Chambersburg

Northbound Interstate 81 between Chambersburg and Scotland was closed Friday afternoon as a result of a crash near Exit 20, according to a Franklin County 911 dispatcher. A Pennsylvania state trooper said the accident, which was called in at 2:16 p.m., involved more than one vehicle, but had no other details. A member of the Franklin Volunteer Fire Co. in Chambersburg said a medevac helicopter had been called to the scene. Traffic was being detoured at Exit 16 onto U.S. 30 east to Pa. 997, the dispatcher said.

On Saturday,  history replays with “1864 The Burning of Chambersburg,” when Confederate cavalry, under the command of Gen. John McCausland, serve a ransom on the town's courthouse steps. True to history, Chambersburg does not pay the ransom demand of $100,000 in gold or $500,000 in greenbacks, and the town is burned - with lights. “1864 The Burning of Chambersburg” is an impressive and realistic re-enactment and is interactive as Confederate soldiers take to the crowd, searching for shoes, food and valuables, according to a news release from the Franklin County Visitors Bureau.

A Chambersburg man was flown from the scene of a two-vehicle crash north of Greencastle, Pa., on Molly Pitcher Highway at Colorado Street, Pennsylvania State Police said. Bradley S. Lucas was not wearing a seat belt when the crash was reported at 1:33 p.m., troopers said. The driver of the other vehicle, Claudia T. Harris of Texas, and passenger Brett L. Haddock and a 2-year-old boy, both of Chambersburg, sustained minor injuries, troopers said. Both vehicles were towed from the crash site, troopers said.

A strong thunderstorm with accompanying lightning was being blamed for a fire that damaged an historic home in Chambersburg on Thursday night. Chambersburg's Emergency Services Chief William FitzGerald said a home at 411 Philadelphia Ave. in Chambersburg was struck by lightning, which ignited the cupola — a small structure on the top of a roof. When firefighters arrived shortly after 10:30 p.m., FitzGerald said, they saw smoke showing from the three-story brick and frame single-family home.

Signs installed Wednesday at the intersection of Scotland and Norland avenues advise residents they cannot turn on a red signal. The Borough of Chambersburg hired Transportation Planning and Design Inc. to update the traffic signal permit with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to add the feature, Borough Manager Jeffrey Stonehill said. The reason for the change concerns the narrow turning radius on each corner, Stonehill said. PennDOT authorized the change in June, he said.

A Pa. 316 bridge over railroad tracks one and a half miles southeast of Chambersburg will close June 28 for several months. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation spokesman Michael Crochunis said the bridge deck, abutment and beams will be replaced in the $1.8 million rehabilitation project. PennDOT will post Pa. 914 and Interstate 81 as the detour route, Crochunis said. The work is expected to continue through September, he said. The bridge, which was built in 1937, is listed as “structurally deficient” in the PennDOT system.

A Chambersburg man was flown from the scene of a two-vehicle crash north of Greencastle, Pa., on Molly Pitcher Highway at Colorado Street, Pennsylvania State Police said Saturday. Bradley S. Lucas was not wearing a seat belt when the crash was reported at 1:33 p.m., troopers said. A spokesman for York (Pa.) Hospital said on Sunday night that Lucas was released. The driver of the other vehicle, Claudia T. Harris of Texas, and passenger Brett L. Haddock and a 2-year-old boy, both of Chambersburg, sustained minor injuries, troopers said.

A Chambersburg man charged in the October shooting death of a man in the 300 block of East King Street faces additional charges in the case after a hearing Friday before Magisterial District Judge Glenn Manns. Carl L. Varner, 54, of 238 E. McKinley St., now faces 10 counts of kidnapping, five counts of unlawful restraint, five counts of robbery and one count of person not to possess firearm. He previously was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, robbery, burglary, criminal conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree and criminal conspiracy to commit robbery in the death of 29-year-old Victor Hugo Campos-Olguin.

A 17-year-old Chambersburg boy has been charged as an adult in a robbery Thursday of Park Avenue Pharmacy, according to borough police. Ryan Nicholas Laprad, of 1012 Paper Mill Road, is charged with one count of robbery, a first-degree felony, police said. He was arraigned Friday morning before Magisterial District Judge Todd R. Williams and was being held in Franklin County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 5 at 1 p.m. in Franklin County Central Court, according to court records.

Capitol Theatre Center manager Linda Boeckman said the facility has raised $63,334 in its 2011 Be A Star! fundraising campaign. She said $36,666 was still needed by Dec. 31 to reach the campaign goal of $100,000. Donations may be made online or by check. Gifts can also be made online at www.thecapitol theatre.org. Checks can be made payable to Capitol Theatre Center Foundation and mailed to: Capitol Theatre Center, 2011 Be A Star! Campaign, 159 S. Main St. Chambersburg, PA 17201. To schedule an appointment to make a tax-deductible gift, call Boeckman at 717-263-0202, ext. 203.