Valley events in 2008 took global tones

By The Daily Item

December 31, 2007 12:01 am

— Missing honey bees, an environmental scare, a big election comeback and a couple's desperate fight to remain in the United States were among the top local news stories of 2007 in the Central Susquehanna Valley.
David Hackenberg's year began with grave concerns about what had happened to his honey bees.
Mr. Hackenberg, who operates Hackenberg Apiaries of West Milton, said that in November 2006, he found that 400 of his hives were empty.
There was no sign of the bees, dead or alive. There was no sign that a predator had been there, and no other bugs had moved in. Something was horribly wrong.
"They'd all vanished" Mr. Hackenberg said in February, speaking with Daily Item Reporter John Finnerty on the telephone from Florida. Mr. Hackenberg often spends the winter in southern states so his bees can pollinate fruit orchards.
That incident was one of the first hints of a disorder that was damaging honey bee populations across the United States.
The disease has since been called colony collapse disorder, but what causes it is still not understood.
Mr. Hackenberg gathered material from the hives and gave it to researchers at Penn State University.
Mr. Hackenberg's story gained national attention in October when the CBS News program "60 Minutes" featured Mr. Hackenberg in a report on colony collapse disorder.
The disorder certainly has remifications for Mr. Hackenberg's business and others like it. In all, Mr. Hackenberg has lost two-thirds of his 3,000 hives. These bees are used to help produce a third of the food that America consumes.
Environmental scare
A scare of a different type occurred in March when a Harrisburg newspaper published a report suggesting a link between environmental contamination and cases of cancer among Selinsgrove residents who lived near Rhoads Mills, a former agricultural feed mill.
The concerns centered around leaking underground fuel tanks and contaminated soil prior to 2005.
Following extensive environmental testing, the state Department of Environmental Protection issued a final report in May, stating that it found no link between environmental contaminants and cancer in the borough.
Election comeback
It was the election comeback of the year.
Union County District Attorney D. Peter Johnson, a registered Republican, was defeated in May on the Republican primary election ballot by challenger Andrew Lyons.
However, an official recount of the Democratic write-in votes showed that Mr. Johnson had secured the Democratic nomination by a mere six write-in votes, placing his name on the fall election ballot.
The campaign for Union County district attorney continued into the fall and the voters went back to the polls on Nov. 6.
The race wasn't as close this time as Mr. Johnson earned re-election by a vote of 4,012 to 3,477 for Mr. Lyons.
"As awful as the Tuesday night in May felt, this feels that much better," Mr. Johnson said on election night.
Mr. Johnson begins his fourth term as district attorney in January.
Fighting deportation
The plight of Selinsgrove residents Dr. Pedro Servano and his wife, Salvacion, captured international attention late this year.
The Servanos, parents of four U.S. citizens and prominent members of the Central Susquehanna Valley, could be deported to their native Phillippines because of a change in their marital status during their visa application process more than 20 years ago.
The case of the physican who cares for more than 2,000 patients in the Central Susquehanna Valley gained attention after the couple was ordered to report for deportation proceedings the day after Thanksgiving.
Following a hearing in Philadelphia on Dec. 6, the Department of Homeland Security granted the Servanos request for deferred action, which allows them to continue living and working in the United States for an unspecified amount of time.
Meanwhile, the family's legal team is working to secure a permanent solution.
I-80 tolls
The new year will begin without a resolution on a proposal to place tolls on Interstate 80.
State lawmakers in July approved a plan to introduce tolls on the Interstate highway as an alternative to Gov. Ed Rendell's proposal to lease the turnpike to a private company.
The plan has been met with widespread opposition from business leaders, lawmakers and residents all along the highway.
On Oct. 13, Pennsylvania applied for the last of three slots in a federal pilot program to allow tolls on interstate highways.
On Dec. 14, the Federal Highway Administration returned the commonweath's application, saying that the paperwork is incomplete.
Joe Brimmeier, executive director of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, said the return of the application was an expected step in the consideration of this major transportation project.
State Rep. Merle H. Phillips, R-108 of Sunbury, said the development was "good news for the people who use I-80 on a daily basis, including trucking companies, large employers and businesses that would be negatively impacted by the tolls."
Home of the brave
The year 2008 begins with National Guard troops from the Lewisburg and Sunbury armories preparing for deployment to Afghanistan.
About 700 Army National Guard soldiers from the 3rd Battalion of the 103rd Armor are now engaged in a three-month training session at Fort Bragg, N.C. They will then leave for a nine-month tour of duty in Afghanistan.
While in Afghanistan, the local soliders will perform security missions and work with the Navy and Air Force as well as with the regular Army units.
Lewisburg attorney Graham Showalter, who heads the local Veterans Committee, spoke during a departure ceremony on Dec. 6.
"We are proud of you and what you stand for," he told the troops and their families. "We can't thank you enough for what you do for our country."

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