A Wellsboro woman will spend nearly 2 years on probation after being sentanced for an August 6th incident. 35 year old Melodie Jones was arrested by Police in Sweden Township and charged with corruption of minors after minors were found drikning and smoking pot at her home. Jones will also serve 50 hours of community service as part of her sentence.

A Port Allegany man faces charges for alleged child abuse. 20-year-old Timothy Maben was charged with abusing his infant son, less than 6 months old. According to reports, the infant is experiencing blindness and deafness from excessive shaking and rough handling. Maben was arrested Friday and placed in Jail in lieu of 5 thousand dollars bail with a court order to stay away from the infant.

State Police responded to a crash in Clara Township Monday morning. 23 year old Crystal Babcock of Shinglehouse lost control on an icy roadwasy along Route 44 just south of Clara Road. She left the roadway, struck an embankment, and rolle dthe vehicle onto its side before it returned to it's wheels. Babcock was not injured, though her 2001 Geo Tracker recieved disabling damage.

A 19 year old Port Allegany woman faces DUI cahrges after being stopped along Kim Hill Road. 19 year old Jessica Trimm was picked up by State Troopers ash she entered Route 6 from Kim Hill Road in Roulette Township. Officers conducted a blood test and determined her blood alcohol content in excess of .02 percent. Since she is underage, DUI charges have been filed.

Two Galeton men charged last year for burglaries in Potter and Tioga Counties face additional charges. State Police added charges to the list Monday, The pair are now charged with 32 counts of burglary, 32 counts of Criminal trespass, 32 counts of criminal conspiracy, 3 counts of theft, 2 counts of theft from a vehicle, 3 counts of institutional vandalism, and 33 counts of receiving stolen property. 20-year-old Adam Sykora and 36-year-old Jeremy Woods are awaiting a court date in Potter County jail. State Police says they anticipate the areest of more suspects int he burglaries..

Tomorrow marks the premier of the Survivor Television series on CBS. On the show, Northern Potter High School English teacher Wanda Shirk will make her debut. The witty 55-year-old woman will appear as one of 20 castaways in the shows tenth season. Her original songs, which have entertained pupils for years, have some comparing her with American Idol reject William Hung, others have compared her wittiness to Survivor One Winner Richard Hatch. Shirk tells us that until she wins or is kicked off the show, she cannot talk about the show.


*** Editor's Note: I met Wanda this summer, through her husband George Petrizek, whi I dare call a friend (maybe even a bit of a journalistic hero.) Wanda is a sweet and zany gal. We hope she wins the million dollars!
-Josh-

A 17 year old Roulette male called State Police over the weekend to report that an unknown person stole two animal traps. 1 Duke #3 Coil Spring Trap and 1 Connobear 220 Duke Trap were stolen near Fesseden Road in Roulette TWP. Police continue to investigate.