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Week in Review 6/10/2012

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Council reverses course on SPA debt

In a stunning about-face, city council on Thursday voted to introduce a measure to cover a debt of the Scranton Parking Authority, only a week after refusing to do so and plunging it into default.

But it would appear to be only a temporary fix, as council solicitor Boyd Hughes cited a June 7 notice of default from bond trustee Bank of New York Mellon saying a takeover of the beleaguered authority is inevitable in 30 days because SPA has preliminarily defaulted on four other counts.

Council introduced a proposed ordinance to wire $1.03 million to cover the balance of a $1.2 million bond payment that was due June 1. The proposed ordinance will be up for consideration June 14.

Tax delinquents pony up $1 million

After 14 years, Scranton held its first sale of tax-delinquent properties on Monday - and accrued only $25,280.32 in back property taxes after 19 properties were sold, city Treasurer Christopher Boland said.

But Mr. Boland said the city collected a net total of $1.041 million in delinquent property taxes, including back taxes paid by property owners before the sale.

The sale was an effort on behalf of the city to recoup the $4.1 million it is owed in back property taxes on properties deemed delinquent from 2004-2009. After notices were sent out to owners of delinquent properties last month, the city collected $1.27 million in back taxes before Monday's sale, Mr. Boland said.

Wright unretires for TCMC post

Two days after Robert Wright, M.D., announced his retirement as president and CEO of his namesake, the Wright Center for Graduate Education, the Commonwealth Medical College board of trustees announced Wednesday his appointment as the school's interim president and dean, effective June 29.

Dr. Wright said he planned to stay until the fall, when the medical school expects to select the permanent president.

City council lawyer says pay justified

Scranton City Council solicitor Boyd Hughes defended a 67 percent pay raise for him that council has introduced.

On Thursday, councilmen Frank Joyce, Jack Loscombe and Pat Rogan voted to introduce a fund transfer that would give an additional $30,000 in salary to Mr. Hughes, who currently earns $45,000 a year in the part-time post.

Councilman Bob McGoff voted against the raise, while council President Janet Evans was absent.

The pay raise was tabled at council's meeting Thursday.

City may open only one pool this year

Scranton residents may be looking for alternative ways to keep cool this summer as

Mayor Chris Doherty announced Thursday that, aside from Nay Aug Park, Scranton pools could be closed for the summer in an effort to cut costs amid an unfurling budget crisis. Mr. Doherty said he does not anticipate other cutbacks.

Rosetti out on bail after violations

After 12 nights in Lackawanna County Prison, Fred Rosetti, Ed.D., the former executive director of the Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit, regained his freedom. But he will have to follow additional conditions to remain out of jail before his upcoming Nov. 5 trial on 13 counts of fraud, theft and money laundering. He had been jailed since May 25 because of the contact with potential witnesses.

Casey calls for additional flood aid

Standing on a Lackawanna River levee off Nay Aug Avenue in Scranton, Sen. Bob Casey called on Congress to reauthorize the 44-year-old National Flood Insurance Program for another five years when it comes up for a vote this summer, rather than grant it another short-term extension.

"If we're not willing to put in place measures to protect people after a flood, we might as well not have a federal government," Mr. Casey said.

ATF raids South Side business

Special agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives combed through a tobacco warehouse at 1111 S. Washington Ave. in South Scranton on Wednesday as part of an investigation that spanned three states and included simultaneous raids of a dozen businesses and homes in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Scranton.

County sets up hotline for waste

Lackawanna County Controller Gary DiBileo announced Friday his office is establishing a hotline on which citizens can report suspected fraud, waste and abuse of taxpayer dollars at the county level and beyond.

Mr. DiBileo said the hotline, which will allow individuals to submit tips by telephone, email or regular mail, will be up and running by July 1. People will be able to find the hotline contact information on the county website, www.lackawannacounty.org.

State

Sandusky jury set; trial under way

In a room on the second floor of the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, prosecutors, defense attorneys and Senior Judge John M. Cleland agreed Wednesday on the fourth and final alternate juror - the last of 16 people picked for the panel that will weigh child sex abuse charges against former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

Legislative district change wins OK

A reapportionment plan to move a state House district based in Lackawanna County to neighboring Monroe County in 2014 was given final approval Friday by a special state commission. The Legislative Reapportionment Commission voted 4-1 for the plan that moves the 115th House District, effective in 2014. The plan now goes to the state Supreme Court for final approval.

