The GantDaily.com weekly reload gives readers a look back upon the most noteworthy stories of their work week. It contains the big headlines, as well as a few stories you might have missed. It might even include a story or two of the lighter side.
The GantDaily.com reload will be posted each weekend for your perusal. For most part, the reload will be filled with local headlines, but every now and again, a state, world or national story will make the list.
Gardner Gets State Prison for Striking Another Woman with Beer Bottle
CLEARFIELD – A Houtzdale woman accused of striking another woman in the face with a beer bottle was sentenced in Clearfield County Court.
Sabrina Gardner, 23, 4119 Morann Ave., Houtzdale, had been charged with two counts of aggravated assault, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person as a result of an incident Aug. 18, 2012 in Gulich Township. She was found not guilty of aggravated assault after a trial in April, but guilty of simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and harassment.
CCEDC Issues Update on Several Projects
CLEARFIELD – The board of directors for the Clearfield County Economic Development Corp. (CCEDC) recently announced several updates about public and private-sector development projects that its staff is administering throughout the region.
Efforts to implement the Howe’s Leather Brownfield remediation project in Curwensville Borough are well under way. However, a minor setback ensued as a result of the May 2 fire, which has been deemed arson. The fire is still under investigation and the CCEDC continues to work with Earthmovers Unlimited Inc. and the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to facilitate the demolition and sludge lagoon remediation in late June.
PHOTOS: DuBois Community Days Parade
Foundation Commends Corbett for Signing New Bay Agreement
Congratulates PA student leader Stephanie Detwiler and retiring State Rep. Ron Miller
ANNPOLIS, Md. – The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) has thanked Gov. Tom Corbett for recommitting the Commonwealth to the effort to restore Pennsylvania’s rivers and streams and the Chesapeake Bay.
The agreement was signed by the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Executive Council, made up of the Bay state governors, the mayor of Washington, D.C., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator and the chairman of the Chesapeake Bay Commission.
Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc. Re-opens Facility in DuBois
DUBOIS – Pennsylvania has addressed the deferred maintenance of roads and bridges across the state. In the fall of 2013, legislative leaders made transportation funding a priority.
State Rep. Sam Smith of Jefferson County was stalwart in his support of the Act 89. “We are beginning to see and feel the effects of Act 89 passed by the legislature in November of 2013” said Dan Hawbaker, president of Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc.
CASD Authorizes Bidding for Swimming Pool Improvements
CLEARFIELD – During its special meeting Monday night, the Clearfield school board authorized to bid for the tile replacement for the swimming pool deck at the Clearfield Area High School.
The bids will also include for new drainage around the swimming pool deck. Alternate bids will include for new acoustics and glass railing along the balcony, according to Superintendent Terry Struble.
Last fall, the district considered the swimming pool improvements. However, there wasn’t enough time, and the general contractor’s costs were higher than anticipated, explained Struble.
Shaw: Inmate Charged with Murder for Prison Killing
CLEARFIELD –An inmate from the State Correctional Institution at Houtzdale has been charged with the murder of another inmate, announced Clearfield County District Attorney William A. Shaw Jr. today.
Shaw identified the defendant as Lawrence Edward Peterson Jr., 44, of Easton. On June 10, Trooper David Patrick of the Clearfield-based state police filed a criminal complaint against Peterson.
Peterson has been charged with criminal homicide; murder of the first-degree; murder of the third-degree; aggravated assault; involuntary manslaughter; and recklessly endangering another person.
Wozniak Announces Funding for Clearfield Projects
HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania economic development officials have awarded $180,000 to a pair of Clearfield County revitalization projects, according to State Sen. John Wozniak.
The Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) will give a Keystone Communities grant of $150,000 to address flood protection in Coalport and $30,000 to help renovate the Ritz Theater in Clearfield.
LT Supers Award Bid for Mill Road Paving Project
CLEARFIELD – At last night’s meeting, the Lawrence Township Supervisors awarded the bid for their proposed paving project on Mill Road to Greenland Construction Inc. for $544,935.
The supervisors had reviewed the project after bids opened at June 3 meeting came in much higher than they anticipated. Supervisor/Roadmaster Ed Brown said an option was to repair drainage issues on Mill Road this year and postpone paving until next year.
