Agriculture is one of the most important components of Pennsylvania’s and, in particular, Lycoming County’s economy. Unfortunately, the number of those farming is diminishing across the state. As a reminder of the importance of agriculture to our local economy and our way of life, Ben Hepburn, a retired agriculture teacher at Montoursville High School, started
READ MOREWhen repeatedly successfully completed, the out-of-the-ordinary becomes commonplace. Such has been the case this season for South Williamsport’s special teams when converting extra point attempts after Mountaineer touchdowns. So effective have South’s kickers become that no second thought is given that the ladies responsible — Aleigha Rieppel and Piper Minier — spend most of their
READ MOREThe Jordan River rises from the slopes of Mt. Hermon on the border between Syria and Lebanon and then flows through northern Israel and into the Sea of Galilee. From there, it meanders through the Jordan Rift Valley until it empties into the Dead Sea, making it the lowest river on earth. It is similar
READ MOREJohn Denver sang that West Virginia was almost heaven, but a better candidate would be a valley located about fifteen miles north of Williamsport. This amazing piece of God’s country is surrounded by some of the most beautiful hills anywhere. Because of the topography, there is virtually no ambient light, making the stars brighter at
READ MOREThat old saying about the month of March coming in like a lion has nothing on September, especially if you are a football fan. The calendar’s ninth month entered on the heels of the Little League World Series and produced instant excitement and a few anxious moments for local fans of Penn State and the
READ MORELycoming County has very few big employers. The medical community (UPMC Hospital & Susquehanna Physician Services), the educational community (Pennsylvania College of Technology, Lycoming College, and the Williamsport and Loyalsock School Districts), and another major employer that many do not recognize as such — Lycoming County government itself. The county employs 550 full-time and another
READ MOREThe year was 1972. It was the year of the great Agnes Flood, the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics; Richard Nixon would overwhelm George McGovern in an electoral landslide; Nixon went on state visits to both the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China that year. The new Williamsport High
READ MOREIt is hard to believe though our country is 235 years old, we have only been taxed on our income for 109 years. It was not until the 16th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified on February 3, 1913, that an income tax was instituted. Before that, the US federal government funded itself for
READ MOREThe one government official that I have the most admiration, as well as the most sympathy for, is Lycoming County Director of Voter Services Forrest Lehman. Listening to Forrest is like sitting in a college classroom and hearing a brilliant professor explain a complex system in such clear terms that even a freshman would be
READ MOREWhen most people are asked what word comes to their mind when they think of Bogota, Columbia, they would most likely name things like assassinations, kidnapping, extortion, and drug cartels. However, there is a young lady who graduated from our local Penn Tech College, and the word that comes to her mind when she thinks
READ MORESince we don’t have term limits in Washington, you would think President Biden and all his cronies would understand just how fragile America’s freedom truly is. They lived through 9/11 in 2001. They witnessed the horror of that day and felt the emotions of our Nation being attacked and shaken to its very core. This
READ MORELiftoff is in three… two… one… And from that point, you’re off to your future. No matter what your situation or your age, when you start something new, there’s a kind of catapult that you feel, like a rock from a slingshot or like being propelled into a whole different world. And as in the
READ MOREWilliamsport Area High School art teacher Dr. Andrea McDonough has been selected as a 2022 Pennsylvania Art Education Association Outstanding Secondary Art Educator. “To be selected and named by the state committee is an incredible honor and one that I will be forever grateful for,” said McDonough, who has worked for 16 years at WASD
READ MOREAs you are taking full advantage of your freedom to do whatever you want to do on hopefully a beautiful sun-drenched Memorial Day, please take the time to remember, honor, and educate your children about those that paid the ultimate price for our liberty. That everyday life in the United States of America was earned
READ MOREThis Sunday will be a day of celebration, and nostalgic reflection as the congregation of Messiah Lutheran Church, at the corner of Howard Street and West Southern Avenue in South Williamsport, rededicate their “Little Chapel.” The “Little Chapel” is an integral part of the almost 130-year-old church, which had humble origins. The Little Chapel of
READ MOREIn the fall of 1996, an idea to generate interest in the arts in our area was born out of an outreach program at the St. John’s-Newberry United Methodist Church. This idea to have students of all ages become versed in an arts area of their choice, while at the same time seeking to provide
