The Daily Item from Sunbury, Pennsylvania • B1

0 The Daily Item Inside Today PAGE B5 SUN TECH FOOD DRIVE Students at the New Berlin school collect 4,402 items for the annual Feed-A-Friend drive www.dailyitem.com Bucknell bloggers to post travel tales LOCAL Nine leave soon for Egypt, Russia, China and other destinations art and architecture class," said Danielle Renzi, Class of '10, a mechanical engineering major who will study in the Czech Republic. "This class will embody engineering, architecture and travel all in one course. This class will make my study abroad experience perfect." Management major Peggy Shum, Class of '10, has set her- Please see BLOGGERS, B2 vironmental engineering and psychology to economics and international relations. "Ever since I was in high school, I have always known I wanted to study in Italy," said Genna Jerrard, a member of the Class of 2010 and a comparative humanities major whose minors are international relations and Italian. "While I'm abroad, I would absolutely love the opportunity to see Northern Africa or Egypt." The new bloggers are the fourth group to join the study abroad blog team.

Selected in a competitive process, each is equipped with a digital camera to round out their posts with pictures and, for the tech savvy, short video clips. The Study Abroad Blog has proven a hit with readers. Since the first team of bloggers hit the road in July 2007, the blog has registered more than 31,000 visits and more than 250 student posts. Study abroad, too, is an important ingredient in the Bucknell experience. More than 40 percent of Bucknell's students study off campus during their academic careers.

Bucknell's fall 2008 bloggers are winding down their adventures at bucknell.edustudyabroad. "I'm most excited about my newest crop to participate in Bucknell's Study Abroad Blog begin leaving in early January for destinations as diverse as Egypt and Argentina and Russia and China. The majors they represent are just as diverse from civil and en LEWISBURG Nine Bucknell University undergraduate students soon will begin posting online updates about their academic adventures on four different continents. The student bloggers the PUBLIC LIBRARY FOR UNION COUNTY Goal is in sight Students aid Milton Red Cross chapter WILLIAMSPORT Students from Pennsylvania College of Technology's IEEE student chapter recently helped the family of the late Fallon Pardoe-Cartegena and the late Jarrod Neuhard raise $430 for the catastrophic loss fund of the Upper Northumberland County Chapter of the American Red Cross. Branch members of IEEE, formerly the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, helped to advertise the memorial benefit and assisted during the event, which included a covered-bridge tour by car or motorcycle that began in Lewisburg and went through Northumberland, Union and Montour counties.

Four Penn College students helped with the event: chapter President Kenan M. Kessler, of Exton; Francis D. Nevill, of Lebanon; Hideky Rafael Silva, of Williamsport; and Casey L. Miller, of Mount Penn. Scott D.

Neuhard, instructor of electronics and IEEE student branch adviser, is the uncle of the children. Fallon, daughter of Sharon Weaver and Jeff Pardoe, of Milton, died from complications after a house fire in December 2005. The Milton area Red Cross was instrumental in helping the family deal with its losses. Less than a year later, in November 2006, Jarrod, son of Stephen Neuhard and Melanie Trate, was killed in a traffic accident. "The entire family wanted to repay the kindness of Belinda (Stifle, of the American Red Cross of Upper Northumberland County) and the Red Cross through this memorial benefit," Scott Neuhard said.

"It is hard to repay kindness, but our family hopes that adding funds to the local catastrophic loss fund will help the Red Cross guide other families through tough times." Lauren LamasThe Daily Item Heather Adams, a librarian at the Public Library for Union County, Lewisburg, checks out books for Annika Mossel, 8, and Mark Mossel, of Lewisburg, on Friday. Campaign for supports expansion, improvements Daily Items in the Valley Needy Family Fund reaches $109,310 SUNBURY Donations to the Needy Family Fund continue to roll in, bringing the total raised to $109,310. The fund, sponsored by The Daily Item, Sunbury Broadcasting Corp. and Susquehanna Bank, raised money during the holidays to buy food, clothing and gifts. It is administered by Salvation Army citadels in Milton and Sunbury.

