Nov 29, 2014 6 min read

A look at some of the headlines gracing the pages of the Observer-Reporter and Waynesburg Republican this week in Greene County history:

Deer season up to par

WAYNESBURG – Early morning rain showers didn’t seem to put a damper on the first day of deer rifle season Monday.

Dan Stitler, a state wildlife conservation officer in northern Washington County, said the hunters had their most success in the rain. As the day continued, the skies dried up as did the number of deer taken from the woods.

“Earlier this morning, the hunters might have been moving the deer around and that probably helped,” he said. “I checked quite a few nice sized deer. The hunters seem to be leaving with some decent success. Overall, I’d say it’s a pretty average first day.”

When she saw rain in the forecast, Tammy Kisko of Virgili Custom Meats in Jefferson, Greene County, thought she was in for a relatively slow day of processing deer. She was pleasantly surprised to be quite busy Monday afternoon.

“I thought we would be down, but so far business has been pretty good for today,” Kisko said. “We have a lot nice bucks in here.”

It also seemed to be a fairly normal opening day for Hungarian Smokehouse near Carmichaels. The shop accepted nearly three dozen deer by early afternoon, and that is about on par with previous years.

“We might have taken in more if the weather wasn’t so bad, but we’re still pretty busy,” said owner Melissa Adamson. “We got some really big deer this year. They seem to be larger with much nicer racks.”

The two-week season started Monday and will continue through Dec. 12.

•

Fish kill meeting

draws a crowd

MT. MORRIS – State and federal environmental agencies presented updated reports Thursday on the investigation into the fish kill in September on Dunkard Creek.

About 200 people attended the meeting, held in Mt. Morris Gospel Tabernacle and hosted by the Greene County Conservation District and the Upper Monongahela River Association.

A few in the audience also expressed frustration, not primarily with actions taken by the agencies after the fish kill but with what had been done in the past that may have played a role in causing it.

Verna Presley of Brave asked whether the agencies simply wait until something like a fish kill happens before they take action.

Presley said she had planned to create an educational area on property she owns along Dunkard Creek. Now, she said, those plans are destroyed “because people were not doing their jobs.”

Presley spoke specifically of the permitting by the Environmental Protection Agency of a coal bed methane brine disposal well at the Morris Run Shaft of Blacksville No. 1 Mine and the company’s failure to staff or monitor the site.

One of the shortest reports presented came from Tom Crist of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, who declined to discuss the commission’s findings.

“This is a criminal case for us, so it’s confidential,” he said. Crist said his agency has already referred the matter to the Pennsylvania State Attorney General’s Office.

Strong winds cause

many power outages

Those driving on some Greene County roads had to slalom around tree limbs and other debris Wednesday as strong winds presented problems throughout the area.

Trees also fell into power lines, causing more than 1,000 Greene County homes and businesses to lose electrical service at one time or another Wednesday. Crews from Allegheny Energy were working on repairing the damage, and a company spokesman said that everyone should have their power restored by today.

“Southwestern Pennsylvania is heavily forested, as we know,” said Fred Solomon, Allegheny Energy spokesman. “Trees and power lines don’t mix, and we are seeing some of the effects of that right now.”

Electrical service was interrupted for more than 9,100 of Allegheny Energy’s customers in Washington County, Solomon said.

A few roads in Greene County were closed because of excess debris early Wednesday, but by noon the state Department of Transportation reported that most of the routes were cleared for traffic.

National Weather Service reported that the region had sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph, with gusts of up to 50 mph.

•

W. Greene hires Szarell

as acting superintendent

ROGERSVILLE – West Greene School Board hired longtime educator and Nineveh resident Thelma Szarell to be the district’s top administrator Thursday.

Szarell, whose career in the district spans 29 years, worked as assistant to the superintendent for the past two years. She will now be promoted to acting superintendent, effective immediately.

The last time West Greene hired a permanent superintendent, the board interviewed numerous candidates over the course of nine months before finding Ronald Fortney, an educator from Mt. Union.

In June, when the district found itself without a superintendent once again, directors interviewed no one outside the district and eventually granted the equivalent of the position to one of the district’s most senior employees.

“I view this as a vote of confidence,” Szarell said after the meeting. “I have been doing this job for a good while. And really, during that time, I have been preparing to be superintendent.”

Szarell is working on obtaining her superintendent credentials, so state law does not allow her to be named full superintendent yet. However, she will fulfill all of the duties of a superintendent in her new position.

Szarell said she expects to finish the necessary coursework at California University of Pennsylvania in about a year.

Greene County able

to ease jail overcrowding

WAYNESBURG – The Greene County Jail experienced slight overcrowding last week after a number of people were sentenced by Greene County Court.

“It’s the first time we’ve had overcrowding since I’ve been here,” said jail Warden Andy Bystry, who has worked at the facility for almost nine years.

The overcrowding occurred after the Greene County Court accepted guilty pleas from a number of defendants in criminal cases.

At the same time, the jail was housing three federal prisoners and about 10 prisoners form the overcrowded Allegheny County Jail.

The Greene Country Jail has 52 beds, but can accommodate slightly more than 52 inmates with the addition of cots, Bystry said.

Last week, the jail population reached between 61 and 64 inmates.

Three named

to all-star team

Three Waynesburg College senior football players were named to the NAIA District 18 team, two for the second consecutive year.

Making a repeat performance were quarterback John Huntey and defensive end Ron Milchak. Defensive halfback Bob Babish was named to the honor team for the first time.

Last year, the Yellow Jackets dominated the district squad with six representatives. Players from some 13 area colleges are eligible for the honors.