Thousands seek jobs at ethanol plant
More than 3,200 people from all over the U.S. applied for 55 full-time jobs at Bionol Clearfield LLC's new ethanol plant at the Clearfield Technology Park. Some administrative positions received more than 150 applicants per position.
Corn deliveries to the plant have already begun, and production is expected to begin no later than Jan. 8.
The Clearfield plant is the largest east of the Mississippi and is one of the largest in the country. It has cost almost $300 million to construct and has the capacity of producing 108 million gallons of ethanol per year.
Bionol has already sold all of the plant's ethanol production for the next five years to Getty Oil, which uses it as a fuel additive.
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Landfill causes stink
Individual Chest Township citizens and officials have differing opinions on the siting of Harmony Residual Waste Landfill in the township by Eagle Environmental II LLP. At a state Department of Environmental Protection public meeting in April, it was stated the landfill, with a life expectancy of 10 years, is to be placed on 821 acres and would accept an average of 1,500 tons per day, with a daily maximum of 2,500 tons. In December 2008, the township began receiving $2,500 per month from Eagle. A preliminary report on the cost of treating leachate when the landfill is in operation has been given to Westover Borough Council and also a preliminary study and evaluation of the upgrade to the sewage treatment plant. DEP is currently reviewing Eagle's application. Since the Municipal Election, there have been two supervisors on the board who are members of the Chest Township Concerned Citizens group and one who is in favor of the landfill.
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Operation Drive Thru case stymied
A seven-day trial scheduled for the "Operation Drive Thru" case ended before it even began. Maharaji Hemingway of Philadelphia, Michael Gearhart of Clearfield, Kenneth Smeal of Shiloh, Michael Styers of Mercer and Charles Gearhart of Woodland were headed to trial in July for their involvement in a drug ring operated from a drive-through window in a Clearfield County trailer. The case was being prosecuted by the Attorney General's office.
The trial, however, never happened after Deputy Attorney General Dave Gorman failed to provide the defense team with grand jury testimony by the agreed-upon deadline.
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Escaped inmate recovered after crash
Clearfield County saw its second inmate escape in two years. In September, almost two years to the date of the last escape, Michael Rodriguez Jr. broke out of the Clearfield County Jail. The New York man escaped by crawling under one fence and then climbing over another. He fled on foot and later stole a truck. Following a massive effort by several local police departments, Rodriguez was captured less than 24 hours after his escape when he wrecked the vehicle in the Shawville area. He remains incarcerated.
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Inmates charged after riot
Charges were bound over for seven inmates who were allegedly involved in a March assault at the State Correctional Facility in Houtzdale.
Magisterial District Judge James Hawkins returned charges at a hearing in October for Paul Ford, Rhonshawn Jackson, Nathan Izzard, Donny Jackson, Curtis Gibbs, and Gregory Cain and Deablo Clentscale. The men were incarcerated at the facility when an assault was launched on a corrections officer during mealtime. A riot ensued and several corrections officers were injured as a result. The inmates are currently housed in various prisons across the state.

Man stabs parents, waives trial
A DuBois man attempted to kill his parents at their Treasure Lake residence in March. Michael Lanigan, 51, faced attempted homicide charges after he stabbed his parents several times.
Both victims survived the attack. Lanigan waived his right to a preliminary hearing in December. He remains housed in the Clearfield County Jail.
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Two convicted murderers appeal convictions
Two convicted murderers will have their cases heard by juries again. Andrew Callahan, 28, was previously convicted for the 1997 murder of his classmate Micah Pollock. Both were teens at the time.
According to Clearfield County District Attorney William A. Shaw Jr., the Superior Court ruled that the trial judge at Callahan's second trial in 2007 failed to give the jury proper instructions regarding an involuntary manslaughter charge. A jury will be selected for the third trial on Jan. 14.
Edward Hummel, 53, allegedly murdered his wife in 1991 and then shot himself in the head. The botched suicide attempt left him a paraplegic.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court cleared the way for a retrial. The Supreme Court's refusal to hear prosecutors' appeal means that a June opinion by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stands. In that ruling, a three-judge appeals panel overturned Hummel's conviction, saying that his public defender was ineffective for agreeing that Hummel was competent to stand trial.
