TURKEY RUN - Burned clothes by a heater and a subsequent smoke condition brought Shenandoah firefighters to a housing development in the Turkey Run section early Friday morning.

Firefighters were called out to 193 Pioneer Road in the Shenandoah Family Development around 1:30am for reports of a possible structure fire.

SHENANDOAH - PP&L Electric Utilities is continuing their remediation project regarding the former Shenandoah Gas Works on the southside later this year.

The Sentinel broke the story in May 2018, when PP&L sent letters to landowners in the area, and has been the only local news source following the developments since the beginning. 

SHENANDOAH - Shenandoah began 2020 with three banks at its principal intersection, but it will likely end the year with two, after Santander notified its customers the local branch will be closing.

According to a letter received by the Sentinel dated January 10, signed by Jonathan Leyden, District Executive for the bank's Pennsylvania - New Jersey Central Region, the branch will close at noon on Friday, April 17. The branch, according to the letter, will consolidate with their Pottsville branch at 120 South Centre Street, about 12 miles away.

"Dear Valued Customer, we're writing to let you know that at noon on Friday, April 17, 2020, Santander will consolidate our  Shenandoah Branch at 2 North Main Street... into our Pottsville branch," Leyden writes in the letter. "On Saturday, April 18, 2020, the Pottsville Branch will be your new branch.

​SHENANDOAH - Only one fire engine was needed to tackle a trash fire downtown Wednesday evening.

Firefighters were called to the area of Main and Centre Streets around 5:30pm Wednesday for the incident.

Borough police were the first to arrive, finding a rubbish fire, which wasn't endangering any nearby structures, outside La Casita De Familia in the unit block of East Centre. One of the first fire marshals on scene requested a single engine to the scene.

SHENANDOAH - Albert Matunis, then a Schuylkill County Commissioner, owned a building at 25 South Main Street in Shenandoah. 

The three-story building housed the office of Dr. Richard A. Schiffer on the first floor and apartments on the upper floors.  Matunis checked on the fire in the furnace at approximately 17:00 hrs. 

Shortly thereafter, it was reported that a smoke detector began sounding in the building.  Matunis went downstairs to check and discovered smoke issuing from the doctor’s office on the first floor. When he and Dr. Schiffer opened the basement door, they were greeted with heavy smoke.  

NEW MINERSVILLE - Charges are pending against two from the New Minersville section of Minersville after a search warrant was executed on their home yesterday.

State Troopers, assisted by the Schuylkill County Drug Task Force, and Minersville Police, executed a search warrant on 515A Pine Hill Street yesterday morning.

​GIRARDVILLE - "I think there's going to be a lot of changes coming to the borough, but I think they're going to be positive changes, and I think our borough is ready for that."

That is what Girardville Mayor Michael Zangari told the Sentinel after his first meeting Monday night.

He's 23 years old, which makes him the youngest mayor in the borough's 148 year history. 

SHENANDOAH - ​Shenandoah council has two new members, a new president, and a new vice president after their reorganization meeting Monday night.

The short meeting at borough hall began with Mayor Andrew J. Szczyglak presiding.

CRESSONA - ​You may have noticed the signs at various retail establishments over the past few weeks -- for young adults under the age of 21, no more purchasing tobacco products.

An amendment to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act was signed on Dec. 20 to raise the buying age from 18 to 21.

SHENANDOAH - While emergency services were at the scene of a transformer fire in the 300 block of West Oak Street, a fight broke out half a block away, in which a state trooper was injured when a man struck and broke a window.

​According to borough police at the scene, just before midnight, they responded to the intersection of Oak and Chestnut, where a large fight and an underage house party were found.