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It was a year of surprises for Wayne County in 2010.
There were some experiences the county had never seen before and many that we’ll never forget.
As far as weather, Wayne County was either under water at times or trying to avoid twisters.
In early October, the rains came down, soaking the region as flood waters rose to dangerous levels.
The heavy rainfall came courtesy of Hurricane Nicole.
But it was the tornadoes that really had the region rocking.
Wayne County got a dose of triple twisters when Mother Nature dropped them on Beach Lake after nearly touching down in Honesdale.
A smaller one was reported near Pleasant Mount with a third headed near Hawley.
“It was like a war zone,” a 9-year-old Berlin Township resident said of the devastation.
While there was devastation, some would call the decision in the Jeffrey Plishka homicide case to be devastating.
In a trial lasting a few weeks, a jury deliberated for roughly three-and-a-half hours before finding Plishka not guilty — clearing him of all charges — in the murder of former 24-year-old Camp Cayuga counselor Laura Lynne Ronning.
The year also brought the election of a new governor for the Commonwealth.
Republican Tom Corbett, the state’s Attorney General, was victorious. So was former U.S. Attorney Tom Marino, who beat out Chris Carney for Congress.
In Honesdale, the year brought the resignations of Council President Ed Langendoerfer and Janine Edwards from the Borough Council. As the year ended., Mayor Jonathan Fritz was announcing a campaign run for county commissioner to replace Anthony Herzog, who was retiring after 25 years in local government.
One of the biggest stories of the year, though, came when the council named Wayne Earley as its full-time borough zoning officer.
Earley also received a salary of $80,000 that many in the borough considered too high. In fact, Earley’s salary for his position was considered one of the tops in the state.
The year also brought a tragedy when Wayne Independent employee Timothy Wood died in a May fire.
Wood was found dead in his burned Texas Township home and the woman with whom he shared the house, was charged with homicide and arson.
During the fire, Susan Marie Bates, age 45, escaped the blaze with burns and smoke inhalation. Bates was taken by ambulance to Community Medical Center (CMC).
Following an investigation that evening, Bates was released from CMC and taken under arrest. She was charged late that night before District Justice Jane Farrell with Criminal Homicide, and two counts of Arson. Bail was set at $1 million for the arson charges and she was remanded to Wayne County Prison.
Her trial is set for early this year.
It was a year of surprises for Wayne County in 2010.
There were some experiences the county had never seen before and many that we’ll never forget.
As far as weather, Wayne County was either under water at times or trying to avoid twisters.
In early October, the rains came down, soaking the region as flood waters rose to dangerous levels.
The heavy rainfall came courtesy of Hurricane Nicole.
But it was the tornadoes that really had the region rocking.
Wayne County got a dose of triple twisters when Mother Nature dropped them on Beach Lake after nearly touching down in Honesdale.
A smaller one was reported near Pleasant Mount with a third headed near Hawley.
“It was like a war zone,” a 9-year-old Berlin Township resident said of the devastation.
While there was devastation, some would call the decision in the Jeffrey Plishka homicide case to be devastating.
In a trial lasting a few weeks, a jury deliberated for roughly three-and-a-half hours before finding Plishka not guilty — clearing him of all charges — in the murder of former 24-year-old Camp Cayuga counselor Laura Lynne Ronning.
The year also brought the election of a new governor for the Commonwealth.
Republican Tom Corbett, the state’s Attorney General, was victorious. So was former U.S. Attorney Tom Marino, who beat out Chris Carney for Congress.
In Honesdale, the year brought the resignations of Council President Ed Langendoerfer and Janine Edwards from the Borough Council. As the year ended., Mayor Jonathan Fritz was announcing a campaign run for county commissioner to replace Anthony Herzog, who was retiring after 25 years in local government.
One of the biggest stories of the year, though, came when the council named Wayne Earley as its full-time borough zoning officer.
Earley also received a salary of $80,000 that many in the borough considered too high. In fact, Earley’s salary for his position was considered one of the tops in the state.
The year also brought a tragedy when Wayne Independent employee Timothy Wood died in a May fire.
Wood was found dead in his burned Texas Township home and the woman with whom he shared the house, was charged with homicide and arson.
During the fire, Susan Marie Bates, age 45, escaped the blaze with burns and smoke inhalation. Bates was taken by ambulance to Community Medical Center (CMC).
Following an investigation that evening, Bates was released from CMC and taken under arrest. She was charged late that night before District Justice Jane Farrell with Criminal Homicide, and two counts of Arson. Bail was set at $1 million for the arson charges and she was remanded to Wayne County Prison.
Her trial is set for early this year.
