Press Enterprise Archives
April 20, 2021
Senior center’s shop falls to a lack of volunteers, pandemic pressures
BERWICK — The Berwick Senior Citizens Center thrift store will close permanently, a victim of the coronavirus pandemic...
New view aims to protect the township and public, officials say
MAHONING TWP. — Mahoning Township Police officers should be armed with body cameras by mid-May or earlier. The move...
Medical office closed down in December
CATAWISSA — The future of Geisinger’s Main Street clinic, which has served Catawissa nearly 25 years, is suddenly...
Concession may begin May 1
DANVILLE — Visitors to Montour Preserve should be able to rent kayaks and canoes at Lake Chillisquaque by May 1 after...
16-year-old girl disappeared from grandmother’s Stillwater-area home
FISHING CREEK TWP. — A Benton high school student disappeared from her home early Saturday and now police and her...
April 19, 2021
Police: Bloom suspect booted from gathering returned, assaulted two
A Bloomsburg man who was thrown out of a small party late Saturday returned with friends and attacked two people,...
Watershed group, officials seek solutions for landscape business near Washingtonville
DERRY TWP. — The new use of a former restaurant property has the president of the Chillisquaque-Limestone Watershed...
Suspect allegedly fought four policemen serving mental-health warrant
BERWICK — A man faces charges after a police officer was hurt trying to involuntarily commit him for mental health...
Accused drug seller jailed on $10,000 bail
BLOOMSBURG — A Bloomsburg man sold methamphetamine to a police informant twice last month while arranging drug deals...
MAHONING TWP. —A North Central Secure Treatment Unit employee, frustrated because a resident hadn’t completed an...
April 18, 2021
Officials see area appointments fall after complications from J&J vaccine
SOUTH CENTRE TWP. — Government and medical officials are reminding those spooked by concerns with the paused Johnson...
Crew plants more than 100 apple trees for greener Centralia future
CENTRALIA — This nearly abandoned borough got a little greener this weekend. It was all thanks to a tree-planting...
Students seemed to take warnings seriously, Bloom police chief says
BLOOMSBURG — Block Party was a bust as of early Saturday evening despite advance rumors that prompted warnings from...
DANVILLE — Two men pleaded guilty to sex-related crimes involving minors in Montour County court last week, including a...
Defendant pleads guilty but mentally ill in fracas at GMC
DANVILLE — A Sunbury man has pleaded guilty but mentally ill to biting two police officers during a violent outburst in...
April 17, 2021
Pair facing felony assault charges after traffic stop
BERWICK — A Berwick police officer was injured after being dragged more than 400 feet by a car following a traffic stop...
Bloomsburg-area pair allegedly got $300G in federal funds
WILLIAMSPORT — A Bloomsburg-area couple formed a shell company that they used to fraudulent apply for and receive a $...
Berwick man charged with stealing van
CONYNGHAM — A Berwick man allegedly barged into a stranger’s house, conned him into taking out his vehicle keys, then...
BERWICK — A 16-year-old girl quietly testified she was sexually assaulted seven years ago, then began to cry when asked...
Performances to be recorded as pandemic eases
Press Enterprise Managing Editor BLOOMSBURG — The popular annual First Columbia Teen Star singing competition, which...
April 16, 2021
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania State System for Higher Education on Thursday froze tuition rates at state universities...
Fast reaction, solid construction cited in Salem Township
SALEM TWP. —Flames broke out at a landmark field stone house here early Thursday. But solid construction and a quick...
BLOOMSBURG — Despite the ongoing pandemic and statewide restrictions on large gatherings, it appears students and...
BLOOMSBURG — A 71-year-old Bloomsburg man is accused of sexually assaulting a young girl in his home a few years ago...
BLOOMSBURG — Columbia County commissioners have earmarked nearly half the $735,000 in state hospitality grant funding...
April 15, 2021
Berwick stomping suspect remains in Luzerne County cell after hearing
WILKES-BARRE — Frantz Jean Benoi Orcel’s sister says he was a jovial teddy bear of a man, always joking, always...
Catawissa considers shutting down, surrendering ownership of pathway
CATAWISSA — The coronavirus pandemic opened Woody Heaps’ eyes to just how much people like dining outdoors. Catawissa...
Hemlock Township opts out of proposed merger
BUCKHORN — The proposal for a newly formed regional police force in Columbia County appears dead after Hemlock Township...
DANVILLE — Danville Area School Board will pay teachers $40 per hour for this year’s summer programs, through two weeks...
April 14, 2021
Heated discussion ends in delay on opening decision
BLOOMSBURG — The fate of the town pool’s summer season remains undecided, after council agreed to wait until its next...
Visitors heed traffic warnings, save Nescopeck Community Cupboard
NESCOPECK —The Nescopeck Community Cupboard was in danger of becoming a victim of its own success. So many people were...
Chief takes council to task over value of the department
DANVILLE — Danville council agreed to cover a $184,000 shortfall for Friendship Fire Company’s new ladder truck after...
Pa. halts single-dose inoculation until at least April 20
WASHINGTON (AP) —The U.S. on Tuesday recommended a “pause” in use of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19...
Official, township lawyer clash over determining deadline
SALEM TWP. — Supervisors here cut short the second part of a hearing on a proposed 400,000 square-foot data warehouse...
April 13, 2021
Declining enrollment behind district decision, superintendent explains
FRANKLIN TWP. — Southern Columbia’s school board reluctantly voted Monday night to cut four full-time teachers from the...
