TROY - The recent Community Yard Sale at the Troy Sale Barn really lived up to its name.

That's because the community showed up to support the event this past Friday and Saturday inside and outside the Sale Barn.

It was sponsored by the Troy Historical Society.

Historical society president Janet Ordway said the historical society was "very pleased" with the way the community yard sale went.

In fact, she said it was a little bit busier than last year, and there was "no lull" on Friday.

Brian and Penny Benedict of Granville Summit were looking over some items outside the sale barn. They thought there was a lot of stuff at the yard sale.

Marty Best of Columbia Cross Roads said he was "just looking."

He saw the sign for the yard sale, and decided to stop by.

In addition, Cara May of Troy picked up some "wall pops" for her wall. The adhesives had never been opened, and were only $2.

"They're a good deal," she said.

Ordway said some "History of Bradford County" playing cards were available for purchase.

Her grandson, Zachary Brown, was selling popcorn for Boy Scout Troop 4049 on Troy.

The Troy Historical Society is in charge of the project to restore the sale barn.

Once the project is finished, the Sale Barn will be a home for the historical society and will feature many display cases for local history, a theater, and a hall area for such events as auctions, square dances, farmers' markets, and youth activities.

Bill Brasington, who is with the historical society and is the manager of the sale barn restoration project, said that the turnout for this year's community yard sale was much better than last year.

"It was wonderful," he commented.

He said proceeds from the event go toward the sale barn project.

Eric Hrin can be reached at (570) 297-5251; email: reviewtroy@thedailyreview.com.

LAPORTE - Some changes, including a new superintendent, were in place Tuesday in the Sullivan County School District as students returned to school for the fall.

This year, the Sullivan County Elementary School has added a school-wide positive behavior initiative, which teaches lessons aimed at making students responsible, respectful, safe and caring, said Mary McClintock, elementary school principal.

The positive behavior initiative, which has been implemented in a number of other school districts in the last couple of years, is "an excellent program," said Patricia Cross, the new superintendent of the Sullivan County School District.

The initiative rewards students for their good behavior, she said. School employees and bus drivers sign a student's card or give the student a ticket if they see the student exhibiting good behavior, she said.

For example, a bus driver might give a student a ticket if the driver saw the student move over to make room for another student on the bus, she said.

After accumulating a certain number of tickets or signatures, students can redeem them for rewards or prizes, she said.

"Hopefully, kids will see other students being recognized for doing good behavior and will do the same thing," she said. "Hopefully, this will deter bad behavior."

"Kids do respond (to the positive behavior initiative), believe it or not," Cross said, adding that a similar program had been in place at Warrior Run High School in Turbotville, where she had served as principal.

At Sullivan County Junior/Senior High School, the requirements for the graduation project have changed a little this year, said Principal Ed Pietroski.

Until now, the graduation project had to involve community service, he said.

Now, students will have the choice of either doing community service or job shadowing for their graduation project, he said.

The newly available option for the graduation project would involve job shadowing a professional in the community for 18 hours, he said.

"We think the this (job shadowing) gives some students a better opportunity to do something a little more meaningful to them," Pietroski said.

The high school has also added an Advanced Placement U.S. Government course this year, which 18 students are enrolled in, he said.

Seniors at Sullivan High take a government course, and students who meet the requirements will be given the option of taking the AP U.S. Government course or the non-AP government course, he said.

There were 618 students enrolled in the Sullivan County School District on Tuesday, which is slightly less then the 625 students who were enrolled on the first day of the 2014-15 school year, Cross said.

An "exciting" development is that there is a larger kindergarten class this year, which necessitated the hiring of a third kindergarten teacher, she said.

Cross, who started working for the Sullivan County School District on July 1, had previously served as principal of Warrior Run High School for 12 years. She had also worked for nine years as a business teacher at Montoursville High School.

The first day of school this year "has gone really well," Cross said at the end of the day on Tuesday.

The students "seemed excited about being back," she said.

On the first day of school, "I think the teachers did an awesome job with the kids, as they always do," Pietroski said.

James Loewenstein can be reached at (570) 265-1633; or email: jloewenstein@thedailyreview.com.

SAYRE - Tuesday marked the first day of the Sayre Area Education Association's first day of "working to rule," but the district's superintendent said the policy did not seem to have negative ramifications on the day.

Superintendent Dr. Sherry Griggs said the day went smoothly and no issues, that she is aware of, arose from the SAEA's new policy.

Griggs joked the only problem during the day was the heat.

"I don't see it as impacting instruction," Griggs said of the working to rule policy.

The SAEA said in a statement that "during the school day, students will continue to receive high-quality professional attention and education."

Griggs said high school teachers arrived together at the school this morning, all wearing green to show solidarity with one another. On Friday, teachers wore black for the same purpose.

Working to rule means teachers will only perform duties that are outlined in their contract that was adopted in the 2008-2009 school year. Teachers are still working under that contract due to the SAEA and school board's inability to reach an agreement on a new contract in 2013.

Teachers will no longer participate in unpaid school activities, including chaperoning dances, covering other teachers' classrooms when they are out, and monitoring the morning breakfast period.

Teachers who are coaches do receive payment, so sports have been unaffected by the rule and Griggs said coaches are not giving up on their duties.

Griggs said as far as she knows, teachers who volunteer their time for those activities are not forbidden to volunteer, but said teachers have been honoring the working to rule policy.

The district's faculty care about its students, Griggs said, and she does not expect the faculty to fail students during while working to rule is in effect.

School Board President Jim Osborn said no contract negotiation meeting date has been set.