Ex-state senator ordered to prison

Former Republican state Sen. Jane Orie was ordered Monday to serve 2½ to 10 years in state prison for using her taxpayerfunded legislative staff to do campaign work and forging defense exhibits to try to cover it up.

Ms. Orie, 50, said nothing before being sentenced by Allegheny County Judge Jeffrey Manning, who directed her to report to prison immediately. The judge must still decide whether Ms. Orie must repay up to $2 million in restitution, legal fees and other costs.

Nation

Venus marches across sun

Filtering the sun's light to a minuscule fraction of its true power allowed sky-gazers around the world to watch a silhouetted Venus travel across the sun, an extremely rare spectacle that served as a reminder of how tiny our planet really is.

The next transit is 105 years away - likely beyond all of our lifetimes but just another dinky speck in the timeline of the universe.

World

Rebels battle in Assad stronghold

Bullets and shrapnel shells smashed into homes in the Syrian capital of Damascus overnight Friday as troops battled rebels in the streets, a show of boldness for rebels taking their fight against President Bashar Assad to the center of his power. For nearly 12 hours of fighting that lasted into early Saturday, rebels battled Syrian forces in the heaviest fighting in the Assad stronghold since the 15-month-old uprising began.

U.K. celebrates Queen's reign

A fireworks display outside Buckingham Palace in London marked the end of a Diamond Jubilee concert Monday as thousands of flag-waving fans watched music royalty celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's 60-year reign. The queen took the throne in 1952 on the death of her father, King George VI, and most Britons have known no other monarch. She is the longest-serving ruler among Europe's current royalty, and the second-longest reigning monarch in English history. Her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, ruled for 64 years, from 1837 to 1901.


Blues events bring rhythm to Tripp House

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An hour into a guitar workshop on Saturday, bluesman Toby Walker was singing about beefsteak and whiskey with a backing band of about a dozen guitar students who had just learned the lick and some chords.

"You're all blues musicians at this point," he said.

The workshop was part of a three-day event at Scranton's historic Tripp House featuring performances, stories and lessons by Mr. Walker and portraits of blues musicians by documentary photographer Jim Gavenus. The events are presented by PocoNotes, a Lake Ariel-based organization that brings music and musicians to new audiences at small venues in the region.

The music and exhibit, which benefit the Society for the Preservation of the Tripp Family Homestead, continue today from noon to 4 p.m.

In a parlor of Lackawanna County's oldest house, Mr. Walker demonstrated styles of blues from different eras, regions and musicians. He mixed music with stories and legends and answered questions about everything from his favorite guitar tuning to how he constructed a riff in a song.

"I would combine one style with another because I didn't feel like paying a bass player," he said.

Joe Ducey, 25, from Scranton asked Mr. Walker to replay a musical phrase from a blues song by Son House then worked to follow along on his own guitar. When he got it, he leaned back in his chair with pleasure and played it a few times to himself.

"Nice," he said.

After the workshop, Mr. Gavenus walked through some of the portraits of musicians he'd captured at festivals, juke joints and front porches.

"A lot of these are from trips to Mississippi, North Carolina, Alabama ... and Nescopeck," he laughed.

Some musicians he met by word-of-mouth or accident. Most of the photos are accompanied by a biographical description, a quote or story.

"I go in with the idea that about 80 percent of it is real and 20 percent will be legend that was decided over a bottle of liquor," he said. "I don't try to sort it out."

Contact the writer: llegere@timesshamrock.com

Funeral Notices 6/10/2012

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BATTAGLIA, WILLIAM J., Clarks Summit, private, Monday, 11 a.m., Lawrence E. Young Funeral Home, 418 S. State St., Clarks Summit. Interment, Abington Hills Cemetery, South Abington Twp. Condolences: lawrenceeyoungfu neralhome.com.

BOGUSKI, ARICH D., Waymart, Monday, 5:30 p.m., back pavilion at Waymart Hotel, by the Rev. Gary Gilpin, pastor, Aldenville Baptist Church. Contributions: Trevor and Austin Boguski, 695 Elk Lake Drive, Waymart 18472. Arrangements: Jenkins Funeral Home, 269 Belmont St., Waymart.

