Suspended fireman: Colleague's drinking on duty ignored

BERWICK -- A member of Defenders Fire Co. told a news station he was suspended Monday night because he reported another volunteer had moved an engine into the garage with alcohol on his breath, borough Fire Chief Bill Coolbaugh says. The drinking was ignored, Coolbaugh said the suspended member claimed. But the chief says the drinking supposedly happened Aug. 10. No one reported anything about it until 19 days later, on Aug. 29, in the midst of an internal disagreement at Defenders, he said. By that time, it was impossible to investigate the allegation, he said.

Former gun shop owner arrested over knife threats on Main Street

BLOOMSBURG -- Former gun shop owner Ted Komoroski was arrested Wednesday night after waving around a large knife on Main Street and telling a group of men he would cut Zs in their faces, police say. Komoroski, 52, told a judge he was only trying to "send a message like Zorro" to the men, who had yelled at him. "Ever watch Zorro? Doesn't mean I was gonna cut Zs in their face. It's a message ... Leave me alone," the former owner of D&R Sporting Goods in Scott Township said while being arraigned on charges of making terroristic threats.

What we're working on: Sept. 25

Here's a look at the stories that are keeping our reporters busy: * Last year, the Geisinger Health System made $154 million. See what profit this year brought. * A suspect tries to intimidate guards who are witnesses against him in an attempted prison break, police charge. * How about some deep-fried sushi? Our reporters throw everything into the vat at the Bloomsburg Fair. * A man shot a family's dog to death from a range of about 15 feet, State Police say. Look for these stories and more in tomorrow's edition of the Press Enterprise.

Man fatally shot family pet

DELAWARE TWP. -- A man shot a family's dog to death just before 2 this morning when he found it outside his house along Route 54, State Police say. Wayne Morris Vanblargan, 69, got within about 15 feet of the German shepherd and fired two rounds from a .22-caliber rifle, fatally wounding the animal, police report. The dog, named Rayne, was a 2-year-old purebred, the pet of a family with four young children, according to police.

Man stricken at fair is still alive

BLOOMSBURG -- A man who suffered an apparent heart attack at the Bloomsburg Fair on Friday isn't dead, but is in critical condition at Geisinger Medical Center, the hospital reports. Fair officials had said that Mike McCullough, 48, couldn't be revived after collapsing near the Himalaya thrill ride Friday evening. But a Geisinger spokesman said that a hospital doctor who happened to be nearby administered CPR and has treated McCullough since he arrived at the Danville hospital. McCullough was listed in critical condition there Tuesday morning.

NRA membership swells at booth

MONDAY, Sept. 23, 1:45 p.m. -- Harry Jacobs at the NRA booth in Freedom Hall says more than 200 people have renewed or signed up for a new NRA membership since Friday's fair preview day. In the 15 years since he began setting up a stand at the fair, Jacobs said he usually signs up or renews 500 members each fair week. "I should be way beyond that this year if the weather holds up." Jacobs, speaking as a private citizen not an NRA spokesman, said the topic of the fair's aborted gun ban has been on people's minds this year.

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