BACKYARD BROADCASTING LOCAL NEWS JUNE 23, 2022

WASD ADMINISTRATORS RESPOND TO PRINCIPAL’S ARREST

Williamsport School District issued an official statement yesterday, responding to the arrest of school principal Roger Freed on sexual assault charges.  According to the statement, the district is suspending Freed with pay as the investigation into the charges continues.  They are also offering counseling for any student who wishes to call 570-323-8411 and make an appointment. According to the Sun Gazette, Freed was originally hired as a math teacher at the school in 2011, but was most recently a 9th grade principal.  The felony charges stem from a relationship Freed began with a student in 2014 until this past April.  He is free on 175 thousand dollars intense supervised bail.

UPDATE ON SELINSGROVE MOTORCYCLE CRASH

More information about the victim critically injured in a high speed crash Monday in Selinsgrove has been released.  According to media outlets, state police say 39 year old Adam Hummel from Middleburg hit a pole while allegedly speeding on University Avenue travelling west near East Snyder Park.  Life flight was called to the scene along with other volunteers and EMS staff.  Hospital officials say Hummel was flown to Geisinger in critical condition, but no word on his progress today. 

LOCAL COFFEE BAR AND CAFÉ TO CLOSE

A favorite Williamsport farm to table restaurant and coffee bar will be closing this Monday.  The Sawhorse Café, at 303 Washington Blvd, made the statement on their Facebook page that they are closing down for now, to focus on their personal well-being and maybe will reopen in the future with fresh energy and new ideas. According to the Sun Gazette, Hannah and Jesse Darrow opened the Sawhorse in 2015, and say that their other business, Buzzsaw Coffee at the Pajama factory will remain open.

TICKET SWEEPSTAKES FOR LITTLE LEAGUE CLASSIC IN AUGUST

Major League Baseball is offering a chance for Lycoming County residents to win tickets to the Major League Baseball Little League Classic again this year, for the game to be played Sunday, August 21st between the Red Sox and the Orioles on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.  According to the Sun Gazette, legal Lycoming County residents 18 and older can enter the sweepstakes by going online to MLB.com/LLClassic by noon Wednesday June 29th.  There will be fifty chances awarded for the tickets.  This will be the 5th MLB Little League Classic game held at Historic Bowman field.  There was no game in 2020 because of the pandemic.

WOODWARD TOWNSHIP RESPONDS TO WASD PRINCIPAL ARREST

 In light of the allegations against the 9th grade principle at Williamsport Area School District, the Woodward Township Board of Supervisors sent a letter to each of the members of the Williamsport School Board requesting the termination of Superintendent, Dr. Timothy Bowers.  According to North Central PA dot com,  the letter states that the school leadership at Williamsport failed to keep children safe after allegations were brought forth against Principle Roger Freed, of Cogan Station, who allegedly had a long term relationship with a student from 2014 until this spring.  Williamsport area Schools issued a statement yesterday saying they would suspend Freed with pay while the investigation continues.

ADDITIONAL CHARGES FOR HIT AND RUN SUSPECT

A Williamsport man originally jailed for reckless endangerment and hit and run after hitting another with his Chevy Cruze and fleeing on May 11th, has had additional attempted homicide charges levied against him.  According to the Sun Gazette, following the apprehension and arrest of Gregory Emerick, police searched Emerick’s car and found dash cam evidence that  his actions, police say, were deliberately trying to cause serious injury towards Jeremie Dunham, who was hospitalized with multiple serious injuries.  Emerick was arraigned  yesterday for the additional felony charges involving personal injury in a hit and run.  He remains incarcerated on no bail.

CONNECTOR WORK STALLED BY FALCONS WILL START

Work on the Bald Eagle Valley Bike Trail that was supposed to resume the linking of Wayne and Pine Creek Townships over the West Branch of the Susquehanna River in May was delayed six weeks because a nest of young peregrine falcons was discovered on one of the bridge piers there. According to the Record Online work will pick up again this summer since the PA Game Commission gave the go-ahead after the young falcons took flight last week.  The delay has pushed the work back further than originally planned, but the Clinton County Planning Department says there will be a ribbon cutting for the connector in August.

PA’S RANK IN MAPLE SYRUP PRODUCTION DROPS

Even with five thousand more taps than 2021, Pennsylvania’s ranking as a leading producer of Maple Syrup has dropped to number 7 after only producing 164 thousand gallons of syrup this season – 4 thousand less gallons of the stuff than last year.  The number one producer in the nation is Vermont with a record 2 million 550 thousand gallons, followed by New York, Maine, Wisconsin, Michigan, and New Hampshire. 

SPORTS

HS Baseball
The Mid Penn Conference baseball all-star team was announced yesterday and  Muncy was honored with two top nods… Muncy Coach Chris Persing was named Coach of the Year and the league’s MVP spot was shared between Ross Eyer, a junior from Muncy, and Landon Evans, a senior at Millville. 

NHL
Avalanche 3 Lightning 2
Stanley Cup Final Game 4 Colorado leads 3-1
NHL Friday
Stanley Cup final Game 5 Tampa Bay in Colorado @8pm on ABC and ESPN+

MLB
Astros 5               Mets 3
Rangers 4           Phillies 2
Dodgers 8           Reds 4
Cubs 14               Pirates 5
Orioles 7              Nationals 0
Red Sox 6           Tigers 2
Yankees 5           Rays 4
Braves 4              Giants 3
Guardians 11      Twins 10

MLB Draft League
Game 3 between the Crosscutters and Black Bears was rained out.  Williamsport heads to Mahoning Valley for Game 1 out of 3 tonight 7:05 first pitch.

NASCAR

Bruton Smith, a longtime NASCAR fixture and a Hall of Fame inductee for building and promoting auto racing events nationwide, died Wednesday at age 95 of natural causes. Born Ollen Bruton Smith in 1927, the North Carolinian worked as a track promoter before making his mark designing and building Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile oval now known for annually hosting NASCAR’s longest race at 600 miles in length.

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