Elk County's Joe Beimel Coming Back To Pirates

Reliever Beimel returns to Pirates
By Rob Biertempfel, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEWSaturday, January 29, 2011
A familiar face in a familiar place was enough to lure left-handed reliever Joe Beimel back to the Pirates.
Beimel on Friday signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. If he makes the big league club — a near certainty, given the Pirates' need for lefty bullpen help — Beimel will make $1.75 million with a chance at up to $300,000 more in incentives.
Beimel, 33, grew up in St. Mary's in Elk County, about a three-hour drive northeast of PNC Park. He was drafted by the Pirates in 1998 out of Duquesne and made his big league debut with them in 2001.
"It's nice to be coming back home," he said. "I grew up rooting for the Pirates, so if this is the year they turn it around, I want to be part of it. It would be really special for me and my family."
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Four Cited For Criminal Mischief In Potter County Incident In November

Three Emporium men and a Hummelstown womanhave been cited for Criminal Mischief in District Court 55-4-03 as a result of an investigation into an incident back in November when the back window of a Mansfield woman's car was broken out as it traveled on Rt. 6 near Rt. 449 in Ulysses Township.On November 20 at 11:00 pm, Melanie Stoudt, 24, of Mansfield, PA, was traveling east on Route 6 when unknown actors passed her vehicle. While passing, someone struck the vehicle with an unknown object, shattering the rear window.The actors then turned around and fled the scene.Troopers investigation revealed that the four persons accused, listed below, were operating and/or in the vehicle that passed and caused $200,00 damage to the back window of the Stoudt vehicle.Dustin Erskine, 22, Emporium, PAChristopher Grovanz, 31, Emporium, PAJoshua Catalone, 28, Emporium, PAJessica Kline, 22, Hummelstown, PAAll four were cited with a summary violation of Criminal Mischief in District Court 55-4-03.

Photo of the Day

The Emporium All-Stars cheer squad gave an exhibition during the Baguba match against SHeffield ...more photos at camconative.com

Major Injuries In Route 120 Crash Thursday Afternoon

Two women and a 2 year old boy were hospitalized with major injuries after their vehicles crashed Thursday afternoon at 4:15 pm on Route 120, 1/4 mile west of Beechwood Road.Dr. Saira Bano, 37, of Emporium, PA, was driving a 2004 Toyota Camry east on snow covered Route 120 when she lost control of the vehicle while rounding a right curve in the roadway. Her vehicle spun 180 degrees clockwise and into the path of a westbound 2005 Honda Element, driven by Bonnie L. Halquist, 33, of St. Marys, PA.The two vehicles collided in the westbound lane, Bano's rear end into Halquist's front end. After impact, both vehicles crossed into the eastbound lane and came to rest.Bano and Halquist both sustained major injuries, as did the 2 year old boy in Bano's vehicle. All occupants were wearing seat belts or restrained in a child seat. Dr. Saira Bano is a physician at the Emporium Health Center operated by Charles Cole Memorial Hospital.Emporium Fire Dept., Emporium and St. Marys Ambulance, and St. Marys & Emporium Fire Police assisted troopers at the scene. Traffic was backed up for a long time while fire rescue personnel extricated the victims and prepared them for transport to Elk Regional Health Center in St. Marys. The vehicles were towed from the scene.
http://solomonswords.blogspot.com/

Cameron Co. Gets Money from Settlement

The Cameron County School District will receive more than $160,000 as a result of a bid-rigging settlement with Bank of America.

Between 1998 and 2003 Bank of American along with other financial institutions rigged bids, causing school districts and municipalities to enter into contracts that cost more or earned less than they should have in a competitive marketplace.

The St. Marys Area School District will receive more than $35,000.

http://attorneygeneral.gov/press.aspx?id=5913

Luckiest People of 2010

Marcellus Gas Drillers May Compete For Your Water

Marcellus shale natural gas well developers are a water-thirsty lot. And far too few land holders in Pennsylvania and New York are aware of just how thirsty, contends Charles Abdalla, agricultural and environmental economist at Penn State.
Water is a critical component in the process of extracting natural gas, notes the water policy expert. According to the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, up to 5,000 wells may eventually be drilled in that river basin alone. It doesn't include those in the western third of Pennsylvania in the Ohio River basin or those in the Delaware River basin.
Water supplies to individuals, businesses and communities will be affected well into the future as this energy resource is fully developed, predicts Abdalla. The drilling process can require up to 300,000 gallons per day per well.
Hydrofracturing a deep vertical well may use 500,000 to more than 1-million gallons of water. And "fracking" a Marcellus horizontal well may use 4- to 8-million gallons of water, typically within a week, according to the SRBC. Some Marcellus wells may need to be "fracked" several times over their productive lives.
Such large water withdrawals may come from streams, ponds, rivers or groundwater. But they'll increase potential for conflicts between competing users. That's why Abdalla warns: "Citizens need to become aware of their stake in water-resource issues and policies and effectively participate in public policy-making."
To help, Penn State has updated Water Withdrawals for Development of Marcellus Shale Gas in Pennsylvania to help people understand how and where they can offer input into public decisions about water use and wastewater treatment. "Now's the time to learn about and help shape public policies that'll guide development of the Marcellus Shale," he adds.
For a free copy, contact the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences' Publications Distribution Center, 112 Ag. Administration Building, University Park, PA 16802-2602; telephone: 814-865-6713; fax: 814-863-5560. Or e-mail to AgPubsDist@psu.edu. Or click http://extension.psu.edu/water/resources/publications/consumption-and-usage/marcelluswater.pdf/view for a copy in PDF format.