The state attorney general's office appealed the 3rd Circuit decision to the nation's highest court on behalf of Clearfield County District Attorney William Shaw Jr.
The appeals court found that Hummel's attorney at the time, F. Cortez "Chip" Bell III requested a competency hearing before Hummel's 1992 murder trial, but withdrew the request after agreeing with prosecutors that Hummel was competent to stand trial -even though Bell hadn't met with Hummel by that time. Bell also didn't consult with Hummel's parents, who were his court-appointed guardians because of his injuries, before reaching the agreement, the appeals court found.
Hummel was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. He's incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution-Laurel Highlands in Somerset County, a minimum security prison with a separate housing unit for older or geriatric male inmates.
A Common Pleas judge vacated Hummel's sentence in October, but he remains in custody because prosecutors intend to retry him on murder and other charges if he's found competent.
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Presbyterians visited by national official
Local Presbyterians were treated to a "once in a generation" event in July. The Rev. Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, visited the Presbyterian Church of Clearfield for dinner and a question and answer session with the congregation.
"It's literally a once in a generation opportunity of members of our church and district to listen and communicate with the leader of the General Assembly of our denomination," said the Rev. J. Robert Mellgard, pastor of the Clearfield host church.

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Attorney with local ties dies in car accident
A high-profile Pittsburgh attorney with several local ties was killed in September. Stephen R. Greenberg died Sept. 28 in a single-vehicle accident that happened in West Virginia. The 43-year-old lawyer represented several local clients in high-profile cases. Greenberg served as attorney in two cases against Clearfield County District Attorney William A. Shaw Jr. He represented two Clearfield Borough officers in a suit alleging Shaw held a political grudge and claimed they lied on police reports. Greenberg also represented former Congressional candidate Derek Walker, who also alleged that Shaw sabotaged his political career by filing criminal charges against him four days before the 2008 election.
Greenberg is survived by his wife, two children, his parents, and a brother.
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Gilliland, council clash in court
Clearfield Mayor Patty Gilliland filed a lawsuit in the Clearfield County Court of Common Pleas seeking an injunction to stop borough council from enacting its new security policy requiring everyone who is not a member of the department to have a police escort when entering the secure areas of the police station.
She also asked the court to block council from enacting a provision in Chief Jeff Rhone's employment contract giving him sole authority over scheduling.
Gilliland contended that the new provisions infringe upon the authority of the office of mayor and inhibit her ability to perform her duties.
The lawsuit dragged on for approximately six months, costing the borough approximately $9,000 in legal fees before Gilliland withdrew the lawsuit after losing her bid for re-election to James Schell.
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CASD feasibility study complete
The feasibility study committee of Clearfield Area School District working with the district's architect, Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates of Mechanicsburg, concluded the district should close its aging middle school, construct a new wing at the high school for the seventh and eighth grades at a cost of approximately $40 million.
A second architectural firm, HHSDR Architects/Engineers of Sharon, which was brought in to provide a second opinion, also agreed with this assessment.
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Clearfield Borough street gets facelift
Third Street in downtown Clearfield got a facelift thanks to approximately $550,000 in grant funds. The project included new storm sewers, street paving and decorative lights.
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Main Street program returns to Clearfield
After a 20-year hiatus, Clearfield restarted its Main Street program to revitalize downtown Clearfield and hired a new Main Street manager, Kellie Truman.
Clearfield's Main Street program is a program of the Clearfield Revitalization Corp., a private nonprofit organization.
The program utilizes a combination of state grants and local funds for downtown revitalization projects such as beautification, infrastructure marketing and promotion, etc.
H1N1 vaccines made available
With the arrival of H1N1, also known as the swine flu, Clearfield Hospital held a series of clinics for school students and the public.
Clearfield-area students were the first to receive the shots before clinics spread to other districts in the county. Due to the susceptibility of students to the virus, they were vaccinated first, but afterward Clearfield Hospital held vaccination clinics for adults as well.
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Gilliland, Read lose elections
Two high-profile female officeholders, Clearfield Borough Mayor Patty Gilliland and Clearfield County Controller Claudia Read, lost their re-election bids in two closely watched races in the November election.
Gilliland lost to James Schell and Read was defeated by Anthony Scotto.
