Latest news with #Showalter
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Cell phone store theft investigation moves forward
EDWARDSVILLE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Police say they have two suspects in the break-in and theft at a cell phone store in Luzerne County. Police say one of the suspects was identified by someone who saw him on a 28/22 news social media post about the break-in. Video of the break-in at the Boost Mobile store in Edwardsville on Thursday morning shows two men inside the store. One man was identified by police as 55-year-old Peter Showalter, and law enforcement say break-ins at cell phone stores are increasing nationwide and in our area. Surveillance video taken inside the Boost Mobile store in the West Side Mall in Edwardsville on Thursday morning. It was 6:30 a.m. Police say two men broke in and calmly walked around the store, stealing merchandise. Police say 55-year-old Peter Showalter is the man not concealing his face. The other suspect, according to police, is believed to be 29-year-old Mailk Smith. Islam Rabb is an area manager for Boost Mobile. 'What did you think when you saw that?' 28/22 News I-Team Reporter Andy Mehalshick asked. 'I was shocked. We really haven't had any issues with break-ins here at this location. It was already 6:30 in the morning, so it wasn't like it was in the middle of the night. Pretty much broad daylight at the time,' Rabb explained. Showalter was arrested by Wilkes-Barre Police for allegedly stealing the Mercedes Benz that was used in the Boost Mobile break-in. Investigators tell the I-Team that someone recognized Showalter on a 28/22 News social media post, as well as on the Edwardsville Facebook page, and called police. 'Nuisance mosquitoes' prompt spraying in several communities They connected Showalter and Malik Smith to the stolen Mercedes. Detectives also say that cell phone thefts, both from stores and individuals, are on the rise in northeastern Pennsylvania. 'There's a large market for it. It is becoming more difficult for them to sell phones in that manner, but there's always somebody that going to be willing to buy it,' Rabb added. Spencer Rappaport is a tech expert and runs a computer store in Edwardsville. 'There's a great market for them. People take them and will replace the IMEI, which is the serial number, basically that identifies them to what carrier that can be used, which service they can put on them,' Rappaport said. Edwardsville police say Showalter will be charged Monday morning in connection with the Boost Mobile break-in. Malik Smith is considered a suspect. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
City officials still hopeful of having splash pad ready for Memorial Day
bluefield — With the long Memorial Day weekend fast approaching, many area families will be looking for outdoor activities to enjoy. Some of those outdoor attractions can be found at Bluefield's Lotito Park, including the Ridge Runner, the new 40-yard dash, the city's new playground and the new splash pad. However, there is still a question as to whether or not the splash pad will be ready in time for Memorial Day weekend. Rick Showalter, director of parks and recreation for the city, said officials would still like to see the splash pad open by Memorial Day weekend. But there is still work to be finished between now and then. 'Our goal was that and still is to open on Memorial Day weekend,' Showalter said Tuesday while providing a project update to members of the Bluefield Board of Directors. 'However, we've had some setbacks. I'm sure that (the opening) is going to happen and we will announce in the future what that date will be.' Showalter said there is still some work to be done, including the installation of a perimeter fence around the splash pad. That work is expected to begin next week. Showalter said training also is underway for staff. 'We are presently interviewing for staff to run the concessions and ticket sales for the summer,' Showalter said. 'We plan a ribbon cutting in the future, a grand ribbon cutting, and that will be announced based on when we know exactly when we can do that.' A generator is currently being used by the city to provide temporary power until work on a transformer can be completed, Curtis French, director of public works for the city, told the board Tuesday. The new splash pad was made possible with funding support from the Shott Foundation along with grant funding from the West Virginia Land and Water Conservation Agency, according to Showalter. The city's original plan was to have the splash pad and the Ridge Runner operational by Memorial Day weekend at the park. One week later, or on Friday, May 31, the James H. Drew carnival also will open at