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Nanticoke

Greater Nanticoke Area agrees to keep property tax increase in state limit

Jan. 14—NANTICOKE — Greater Nanticoke Area joined a rapidly growing list of local school districts voting to keep any property tax increase for the 2022-23 school year within an annual state-set maximum known as the Act 1 Index. For Greater Nanticoke Area, this year the maximum is 5.2%

The index can vary year to year and district by district, but voting to stay within the limit does not mean there will be a tax increase. The vote gives the district until the end of May to make that decision and approve a preliminary budget, with approval of a final budget required by June 30.

A district can only exceed the limit either by getting state approval for exceptions or voter approval through a spring primary referendum. Pursuing those options requires approving a preliminary budget in early February.

The board also approved making Feb. 21, Presidents Day, a make-up day requiring school attendance, compensating for the closure of schools Sept. 20, 2021 due to having no water throughout the district. Board President Tony Prushinski cast the only no vote, saying that with the surge of COVID-19 sweeping Luzerne County, he would prefer the day be made up in June.

Students to return Jan. 18

Superintendent Ron Grevera re-affirmed plans to return students to classrooms on Jan. 18. The district went virtual Monday due to COVID-19 and staffing concerns.

In other business, the board:

—Approved the formation of a swim club in compliance with Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association rules.

—Accepted the resignation of David DeLuca as head softball coach, and agreed to advertise for applicants.

—Voted to have Kleinfelder proceed with geotechnical and infiltration testing at the existing running track and football field at a cost of $7,950.

—Approved participating with the WVIA Enhanced Scholar program at a cost of $2,375.

—Approved an agreement with the Luzerne Intermediate Unit to provide a Community…

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Canadian steelmaker Stelco plans EV and battery recycling plant in Ontario

Canadian steelmaker Stelco Holdings Inc. is drawing up plans to build a recycling plant for electric vehicles and EV batteries at its Lake Erie Works in Nanticoke, Ont.

The company said Dec. 31 it had signed an agreement with German-Australian firm Primobius to license a two-step recycling process used to shred spent lithium-ion batteries and recover valuable metals for reuse.

Stelco CEO Alan Kestenbaum said the “closed loop system” will expand the Hamilton-based firm’s footprint in automotive, adding new streams of battery materials. The proposed plant will also generate tens of thousands of tons of scrap steel the company can reuse in its steelmaking operations.

“Stelco will be able to recycle end-of-life electric vehicles, convert them into green steel and recover from their batteries high purity metals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese,” Kestenbaum said in a release.

Primobius, a joint venture made up of German industrial firm SMS Group and Australian speciality metals company Neometals Ltd., commissioned an initial demonstration recycling facility in Europe in December.

The company’s process breaks batteries down into their constituent plastic and metal parts during its first stage. An integrated hydrometallurgical refinery processes the black mass — made up of the valuable lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese — in phase two, readying it for reuse in new batteries.

Terms of the licensing deal were not disclosed, but Stelco said it will operate under a royalty system unless Primobius exercises its option to acquire between 25 and 50 per cent of the steelmaker’s new EV battery recycling business.

With the agreement in place, the Ontario-based firm plans to begin detailed engineering and permitting for the proposed plant, as well as advance talks with suppliers of end-of-life batteries for feedstock. It did not share projected costs.

Stelco is targeting 2023 for starting up initial operations…

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Nanticoke receives $300,000 to support affordable housing

Jan. 11—NANTICOKE — Gov. Tom Wolf Monday announced the distribution of $8.2 million in funding through the Pennsylvania HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) to support affordable housing in counties — including $300,000 in Nanticoke.

“Pennsylvanians should not have to choose between paying for basic necessities or needed home repairs to ensure the safety of their loved ones,” Wolf said. “The HOME program provides low-income individuals with access to the affordable, safe and reliable housing they and their families deserve.”

HOME is a federally funded program that provides municipalities with grant and loan assistance to expand and preserve the supply of decent and affordable housing for low- and very low-income Pennsylvanians.

Nanticoke Mayor Kevin Coughlin said the Nanticoke First-Time Homebuyer Program will provide a down payment and closing cost assistance of up to $15,000 to eligible households that purchase a primary residence in Nanticoke for less than $133,000.

