A one-vehicle crash early Wednesday morning on Route 522 in Oliver Township resulted in charges against a local man.  According to State Police, 26-year-old Kyle Reish of Burnham was the operator of a Dodge Avenger that left the roadway several times before crashing into a house on Spruce Drive.  Reish was suspected of being under the influence, and was transported to Geisinger-Lewistown Hospital.  He was found in possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.  Charges are pending the results of a blood test.

A new state law empowers parents to decide whether their children should advance to the next grade level or be held back a year due to learning disruptions created during COVID-19.  The additional optional year of education was provided in Act 66 of 2021 authored by Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman (R-Bellefonte).  The option would only apply to the 2021-22 school year to help manage learning loss due to the pandemic.  Parents who wish to pursue the additional optional year of education for their children must complete and return a standardized form to their school district no later than July 15th. The deadline allows school districts enough time to plan for changes in class sizes for the upcoming school year.  The form is available on the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s website at www.education.pa.gov.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) has approved a 5% toll increase for 2022 for both E-ZPass and TOLL BY PLATE customers. The increase is slated to start on January 2nd, 2022 and will be effective across the entire system except on the Southern Beltway (PA Turnpike 576) west of Pittsburgh.  The most-common toll for a passenger vehicle next year will increase from $1.60 to $1.70 for E-ZPass customers and from $3.90 to $4.10 for TOLL BY PLATE customers.