Lycoming County commissioners call out ‘rumor mill’

April 11, 2026

Reacting to a video on social media of the Muncy Township Supervisors’ meeting which showed an altercation erupting following the meeting, Lycoming County Commissioner Scott Metzger commented, “last night was not a good look for the eastern end of the county.” Muncy Township’s meetings have struggled since new supervisors took over this year and Metzger noted that it’s gotten worse. “It’s just not a good look for anyone,” he said. One of the issues at the township stems from a board that is currently in litigation with developers, who are seeking to redevelop the ...

Lycoming County Judge sentences man to life in prison for homicide

April 11, 2026

A convicted murderer will spend the rest of his life in prison, Lycoming County President Judge Eric Linhardt announced Friday morning. The sentencing comes after a jury of 10 women and six men found Benjamin Villanueva III, 35, guilty of criminal homicide, aggravated assault with a deadly ...

Williamsport OKs deal for zoning enforcement

April 11, 2026

Williamsport City Council recently approved a resolution authorizing an agreement between the city and Barry Isett, a third-party codes and zoning service. Mayor Derek Slaughter said the resolution will be for a zoning enforcement officer while the city has that position advertised. The ...

US Forest Service to shut down city office

April 11, 2026

The U.S. Forest Service is relocating its headquarters across the country, leading to the closure of four facilities in Pennsylvania, including Williamsport. According to reporting by WGAL-TV, a Lancaster-based television station, the Trump administration is moving the service’s headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City, Utah, and will transition to a more state-based organizational model. Research and development facilities in York, Irvine, Long Pond and Williamsport will close. “For an agency whose lands, partners, and operational challenges are overwhelmingly ...

Clinton, other counties play role in ICE detentions

April 11, 2026

HARRISBURG — A group of Pennsylvania counties has billed the federal government more than $21 million in recent years to detain immigrants in their jails, a first-of-its-kind review by Spotlight PA has found. While these agreements predate the second Trump administration by years or even decades, they are receiving new attention as the president executes a mass deportation campaign that relies heavily on local partners. They also highlight how counties in Pennsylvania already cooperate with ICE and other federal agencies to detain immigrants. Earlier this year, the Department of ...

High court rejects Penn State’s bid to keep trustee records hidden from public

April 10, 2026

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters.) STATE COLLEGE — The state’s highest court ...