During this month’s Hallstead Borough Council meeting at which five of the seven council members were present, the majority of the meeting revolved around the need to replace the memorial trees. The memorial trees were planted in memory of veterans that were killed in the line of duty. These trees are not receiving enough sun light therefore new trees that need less sunlight, will need to replace the trees after these are removed. The Council stated they would need to discuss this matter with the local American Legion since these trees are on their property, before the final decision can be made as to the removal and replacement specifics.

A topic of discussion was the gas line that South West Gas Company wants to run through the ball field in town. It was stated that the gas line would not disturb the ball field itself but would run through this field for 357 feet and the gas company would pay $50.00 a foot for this totaling $17,850.00. A decision would not be made on this until a meeting with South West Gas Company was arranged.

Also on the agenda was the planning for blacktopping roads in the spring and summer. It was brought to the attention of the council that water is now running over Rail Road Street causing ice to build up and should be addressed when planning which roads will be black topped. This topic was put on hold until the end of winter so that an assessment of the roads could be conducted to make the proper decision as to which roads needed repairing.

At this time all items on the agenda had been addressed and the meeting was adjourned. The next Hallstead Borough Council meeting will be held February 20th at 7:00 pm.

On January 17 from 10:00 – 2:00 the public had an opportunity to tour New Milford Township's renovated borough building at an open house and ribbon cutting event.  The project, roughly 75% of which was funded by a grant from DEC, included a remodeling of and an addition to the existing space. The space was handicapped accessible, and sported new electric wiring and a gas furnace.  In case of an emergency, the building could be used as an emergency command center, with a recently purchased generator and updated internet. 

There were many in attendance, both from the general public and representatives of various governmental and commercial entities.  Those observed included Senator Lisa Baker and Representative Sandra Major, County Commissioners Hall and Warren, and council members from nearby New Milford borough.  Some of these gave commentary on the project.  Representative Major commented on the beautiful job that was done on the project, and Senator Baker opined that it was nice to see the impact fee working.  New Milford Borough had presented the township with a plant in honor of the occasion, and council member Terri Gulick told the press that New Milford Township was very good to New Milford Borough.  Various companies involved in the project set up tables around the meeting room. 

Shortly after a formal ribbon cutting, Ken Bondurant made a speech.  He welcomed the legislators in attendance, and presented awards to some who had contributed to the project.  He spoke positively of the partnerships the township had with some of the companies working in the area.  DTE Energy had given $10,000, and Southwest Energy donated the appliances.  Medico donated the television in the office, which would be used for emergency management purposes.  Powell's Sales and Service provided the lunch for the open house, and Anne Marie Marcy gave cookies (and generally kept them fed, it was said).  Axtell Construction was the general contractor on the project, which was completed on time and on budget.  They also provided breakfast for the open house.  A plaque was to be hung noting the supervisors involved, and ex-supervisor Jim Hunter was acknowledged for his efforts.  Supervisor Jack Conroy said that their door was always open. 

At the January 12th meeting of the Mountain View School Board, rescheduled to January 19th, acting superintendent Karen Voigt opened with the acknowledgment of good things in the district. 

Coach Lewis and Assistant Coach Nabshi, of the girls soccer team, were called forward.  Coach Lewis had earned the title of Coach of the Year.  The girls had obtained district titles 4 years in a row, and were not only athletic but a strong group of girls academically, some of the top students, it was related.  Some of them participated in community services.  Mrs. Voigt said she felt that the girls soccer team had certainly distinguished themselves.  Though only one or two was present (some did other sports), their names, and in certain instances their achievements, were read aloud.  Hannah Richner had not only been named first team regional, but was also named to the state soccer team.  McKenna Whitaker had also been recognized at the regional level (and had recently scored her 1,000th point in basketball).  Stephanie Oster was second team all stars, and Allie Virbitsky was first team all stars.  Mrs. Voigt opined that she couldn't wait to see the next year. 

Next, Joe Nally was recognized.  Mrs. Voigt passed around a picture of Nally at the finish line at states for the board to see.  Mountain View had gone 18 years, it was related, without sending anybody from the cross country team to states, and that year they had a representative in Nally.  Coach Mitchell was present, and said how proud and pleased he was of Nally's work ethic and leadership of the team (as captain).  He said Nally was a good student as well.  Coach Mitchell suggested that next year they might have a couple of individuals representing the district at the state level.   

