Sunday - Archives
Section:	News	Date Posted:	9/15/02
	Dry Weather Impacts Area Farmers Hurting; Municipalities Impose Limits on Water Use By Kevin Olmstead - Sun-Gazette Staff
	Dry forests, dry cornfields and dry reservoirs: the lack of precipitation this year has affected central Pennsylvania in many ways.     So far, this summer is the 11th driest on record in the Williamsport area, according to the National Weather Service office in State College. Lycoming County received about 1.2 inches of precipitation in August, more than two inches below normal. Total precipitation for the year is 24.42 inches, 3.44 inches below normal for this point in the year.     Nearly a quarter inch of rain was expected for Saturday night and up to an inch more was expected to fall today. That will alleviate drought conditions somewhat, but certainly will not eliminate them, according to Charles Skeen, hydrometerological technician for the National Weather Service in State College.     Today’s rain could be heavy at times due to effects from Tropical Depression Hanna along the East Coast, Skeen said.     Earlier this month, the state Department of Environmental Protection declared a drought watch for Lycoming and its surrounding counties — except Northumberland, Montour and Columbia, which are now under a drought warning.     The drought watch, which is in effect in 31 counties, calls for a voluntary 5 percent reduction in water usage in the affected counties. A voluntary 10 percent reduction is called for in the counties under a drought warning.     Weather Service meteorologist John LaCorte sees no relief in sight.     “I don’t see any real break in it,” he said. “It’s just kind of dry.”     State forester Jeff Prowant said the fire danger is high in Lycoming County’s forests. No open fires are permitted in state forest land, he said.     In fact, starting Thursday, no outdoor burning will be permitted in Lycoming County at all. Prowant and other Department of Conservation and Natural Resources officials worked with the Lycoming County commissioners to get a 30-day ban passed.     County public safety director Gary Hutchinson told the Sun-Gazette Thursday that approximately a dozen forest fires had started and been contained in the county in the preceding week.     The drought not only dries out vegetation and facilitates the spread of fire, it also depletes water sources for firefighters in the event of a blaze. As of Friday afternoon, waterflow on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River at Williamsport was 536 cubic feet per second, well below the Sept. 13 average of 1,440 cubic feet per second.     Many of its major tributaries were also at less than half of average waterflow.     Like LaCorte, Prowant doesn’t see the situation improving any time soon.     “Until we get a significant number of continuous rainy days over several months, I imagine the fire danger will be pretty high,” Prowant said.     Scanty precipitation has had an impact on some local water supplies. The Jersey Shore Area Joint Water Authority last week requested a voluntary 10 percent reduction in water use by its customers. According to a release from the authority, “Larrys Creek and Pine Creek have dropped to near record lows.” The two streams provide the borough’s water.     The authority recommends non-commercial use reductions for watering vegetation; washing vehicles, homes, streets or driveways; operation of ornamental fountains or water-cooled air conditioning without water-conserving equipment; filling swimming or wading pools; flushing sewer lines or fire hydrants; and using fire hydrants in non-firefighting situations.     Williamsport Municipal Water Authority operations director Walt Nicholson said water levels are “adequate” in the city system, though the city’s reservoirs are at 77 percent of capacity. That is the lowest level in the reservoir this year, Nicholson said.     “We were OK until mid-July,” Nicholson said. “Since July 16, we’re down 4 1/2 inches.”     Pine Crest Village Mobile Home Park in Eldred Township is under mandatory water-conservation measures imposed by the park’s owner, according to Dan Spadoni of the DEP. The park has three wells serving 195 people.     “They do not produce enough water in times of drought, and they are periodically bringing in water from Montoursville’s water system,” Spadoni said.     Several other water systems in the region are under mandatory conservation measures, according to the DEP. Those include systems in Renovo and South Renovo boroughs, Clinton County; and Nelson Township, Tioga County.     According to the DEP Web site, the Limestone Township Water Authority has asked for voluntary conservation measures to be taken by its customers. A number of other systems in the region, including the Duncan Township Municipal Water Association in Tioga County, and the Chapman Township and Eastville water systems in Clinton County have asked for a voluntary reduction in water use.     