. 10, 2012, at Jefferson Manor, Brookville.
She was born Feb. 19, 1934, in Dora, a daughter of the late Reed Ernest and Hazel Lucetta (Geist) Kunselman.
Nov. 15, 1952, in Jefferson County, she married Harold E. Dinger, who preceded her in death Aug. 23, 1998.
Mrs. Dinger was a homemaker and a member of the Calvary Church of the Nazarene, Brookville, where she was active in church affairs.
February 9th
PUNXSUTAWNEY â Unfortunately for the Punxsy Chucks junior high wrestling team members, they knew entering Wednesday night's match against St. Marys that they would have to perform flawlessly to defeat the Dutch, earning pins in every bout due to six classes the Chucks would have to forfeit.
While Punxsy didn't win on the scoreboard, the Chucks took to the mats with fury and picked up wins in seven of the eight bouts that took place, making what could have been a blowout a close match at 42-31.
PUNXSUTAWNEY â Despite outscoring Ridgway 19-10 in the second half, Punxsy's ninth-grade basketball team was unable to overcome a 15-2 Elkers' halftime lead Thursday afternoon in Punxsutawney, and the Chucks fell, 25-21.
"Being down 13 at halftime, we came out, made some adjustments, worked their zone and almost came back for the win," Punxsy head coach Brandon Krug said after the game. "The kids played hard, but that first half was the difference. If we play harder in the first half, we win that game."
PUNXSUTAWNEY â Police seized heroin, crack cocaine, cash and more in a search of a South Main Street residence where two men were also taken into custody Thursday morning.
Punxsutawney-based Pennsylvania State Police said the Troop C Vice Unit executed a search warrant at the residence at 6:05 a.m. Thursday as the result of an undercover drug investigation.
Taken into custody were Kenneth Edward Ball, 60, Punxsy, and Aaron Albert Meanor, 28, Pittsburgh.
BROOKVILLE â Since its inception, the Jefferson County Area Agency on Aging (JCAAA) has tried to provide county residents with resources that would allow them to stay in their homes longer.
But for the agency to continue to be a vital asset to the countyâs older citizens, it is seeking help from one specific source â the countyâs oldest resident.
âI think thereâs so much history out there that we need to embrace,â JCAAA Executive Director Randy Davis said. âWe want to ask, âHowâd you make it? Howâd you get there?â We want to know the secrets to his or her success.â
Clair R. Shaffer, 96, DuBois, passed away Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012, at his home.
He was born June 14, 1915, in DuBois, a son of the late Harvey and Martha (Horn) Shaffer.
He was married to Dora (Waite) Shaffer, who preceded him in death Feb. 29, 1980.
Mr. Shaffer was a retired self-employed farmer.
He served in the U.S. Army and received a Purple Heart for his service in World War II.
He was Methodist by faith and a member of the Reynoldsville American Legion and Reynoldsville Eagles. He enjoyed farming and hunting.
February 8th
PUNXSUTAWNEY â When the starting lineups were announced Wednesday night at PAHS, it appeared as if the Punxsy Chucks wrestling team would be at a severe disadvantage with three scheduled forfeits and two regulars out of the lineup. But Punxsy shuffled the lineup around and managed to pull off a surprising 39-30 victory over St. Marys in Punxsutawney.
"I'm really proud of the way these guys wrestled tonight," Punxsy head coach Eric Eddy said after the match. "We didn't give up a bunch of pins where we couldn't afford to, and it was just a great team effort."