"We're waiting for our attorney and (the board and SAEA) to be available," he said. "As soon as we get everybody available at the same time, then we'll meet to discuss the contracts."

The SAEA did not offer comments on the implementation of working to rule as it is waiting for its negotiating team to meet again.

Earlier this year, the board requested a neutral fact finders report to further contract negotiations, but the board voted twice to reject the report, while the SAEA voted to accept it.

Max Bennett can be reached at (570) 888-9652; or email mbennett@thedailyreview.com.

EAST TROY - The Minions have popped up at a farm near East Troy.

At Henry and Dorothy Abma's farm, the yellow characters, who starred in their own movie this year, are keeping watch along Pisgah Road.

Henry and his son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren recently used round hay bales to create the Minions characters.

Henry didn't know who the Minions were, but his grandchildren, Malachi, 12, and Jezebel, 9, did. They and Henry's son, Shawn, and his wife, Sally, all came from their home in Gettysburg, and helped make the hay bale creation.

The Minions are popular with the children.

"I didn't even know what this was," Henry said. "That's why I left it for Shawn to decide. It was Greek to me."

The artists used spray paint to paint the hay bales, and used cat tails for the tallest Minion's hair. He is holding the Minions' "I'm with Stupid" sign.

Dorothy said the Minion hay bale creation has been very popular with people passing by.

She said they were pulling in the driveway to look at it, before it was even done.

Eric Hrin can be reached at (570) 297-5251; email: reviewtroy@thedailyreview.com.

Special thanks

A guy from Burlington mowed along Route 6 in Luthers Mills. He mowed grass and brush and did a good job. He didn't have anything fancy; it was an old 44 red Farmall in really good condition with an old Brush Hog. A special thank you to him.

Don't have the money

This is for the Wyalusing teachers. My opinion is the amount of money you receive is three times the amount of money people receive on Medicare. We don't have the money to pay the taxes to pay the salary that you're requesting. You already get too much now. So my thing is, you want to strike, strike and walk, and keep right on walking.

Good advice

I have a comment on the letter to the editor that was in the paper Sept. 3, "Does marriage really matter?" written by Troopmaster Jeff Deutschle. It's very good advice. I hope that a lot of young people will read his letter, especially any that are thinking about becoming serious about a person of the opposite sex. He gives very good advice. I also hope a lot of parents will take his advice too.

Care to share?

The Daily Review's Sound Off column will include items, both positive and negative, called in to a Sound Off hotline. That number is 570-265-1603. Calls will be anonymous; names will not be published. Profanity, as well as libelous content will be edited out. Give us a call. Let us know what's on your mind. We look forward to hearing from you!

BURLINGTON TOWNSHIP - A woman and her son were transported to Guthrie Towanda Memorial Hospital after their vehicle rolled over in an accident Tuesday on U.S. Route 6 in Burlington Township, state police said.

State police identified the woman, who was driving the only vehicle involved in the accident, as Ashely Williams of Williamsport, Williams is in her mid-20s, police said.

"I think they were transported to the hospital just to be checked out," a state trooper on scene said, adding that they did not have apparent injuries.

Williams, who was traveling east on Route 6, said the accident occurred because her brakes gave out, North Towanda Township Fire Chief Terry Sheets said.

Williams' vehicle traveled off the south side of the roadway and rolled over, coming to rest on its roof, he said.

No one else was riding in the Ford Taurus besides Williams and her son, he said.

The accident occurred just east of Cemetery Road, in front of the Happy Tails No-Kill Animal Shelter.

State police at Towanda said they are continuing to investigate whether brake failure was the cause of the accident.

The state trooper estimated the accident occurred between 5:30 p.m. and 5:45 p.m.

James Loewenstein can be reached at (570) 265-1633; or email: Jloewenstein@thedailyreview.com.

TROY - Numerous people have been charged following what has been described as "a large fight" on Aug. 23 on West Hilltop Lane in Canton.

According to court papers filed with the office of Magisterial District Judge Jonathan Wilcox of Troy, those charged in the incident are:

- Kevin Nicholas Costas, 23, of Canton

- Dana Paul Burgess, 35, of Canton

- Sierra Anita Swisher, 30, of Canton

- Kelly Fitzwater, 44, of Columbia Cross Roads

- Jason Robert Fitch, 34, of Roaring Branch

- Anthony Michael Wolf, 22, of Ralston

- Philip R. Costas, 59, of Canton

- Mark Jay Vroman, Jr., 41, of Ralston

- Daniel Thomas Greene, 31, of Canton

- Jordan Elias Bardo, 26, of Canton

- John R. Jacopetti, 51, of Canton

- Elljay Eugene Watkins, 31, of Canton

They face preliminary hearings before Wilcox Oct. 21.

Call for 'large fight' received

According to an affidavit:

At or around 7:24 p.m., Aug. 23, Canton Police Sgt. Trey Kurtz received a call from the county emergency operations center requesting that he respond to an address on West Hilltop Lane in Canton for "a large fight, possibly involving weapons." At the time, Kurtz was the off-duty on-call officer.

The location of the incident is listed as Costas's and Swisher's address.

Kurtz said the dispatcher stated that he received multiple calls of people screaming at him. Some of the callers mentioned baseball bats being involved, and others stated there were guns.

Kurtz said he immediately dressed in full uniform and responded in a marked patrol vehicle. Upon his arrival, he observed a large group of people, approximately 8-10 individuals, near the location on West Hilltop Lane, standing around. Kurtz said he then saw a man, known to him from past incidents as Kevin Costas, running back and forth from his black Dodge truck to his trailer.

