Cops: Cashier steals thousands from liquor store

MONTOUR TWP. — A cashier at Beer-N-More stole nearly $20,000 from the business, pocketing the cash from hundreds of sales on her register last year, arrest papers say.

Anita Bucher, 26, of 215 Valley Road, Bloomsburg, avoided detection because business owner Leonard Treat was dealing with health issues at the time, according to Montour Township police.

Bucher allegedly voided 898 sales transactions from April 23, 2018 to July 6, 2018, and took the cash from the sales. In all, they totaled $19,687, charges state.

Inmate's mom skeptical over seizure

BLOOMSBURG — A 19-year-old inmate from Columbia County Prison is in intensive care at Geisinger Medical Center after he suffered what appeared to be a seizure over the weekend, authorities said.

But Braedon Gurns’ family says they have questions about what happened to him.

Prison staff gave Gurns of Berwick emergency care after he was stricken in the dayroom area of his cell block Saturday afternoon, said Warden David Varano. 

Man surrenders after standoff with police at Honeysuckle

BLOOMSBURG — A suicidal man fired a shot inside a student housing apartment building early Friday morning before barricading himself in a bedroom, touching off a four-hour standoff with police, according to Bloomsburg Chief Len Rogutski.

The male, who had been staying with his girlfriend at the Honeysuckle Student Apartments near Bloomsburg University’s campus for the last several days, then fired a second shot from a handgun to destroy his cell phone during negotiations with members of the Columbia-Montour SWAT team, Rogutski said.

Millions of tons of coal expected to be mined from Columbia County site

CONYNGHAM TWP. — It may take workers two decades to finish the job they started in the past month — strip mining millions of tons of anthracite coal from 900 acres of land in Columbia County between Centralia and Mount Carmel off Route 61.

Blaschak Coal Corp. machinery operators began the task of removing coal from the Mammoth Vein April 18, according to the Mahanoy City-based company.

Blaschak, owned by Radnor-based investment firm Milestone Partners Inc., plans to invest $14 million into the site, including $1 million in taxpayer funding from the state. 

Driver downs sign at Berwick bar

BERWICK —  A one-vehicle crash in front of Bandits Roadhouse on West Front Street on Monday afternoon slowed traffic and sent one person to the hospital. 

One of the bar’s owners, Julie Rishkofski, said she was outside when she heard a loud noise. At first, she thought it was a tractor trailer accident.

But when she looked in front of the bar, Rishkofski said she realized that a van heading towards Berwick had jumped the curb, knocked down the business’ marquee and finally stopped up in the parking lot.

Columbia County receives thousands for flood control

BLOOMSBURG — Columbia County is getting an additional $500,000 from the state to help smaller, flood-damaged communities with recovery projects that didn’t qualify for major disaster relief after last summer’s flooding, officials announced Thursday.

State Sen. John Gordner, the Republican Majority Whip, and state Rep. David Millard were credited with pulling together a package of unspent state funds from Community and Economic Development, then getting the Columbia County Commissioners to sign on as applicants for the grant.

Man accused of raping two children

BRIAR CREEK  — A man previously accused of pushing a 10-year-old boy’s head through a trailer wall was back in court after allegedly sexually assaulting two young girls and giving them a sexually transmitted disease.
State Police say he also raped the girls’ mother, whom he was dating.

Salvador Ortiz, 32, of 1 Lark Drive, shook his head in denial as District Judge Richard Knecht read the latest charges to him after his arrest Tuesday.

Woman accused of sexually assaulting cell mate

BLOOMSBURG — A female inmate is accused of sexually assaulting her cell mate at the Columbia County Prison last month, arrest papers say.

Christina Marie Bradley, 36, Scranton, allegedly lowered her pants and squatted on top of the other woman’s face while exposing her buttocks and genital area March 10, charges say.

A third inmate witnessed the incident, which the alleged victim reported to prison authorities about two weeks later.

Expect delays on Route 339 next week

MIFFLIN TWP. – A contractor is scheduled to continue repairing and improving Route 339 from Market Street to Smith Hollow Road next week, PennDOT staff reported.

The work includes structure repairs, paving shoulders that were recently widened, and installing new drainage pipes and inlet boxes.

There will be a lane restriction during the day, with workers flagging drivers through. Motorists should expect delays, PennDOT officials said.

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