Fulton County

A vehicle fire has been reported in the 1400 block of Johnsons Mill Road in Fulton County, Pa., a supervisor for Washington County Emergency Services said. Firefighters from Hancock were responding to the incident at around 9:25 a.m. Friday.

A Fulton County, Pa., man drowned Saturday afternoon after a riding lawn mower rolled into a creek and he became pinned under the mower, Pennsylvania State Police said. Larry Houck, 69, of New Grenada, Pa., was mowing grass around 1:30 p.m. Saturday near a creek embankment at 269 Hoover Road, north of McConnellsburg, when the mower rolled over the embankment and into the creek, police said. Hoover Road is north of Pa. 913, northwest of Waterfall, Pa., and southeast of Robertsdale, Pa., in northern Fulton County.

Unemployment rates in both Franklin and Fulton counties improved in October, according to the latest data from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. Franklin County's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell two-tenths of a percentage point to 6.5 percent in October from September, labor department analysis states. The rate was down 1.4 percentage points from October 2010. Fulton County's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped four-tenths of a percentage point to 8.9 percent in October.

Criminal charges have been filed against a Fulton County, Pa., couple accused of financially victimizing family members for their own personal gain, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office announced Wednesday. Acting Attorney General Bill Ryan identified the defendants as William Craig Carnell, 48, and Melissa “Missi” Ann Carnell, 50, both of 5809 Pleasant Grove Road, Warfordsburg. Ryan said in a news release that between 2005 and 2008 the Carnells, who are husband and wife, served as caregivers for William’s elderly mother, Margaret “Peggy” Carnell, along with William’s brother, John, who is deaf, speech impaired and requires the use of a wheelchair.

Pennsylvania State Police said about 200 gallons of heating fuel was removed over the weekend from the Waterfall Grange Hall in Fulton County. The fuel is believed to have been taken between Friday and Sunday at the Grange Hall at 1035 Waterfall Road in Taylor Township, according to a state police news release.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Franklin County, Pa., held steady in April at 6.1 percent, according to the latest data from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. Neighboring Fulton County saw its seasonally adjusted unemployment rate spike nearly a full percentage point to 9 percent. In Franklin County, unemployment was at its lowest rate since December 2008, when it was 5.9 percent. The county tied with five other counties for the sixth lowest unemployment rate in April among Pennsylvania's 67 counties, labor department analysis states.

Work will begin today to resurface U.S. 522 in Bethel Township, Fulton County. The contractor will be paving approximately 4.1 miles of U.S. 522 from the intersection with Pa. 643 continuing south to the Interstate 70 interchange, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said in a news release. Other work will include guiderail upgrades. Work on this project will be done under single-lane closures that will be controlled by flaggers during work hours. The contractor for this $1.8 million project is P & W Excavating Inc. and all work is expected to be completed by August, PennDOT stated.

Franklin County, Pa., saw improvements to its unemployment rate in March, while neighboring Fulton County experienced a spike in its rate, according to the latest data from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for Franklin County dropped two-tenths of a percentage point to 6.1 percent in March. Fulton County's rate increased five-tenths of a percentage point to 8.1 percent in March. The state and national seasonally adjusted unemployment rates fell one-tenth of a percentage point to 7.5 percent and 8.2 percent, respectively, the labor department said in a news release.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Franklin County, Pa., increased one-tenth of a percentage point in April, but neighboring Fulton County's rate worsened even further, according to the latest data from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. The rate in Fulton County increased from 8.9 percent in March to 9.4 percent in April, the data said. In Franklin County, the rate increased from 6.2 percent to 6.3 percent. Fulton County had 7,000 of the 7,800 people in its civilian labor force employed, while Franklin County had 75,900 of 81,100 people in its civilian labor force working.

McConnellsburg Elementary School children will have opportunities next academic year to take home produce and other nutritious food. Fulton County (Pa.) Food Basket Inc. will administer a Power Pack program to send food home with children on weekends and before school breaks. All students are eligible. The program is being conducted in cooperation with the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. That organization and the Fulton County Medical Center Foundation both donated funding for the initiative.

Motorcyclist injured in Fulton County crash McCONNELLSBURG, Pa. - A Hustontown, Pa., man received major injuries Saturday when the motorcycle he was riding collided with a car in northern Fulton County, Pennsylvania State Police said. Slade M. Benchoff, 22, of Hustontown, was driving a 2008 Honda CBR1000RR, a sportbike, south on Pa. 475 in Taylor Township shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday when the accident occurred at the intersection with South Madden Road, according to a state police news release.

Marian Park, 85, of Fulton County (Pa.) Long Term Care Unit, and formerly of Burnt Cabins, Pa., died Thursday, May 2, 2013. Visitation will be Monday from 2 to 8 p.m. at Howard L. Sipes Funeral Home Inc., McConnellsburg, Pa. The service will be Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the funeral home.

Oshkosh Corp. layoffs announced this week will not affect the Wisconsin-based manufacturer's JLG plant in Fulton County, Pa., a corporate spokesman said Wednesday. Oshkosh Corp.'s defense division plans to reduce its workforce by 900 positions, according to a news release. Spokesman John Daggett said those layoffs will affect employees in Wisconsin, not Pennsylvania. The corporation cited decreased demand for military vehicles as the reason for layoffs continuing into the summer.

The opening of a new Norfolk Southern rail-truck terminal in Antrim Township, Pa., helped Franklin County's unemployment rate improve in February. Franklin County's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped nine-tenths of a percentage point to 6.4 percent in February, according to the latest data from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. Neighboring Fulton County, Pa., also experienced a decrease in its unemployment rate. Its seasonally adjusted rate for February was 8.4 percent, compared to 9.7 percent in January, labor department data shows.

People who have suffered dog bites, diabetic ulcers, thermal burns from radiation or carbon monoxide poisoning are getting another treatment option at Fulton County (Pa.) Medical Center. The medical center celebrated its new Wound Care Services Center and hyperbaric oxygen chamber Monday. The wound center plans to serve an assortment of patients, including individuals with spider bites, oral cancers, surgical wounds that are not healing and gangrene. “There are a variety of conditions it can treat,” Beth Lopez said, adding that emerging research indicates hyperbaric oxygen therapy can benefit autism, stroke and dementia patients.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has fewer projects scheduled this year in Fulton County, Pa., due to financial constraints. PennDOT representatives met with local government leaders Tuesday in Fulton County to discuss plans for the next two years. Budget cuts are affecting PennDOT District 9 construction, which had $179 million in spending in 2009 and an anticipated $74 million in 2013, according to Thomas A. Prestash, district executive. “You're going to see a lot less construction in the next couple years,” Prestash said.

A Fulton County, Pa., man has been charged with sexually abusing a girl multiple times over the course of the last 2 1/2 years, according to Pennsylvania State Police. Warren David Kerlin III, 50, of Burnt Cabins, Pa., is charged with rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault, indecent assault and other related offenses, according to a state police news release. Troopers allege Kerlin sexually assaulted the girl over the course of the last 2 1/2 years in Dublin Township.

Marie S. Shimer, 77, of McConnellsburg, Pa., died Wednesday, March 20, 2013, at Fulton County (Pa.) Medical Center. Visitation will be Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Howard L. Sipes Funeral Home Inc., McConnellsburg.