LYCOMING COUNTY 9/11 RIDE

It’s been a year since the roars of motorcycles announced the start of the Lycoming Co 9/11 memorial ride.  The state senate passed the bill that avoids the regulatory process put into community participation in the annual event, according to SUN Gazette. The Bill, according to tank Baird ride coordinator, removes the necessity for every municipality to sign off on the indemnification. State Rep Joe Hamm, Chief Sponsor of House Bill 765 reported that the bill has passed the house in May and now awaits the signature of Governor Tom Wolf.

GEISINGER MEDICAL CENTER ADDITION IN MUNCY TOWNSHIIP

The pandemic shut downs didn’t affect Geisinger’s construction of the Geisinger Medical Center Muncy in Muncy Township, right off of Route 220. This is the new three-story 120,000 square foot Geisinger Medical Center Muncy and Healthplex in partnership with Highmark Health, that may be operational in late 2021. The facility includes 20 hospital beds, a helipad, a full Emergency Department, inpatient care, cardiology, and even outpatient services, according to SUN Gazette.

GEISINGER MEDICAL CENTER ADDITION OF HELIPAD AT JERSEY SHORE HOSPITAL

The pandemic shut downs didn’t affect Geisinger’s construction of the Jersey Shore Hospital helipad which started in the early spring and is expected to be completed by late summer. A $250,000 grant from the First Community Foundation Partnership alongside other gifts and capital funding from Geisinger, was necessary in order to complete this project according to SUN Gazette. The helipad, above the Emergency Department entrance, making a much larger covering over the entrance, is bringing a positive benefit for EMS that need to enter the building. Although the hospital averages less than five air ambulance transports from Geisinger Jersey Shore in a month; the helipad will help patients in critical care and “eliminate the need for patients to be taken by ambulance”.

DOUBLE FATALITY IN MOTORCYCLE CRASH

A motorcycle crash last evening on Interstate 180 West in Fairfield Township claimed the life of two people, according to northcentralpa.com.  A male and female of Williamsport suffered fatal injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene shortly after the crash occurred at 7:25 p.m. at mile marker 20, close to the Fairfield exit, according to State Police at Montoursville. State Police reported the motorcycle struck a deer and they have not yet released the names of the deceased.

THREATS WITH A KNIFE SENDS WILLIAMSPORT MAN TO JAIL

A trash collector was threatened with a knife after he asked a man to pick up trash thrown off a third-floor balcony, according to Williamsport Police. Jerry Lee Nicholas, 44, Williamsport was charged with simple assault and terroristic threats after authorities said he held a knife to his throat and threatened to cut people. Witnesses told officers they observed Nicholas hold a knife to his own throat. Nicholas was taken into custody and held on $10,000 monetary bail. Court records show Nicholas is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on June 29.

WILLIAMSPORT CITY COUNCILMAN ANNOUNCES FORMAL ENDORSEMENT

Williamsport City Councilman Adam Yoder is announcing his formal endorsement of Lou Barletta for the Republican Nomination for Governor of Pennsylvania in the May 2022 primary. “For decades rural communities across the Commonwealth like Williamsport have faced the ever-growing challenge of providing core community services with a continuously eroding and economically distressed tax base,” Yoder said. “As a result of the economic challenges presented to rural Pennsylvania over the past year, these issues are exacerbated like we have never seen them before. Pennsylvania needs a Governor who will enable our municipal communities for growth.”

PRIME PROJECT GETTING SET FOR COMPLETION AT END OF JUNE

PRIME, also known as, Patient Room Improvement, Modernization and Enhancement is reaching its completion this month at Evangelical Community Hospital. The project, which originally broke ground for phase one in 2018, includes newly renovated private patient rooms. The second phase of the project, which broke ground on Oct. 22 of 2020, includes 12 additional spacious patient rooms in the new Critical Care Unit, according to a media outlet. The four year project completion marks another way that Evangelical Community Hospital has stayed true to its nature a local hospital providing high quality care.

KEEP PENNSYLVANIA BEAUTIFUL CAMPAIGN

The organizers of the state’s Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful campaign are looking for more volunteers to step forward and assist in litter clean-up. They are looking for individuals, civic organization or other groups of volunteers to consider adopting a stretch of roadway in your community.  Organizers are looking for a twice-monthly commitment can help to keep an adopted stretch of roadway clean with necessary supplies are provided. Visit penndot.gov for more information.

RETURN TO COUNCIL CHAMBERS FOR LOCK HAVEN CITY COUNCIL 

March 9 of 2020 was the last time when Lock Haven City Council held a meeting in council chambers on the first floor of City Hall on E. Church Street. With COVID-19 numbers on the decline, City Manager Greg Wilson has shared word that council will again be meeting in person in council chambers, effective with its Monday, June 21, 7 p.m. meeting. The city manager also announced that live streaming of the meetings will continue, citing an upsurge in online views, as opposed to the number of citizens who attended the council meetings prior to the pandemic. Wilson said over the last year the live streaming has drawn from 16 to 186 views; in-person meetings had consisted of anywhere from two to 12 in attendance.

STABBING THE DRIVER OF A MOVING AUTO LANDS MAN IN JAIL

A Williamsport man allegedly stabs coworker in the driver seat. Kevin Blunt, 35, allegedly stabbed a coworker in the abdomen during an argument, while in a moving vehicle on June 13, according to a media outlet. The victim jumped from the vehicle, as it traveled down Market Street, yelling that he has just been stabbed. Blunt fled the scene with the knife.  District Judge Beak Lee arraigned Blunt on multiple charges  and set bail to $175,000. Blunt remains in the Lycoming County Prison with a preliminary hearing on June 24.