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Academic building completed at LHU Clearfield
A new academic building opened its doors to students this year at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, Clearfield campus. The first floor of the building opened to physician's assistant and general education classes, Assistant Director Valerie Dixon announced at LHU Clearfield's September anniversary gala.
The campus' newly constructed building, located next to Founders Hall, includes a computer lab, anatomy and physiology lab, biology lab, two tiered classrooms that each seat 80 people and cadaver and diagnostic multi-purpose rooms for physician's assistants. It is equipped with wireless Internet and distance education cameras.
The academic building gives LHU Clearfield faculty access to a conference room, offices, a lounge and a shower. Its structure encompasses more than 30,000 square feet of usable and unusable space. Groundbreaking took place Nov. 15, 2007.
Additional parking was also added at the campus.
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DuBois mayor accepts manager position
DuBois City Mayor John "Herm" Suplizio was officially hired as DuBois' city manager at a November city council meeting following a three-year search to fill the position. Suplizio resigned his post as mayor and began as city manager Dec. 28.
Council approved hiring Suplizio as city manager by a 4-0 vote, with Councilmen Randy Schmidt, James Aughenbaugh and Gary Gilbert and Councilwoman Diane Bernardo voting yes. Suplizio abstained from the vote.
Suplizio served as acting city manager for the last three years after the former city manager, Ron Tryzna, resigned. A search committee comprised of Jeff Baronick, Joe Korb, Joe Swisher, George Heigel and John Dugan recommended Suplizio for the job after months of searching and interviewing.
Vice President Gilbert was appointed as mayor at council's Dec. 14 meeting. He began his duties Dec. 28. Gilbert's appointment is for a two-year term spanning 2010-11.
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Farr, Crissman receive chamber honors
Clearfield resident John Farr was honored by the Clearfield Chamber of Commerce with a Lifetime Achievement award at its annual awards banquet this fall. Member Gigi Gearhart presented the award to Farr, who has volunteered his time to Habitat for Humanity since the mid-1990s and developed a Habitat for Humanity program at Clearfield County Career and Technology Center.
Fellow Clearfield resident John Crissman was recognized as the chamber's Distinguished Citizen of the Year. He helped develop the canoe launch and park along the West Branch of the Susquehanna River in Clearfield. The park, named Elliott's Park in honor of his late chocolate Labrador retriever, is open to the public.
Other award winners were Walmart Distribution Center No. 6027, Major Employer of the Year; Timberland Federal Credit Union, Small Business of the Year; and Greenland Construction, Shining Star recipient.
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Biosolids applications under scrutiny
Supervisors in two Clearfield County townships found themselves the objects of public scrutiny this year after applications to apply biosolid materials were submitted within their respective borders.
Residents expressed concerns over what impact the biosolids, which is essentially all of the solid material collected by screens in the wastewater treatment plant containing all of the heavy metals, pesticides and other chemicals that find their way into the sewer system, would have on constituents and demanded the board of supervisors reject the application.
Constituents in both townships called on supervisors to enact ordinances disallowing the application of biosolids within township borders.
Both boards cited the cost of potential litigation with the state's Office of Attorney should the ordinance be challenged via the authority granted by Act 38 of 2005, also known as the Agriculture, Communities and Rural Environments, or ACRE, law.
The permits to apply biosolids in Graham Township were withdrawn in March, but residents have continued to put pressure on their elected officials to adopt an ordinance prohibiting the application of biosolids. Beccaria Township supervisors rejected an offer from Earthtech Inc. to bond 50 feet of Poplar Street accessing the reclamation area because the quoted amount wouldn't cover the cost to bring in a piece of equipment much less the cost of the repairs.
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Philipsburg selects borough manager
Jan McDonald was selected over 33 other applicants to become Philipsburg's borough manager in October. The hiring was the beginning of yet another chapter in the storied borough manager position that began in June 2007 when then borough Manager John Knowles was dismissed from the position by way of a 7-1 vote.
Knowles filed and subsequently dropped a lawsuit against council in which he sought compensation totaling $171,000 for the remaining salary and benefits in his contract.
