Fire near Ricketts Glen called arson

FAIRMOUNT TWP. -- A fire marshal has declared the overnight blaze that gutted a section of a vacant house here arson, the fire chief said. The fire at 318 Goss Road began shortly before 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. When firefighters arrived, they found the front porch and front section of the L shaped home ablaze, said Chief Dave Keller. It was challenging to extinguish the fire on a night with frigid temperatures, he said. Ice formed on anything water touched, and crews had to fight the blaze through a metal roof installed over a shingle roof.

Firefighter acquitted of threatening Bloom native

MIFFLINBURG -- A judge found a Mifflinburg firefighter not guilty in an alleged attempt to intimidate a Bloomsburg man at an auction last year. James Rodney Emery was acquitted of harassment charges Wednesday, and a count of official oppression was dismissed. Bloomsburg native Eric Campbell said he felt threatened and scared when firefighter Emery approached at an auction for a building in April 2013. Emery warned Campbell: "You better hope your house doesn't burn down," and asked where Campbell owns rental units.

Firefighters catch thief in the act, cops say

DANVILLE -- Firefighters preparing for a funeral Wednesday caught a man stealing from their vehicles by closing a truck door on him and holding him there until police arrived, officials say. Volunteer Colby Kessler looked out the window of Washies' truck room around 9 a.m. to see Anthony D. Ulsh, 24, in Kessler's Dodge truck, police say. Kessler ran outside and slammed the door shut on Ulsh's legs to keep him there until police arrived. Firefighter Aaron Roberts ran out to help Kessler detain Ulsh, Danville, while fellow volunteer Elizabeth Stigerwalt called 9-1-1 to summon police.

Ex-BU student pleads guilty in federal counterfeiting case

BLOOMSBURG -- Federal officials found a warehouse of counterfeit goods here when they arrested a former Bloomsburg University student and Chinese national who had sold fake "military-grade" technological parts last year, a guilty plea in the case says. In Hao Yang's Bloomsburg residence, officials found more than $280,000 in goods, ranging from hundreds of fake NFL jerseys and cell phone batteries to 91 Furminator dog brushes.

Danville-area man's illegal deer kills cost $7G

MAHONING TWP. -- A Danville-area man who killed three eight-point bucks out of season worked out a deal and will pay more than $7,000 in costs and fines. But Fred M. Hagenbuch Jr., 52, of 92 Creek Road, may face more severe consequences because he was on federal probation at the time, officials said. He was caught after officers discovered a headless, skinned buck, several rib cages, and other animal parts in Liberty Township last month, court records show. He agreed to plead guilty to four charges in exchange for four others being dropped, District Attorney Rebecca Warren said.

Local travelers on cruise cut short by spreading sickness

JAMAICA -- At least 15 local residents are on the Royal Carribean cruise being cut short because of widespread illness on board. John Marshall, of the Frosty Valley area, said he took his wife, Nancy; her mother, Nancy Conner; his sister-in-law Bonnie Lipovsky; neighbor Pam Stahl, and three people from Benton to Cape Liberty, New Jersey Jan. 21 to catch the 10-day cruise with Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas.

A look at BU's 2013-14 salaries

BLOOMSBURG -- Bloomsburg University was paying more than 900 permanent employees wages totalling almost $57 million at the beginning of the 2013-14 school year. They also had 250 temporary or grant-funded employees on staff. Those numbers made BU the largest employer in Columbia County. Click on the links below to see the salaries for each employee at Bloomsburg University as of August 2013: * AFSCME - The general workers at BU, including maintenance workers, bus drivers and clerks.

Another main break affects hospital

BLOOMSBURG -- Some sections of Geisinger-Bloomsburg Hospital were without running water Sunday morning after another water main near the facility ruptured, a spokeswoman said. The six-inch-diameter main, on East First near the same spot where another pipe burst Saturday afternoon, is on the eastern side of the hospital, but needed to be shut off so crews from United Water could repair the break.

A look at BU's 2013-14 salaries

BLOOMSBURG -- Bloomsburg University was paying more than 900 permanent employees wages totalling almost $57 million at the beginning of the 2013-14 school year. They also had 250 temporary or grant-funded employees on staff. Those numbers made BU the largest employer in Columbia County. Click on the links below to see the salaries for each employee at Bloomsburg University as of August 2013: * AFSCME - The general workers at BU, including maintenance workers, bus drivers and clerks.

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