city park as the 2025 edition of the Cole Chevy Mountain Festival gets underway. The Cole Chevy Mountain Festival will continue for 10 days through Sunday, June 8. One new addition that won't be ready for Memorial Day weekend, or this summer, is the new multi-purpose building, which is planned adjacent to the splash pad. It will serve multiple functions, including as a concession area where snacks can be purchased and as a designated location for a splash pad attendant. The new facility also would include four new restroom facilities that would also serve as changing room areas for those who utilize the new splash pad. Work on the multi-purpose facility won't begin until the fall with a goal of having it open for the 2026 season. According to a legal advertisement that appeared recently in the Daily Telegraph, the city is seeking requests for proposals from qualified manufacturing firms to construct the new multi-purpose building. All proposals for the project are due back at city hall by 4 p.m. on June 12. The bids would then be opened on June 13. According to the request for proposals, the building will serve multiple functions, including housing four restrooms, (that will also function as changing rooms for those who use the splash pad), a concession area for snacks, and a designated space for the splash pad gate attendant. The facility will be located at the newly constructed splash pad and would be operational primarily during the splash pad season. Work on the new multi-purpose facility would begin in the fall after the park attractions are closed for the season. That way construction won't be occurring in the area while children enjoy the splash pad, Showalter said in an earlier interview. Contact Charles Owens at cowens@
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Oh. What. Fun.': Amazon MGM Dates Michael Showalter's Holiday Comedy Starring Michelle Pfeiffer – Watch A Sneak Peek
Amazon MGM Studios announced during its Upfronts presentation on Monday that its holiday comedy Oh. What. Fun., teaming The Idea of You filmmaker Michael Showalter with star Michelle Pfeiffer, is set to begin streaming on Prime Video on December 3rd. They also unveiled a sneak peak, which you can view above. An adaptation of the short story by Chandler Baker that was originally published by Amazon Original Stories, the film follows Claire Clauster (Pfeiffer), who is the glue that holds her chaotic, lovable family together every holiday season. From perfectly frosted cookies to meticulously wrapped gifts, no one decks the halls quite like Claire. But this year, as her grown kids and distracted husband get swept up in their own seasonal dramas, they make one crucial mistake: they forget their mom. By the time they realize she's missing, Claire's already set off on a festive adventure of her own — one that doesn't involve cooking, cleaning, or coordinating anyone else's chaos. As her family scrambles to find her and salvage their Christmas, Claire rediscovers what the holidays mean when you're finally free to put yourself first. More from Deadline 'Fallout' Gets Early Season 3 Renewal At Prime Video Colton Dunn, Hayley Magnus & Andrew Lopez Join Will Ferrell In Amazon MGM Comedy 'Judgment Day' Josh Schwartz & Stephanie Savage Strike First-Look Deal With Amazon; Barneys New York Drama In The Works With Susan Rovner As EP Written by Showalter and Baker, the film also stars Felicity Jones, Chloë Grace Moretz, Denis Leary, Dominic Sessa, Danielle Brooks, Devery Jacobs, Havana Rose Liu, Maude Apatow, Jason Schwartzman, Eva Longoria and Joan Chen. Producers on the project includde Showalter and Jordana Mollick via Semi-Formal Productions (The Eyes of Tammy Faye, The Dropout), as well as Tribeca Productions' Berry Welsh & Jane Rosenthal (The Irishman), and Kate Churchill (Amazon's Holland). Baker served as executive producer. Best of Deadline Everything We Know About Ari Aster's 'Eddington' So Far Everything We Know About 'Nobody Wants This' Season 2 So Far List Of Hollywood & Media Layoffs From Paramount To Warner Bros Discovery To CNN & More
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Ridge Runner on track for May opening
