Drug bust nets heroin; one arrested

BERWICK -- Borough Police and members of the county drug task force raided an apartment Friday night and arrested a man for selling heroin and cocaine, police say. The officers executed a warrant on 139 W. 2nd St., Apt. C, and took Kevin Jose DeJesus, also known as "Showtime," into custody. Police recovered 31 bags of heroin and drug paraphrenalia, as well as $319.95 in cash, they said. DeJesus was charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Sexual assault reported overnight

BLOOMSBURG -- A man approached a group of women walking along Glenn Avenue early Saturday morning, knocked one of them to the ground and sexually assaulted her, according to an alert issued by Bloomsburg University. It's the second such assault in the area around Geisinger-Bloomsburg Hospital in less than two months, the university said. The alleged assault happened around 1:22 a.m. on Glenn Avenue between Washington and Lincoln streets, the university said. The man, dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans, fled toward the hospital after the assault, police said.

Hunter cleared in Sunday bear kill

BLOOMSBURG -- Chris Lupini thought he was doing "the ethical thing" when he shot a wounded, suffering, near-death black bear on a Sunday to "put it out of its misery," even though the longtime hunter knew perfectly well hunting on Sunday is prohibited in Pennsylvania. Lupini's friend, Michael Beaver of Bloomsburg, shot the bear the previous day. They tracked its blood trail until dark that Saturday, couldn't find the bear, and gave up looking for it. They resumed the search Sunday morning, Dec. 8, figuring they'd find the bruin dead.

'It's not the end' for the Moose Exchange, says the director

BLOOMSBURG -- The board of directors for the Moose Exchange met Friday morning and unanimously decided "this is not the end" for the non-profit arts and cultural group, even if it's the end for the building, said Executive Director Oren Helbok. "The board met, and the summary of that meeting is, this is not the end," Helbok said. "This is a new beginning, and the idea of the Moose Exchange lives on." Helbok said the board members called an emergency meeting this morning to decide the future of the group after yesterday's devastating fire.

Moose warns of unauthorized fundraising

BLOOMSBURG -- The Moose Exchange wants people to know that the only authorized place for people to donate money to the non-profit that owns the building ravaged by fire yesterday is the donation button at www.mooseexchange.org, its director says. Since the fire, Director Oren Helbok says he's heard of fundraising efforts on Facebook and elsewhere, but the Moose is not involved in them, he said.

Former BU student accused of rape

BLOOMSBURG -- A Bloomsburg University freshman says she was raped in a bathroom at an off-campus apartment along Honeysuckle Lane at the start of fall semester, town police say. But the 18-year-old woman managed to break free and immediately told her sister what happened; they both went to Geisinger-Bloomsburg Hospital where police were notified and a sexual assault examination was conducted early August 23, according to charges.

Space heater eyed in Moose Exchange fire, chief says

BLOOMSBURG -- A fire ripped through the landmark Moose Exchange on Main Street on Thursday, ruining nearly everything inside, the fire chief said. The fire, which broke out around 11:40 a.m., appears to have started in a janitor's closet that had a space heater inside it, said Fire Chief Bob Rupp. A State Police Fire Marshal was investigating. In the closet, it ignited chemicals, Rupp said, and spread into a crawl space between the two floors of the building.

Car crash, fire on I-80 sends woman to hospital

SCOTT TWP. -- A Drums woman was taken to the hospital after she smashed into the back of a dump truck on I-80, setting her vehicle on fire and shutting down the westbound side of the interstate for an hour, police say. Natalie Angst, 36, was traveling west on I-80 near the Lightstreet exit around 11:10 a.m. behind a dump truck being driven by Michael Barnett, 51, of Wenonah, N.J. Angst pulled into the left lane to pass Barnett's truck, but clipped the rear driver's side of the vehicle as she moved over, Bloomsburg State Trp. Jason Raynes said.

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