REMEMBERING CURLEY
He is being remembered for being the first Black Police Chief for the City of Williamsport. The late city Police Chief Curley J. Jett died on Jan. 24 at the age of 77. He graduated from the Williamsport Area Community College and became a police officer under the leadership of Mayor John R. Coder in 1973. As reported by SUN Gazette, he ascended through the ranks from officer, then agent, sergeant, captain, assistant chief and finally chief of the Williamsport Bureau of Police. The public visitation and private burial is being held by the Maneval Allen Redmond Funeral Home. The public viewing is from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home at 500 W. Fourth St on Friday, Feb. 4.
DEATH AT LYCOMING COUNTY PRISON
An inmate at the Lycoming County Prison died on January 15. Chaz Turner of Williamsport was transported to UPMC Williamsport via ambulance. It was at UPMC, where Turner was pronounced dead. According to Lycoming County Coroner, Charles E. Kiessling, Jr, the autopsy results are 10-12 weeks out, however he feels it appears to have been a natural death. Turner, the focus on a recent disturbance on Jan. 4th at the UPMC Williamsport, was jailed following the arraignment by District Judge Aaron Biichle.
STOLEN MONEY FROM AN ESTATE
A Luzerne County woman allegedly stole thousands of dollars from her grandfather’s estate. Krystyne Farris was arraigned on felony charges of theft from mid-August 2019 through last July. The estate belonged to James Hauser. Farris was the caretaker and also the power of attorney for Hauser’s estate. According to state police, Farris took upwards of $18,414 from the estate. As reported by SUN Gazette, charges were filed as a result of an investigation that began just days after Hauser’s death when family members came to the state police barracks. Farris, arraigned Jan. 25 before District Justice Gary Whiteman on felony charges of theft and receiving stolen property and released on $25,000 bail.
ARCA FUND MEETING
The Williamsport City Council held an ARCA funds meeting last night at the Trade and Transit Center 2. On the agenda was the discussion on the proper spending of the $25.5 million in American Rescue Funds. A few of the items discussed included fire apparatus for the Bureau of fire, street lighting and traffic cameras.
NEW FOOTBALL COACH IN LHU
Dan Mulrooney has been named the new head football coach at Lock Haven University. Mulrooney comes to The Haven after leading a remarkable turnaround at NCAA Division III Anna Maria College in Paxton, Massachusetts. A historic 7-3 record led Anna Maria to the 2021 NCAA Division III playoffs, the school’s first-ever NCAA tournament appearance. Coach Mulrooney reported he is certainly looking forward to his next challenge at LHU.
COVID UPDATE
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Monday reported new cases. Clinton County reported 17 new cases. In Centre County 71 new cases were recorded. Lycoming County added 73. Tioga County added 6. On Monday, the DOH reported 36 new cases in Northumberland County, 21 in Union County, 20 in Snyder and 19 in Montour County.
COURT CONSIDERING GETTING INVOLVED
Pennsylvania’s highest court signaled Monday that it may get involved in the process of redrawing Pennsylvania’s congressional districts boundaries, as the state runs up against the primary schedule to adjust the boundaries to account for a decade of demographic shifts. The state Supreme Court, in a 5-2 decision, put a hold on a lower court’s consideration of proposals for a new map and said it would hear arguments on whether to exercise its authority over the process. Democrats had asked the court to exercise its “extraordinary jurisdiction” in the matter. A Commonwealth Court judge, Patricia McCullough, has held three days of hearings on competing proposals for new district boundaries submitted to the court after Gov. Tom Wolf and lawmakers deadlocked. More than a dozen were submitted by Republican lawmakers, Democratic lawmakers, Wolf, partisan groups and good-government groups.
AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN FUNDS TO FIRE SERVICE
Williamsport Bureau of Fire Chief Sam Angst attended the Williamsport City Council meeting last evening, as one of the items for American Rescue Funding was new fire apparatus for the department. Chief Angst looks forward to his position as Chief, which he has had for a full week, with optimism. Coordination and cooperation with both paid and volunteer fire companies throughout Lycoming County is something the Chief stresses as well as public education and high level community service.
