Alize Johnson took the area by storm when he was selected in the second round of the NBA draft. The 6’9″ lanky athletic forward from Williamsport then had an incredible summer league with the Indiana Pacers. He became an instant fan favorite, and his incredible nose for the ball turned several heads. Johnson averaged 12.4
READ MORELast week’s column recounted the new developments at the Montgomery Athletic & Community Center and its plans to serve the community’s athletic and healthy lifestyle needs. While on a tour of the facility, athletic director Mike Snyder introduced me to Ryan Solomon, who was hired in July as coordinator of the building’s activities. Solomon was
READ MORETake a drive on Route 54 through Montgomery. You’ll not encounter a red traffic light to impede your journey. However, the lack of such operational hardware may cause you to miss one of the community’s crown jewels tucked away along the roadway, similar to a family heirloom that you know is valuable, but rarely trot
READ MORESean MacMillen is a combat veteran who did three tours of service in Afghanistan. Upon leaving the service, he found that he had great difficulty readjusting to civilian life. This led to many problems for him. “I fully admit I struggled to reintegrate into society when I returned from my 3rd tour in Afghanistan. I
READ MOREI’ve been spending a great deal of time at my beloved alma mater of late. Yes. I find myself taking a stroll down memory lane every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday morning. A lot has changed in the past twenty-three years, but I still get goosebumps whenever I head to the Taj Mahal. It’s grand. We
READ MOREMontoursville native Vince Molesky is coming off of a spectacular summer. The former Mount St. Mary’s product continues to amaze me. He was undrafted out of a college, but fortunate enough to sign with Independent. Molesky played with the Wichita Wingnuts of the American Association in 2015. He was then traded to the Gateway Grizzlies
READ MOREBreast Cancer is one of the biggest and perhaps scariest health threats that women face (though some men sometimes suffer it). October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the observation of it helps to shine a light on this serious health problem. Information and understanding of breast cancer is one of the most important goals
READ MOREThe National Football League will be playing their third weekend, college football their fourth, the local high school football season reaches its mid-point, the Major League Baseball season is entering its final weeks and fall will officially be recognized this Saturday. Indeed, a lot is going on to stir the emotions of sports fans. On
READ MOREA lot has changed since the very first Little League World Series. The national exposure these boys receive is off the charts nowadays. ESPN and their affiliates not only cover the entire tournament, but they are now televising many of the regional games. It’s insane. Don’t get me wrong folks. I’m loving every minute, and
READ MOREMy son and I had a great conversation here recently. The nine-year-old was proudly telling me all about the first few days of his basketball camp. Jensen was having a blast, and he explained everything that took place in that little gym. We talked free throws, hotshot competitions, full-court dribbling, and no-look passes for an
READ MORESoccer has been continually growing in popularity among young people, and one of the reasons may be people like Mike Sherman. A native of Watsontown, Mike played high school soccer at Warrior Run High School, and then went on to play for Penn State-Hazelton, where he made All-Conference as a forward. Going to main campus
READ MOREMy world was rocked over the past six months by having to say goodbye to two good “basketball friends” whose friendship was forged in and through the love of “the game.” I speak, very fondly, of Ron ‘Lefty’ Travis who passed in December of 2017 and more recently Ed ‘Eddie’ Lewellyn who passed in July.
READ MOREI heard the trucks rumbling in the street this morning, groaning to a halt as I peeked through the blinds to see. The movers were here, preparing to load the wares of two families in my neighborhood who are off to faraway places — one to the Delaware shoreline and the other to the mountains
READ MOREWe all had dreams growing up as kids. I wanted to be a professional basketball player at an early age. I often thought about balling at a major D1. Then, ultimately, finding a home in the NBA. I can’t tell you the number of times I was alone in the driveway with those intentions in
READ MOREAdmittedly, as a big fan of old country music, I have a new-found affinity for a 1949 Hank Williams ditty “My Bucket’s Got a Hole In It.” The title of the whimsical tune instantly popped in my head during a recent midwestern trip devised to check off one of my ‘bucket list’ destinations, the College
READ MOREBefore lines of teachers and presenters coming up to the stage to present awards for the future graduates of Montgomery, two men got ready to give away one that had a deeper meaning. For Mark and Glenn Crossley, the Glenn Crossley Memorial Award symbolizes years of dedication to the youth of Montgomery. The elder Glenn
READ MOREThe words every student up and down the Susquehanna Valley couldn’t wait to hear. I’ve been out of school longer than I care to admit, but that phrase still brings a smile to my face. I must also give Alice Cooper credit for the kickoff-to-summertime anthem of the same words. Although I don’t know if
READ MORECongratulations to all the graduates of the Class of 2018! Our area is blessed to have so many talented young people; I am amazed by what they accomplish in today’s world. Whether it is academically, musically or athletically there’s more being achieved than ever before. Take a moment to congratulate those special people in your
READ MOREMost of us take the proper working of our kidneys for granted, but there are those who can’t, they have damaged kidneys that no longer function properly and some of them are in need of a kidney transplant immediately. One of these is 24-year-old Tucker Gordner. Tucker lives in Montgomery with his mom and stepdad,
READ MORESimilar to those famous countdowns at Cape Canaveral, in numerous households across the region that ‘countdown’ is proceeding full speed until upcoming high school graduation days blast products of eighteen years of nurtured love into the ‘unknown’ stratosphere of ‘the real world.’ Those coming out parties will be launched with varying degrees of mixed emotions.
