2018

JANUARY-9th-Water line break on 6th street. 12th-2 hour early dismissal at Beth Center. 30th-Marianna Borough chains off ramp. Article-Observer Reporter.

FEBRUARY-Article "From city girl to hands-on-farmer" Nancy and Les Midla own a purebred Hereford operation in Marianna, Pennsylvania HERE. 

FEBRUARY-8th-Article "Marianna outdoorsmen seek purchase of contested property on Ten Mile Creek" Source: Observer Reporter.

MARCH-Official: Crumbling Marianna dam appears to be breaching.Article: Observer Reporter. In the article it say the dam removal project would involve restoring the creek to its normal floodplain and creating two boat launches.

MARCH-Letter to Observer Reporter by resident in support of dam removal here.

JULY-Marianna Borough population 483. (Source)

APRIL-EQT Pays PA DCNR $874,200 to Lease Under Ten Mile Creek. Source.

APRIL-Marianna Outdoorsmen Association receives 175,000 public art and restoration grant from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation to restore signage and enhance trails between Marianna to Monongahela in Washington County. Source. 

MAY- West Beth resident Matt Casper installs a hiking trail sign he made (see below), paid for by Jon Carter, Lisa Scherer, and an anonymous donor. West Beth Hiking Trail officially opens. Thanks to Duane Piatt, Bob Mercante, Tom Donahoo. Marcia Stauffer, Wesley Silva, Robison Acres Plant Sanctuary, Lisa Scherer, Bob Mercante, and several anonymous donors contribute to the trail in the way of the sign cost, birdhouses, bat house, tree markers, picnic tables, plants, etc. Thank you to volunteers, Carolyn Welsh, Robby Scherer who lent their time in helping plant trees and install sign posts and signage.

MAY-24th-State Representative Bud Cook holds a town hall meeting at Beth-center High school about Marianna Dam.

JUNE-12th-State Rep Bud Cook, posts a YouTube video in regard to Marianna dam (see below).
JUNE-Rudnick's, home of the monster sandwich, announces it's closing. (Observer Reporter)

JUNE-Retired archeologist John Nass, and his team, found evidence of Indians known as Monongahela Culture living in the area of Highland Ridge. Shell-tempered pottery shards were found and a flint arrowhead.Source.

JULY-Family's fight with driller illustrates legal loophole that exposes Native American, historical sites. (Article State Impact NPR)

JULY-16th-State Representative Bud Cook posts a video titled "Tough Questions Regarding Marianna Dam".

JULY-Grand Jury Report-mention of Zula,a pastor at Saints Mary and Ann Church in Marianna. More here on the Case of Father Richard Zula. Zula was charged with over 130 counts related to child sexual abuse.

AUGUST-26th-Ancient Indian village under Investigation at West Beth drilling site.Source: Observer Reporter.

AUGUST-Local birder and photographer, Lisa Scherer in "Watching for Birds" article.

OCTOBER-50th Anniversary of Marianna Community Public Library. Time capsule, donated by local Lisa Scherer, is buried at the Marianna Library below school bell October 21, 2018. Pamela Clutter, Library director put in contents. Capsule to be opened in 2068.

NOVEMBER-Resident Jim Faure and Township Secretary Erica Pinkney put new LED lights on the holiday street lights. The borough and township light up, as they traditionally do, on Thanksgiving night. The nativity scene was put up by Jim Faure and Howard Martin.

DECEMBER-Marianna Christmas parade December 8th, 2018.
DECEMBER-Heritage Craft Butcher opens.
DECEMBER-Rudnick's closes.

DECEMBER-Pennsylvania Bulletin Volume 48 Number 52 published(Tenmile Creek streambank stabilization by dam) 

NOTES-Marianna Public Library 50th anniversary.

West Beth Trail Opens

Posted on Facebook, with a video, by State Representative Bud Cook on July 16th, 2018. Video HERE.

Mine Yard Buildings in 2018

West Bethlehem township opens a new hiking trail with a scenic view.

2018 Preliminary species occurrence above, below, and in between Marianna Dam and Pump Station Dam (Deemston). The image is from a biological Survey of Tenmile Creek by PFBC before dam removal. Another study was to be done after dam removal (in 2019 a new borough council voted to rescind dam removal).

"Pa. State Rep. Bud Cook talks about the Marianna Dam and its future. The dam has been identified as a safety hazard despite opposition from a group of outdoorsmen who want to save the man-made waterfall."

A screenshot in case the video is no longer made available to the public.

LOCALLY

~Book "The Underground Railroad" is available by Thomas Mainwaring.

~Washington County coroner's inquest finds fatal police-involved shooting was justified. Source. Shooting death of man by trooper ruled justified. Source.

~December 31st- 2018 is the wettest year on record. A rainy New Year's Eve pushed the precipitation total for the year over 57.41 inches around 5 p.m.
~December-According to the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council,Washington County ranked 13th with 47.8  cancer cases out of 10,000 children 17 and under, from 2016-2018 (This number does not include children who were treated in out of state hospitals).Source.

~Greene county leads the state in childhood admissions for cancer. 8,827 Greene County Pennsylvanians 17 and under (according to the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council) were hospitalized with cancer from 2016 to 2018. 

Highest to Lowest:
Greene County-76.0 
Washington County-47.8
Fayette County-35.3
Westmoreland County-37.8

~Legislation passed the House, where State rep Bud Cook and Pam Snyder voted to allow brine to be sprayed on local roadways to keep the dust down. Brine was required to be tested to some marginal degree, but companies are not required to test for radioactive radium. See below for an article by Kristina Marusic, an investigative reporter at Environmental Health News on radium.

~Removal of failed dams expected to improve Dunbar Creek (Post Gazette-August 24th, 2018)

“Some dams still have a purpose. But many, especially in areas like Pennsylvania that were settled early and had a lot of industry, no longer serve the purpose they were intended to provide. Some were abandoned and are deteriorating. There are safety and liability issues, they contribute to flooding, create blockages that prevent the movement of fish and amphibians and block riparian travel routes for other animals. Then there’s recreation — remove those dams and there’s better fishing, better access and better water for paddlers.” -Lisa Hollingsworth-Segedy, Seghetti, director of river restoration for the non-profit American Rivers.

~VISION FOR THE VALLEY Mon River Trail floated as tourism boost

May 30th, 2018 Kristina Marusic, investigative reporter at Environmental Health News -article.

WORLDWIDE

~People ate tide pods.

~Actress Roseanne Bar is booted off show "Roseanne" because of a bad Tweet.

~Democrats win back the house.

~#MeToo movement goes global.

~Murder of Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi.

~United States leaves Iran Nuclear deal.

~Dire warning about climate change mount.

~Trump triggers a trade war.

~April 30th, Nawabshah recorded a high temp of 122.4-believed to be the highest reliably recorded April temp ever observed in the Northern Hemisphere.

~Michelle Obama Walking Trail opens in Atlanta.