News

Gov. Shapiro signs Yaw-sponsored solar bill signed into law

News July 22, 2026

State legislation ensuring responsible solar development and offering better protections for landowners was signed into law earlier this week by Gov. Josh Shapiro, according to Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Loyalsock Township, sponsor of the measure. Senate Bill 349, now Act 44 of 2026, establishes decommissioning and financial requirements for solar generation projects, ensuring landowners won’t bear the burden of dismantling solar facilities once they cease operation. The proposal includes a graduated phase-in process for financial assurances, setting up five-year benchmarks using third-party ...

US soldier killed in Iraq was a 30-year-old father from North Carolina

National News July 21, 2026

A U.S. soldier killed in Iraq during a controlled detonation of an Iranian drone was a 30-year-old father from North Carolina who had served for nearly a decade, according to a military statement Tuesday and his family. Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, of Fayetteville, will receive a Bronze ...

Reflections in Nature: A look at the bison in the United States

News July 21, 2026

Recently I saw on the news where a man had been attacked by a buffalo in Yellowstone National Park. He was thrown eight feet into the air, but luckily survived and is now recuperating in the hospital. Watching the buffalo charge after the man, with the dust flying, reminded me of the time Mary Alice and I were in the middle of a Buffalo herd stampede. We were on a trip out west and stopped at Kearney, Nebraska, where we saw a museum built in an arch over I-80. The museum was made up of many rooms with each depicting a different phase of pioneer life in the west. In the first room, we ...

Loyalsock Township School Board OKs hirings

News July 21, 2026

The Loyalsock Township School Board filled several staffing slots at its recent July meeting. In staffing, the board approved Stephanie Bower as a full-time paraprofessional, effective Aug. 25, 2026, at an hourly rate of $17.10; Brock Hepler as a full-time paraprofessional, effective Aug. 25, 2026, at an hourly rate of $16.10; Larry Trimble as Color Guard Instructor for the 2026-27 school year; an hourly rate of $18.38 for Jamal Nesmith, Intervention Specialist, for the 2026-27 school year; Beth Rohrer as Head Volleyball Coach for the 2026-27 sports season, at a stipend of $3,000.00; ...

Work to start Memorial Avenue neighborhood alliance underway in Williamsport

News July 21, 2026

A Williamsport neighborhood is coming together after a deadly shooting last month. Kevin Mackey of Memorial Avenue recently told the City Council of efforts to form a neighborhood alliance. During public comment, he thanked Williamsport Bureau of Police for the quick action officers took at the scene on June 29. The daytime shooting near Memorial Avenue and Lloyd Street later claimed the life of 18-year-old Nasir Kramer, who was pronounced dead at the emergency room. Two other teens, ages 17 and 19, were also wounded. Mackey said he had family members at the Memorial Park pool and ...

Not everything is game

News July 21, 2026

A quick review of either the Pennsylvania Game Commission or Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission summary of regulations, the paper booklet provided to every license buyer, will find that not every species of wildlife or fish has a season. When even lifelong outdoorsmen realize the Commission spends license dollars on these species, one of which cannot be legally taken with said license, there is often confusion. What they do not understand is how important these non-game species are to the overall natural landscape, the health of our streams and forests, and even the survival of the ...