filed homicide charges against a Tamaqua man and Shillington woman involved in the April 2 murder of a Florida man According to the Nassau County Homicide Squad officers responded to a call of a man shot in the vicinity of the Extended Stay Hotel on South Oyster Bay Road officers found Vasquez with gunshot wounds The victim was pronounced dead at the scene by Nassau County Police Paramedics a coordinated effort among the Nassau County Homicide Squad Pennsylvania State Police and the Tamaqua Police Department led to the arrests of Santana and Garcia on Spruce Street in Tamaqua The two are being held as fugitives from justice pending extradition to New York Santana and Garcia were charged with second degree murder criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm A Tamaqua man and a Berks County teenager are in Schuylkill County Prison awaiting extradition to New York were taken into custody by a collaborative effort by law enforcement agencies in Tamaqua Wednesday evening State police noted that they were contacted by detectives in Nassau County on Wednesday regarding a criminal homicide that occurred in their jurisdiction in early April The New York detectives identified Santana and Garcia as suspects and said both were wanted for second degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon charges An investigation revealed that the two were in the 300 block of West Spruce Street in Tamaqua Santana and Garcia were taken into custody through a collaborative effort by members of the state police’s Troop L Vice Tamaqua police officers and Schuylkill County detectives State police said Santana and Garcia were transported to the Frackville barracks for further investigation by Nassau County detectives The state police Criminal Investigation Unit in Frackville completed arrest prior to requisition charges for Garcia and Santana The two were arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Edward Tarantelli and committed to Schuylkill County Prison without bail Congratulations to the graduating Senior Class of Tamaqua Area High School.   were recently honored as the top six students of the Tamaqua Area Class of 2025 The Schuylkill Intermediate Unit recognized the top six students from all schools in the county Andrea Betz was named Tamaqua’s 2024-25 Female Scholar Athlete and recognized at the recent Schuylkill County Female Scholar Athlete Banquet at Mountain Valley Golf Course in Barnesville Betz is a member of the Tamaqua High School soccer Sean Huegel has loved drawing and painting The Tamaqua man branched out to study more forms of art folks are invited to an opening reception featuring his work Attendees will see Huegel’s paintings and sketches — and even his pottery Huegel admits that he enjoys painting with acrylics most he likes composing pieces with mixed media “Sean adds his unique style to all his work especially when he does his mixed media canvasses,” according to the arts center Huegel is an active student at the Tamaqua Arts Center where he’s enrolled in a number of classes He has also taken classes at the former Arts Barn and the Walk-In Art Center of Schuylkill Haven Huegel is a volunteer at the Tamaqua Arts Center and can be spotted working at the concession stand while shows are being performed at The Stitch Cloudy with more rounds of showers and possibly some downpours or a t-storm Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device A dramatic scene unfolded Friday afternoon along Route 61 near the Appalachian National Scenic Trail bridge in Port Clinton Borough after a woman fled the scene of a vehicle crash by jumping into the Schuylkill River According to the Pennsylvania State Police at Schuylkill Haven Troopers from both the Schuylkill Haven and Hamburg barracks responded to a report of a crash involving a black 2019 Ram pickup truck that had collided with the concrete shoulder and became wedged between the shoulder and a barrier on the southbound side of the highway Bystanders reportedly helped the driver — a 27-year-old female from Tamaqua — out of the vehicle the woman leapt from the bridge and into the Schuylkill River in an apparent attempt to flee the scene Emergency responders from multiple local agencies quickly responded to locate and rescue the woman from the river She was successfully recovered and transported to Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest for evaluation and treatment State Police say a DUI investigation is underway Assisting at the scene were Auburn Fire Company Deer Lake–West Brunswick Fire Company Troopers have not released the identity of the woman and they say the investigation remains ongoing The Carbon County Hall of Sports Hall of Fame committee will hold its 2025 induction dinner and program on Sunday at the Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Company hall The ceremony will honor 17 inductees from five Carbon County communities and Coaldale and Tamaqua who were selected for the honor by committees representing each of the towns Lansford: Bob Thomas and Charles “Sparky” Williams; special recognition: Brenda Banks Bobby Agosti and Elizabeth “Lisa” (Evans) Johnson Tickets to the event are available