bluefield — It was a year ago when the historic Ridge Runner made its last one-mile lap for the season around Lotito Park. Since that time the park has been hit with both the remnants of a hurricane and a flood five months later. Hurricane Helene toppled thousands of trees across the two-state region last September, many of which fell at city park. Five months later the park also was impacted by the Feb. 15 flood. Repairs to the railroad tracks at city park are continuing with the goal of having the Ridge Runner operational by Memorial Day weekend, according to Bluefield Parks and Recreation Director Rick Showalter. 'We are actually just now finishing up repairs from Helene on the railroad tracks,' Showalter said. A meeting was held two weeks ago with parks and recreation staff to plan for the train's reopening on Memorial Day weekend. 'That's our plan,' Showalter said. 'We've hired train drivers and the staff at the depot for ticket sales. We have a mechanic who has on the punch list the engine to make sure it is in good shape.' The goal is to finish all of the track repairs so that the train will be ready for late May. 'Public works has been working on the tracks,' Showalter said. 'It wasn't just the wind. There was water too. They've been working on that. So everyone is in the loop and working toward that goal.' Each summer the miniature train transports visitors across city park on a mile-long trip that includes two bridges, a tunnel and a train depot. In May of 2023, the train was down for the entire season after another flood hit the Bluefield area — this time on Memorial Day — also causing widespread damage to the railroad tracks at the time. The historic train has a long a history with Nature's Air-Conditioned City that dates back to 1964. At that time, a private corporation brought the Ridge Runner to the East River Mountain Overlook as part of a larger plan to develop the mountaintop into a major tourist attraction, according to the city's online narrative of the train's history. For a period of time the train was a big hit on the mountain drawing visitors and tourists to the area. However, with the completion of Interstate 77 in 1976, and the opening of the East River and Big Walker tunnels, the volume of traffic over the mountain was significantly reduced, and the attraction faded away with little fanfare. The city briefly relaunched the Ridge Runner in 1984, but with limited revenues as well as increasing maintenance costs, it didn't last long. At that point the train was stored away. It was resurrected again in 2011 after a controversial proposal by former City Manager Andy Merriman to decommission the train was met with overwhelming community opposition. That led to the creation of the Save the Ridge Runner committee and ultimately got the little train back on track at Lotito Park where it continues to operate each summer. Thousands of visitors to city park now ride the train each year. In more recent years, the iconic train has also shared its name with a wooden bat league baseball team at Bowen Field and with the new Ridge Runner Fun Zone at Lotito Park. Contact Charles Owens at cowens@
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Volunteers still working to remove trees from hiking, biking trails in Bluefield
bluefield — Mickey Pellillo estimates as many as 300 fallen trees have been removed to date from the walking and biking trails at Bluefield City Park. But there is still more work to be done. She, and a team of dedicated volunteers, have been working since last October to remove trees that were toppled onto the trails by the remnants of Hurricane Helene. Pellillo said at least 50 more trees must be cut and removed before all of the walking and biking trails are clear. 'We've just been working as hard as possible,' Pellillo said Friday morning, as she and several volunteers were preparing to remove more trees and branches from a walking trail high above Lotito Park. 'I would say we are about 95 percent complete.' Equipped only with chainsaws and rakes, the volunteers have spent countless hours working to reopen the hiking and biking trails. The Family Friendly Trail, which is a beginner trail that loops around city park, is now clear of trees and recently reopened to the public. 'We have 50 to 60 more to go,' Pellillo said of trees that must be removed. 'We are heading up to do more today.' Not only are trees being removed, but parts of the walking and biking trails that were flooded — during both Hurricane Helene and the Feb. 15 flood — are being refilled with gravel. Pellillo said two mission teams from the Wade Center assisted with that effort just last week. Many of the trees that were blocking the trails had to be cut with a chainsaw. 'Carol (Scott) and I got tired of watching the guys with chainsaws, so we bought our own,' Pellillo said, adding that she and Scott, another volunteer, now use a smaller, battery-operated, chainsaw to cut the fallen trees. When the remnants of Hurricane Helene slammed into the region last September, trees were toppled across the two-state region by tropical force winds. At city park in Bluefield, many of those trees that were toppled by Helene are still visible near the entrance to the park. But even more trees fell in the mountainous area high above Lotito Park where many of the popular walking and biking trails are located, according to Rick Showalter, director of parks and recreation for the city of Bluefield. 