Bloomsburg High football coach dismissed

BLOOMSBURG — Kevin Seabrook was dismissed as head coach of the Bloomsburg High School football team Tuesday morning.

The reason for his firing is not known.

When asked by the Press Enterprise if he resigned or was let go, Seabrook said, “The school board decided to make the change.”

Seabrook becomes the second football coach forced out mid-season by an area high school. Danville Ironmen coach Jim Keiser resigned last month under pressure from the school board.

Geisinger NICU hit by bacterial infection

DANVILLE — A waterborne bacteria has infected eight infants in Geisinger Medical Center's neonatal intensive care unit, officials say.

Three infants have died, "which may have been a result of the infection complicating their already vulnerable state due to extreme prematurity," the hospital said in a statement.

Four others have received treatment and are doing well, while the fifth continues to receive treatment,  the statement said.

Friends, ages 69 and 92, soar on ziplines

CATAWISSA TWP. — A 69-year-old cancer patient decided Saturday to cross ziplining off her bucket list — and convinced her 92-year-old friend to join her.

Shirr Keithan, 69, of Numidia, and Helen Lindenmuth, 92, of the Numidia area, became instant celebrities when they showed up at the Zip-n-Play Day fundraiser for CysticFibrosis.com.

The crowd cheered when they landed. A photographer took their picture. The women running the food counter gave them free lunch.

“Who would have thought this would make us famous?” Keithan marveled afterward.

Route 11 wreck has two in critical

MONTOUR TWP.— A Briar Creek couple was listed in critical condition after a two-car crash on Route 11 here Thursday afternoon.

Police Chief Terry Eckart said Kevin Deer, 58, of 65 Sparrow Drive, Briar Creek, was driving east toward Bloomsburg on Montour Boulevard around 2:30 p.m. in a 2008 Dodge Caliber with his wife, Elizabeth, 50, as a passenger when they spotted something they wanted to give a closer look.

So Mr. Deer pulled into a driveway at 550 Montour Boulevard, made a U-turn, and tried to pull back out onto the highway, Eckart said.

Father crashes car, knocks out power to 34

SOUTH CENTRE TWP. — A father fell asleep at the wheel Thursday and drifted off Old Berwick Road Thursday morning, smashing into an electrical pole and knocking out power to 34 customers, officials said.

Corey Hutchinson, 36, of Fourth Street, Nescopeck, managed to climb out of his upside-down Toyota Camry, but he was lucky he didn’t get electrocuted, said Police Chief Bill Richendrfer. Police and Lime Ridge firefighters kept a safe distance back until PPL workers could shut off power.

The accident happened at 8:40 a.m.

Southern Columbia won't face Wyoming Area, school official says

FRANKLIN TWP. — In nine days, Southern Columbia’s powerhouse football team had planned to travel to West Pittston to square off against the currently undefeated Wyoming Area Warriors.

But the Tigers’ football conference had other thoughts, and now they’ll be staying at home and facing 1-5 Shikellamy instead, Southern Columbia officials say.

The Pennsylvania Heartland Athletic Conference felt Southern would be violating conference bylaws, said Southern Columbia high school principal Jim Becker, who also serves as the president of the Heartland Conference.

Tractor trailer slides into ditch

SCOTT TWP. — Incorrect GPS directions sent a tractor trailer down into a ditch 5 1/2 miles from its destination here Tuesday afternoon. 

Zhang Dianxing of California was headed to the Berwick Industrial Development Association complex on North Oak Street in Berwick at around 12:30 p.m.

But his GPS was taking him to the wrong Oak Street — likely the Oak Lane in a nearby trailer court ­— and a too-tight turn caused his trailer to fall sideways into the ditch in front of 33 Thomas Drive, said Chief Tom Frace of Briar Creek Township Police.

Large shed leveled in rural Nescopeck

NESCOPECK TWP. — A large storage shed holding a variety of items including acetylene tanks burned to the ground here Monday morning, officials say.

The blaze along West Cherry Road about eight miles southeast of Nescopeck was first spotted just after 10 a.m. by the daughter of property owner John Ohl.

 the fire behind the residence of John Ohl at 343 W. Cherry Road was first spotted by the owner’s daughter shortly after 10 a.m.

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