from the following: Dan McGinley The Times News will run biographies of the inductees by town on Saturdays The inductees representing Tamaqua are as follows: earned induction into Halls of Fame in the sports for Tamaqua resident Jon Bonner Jon was inducted into the World Martial Arts and World Karate Union Halls of Fame for his work in those fields dating back to the 1970s Jon has been the director of training for USA Martial Arts and Fitness where he instructs martial arts and fitness kickboxing classes implements and coordinates programs for children and adults in the field he has also been the president and CEO of Sidekick Productions where he is responsible for the overall operation of martial arts and fitness-related programs and events he has served as the tournament director of the Coal Kickin’ Karate Tournament having successfully coordinated and promoted one of the largest regional martial arts tournaments in the commonwealth scheduling officials and staffing and directing the daylong tourney Jon holds an eighth degree grand master black belt in Ju Jitsu and a third degree black belt in karate and is a master instructor in oriental weapons teens and adults at USA Martial Arts & Fitness for the past 49 years as well as instructing specialty lessons in women’s self-defense and rape prevention seminars and mentoring an Air Force military police seminar His personal competition brought Jon many awards as he has won over 50 trophies in competitions held in the tri-state area He copped the Pennsylvania State championship in black belt fighting and also trained a team of tournament competitors who won over 800 trophies and titles Jon holds certifications as a fitness kickboxing instructor and personal trainer He is a Pennsylvania state representative to the National Karate and Ju Jitsu Union 1980s Jon received a bachelor of science degree in communications arts in 1975 from East Stroudsburg University and a master’s degree in communications art in 1978 from Shippensburg University public speaking and English in the Tamaqua Area School District where he was also a dual enrollment instructor for Lehigh Carbon Community College in Speech I He was also an adjunct instructor in public speaking at Penn State University’s Schuylkill Campus from 1982-85 he has been an adjunct instructor of Public Speaking and Personal Self-Defense at the community college’s Schnecksville campus Michael Hromyak is a 1988 graduate of Tamaqua Area High School where he was a three-sport athlete in cross country Mike attended East Stroudsburg University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education with a concentration in sports journalism in 1992 He continued at ESU to earn his masters of education in sports management degree in 1999 Mike worked in the athletic department with the sports information director for four years as an undergraduate and then continued as a graduate assistant for another year He did an internship with the athletic department at Bloomsburg University in 1992 and then an internship at the University of Delaware also in the sports information office in 1993-94 Mike was hired as the athletic director and public relations coordinator at his high school alma mater He has been responsible for 19 varsity sports and eigtht middle school programs over the past 31 years Mike was involved with beginning the girls soccer program and as one of the first schools in the state to begin a girls wrestling program Mike has also been the host AD for numerous Schuylkill League One of his proudest moments for TASD was the beginning of the Tamaqua Area Athletic Hall of Fame 15 teams and four contributors have been inducted in to the Tamaqua Athletic Hall of Fame Mike has been actively involved with Schuylkill League he has served as president of the Athletic Directors Association for many years chairman of the boys and girls soccer league for over 25 years secretary of the District 11 AD Association for over 15 years currently the president of the Eastern Football Conference for over five years and member of the PIAA Athletic Director’s Delegate Assembly for over 10 years He has also volunteered his time with local organizations such as a member of the National Football Foundation Chapter 25 — the Schuylkill County Football Scholar Athlete Committee and the Eastern Schuylkill Recreation Committee Mike has received several awards during his tenure including being named the Schuylkill League Athletic Director of the Year four times the District 11 AD of the Year in 2003 and the PIAA State Region 2 Athletic Director of the Year in 2011 He also received a blazer from the Football Scholar Athlete organization recognizing his years of service and dedication to the organization Mike resides in West Penn Township in the Tamaqua Area School District His father was inducted into this Hall of Fame in 2013 announced Sunday that he will not be seeking a third term In a letter addressed to Tamaqua residents Gerace told of his decision while thanking residents for their support citing the progress made while he was in office and calling his service “the greatest honor” in his life I find myself reflecting on the incredible