Archive - 2012 - News Article
March 25th
PUNXSUTAWNEY â Almost everyone has enjoyed the abnormally warm weather throughout the winter season. But along with such weather comes an onslaught of deer ticks, or black-legged ticks, throughout the area.
Unseasonably warm weather has extended the season of activity for the ticks, said Dr. Tom Simmons, IUP professor of Biology and Public Environmental Health.
"With this unseasonably warm winter, it may not result in a population explosion of ticks this coming year," he said. "The tick populations were high last year, and they will remain high this year."
(The Spirit is pleased to share with our readers vignettes of life in the 19th century as originally reported in past issues of the newspapers. These reproduced stories include their original headlines and spelling.)
Local Intelligence
(May 13, 1896)
AN EXCITING RUNAWAY
March 23rd
PUNXSUTAWNEY â Rain may be in the forecast for the immediate future, but organizers of the annual Run/Walk for Someone Special hope that Mother Nature will pour the rain this weekend, not next weekend.
âI think last year, we had a cloud looming over us, and it started to rain as the last runner crossed the line,â said Stacy Hanzely, executive director of the Arc of Jefferson-Clearfield Counties. âWeâve just been so fortunate with the weather.â
The Run/Walk for Someone Special, now in its 33rd year, will be held Sunday, April 1, starting at Town Hall in Sykesville (see box for details).
PUNXSUTAWNEY â A proposed cut in Gov. Tom Corbettâs budget appears to affect funding of recreational activities in the area. But on closer inspection, many of those funds were used for special projects and not for operations of the program or the project itself.
The Keystone Parks, Recreation and Conservation Fund was approved by Pennsylvania voters to help pay for parks, trails and open space in 1993, when it passed a referendum by a ratio of 65 percent to 35 percent, said state House Speaker Sam Smith (R-66) of Punxsy.
March 22nd
PUNXSUTAWNEY â Representatives from PennDOT District 10 held an open house Thursday night at the Lindsey Fire Hall to show residents changes to two major projects in the borough.
Residents could see early work on the two projects â the Route 110/Route 310 turning lanes project and the Elk Run Bridge/Route 119 and the Sawmill Run Bridge, Route 36/Mahoning Street replacement project â as early as this fall.
It was a great night Thursday for doing anything outdoors, such as walking, running, Frisbee football and, as seen in Barclay Square, Zumba Fitness with Dustin Jewell (center). He holds his Zumba class in the park at 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday and at 1 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, except during inclement weather.
March 21st
PUNXSUTAWNEY â As energy prices continue to rise, a newly-elected member of Punxsutawney Borough Council had a suggestion on how the borough can save money during these high-cost times.
Eric Story said as an experiment, he set up solar panels and ran the wires to a circuit breaker box for safety. The experiment â using solar energy, he said â has saved him money and could be used in some of the boroughâs buildings.
Story said when the green lights are flashing on the inverter box, it shows him that the solar panels are working and creating electricity.
BROOKVILLE â Kim Rhodes, executive director for the Mentor Parent Program said bullying has become an âepidemic.â
To address the need she has seen first-hand in the community, her program will host a bullying walkathon this year that will take place in Jefferson County.
âBullying is a big thing across the board and across the world,â Rhodes said.
The Mentor Parent Program is a community-based parent project created in 1989 by parents of children with special needs to support, assist and provide expertise to parents in rural northwest Pennsylvania.
March 20th
PUNXSUTAWNEY â Construction on the Graystone Court apartments and tower has resumed full throttle after a short winter layoff.
"We stopped in November working on the outside and resumed construction on the towers with the onset of the warmer weather," said Jeff S. Long, developer and owner of Graystone Court Apartments.
Long said work crews have two more floors to construct on the apartment tower.
"We can't hang any drywall in the tower until we get the roof on it," Long said, adding that the roof should be in place within a month, and then the interior work will commence.
BIG RUN â The members of Big Run Borough Council agreed at Monday's meeting not to pursue mandatory garbage pickup for borough residents.
"We have an ordinance in place; it's not necessary to pass another one for mandatory pickup," said John Niver, Big Run Council member.
Nick Lantz, council president, said most people in Big Run have garbage pickup.
Niver said it was not his intention to have burn barrels banned in the borough through an ordinance for mandatory garbage pickup.