CONRAD, EDWARD J., Green Ridge section of Scranton, Saturday, Carl J. Savino Funeral Home, Scranton. Mass, Holy Rosary Church, Scranton, by the Rev. Cyril Edwards, pastor. Pallbearers: Patrick O'Neill, Joseph, John, John III, Paul and William Conrad. Interment, Cathedral Cemetery.

CORKER, DOROTHY J., Scranton, Monday, unnannouced, Howard J. Snowdon Funeral Home, 1810 Sanderson Ave., Scranton. Interment, private. Calling hours, today, 5 to 7 p.m. Condolences: duffyandsnowdon.com.

EDWARDS, ALBERT A., Moscow, Brian Arthur Strauch Funeral Homes and Cremation Services, 3 First St., Spring Brook Twp. Interment, private, Fairview Memorial Park. Memorial, June 17, 2 p.m., Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall, Mount Cobb. Condolences: strauchfuneral homes.com.

FIFE, SHARON L., Childs, Saturday, Carmine J. & Louis C. Parise Funeral Home & Cremation Services Inc., Carbondale, by the Rev. John McCarty, Berean Baptist Church, Carbondale. Pallbearers: Paul Fife Jr., Eric Zator, Leonard Quick, Robert Goodwin Jr. and Robert Goodwin III. Interment, Sunnyside Cemetery, Tunkhannock.

HAGEN, HARRIET C., Alexandria, Va., Mass, Monday, 10:30 a.m., St. Rita's Catholic Church, 3815 Russell Road, Alexandria. Interment, Tuesday, 2 p.m., St. Catherine's Cemetery, Moscow. Calling hours, today, 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m., Everly-Wheatley Funeral Home, 1500 W. Braddock Road., Alexandria. Contributions: everlyfunreal homes.com.

HANNOCK, MARY PIJAR, formerly of Olyphant, Monday, Mass, 9:30 a.m., St. Patrick's Church, Olyphant, by the Rev. Raj A. Nalazala, assistant pastor of Holy Cross Parish, Olyphant. Interment, St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery, Olyphant. Calling hours, today, 4 to 7 p.m., Michael P. Glinsky Funeral Home Inc., 129 Grant St., Olyphant. Contributions: St. Patrick Church in Carlisle, 152 E. Pomfret St., Carlisle, PA 17013. Condolences: glinskyfuneral home.com.

HIDLAY, ALICE M. LAMB, Dunmore, Saturday, Dunmore United Methodist Church, Dunmore, by the Rev. Philip T. Wanck. Interment, Monday, 10:30, Laurel Hill Cemetery, Orangeville.

JEZIERSKI, JOHN A., Dickson City, Monday, 9:30 a.m., Frank T. Mazur Funeral Home Inc., 601 Dundaff St., Dickson City, Mass, 10, St. Mary's Visitation Church, Dickson City. Interment St. Mary's Cemetery, Dickson City. Calling hours, Monday, 8:30 to 9:30. Condolences: mazurfuneralhome.com.

KEATING, KATHLEEN T., Dunmore, Saturday, Eugene A. Cusick Funeral Home, Scranton. Mass, St. Mary of Mount Carmel Church, Dunmore, by the Rev. John A. Doris, pastor. Pallbearers: Thomas Karam, Robert Coleman, Timothy Burke, Joseph Gibbons, Joseph Cimini and Patrick Loughney. Interment, private.

MANCUSO, FRANCES GUAG-LIARDO, New Albany, Ind., formerly of Archbald, Mass, Tuesday, 9:30 a.m., St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, Archbald. Burial, church cemetery. Visitation, Monday, 4 to 8 p.m., Louis J. Rapoch Funeral Home, 420 Church St., Archbald.

MONASKY, GEORGE E., D.D.S., Ambler, Saturday, Jones and Brennan Funeral Home, Forest City, by the Rev. Patrick L. Albert. Pallbearers: Edward Kolonsky, George A. Monasky, Wayne Hess, Dr. Ann B. Monasky, Lou Matousek and John J. Lavin. Interment, St. John's Cemetery, Forest City.

MOSES, HELEN M., Woodridge, N.Y., Calling hours, today, 10 a.m. to noon, Michael P. Glinsky Funeral Home, 129 Grant St., Olyphant. Services, noon, Holy Ghost Cemetery, Blakely. Condolences: glinskyfuneralhome.com.