Kurtz said that as soon as he exited his vehicle, a woman, also known to him from past incidents as Sierra Anita Swisher, yelled that he should have been there 10 minutes ago.

Kurtz said he asked her what happened, and she responded, "Well, there was just a huge fight in the field and Kevin got run over by a car!" - or words to that effect.

Throughout the affidavit, when quoting people, Kurtz consistently notes that they made the statement in the quotation, or "words to that effect."

According to Kurtz, Kevin Costas came running out from his house and yelled, "Babe, let's go get those (expletive deleted) now! Get in! They are (expletive deleted) dead!" Kurtz said Costas stated this while getting into his truck.

Kurtz said that as he saw them backing out, he placed his patrol vehicle at the entrance of the trailer court, attempting to block it, and exited his vehicle. Kurtz tried to get Costas to wait and calm down.

"Kevin stated he did not want to wait and he drove around my vehicle and up Upper Mountain Road, about a half-mile, where I observed him stop and talk to Elljay Watkins, who was coming down Upper Mountain Road in a silver Buick," Kurtz wrote in the affidavit. The office reported that both vehicles returned to the trailer park, and Kevin Costas got out of his vehicle, screaming obscenities. Kurtz again requested him to calm down.

Facebook argument alleged

Kurtz said Kevin Costas explained that all the guys fighting that day were good friends a month ago, "but then there were a lot of accusations going around and people began arguing on Facebook a while back."

Kurtz asked him to be more specific about the incident that took place, and Kevin Costas said that he and Sierra Swisher were going to Walmart and took Route 414 through Ogdensburg earlier in the day, and heard people yell something as they drove by a house.

"He stated he looked in his mirror and saw a guy waving a baseball bat in the air, so he decided to turn around and go back by them," Kurtz stated. "He drove by again and he stated that's when Danny Greene threw a large rock at his windshield, breaking it. He claimed he drove straight home and called Mansfield (state police) Barracks and they told him that they won't do anything to help him because they had more witnesses."

Kurtz, meanwhile, said he contacted state police at Mansfield and asked about this incident.

State police share results of investigation

According to Kurtz, the trooper from Mansfield explained that he had numerous witnesses and neighbors saying that they saw Kevin Costas and Sierra Swisher drive by the house of Dana Burgess, approximately 6 to 10 times, screaming, "you're dead (expletive deleted)." In addition, police said they could not find a rock in the roadway, any broken glass, or anyone who saw someone throw a rock. The trooper said that Costas and Swisher were being charged with disorderly conduct.

According to the affidavit, Kevin Costas stated that "Sierra started getting these messages on Facebook from Danny and Dana. They argued pretty much all afternoon and I told them if they want to fight, then come on up and I'd be happy to beat on them, but when they got here, the cowards had (expletive deleted) guns."

The affidavit notes that Costas said that "Dana started it when he hit John in the face, for no reason." Costas said he then saw "Danny Greene holding a shotgun in Sierra's face and I started chasing him around the vehicle," according to the affidavit.

"Then, I saw that (expletive deleted) push my father to the ground, so I started going after him," Costas is quoted as saying in the document. "When they tried leaving, I told them the police were coming, and they had to wait, but Danny Green(e) floored it and threw me on the hood. The front passenger reached out and grabbed my arm and held me there, while the rear passenger got out and hit me in the shoulder with a baseball bat, which is when I fell off the car and smashed my head."

Kurtz said he noticed a machete sheath on the ground in front of Kevin Costas's trailer, but Costas claimed it had been there for awhile and none of his friends had any weapons at the fight.

Back-up arrives

Kurtz said state police at Towanda arrived on the scene as back-up. He requested one of the troopers speak with Kevin Costas and Sierra Swisher because he said they were stating "that they would handle this on their own and they would get revenge, etc."

Kurtz said he and the trooper spoke to them about the process of the law, and they appeared agitated because police were not going to drive to Ogdensburg and immediately arrest the other individuals on hearsay.

"I explained that everyone would be charged appropriately once I received their statements back, but they were not satisfied, stating that this fight was not over and the next time we showed up, we better bring body bags with us, etc.," Kurtz wrote in the affidavit. Kurtz said he provided several statement forms for them to fill out and cleared the scene, after state police and the ambulance cleared.

Other people offer their versions of the event

Kurtz talked to John Jacopetti about the incident.

According to Kurtz, Jacopetti said that he was drinking a beer and was happy that the Steelers just won the game. Then, he heard there was supposed to be a fight, so he came over to check it out. However, he said he found out that people had brought guns. He said that he thought it was supposed to be "a one-on-one fist fight like in the old days." He said the only reason he came over was "to make sure no one got hurt," and he got punched in the face.

Jacopetti said, "they hit me right here and busted my eye all up," according to Kurtz.

Kurtz said that when he asked Jacopetti who hit him, he looked at Sierra Swisher and asked her what the guy's name was and she answered that it was Kelly Fitzwater. Kurtz asked her who was with him, and she responded, "Well, it was two vehicles, a yellow X-Terra and a gray Ford Explorer."

According to the affidavit, Swisher continued by stating, "Altogether, there was Dana Burgess, Danny Greene, who pointed a gun in my face, by the way; Mark Vroman (a.k.a. Ardvark); Anthony Wolf; Kelly Fitzwater; and Jason Fitch. Danny had a shotgun, and Mark had a hunting rifle."

Also, Kurtz said, he was approached by Philip Costas, who Kurtz said made the following statement:

"My son Kevin came running in my house, yelling, 'They have guns!' I ran out to make sure the guns got put away and no one got shot. You don't need guns to settle something like men. So, anyway I got over there and I saw one guy holding a gun and I told him put it away now! When I yelled, 'Put the guns away now!,' they did lay them down inside a vehicle but he left the door open. I wanted to close the door so no one could grab that gun. So, I went over to the vehicle to close the door and a large man shoved me backwards so hard when I hit the ground, my glasses came flying off! I'm 59 years old with a bad back, ya see. So, when I finally was able to get up, I called 911 and gave them the license plates to the two vehicles before they peeled out and threw dirt all over my face, hair, and glasses!"

'Completely different version of events'

The next day, on Aug. 24, Kurtz said that he received a phone call from Dana Burgess, who he said offered "a completely different version of events from last night."

According to Kurtz, Burgess explained that he did hit Jacopetti, but that was only because Jacopetti had tried to cut him with a three-foot machete.

Kurtz said at 8 p.m. that day, he met with Burgess, Greene, Vroman, and Wolf at the police department. He said they calmly walked in the door and began filling out statement forms about what happened. Each suspect was taken into the interview room to speak with Kurtz.

While speaking with Greene, Kurtz said, Burgess came in very upset, stating that his wife and children were at home alone. He said she just called him, stating there were two vehicles outside and she heard someone yell Kevin and Sierra's names. "They all stormed out of the department to go protect his family," Kurtz wrote in the affidavit.

According to Kurtz, he was informed the next day that Kevin Costas and Sierra Swisher were charged with defiant trespass and disorderly conduct, stemming from this incident. Kurtz said he received vulgar messages from Kevin Costas and Cheryl Costas on the voice mail of the police department. He attempted to contact Kevin Costas several times, with no response.

Charges listed

Here is a listing of charges faced by the people involved in the incident:

Kevin Nicholas Costas; Dana Paul Burgess; Sierra Anita Swisher; Kelly Fitzwater; Jason Robert Fitch; and Anthony Michael Wolf are charged with the following offenses:

- aggravated assault, a felony of the second degree

- riot-plan/use firearm/weapon, a felony of the third degree

- make repairs/sell/etc. offense weapon

- recklessly endangering another person

- simple assault - attempt

- disorderly conduct - engage in fight - court case

- harassment - communicate lewd, threatening, etc. language

The majority of these charges are marked "conspiracy" in court papers. The harassment charge against Fitzwater and the riot-plan/use firearm/weapon and harassment charge against Fitch are not marked "conspiracy."

In addition, these people are charged in the court papers:

- Philip R. Costas: second degree felony aggravated assault, third degree felony riot-plan/use firearm weapon, prohibited offensive weapons, recklessly endangering another person, and simple assault - attempt, all marked "conspiracy," and disorderly conduct - engage in fight - court case and harassment - communicate lewd, threatening, etc. language

- Mark Jay Vroman, Jr.: second degree felony aggravated assault, third degree felony riot-plan/use firearm/weapon, simple assault - attempt, recklessly endangering another person, disorderly conduct - engage in fight - court case, and harassment - communicate lewd, threatening, etc. language, all marked "conspiracy"

- Daniel Thomas Greene: aggravated assault, a felony of the second degree; riot-plan/use firearm/weapon, listed as simply a felony; make repairs/sell/etc. offense weapon; recklessly endangering another person; simple assault - attempt; and disorderly conduct - engage in fight - court case, all marked "conspiracy"

- Jordan Elias Bardo: second degree felony aggravated assault, third degree felony riot-plan/use firearm/weapon, and make repairs/sell/etc. offense weapon, all marked "conspiracy," and recklessly endangering another person, simple assault - attempt, and disorderly conduct - engage in fight - court case

- John R. Jacopetti: second degree felony aggravated assault, third degree felony riot-plan/use firearm/weapon, make repairs/sell/etc. offense weapon, recklessly endangering another person, all marked "conspiracy," and simple assault - attempt, disorderly conduct - engage in fight - court case, and harassment - communicate lewd, threatening, etc. language

- Elljay Eugene Watkins: "conspiracy" aggravated assault, a felony of the second degree; riot-plan/use firearm/weapon, a felony of the third degree; make repairs/sell/etc. offense weapon; "conspiracy" recklessly endangering another person, "conspiracy" simple assault - attempt; disorderly conduct - engage in fight - court case; and "conspiracy" communicate lewd, threatening, etc. language

Another incident

Kurtz also reported on Aug. 26 when he was in the office, Burgess, Greene, Vroman, and Wolf showed up at the front door. He said they came in to show him new messages in which Kevin Costas had contacted them by text messages, threatening them.

According to Kurtz, he was speaking calmly with them and gathering information, when Kevin Costas started pounding on the door at the police department.

After instructing everyone to go back in the conference room, he opened the door to Kevin Costas, who yelled that he was recording Kurtz and was going to have him fired.

Kurtz said that Kevin Costas, Sierra Swisher, Philip Costas, Cheryl Costas and several others came in the front door, yelling so much he couldn't understand what one of them was saying. Another person was also mentioned in the group, but Wilcox said no complaint has been filed on this person in District Court.

Once they stopped yelling, Kurtz said that he saw that Swisher had statement forms that had been filled out. He asked for them, and Kurtz said she stated, "No way, so you can shred them?!" and said, "Kurtz, you're done buddy, I called the DA and the state police, so we are just going to wait right here for everyone to come."

Then, Kurtz told them the state police would give them the same answers he did, and they began yelling and cursing yet again, according to the affidavit.

Finally, Kevin Costas gave Kurtz the statements, and said, "I have nine copies of these, so don't think you can cover these up." They were asked nicely to leave, and cursed and refused to leave after several warnings and requests, according to the affidavit.

Kurtz contacted the Towanda State Police barracks and asked if they had a car in the area to assist in removing trespassers. Two troopers arrived, and requested the people leave several times. Kurtz said the troopers displayed great restraint and professionalism while listening to the people, and eventually, the people began to leave one by one. He said the situation was resolved, without use of force or injury to anyone.

Following are those charged in this incident, according to court papers:

- Kevin Nicholas Costas: failure of disorderly persons to disperse, defiant trespass actual communication to, disorderly conduct obscene language/gesture summary, and criminal mischief - damage property - summary case, all marked "conspiracy," and harassment - communicate lewd, threatening, etc. language

- Philip R. Costas: failure of disorderly persons to disperse, defiant trespass actual communication to, disorderly conduct obscene language/gesture summary, and harassment - communicate lewd, threatening, etc. language

- Cheryl L. Costas, 52, of Canton and Sierra Anita Swisher: failure of disorderly persons to disperse, defiant trespass actual communication to, disorderly conduct - obscene language/gesture, and harassment - communicate lewd, threatening, etc. language

They face preliminary hearings before Wilcox Oct. 21.

Eric Hrin can be reached at (570) 297-5251; email: reviewtroy@thedailyreview.com.

ATHENS - Two members of the Athens Area School District received recognition for their dedication to the district at Tuesday's school board meeting.

Bus driver Tammy Kingsley and eighth grade math teacher Jeremiah Serfass were presented with the Pennsylvania Association of School Retirees Lauretta Woodson Recognition Program Award.

PASR representative Karen Bracken presented the awards to Kingsley and Serfass after praising their hard work.

Kingsley, an Athens graduate and Ridgebury native, is entering her sixth year driving for the district, Bracken said, and was prompted into the position by her neighbor and long-time bus driver Charles Nichols, who owns the bus Kingsley drives.

"Tammy is up at 5 a.m. five days a week and starts her route at 6:25 a.m.," Bracken said. "Her afternoon run starts at 2:50 p.m. She is the first bus in line."

Bracken said Kingsley had to pass physical, written, and road tests to chauffeur Athens students safely to and from the schools.

"Being a bus driver requires keeping to a tight schedule so that children arrive at school and home at their expected time. Being a bus driver requires maintaining a level of order without being too harsh so that all riders are insured of an unhassled and safe ride," Bracken said. "Tammy meets these challenges every day and says she feels blessed because she has such a wonderful bunch of 'kids' on her run."

Kinsgley's route includes Chapel Hill Road and many connecting roads in Smithfield, as well as the Milan East Smithfield Road, where she transports Smithfield-area students in kindergarten through 12th grade, Bracken said.

District Transportation Coordinator Beth Chernosky nominated Kingsley for the Woodson Support Staff Award.

Serfass was nominated for the Woodson Excellence Award by retired Harlan-Rowe Middle School Principal Donald Jones.

"Jones spoke of Jeremiah's enthusiasm toward teaching and his dedication to his students," Bracken said. "Jeremiah believes that education is the key to success in life."

Serfass has also been with the district for six years as of the this year.

He began teaching art at SRU Elementary School to sixth and seventh graders, then began teaching math at Harlan-Rowe his second year with the district.

Not only does Serfass have a passion for education, he also has a passion for fitness and exercise.

"During the 2014-2015 school year, Jeremiah initiated an after school fitness program in cooperation with Mark Maynard, the physical education teacher," Bracken said. "The purpose of the program was to motivate students to be more physically active."

This fall sports season, Serfass is serving as the junior high football coach and will also coach junior high wrestling during the winter sports season.

Serfass enjoys fishing, camping, backpacking, and running: he is training for the Corning Wineglass Marathon in October.

Serfass, an Athens and Penn State graduate, is working toward earning his master's degree from Penn State.

According to the PASR website, the purpose of the Lauretta Woodson Recognition Program is to honor one educator and one support professional for doing an outstanding job within a district or school. Chapters select the award recipients and then present them with a medallion, certificate, and PASR pin.

Max Bennett can be reached at (570) 888-9652; or email mbennett@thedailyreview.com.

TROY - How long will the Troy Area School District be able to pay its bills, if the state budget impasse continues?

That was a question at the school board meeting Tuesday.

In response to a question from board member Rebecca Nauta, district business administrator Traci Gilliland provided a projection.

She said that she based her estimate from the date of Sept. 1.

Gilliland told the board that the district should be OK for four to five months from that date, if the budget impasse continues.

She said the district should be able to meet its operating expenses and payroll each month of approximately $1.55 million, as well as a bond payment of $1,036,000 that is due on Sept. 15, for that length of time. The next bond payment isn't until March, she said.

She was basing her estimate on budgeted 2015-16 expenses, she said.

"I'm monitoring it closely, and I'll be reporting next month with options," she told the board.

In other business, the board passed a parameters resolution in the hopes of saving approximately $400,000 from the possible refinancing of 2008 and 2010 bond issues.

The board took the action following a presentation by Robert W. Baird and Company and Cozen O'Connor.

The resignation of Virginia Roupp as personal care aide at Troy Intermediate School was accepted, effective Sept. 16.

Jerry May presented an insurance package overview to the board. He praised the safety committee.

It was noted that the October work session meeting will be held Monday, Oct. 12, due to the PSBA conference.

Board vice president Dan Martin, who was sitting in for board president Todd Curren, urged board members to read the biographies of those running in the PSBA election, and not just pick names.

