More than 100 soldiers and airmen with the Pennsylvania National Guard competed in the annual Governor’s Twenty marksmanship competition at Fort Indiantown Gap on May 9-11.
The competition, which is organized and run by the Pennsylvania National Guard’s Marksmanship Training Unit and this year featured the efforts of 107 service members, determines the top 20 marksmen in the state. The 20 top scorers earn the right to wear the coveted Governor’s Twenty tab on their uniform.
First-place finisher Major Ian Swisher pointed out that several first-time competitors made the top 20.
“Winning feels great, a validation of sorts, to the time and energy I’ve devoted to improving my marksmanship,” Swisher, an operations officer with the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, said in a release. “However, the real winners are the dozens of new shooters we welcomed to the firing line. Everyone, regardless of rank or experience, learns something about themselves or marksmanship every time they compete. That’s how we should be measuring value in competition; it’s the knowledge and experience we take back to our formations that counts.”
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The Governor’s Twenty tab, worn on the left shoulder, is a state-level National Guard award that is presented every year and is reflected on a service members’ official personnel record. It is recognized by both the Army and Air Force.
Another top three finisher, Capt. Phillip Wright, competed in 2020 with low expectations, but ended up earning the tab.
“I went in more open minded to learn. I was ecstatic to earn the tab,” said Wright. “This year, I went in with the expectation to finish within the top three because I have been shooting competitively since 2020.”
In order to be competitive, guardsmen need to be proficient with rifles and pistols. Each competitor fires an M17 pistol and M4 carbine. The contest also included an M17 pistol 30 yard slow fire match and a M4 carbine 400 yard slow fire match.
The competition gives an opportunity to guardsmen to apply marksmanship fundamentals. That was one of the motivators for Sgt. 1st Class Douglas Costello, who also finished in the top three, but he also described his participation in the competition as “an honor.”
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“I would love to see this match continue to grow,” Costello said. “I get to see friends that I don’t often get to see, I have an opportunity to pass knowledge on to new shooters and I always learn something new myself.”
Here are the Top 20 results, in order from 1st to 20th:
Maj. Ian Swisher
Capt. Philip Wright
Sgt. 1st Class Douglas Costello
Chief Master Sgt. Edward Altmeyer
Sgt. Dylan Albert
Staff Sgt. Luke Heim
Master Sgt. Shawn McCreary
Staff Sgt. Robert Robbins
Staff Sgt. John Rebuck
Staff Sgt. Zachary Paff
Sgt. Brennan Koji
Sgt. Croft Howley
Sgt. Jack Banducci
Sgt. James Reddington
2nd Lt. Edward Hay
Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Brick
Sgt. 1st Class Sean Whaley
Sgt. Terry Bennett
Sgt. Craig Buick
Staff Sgt. Jonathan DeLise
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FILE – Powerball logo displayed on a phone screen and coins are seen in this illustration photo.
PHILADELPHIA – A Powerball ticket sold in Pennsylvania matched five numbers in Wednesday night’s drawing, winning $1 million, according to lottery officials.
What we know:
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The Pennsylvania ticket was one of several nationwide that matched all five white balls. The ticket did not include the Power Play multiplier.
Because no one matched all six numbers, the Powerball jackpot continues to climb. The next drawing will feature an estimated $1.5 billion jackpot, with a cash option of $689.3 million.
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Winning numbers (Dec. 17, 2025)
25 – 33 – 53 – 62 – 66
Powerball: 17
Power Play: 4x
The Pennsylvania Lottery has not yet announced where the winning ticket was sold.
What’s next:
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The next Powerball drawing takes place Saturday night, Dec. 20. The estimated jackpot is an astounding $1.5 billion.
The Source: This article is based on official Powerball drawing results.
More than $22 million in “Money Match” checks were mailed to nearly 100,000 Pennsylvanians, the treasury said.
In a news release on Thursday, the Pennsylvania Treasury said people should be on the lookout for the checks, which are part of the Pennsylvania Money Match program. Treasurer Stacy Garrity said to cash or deposit the checks “promptly.”
The first Pennsylvania Money Match checks, totaling more than $1.7 million, are now on the way to Pennsylvanians’ mailboxes. Pennsylvania Money Match is a new program that allows Treasury to return certain unclaimed property to rightful owners automatically, which was approved unanimously by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor last year.
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“I want Pennsylvanians to know that this is a real check, it is real money, and it belongs to them,” Garrity said in the news release. “And as always, I still encourage everyone to regularly search for unclaimed property online, as many claims will not qualify for the Money Match process.”
With the mailing of the year’s last batch of checks, more than $50 million will have been returned automatically to Pennsylvanians.
What are Money Match checks?
The program allows the state treasury to automatically return unclaimed property valued up to $500 owned by a single individual. Before the program was created in 2024, residents themselves had to seek out unclaimed property.
“I’m thrilled to continue this program as we work hard to get more money back to its rightful owners,” Garrity said in the news release.
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However, if the property has multiple owners or is valued higher than $500, Pennsylvanians still need to file a claim.
What is unclaimed property?
Unclaimed property includes dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, forgotten stocks, rebates and insurance policies, among other things. It can also include the contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes.
According to the state treasury, more than one in 10 Pennsylvanians is owed some of the $5 billion in unclaimed property in the treasury’s care, and the average value of a claim is more than $1,000.
Unclaimed property scam
On its website, the state treasury has a warning about scammers using text messages to target potential unclaimed property claimants.
The department “never reaches out to people in regard to any program, including unclaimed property, via unsolicited text messages.”
A special weather statement was issued by the National Weather Service on Friday at 10:06 a.m. until 1 p.m. for Warren, McKean, Elk, Cameron, Clearfield, Cambria and Somerset counties.
“Temperatures will drop below the freezing mark through midday with rain showers quickly changing to snow showers. Blustery winds may dry off roads and other paved surfaces, but any residual water from previous rain or melting snow could freeze up and result in slick spots through the afternoon,” explains the weather service.
