FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP — Southern Columbia Area School Board Directors Josh Maciejewski and Eli Yemzow said real estate taxes were recently increased because of the district’s expected $2 million contribution to a planned building project at the Columbia-Montour Area Vocational-Technical School (VTS).

LOCK HAVEN — The Clinton County Court of Common Pleas will hold a pre-status conference July 22 regarding a lawsuit that challenges the method SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority used to select the operator of five shortlines.

POTTSVILLE — Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Jon Fetterman and state Rep. Malcom Kenyatta, D-Philadelphia, are slated to speak at the Pottsville PrideFest noon to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 17, at Gen. George Joulwan East Side Park.

SHAMOKIN — Five defendants entered guilty pleas Tuesday and were ordered by Magisterial District Judge John Gembic III to pay fines and costs.

SUNBURY — The following defendants were sentenced in Northumberland County Court of Common Pleas:

ELYSBURG — The Ralpho Bridge Club met Tuesday for play of the hands in which several ties resulted. Tied in first and second place were Bob Reed and Dave Brosius with 7 points and Dale and Fern Krothe also with 7 points; tied in third and fourth place were Cleon Dodge and Joe Fields 5 points…

STRONG — The Mount Carmel Township Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission have nixed a land development plan for a crematorium in the village.

HARRISBURG — State Sens. John R. Gordner, R-27, and Bob Mensch, R-24, announced the introduction of legislation to enact a third round of the successful Growing Greener program.

Susquehanna University

Mount Carmel Township, Kulpmont and Marion Heights are seeking the services of a consultant to perform a joint comprehensive plan and develop municipal zoning ordinances.

Hike at Tuscarora State Park

A story published in the Friday, June 18, 2021, edition of The News-Item incorrectly identified the entity paying an employee to work during the Kaupas Camp at Mount Carmel Area. Megan Stelma will receive $30 an hour to work at the camp through donations made to the school district specifica…

SUNBURY — The following defendant was sentenced in Northumberland County Court of Common Pleas:

BERWICK —The Community Giving Foundation announces a new agency endowed and non-endowed funds recently established by the Mount Carmel Area Community Center, Inc. (MCACC). The addition of the new funds adds to the regional footprint of philanthropy served by the foundation and its community …

ATLAS — The Mount Carmel Township Board of Supervisors has approved a preliminary land development plan for a retail building and drive-thru restaurant at the site of the former Village Towne Restaurant at the intersection of state Routes 61 and 54.

SHAMOKIN — The Fifth Street playground, located on the southwest border of Shamokin and Coal Township, will be transformed into a remote-control (RC) race track, city council has decided.

LEWISBURG — A civicl action filed Tuesday, June 15, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania claims a 14-year-old Lewisburg Area School District (LASD) middle school student was subjected to bullying by at least four other students.

Marriage licenses

HARRISBURG — The Senate this week approved a House bill that will ease the bureaucratic burdens that currently make it difficult for small communities to hold festivals, parades and other events on PENNDOT maintained roadways, according to Sen. Scott Hutchinson.

LEWISBURG — A Union County business manager was charged this week with depositing altered COVID-19 relief grant checks into a mobile bank account.

Wilkes University

HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was down two-tenths of a percentage point over the month to 6.9 percent in May, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I).

WILLIAMSPORT — A “significant decrease” in COVID-19 cases have been reported across the region since the start of vaccination efforts, according to the medical director of Infectious Diseases for UPMC in North Central Pennsylvania.

Food pantry signups required

MOUNT CARMEL — Mount Carmel Area School Board unanimously adopted a $21 million budget for fiscal year 2021-2022 calling for a 2.45-mill tax increase and approved administrative raises Thursday night.

SHAMOKIN — Council members Charlie Verano and Barbara Moyer believe city officials should have discussed a countywide reassessment with Northumberland County commissioners and leaders from other municipalities before proposing a lawsuit as a means to generate revenue.

HARRISBURG — Results from United Way of Pennsylvania’s second COVID-19 impact survey show more than 1.3 million Pennsylvania households, or 27%, are one emergency away from financial crisis, and food insecurity is among the chief challenges.

PHILADELPHIA — The COVID-19 pandemic has been incredibly difficult for all Americans, but even more so for those who lost a loved one to the virus. The unexpected and sometimes sudden loss of a loved one has placed a heavy burden on many thousands of Americans.

HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf has ordered all commonwealth flags on the Capitol Complex and at all commonwealth facilities in Elk County to fly at half-staff to honor Timothy Fitch.

SHAMOKIN — Reassessment can be a controversial and politicized topic and, as a result, it is not uncommon for counties to go years without undertaking a new reassessment, but Northumberland County’s last assessment in 1972 “is an extreme case,” according to the authors of Shamokin’s three-ye…

Our Lady of Lourdes Regional School

SNYDERTOWN — A preliminary hearing initially scheduled for June 22 for a 23-year-old man charged in a triple homicide in Snydertown last week has been changed to 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 29.

LOWER MAHANOY TOWNSHIP — State police at Stonington have released the identities of three people seriously injured in a two-vehicle, head-on crash along Route 225 near Hepner Road on Monday morning.

FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP — The Southern Columbia Area School Board has adopted its $22.9 million 2021-22 operating budget featuring a real estate tax hike.

Sentencings

SHAMOKIN — Two members of Shamokin City Council have expressed interest in suing Northumberland County to force a countywide reassessment of property values, which would likely give the city the option of raising property taxes to eliminate its $800,000 budget shortfall.

SHAMOKIN — Gosaphat Serrato, of 1852 Trevorton Road, Coal Township, was held for court Tuesday by Magisterial District Judge John Gembic III on a total of 22 counts of indecent assault and corruption of minors, and one count of harassment.