Board members Ursula Fox and Bill Brasington praised Mark B. Miller, who is running for president elect in the PSBA election.

The board adjourned to an executive session.

Eric Hrin can be reached at (570) 297-5251; email: reviewtroy@thedailyreview.com.

The Bradford County Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program invites countywide non-profit agencies and municipalities to apply for project funding eligible for the program. There will be a public meeting at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24 at the Bradford County Commissioners conference room immediately following the commissioners' meeting. All applicants must attend and present their project. Eligible projects must meet one of three national objectives set forth by the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED). These objectives are:

1. Benefit to low and moderate-income persons including: area benefit activities; LMI population demonstrated with census information; limited clientele activities - i.e. handicap access, senior citizens activities, battered spouses, homeless persons, illiterate persons, migrant farm workers; housing activities specifically provided to low/moderate income households and job creation/retention.

2. Address slum/blight conditions including historic preservation of buildings and demolition of dilapidated structures in a municipality.

3. Urgent community development need possessing a serious and immediate threat to the health and welfare of the community where no other resources are available to solve the problem. This category includes aid for natural disasters and emergencies were the request is made at the time of the emergency only.

Other important considerations include timeliness, how ready the project is to proceed and realizing that paying federal prevailing wages is a requirement of CDBG funding in projects over, $2,000 and the federal dollars necessitate the whole project run according to federal guidelines even when other non-federal dollars are mixed in the funding your project. This can add significant costs to a project and must be considered. More detailed information and an application are available from the Grants Office at (570) 268-4193. It is best to be in touch early and often but applications are accepted through Monday, Sept. 21.

Hawes Lane, a privately owned thoroughfare running along the west side of the Global Tungsten & Powders plant in Towanda from James Street to the Merrill Parkway, is now closed to public traffic due to safety concerns from the corporation.

According to GTP Director of Manufacturing Services James Morse, problems with through traffic have arisen after the company added manufacturing operations and storage to the west side of the road, which created an increase in industrial traffic leading to "numerous near misses" with passing cars.

He said it's not just the amount of passing cars that has caused the issue, but also their speed.

"A significant percentage of the traffic is related to non-business vehicles," Morse explained. "We also monitored the speed of traffic and found vehicles that travel more than 10 mph over our 25 mph speed limit. We actually caught some vehicles traveling over 80 mph on this road during the nighttime," he said.

The closure, which Morse described as permanent, will be enforced through the utilization of GTP's security personnel, who have been instructed to periodically stop traffic and ask violators to turn around, he said.

"We have security cameras placed all along Hawes (Lane) and are prepared to prosecute repeat offenders. This is a very serious safety situation and we expect the community to honor our request," Morse said.

However, exceptions will be made for members of the public who make use of the recycling center located along Hawes Lane.

"We set up the recycling center for our employees but we have allowed the public to use it if they did not have curbside service. This is located on the north end of Hawes," he said. "The only thing that we ask is that the recyclers enter from the north entrance and exit the same way. We are reasonable. If someone has a need to use the road on a temporary or periodic basis, they should stop at the main gatehouse and make a request," he said.

Signs informing motorists of the closure were installed last Thursday at each end of the roadway, Morse said.

The road is a privately owned and privately funded road, according to Morse.

"(GTP is) responsible for costs associated with monitoring and maintaining (the road), including asphalt and curb repair, salting and snow removal, sidewalks, lighting and security," he said.

He said GTP has owned the road since the construction and opening of the Merrill Parkway, when it was altered and became private property of the corporation.

Morse said the security guards at the plant have been busy this week informing drivers of the closure, but he expects the activity to die down relatively quickly.

"GTP security guards stopped many vehicles on Tuesday. It will take a couple weeks of education to get to the majority of the public traffic. Communication through word of mouth will be as effective as anything."

Tim Zyla can be reached at (570) 265-1639; or email: tzyla@thedailyreview.com.

TOWANDA - A 61-year-old Ulster man was assaulted over the weekend in Towanda Borough and died of his injuries on Monday, Towanda Borough police announced in a press release.

Towanda Borough Police confirmed that the man's name is Ronald Powell.

Powell was found injured on a sidewalk on Main Street in Towanda early Sunday, after having been assaulted, Towanda Police said in the press release, which they issued late Wednesday afternoon. Powell was then transported to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries on Monday, the press release states.

Powell died at Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, Bradford County Coroner Tom Carman said.

Towanda Police Sgt. David Lantz said that no arrests have been made in connection with Powell's death.

Lantz said he had been on vacation when the assault occurred, was not directly involved in the investigation, and did not know if there were suspects in the case.

"Many, many people have been interviewed" by the police in connection with Powell's death, Lantz said. The police "have gotten a lot of cooperation" from the public, he said.

Powell operated a refuse service, picking up garbage from residents' homes in Rome Township, where he lived, according to the Rome Township supervisors.

Although Powell lived in Rome Township, he had an Ulster mailing address.

Powell received "massive head injuries" in the assault, according to his girlfriend, Bonnie Fenster.

Powell was a generous person who "would give the shirt off his back," she said.

Carman said it was his understanding that Powell was transported to Robert Packer Hospital in an ambulance.

Towanda police said that the incident that led to Powell's death occurred at approximately 1:30 a.m. Sunday.

Towanda police and the coroner declined to release additional information related to Powell's death.

"At this point, we are not releasing anything," Carman said. Powell's death "is still very much under investigation," Carman added.

"An autopsy has been completed, but we are withholding the results until further investigation has been completed," Carman said.

