DANVILLE — An older woman in a wheelchair escaped a midmorning fire at her Gulicks Court home with the help of her nephew who lives with her.
The fire appeared to have broken out in a rear storage room and spread into the roof, fire officials said.
James Clews removed Margaret Clark out of the single-story ranch home as smoke alarms went off about 9:30 a.m.
BLOOMSBURG — A quick-witted woman calmed and escaped from a would-be rapist after he held a 13-inch knife to her throat and forced her to strip, police say.
Officers say the woman showed “incredible courage” as she talked Gary David Coco, 43, into putting the knife away and allowing her to put her clothes back on before running from her home to a neighbor’s house.
BRIAR CREEK TWP. — A man working on an SUV in his driveway was flown to the hospital after the vehicle fell on top of him Friday.
Luckily for Leonard Armstrong III, 54, another man was able to use a jack to free him.
The accident happened around noon at 174 Evansville Road.
BLOOMSBURG — An SUV careened down Wood Street here Friday afternoon, veering across a vacant lot, and barely missing a number of obstacles before it cut across East Fifth Street and struck the porch of a house.
Its driver was very lucky to avoid serious injury, said town Officer Ken Auchter. The officer said damage to the porch was minimal.
SCRANTON — A Berwick man has been indicted by a federal jury for allegedly threatening President Joseph Biden. Robert Maverick Vargo, 25, sent a letter to Rep. Bennie Thompson threatening to kill him, the representative's family, the president and U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani, said U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam.
BLOOMSBURG — Victims, witnesses and relatives packed one side of the main courtroom here Thursday for the hearing of a man accused of driving a car through a crowd at a Berwick fundraiser, then going home and murdering his mother.
The crowd for Adrian Sura Reyes’ preliminary hearing was so large, the court session was moved from Berwick’s small district judge’s office to the main courtroom for Columbia County.
About 40 people solemnly listened to testimony as about a dozen uniformed officers stood along the walls, keeping a watchful eye on the proceedings.
VALLEY TWP. — A paraprofessional opened her classroom door Monday morning to discover a bullet had pierced the classroom's window, the district's acting superintendent said.
That drew a swarm of police to Liberty-Valley Intermediate School shortly after 7:30 Monday morning, who scoured the area before giving an all clear around 9:45 a.m. The 500 third-to-fifth graders were then sent home early, said acting Superintendent Harry Mathias.
MOCANAQUA — A 75-year-old woman is missing, and State Police are asking for the public’s help finding her.
The last time officers know someone spoke to Leona Sherrick, of Mocanaqua, was Thursday, troopers said. Friends and family haven’t seen her since.
Officers said they believe she may be at special risk for harm or injury.
Sherrick is 5-foot, 5-inches tall and about 200 pounds, with blond hair and brown eyes.
She was reported missing Sunday; State Police put out a missing endangered person advisory for her Monday.
It was a difficult birth, but Marian the four-horned Jacob sheep has a bouncing new baby boy.
The lamb was born at 9:14 a.m. Thursday in the red and white Yoderway Hoop Barn at the Bloomsburg Fair, said Samantha Milheim.
“She’s perfectly fine, and so is the baby,” Milheim said.
Milheim, who runs Milheim Menagerie Farm outside of Berwick, was expecting Marian to give birth to two small twins.
Instead, it turned out she was carrying one boy.
“And he had a fat head,” Milheim said.
Marian was in labor for six hours, she said.
After a dominant opening day at wrestling's Senior World Championships, Zain Retherford's run in the 70kg division ended Friday with a silver medal.
He fell, 10-0, to Japan's Taishi Narikuni.
The Benton graduate became the first area wrestler to win a senior-level world medal, and the first from Pennsylvania to do so since 2012. For Retherford, it's his first World Championship medal in three trips to the tournament. He previously placed 11th in 2017 and 26th in 2019.