The excitement was palpable Saturday as the Soap Box Derby returned to Pottsville where young racers took to the nearly 1,000-foot course on Laurel Boulevard to compete for a chance at national glory Split into two divisions — Stock and Super Stock — the derby kicked off with practice runs around 9:30 a.m. Spectators lined the boulevard to cheer on the drivers as their gravity-powered cars sped downhill in a test of both engineering and driving skill the races concluded and the 2025 division champions were crowned Each Grand Champion earned the opportunity to represent Pottsville on the national stage at the International Soap Box Derby in Akron There was no Masters Division competition this year but the energy and turnout for the event proved the Soap Box Derby remains a tradition in Schuylkill County all eyes will be on Riegle and Thomas as they take the spirit of Schuylkill County to the national stage A motorcycle accident involving two vehicles and a parked car resulted in one person injured and multiple traffic violations issued on Wednesday night officers patrolling near South Centre Street came upon the crash which occurred at the intersection of West Howard Avenue and South Centre Street the collision involved a motorcycle and two motor vehicles The investigation revealed that 85-year-old Alvin B Marshall of Pottsville was driving north on South Centre Street when he attempted to make a left turn onto West Howard Street 23-year-old Tyler Stuber of Middleport was traveling south on Centre Street at a high rate of speed on a motorcycle when his vehicle struck Marshall’s turning car The impact caused the motorcycle to be pinned underneath a parked vehicle and Stuber suffered injuries to his left leg He was transported by EMS to Lehigh Valley Hospital–Schuylkill East for treatment Police say Stuber is facing multiple charges Marshall will be cited for one count of improper turning movements and failure to use required signals The crash remains under investigation by local authorities Today Roger DuPuis sits down with Borys Krawczeniuk to discuss his recent story about upcoming celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the Pottsville Maroons' championship season So we're going to talk about football today and a team here in the Coal Region that did something a century ago no other professional team in the region has ever done and in their first season in the National Football League they won the National Football League Championship considering that the National Football League plays in big cities and this small town won an NFL championship I think around then they had about 20,000 people .. but everybody was looking at that game as the championship because the Maroons had a nine and two record — nine wins even though they didn't officially have a championship game then ROGER: And so the Cardinals still exist today They went out of business five years later ROGER: And that championship in 1925 unfortunately ended in in some humiliation for the team had signed up to do a game against the team from .. and the the team for the game included the so called Four Horsemen of Notre Dame and they were famous football players for Notre Dame back in the early '20s And it became a dispute over whether or not the Maroons could play on the territory of another team At the time there were no Philadelphia Eagles but there was a team in the Philadelphia area called the Frankford Yellow Jackets so the NFL ruled that the Maroons never got permission from either the league or the Frankford Yellow Jackets to play a game in Philadelphia So six days after beating Chicago for the championship they played this University of Notre Dame team — beat them nine to seven — and that kind of solidifies pro football as a real thing colleges were considered superior to the pro game They said that (the Maroons) had impinged on the territory of the Frankford Yellow Jackets and stripped them of the title and suspended them from the league for a while although they reinstated them before the next season began that is something that has been really a painful memory for a lot of folks in Pottsville and the region there have been several attempts to convince the NFL to reverse that decision and make the Maroons the 1925 NFL champions But I wouldn't say the drive goes on to restore the to restore the championship because in Pottsville they consider the Maroons the 1925 NFL champions ROGER: And so they're going to be some special events this year They're having a dinner that's supposed to include a former Philadelphia Eagle as a speaker And they're going to celebrate as if they won it because they did was there anything interesting that you learned or heard in the process of reporting the story this team was basically recruited from the college ranks a couple of professional players and a local guy from Edwardsville who some people think should be in the Football Hall of Fame WVIA News wants to hear from you! If you have a story idea for one of our journalists, it's as simple as sending an e-mail. Reach out anytime at wvianews@wvia.org The Pottsville Bureau of Police is investigating a robbery that occurred Tuesday at the Hong Kong Buffet restaurant in the city currency was stolen from the restaurant's cash register by a suspect who has not yet been identified Surveillance footage from a nearby business captured an image of the individual believed to be involved in the theft Police have released the image in hopes that someone in the community can help identify the suspect Anyone with information is urged to contact the Pottsville Bureau of Police by calling 570-622-1234 and asking for Patrolman Anna Flail As one of the larger cities in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Schuylkill County seat, Pottsville serves as the economic and cultural center of the Schuylkill River Region. The city spreads out over seven