James Loewenstein can be reached at (570) 265-1633; or email: jloewenstein@thedailyreview.com

WELLS TWP. - A resident expressed her appreciation at the last township meeting for the work that's been done on Judson Hill Cemetery.

During the public comment period, Melba Campbell spoke to the township supervisors about the work.

"When I left the meeting here last month, I went right up to our cemetery up on Judson Hill," she said. "It's looking really good. They're doing a great job, and I really appreciate it."

The work has involved setting up cemetery markers that have fallen and filling in areas where the ground has subsided, said township secretary Mary Hastings

Another resident, Georgia Schonher, expressed some concerns about Ameigh Valley Road.

She said it was "a total washboard," and motorists couldn't travel more than 10 mph.

"It's horrible," she said.

After the meeting, Hastings said the township would work on it the next day. She said it's a "fairly, heavily traveled road," with "quite a grade on it."

When asked for comment, Schonher said she was satisfied with the township's response to her concerns.

She said she was happy, "as long as they're going to fix it."

Supervisors tabled action on a state bid from Warner Tractor for a tractor/mower for approximately $62,000. They agreed to take suggestions for the mowing of the roadsides and also see how much it would cost to have someone do this work.

Earlier this year, supervisors passed a resolution to adopt the county's hazard mitigation plan as their own. Hastings said it has been approved by FEMA.

Hastings said the township will advertise for diesel fuel.

Supervisors also will advertise to sell a 1988 trailer.

Also, supervisors agreed to order 300 tons of red cinders from Rider Excavating.

Hastings said the certified occupancy permit for the township building is now for a maximum occupancy load of 36 people. Code Inspections allowed it to be raised from 12 people. Hastings said this was done mostly for election time, when people are voting at the building.

Supervisors agreed to sign a distribution agreement with Direct Marketing Services for the distribution of emergency guides at the township building.

Hastings said the guides have local information as well as national hotlines, such as Child Abuse and Poison Control. She said they are magnets that can be placed on refrigerators for easy access. There is no charge to the township.

Eric Hrin can be reached at (570) 297-5251; email: reviewtroy@thedailyreview.com.

WELLS TWP. - Township supervisors are no longer pursuing a fire insurance escrow ordinance.

At the last township meeting, township secretary Mary Hastings noted that supervisors discussed the matter in July.

At that time, supervisor chairman David Stewart made a motion to not adopt the ordinance, with supervisor John Shimko seconding it, according to the meeting minutes.

The motion passed.

When asked for comment as to why the supervisors decided to not move forward with the ordinance, supervisor Timothy Noble said, "we figured, 'why does the township got to get involved?'"

Supervisors have been talking about the ordinance since this spring.

Such ordinances set aside a portion of insurance money on a burned-out property until it is cleaned up, according to Hastings.

Eric Hrin can be reached at (570) 297-5251; email: reviewtroy@thedailyreview.com.

Local Briefs

Bridge replacement project to begin in Bradford County: SR 467 bridge over Rockwell Creek closing in Pike Township week of Sept. 21

MONTOURSVILLE - The Public-Private Partnership (P3) project to rebuild 558 bridges all across Pennsylvania will continue in Bradford County with the closure of the SR 467 Bridge over Rockwell Creek in Pike Township.

The bridge is scheduled to be closed the week beginning Monday, Sept. 21. Once the bridge is closed, all SR 467 traffic will be detoured via SR 1010 (CC Allis Road). The detour is expected to be in place until the end of October.

The SR 467 Bridge is the second bridge to be replaced in Bradford County this year. Another nine Bradford County bridges will be replaced in 2016 and 2017.

The bridge replacements are part of the Rapid Bridge Replacement Project, a P3 between PennDOT and Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners (PWKP). PWKP will finance, design, replace and maintain the bridges for 25 years, while PennDOT will maintain ownership of the bridges. The P3 approach will allow faster replacement of bridges while achieving significant savings and minimizing impact on motorists.

To see the bridges included in the statewide initiative and learn more about the Rapid Bridge Replacement Project and P3 in Pennsylvania, visit www.P3forPA.pa.gov. Additional information on the project, the team and how to bid on the project can be found at www.PARapidBridges.com.

Submitted by Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners.

CANTON - Canton Borough Council is set to receive a recommendation from the codes committee about the borough's proposed rental inspection ordinance.

Recently, the committee convened to work on the draft of the ordinance after a consensus hadn't been reached on council concerning the draft.

The recommendation is now headed to council.

"Committee members that night advised me to have it for full council at the Sept. 14 meeting," borough administrator Amy Seeley said, when asked for comment.

In the committee meeting, council members Darryl Jannone, Alfonse Ciaccio, Kurt Bastion and council president Ken Robertson, discussed the matter at length. A handful of landlords also attended the meeting, in addition to the fire chief, the police chief, the police sergeant and the code enforcement officer.

Seeley provided ordinances from several other communities for the committee members to review: Milton, Towanda, Berwick, South Williamsport, Northumberland, and Wyomissing.

Jannone, who has been a critic of Canton Borough's draft ordinance and has called it a "work in progress," has complained that the borough's draft is "a bit too much like an overzealous homeowners' association."

He has advocated less governmental intrusion and reach.

For these reasons, Jannone said, he liked Milton Borough's ordinance, compared to Canton Borough's draft.

When asked for comment, he said, "Milton Borough's Ordinance focuses solely on matters of health, safety and welfare of the tenants and landlords alike rather than the civil matters that are nested between a landlord and a tenant."

