Cocalico graduate and American University senior Steve Fittery will be looking to culminate his college career this weekend by winning the gold medal at the NCAA Division One Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia. Fittery, who has been ranked number one in the nation at 157 pounds for the past 15 weeks, has a perfect record of 28-0 heading into the championships. The following is a bout-by-bout account of his season thus far:

Won by decision over Rudy Chelednick (Army), 7-1

Won by fall over Eric Norgard (Franklin & Marshall), 2:43

Won by fall over Tom Timothy (Pennsylvania), 3:24

Won by fall over Dan Kolodzik (Princeton), 1:46

Won by major decision over Johnny Greisheimer (Edinboro), 17-8

Won by fall over Jason Welch (Northwestern), 4:40

Won by fall over Dan Gonsor (Missouri), 4:30

Won by fall over Garrett Schaner (Stanford), 1:47.

Won by decision over Frank Hickman (Bloomsburg), 9-4

Won by technical fall over Donnie Tasser (Pittsburgh), 15-0

Won by technical fall over Alex Elder (Oregon State), 20-3

Won by fall over Charles York (Wisconsin), 1:17

Won by fall over Trent Weatherman (Iowa State), 2:13

Once the dust settled and a few fireworks died down, it was George DiIllio who outpaced four other candidates to fill a vacancy on Ephrata Borough Council created by the resignation of Wendy Perillo possibly becoming the first Democrat to be seated in the body s history. Those vying for the open seat included two independents, Robert Wasnewski and Jeff Shirk, and three Democrats, Tim Barr, Ginny DiIllio and George DiIllio. The process quickly turned testy when Mayor Ralph Mowen asked that council members carefully consider who would be the best person to fill the vacancy, and not whether one of the independent candidates may consider seeking the Republican endorsement in the fall election. I would hope that council looks at the qualifications and not that Mr. Shirk was the only one willing to change parties to Republican, said Mowen following the initial motion to name Shirk. This quickly set off fireworks between the Mayor and councilman Robert Good. I ve got a problem now, said a clearly irritated Good. The comment by the Mayor has tainted this whole process. I had hopes that the people of this council would look at qualification and not on the fact that one candidate said probably he would seek the Republican endorsement. If Shirk were to be elected, there would be comments that the only reason he was elected was that he made a comment that he might change from no party affiliation to Republican. How can you make a non-biased vote after such a comment?

The building housing Denver s post office is up for sale but there should be no worries for residents, who can expect postal services to remain available on Snyder Street for at least nine more years. Denver Borough Manager Mike Hession informed council members late last month that the building at 102 Snyder St., owned by High Family Partnership, had been listed for sale.

The 5,071-square-foot building was built in 2000, in part to keep a post office in Denver after the Main Street facility closed. The sale is not related to postal service restructuring that threatens to close many facilities, including Lititz s downtown headquarters. The postal service plans to close up to 2,000 offices nationwide following an $8.5 billion loss in 2010. Hession said the lease for the Denver post office is expected to transfer with any sale; the original contract has nine years remaining, as well as two possible extensions totaling another 10 years.

The following is the schedule and broadcast slate (in parenthesis) for the NCAA Division One Wrestling Tournament set for the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia March 17-19: Thursday, March 17 Session One: Pigtails & First Round, 11 a.m. (ESPN3.com) Session Two: Wrestleback Preliminaries, Wrestleback First Round; Championship Second Round, Consolation Round, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN3.com) Friday, March 18 Session Three: Quarterfinals and Wrestlebacks, 10:30 a.m. (ESPNU & ESPN3.com) Session Four: Semifinals & Wrestlebacks, 7 p.m. (ESPNU) Saturday, March 19 Session Five: Wrestleback Semifinals and 3rd-8th Medal Rounds, 11 a.m. (ESPNU) Session Six: Finals and Awards Ceremony, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

"I m flattered and honored to have been considered for this position, exclaimed George DiIllio the morning after being selected by Ephrata Borough Council to fill a vacant seat. Service to one’s community is so important; as a result, I intend to take this position very seriously.

DiIllio was one of five people up for consideration for the open seat. Like him, two of his opponents were Democrats while two others were independents. Of the Democrats, one of his opponents was his wife Ginny. DiIlio said he was surprised he was selected since Ephrata has traditionally, and remains, a largely Republican town. But, he said, he believes his record of community service shined through. I ve worked with many other municipal governing bodies, so I d like to believe that what I stand for and and am willing to work for becomes much more important than political affiliation, he said. After all, being a member of borough council isn’t a matter of being politically oriented it s a matter of being civic-minded.

Ephrata Performing Arts Center Managing Director Stephanie Harley (far left) and Pennsylvania College of Art and Design students (on stairs, left to right) Sarah Solak, Tom Dombrosky and Adam Schweitzer unveiled the theater s new name to its generous donor, Terry Bigler (far right). (Photo by Preston Whitcraft)

Nothing captivated Michael Sharadin quite like theater. As a child, Sharadin was enthralled with plays at the Ephrata Performing Arts Center that often brought big name acts from Broadway in New York City. Throughout his life. Sharadin never missed a local play and had seen nearly 1,100 shows up and down the East Coast before his death in 2006. Sharadin and his partner Terry Bigler of 27 years had donated more than $1 million since 1996 and has been referred to by theater company officials as guardian angels.

For more than eight years, the old Denver Post Office at 143 Main St. was just a shell of its past. Built in the 1950s, it was once a bustling post office where Denver residents and businesses picked up their mail, dropped off packages and mailed letters. When the office moved to its current location behind Ephrata National Bank s Denver branch in 2003, the old building was relegated to storage space. Today, the brick-style building has a new lease on life, as the headquarters of Heck Construction of Denver. Founded in 2006 in the basement of his Denver home, Todd Heck started off doing small remodeling jobs and subbed out to area contractors. As opportunities grew for Heck, his staff was increasing and bigger projects were coming his way. In 2009, Heck bid and won its first million dollar project as a residential and commercial general contractor. It was time to move to bigger and better headquarters. It was also an opportunity to take a Denver landmark and give it a new, productive life, while showcasing Heck s construction talents. The post office is a great building in a great location, he said. We are very excited that we can give it a new purpose. And show our clients what kind of work we can do for them.

The Ephrata Lions Club is sponsoring its 32nd annual Sports Card Show and Auction on Saturday, March 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Ephrata Recreation Center (130 South Academy Dr., Ephrata, near the intersection of routes US 322 and PA 272). Approximately 40 sports memorabilia dealers will be present to buy and sell baseball cards and other sports-related items. Between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., former Philadelphia Phillies catcher Bob Boone will sign autographs for attendees purchasing tickets.

Bob Boone appears courtesy of the Ephrata National Bank and the Ephrata Lions Club. In addition, former Manheim Central and Penn State receiver Graham Zug will appear, as well as representatives from the Lancaster Barnstormers (of the Atlantic League, an independent professional baseball league) will be present throughout the day. Admission to the show is $3 for adults, $1 for children under 12. Autograph tickets are $10 each, with a limit of five per paid admission. Only 400 autograph tickets will be sold.