Not everybody is running so dry. Lock Haven City Manager Rich Marcinkevage said that city’s reservoirs are running at 90 percent of capacity, despite the lack of precipitation.     “I’m surprised we’re so full because of the weather we’ve had,” Marcinkevage said. “We’re in much better shape than I thought we’d be.”     The drought has had a significant impact on farmers. Field-crop harvests are taking a “major hit,” said Tom Murphy, agronomy agent for Penn State Cooperative Extension of Lycoming County.     “Corn could be as much as 1/2 off,” Murphy said, adding that it could be a total loss in some places. Hay and soybean harvests could provide significant losses as well, he said.     Murphy is not optimistic for dairy farmers, noting that milk prices are down.     Apples, pears and peaches have been a little small, but since their sugars are concentrated, they have a good taste, he added.     On the bright side, grain prices are up, Murphy said. He attributed the higher prices to the fact that the entire nation is enduring the drought, not just Pennsylvania.     The effect of the drought will be seen into the fall, according to Prowant, who said the autumn leaf fall has already begun in some places due to the extremely dry weather.     Prowant expects this year’s foliage to last for only a very short period.     “I imagine what color there is won’t last,” he said.          — Staff writer Stacey Miller contributed to this report.
Section:	Region	Date Posted:	9/15/02
	Partners In Progress on Move New Facility Up and Running By Maryellen Hill - Sun-Gazette Staff
	MANSFIELD — “Going to the mat” is part of Wayne Leonard’s work day.     He is responsible for producing a new line of top-quality floor mats at Partners In Progress, using recycled tires, in the organization’s new quarters on South Main Street.     While most people think of floor mats as something for wiping feet in front of a door, Bob Borzok, Partners’ procurement specialist, explained they are real back savers, too.     “Anyone who has to stand, especially on a concrete floor, will benefit from this mat, as it provides a comfortable cushion that’s beneficial to one’s back and feet,” said Borzok.     The mat material comes from locally recycled tires and is “tough enough for all industrial uses.” The anti-fatigue feature is the biggest selling point, he said.     Other commercial uses include auto garages, machine shops, bowling alleys, service counters and restaurants, to name a few.     The mats can be produced in custom sizes, but an 18x24-inch double weave and 20x30-inch triple weave will be standard.     Custom sizes may be ordered for pick-up truck bed liners, campers or even ramps.     The mats will be debuted during the Fabulous 1890s weekend later this month.     For Leonard, making mats is a way to make money while doing meaningful work.     Leonard works with about 40 other adults in Partners’ new facility. The workers, along with 15 staff members, tackle a number of jobs for area industries, including piece work for Ward Manufacturing, Tioga County’s largest employer.     Other projects include manufacturing of a variety of leather goods for Civil War re-enactors that are sold through a specialty shop in Gettysburg. Among the items are rifle slings, stirrups, belts and sword holders.     K. Irene Morgan, executive director, said the leather is bought locally from the Westfield Tannery.     “We try to form as many local partnerships as possible,” said Morgan. “It benefits everyone.”     Partners still produces a line of decorative crafts and snow sleds. Plus, partners workers make cassette tape storage boxes for Kingdom Inc.     The organization is planning to begin distributing spring water in both individual bottles and five-gallon office coolers in the near future.     Working with emotionally, physically and mentally challenged people, Partners In Progress also serves some 30 children in a school-to-work program. Plus, 50 children attend Camp Partners with 13 staff members.     With all the active programs, Morgan said Partners In Progress has a “huge waiting list. There just isn’t enough state funding to fund all those who want to come here.”     Partners recently relocated from its Liberty facility to the South Main Street building, which is designed to meet its clients’ needs. A grand opening is slated for 3 to 7 p.m. Oct. 18.     Morgan said the community has been very accepting of their arrival with rental space being offered and a community yoga class beginning soon.     While business has been good for Partners, it might be too good. Morgan said it may outgrow the new facility fairly quickly.
