Editor's note: This is the second in a series of four stories focusing on some of the top local stories of 2008. Today, we look at April, May and June.
In April, state police apprehended Chester Cyphers, 52, of Washingtonville, in the act of setting a fire along a rural road in Montour County.
Cyphers subsequently was charged with setting several fires in Montour County, including one in November 2007 in which Wayne Hawley, a Turbotville firefighter, was seriously injured.
Cyphers later pleaded guilty to all charges and is awaiting sentencing. Hawley, who remains paralyzed from the waist down, returned home in May from rehabilitation in Philadelphia to a tumultuous welcome from firefighters in northern Northumberland County. Many people from the Watosntown and Turbotville area attended a variety of fundraisers for Hawley and his family, while others modified his home, widening doorways and buildings ramps to help him get around in his wheelchair.
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Throughout the spring, the price of gasoline kept climbing, reaching a peak of nearly $4 a gallon in this region as the price of oil skyrocketed to $147 a barrel. People began carpooling and combining trips in an effort to save money, and by the end of the year, the price had dropped back to less than its early 2008 level.
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A longtime political activist in the region, Eleanor Kuhns, of Coal Township, died at the end of April. She was active in Democratic politics on the Northumberland County and state levels and had served a term as a county commissioner.
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Jack Harclerode, a retired Bucknell University biology professor, was charged with possession of child pornography and later found guilty by a Union County judge. He is awaiting sentencing in Columbia County in the indecent sexual assault of a boy, 10, and faces other molestation charges in Union County.
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Over the Memorial Day weekend, a number of all-terrain vehicle accidents in the Trevorton area resulted in one death and numerous injuries.
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The state Department of Transportation announced in May that the Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway project was being placed in "hibernation" until money to complete the project could be found, disappointing officials and drivers throughout the region. A few weeks later, federal officials made a presentation before the Appalachian Regional Commission in an attempt to persuade the commission to include the project in its scope.
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Following a four-day trial, Richard C. Curran, 34, formerly of Mount Carmel, was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Tina. Curran shot her seven times on an outdoor loading dock at Shamokin Area Community Hospital, where she worked. Curran, former police chief of Bernville, Berks County, fled after the slaying and was arrested as he tried to cross the border into Canada. He was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.
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Pfc. James Yohn, 25, of Coal Township, was killed in Iraq on June 24 by an improvised explosive device.
He was the eighth soldier from the Valley to die in the Middle East.
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Discussion
Man arrested in arsons; injured fireman comes home
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Lewisburg schools face cuts in personnel, programs
Superintendent Mark DiRocco told the Lewisburg school board Thursday night that a proposed block grant system of school budget funding will run the district short of cash that will have to be made up through personnel and program cuts.
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Mom: Keller's response left her cold
Like many people, Elise Nicol is concerned about Marcellus Shale and the industry's effects on Pennsylvania's environment. The Lewisburg mother of two cares about it enough that she sent an email to state Rep. Fred Keller, R-85 of Kreamer, asking him to oppose House Bill 1950, which passed the General Assembly on Wednesday.
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Point Township authority concerned by sewer plant violations
Point Township Sewer Authority members Thursday night expressed concerns about a Feb. 3 letter sent to the Northumberland Sewer Authority by the state's Department of Environmental Protection saying that the borough authority has violated the Clean Streams Act.
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Persing truck fee idea stalls
While Pennsylvania has passed legislation allowing communities to collect impact fees in 35 counties, Northumberland County is not one of them, and business leaders and lawmakers do not think Sunbury Mayor David Persing's plan to try to do his own version of an impact fee will pass muster.
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Barber draws a crowd
The talk can be spirited at times, ranging from hunting to sports to home repairs. "You hear all kinds of stories," Gene Koehler, of Riverside, said Thursday as he waited for a haircut at The Masters barbershop, 209 Mill St.
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State board approves table games at Valley Forge casino
VALLEY FORGE — A casino resort scheduled to open this spring in the Philadelphia suburb of Valley Forge has been approved for table games.
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Doctors telling more adults: Get out and exercise
ATLANTA — A new study shows more and more U.S. adults are being told by their doctor to get off their duffs and exercise. A government survey found nearly 33 percent of adults who saw a doctor in the previous year said they were told to exercise. That was up from about 23 percent in 2000.
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Former Northumberland County judge and three others die in Florida crash
EVERGLADES CITY, Fla. -- A former Northumberland County judge was one of four people killed Wednesday afternoon when their car collided with a van at an intersection, according to the Naples News. The victims were identified as James J. Rosini, 66, William J. Rosini, 68, Patricia C. Rosini, 65, all of Coal Township, Pa., and Deborah A. Korbich, 59, of Elysburg, Pa.
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Warden demotes four bosses
SUNBURY -- Northumberland County Prison Warden Roy Johnson was able to trim about $135,000 in expenses by demoting four supervisors. He said Wednesday that he found a way to cut costs without laying off any staff. "I cut out 120 hours of supervisors' pay each week, but I need to fill the correction officer positions," Johnson said.
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DJ pumps up audience
Every Tuesday evening, Richard Grogg can be found spinning tunes at possibly the most well-attended dance in Snyder County. A resident at the Selinsgrove Center since 1988, the 57-year-old said the thing he likes most about selecting and playing music is "making people happy." "Some people come up and ask for requests," he said.
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Agency closes adult center
PENNS CREEK -- Union and Snyder County caregivers have had to look farther and wider for another program that can offer respite because the Agency on Aging can no longer afford to provide the service. The adult daily living center at the Penns Creek Adult Resource Center was a helpful program each week to about eight adults from the area dealing with Alzheimer's and dementia. But it closed Dec. 30.
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New Berlin pushes to acquire school
NEW BERLIN -- The Borough Council sold the property where the New Berlin Elementary School is to the precursor of the Mifflinburg Area School District for $1 back in 1950. It was deeded to the district for construction of a school.
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Lewisburg schools face cuts in personnel, programs