Then, Mrs. Voigt announced that January was school director recognition month.  She said that the directors spent countless hours preparing for meetings, listening to the community, and helping to get budgets passed.  She wanted them to know that they congratulated them, supported them, and saluted them.  She gave some facts about school board directors, noting that the typical director was male, well educated, married with two children, 55 to 59 years of age, and regularly gave 16-20 volunteer hours a month.  On behalf of the district she congratulated and thanked them for the work that they did. She also had certificates for them. 

Brian Kelly and Brad from Kelly Associates, the district's auditors, were there to close the financial statements that had to be closed.  They related that they were hired by the district to give an opinion on the financial statements.  The district received unqualified opinions;  the highest they could give as auditors.  It had a clean audit.  There was a continual finding, it was related, which was very typical of a small district. 

The two reviewed the budget report, which included assets and liabilities.  The district had a fund balance of $6,105,000, and added $650,000 to the fund balance.  It basically had this fund balance designated for future PSERS costs.  The ending balance for food services still had a positive of $30,000.  As of June 30th, the district still owed approximately 4.4 million dollars on their bonds payable.  The bonds were to be paid in full in 2020. 

Overall, the district was thought to be in good fiscal condition.  However, it had some liabilities looming in the future -  it was thought that the fund balance would probably be taken up by the retirement and health care costs. 

As the meeting progressed, a number of business items were dealt with.  A motion was made to adopt the Act 1 index of 2.4% as the maximum tax increase for the 2015-2016 fiscal year.  During the personnel portion of the meeting a motion was made to appoint Daniel Frost as the new K-12 Physical Education Instructor and to approve Heidi Page as a K-12 Special Education Instructor. 

During Mr. Taylor's report, he related that they had started the telephone changeover.  They were in the process of trying to debug a few issues.  The classroom phones were restricted phones, and were supposed to go to voicemail if someone called from outside.  This wasn't necessarily happening.  They were working hard at fixing the system. 

Mr. Stoddard announced that they had a meeting with MVEA on Tuesday the 13th; he felt it was positive.  Three additional meetings had been set up.  There was a new Uniserv rep, starting off a different relationship with them.  He hoped, he said, that things would go well. 

Mr. Presley, during his report, briefly reviewed some items that were scheduled to occur. CDT testing was to be done for the next two weeks, expected to diagnose students knowledge in terms of state mandated testing.  He congratulated McKenna Whitaker for scoring her 1,000th point in basketball.  He also said that the girls soccer coaches should be commended;  he said he liked watching the girls play as they did so with passion.  He congratulated two students for being SGA representatives, and noted that the SGA members were also working to prepare for  the District 9 conference (which they were to host in March). 

At the elementary, Ms. Kelly reported, they were also CDT testing.  She gave an update on the DC trip, which was a go. The students had their first fundraiser before the holiday, and the school had received confirmation of just about majority of reservations. 

Ms. Wnorowski had some information that was hot off the presses, she said.  Their state performance plan was going to be changing.  They were currently monitored through 20 performance indicators.  This was going to be condensed to only 17 indicators.  The real shift was from compliance to student outcomes, with more of an emphasis on the latter.  They were going to be looking at measurable performance.  Another part of the change was what was called a mega indicator.  All of the states were charged with coming up with one of the indicators to focus on.  In Pennsylvania it had been decided that graduation rate would fill this role.  Mrs. Voigt pointed out that increasing the graduation rate was one of their district goals. 

Mr. Patchoski said that they were getting ready for the 15-16 budget. PSERS was increasing rapidly;  the gas revenue was drastically down from the previous year.  They hoped to be status quo but it depended on the educator contract, which was a sensitive issue in any budget.  The previous year he had put an educator contract increase into the budget, so he hoped that would be close.

The district had gotten through the 3 year federal audit for food services.  Mr. Patchcoski thanked the cafeteria staff.  He said he had never gone through such an audit through the US government before.  They  got warnings, but they never went into a severe corrective action.  The district had just warded this off.  They were going to have to look at it very diligently, then.  They wanted to raise the food prices;  according to the government these were drastically too low.  He said the district had taken a $60,000 loss in the operation the previous year.  The recommendation the previous year, Mrs. Voigt said, had been that they go up .07 cents.  The district was almost cited and they could have lost their whole subsidy;  it was so close they had a special meeting in Harrisburg just to talk about Mountain View.  She said the next year they had to look carefully at the issue. 

Mrs. Voigt reported that the high school wellness committee had met to talk about the health fair.  She wanted to have this during the day on April 8th.  Also, Friday she had received a check in the mail for $25,000 from the Community Foundation to implement project Lead the Way. Both the tech educators wanted the training to lead the classes, and the plan was to train them the following summer.  In time this program would lead toward the engineering field.  The Community Foundation also had money to allow them to offer a financial program for free. Mrs. Voigt said the district was very grateful for their help. 

The First in Math program had been made available for free to all students in grades K-8 until the end of the year, Mrs. Voigt noted.  The program allowed the kids to go online 24/7 and work on Math.  They could earn virtual stickers.

Three weeks into 2015 Susquehanna Community School Directors listened to reviews of the District’s 2013-2014 audit and gazed into the district’s fiscal future for the 2015-2016 school year at their Wednesday, January 21 regular monthly meeting.  Presiding over the meeting was School Board President Steven Stanford.  In attendance were School Board members Lori Canfield, Amanda Cook, Evelyn Cottrell, Carol Jackson, Holly Kubus, and Martha Stanford.
At the previous evening’s meeting (public work session), Brian Kelly and Brad Murray of Brian Kelly & Associates presented the firm’s draft audit of the District’s 2013-2014 fiscal year. The audit confirms SCSD’s strong fiscal position, particularly relative to other Pennsylvania school districts and despite budgetary challenges already recognized in out-years.  In the report’s “Economic Condition and Outlook” section on page 15, the auditors provide the following analysis, “The District has seen a drop in recent years in student population, with the average daily membership [student population] decreasing by 9.2% from 2013 to 2014. Despite the declining enrollment, the Board and administration have been able to control expenditures and, as a result, keep real estate taxes at a level not exceeding the state index.  The District did not raise taxes in 2014.  The District plans to pay off all outstanding bond debt in March 2015. Paying off the debt will allow the District to meet upcoming financial challenges.”

The report continues with insightful awareness of these upcoming financial challenges: “The employer [Read SCSD taxpayers.] portion of future employee pension payments will increase by more than 300%.  Without a massive overhaul of the pension system, the district will see its contributions increase dramatically. The district has committed funds to help pay future retirement increases. The outlook for the State’s ability to invest in public education over the next few years is also a major concern.  [SCSD] receives nearly 70% of its revenue from the State. The outlook is that the State will be struggling due to the huge pension obligation for both school and state employees. It is estimated that 66 cents of every new tax dollar will need to be spent on future pension obligations at the State level.”

This section concludes, “Without pension reform, the State will not have the tax revenue to fund public education. This will create revenue shortfalls for poorer districts that rely heavily on State funding.”  Left unsaid is that the State has dodged meaningful reform for over a decade, despite the obvious need, but also because of the likely negative political consequences for anyone serious about addressing the hot-button issue. Also unsaid, the State’s collapse (by inaction) will logically foreshadow that of the individual 499 school districts.   

Here’s a brief overview of the pension problem.  The Public School Employees’ Retirement System (PSERS) has been systematically under-funded for years.  It is the 18th largest state-sponsored defined benefit pension fund in the nation and has a membership of more than 267,000 active members and over 209,000 annuitants and beneficiaries receiving benefits. PSERS had an unfunded liability exceeding $32.6 billion as of June 30, 2013.

What that means to SCSD can be recognized by looking at the trend in tax burden for pensions this century. For the 2001-2002 school year the total employer contribution percentage paid by the district was 1.09% for each teacher’s salary.  Even as late as 2009-2010 that percentage, though over 400% higher, was only 4.78% for each teacher’s salary. Today that percentage stands at 21.40%; for 2015-2016 the percentage will climb to 25.84%. The total employer contribution is projected to rise every year over the 10 year period of 2014-2015 thru 2023-2024, with contributions doubling and the percentage rising to 32.3%.  These projections are based on a 7.5% rate of return on investments, even though the most economists agree that the economy hasn’t been growing by over 2% in recent years. 

The above description is no more than the tip of the iceberg as far as the depth of the State’s fiscal problems.  But what it is illustrative of is the quality of leadership at the local level in contrast in comparison to the State level.  As Superintendent Bronson Stone put it, “[We are] bailing out the State for bad decisions years ago.”  As the State dithers over corrective action, each school district’s budget sees an increasing portion diverted to pension costs. SCSD’s pension dollar amount will exceed $1.7 million for the 2015-2016 school year. Fortuitously, SCSD’s school board and administration have long recognized and prepared to hold out against the negative trend for as long as possible. 

The State’s proclamation of January as School Director Recognition Month aptly fits, though understates, the well-oiled machine in place at SCSD.  The District is on schedule to pay off all indebtedness five and half years early, on March 1, 2015. And the administration has already announced school real estate taxes will not exceed the maximum tax increase index of 2.8% this year.  Additionally, an ingrained institutional attitude of frugality, conservation, and preservation imbue those entrusted with decision-making at the district level.  These attributes are notably indispensable for weathering the fiscal storm clouds rapidly approaching.

While the administration has no idea at what level the State will fund the District, Superintendent Stone expressed the opinion that newly inaugurated Gov. Wolf will ask the General Assembly to fund school districts at least at the level of last year’s funding (under Gov. Corbett), if not at a higher level. Even with conservative budgeting in place, a few budget considerations for the coming year were voiced: the high school gym will need a new sound system at an estimated cost of $1,500; the high school locker room will require new rubber flooring at an estimated cost of $2,500; a cafeteria management system (required due to a federal mandate) will cost an estimated $10,000; and an Assessment Builder Software subscription will cost district taxpayers some $8,000. 

Two financial storm clouds hang over the District for 2015-2016, the high school’s retaining wall and bell tower. The District received two bids to do work on the retaining wall and no bids were received for work on the bell tower.  However, the board concluded that the safest course of action was to send the projects to an architect for definitive solutions on how to approach each problem, then to seek bids based on the architect’s plans.  The costs of these projects cannot even be reasonably estimated at this time. 

In some further good news on financial matters, Superintendent Stone announced that the District had been awarded a grant for the amount of $24,750 which will enable it to buy 121 hand-held radios for communication by staff internal to the campus, and with bus drivers transporting students to and from school.  Enhancement of student safety and security is the end goal.  Also benefiting SCHS, announced Superintendent Stone, is a $10,000 scholarship newly provided by Bluestone Gathering through the Claire Williams O’Neil Foundation. Both Superintendent and Board extended many words of thanks to Bluestone Gathering for its generosity. 

Finally, in one other financial matter, Superintendent Stone explained the impact of cold weather delays and the rationale for why they are sometimes called or not called.  Mr. Stone explained that two-hour delays are automatically called when wind chill warnings (not advisories) exist in three or more of the district’s municipalities. Some critics, Mr. Stone noted, have complained that two-hour delays should also be imposed whenever wind chill advisories exist. However, such delays are largely uncalled for and ineffective insofar as providing students with a warmer experience at their bus stop.  And also, for each two-hour delay district taxpayers are still on the hook for 100% of the costs of transportation and salaries even though students receive only 70% of the instructional time to which they are entitled. 

At 7:42 p.m. the Board adjourned and Business Manager Gary Kiernan swung into action, dishing out generous portions of cake celebratory of School Director Recognition Month. Kudos to the cafeteria staff on another delicious treat!

February’s monthly meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 18 at 7 p.m. 

Susquehanna Community School District Board Directors took the following personnel actions during their regular meeting on Wednesday, January 21, 2015.

Approved the following deputy tax collectors: Jennifer Stone - Thompson Twp; Kristin Potter - Starrucca Boro; Robin Carmody - Thompson Boro; Joe Schell - Susquehanna Depot Boro; Brenda Lake - Lanesboro Boro; Loren Stone - Ararat Twp; and Michele Kiernan - Harmony Twp.

Approved hiring the following substitutes, pending all appropriate clearances: for Emergency Certified Positions - Thomas Fontana, Danielle Dibble, Meghan Dooley, Michael Lloyd; for Social Studies - Shane Decker; for Spanish K-12 - Colleen Salak.

Approved hiring, pending all appropriate clearances, of the following personnel: Jeff Baldwin - Varsity Boys Volleyball Coach (1 year only); Charles Towner - Jr. High Boys Basketball Clock; Gina Baker - Jr. High Softball Co-Coach; Robin Burdick - HS Aide; Stephanie MacDonald - Elementary Personal Care Aide; Kirk Fallon - Substitute Teacher; Michelle Scro - Substitute Aide; Brandon Soden - Jr. High Baseball Coach; and Teresa Covert - Jr. High Track Co-Coach.

Approved hiring Roberta Perry as Substitute Bus Driver for the 2014-2015 school year.

Approved volunteer, Lindsey Glidden, pending all appropriate clearances, for the 2014-15 school year.

Accepted the following resignations: Craig Hubal - JV Boys Volleyball Coach; Carla Perry - HS Aide; Mary Weaver - Jr. High Girls Track Coach.

Note to readers: The phrase “pending all appropriate clearances” is directly linked to new state law, effective January 1st, requiring a heightened level of investigative background checks for all volunteers, district employees, and contractors who may come into contact with minors. “Appropriate clearances” are required upon commencement of volunteer/contractual association with the school district and every three years thereafter. It is not only government related background checks which are required, but also a check conducted by the school district with past employers of all candidates.

Bench Warrants

Jeremy E. Anderson, Sr., David P. Atherholt, Jr., Shawn J. Bedford, Allen S. Bowman, Michael J. Burger, Michael Calby, Brian N. Carter, Anthony M. Choplosky, Tina M. Clark, Ronald S. Cook, Brian M. Decker, Brian M. Decker, Benjamin D. Fassett, David J. Fischer, Justin T. Giberson, Angelica Groover, Timothy M. Holmes, Lyle J. Hugaboom, Leo A. Lasuer, Todd J. Layton, Joshua S. Lee, Charlie J. Legere, Derrick Lezinsky, Daniel M. Mangin, Joshua K. Mess, Vincent J. Petriello, Veronica D. Phelps, Brian T. Phillips, Aaron P. Rockwell, Desiree L. Shifler, Tessa E. Thomas, Kurtis Tracy, Steven G. Warner, Jamie L. Williams, Sr.

EDITORS NOTE: These reports are taken directly from the Gibson State Police Barracks Blotter. Anyone having an issue with how they are worded is advised to visit the Barracks and inspect same before complaining about contents.

Theft:  On January 21st at approximately noon, three 8' choker chains and one 20' chain were removed from a Harford property.  The chains belonged to a Thompson man.  Anyone with information is asked to please contact the police. 

Theft:  On January 16th a blue iPod touch was stolen from the Mountain View elementary center.  Anyone with information is asked to please call the police. 

Crash:  On January 20th at 8:10 pm James Cooper of Bayonne, NJ was traveling west on SR 2024 in Brooklyn Township when his vehicle lost control, traveled across the north shoulder, and crashed into a tree with its front end.  After impact, the vehicle came to a rest still impacting the tree, just off the westbound lane of SR 2024 facing west.  No injuries were reported at the scene;  a seat belt was in use. 

DUI/Drug:  An incident occurred on Sr 29 at the Bridgewater Township building in which a Tunkhannock woman was arrested for DUI-Drug following a traffic stop.  Charges were pending blood results at the time of report. 

Theft:  Between January 12th and 17th, a storage locker at VanCott's self-storage units on Rt. 11 in Great Bend Township was broken into, and assorted Snap-on, Dewalt, and NAPA brand cordless drivers, batteries, ratchets, and socket wrenches, were stolen from within.  Anyone having information may call the state police and leave a tip in reference to incident #R5-952695. 

Simple Assault:  A Montrose man is accused of striking a 9 year old girl in the face, knocking her to the ground and resulting in the loss of one of her teeth.  The accused has been charged with Simple Assault and Harassment in District Court 34-3-01.  The case remains under investigation by Susquehanna County Children and Youth Services. 

Burglary:  On January 20th a Harmony Township residence was forcibly entered and money and jewelry were stolen from within.  Approximately $2,000 worth of jewelry was taken;  the money was in coin form and was valued at $10.  Anyone with information is asked to please contact the police.  Further investigation was pending as of the time of report. 

Recovered Firearm:  A firearm was recovered from Old County Rd. in Bridgewater Township on January 20th at 1:19 pm.  Anyone with information is asked to please contact the police.  

Commercial Vehicle Crash:  On January 19th at 10 pm John Bagnell of Gilmour, ON was traveling north on SR 81 in Harford Township at the same time as a Volvo was disabled on the shoulder of the roadway, along the wast berm.  Bagnell's truck traveled  off of the roadway and side swiped the disabled vehicle.  Both the driver and passenger of that vehicle sustained some form of injury.  Bagnell was not injured. 

Criminal Mischief:  On January 19th at 12:30 am the mailbox of a New Milford man was knocked over in Franklin township. 

Theft from Motor Vehicle:  Between January 16th and 18th, a theft from a motor vehicle occurred from a location in Bridgewater Township.  Several items belonging to G.L. Parrish (a business in Montrose) were stolen from a truck. 

Crash:  On January 12th and unnamed “witness” was traveling north on Sr 29 in Liberty Township. A KIA Forte, driven by an unnamed person, was behind the witness and went to pass the witness.  The Forte lost control on the slippery snow covered roadway and went off the left side of the roadway, getting stuck in a ditch.  It was pulled out with minimal damage. 

Burglary:  Pennsylvania State Police are investigating a burglary on December 16th in which tools and small equipment belonging to a Deposit man were stolen from inside a barn in Harmony Township. Anyone with information is asked to please contact the police. 

Crash:  On January 09th at 6:25 pm a juvenile female was traveling south on Rt. 0167 in Brooklyn Township when she approached an area with slush on the roadway.  The girl lost control of the vehicle and spun around backwards, sliding across the road and striking a tree on the east berm with the rear end of the vehicle.  The driver was not injured;  a seat belt was in use. 

Crash:  On January 14th at 11:20 am an unnamed person was operating a Jeep 11 northbound on Herb Button Rd. in Springville, Township.  The vehicle rode up a small embankment and rolled onto its left side.  It was able to be righted onto its wheels and only suffered sheet metal damage to the left side. 

DUI:  On January 11th at 2:30 am Joshua Simmons of Arnold, PA was traveling south on Sr 167 and lost control of his vehicle, after driving over a large patch of ice on the roadway.  The vehicle traveled off the west shoulder and struck a large tree.  He was not injured;  a seat belt was in use. 

Crash:  On January 12th at 11:08 pm, Teresa Wilson of Susquehanna was traveling on Sr 171 in Great Bend Township when she lost control of the vehicle while negotiating a right hand curve in the roadway.  The vehicle traveled off the right shoulder and struck a downed tree, spun clockwise after striking the tree, and struck the embankment with the rear driver side corner.  It came to a final rest facing south in the west bound travel lane.  The driver was not injured;  a seat belt was in use. 

Crash:  On January 19th at 7:37 am a juvenile female  from Starruca was traveling west on Sr 1009 in Harmony Township.  The driver lost control of the vehicle while trying to negotiate a curve to the right, due to black ice.  It left the roadway to the north side and struck an embankment.  It then rolled onto its left side, where it came to a final uncontrolled rest area in the west bound lane, facing north west.  The driver was transported to Barnes hospital for treatment by Susquehanna EMS.  Susquehanna Fire and EMS responded to the scene.  French's Towed the vehicle from the scene.  The driver sustained minor injury;  a seat belt was in use. 

Crash:  On January 7th at 7:38 am Todd Nowak of Dubois, PA was traveling southbound on Sr 147 in Bridgewater Township when his vehicle exited the east side of the roadway and struck a tree with the front passenger side.  It then continued south on the east side of the roadway and struck another tree with the front driver side.  After the second impact the vehicle turned 180 degrees and came to a rest on the east side of the roadway facing north.  The driver left the scene prior to police arrival but left his information with the property owner next to the crash and the property owner called the crash in to the police.  The vehicle sustained disabling damage and was towed from the scene.  The driver was not injured;  a seat belt was in use. 

Crash:  On January 16th at 9:41 pm Scott Franciscus of Souderton, PA was traveling north in the right lane of I81 south when the Chevrolet Express lost control and traveled onto the east shoulder before crashing into the guide rail with its passenger side.  After impact it continued to travel in a northern direction before coming to a rest on the east shoulder of the road, facing north.  No injuries were reported;  approximately 15 people were reportedly in the vehicle and all were utilizing seat belts. 

Crash:  On January 17th a crash occurred as Victor Brown Jr. was headed south in the right lane of Sr 3001 in Dimock Township, approaching the intersection with Sr 3023.  The Dodge Ram 1500 exited the west side of the road and struck a culvert located approximately 12 feet off the roadway.  It then continued to go straight and struck a utility pole and rotated clockwise 90 degrees.  The utility pole was broken in half and wires were down.  The driver related that as he was heading south a water truck from the north came. 

