Woman dies in Carbon fire

Conchita Perschy, 81, of Lower Towamensing Township, died in a fire that destroyed her home just outside of Palmerton.State police at Lehighton said she was found inside the home by firefighters as they were extinguishing the fire. She lived alone, troopers said.Bill George, fire chief, Aquashicola Volunteer Fire Company, said the fire was fully involved when firefighters responded to the scene, only to find the woman was trapped inside her home.Postmaster is arrestedCarl R. Bonser, 56, of Lehighton, was charged with submitting false or fraudulent claims in his capacity as postmaster of the Orwigsburg Post Office, resulting in him falsely requesting compensation for travel that never occurred, causing a loss of $6,500.The U.S. Attorney General's Office said Bonser intends to plead guilty to the charges when he appears in federal court for his arraignment. A maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is five years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.Lehighton hikes electric ratesLehighton Borough residents are in for a hefty increase in electric rates.The borough council, which operates its own electric plant, hiked residential rates 33.3 percent and general and commercial rates by 42.8 percent.The base residential rate went from $7.50 to $10 while the general and commercial rate was increased from $10.50 to $15, and industrial rates jumped from $25.50 to $30 For general and commercial consumers sing over 500,000 kilowatts, the hike went from $15.50 to $20.Towamensing has new fire chiefFollowing a surprising resignation, Towamensing Township's board of supervisors selected and swore in a new fire chief.The board approved the resignation of Jeremy Haydt as chief of the Towamensing Volunteer Fire Company. He gave no explanation for his immediate departure.The board then tabbed firefighter Robert O'Donnell to take over as head of the department.Tax preparer faces chargesNick Chacanias, 55, of Slatington, a local tax preparer, was charged by the Attorney General's Office with scamming and stealing more than $76,000 from clients.Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Chacanias stole from clients by claiming he was filing their tax returns with the state and federal governments, and then pocketing their money and never filing their returns.The arrest related to a three-year scam investigation that showed Chacanias perpetrated on eight different clients who live or work in York, Dauphin, Cumberland and Perry counties. He was charged with theft by deception, forgery and related charges.Grant will aid pumping stationPalmerton will be adding a new tank to an overworked pump station, thanks to a grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority.Borough manager Rodger Danielson said over $256,000 in funding, granted by the Pennsylvania Small Water and Sewer program, will help to ensure water service to area. The new tank will be installed at north end of West Edgemont Avenue and will have a capacity of 100,000 or 150,000 gallons. In addition to supplying daily household usage, the tank would also prove valuable during fires and other emergencies.No tax hike in LehightonFor the fifth time in six years, Lehighton Area School District's board of directors will not raise property taxes.The board adopted a spending plan for the 2017-18 school year that totals nearly $41 million and will be balanced with $1.86 million of the district fund balance, leaving the property tax rate at 47.88 mills for the third straight year.NL millage to stay the sameNorthern Lehigh School District approved next year's budget without a tax increase.The proposed general fund final budget for the 2017-18 school year totals $34,059,557 and calls for a 21.34 millage rate for Lehigh County and a 61.81 millage rate in Northampton County.Distillery is on the wayThe Holy Spirits Distillery is almost a reality.Sky Fogel of Sky LLC, is planning on building the distillery on property adjacent to Skirmish USA on Meckesville Road in Penn Forest Township.The plan received conditional approval from the Carbon County Planning Commission in February and has now received a conditional final approval from the Penn Forest Township board of supervisors based on a recommendation from the township's planning commission.The distillery will operate on a limited distillery license from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and will initially be producing rum, vodka and gin.Tax appeals challengedAfter nearly an hour of impassioned personal accounts from residents and business owners detailing how tax increases would harm them, JimThorpe Area School District's board of education voted for a continuance on the appeals.But the county's Board of Appeals ruled the next day that a continuance is not allowed under the current law and the appeal hearings went on as scheduled.Approximately 150 homeowners and business owners in the area pleaded with the board to put a stop to the tax appeals.Parking problem unsettledAs if parking is not already a problem in downtown Jim Thorpe, the Carbon County Court has asked the borough to bag 10 parking meters on days in which it plans to hold central court at the courthouse.Unlike in other counties, Carbon is contemplating holding magistrates' hearings at the courthouse. Elsewhere, the hearings are held in the magistrates' offices.Jim Thorpe Councilman Jay Miller said this week if the court wants the meters bagged, the county will have to pay the borough's fee of $10 per meter, per day.