journey it has been to serve this community that I love so deeply I was honored to take office as your mayor on Jan and I remain immensely grateful for the trust you placed in me not once by re-electing me to this position,” Gerace wrote “I am particularly proud of my efforts to increase community policing and work to de-stigmatize addiction in our community,” he wrote which is administered to those who have overdosed on opioids allowed officers to save lives and give second chances to those in crisis “As a department we built strong relationships with our schools to ensure students feel safe and supported and we’ve maintained a police department that operates at the highest standards always putting the safety of our residents first,” Gerace wrote Gerace noted that he had the privilege of chairing the Complete Count Committee for the U.S which ensured every voice in Tamaqua was heard so that the borough received the funding it deserved “As chairman of the uniformed and non-uniformed pension boards I’ve worked alongside a dedicated volunteer team to make sound decisions that secure the future for our borough employees,” he continued have worked hard to advance the mission of the City Revitalization Improvement Zone to bring economic development projects to the borough making it a better place for everyone to live.” I am announcing that I will not be seeking a third term as mayor of Tamaqua.” Gerace said he was fortunate to work with many police chiefs during his tenure including former chiefs Rick Weaver and Henry Woods; former acting chief Dwayne Hacker all of whom he said “truly care about Tamaqua.” “It has been an honor to serve alongside them,” he said Gerace said none of it would have been possible without the support of his family offering guidance and encouragement every step of the way I owe a debt of gratitude that words cannot fully express,” he wrote God has blessed me abundantly and led me on this journey in public office for giving me the opportunity to serve as your Mayor,” he wrote “It has been the greatest honor of my life to work on behalf of our community and I am appreciative of the trust and support you have shown me I look forward to continuing to support Tamaqua in other ways and watching our borough thrive in the years ahead.” The Tamaqua Area School District said all Tamaqua Junior and senior high school students in high school and middle school have been dismissed Buses and vans are off on their routes for elementary and West Penn pick up was set immediately after high school and middle school drop offs The district was put on lockdown this afternoon for a threat the district notified parents of the situation “This afternoon we received a disturbing call threatening the safety of our students at our secondary campus We immediately followed protocols contacting law enforcement and securing our building to protect our students and staff Areas in and around our facilities were searched and monitored We are in restricted movement currently and will remain until all clear We have and will continue to work with law enforcement to investigate the situation and will provide updates as soon as possible.” Police are at the Tamaqua Area High and Middle schools and a state police helicopter is circling the area Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application grandmother and great grandmother passed away peacefully at home on Sunday the daughter of the late Ralph and Helen (Cooke) Hess Surviving are: her loving husband of 67 years Jim Dodson and his wife Liz of Summit Hill; Kenny Dodson and his wife Norma of York; and daughters Debi Dodson of Tamaqua; Bonnie Dodson-Burk and husband Thomas Burk of Pittsburgh and Andrew Burk; and great grandchild Madelyn “MJ” Boles who affectionately called her; "Gammy the Great."; brother Many nieces and nephews also survive Shirley A graduate of Benton Joint High School in Benton “Miss Shirley” provided in-home child care services for countless Tamaqua youth and later worked at a child-care center in town A devoted member of Bethany Evangelical Congregational Church of Tamaqua Shirley served as Treasurer for many years As a member of Tamaqua Area Community Faith Fellowship Network Shirley assisted in organizing hunger walks and food collections and - of course - watching their favorite respective baseball teams A Celebration of Shirley's Life will be held on Saturday January 18 Church located at 223 East Broad Street Tamaqua Family and friends may call in church beginning at 10:00 A.M Franklin Griffiths Funeral Home & Cremation Services Memorials in honor of Shirley in care of Bethan E.C.C.  