He continued, "Milton's ordinance was well crafted and easy to read. Of equal importance to me is that the Milton ordinance included the short inspection checklist. Providing the checklist limits the borough's involvement to only matters of health, safety and welfare. This allows the borough to partner with landlords and tenants to ensure safe housing while minimizing intrusion and fees."

Jannone, who said the committee meeting allowed some good traction to be made on the matter, said he felt more comfortable with what was discussed in the committee meeting.

"I look forward to an open discussion with the entire council," he said. "I hope that landlords and tenants attend the next meeting because truthfully, the positive and negative feedback that the landlords provided at the meeting made a great deal of impact on the vocabulary of the ordinance. Their input, as far as I am concerned, was vital to the process, which is why this ordinance has remained in draft format for so long. If this is to happen in our borough, it is more important that it be done correctly, with input from those it impacts than it being done quickly."

As far as the frequency of the inspections, the committee discussed having an initial inspection, a change of occupancy inspection and an annual inspection.

"That was what was discussed but remains open for further discussion," Jannone said, when asked for comment.

Eric Hrin can be reached at (570) 297-5251; email: reviewtroy@thedailyreview.com.

WAVERLY N.Y. - As hordes of young students filed toward the entrance of the Lincoln Street Elementary School for their first day, Wednesday, some of them cried, and some of their parents cried, but for the majority of students the tears dried up and the learning began shortly after.

School principal Diane Tymoski said there are 279 students enrolled in the school, which houses students from Pre-K through first grade.

"For them, it's a transition, but usually they adjust beautifully as we have all hands on deck for the first few days of school," Tymoski said.

She said a few changes are taking place this year at the school, of which the most noticeable for parents will be a change in the report card grading system.

The new system does not rely on percents or level grades, but rather a level ranging from one at the low end to four as a perfect grade.

She said the school has also added another Pre-K program, bringing the total amount of classes to three, with 18 kids in each.

"We have a waiting list for Pre-K," she said.

Tymoski said her goals for this year are to continue leading the school's staff in helping them to meet the standards of a rigorous curriculum.

"The teachers really have to work hard to get (all of the learning material) in before the end of the year," she explained. "I always say to the teachers 'We are teaching children, not subjects,'" she said.

At the Waverly High School, principal Ashlee Hunt said the day went very well with very few problems arising throughout the first day.

With a total enrollment of 503 students from grades nine through 12, Hunt attributed the day's success to some of her staff's hard work, who increased communication with students over the summer and took a proactive approach to class scheduling.

She said the school has hired a new counselor and a part time physical education teacher for this year and has several new class offerings.

Hunt said the middle school, which educates students from grades six through eight, has 336 enrolled students for this year.

She said the district is also using a new, upgraded website for this year in addition to a new twitter account, which will be used to post updates and happenings at the schools.

When asked if she had any goals for the school year, Hunt said she is striving to increase the graduation rate to 100 percent.

She said the graduation rate in 2013 and 2014 was approximately 73 percent, but in 2015 it jumped to 81 percent, a trend that Hunt hopes to continue.

Tim Zyla can be reached at (570) 265-1639; or email: tzyla@thedailyreview.com.

Bradford County Sheriff's Office taking back unwanted prescription drugs

WYALUSING - From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sept. 12 the Bradford County Sheriff's Office and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring you pills for disposal to Miller's Pharmacy at Miller's Plaza in Wyalusing. (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.) The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the numbers of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines - flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash - both pose potential safety and health hazards.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the Sept. 12 Take Back Day event, go to the DEA Office of Diversion Control site.

Submitted by the Bradford County Sheriff's Office.

Move it along

I want to voice concern for the people pulling up to prepay at gas pumps. Please, pay for your gas first, then move your car, then do your shopping. Consider the person behind you, as their time is as important as yours.

Can't afford it

I'm calling about the Wyalusing School District and the teachers thinking about going on strike. Between their salary and their benefits, they're making over $100,000 a year? Give me a break. I'm on Medicare and Social Security. My Medicare costs me money. I have to pay for my Medicare, and my Social Security. I get lucky if I get $800 a month. You know what that comes to a year? And what they're getting? I can't afford to pay you people. So walk, walk to another state and go somewhere else. Let the other young ones take over your work a little bit cheaper for us.

In agreement

I agree with the person that said all lives matter. Not just black, not just white, not just any other color. And I'm getting tired of people protesting.

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Care to share?

The Daily Review's Sound Off column will include items, both positive and negative, called in to a Sound Off hotline. That number is 570-265-1603. Calls will be anonymous; names will not be published. Profanity, as well as libelous content will be edited out. Give us a call. Let us know what's on your mind. We look forward to hearing from you!

Potholes need patching

I'm calling about the Bradford Towne Center. There's portions of the parking lot in good shape and other portions in bad shape. Big deep potholes. It's time to get those paved up.

Missing Smeck's

I wish Smeck's produce stand that used to be in Wysox would come back again.

Shouldn't strike

This call is in response to your poll topic from last week about the Troy teachers and the Wyalusing teachers threatening to strike. For the people voting "I don't know," maybe they're the people that don't have to pay the increase in the high taxes. Maybe that's why they don't know if the teachers should be on strike or not. The teachers should not be on strike at all and the wages and benefits should hold true to what the school board wants.

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Care to share?

The Daily Review's Sound Off column will include items, both positive and negative, called in to a Sound Off hotline. That number is 570-265-1603. Calls will be anonymous; names will not be published. Profanity, as well as libelous content will be edited out. Give us a call. Let us know what's on your mind. We look forward to hearing from you!