Archive - 2012
March 8th
PUNXSUTAWNEY â The Punxsutawney Area School Districtâs use of technology â specifically its one-to-one, or 1:1 program, in which all students in grades nine through 12 are issued laptop computers for use at school and home â has attracted enough praise and recognition that it has become a model for other districts to study.
PUNXSUTAWNEY â Both of Punxsy's middle school girls' volleyball teams continued what have proven to be successful seasons thus far, with sweeps over the Lady Dutch of St. Marys Thursday afternoon in Punxsutawney.
The afternoon began with a pair of seventh-grade wins, 25-18 and 25-10.
Punxsy head coach Jacque Curtis said after the match that she was very pleased with the way her girls performed.
"They're really coming together well," she said. "We played very well today, and we're showing signs of improvement."
HERSHEY â Punxsy wrestling's Joel Bowers, a sophomore at 113 pounds, was the final active athlete in the PAHS winter sports season, as he headed to the PIAA State Wrestling Championship Tournament Thursday in Hershey.
Unfortunately for the Chucks, Bowers' season came to a close with a pair of losses at the state level Thursday.
Bowers, the northwest region's second seed, faced District X's Dalton Macri, of Canon-McMillan, in the opening round of the tournament Thursday morning.
Wanda Marion Carlson, 90, Rossiter, died Thursday, March 8, 2012, at Wellington Heights, Punxsutawney.
She was born Jan. 29, 1922, in Pittsfield, Mass., a daughter of the late Walter and Agnes ( Mokrzycka) Robak.
She was married to Kenneth C. Carlson, who preceded her in death April 24, 1989.
She enjoyed living on the family farm, tending to her flowers, watching pets and other nature, and loved her family most of all.
March 7th
Harold âTotâ Stanley Geist, 83, passed away March 7, 2012, in Mayport.
He was born Sept. 10, 1928, in Ringgold Township, a son of the late Paul Stanley and Cozie Viola (Troutman) Geist.
He was married to Isabell L. (Wyant) Geist, who survives.
Mr. Geist was a coal miner and logger by trade.
Betty Stear Long, 97, a long-time resident of Punxsutawney, passed away Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012, at Brighton Gardens in Raleigh, N.C., after a brief illness.
She was born Sept. 25, 1914, in Punxsutawney, a daughter of the late Jean and Frank Stear.
After graduating from Punxsutawney High School in 1931, Mrs. Long attended Indiana State Teachers College and was a third-grade teacher in the Punxsutawney schools until 1939, when she married Jesse P. Long, the love of her life.
ERIE â One-hundred-and-forty-four wins. Four-time District IX champion. Sixth-most wins in D-IX history. Most wins in Punxsutawney history by more than 30.
During his wrestling career at PAHS, Kody Young put together a laundry list of achievements, and he recently added another at the next level: Qualifying for the NCAA Division II Wrestling National Championships as a freshman at Mercyhurst University.
The National Championships will take place Friday and Saturday at Colorado State University-Pueblo.
At 8:01 p.m. this Sunday evening, exactly one minute after the final bid is announced for this season's NCAA basketball tournament, March Madness officially begins.
But the madness I'm speaking of, while related to the tournament, isn't the actual tournament itself. That all begins with Tuesday's First Four, a round of play-in games.
The madness I'm referring to is the madness I experience while trying to fill out the ever-elusive perfect bracket for the 68-team tourney.
SHARON â Brookville senior Logan Stout has had one thing on his mind since the first day he stepped onto the mat this season â a regional championship.
Stout achieved that goal Saturday at the Northwest Regional Class AA Championships in Sharon by earning the 195-pound title over Alex Svetz, of North East, in a narrow 4-3 decision.
"It's awesome," Stout said. "Like I've said before, I didn't expect it earlier in my career. But my first goal for this year was to win a regional title, so it feels good to have my name up with my brother."
PUNXSUTAWNEY â Libraries in Pennsylvania are facing yet another five-percent budget cut from Gov. Tom Corbettâs new fiscal year budget proposal.
âI think the state does alright by us, considering that all of the libraries are caught in dire straits right now with the proposed budget cuts,â library Director Coral Ellshoff said.
âIâm not saying that I welcome a five-percent cut in state funding; I think itâs understandable,â she said. âWhere it creates an imbalance, the local governments need to pick up the slack.â