Online condolences or a fond memory of Shirley may be made to the family at www.griffithsfuneralhomes.com Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors monitored dismissal after a threatening message at the high school office prompted a lockdown Tuesday afternoon Superintendent Ray Kinder late Tuesday afternoon sent a letter to all of the district’s families in the aftermath of a “disturbing call threatening the safety of our students” earlier District officials immediately contacted law enforcement and put the district on restricted movement for the protection of staff and students and the consensus was to keep students in classrooms while they evaluated potential risks “Areas outside our facilities were surveyed to ensure eventual safe passage for our students and staff,” he said and a message was sent out to families as soon as “it could be crafted … I realize that never occurs as quickly as anyone would like it Police blocked off the area around the complex searched vehicles and areas around the school while a state police helicopter circled above The overall assessment of the threat level was mitigated but officials still moved to a controlled dismissal “This involved students being dismissed more slowly with both law enforcement and administrative presence,” Kinder said overall the procedures went according to expectation I am grateful for the cooperation of the students staff and parents who allowed us to do what we needed to do for the safety of those involved,” he said this exercise would have been much more difficult,” Kinder said Law enforcement provided support with equipment a formal presence and sweeps of the building after all of the students had left the high school “All this is done to not only ensure safety but also reassure our community that we take protecting our children seriously We want them to feel safe when they come to school,” Kinder said He ensured families that the district would provide any updates and that they will remain vigilant when it comes to the safety of the students “Thank you for your continued support and trust with your children,” Kinder concluded The Tamaqua Area School District was put on lockdown this afternoon for a threat An FBI task force is involved in an investigation into a threat received at the Tamaqua Area High School office on Tuesday large police presence and monitored dismissal “The threat was a general death threat basically towards anyone who was in the building at the time,” Trooper Ethan M “It was not geared towards anyone or any group specifically,” he said “This is still an active investigation trying to identify possible suspects,” he said when school officials received “a disturbing call threatening the safety of our students,” Superintendent Ray Kinder said Tuesday in a letter to parents School officials contacted law enforcement and placed the district on restrictive movement for the protection of staff and students as police descended on the high school/middle school complex Local and state police shut down the roads around the complex searched vehicles and areas around the schools and a state police helicopter circled above Once officials believed the threat level was mitigate monitored dismissal with law enforcement and district administration present Law enforcement conducted a sweep of the building after the students left The district is continuing to work with state and local police “We continue to be vigilant with our security measures and are committed to the safety of our students and staff,” he said A Tamaqua Area School District student won first place in the recent National Civics Bee competition hosted by the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce at Penn State Schuylkill The Civics Bee does not release the full names of the winners for his topic of “outdoor lighting,” and third place was won by Mary A. The student competitors’ last names are not released as per rules outlined by the U.S The trio will represent Schuylkill County in the Pennsylvania State Competition in Harrisburg in June The winners also received trophies sponsored by the Rotary Club of Pottsville and created by ET Trophy Shop Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Hidden River Credit Union The civics bee saw 18 contestants from middle schools across Schuylkill County The Schuylkill Chamber said the students demonstrated incredible civic knowledge The bee began with a pre-event gathering and catered dinner for all students provided by Hess Catering Finalists competed using tablets donated by Walmart which they were able to take home as a gift Parents of participants received $20 gas gift cards courtesy of Onvo to help cover travel expenses The National Civics Bee is a nonpartisan competition designed to encourage civic engagement and reward students for their understanding of American democracy the competition offers the chance to win local and national recognition — and up to $100,000 in cash prizes at the national level State winners will compete in the National Championship this fall in Washington PENNSYLVANIA (WOLF) — A former officer of the Tamaqua Police Department who is already facing several charges including child pornography has now been federally indicted The United States Attorney's Office announced that Christopher Cordes MORE FROM FOX56:Gun pointed at state senator during road rage incident, state police say While employed as a Tamaqua police officer Cordes allegedly communicated with at least one minor victim on a social media platform Investigators said Cordes also used at least one social media platform to attempt to receive child pornography Cordes is also alleged by authorities to have created and sent images to at least one minor victim and others