Archive - Jan 2011 - News Article

Zoning board OKs appeals for proposed housing project

January 26, 2011

PUNXSUTAWNEY — Construction on the new Graystone Court-Punxsutawney could begin as soon as late spring, following approval from the Punxsutawney Zoning Commission regarding five appeals requested Tuesday by the project developer.

Tony Miller, senior project engineer for Stiffler McGraw Engineers of Hollidaysburg, presented a preview of the new apartment complex to be constructed at the site of the former Mary A. Wilson Elementary School, 407 East Mahoning St.

Miller said plans entail converting the former school into independent living apartments for seniors age 55 and older.

Commission: Courthouse heating issues corrected

January 26, 2011

BROOKVILLE — After a recent plunge into frigid temperatures, the Jefferson County Commissioners reported Tuesday that there are no issues with the heating system at the courthouse.

Last January, the courthouse — then only two months removed from an opening ceremony following massive renovations — sustained major water damage when frozen water pipes burst.

The water pipes were affected because of a failure with the building’s heating system. Later, engineers reported that the system had not been properly balanced or commissioned, and errors occurred that led to the breaks.

PAHS students achieving state-mandated education goals

January 25, 2011

PUNXSUTAWNEY — If your children seem to enjoy going to school in the Punxsutawney Area School District, they’re not fooling you, according to data from the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

Director of Federal Programs and Curriculum for the district, Richard Galluzzi, reported that the district continues to have a high percentage of students who graduate and attend school on a regular basis.

Jeff Tech talks details of two-hour delays

January 25, 2011

WINSLOW TOWNSHIP — With the cold and snowy weather lately, the subject of school being cancelled or delayed has become a hot topic in several of the school districts that make up the Jeff Tech Operating District.

The Brookville Area School Board recently discussed the possibility of eliminating with two-hour delays, because some believe they disrupt the educational process too much due to the shortened class schedules.
Marsha Welsh, Jeff Tech director, explained how decisions on weather cancellations and delays are made at Monday’s Jeff Tech Operating Committee meeting.

Marcellus shale meeting draws crowd

January 24, 2011

SYKESVILLE — Marcellus Shale gas drilling, is it safe or not?
That's the question that more than 100 people gathered to hear the answer to at the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary social hall in Sykesville Friday evening.

Meteorologist Hall of Fame welcomes two PSU alums

January 24, 2011

PUNXSUTAWNEY — With Punxsutawney Phil’s upcoming forecast looming in the future as the days to February dwindle away, the Punxsutawney Weather Discovery Center prepares to again induct two new members into its Meteorologist Hall of Fame.
Joining the ranks of the “Weather Capital of the World’s” elite, for their dedication to the advancement of knowledge in weather science, climatology and meteorology, are AccuWeather’s Elliot Abrams and The Weather Channel’s Dr. Greg Forbes.
A Groundhog Day induction ceremony will take place at 12:30 p.m. Feb. 2 in the center’s lobby.

ELLIOT ABRAMS

Deb Hudak’s camouflage is Black & Gold

January 22, 2011

STUMP CREEK — With another trip to the Super Bowl one win away for the Pittsburgh Steelers, many super fans are becoming more noticeable.

There is one, however, that is nearly impossible to miss.

In fact, you would be able to tell where Debbie Hudak’s rooting interests lie even if you saw her dog.

Those interests would become even more apparent if you saw her bar, the Camouflage Inn, in Stump Creek, which Hudak has owned for the past 21 years.

Police: Two injured in 10-vehicle crash

January 22, 2011

Police: Two injured in 10-vehicle crash

UNION TOWNSHIP — Only two drivers suffered minor injuries in a 10-vehicle accident in Union Township Friday that closed down westbound lanes of Interstate 80 until about 5:30 p.m.

According to DuBois-based Pennsylvania State Police, all 10 vehicles were traveling west on Interstate 80 at mile-marker 103.4 around 9:26 a.m. Friday when all the vehicles experienced a white-out condition, which caused a 2002 Peterbilt driven by Ricky L. Odell, 55, Lowell, Ohio, to jackknife across both westbound lanes, causing the multiple-vehicle crash.

A SIGN OF SPRING?

January 22, 2011

Rossiter woman meets TV ‘bachelorette’ while in Mexico

January 21, 2011

PUNXSUTAWNEY — Rossiter resident Lisa Campbell and her fiance didn’t expect to meet a future TV star on their summer vacation to Mexico.

But by what Campbell terms “just a fluke,” the duo did just that, encountering the unexpected.

While on a retreat at the Iberostar Paraiso del Mar resort in Rivera Maya, Campbell unsuspectingly struck up a casual conversation with a young woman accompanied by her father.

Little did Campbell know that her shoot-the-breeze companion, Lindsay Hill, would be a future contestant on season 15 of ABC’s television series “The Bachelor.”