Burglary:  Between January 4th and 16th forced entry into a Dimock Township location was obtained through a rear door.  Upon gaining entry, the perpetrator(s) rummaged through the residence before taking jewelry, several firearms, and ammunition.  An ATV was also taken from a shed. 

Fatal Crash:  The police are investigating a fatal collision which occurred on January 16th at 9:26 pm, in which a Dodge pickup truck hauling a trailer got stuck on an ice and snow covered roadway with a steep uphill grade in MMiddletown Township.  A John Deere grader was summoned to assist the truck and trailer get up the hill.  The operator of the grader backed down the hill and placed the machine in park in front of the Dodge truck.  The grader then slid on the ice and snow covered roadway, striking a Vanceboro, NC man, who was outside of the Dodge truck and in between the grader and truck.  The man was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Armed Robbery:  On January 21st at 4:$5 am two men drove into the parking lot of the Great  Bend Sunoco in a late model Winnebago RV.  the two suspects entered the store brandishing knives and demanded money and cartons of Newport 100 cigarettes.  After the clerk refused to give the suspects the items they fled the scene in the Winnebago.  The two suspects were wearing “ninja” style masks, hooded sweatshirts, and gloves.  They fled east on Sr 171.  Both were described as white males approximately 5'10”, 170 lbs., and in their early twenties.  The vehicle was described as tan and white and white in color with five small stripes and one large strip on the side.  Anyone with information is asked to please contact the police. 

Theft:  Between January 14th and 15th an exhaust fan and an old air compressor were stolen from the property of a Montrose man at the Liberty Court trailer park in Liberty Township.  The items were stolen from outside the victim's residence.  The items were valued at $300.  Anyone with information is asked to contact he police. 

Hit and Run:  On January 15th at 5 pm a Hyundai Santa Fe was parked in the parking lot at the Dollar General Store in Great Bend Township, unoccupied.  A vehicle of unknown make and model impacted the passenger side of the Santa Fe, and then fled the scene.  Anyone with information is asked to please contact the police. 

Homicide:  On January 14th the Pennsylvania State Police in Gibson arrested Benjamin Ball of New Milford Borough for one count of Criminal Homicide.  On that day at approximately 1:00 pm the State Police in Gibson were notified that Mr. Ball had murdered his mother, Lisa Ball, at their residence.  After arriving at the residence, troopers located Ms. Ball deceased in an upstairs room of the residence.  Mr. Ball was arraigned before Magistrate Jody Cordner.  No bail was set and Mr. Ball was lodged in the Susquehanna County Prison. 

Crash:  On January 12th at 1:15 pm an unnamed driver was traveling southbound on Sr 29 in Franklin Township.  The driver stated that she had looked back for a second at her son in the back seat and lost control on the slush covered roadway.  The vehicle exited off the right side of the roadway and up onto an embankment.  The vehicle then veered to the left going across both lanes and into a snow filled ditch.  The vehicle suffered minor body damage to the front of the vehicle.  The vehicle was pulled out and driven from the scene. 

Hit and Run:  On January 12th at 10:00 am an unknown vehicle was traveling south on North Road in Forest Lake Township when, as it was traveling, it traveled across the northbound lane and off the roadway where it impacted a mailbox.  The vehicle fled the scene.

Crash:  On January 12th at 12:12 pm an unnamed driver was traveling east in the right lane of SR 106 in Clifford Township when he or she lost control on the snow covered roadway and struck a tree off to the south side with the Impala's passenger side.  The vehicle sustained minor passenger side damage.  The driver related that he was traveling east going downhill, and when he applied the brakes the vehicle started to slide and he lost control.  He related that he couldn't regain control and slid off the road and into the tree. 

Burglary:  On January 12th a Bridgewater Township residence was burglarized when forcible entry was obtained.  Approximately $400 in loose change from two separate bedrooms was taken from the home.  Further investigation was pending as of the time of report. 

Criminal Mischief:  Between January 9th and 15th two New Milford Township people had damage caused to their mailboxes when the boxes were struck with an unknown object. Anyone with information is asked to please contact the police.  

Criminal Mischief:  Between the 7th and 9th of January damage was caused to the vehicle of a Franklin Township man while the vehicle was located near the Hallstead Library.  The windshield of the Stratus was shattered, the side mirror broken, and a tail light broken.