To qualify, Coughlin said households must have income between 40% and 80% of the area median and meet other eligibility and underwriting criteria. He said homebuyers that participate in the program will also receive eight hours of housing counseling services.

The program, funded through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development with federal HOME Investment Partnership funds, will begin accepting applications in early 2022.

Sen. John Yudichak, I-Swoyersville, said he appreciates the work of U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, and U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Moosic, and U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, as they work together to drive federal dollars, through the HOME program, to Luzerne County.

“As we continue to attract national companies and thousands of new jobs to the South Valley, these welcomed federal dollars will ensure working families in Nanticoke have access to affordable housing,” Yudichak said.

According to the governor’s office, HOME program funds can be used in a variety of ways to address critical housing…

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Hospital capacity full

Gov. John Carney’s weekly press conference started off differently Jan. 11, with a video montage of healthcare providers talking about how overwhelmed hospital systems across the state are with COVID patients.

“We have reached a point where our hospital capacity has been stretched to the limit,” Carney said. 

Dr. Ken L. Silverstein, chief physician executive for ChristianaCare, said the hospital has issued a crisis standards in care notice along with downstate health systems Bayhealth and TidalHealth Nanticoke. Silverstein said ChristianaCare has never before had to issue a crisis notice over an inability to keep up with healthcare services.

 “We’re caring for patients in hallways. We are stretched thin,” Silverstein said.

Silverstein asked people with minor health needs to avoid the emergency department. “We do not have the capacity to do routine testing or treat mild disease,” he said.

When asked why hospitals have enacted the crisis standards of care with this year’s milder Omicron variant compared to last year’s COVID variants, Silverstein said there is nothing mild about the situation, and the people in the hospitals are critically ill or seriously sick. 

The Omicron variant is now the dominant strain in Delaware. Seventy percent of recent cases are Omicron with the rest Delta, officials said. According to state statistics posted Jan. 10, the number of hospitalizations hit 734, with 72 critical and 51 on ventilators. It is higher than the 2021 peak of 474, even though there are more people today fully vaccinated – about 75 percent of Delawareans over 18.

About 40 percent of hospital capacity is made up of COVID patients, Carney said, which could be prevented. With about 1,800 total hospital capacity across the state, around 800 of the total cases are COVID related, according to state statistics.

It’s the main reason, Carney said, that he reinstituted…

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Nanticoke receives $300,000 to support affordable housing

 			 				 Nanticoke Mayor Kevin Coughlin

Nanticoke Mayor Kevin Coughlin

NANTICOKE — Gov. Tom Wolf Monday announced the distribution of $8.2 million in funding through the Pennsylvania HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) to support affordable housing in counties — including $300,000 in Nanticoke.

“Pennsylvanians should not have to choose between paying for basic necessities or needed home repairs to ensure the safety of their loved ones,” Wolf said. “The HOME program provides low-income individuals with access to the affordable, safe and reliable housing they and their families deserve.”

HOME is a federally funded program that provides municipalities with grant and loan assistance to expand and preserve the supply of decent and affordable housing for low- and very low-income Pennsylvanians.

Nanticoke Mayor Kevin Coughlin said the Nanticoke First-Time Homebuyer Program will provide a down payment and closing cost assistance of up to $15,000 to eligible households that purchase a primary residence in Nanticoke for less than $133,000.

To qualify, Coughlin said households must have income between 40% and 80% of the area median and meet other eligibility and underwriting criteria. He said homebuyers that participate in the program will also receive eight hours of housing counseling services.

The program, funded through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development with federal HOME Investment Partnership funds, will begin accepting applications in early 2022.

Sen. John Yudichak, I-Swoyersville, said he appreciates the work of U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, and U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Moosic, and U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, as they work together to drive federal dollars, through the HOME program, to Luzerne County.

“As we continue to attract national companies and thousands of new jobs to the…

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Paul Joseph Sunder

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Residents react to gas company plans in Luzerne County

A gas company plans to build a multi-billion-dollar plant in Luzerne County and some neighbors to the property are concerned.

LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — In Late October, gas company Nacero announced its next big project, selecting part of Luzerne County as the location for a $6 billion facility that would convert natural gas to gasoline.

The Texas-based company has its sights set on this 3,000-acre plot of land in Nanticoke and Newport Township. If all goes as planned, the company hopes to start construction in the next two years.

The company says it would hire some 3,500 workers to complete the four-year project and would employ 450 people full-time when the plant opens. Carol Chupcavich lives just up the hill from the proposed site.

“We need work in the area, just like in Hanover. Here, it doesn’t bother me in the least. We need work,” said Carol Chupcavich of Newport Township.

But others on the street see it differently. Laura Keener says she didn’t receive any notice the plant could be built so close.

“It came as a bit of a shock since we live right here, and it could certainly affect us in many different ways. Traffic, noise, pollution, you name it,” said Keener of Newport Township.

Keener and other concerned community members attended the first Newport Township Commissioners meeting of the year, some voicing their frustration.

“Just when there is a semblance of hope that a once-beautiful valley can again be restored to its fervent glory, in comes another fossil fuel company,” said Charlotte Santry Sopka of Glen Lyon.

The commissioners see the project as an opportunity for economic growth.

“The Newport Township Board of Commissioners are excited that our community has been selected as the site of what will be the largest economic development project in the…

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Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

Rehoboth Beach is a city along the Atlantic Ocean in eastern Sussex County, Delaware. A coastal city in Delaware’s growing Cape region, it is known for its extensive boardwalks, high-quality clean water, and attractions such as hotels, shopping opportunities, impressive cuisine, and various amusements. Rehoboth has a population of roughly 1,400, but visiting tourists can make this number feel much higher in peak season.

Geography Of Rehoboth Beach

Rehoboth BeachHomes by the sea in Rehoboth Beach.

The city is approximately 4 square kilometers in area. The Atlantic Ocean borders it to the east, Henlopen Acres and Cape Henlopen State Park to the north, and Sussex County to the west. To the south of the city is the well-known Dewey Beach. 

History Of Rehoboth Beach

The first known people to live in this area were indigenous Lenape, or Delaware people; Sikkonese; Assateague people; and the Nanticoke. The region was thought to have been an important fishing village, one of the largest on the mid-Atlantic coast.

Eventually, the expansion of English and Dutch settlements forced the native people from their land, causing them to migrate north or inland. Most of the indigenous people left completely. However, the Nanticoke, though generally forced out of their beach settlements, remained in the region.

Rehoboth Beach and the surrounding area were then later ruled by the Duke of York as part of the take over of the then Dutch colony in the area. English rule then transitioned into British America, including the colonies named New York, Wilmington, New Castle, and the Province of Pennsylvania. The land itself was split up into various holdings until the 18th century.

Rehoboth Beach Museum.

In the 19th century, these landholdings were primarily used as farmlands,…

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COVID-19 rapid testing site opens in downtown Scranton

Lackawanna County Commissioners along with other agencies opened a free COVID-19 testing site at The Steamtown Movie Theater.

LACKAWANNA COUNTY, Pa. — There are no movie stars on the silver screen, but The Steamtown Movie Theater is acting as a COVID-19 testing site in downtown Scranton.

Free, rapid COVID-19 tests are available inside the building on Lackawanna Avenue.

“I am very glad that they opened this location because for you to get testing, it’s very hard. Most places are packed, and they can’t handle it anymore,” said  Lena Ferris, Dunmore.

Lackawanna County Commissioners, along with the Department of Health and Human Services, opened this testing clinic with help from Interim HealthCare, a home health and healthcare staffing service agency. 

The testing site is part of a safety plan. Lackawanna County declared a state of emergency late last month in response to rising cases and concern over the omicron variant.

“I tested positive about 15, 14 days ago, and by being positive, I was unable to have my granddaughters and family to our house for dinner. I was tied up in the house for the last 11 days. When I saw this, the county was offering this, I came down, I think it’s the first day, and I got the really good news that I am negative. I am ready to go home and celebrate,” said Marty Lawler, Carbondale.

For this specific testing center in downtown Scranton, you will need to fill out a form first. You cannot walk in to get a test.

A few people who stopped by the clinic didn’t know you needed to make an appointment.

“I don’t know. I mean, Danny, you can get tested another day. Me, I mean when I go back to work, I can get tested on Wednesday. They do…

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Sylvia M. Schimmel Svetz

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