The fund helped nearly 1,000 families this season. Recent contributions include: Middleburg Elementary School, $294; Carpenters Local Union 645, of Scranton, $100, Robert Whitmoyer, of Shamokin Dam, $25; Barbara Beaver, of Selinsgrove, $100; Sara Kline, of Lewisburg, $20; William and Connie Van Horn, of New Berlin, $30; Eric and Ruth Naugle, of Northumberland, $50; Jane and Don Hawkins, of Sunbury, $25; Robert Bloom, of Selinsgrove, $300; Eric and Elizabeth Affsprung, of Lewisburg, $25; Paul Susman and Libby Meadow, of Lewisburg $25; Central Pennsylvania Women's Health Care, of Lewisburg, $175; and anonymous donations, $280. FBLA students head to states HERNDON More than 20 Line Mountain High School students qualified for states during the recent regional FBLA competition in Bloomsburg. The state competition will be held in Hershey in March. Those who qualified are: Lauren Erdman, Danielle Ditty, Hope Martz, Melissa Brosius, Travis Dunkle-berger, Adam Menko, Danny Wetzel, Sarah Carta, Taylor Shepley, Kim Newman, Schylar Cook, Cameron Riley, K.J.

Hepner, Rebecca Moore, Megan Kissinger, Kristin Myers, Tiffany Frits, Tiffany Pianis, Amber Straub, Tyler Strause, Kelsey Schlegel, Kyle Long and Lauren Shomper. University gets $17,280 grant BLOOMSBURG Bloomsburg University has been awarded a $17,280 grant from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The grant is from $6.4 million designated for education scholarships and graduate fellowships. Bloomsburg is one of 60 institutions sharing more than $20 million in grants designed to boost nuclear education and expand the workforce for nuclear energy.

By Jaime North The Daily Item Francie Gundrum, a circulation assistant at the Public Library for Union County, checks books on Friday. through book drop, a coffee and refreshment bar, and indoor and outdoor reading areas. The renovation also expanded the library's book shelf space, doubled the computer space and created additional comfort facilities, including a family rest room. Of the $2.5 million expansion, most of the costs were attributed to the construction and renovation work. The project also included a $100,000 code -mandated sprinkler system, $35,000 in new computer and audio-visual equipment and $15,000 for landscaping.

The library serves more than 12,000 cardholders and has nearly 90,000 books, according to LEWISBURG A struggling economy hasn't hindered the Public Library for Union County's effort to raise nearly $1.8 million for a major expansion project set to be unveiled this spring. The library's campaign launched earlier this year is nearing its goal of $2.5 million as officials begin preparations for the grand opening of the refurbished building, slated for March or April. Roughly 7,000 square feet were added to the library in Brookpark Farm. Also new are a community room, extended parking, a drive- Lauren Lamas The Daily Item Coins add up: Pupils raise $2,300 for United Way NTERMEDIATE SCH classroom in each grade won a pizza party. Keri Albright, president and chief executive officer of the United Way, said that in the past six years, the students have raised more than $10,000 for the annual campaign.

She added: "I was told that many of these kids are saving their change all year long just for this one event. They take pride in trying to collect as much money as possible and understand on their level that they are really helping others in doing it. Occasionally, Please see COINS, B2 More than $10,000 donated in 6 years SELINSGROVE Classrooms at the Selinsgrove Elementary School, Jackson-Penn Elementary School and Selinsgrove Area Intermediate School conducted a coin drive for the Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way, raising more than $2,300 for the third time. Each elementary and intermediate school classroom was challenged to raise the most money by collecting pennies and other change. The winning Selinsgrove Area Intermediate School students from classrooms raising the most money are excited about donating more than $2,300 to the Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way.

Shown are, from left, front row, Principal Terry Heintzel-man, Keri Albright, Eric Rowe and Lorinda Krause; second row, Owen Yetter, Shawn Brown, Hannah Ross and Kylee Shaffer; third row, Andrew Oel-berg, Talia Romig, Natalia Brown, Anna Shamory and Kylee Mertz; and back row, Heather Straub. Photo provided.