O'DONNELL, WALTER L., Equinunk, today, 1 to 3 p.m., Country Lanes, Old #7 Sports Bar and Grill, Blue Shutters Road, Elmhurst Twp. Contributions: Pancreatic Cancer Research, pancan.org. Arrange-ments: Duffy & Snowdon Funeral Home, Moscow. Condolences: duffyandsnowdon.com.

O'HARA, VERNA, Scranton, Mass, Saturday, St. Ann's Basilica, Scranton, by the Rev. Joseph Jones, C.P. Pallbearers: John O'Hara, Ralph Morris, Robert Durkin and Bruce Keib, nephews; David and Alex Keib, great-nephews. Honorary pallbearers: Kevin Durkin, great-nephew; and Bryan Pusey. Interment, Cathedral Cemetery. Arrangements: Hudak-O'Shea Funeral Home, Olyphant.

PAGNOTTI, MICHAEL S. III, Scranton, calling hours today, Arthur A. Albini Funeral Home, 1003 Church St., Jessup, 2 to 5 p.m., service, 5, by the Rev. August A. Ricciardi. Interment, Thursday, 1:30 p.m., Mount Carmel Cemetery, O'Neill Highway, Dunmore.

PERRI, DONALD "ZEKE," Carbondale, Monday with military honors, Lawrence A. Gabriel Funeral Home, 74 N. Main St., Carbondale, Mass, 9:30 a.m., Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Carbondale. Entombment, Mother of Sorrows Mausoleum, Finch Hill. Calling hours, today, 4 to 7 p.m. Contributions: Carbondale Area Nursing Home Activities Dept., 10 Hart Place, Carbondale, PA 18407.

REUTHER, CHARLES JR., Scranton, Monday, 9:30 a.m., Mass, 10, St. Stanislaus Polish National Catholic Cathedral. Go directly to church. Interment, St. Stanislaus PNC Cemetery, Kane Street, Scranton. Calling hours, today, 3 to 7 p.m., Sznyter Funeral Home, 1101 Prospect Ave., Scranton. Prayer service, 6:30; Young Men's Society of Resurrection prayer service, 6:45. Contributions: St. Stanislaus Youth Center Fund, or Hospice of the Sacred Heart, 600 Baltimore Drive, Wilkes Barre, PA.

ROMICH, ELIZABETH "BETTY" BROWN, Forest City, Monday, Jones and Brennan Funeral Home, 430 Main St., Forest City, 10 a.m., Christ Episcopal Church, by the Rev. Donald Schaible, rector. Interment, Union Dale Cemetery. Calling hours, today, 2 to 5 p.m. Condolences: brennan funeralhomes.com.

SCHIRG, MARION R., Dalton, today, 1:30 p.m., Dalton United Methodist Church, by the Rev. Brian Lucas. Calling hours, 12:30 to service, church. Contributions: Dalton United Methodist Church or Dalton Volunteer Fire Company. Arrangements: Anthony P. Litwin Funeral Home, Factoryville; aplit winfuneralhomes.com.

SCHUMACHER, GEORGE GILBERT, East Lemon, Tuesday, 11 a.m., Charles H. Litwin Funeral Home, 91 State St., Nicholson, by the Rev. Thomas Petro. Interment, Nicholson Cemetery, military honors, Nicholson American Legion Post 953. Calling hours, Monday, 4 to 8 p.m. Contributions: to offset the medical fund for George's care at the hospital. Condolences: litwinfuneralhome.com.

TOMKO, MARION VERONICA REACH, Dunmore, Saturday, Albert P. O'Donnell Funeral Home, Dunmore. Mass, St. Paul's Church, Scranton, by Monsignor William Feldcamp, the Rev. Richard Burke, C.P., the Very Rev. James Price, C.P., and the Rev Earl Keating, C.P. Pallbearers: Christopher Evans, Charlie Merwin, William Reap, John Kelly and Matt Macsisak, grandsons; and John Merwin, great-grandson. Interment, Cathedral Cemetery.

VALEZ, ASUNTA VIERA, Scranton, Interment, Monday, St. Raymond's Cemetery, Bronx, N.Y. Arrangements: Kearney Funeral Home Inc., West Scranton. Condolences: KearneyFuneral Home.com.

ZUKAUSKAS, VINCENT MICHAEL, Old Forge, