One dead in Geisinger shooting
DANVILLE — Someone shot and killed a Geisinger employee walking to her car in the Geisinger employee parking lot early Friday evening, said Montour County Coroner Scott Lynn.
Farmhouse burns near Mainville
MAINVILLE — A farmer found the motor of his home furnace ablaze after checking on it Tuesday morning — a day after working to fix the aging heating system.
The blaze quickly spread through air ducts of the 130-year-old farmhouse at 98 Church Road in Main Township, sending Jerry and Shirley Bodman outside into the cold just after 4 a.m.
Autoneum strike ends
BLOOMSBURG — Autoneum’s unionized workers returned to production lines Wednesday after accepting a new four-year contract.
Their vote ended a seven-day strike spurred by dissatisfaction with previous offers that included health insurance rate hikes and pay raises that workers said would not have kept up with inflation.
Hess Market, hardware store burns near Orangeville
ORANGEVILLE — A popular market and hardware store were engulfed in fire this morning.
Hess Market manager Peter Patel said he was alerted to smoke coming from the store’s north side around 10 a.m. by regular customers Marland Earnest and Gary Derrick.
He went to the office area to find an electrical panel sparking, but within seconds the gas station filled with smoke.
He yelled for Earnest and Derrick — daily customers — to get out of the store.
Patel runs the store for relatives Ashok and Naymesh Patel, who bought it in 2012.
Danville schools back in person
DANVILLE — Danville schools will be open for in-person classes Monday, the interim superintendent says.
The district had moved students online after someone discovered a written note on a high school locker room bathroom stall that stated in part: “I'm going to shoot the school tomorrow.”
Polls open until 10 p.m. in Luzerne
SALEM TWP. — Luzerne County voters will have until 10 p.m. to cast their votes tonight after at least 35 polling places ran out of paper for ballots.
Luzerne County Judge Lesa S. Gelb extended the deadline at the request of acting county election director Beth McBride and County Manager Randy Robertson requested the ruling, the Times Leader reported.
Salem Township's two polling precincts both ran out of paper Tuesday morning, election judges reported.
Luzerne polls run out of paper for ballots
SALEM TWP. — Voters cast doubt about election integrity along with ballots Tuesday as at least 35 polling places in Luzerne County — including those in this township — ran out of paper for voting machines by midmorning.
Now all polls must stay open until 10 p.m. to give those who didn’t vote because of the problem a chance to return.
State House Democratic nominee dies day before election
CATAWISSA — The Democratic candidate to represent Columbia County in the state House died Monday morning, the county coroner confirmed.
Ed Giannattasio, 64, of Catawissa had said recently that he had a recurrence of multiple myeloma, a type of cancer that forms in white blood cells in the bone marrow.
'Multiple victim' shooting reported north of Divide
DIVIDE — A man with a rifle shot at vehicles near the intersection of Routes 239 and 118 north of here early Saturday, police said.
State Police were called to the scene by a report of a female shooting victim, according to a press release. As troopers were responding, they learned that a man with a rifle was "actively shooting at vehicles," they said.
When troopers from the Bloomsburg barracks arrived, they spotted a man firing a rifle. Officers fired shots as well, "and the scene was secured," a press release states.