Section:	Sports	Date Posted:	9/15/02
	MAC Freedom League Lycoming 24, Lebanon Valley 6 For the Warriors, It Was a Win and a Cloud of Dust By Guy Cipriano - Sun-Gazette Staff
	ANNVILLE – On a dusty field in central Pennsylvania some of Lycoming’s best first-half scoring chances Saturday against Lebanon Valley College were blown away.     There was a field goal that sailed left. A touchdown that got called back because of a holding penalty. And a 4th-and-2 play on the LVC 3-yard line where Lycoming saw its quarterback and the ball fall to ground, creating a cloud of dust, but no points.     But Lycoming’s offense did settle and ended a minor scoring drought by scoring 14-second half points on its way to a 24-6 victory.     Lycoming moved the ball inside the LVC 10-yard line four times in the half. The Warriors, though, came away with just 10 points.     The dust at Arnold Stadium never settled. The drought here has been long and severe, so severe that a lack of rainfall has turned Arnold Field into Pennsylvania’s version of an Oklahoma practice field in late August.     “We are very happy with the win,” Lycoming coach Frank Girardi said. “The only thing that I was disappointed with was that we hurt ourselves inside the red zone.”     Why did a now 2-0 Lycoming team that scored 54 points last week against Delaware Valley, struggle to score on a LVC defense that allowed 31 points in their opener against Gettysburg.     Just maybe the Warriors were looking ahead to a crucial three-game stretch that includes games against Middle Atlantic Conference rivals Susquehanna (Saturday), King’s (Sept. 28) and Widener (Oct. 5).     “We might have been looking ahead,” wide receiver Ricky Lannetti said. “We were a little sluggish and struggled inside the 10. We did not score as many points as we would have liked. Inside the 10 we were not executing. We would take one play off, and that would kill us.”     On their first possession of the second half, it appeared that Lycoming’s first-half scoring woes had carried into the final 30 minutes. A Jared Morris fumble less than four minutes into the half was the Warriors first and only turnover of the game.     The Dutchmen (0-2) made Lycoming regret the mistake, cutting the lead to 10-6 on Roger Poorman’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Dave McCullough with 8:02 remaining in third.     A 54-yard pass from Phil Mann to Lannetti with eight seconds left in the quarter dusted the Dutchmen for good. Lannetti ran a post pattern on the play, turning to his left to make an over-the-shoulder catch. After catching the ball, Lannetti easily outraced LVC cornerback Tommy Kuhn to the end zone, giving the Warriors a 17-6 lead.     “Our kids had good coverage on the play, but Lannetti made a great play and Mann made a great throw,” said LVC coach Mike Silecchia, a former Lycoming assistant.     Statistically, Lycoming once again recorded some impressive numbers. They had no problems moving the ball, gaining 239 yards on the ground and 238 in the air for 477 yards of total offense.     For the second consecutive week, Morris (18 carries, 127 yards) and fullback Jon Neve (23, 103) each recorded 100-yard games, giving Lycoming a formidable rushing duo.     Mann, making his second career start at quarterback, completed 14-of-21 passes. His primary target was Lannetti, who had seven receptions for 173 yards. Lannetti, a return specialist last season, entered the game with just 32 career receiving yards.     “I’m happy with my game, but it’s a credit to Phil,” Lannetti said. “Phil hung in there and when he threw me the ball I caught it.”     The Warriors’ defense, which has allowed six points in two games, limited the Dutchmen to 188 yards of total offense.     Lycoming’s biggest defensive play came late in the fourth quarter when Dustin Mace hit Poorman from behind, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Zach Latsha on the LVC 45. Five plays later, Morris ran seven yards for the Warriors’ final touchdown.     “We came with the big plays when we needed to,” Latsha said. “That’s the sign of a good team.”