READ MOREThe Uptown Music Collective, the area’s premier non-profit school of music, returns to the Community Arts Center in Williamsport on April 29th & 30th, 2022, to close out the UMC’s 21-22 Performance Season with their presentation of Us and Them: Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and Beyond. This concert will feature Pink Floyd’s
READ MOREFrom the late 1990s to 2018, I was an international business consultant and leadership trainer in the Nordics, Eastern Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Israel, and India. My family and I lived in the Baltic republic of Latvia from 1991 to 2006, where I worked as a missionary helping to launch a theological seminary as well as
READ MORESpring has definitely sprung across the West Branch Valley, and with late March and April showers come May flowers. I especially enjoy the increased hours of daylight and knowing those long days of summer are just around the corner. As you’re reading this, many of our local baseball teams have already thrown their first pitch
READ MOREI served as a township supervisor for ten years and have been asked from time to time if I was interested in running for Lycoming County Commissioner someday. I quickly answer — “No!” Having been an active spectator since 2014, I greatly understand the demands and difficulties that the board of three commissioners must face
READ MOREAs Ash Wednesday began the Lenten season last week, my thoughts and prayers were with the people of Ukraine. At press time, it was estimated that over 1.5 million Ukrainians had fled their country, leaving most everything behind. Those who are bravely staying to fight the Russian invasion face a battle they can’t win without
READ MOREOn March 10th, 11th, and 12th, the Uptown Music Collective returns to the Community Theatre League in downtown Williamsport to present All Things Must Pass: The Solo Works of The Beatles. This performance will feature the music from the solo careers of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr after the dissolution of
READ MOREIt has been said that “money is the mother’s milk of political campaigns,” the same can be said for non-profit organizations who rely on generous donations of money to enable them to provide needed services to the people they serve. As way to obtain this needed “mother’s milk,” the First Community Partnership of Pennsylvania devised
READ MOREAs most of you know, I’m an early riser. Many of my mornings begin at one of our local eateries with a cup of coffee, a glass of water, and sometimes breakfast. I think it’s very important to get out and about in this world we live in. To have a routine that includes socializing
READ MORE“You can’t tell the players without a scorecard” has long been the traditional cry of scorecard vendors inside the entrance of baseball stadiums. In recent years that same rationale could be applied to college football fans in understanding the membership of various conferences around the country. Last year’s announced move by Texas and Oklahoma to
READ MOREFor more than 100 years the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania and its predecessors such as the Williamsport Foundation, have been improving the quality of life for the people of this region through community leadership, the promotion of philanthropy, the strengthening of nonprofit impact and the perpetual stewardship of charitable assets. In a bid
READ MORECompetitive swimming is starting to loom larger in the world of competitive sports. An opportunity for youth from ages six to 18 to participate in this area has been enhanced with the advent of the Williamsport Area Swim Club (WASC), founded in 2006. According to the club’s website, “The mission of The Williamsport Area Swim
READ MORE1980s rock bands that were known as “Hair Bands” such as Van Halen, Mötley Crüe, Guns and Roses and Poison, just to name a few, will be saluted by the Uptown Music Collective in a fundraising concert to be presented at the Community Arts Center on Saturday, January 29, 2022, beginning at 7:30 p.m. This
READ MOREWilliamsport club women made their first definite move last night to enlist themselves in the cause of women’s suffrage. The organization of the nucleus of a committee, which will disseminate suffrage sentiment and make plans for holding a big women’s mass meeting sometime within the next six weeks, was effected under the direction and chairmanship
READ MOREA few years back, shortly before he left us, I had Father John Manno out for a drive around town. I wanted to show him the progress that had been made in the Historic District and around the Annunciation Parish. From there, we rode on up to Historic Bowman Field, which was recently remodeled. As
READ MOREThere is a very good explanation for those shattering sounds that have been heard of late throughout the valley. Perhaps not as high numbers as the daily COVID count we’ve been besieged with, but never-the-less many of those well-intentioned New Year’s resolutions that had been made two weeks ago have already been smashed or tossed
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