But the supervisors agreed the road is in such poor condition and the added expense for temporary repairs made paving this year more practical. It was also noted that funds can be redirected from Act 13 money to help cover costs of the project.
Gabler, Sankey Stand Up For Local Control of Coal
HARRISBURG – State Reps. Matt Gabler (R-Clearfield/Elk) and Tommy Sankey (R-Clearfield) today both endorsed a measure that asks the federal government to allow Pennsylvania to make its own decisions with regard to developing guidelines for the regulation of carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants.
House Resolution 815 passed the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee and may now be taken up by the full House. Gabler and Sankey, both members of the committee, issued the following statement upon passage of the resolution:
Senate State Government Committee Approves Open Records Law Changes
HARRISBURG – Legislation to improve and clarify Pennsylvania’s Open Records Law passed unanimously out of the Senate State Government Committee on Wednesday, according to Senator Jake Corman (R- Bellefonte).
“I believe our Open Records Law is one of the best in the nation, and this bill makes a number of important and needed changes to improve upon our nationally recognized model,” he said.
As amended, Senate Bill 444 makes improvements to the existing law, including clearly establishing the Office of Open Records as an independent agency, establishing a new fee structure for commercial requests, clarifies the news media’s exemption from the commercial request provision, creates a new section to address record requests made by inmates, clarifies the law’s application to the PIAA and adds records of volunteer emergency providers to the list of exceptions.
Suspect in Knox Twp. Head-on Crash Waives Hearing
CLEARFIELD – A man accused of fleeing the scene of a head-on crash after which two people were flown to Altoona with major injuries waived his right to a preliminary hearing during Centralized Court on Wednesday at the Clearfield County Jail.
Terry Lee Crownover, 31, of Madera has been charged with accidents involving death or personal injury and related summary offenses. His charges stem from a head-on crash that occurred May 8 on Pine Run Road in Knox Township.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, Crownover was traveling eastbound and negotiating a downhill, left-hand curve when he lost control of his vehicle. A female operating another vehicle was traveling westbound on an uphill grade and noticed the Crownover vehicle swerving from side-to-side in the middle of the roadway.
Zoning Concerns Presented at LT Meeting
CLEARFIELD – The Lawrence Township Supervisors reviewed several zoning issues at Tuesday night’s meeting.
Greg Martell asked about zoning and subdivision on the Bayer industrial property in Fletcherville that they purchased. Martell said the parcel is currently zoned industrial; however, they’d like to subdivide two small lots that lie between residential properties and to have those re-zoned as residential.
Supervisor Chairman Bill Lawhead pointed out such a zoning change could be considered “spot zoning,” which is illegal. Solicitor James Naddeo confirmed spot zoning is illegal, but the character of the area surrounding the two lots is such that they could be incorporated into the residential zoning without being spot zoning.
Action Demanded of Clearfield Borough on Fire Company Parking
CLEARFIELD – Clearfield Borough Council heard from Deb Gray, president of the Clearfield Volunteer Fire Department, regarding parking at the fire hall.
Gray said the issue had been brought before council months ago and action was promised, but nothing has been done yet.
Gray said time is critical in emergencies and being wasted when volunteer firefighters are forced to drive around looking for parking when they report for fire calls. She pointed out that parked vehicles often block the doors so emergency vehicles can’t get out to respond to calls.
Thompson Subcommittee Examines Impact of EPA’s Water Rule
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (R-PA), chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy and Forestry, held a public hearing to review the interpretive rule regarding the applicability of Clean Water Act (CWA) agricultural exemptions.
The CWA was signed into law in 1972 with the intent to preserve water quality in the United States by regulating discharges of pollution into the country’s water system. Although the intent of the CWA was for the federal government to regulate navigable waters, recent court decisions have brought into question which bodies of water the CWA has jurisdiction over. In response to the legal uncertainty, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a rule to further clarify which waters are within CWA jurisdiction.
Additionally, the EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued an interpretive rule to explain how the proposed rule would impact CWA exemptions for agricultural activities. The rule was drafted in consultation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and was the focus of the hearing. The USDA, EPA and the Corps signed a memorandum of understanding among the three agencies spelling out how they would coordinate implementing the interpretive rule.