Section:	Life	Date Posted:	9/15/02
	Men Memorialized With Circle of Honor By R.A. Walker - Sun-Gazette Staff
	MUNCY – The Muncy Historical Society will pay homage next spring to at least 51 Civil War soldiers who died for the Union, but were not among the names inscribed on Muncy Soldiers’ Memorial when it was erected after the war.     To date, 51 additional names have been confirmed as Eastern Lycoming County soldiers killed in action during the Civil War or later to die of injuries or disease linked to their military service.     The additional names will be memorialized next spring as part of a “circle of honor” at the foot of the existing monument in the Muncy Cemetery.     Each new name will be on a six-by-nine-inch brick.     Mother’s Day, May 11, was chosen for the dedication ceremony, in part because the women of the Muncy area organized the fund-raising effort of the existing memorial.     David Richards, the Picture Rocks native who authored the book “Buried Treasures” about the monument, suggests that its dedication in 1869 was a way some of the region’s grieving families achieved closure for the deaths of husbands and sons lost in the war.     Many of the men on that monument — as well as many of those not included — went away to never return. Bodies of fallen soldiers did not always come home for burial, and many casualties from the war rest in unmarked graves.     Richards began to uncover the additional names of Civil War casualties while doing research for his book about the monument and the 71 men named on it.      Landscaping has been completed around the monument and the historical society is hoping to cover the cost and future maintenance of the site by selling subscriptions for the bricks.     Everyone confirmed as a soldier who died as a result of his service in the Civil War will be included, but individual or groups can support the project by sponsoring a name and brick for $40. About 30 names have been sponsored to date — five by Muncy Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3428.     William Poulton, president of the historical society, suggested it was appropriate to set the record straight and honor the men left off the original monument.     The Muncy area, according to historical society member Robert Lyon, lost about 120 men who have been confirmed as casualties of the war.     “That’s a high percentage,” he explained, given the population at the time.     According to Linda Poulton, editor of the historical society’s “Now and Then” magazine, the Muncy area has seen its young men go to war in every American conflict.     It is a community whose history knows the cost of war, and a December 2000 article in the magazine illustrated the Muncy area’s contribution.     “Now and Then” quoted from a story that ran in Sun-Gazette and Bulletin at the end of World War II detailing how Muncy “bears one of the heaviest burdens of any community in North Central Pennsylvania.”     At that point, 22 young men from the Muncy area had died in the war and one was missing — that was a figure about 100 men fewer than the number lost in the Civil War about 80 years earlier.
Section:	Editorial	Date Posted:	9/15/02
	College Tuition Hikes Aren't Entirely the State's Fault By Sun-Gazette Editor
	At a recent hearing on state higher education costs and tuition at Lock Haven University, much was made of the direction state appropriations have taken in the past 30 years.     In fact, Tony Wagner, representing Pennsylvania State University, said the reason for the higher tuition rates of recent years is a continuing shortfall in state appropriations. He pointed out that in 1970-71, the state appropriation represented two-thirds of the university's general fund budget and tuition represented one-third of the budget. He said tuition now represents two-thirds of the budget and the appropriation one third.     We understand him, but the posture of budget deliberations for Penn State and the universities in the State System of Higher Education makes us somewhat skeptical whether the state is entirely responsible for all of the tuition hikes, some of them by double-digit percentages.     While the reduction in the percentage of the budget that is state appropriated is lamentable, we wonder if the state could possibly have maintained the two-thirds pace Wagner talked about. Conveniently left out of the conversation is how fast the expense side of the budget has increased.     These universities have an obligation to the tuition payers to be disciplined in their spending habits. For many years in the past three decades, the spending increases have been 6 to 8 percent and, when the state didn't pay enough to make such budgets work, education officials were the first to blame the state for their tuition increases.     First of all, that doesn't do much for the relationship with the partners in state government. And second of all, the quick-to-point-the-finger method leaves us suspicious whether the universities are placing all responsibilities for holding the tuition line on the state rather than starting with themselves.     Show us some belt-tightening.     Show us some hold-the-line budgets, the kind private businesses are forced to live with from time to time.     Show us some fiscal management that occasionally produces a budget without a tuition increase, and we'll be at the front of the line clamoring for the state to do all it can to help fund the universities.     Just do something besides increase spending well over inflation rates and then blame all of the annual tuition increase on the state.
