Posts Tagged ‘Muncy’

Muncy’s Christmas story

Posted: December 19, 2023 by chrisharper in Uncategorized
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By Christopher Harper

It was a Christmas mystery. 

Last year, someone created detailed holiday drawings on the classroom whiteboards at the elementary school here in Muncy, Pennsylvania.

“It went through the elementary building like wildfire. It was a game every day for the kids to come in and see who got ‘elfed,'” said Corey Palmatier, the Muncy School District’s building grounds supervisor.

The morning the first drawing was done, the Ward L. Myers Principal Steve Haddon went to the classroom to check out the sketch.

“It was this amazing detailed picture,” Haddon said. “Then they started popping up all over, and nobody knew who it was. It excited everybody; the kids loved it.”

Amy Rosenbaum, a first-grade teacher, said her students guessed she was the secret artist. “They walked in and were completely shocked and they thought I drew it. I explained I definitely do not have this art skill.”

Over time, Logan Pena, one of the school district’s custodians, was found out.

“Last school year, he did it sporadically throughout the building, so you never knew whose room was going to have a drawing on the board. So the kids were trying to guess whose room was going to be next, that was exciting,” said Nevada Davidson, the lead custodian.

Pena could stay under the radar partially because his work schedule is the second shift, beginning at 2 p.m.

Pena, who is self-taught, has Asperger’s Syndrome, which can affect his social skills. But all the attention has brought Pena out of his shell, according to the staff.

“I like being by myself and just getting the job done,” Pena said. “Doing the artwork is a great way to communicate — most of the time, I am just a ‘hi’ and ‘bye’ kind of person.”

One year later, the staff and students still requested drawings from Pena, whether students were asking for a particular animal or office staff wanted festive windows.

“We were just thanking Logan for taking the time to cheer up the building during that time of year — just spreading that holiday cheer,” Principal Haddon said.

Muncy’s murder mystery

Posted: August 8, 2023 by chrisharper in Uncategorized
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By Christopher Harper 

Unfortunately, almost every city and town have an unsolved murder mystery. 
 
Here in Muncy, the case happened in 1997 with the murder of 10-year-old Joline Faye Witt. I learned about the case when Pennsylvania Crimewatch recently posted a $5,000 reward for information about the murder. 

The case is receiving some attention again, as Pennsylvania Crimewatch recently posted a $5,000 reward is being offered for information on the homicide case. 

Witt stayed at her mother’s home in Muncy the night she disappeared on July 27, 1997. According to Pennsylvania Crimewatch, she was last seen by her mother at approximately 2 a.m. sleeping in a bedroom at the home at 1 Grant Street. Witt had been sleeping in bed with her cousin, who discovered early that morning that Witt was gone. There were no signs of struggle or forced entry into the home. 

The community came together to search for Witt. Volunteers, Witt’s family, and police searched wooded county areas for over a month. On Sept. 6, 1997, two hikers discovered Witt’s badly decomposed body on Bald Eagle Mountain about 40 miles west of Muncy. A forensic pathologist determined that the young girl had been murdered, according to Crimewatch. 

Although several suspects were interviewed, some believed the girl’s uncle, Bruce Longenecker, was her killer. Witt, whose parents were divorced, stayed with her mother, Linda, on weekends in the home she shared with her brother Bruce and sister-in-law, Christina. Longenecker committed suicide three months after his niece disappeared.  

Fifteen years after Witt’s disappearance, Kenneth Mains was hired as a Lycoming County District Attorney’s Office detective. Eric Lindhard, the district attorney at the time, asked him to review Witt’s case. “I talked to witnesses, family members, and I presented him my findings,” Mains said recently. “[It]is my opinion the killer is still out there.” 

“[M]y analysis of the case pointed me to a different suspect still alive and living in Lycoming County today,” Mains said. 

“I have worked side by side with Jolene’s sister since 2012 to help solve this case, and that is where my loyalty is and always will be…with families of victims,” Mains said. 

Mains, who has had a true crime show on the History Channel and a YouTube series called “Unsolved No More,” said he is still in communication with the Witt family. “I hope the new reward will lead to this case being solved once and for all. Especially for the investigators who worked the case, the community that has endured, and the family who still suffers from this tragedy,” Mains said. 

Anyone with information about the case may contact the Pennsylvania State Police in Montoursville at 570 368-5700 or the Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers at 1-800-4PA-TIPS (8477) or online. All callers to Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers remain anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward. 

My local leaders turn down the feds

Posted: April 18, 2023 by chrisharper in Uncategorized
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By Christopher Harper

By a 4-3 vote, the Muncy Borough Council told the federal government to stay out of my town’s business.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, the organization that oversees national disasters, had offered to buy and tear down 19 local homes because they sat in the flood plain of the Susquehanna River.

About 40 percent of the town of 2,400 residents sits in the flood plain. The last big flood happened in 2004, with some minor to moderate flooding every five or six years.

What concerns Council President Bill Scott is that the purchased homes will be torn down, leaving the borough with an estimated yearly loss in local revenue of nearly $30,000.

“I’m not for it,” Scott said. “Half of our town floods. That’s the main issue.”

Scott said he believes it is better to look at flood control studies before removing properties from the tax base.

“That adds up,” he said. “That’s a significant amount of money over time.”

Scott and three other council members decided that it was better to stay off the federal government tax trough and see if there was a better solution.

“Being an engineer and not giving up too easily, I think it can be solved,” Scott added. “It’s not going to happen overnight. It’s a long-term thing.”

The local homeowners complain that they can’t see their homes for a profit because they’re in the flood plain.

The argument sounds a lot like the student loan issue. People who make lousy decisions want the government to pay for their mistakes.

When we moved to Muncy, the possibility of a flood concerned us—as it does many people in the area. That’s why buyers have a home inspection and an appraisal before purchasing a house.

Moreover, flood insurance isn’t cheap—an estimated $1,400 a year above basic coverage—but it comes in handy should water damage happen. It’s the cost of buying and maintaining a home.

I applaud my local leaders for saying no to the feds and trying to devise an alternative solution. More local governments should determine whether federal programs actually hurt their communities.