depicting himself "engaged in sexual activity with animals." MORE FROM FOX56:Luzerne County boosts poll worker safety with new ballistic proof windows the United States Attorney's Office said Cordes was in possession of child pornography when he was arrested Authorities also previously asked the public to provide information on any possible incidents involving Cordes Pennsylvania Secretary of Revenue Patrick M Browne and other state officials saw the borough’s Community Revitalization and Improvement Zone in action shoppers picking up food and beverages — and a 4-story building that will serve as home for students of Pennsylvania’s first rural dental college “What we want to do is establish a dental college in downtown Tamaqua,” said Micah Gursky Luke’s and executive director of the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership “Our hope is that (students) will live here.” which was initiated in the borough about a decade ago allows incremental tax revenues generated by borough businesses and customers to return to the community for reinvestment The tour began Monday morning from the historic Tamaqua Train Station where CRIZ funding is currently helping to replace a decades-old roof representatives from the state departments of Revenue and Community and Economic Development and CRIZ Authority members visited completed CRIZ projects and learned about future plans “We do have fantastic plans for this,” Gursky noted “Part of our plan is to change Tamaqua into a place where education is a priority and education is part of our economic development.” The CRIZ assisted with funding for the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership to purchase the building — the former Scheid’s Department Store — about 10 years ago Because 10 years of that leaky roof and this would have collapsed,” Gursky said we would not have been able to acquire it and prepare it for renovations.” which has been gutted and is ready for renovations will also include a coffee shop and a gathering space and Gursky hinted that students will likely be able to walk to classes “It is going to be somewhere in downtown Tamaqua for sure We have a couple of (potential) locations” for the college One spot would be on South Railroad Street Luke’s Rural Health Clinic and Tamaqua Public Library “As we identify locations for a dental school we want it to be downtown and this is one of the locations,” said Gursky The group walked from the station to the Perla Building which last housed the Tamaqua Salvation Army Community Center Gursky said the Salvation Army wasn’t able to sustain the 105 W “We were able to work with the CRIZ Authority to make sure it would continue to have a useful purpose,” Gursky said who purchased the building with her sister program for individuals with intellectual disabilities on the second floor Clients in its day program often volunteer in the community by cleaning parks or delivering Meals on Wheels “We have literally give tens of thousands of volunteer hours back to our community,” said Davison has grown to offer programs in 15 Pennsylvania counties She also noted that the Perla Building recently added a state-of-the-art gym after hearing that older adults missed the Silver Sneakers program that had been offered by the former Tamaqua YMCA They’re hoping to attract all ages to the gym just as the building’s gymnasium sees a varied crowd for basketball “We are thrilled to be part of the Tamaqua community,” Davison said Gursky said the Head Start program grew too large for its last location on Pine Street We were able to help them finance the renovations at this new center,” Gursky noted said Child Development wanted to stay in Tamaqua Jerome Elementary School — was put up for sale Child Development offers three Head Start programs and two Pre-K Counts programs “The CRIZ funding has been phenomenal for us,” Devlin said A few blocks away — at The Bischoff Inn — owner Maria Stabio invited guests to tour rooms Stabio saw potential in the 320 Lafayette St “We had several tenants here that took good care of this property over the years so that when we did the boutique hotel project it wasn’t like this building was a total disaster,” explained Dan Evans The $1.1 million project was supported by CRIZ funding and fills the need for overnight lodging in the borough Walkers also stopped by the Boyer’s supermarket on Cedar Street The larger space gives it a competitive edge and steadies its location in the borough While many communities are losing their grocery stores Gursky said the expansion helped Boyer’s increase its sales -and earned it the title of “best performing” of all 11 Boyer’s locations The tour ended at Gimbel’s restaurant on East Broad Street which had been The Wheel Restaurant until recently The eatery was also assisted by CRIZ funding the CRIZ received a record $1.6 million in state and local funding It received $1.1 million in 2022 based on 2021 revenues Tamaqua is one of three municipalities in Pennsylvania with a CRIZ Zone $5,068,933 has been returned for reinvestment in Tamaqua’s CRIZ zone The returned funds can be used for debt service new construction and other costs related to development.