Council voted unanimously to hire Wesley Johnson Oct. 8 of the same year, but it found itself back at the table voting to terminate his employment a scant two weeks later. The termination was prompted by employees of the borough at that time walking off the job Oct. 12, the Friday after Johnson assumed the post.
Simler was hired as manager that December, but his tenure in the position ended in his resignation effective May 29.
Curwensville area schools renovation set
After nearly two years of fact finding and preparation, Curwensville Area School Board voted Dec. 16 to proceed with a district-wide buildings' renovation project.
Proposals for work to upgrade the electrical, plumbing, heating and ventilation components and perform general construction at both Curwensville Area elementary, junior and senior high schools complex in Curwensville and Penn-Grampian Elementary School in Grampian totaled more than $22 million.
Site work is expected to begin in the spring, weather permitting, and the buildings' overhaul will get under way once students have been dismissed for summer vacation.
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Grampian microburst causes extensive damage
The large pavilion at Grampian Community Park was heavily damaged Aug. 10 by what officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service believe was a wet microburst. Wet microbursts are described as events with heavy amounts of precipitation coupled with straight lines of wind that can cause a lot of damage quickly.
Two large trees, brought down by the storm, sheared a 30-by-50-foot pavilion in half. The damaged pavilion was demolished and a new one will be built at the park.
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Grampian fire truck damaged; firefighters hurt
Station No. 9, Grampian-Penn-Bloom Fire Co.'s main engine, was heavily damaged and three firefighters injured in an early morning accident Oct. 10. The fire company responded to a call to aid Station No. 8, Curwensville Rescue Hose and Ladder Co., at a structure fire on Hemlock Hollow Road at Pike Township near Curwensville. The road on which the truck was being driven gave way, causing the truck to slide down an embankment at approximately 4:07 a.m.
Six firefighters in the truck were taken to Clearfield Hospital for evaluation, with three of them receiving treatment for minor injuries.
At the Nov. 2 Grampian Borough Council meeting, the fire company reported it was working with its insurance company to come up with a plan and a timeline to repair the truck.
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"Search for Peace" observes 50th anniversary
The Christmas pageant "The Search for Peace" celebrated its 50th consecutive showing in December. The production, presented for the first time in 1960 at Curwensville United Methodist Church, was written by Laura Wright.
A history of the pageant noted Wright penned the script because she was looking for a distinctive telling of the Christmas story.
According to information provided by Carole Michaels, director, more than 1,100 people attended the four 2009 showings Dec. 4-6.
A reunion of the cast and crew from 50 years of productions was held Dec. 5 at St. Timothy's Roman Catholic Church, with more than 300 people attending the open house.
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Curwensville featured in WPSU program
The town of Curwensville was featured in late 2009 in WPSU's television station's series "Our Town." Curwensville was 52nd in a line of towns that have been spotlighted in the succession that "provides a day-in-the-life look" at the people, places and happenings that come together to form a community
Volunteers from the community shot footage of what they believed are Curwensville's most important attributes and then were interviewed to create content for the film broadcast Dec. 10 during the station's fundraising campaign.
A private screening for the documentary's participants was held Dec. 3 in Curwensville Area High School's auditorium.
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Houtzdale library proposed
In January, Houtzdale Borough learned it is a beneficiary of the estate of Gretchen Hiller. The money, $106,000, is to be used to purchase or build a building and acquire books for a town library.
In the past, a library had been operated by the Lions Club, but has not had a home in several years. A library committee was formed of local citizens, including two librarians, to explore design options and fundraising while the borough searched for a suitable location.
Resident Joe Kasubick donated lots on Mary and George streets for a library location. Plans for a library were drawn and the committee and council also looked into buying or renting a building in town. In November, council voted to form a nonprofit corporation and an official library board, which would take charge of the funds and work toward acquiring the building and starting the library.
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Osceola Mills celebrates sesquicentennial
Osceola Mills Borough celebrated its 150th anniversary this year with events throughout the year.
The borough was formed in 1859 and was the first in the county to have a railroad and telephone. Citizens of the borough and surrounding communities celebrated all year, especially during the annual Fourth of July and Spirit Day celebrations as well as the Moshannon Creek Watershed Festival held in the pool/park area of the borough. The borough received special recognition from neighboring Philipsburg Borough and the Pennsylvania State Borough's Association for its contribution to the county and state.