READ MOREAt a time in which recreation facilities are being decreased in many municipalities due to funding woes, one community will be dedicating a new recreational benefit for its community — new tennis courts. This will be the case in South Williamsport, when those new courts will have their official ribbon cutting on Saturday, May 19,
READ MOREIt’s become tradition to run this list on Mother’s Day, because all mom in all their forms, shapes, sizes and colors deserve to be recognized not just on Mother’s Day, but every day! So without further ado… Happy Mother’s Day to the Soccer Moms, and the Base/Softball Moms, and the Football Moms, and the Wrestling
READ MOREArbor Day, April 27th, came and went, and probably only one out of a hundred people knew of it, and probably only one out of that number celebrated the event. The idea of planting trees might not seem glamorous, but Williamsport built its reputation as the “Lumber Capital of the World,” and had not those
READ MOREAs the basketball season came to a close Loyalsock softball coach Tom O’Malley knew the majority of his team would need a break before heading to the diamond to start practice. Loyalsock’s historic run through the district and a portion of the PIAA state playoffs meant six players of the 14 listed on the softball
READ MORE“Just the facts, Ma’am, just the facts.” That famous line often used by Sgt. Joe Friday in the decade’s old “Dragnet” television show could be being used these days by officials of the PIAA in defending the makeup of this year’s State Basketball Championships. Seemingly, the PIAA continues to operate with their heads in the
READ MOREPlay ball! How great it is to hear those words again. Hopefully, Mother Nature will flip the switch, and the weather will be more suited for the boys and girls of Summer. Before we leave March Madness in the rearview mirror, I’m sure most college basketball fans will agree it was one of the best
READ MOREOn both sides, girls and boys, Lewisburg’s basketball players would say their season ended much too early as both failed to reach the PIAA Tournament. That’s not to say the seasons were entertaining and worthwhile. Both featured outstanding players, plays, and games that would have highlighted any high school team’s season. Most teams won’t be
READ MORELast week, twelve boys’ and twelve girls’ high school basketball teams converged on Hershey’s Giant Center with the same goal in mind — capturing a PIAA State Basketball Championship. It mattered little that Mother Nature’s snowy wrath had postponed the yearly hoop festival for several days causing the event to be played Monday-Wednesday, rather than
READ MOREI think I had an April Fool’s Day trick played on myself, as I dreamed about a meeting where the three commissioners; Jack McKernan, Tony Mussare, and Rick Mirabito (the 3 Ms, as I like to call them), were asking their department heads for ideas on better ways to promote Lycoming County. I saw Kim
READ MOREBarry Rake is a man on a mission. That mission is to educate young people to save them from the scourge and dangers of drug and opioid abuse. To do so, he has an initiated an educational program in which sport water bottles with the slogan “TOO SMART TO START” emblazoned on them, included is
READ MOREBegrudgingly, we have to give Punxsutawney Phil his due. The furry varmint’s unwelcomed prediction of ‘six more weeks of winter’ certainly rang true. But now that spring has officially made its presence on the calendar; we can all turn our thoughts to the more pleasant days ahead. March’s ending brings with it a trio of
READ MOREWHO NEEDS ONE? I heard my teammate’s cry but chose to ignore him. My legs feel like Jello, but I decide to press on without a breather. I dazzle the crowd with another no-look pass that ends up in the rafters. My fifth turnover of the night. Just awful. Throw in my three air balls
READ MOREYoung people today are faced with so many more problems than when I was a student. Yes, we had the Cold War, and the fear of nuclear weapons, and Three Mile Island was another hot topic of the day, but what goes on around young folks today most of us never imagined. Please appreciate how
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