Downtown space seen as community hub and event venue
DANVILLE — If all goes as planned, by next summer a vacant spot between the Danville borough building andBeiter’s...
State steps up rollout as supply of vaccine — and cases — climb
Pennsylvania will expand eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine to all adults beginning today, nearly a week ahead of...
District residents in Columbia would face about 4% hike; in Luzerne, rate would hold steady
BERWICK — School taxes would go up slightly for some Berwick Area School District taxpayers if a preliminary budget...
District would tap reserves to cover $1.2M deficit
SOUTH CENTRE TWP. — Residents of the Central Columbia School District won’t see their property taxes increase next year...
April 12, 2021
Some Berwick directors fear loss of parking
BERWICK — A local landscaping company is offering to turn the land where Orange Street Elementary once stood into a...
Bloom officials plan permanent home for displaced plaques
BLOOMSBURG — Among the piles of dirt and mulch that dot the newly renovated campus of Bloomsburg’s middle and high...
BERWICK — A man was freed on bail after spending 10 days in jail, only to land back behind bars the next day after...
Empty liquor bottle allegedly tumbled from suspect’s truck
BERWICK — A driver who hit another vehicle then fled was drunk, police say. Brent Andrew Boschetto, 29, of 234 Stouts...
One man allegedly brandished knife during clash
DANVILLE — Three Danville men are facing assault charges after an argument that revolved around rent turned physical,...
April 11, 2021
Area schools planning dances and ceremonies, adapted to pandemic
BLOOMSBURG — A year ago, the coronavirus pandemic was just taking hold, and Gov. Tom Wolf ordered that schools...
Ex-residents grieve for Strawberry Ridge’s end
DERRY TWP. —Talen Energy bought the last two remaining homes in Strawberry Ridge in January, intending to tear them...
Woman allegedly blamed drug supplies on guest
BERWICK — Police say they found cocaine and large amounts of marijuana, plus supplies to package the drugs for sale, at...
Park hosts job fair, builds new ride as season opening nears
ELYSBURG — After a year of shutdowns and restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic, Knoebels Amusement Resort is...
April 10, 2021
Defense: Ruling means Kappa Sigma not culpable in BU student’s death
BLOOMSBURG — A lawyer representing a fraternity being sued in the 2019 death of a Bloomsburg University freshman points...
Conyngham Township is seeking solution for trash
CONYNGHAM TWP. — Conyngham Township’s Director of Code Enforcement James Haney calculated he was in court more than 30...
Sugarloaf Township spot can be brought up to code and expand hours, businessman believes
SUGARLOAF TWP. — The owner of The Veteran’s Inn believes he’ll be able to bring the popular restaurant up to code. His...
Unemployed man, 43, is facing dozens of felony counts
BERWICK — A borough man was jailed Thursday on more than three dozen charges related to child pornography after...
Authorities say they found meth, other drugs in raid
SCOTT TWP. — Bloomsburg Police used a confidential informant to arrange two fentanyl buys over a six-day period last...
April 9, 2021
Carpet manufacturer pays $375G for long-shuttered mini-golf course
SOUTH CENTRE TWP. — A long-shuttered miniature golf course and driving range has been sold to a neighboring carpet...
Heating, air-conditioning systems are obsolete, grounds official reports
BERWICK — Berwick Area School Board is considering what amounts to a $298,771 down payment on a $3 million project to...
Troopers: Texas man’s truck hit utility pole, injuring passenger
CONYNGHAM TWP. — A Texas man was killed Thursday when a speeding pickup he was driving hit a tree and utility pole,...
Berwick man, 36, locked up
BRIAR CREEK — A Berwick man threw a 2-by-4 board at a car carrying two toddlers, state police say. Now Christopher...
Road fixes estimated at $110,000 after sewer system installation
COOPER TWP. — Cooper Township will repair a number of streets damaged during a contractor’s installation of new sewer...
April 8, 2021
BU and SSHE insist consolidation is a necessary change
BLOOMSBURG — The vast majority of university faculty members who responded to a survey don’t support a proposal to...
Panel urges summer opening as upgrade work lags
BLOOMSBURG — Hopes the Norris E. Rock Memorial swimming pool will be opened for the 2021 summer season appear to be...
Settlement to end $1.6M contractor dispute concerning storm, sewer lines
BERWICK — Council members took their final vote Monday to let the borough take out a $650,000 loan to cover a lawsuit...
Nescopeck husband allegedly lied to police, had meth and pipe in pocket
BUCKHORN — A couple accused in a federal credit fraud and mail theft case were arrested again March 20 and charged with...
April 7, 2021
NORTHUMBERLAND — A Danville-area man is accused of torturing his girlfriend’s pet cat and beating her up on Monday...
Berwick super, borough officials to meet on who pays safety workers
BERWICK — School officials here gave Superintendent Wendy Kupsky permission to meet with borough officials to iron out...
Police: Punches broke man’s nose
BLOOMSBURG — An early morning fight outside a student apartment at Honeysuckle Court resulted in charges against two...
Deadline nears for decision on data warehouse
SALEM TWP. — Salem Township officials are sticking to their guns: They want Talen’s proposed 400,000-square-foot data...
Fallen branch in Salem traps professional trimmer in truck’s bucket
SALEM TWP. —Rescuing cats is one thing, but firefighters recently upped the ante when they rescued a man from a tree....