hilltops with the Schuylkill River running along its southern edge The region’s famous anthracite coal boom of the early 19th century began in the mountains surrounding Pottsville the industrious city grew along with its diverse population of European immigrants In 1829, one such immigrant from Germany founded the D.G. Yuengling & Son Brewery. Today, known simply as Yuengling Brewery it remains one of the most recognizable beers brands in the country and holds the title of the “Oldest Brewery in America.” Pottsville offers all the vibes of a city coupled with the charm of a small town Yuengling Brewery Local Shops & Boutiques Things to See & Do Community Nonprofits embodies the blue-collar spirit of Pottsville From the brewery’s hand-dug underground cooling caves to the nearly 200 years of history adorning the walls on the old brewery tour to the fresh beers running along the canning line and the generations of employees there is little doubt as to why this uniquely successful family business is synonymous with Pottsville Brewery Tours: Tours are FREE for all ages and run: Monday – Saturday: 10 a.m (March – December) Monday – Friday: 10 a.m The Yuengling Brewery Gift Shop is open: Monday – Saturday: 9 a.m And while you’re at it, look up. Pottsville’s incredible history and architecture is always on display in old churches and turn-of-the-century (or even older) buildings. Stop by the Schuylkill County Historical Society Museum for more information Every April, Pottsville, in conjunction with Yuengling Brewery, hosts one of NEPA’s most popular 5Ks. The Yuengling Light Lager Jogger is a 5K race that benefits Team Red The event culminates in a post-race party featuring cold lagers checking out a classic car museum and so much more in Pottsville Regina Gargano of Explore Schuylkill — Why NEPA Lifelong Pottsville local and Executive Director of Explore Schuylkill Gina Gargano thinks Pottsville and the Schuylkill River Region thrive as a result of the people that make up the community Find out why Gina is proud to call Pottsville and Northeastern PA home ending the long duration of the Miners National Bank it had a total circulation of over $9 million in a potpourri of notes ranging from the “Original Series” to small-size notes Notes from this bank are amply available on the market though early series notes (First Charters and brownbacks) are in rather tight hands I have included a photo of the $50 brownback note from my collection on this bank While I was taking photos of this last bank and I soon found myself watching scores of regional fire trucks pouring onto West Market Street It was not a giant fire or anything similar; it was a firefighter remembrance celebration with equipment from all over the surrounding area and everyone waved at me as I saluted them I regret not having enough time to explore all Pottsville had to offer sufficiently There are many antique shops and mini-malls and the courthouse and jail (which were closed) offer tours I plan to revisit it when I have more time I heartily recommend even a cursory visit to Pottsville a gem of Pennsylvania’s coal country.  © 2025 Active Interest Media All rights reserved (KATV) — Students in the Pottsville Junior High School EAST Program are using their skills to make a difference in their community by helping caregivers with loved ones who have dementia or Alzheimer's and Loralai Hodge developed what they call a tracker that is designed to make it easier to find those with Alzheimer's who might go missing Holland said the idea was sparked by the amount of silver alerts popping up "Weren’t really being easily found by their caregivers and it started taking a hard time so we brainstormed a way so they could easily find their patients better," said Holland It comes with a designated number and the caregiver will fill out their loved one's information the person who finds them is prompted to give a name and number "It takes you to the google form," said Holland "You fill out the questions like where is the location that you found them at what is the number for them to contact you and what is the number that the tag they found it.” That information is then sent straight to Tiffany Horton community education coordinator for Signet Health at the Dardanelle Regional Medical Center Horton also facilitates two dementia caregiver support groups in both Yell and Pope Counties She gives the person who has found them a call immediately "We have admitted people that have been found several counties away lost on a way back in the middle of nowhere road," said Horton "It happens more than what people would think We can come and meet them and get the police there to try and help them and get them back to their family.” Horton said being a caregiver for a loved one is a huge responsibility and this might take a bit of the worry off their plate "The guilt that comes from that because you are responsible for them and what you should have done differently," said Horton "It really is a race against time to find them before anything happens they have absolutely amazed me because they saw a need and they filled that need.” The students who created these trackers said they were grateful to create something that would help out their community and they plan to educate local law enforcement on how to use them as well Gullett said getting to create something that will also help her community was a great feeling "It felt really good," said Gullett Holland and Hodge said they plan to present this idea at the state EAST conference where they are able to view other schools' projects and it is really fun and a great opportunity to go to You can ask them to present their project to you and it can give you ideas for the next year to use." For more information on the trackers or how to obtain one contact Tiffany Horton at 501-730-1610 or email at tiffany.horton@conwayregional.org.