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CLA becomes its own entity
Articles of incorporation were signed by the Clearfield County Commissioners Jan. 27 to form the Curwensville Lake Authority. The lake had long been under the auspices of the Clearfield County Recreation and Tourism Authority, but this year it became its own entity when the CLA was formed. A new board was appointed by the commissioners to oversee operation of the recreation area of the lake. Over the ensuing months, CCRTA and CLA worked together to separate finances and determine what property CLA owns, what debts there are and other details. CLA is looking at gradually incorporating changes, such as fee structure, while keeping the things the community has come to enjoy, including Wheels at the Lake and craft festivals.
Businesses lay off and hire workers
The year of 2009 saw business downturns and upturns in the county, as some businesses either laid-off workers or shut down completely while others opened their doors to the community.
Just before Christmas 2008, the popular restaurant The Branding Iron in Curwensville closed. After the first of 2009 it was announced that Daniel's Fine Dining in Clearfield would be closing. Marathon Equipment announced in March that it would also be closing, resulting in the loss of 71 jobs.
However, the new Bionol LLC ethanol plant began hiring this year, filling 53 job, more than 40 of which were filled by local workers. Fun Central/Destini's Daycare also opened its doors in June. It is a restaurant and family entertainment center, while Destini's Daycare offers 24-hour day care with pickup and drop-off service. The business' goal was to hire 30-40 employees.
Also opening recently in Clearfield was the Fat Belly Deli in the J. Duncan Sales building. New Chinese restaurants opened in Curwensville and Houtzdale, and a new gas station, Fuel On, opened in Houtzdale. Philipsburg saw the opening of the Philips Hotel Restaurant at the beginning of 2009. DuBois lost two popular restaurants due to fire, Perkin's Family Restaurant and Wendy's, but both were back in business by the end of the year.
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Funding secured for Cold Stream project
Philipsburg Borough secured $2.49 million in funding from the Commonwealth Financing Authority's H2O Grant program in September that will be used to rehabilitate Cold Stream Dam.
The state Department of Environmental Protection evaluated the dam's spillway capacity and declared it an unsafe structure in March 2008, which ultimately prompted borough council to adopt an ordinance accepting the $2.49 million in funding. It also pledges the borough's full-fledged taxing capability as security on $1 million in loan money serving as an interim line of credit and matching share once the project goes to construction.
John Clabaugh, borough engineer with Stiffler, McGraw & Associates, said at that meeting that it would be at least nine months before design of the project could be completed and council could move forward with solicitation for construction bids.
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Philipsburg council reduced to seven
Only seven members will be seated at the reorganizational meeting of Philipsburg Borough Council in January owing to Centre County Court of Common Pleas Judge Bradley Lunsford's June signing of an order to abolish the system of ward representation.
Patrick Fanelli, borough solicitor with Andrews & Beard Law Offices, explained following the signing that the order took advantage of two existing vacancies on council by providing that those seats not be filled during November's general election. Three additional at-large candidates will be elected to council in 2011.
Discussions pertaining to a reduction in council size began in January when members John Knowles and Fred Grauch sponsored a motion to authorize Fanelli to review the procedure for doing so. When questioned as to their reasoning, Knowles said his profession is such that he has visited a number of other municipalities, none of which have such a large number of council members as Philipsburg. He contended it is difficult to get a nine-member council to see eye-to-eye on the issues and claimed council had "too many chiefs, not enough Indians."
Council voted 5-4 against petitioning the court to reduce the number of members to five the following month, but later that same evening voted 5-4 in favor of a petition to reduce from nine members to seven. Josie Gildow, Grauch, Knowles, Gary Persing and Mike Wilks voted in favor of that motion, while Mary Catherine, Jack Minarchick, the late Shirley Nelson and Harry Wood voted against it.
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Tomorrow's Hope accepts first group
A facility that was met with controversy as it was being constructed opened in December and received its first group of residents and all is going well.
Tomorrow's Hope, a re-entry facility in Beccaria Township for women who are nearing the end of their time in incarceration, accepted its first group early this year. The facility offers the final step before they are released back into society. Tomorrow's Hope helps them cope with their problems and gets them ready to return to freedom.
