• The Northern Tier Partners for the Arts, a partner of the Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts, will provide a free workshop this afternoon, May 15, at the Bloomsburg Public Library, from 2-3 p.m., on grant writing for arts programming. This workshop will educate attendees on grant guidelines, application processes and criteria. For additional information, call 570-268-2787 or email. 

• The Danville Child Development Center’s May newsletter is now available. 

• The Danville Business Alliance’s spring newsletter is now available. 

• This week, Penn DOT will begin a water main project along the southbound lane of Route 11 near Danville between Woodbine Lane in Mahoning Township and Ridge Drive in Cooper Township, Montour County. This work will be performed at night along the shoulder of the road. Traffic will be shifted away from the shoulder, but one lane will be maintained in each direction. Traffic patterns will return to normal during non-work hours. The contractor will work Wednesday and Thursday nights this week (May 15-16), beginning at 9 p.m. and ending at 6 a.m. the following day. The contractor will maintain the same hours Monday through Thursday night next week (May 20-23). Motorists should be alert, drive with caution and watch for changing traffic patterns in the work zone. Subscribe to PennDOT news in Bradford, Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga and Union counties at www.penndot.gov/District3.

• Bloomsburg University’s IT Outreach Webinar Series has one more upcoming webinar on IT-related issues on Wednesday, May 22, at noon. Ronald Fussell, program manager at Zel Technologies, LLC, will present “Software Systems Design Considerations.” BU’s IT Outreach Webinar Series engages its local constituents in a purposeful manner about the trending topics in the IT field. Webinars are approximately 30 minutes in length. There is no cost to participate, however participants must register. For more information on these webinars or the series, visit BU’s dedicated website page.

• BIDA, Luzerne County Community College and the other tenants in the Eagles Building, located at 107 South Market St., Berwick, will host an open house on Wednesday, May 22 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the building. There will be information regarding each of the organizations that have their offices in the building, including the dental clinic and VA Services. There will also be light refreshments and tours of the facility as well as the additional spaces that are currently available in the building. Employers, the general public and anyone interested in seeing available office space are welcome to stop by. 

• The Central Susquehanna Community Foundation will hold its Berwick area luncheon on Friday, May 31, from 12-1:30 p.m. at Rolling Pines Golf Course & Banquet Facility. Twenty years ago, the Foundation made a commitment to invest in programs and projects that improved the greater Berwick area. Each year, this luncheon celebrates the continuation of this mission and recognizes the generous giving of local community members. Featured speakers will include fundholders, grantees, scholarship recipients, and board members who will reflect on the story of the Foundation and its 20-year history. See the invitation for more information, and to reserve your seat at this event, call 570-752-3930 or email by May 24. 

• Bloomsburg University’s digital forensics certificate program classes have been added to the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS) training catalog hosted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  NICCS is a national online resource for cybersecurity training that connects government employees, students, educators, and industry with cybersecurity training providers throughout the nation. The catalog listing also ties into an executive order by President Donald Trump meant to boost the government cybersecurity workforce, standardize and incentivize cybersecurity education, and get everyone working with a common cybersecurity “language.” It will also include an annual President’s Cup Cyber challenge to identify the best and brightest, awards programs for primary and secondary school educators, and more, all with an eye toward increasing the sense of urgency about closing the gaps in protecting critical infrastructure and plugging the many holes in the workforce. In addition to the catalog listing, Bloomsburg’s certificate program is featured on the NICCS CAE Highlight Page through June 30. Bloomsburg offers the only digital forensics certificate program in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and one of the only bachelor level digital forensics certificate programs in the country. Completing the program will qualify the certificate recipients to apply for abundant employment opportunities in the cybersecurity and digital forensics fields.

• The Central Susquehanna Community Foundation announced the creation of a new scholarship fund in memory of Justin “Pete” Slusser. Created by friends and family, the fund will provide an annual scholarship to a graduating senior from Berwick Area High School who is attending a Penn State University campus.
  

  Justin “Pete” Slusser

  Special consideration will be given to students pursuing a career in engineering. A native of Nescopeck, Justin passed away a week shy of his 30th birthday after a battle with stage IV melanoma. He graduated from Berwick High School in 2007, and earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Penn State in 2011. At the time of his passing, he was employed as a highway designer for Borton-Lawson. Contributions can be made to this fund online at csgiving.org (click Donate and search “Slusser”), or mail to the Central Susquehanna Community Foundation, Attn: Justin “Pete” Slusser Scholarship Fund, 725 West Front Street, Berwick, PA 18603.

More than 400 businesses and organizations belong to the Chamber to receive benefits and support efforts to strengthen their businesses and our region. Increased membership allows us to offer additional programs and benefits, have a stronger voice in advocacy and be involved in more activities and initiatives in our communities. The Chamber welcomes its newest member, Marr Property Management Group, to help us fulfill our mission.

Marr Property Management Group is a new business launched earlier this year that like Northeast Pennsylvania Business Center, is owned by Marr Development. It offers an array of commercial and residential services to assist landlords, enabling them to focus more on their businesses. Services include cleaning, home and property improvement and repair, handyman services, HVAC and more. MPMG also offers marketing services for available properties, leasing and rent collection services, property inspection and more. For more information, visit its website, Facebook page or call 570-245-6373.