Schuylkill County

NEW ORLEANS, La. -- A grand jury has handed up an indictment against the woman accused of killing a Pottsville businessman in New Orleans.
Police say jeweler Patrick Murphy was stabbed to death in a hotel room back in late February.
They believe Murphy met Megan Hall and went into a hotel with her during Mardi Gras.
Witnesses say they heard a fight in the room.
Hall was spotted on surveillance video leaving alone.
Murphy's body was found in the hotel later that day.
Hall is locked up on murder and robbery charges in Louisiana.

CASS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — One person is dead following a crash on Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County.
It happened just after 2 p.m. Tuesday, along I-81 south in Cass Township just north of the Minersville exit.
State police tell Newswatch 16 a pickup truck driven by Donald Bryk, 48, of Clarks Summit, hit a guide rail then went down an embankment and hit a tree.
Bryk died at the scene.

POTTSVILLE, Pa. -- People in Pottsville are coming together at the end of the week to join in on the fight against cancer.
This particular event has been going in that part of Schuylkill County for nearly three decades.
If you've been on Centre Street in Pottsville recently, you may have noticed purple ribbons tied to light posts.
"It signifies hope. It signifies empathy for our survivors, for those who have succumbed to the disease," said Mary Jane Maclaughlin, Pottsville Relay for Life organizer.

POTTSVILLE, Pa. -- JFK Memorial Pool in Pottsville just opened for the season over the weekend, and thanks to some beautiful weather, it was quite a success, with nearly 700 people walking through the gates.
"It was super crowded while we were trying to train and my instructor, he had to keep asking people to clear the area that we were training in," said lifeguard Katie Yourey.
"It was very crowded and chaotic, but it was a good crowd. They were all nice people," added lifeguard Julia Botto.

POTTSVILLE, Pa. -- Fire damaged a business in Schuylkill County.
Firefighters were called to Miller's Recondition Shop on Mauch Chunk Street in Pottsville around 5 p.m.
According to the fire chief, two firefighters suffered minor injuries.
No one was inside the business at the time.
The cause is under investigation.

WALKER TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Sitting in his living room just outside of Tamaqua, 94-year-old Earl Bridygham tells us he's on cloud nine.
"I would say it was one of the best days of my life. I had just about given up meeting him," Bridygham said.
In March of 1945 in Cologne, Germany, Earl was a member of the Eighth Infantry Division, on duty, driving a Jeep through the city when he was flagged down by someone.

PINE GROVE, Pa. -- A group of junior ROTC students from Schuylkill County is visiting Normandy for the 75th anniversary of D-Day. We first told you about their planned trip last month.
The trip included a D-Day celebration at Omaha Beach, a trip to the Brittany American Cemetery, and an excursion to Paris.

DELANO TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Several people had to be rescued from a rolled vehicle after troopers say the driver fell asleep at the wheel.
It happened on Interstate 81 north near the Delano exit around 5:30 a.m. Sunday.
According to state police, the driver drifted off the road after falling asleep and hit a rock embankment. The vehicle then rolled across the northbound lanes and ended up on its roof in a ditch.
Four people in the car were flown to a hospital.

TREMONT, Pa. -- Niki Wessner could point out exactly where her car was hit by eggs as splattered shells surrounded her car in Tremont.
Wessner and many others spent Saturday morning clearing eggs off their cars in Schuylkill County.
“This street is a quiet street, and it is something you wake up and you are not expecting. We don't have a lot of vandalism in this area,” said Niki Wessner.
Borough officials say vandals hit dozens of cars with eggs on Clay, Spring, and Vaux streets. Empty egg cartons were littered in and around the borough.

MAHANOY CITY, Pa. -- For 95-year-old Francis Chesko, the more than seven decades that have passed since his time during World War II hasn't dulled his memories of what he endured.
Assigned to the Army, the then 20-year old Francis left his home in Mahanoy City in 1943 and was sent to Europe.
“Well, we had to do our best, that was of course because what we went in for, we went in to clear up the land mines and obstacles,” said Francis.