Mike Millward, CEO of Tomorrow's Hope, said the group arrived from other Pennsylvania locations and is doing well.
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Holt library project takes a different turn
Holt Memorial Library in Philipsburg secured its first permanent home in March with the announcement it would move to a vacant building at Front and Presqueisle streets rather than construct a new facility. Plans up to that point had been geared toward the construction of a new facility, but the Friends of the Philipsburg Library organization said the economic downturn resulted in many avenues of potential funding being closed to them.
Holt Memorial Library has known several homes during its lifetime. The first was the Dunwitty Building in 1939, which housed some 500 volumes. It was relocated to the Hindle Building at 200 Pine St. in December 1954, and later to Hope Fire Station, which is currently the home of the Philipsburg Borough municipal building, in 1963. Some 4,500 volumes were available at that time.
Since then, the library has occupied homes in the old General Cigar Factory complex in Rush Township and its current home at 9 W. Pine St., Philipsburg.
"Our goal has always been to have a home of our own," said Marty Bullis, vice president of the friends group, said in a press release issued in March. "We are saddened we couldn't do the other project, but at the same time we're very excited about this new location, plus we're staying on Front Street. The Mason Building would provide the library with a permanent home that is larger than the proposed construction project, at a fraction of the cost. The library would have the space it needs to grow, while maintaining its important presence within the downtown historic district."
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New facility initially met with opposition
The public denounced an initiative to open a faith-based, community corrections facility named "His House" at the former site of Rider Auto in Rush Township in December. Constituents attending the regular meeting of the Rush Township Board of Supervisors were informed the backers of the proposal had every opportunity to enter into a contract with Rider Auto, but instead chose to bring the issue before the public at the meeting because it did not want to proceed without the community's approval.
The facility would house 20 men and 20 women who would go through a screening process handled by a board of directors comprised of nine members of the community. Nine individuals have already agreed to sit on that board should the need arise, and while not all of them were named, Mike Savage, chairman of the board of supervisors, was confirmed to be one of them.
Those in attendance were clear they did not support the initiative, objecting on the basis the clients of the facility, who would be required to gain employment as a requisite to being housed at the facility, would be taking jobs away from members of the community. Also, they said it would effectively put a nearby preschool out of business because no one would enroll their children there. They asked the board of supervisors what the community could do to further demonstrate their opposition.
Although opposition to the facility at the meeting was overwhelming, Savage noted there are approximately 3,600 residents in the township and the handful in attendance at the meeting was not necessarily a clear reflection of the feelings of everyone in the township. He suggested to the facility's backers they would need to engage in more public outreach efforts if they intended to keep their word about not opening the facility without the community's support.
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Firefighter dies fighting arson fire
A rash of arson fires have hit southern Clearfield County this year, from Westover to Ramey and several points in between. Fire investigators said they are getting close to an arrest. The fires took their toll in October when Roy E. Westover, lieutenant for Westover Fire Co., died of a stress-induced heart attack while fighting one of those arson fires, this one in Westover Borough.
A firefighters funeral was held for Westover, who leaves behind three teenage sons, also firefighters. Westover's wife died a few years earlier.
Police said the Clearfield County District Attorney's office is planning to file homicide charges once an arrest is made.
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Bridge dedicated to veterans
In January the bridge near Sheetz in Philipsburg was dedicated to the veterans who have and do fight for freedom.
State Sen. John N. Wozniak, D-35 of Johnstown, and state Rep. Scott Conklin, D-77 of Philipsburg, joined Kevin Kline, District No. 2 executive with the state Department of Transportation, in a ceremony at the Moshannon Valley YMCA to unveil signs for the Veterans Memorial Bridge.
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Glendale welcomes new superintendent
In September 2008, Dr. Dennis Bruno abruptly retired at Glendale School District and the board had to search for a new superintendent. At a special meeting in February the board unanimously hired Arnold Nadonley of Sidman.
His contract will end June 30, 2013, at an annual salary of $104,000.
Nadonley was chosen out of eight candidates, according to Richard Holes, vice president of the board.
"We had eight candidates," he said. "We narrowed that to three that we interviewed, and we as a board felt that Mr. Nadonley was an extremely good candidate. He came up through the ranks."