'The trail volunteers at city park, they opened up the Family Friendly Trail, which was there first goal,' Showalter said of the beginner trail that is now clear of trees. Showalter said the volunteers spent 'hours and hours' removing trees and tree branches from the trails. The trails, and the log cabin at the entrance to the walking trails, are largely maintained by volunteers. 'Those volunteer groups are amazing,' Showalter said. 'Mickey Pellillo, she is the main leader. She's wonderful. They are trying to recruit more people, especially those who are interested in mountain biking. They do a ton of work. They run the cabin, which is for the visitors and folks there. They run that and staff it in the summer with part-time people.' The cabin, which also serves as a welcome station, is located at the entrance to the Family Friendly Trails, just across the road from the new playground. Pellillo said the cabin is open the same hours as the Ridge Runner Train, which is each Saturday and Sunday beginning Memorial Day weekend. Additional volunteers are needed to help with the ongoing maintenance of the trails and to help maintain the kid's stations located along the trail, according to Pellillo. Pellillo and the volunteers who have been working since last October to remove the fallen trees are members of the Bluefield Recreational Trails Committee, of which Pellillo serves as chair. Back in 2002, Robin Leffler, who was then director of Parks and Recreation for the city and Richie Mullins, a local bike owner, began the long process of obtaining a grant from the West Virginia Department of Transportation to build and maintain the hiking and biking trails at city park that now thousands across the region enjoy each year, Pellillo said. At the time, Pellillo said many obstacles had to be overcome. She said the biggest was getting the state of West Virginia to understand that some of the land where the trails were to be located was in Virginia while the park was maintained by West Virginia. Around 2004, Pellillo said the long journey was nearing an end and a committee was needed to help revise the grant and then be in charge of the program — helping to ensure the grant was carried out as awarded. Pellillo said she and Walter Shroyer had expressed an interest in helping with the project at that time. With the city's approval, Lefler appointed Pellillo, Shroyer and Mullins to the committee and the process began to find additional qualified members. Planning continued and in November 2005 the group received its first grant of $30,000, which was a 20-80 matching grant. Later in 2007, the International Mountain Biking Association was engaged to evaluate and make recommendations for improvements to the trail system. That became the master plan for trail development for several years. Later on former City Manager Andy Merriman reached out to the Community Foundation of the Virginias, which gave the trails committee permission to establish a fund there to support current and future projects, according to Pellillo. She said more than $30,000 was raised for the fund through local foundations, grants and donations. Those funds were used to purchase the trail cabin for a visitor center and tool storage area and to finance numerous improvements to the trails. Pellillo said numerous mountain bike races have been held over the years on the trails. Other improvements have continued as well, including the addition of kid's stations, signage for the trails, picnic tables, a hammock area and much more. About half of the trails are now marked with new signage. But no one could have anticipated the remnants of a hurricane hitting the park — and the two-state region — in late 2004. Hurricane Helene slammed into Bluefield on Sept. 24, 2024 with torrential rainfall and tropical storm force winds. While emergency officials across the region prepared for flooding — the powerful and destructive winds ended up being the main problem. Thousands of trees and power lines across the area were toppled by those winds, including many that fell on homes and vehicles. Thousands across the region were left without electricity for more than a week after the storm hit. Showalter said visitors to Lotito Park can see many of the trees that were toppled by the storm near the entrance to the park. He said many others fell on the road that circles through the park. 'If you drive in there and see all of the damage up on the hillside, then imagine the road going around (the park) and the amount of trees (that fell) going around the road,' Showalter said. Contact Charles Owens at cowens@
