Archive - 2012
February 29th
I hate to admit this, but I used to be a little bit ashamed to call Punxsutawney my hometown.
I learned from an early age, as I traveled to roller hockey tournaments across the country, that telling people you were from Punxsutawney quickly drew the same question no matter where you found yourself visiting: "Hey, that's where that groundhog is from, right?"
Now, the embarrassment grew stronger as a teenager, after Bill Murray put Punxsutawney on the map for folks outside the quirky circle who had already heard of our little, local holiday.
PUNXSUTAWNEY â Damage was kept to a minimum at Wendyâs Old Fashioned Hamburgers on Hampton Avenue, when an electrical malfunction in the grill caused the building to fill with smoke at the heart of the lunch hour around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.
According to Punxsutawney Fire Department Chief Bryan Smith, the fire began in the grill in the kitchen, although originally, it was reported that the fire had had gone into the roof through the grill hood.
PUNXSUTAWNEY â Just days after a school shooting near Cleveland, Ohio, Monday, a threat via social media at Jeff Tech and the lockdown of a Bradford area middle school, the superintendent of the Punxsutawney Area School District says there are ramifications for such behavior.
âThere are definite consequences from it,â Superintendent Dr. Keith Wolfe said Wednesday. âSo many times, someone could say, âWe were just messing around,â but you canât do that. You canât joke about something like that.â
PUNXSUTAWNEY â Budget discussions continued during the Punxsutawney Area School Boardâs monthly committee meeting Wednesday.
Business Manager Susan H. Robertson said the majority of the districtâs budget is fixed costs, so the administration needs the board and the public to brainstorm ways to save money. She also said that department budgets are being reviewed at this time.
Board members received handouts with suggestions on how to reduce spending budget and increase revenues for the district.
The location of the two fire alarms were:
• Rt. 119 South for a reported house fire
• Wendy's for a reported grill fire
Please read The Spirit for more information.
February 28th
REYNOLDSVILLE â A male juvenile was arrested for making threats of violence against students at the Jefferson County-DuBois Area Vocational Technical School (Jeff Tech) Tuesday morning.
According to DuBois-based Pennsylvania State Police, a threat was made via a social media outlet against Jeff Tech students, implying that firearms and explosives would be used against members of the student population.
According to police, it was determined that a 16-year-old male juvenile acted alone in the commission of this crime and will be charged with disorderly conduct.
BROOKVILLE â Tuesday, Jefferson County was recognized as one of 47 counties across the state for its achievement of StormReady status.
The status, acknowledged by the National Weather Service, means the Jefferson County community has taken a proactive approach to improving local hazardous weather operations and public awareness with the local National Weather Service office in Pittsburgh.
Tracy Zents, director of the Jefferson County Department of Emergency Services, said the recognition is positive for the county.
BROOKVILLE â Tuesday, Jefferson County was recognized as one of 47 counties across the state for its achievement of StormReady status.
The status, acknowledged by the National Weather Service, means the Jefferson County community has taken a proactive approach to improving local hazardous weather operations and public awareness with the local National Weather Service office in Pittsburgh.
Tracy Zents, director of the Jefferson County Department of Emergency Services, said the recognition is positive for the county.
PUNXSUTAWNEY â East Mahoning and North Findley Streets were shut down for about 45 minutes Monday following a three-vehicle accident that occurred around 7:17 p.m. Monday.
According to Punxsutawney Borough Police, a 1994 Subaru sedan driven by Tina McCracken, Punxsutawney, was traveling west on East Mahoning Street, while a 1997 Chevrolet Blazer driven by Sean Fitzgerald, Big Run, was traveling north on North Findley Street, and a 2006 Chevrolet driven by a 16-year-old juvenile was traveling south on North Findley Street, waiting to make a left turn to travel east on East Mahoning Street.
PUNXSUTAWNEY â The Lady Chucks middle school volleyball team opened its season last Thursday against Brockway and continued Tuesday afternoon against the Lady Beavers of DuBois.
Last Thursday, the eighth-grade squad defeated the Lady Rovers to start the season off on the right foot.
In the first game, Punxsy picked up a win behind Emma White's eight aces, including one on game point to seal the game.
"Overall, it was just a really good game," Punxsy head coach Megan Decker said. "Emma's serves were really good, and that definitely helped."