Section:	Outdoors	Date Posted:	9/15/02
	Hunters Urged to Take West Nile Virus Precautions By Sun-Gazette Staff Reports
	Hunters going afield for the Canada goose and dove seasons are being urged to take steps to avoid contracting West Nile virus.     Wooded areas, especially those near ponds and other standing water sources, are prime locations for the mosquitoes that carry the virus, state Game Commission executive director Vern Ross commented.     Hunters going to such places should use basic precautions to prevent insect bites.     "West Nile virus is no reason to limit your outdoor activities," Ross commented. "However, you can and should try to reduce your risk of being bitten by mosquitoes"     The most effective measures are to were long-sleeve shirts and long pants and to apply insect repellant to exposed skin.     Bob Boyd, assistant director of the Bureau of Wildlife Management, also offered the following information about hunting and West Nile virus:     • Crows and blue jays are most susceptible to the virus. No major risk of infection is known for game birds, such as grouse, turkeys and pheasants.     Game birds can contract the virus, but sickness usually is brief and nonfatal.          * There is no evidence that humans can contract the disease by touching or field dressing a bird. As a precaution, wear rubber gloves and wash hands and tools thoroughly after field dressing.          * There is no evidence that a dog can become infected by flushing, retrieving or eating a bird.          * There is no evidence that the virus is spread through consumption of meat, or that meat is even affected. As with any wild game, always cook meat thoroughly.          For more information about West Nile virus, contact the state Department of Health at 1-877-PA-HEALTH.
Section:	Outdoors	Date Posted:	9/15/02
	Officials Cheer Stiff Penalty for Black Bear Killer By James P Barr - Sun-Gazette Staff
	State Game Commission officials are cheering a Mifflin County magistrate who ordered the maximum penalty against a Lewistown man convicted of illegally killing a huge black bear.     David Vogt, 45, of Lewistown, was assessed an $800 fine and a $5,000 "replacement" fee for shooting the 630-pound bear in April, apparently because it had been raiding birdfeeders on his property.     It was the first time a magistrate ever ordered the replacement fee, which has been on the books for several years.     District Justice Jackie Leister ordered the maximum penalty after finding Vogt guilty at a Sept. 6 hearing, the Game Commission said in a news release.     Vogt had claimed he shot the bear in self-defense. But wildlife conservation officers used a variety of evidence, including sophisticated laboratory analysis, to prove that Vogt was lying.     "This bear was shot on Vogt's property," conservation officer Jeff Mock said. "But, from all testimony gathered, no one was outside the home when the bear was destroyed. Also, forensic evidence gathered from the scene proved that the bear was not in an aggressive posture when shot."     At the hearing, Game Commission bear biologist Mark Ternent testified that less than one percent of the 45,000 bears killed legally by hunters in Pennsylvania over the past 20 years weighed more than the one Vogt shot.     Ternent estimated the male bruin would have weighed well over 700 pounds by the time bear season opens in mid November and said the odds of taking such a large animal through legal hunting would be about one in 39,000.     "This whole case could have been avoided had the homeowner quit feeding birds when they knew the feeder was attracting bears," Ternent said. "This case is just one of many examples why we discourage people from feeding (other kinds of) wildlife if bears are habitual visitors."     Replacement costs are part of the possible penalties for illegally killing elk, deer and other game animals, too.     However, magistrates, who handle most summary Game Law cases, have avoided ordering them, apparently believing that several hundred dollars in fines and prosecution costs — plus revocation of hunting privileges, where pertinent — are sufficiently painful for the offenders.

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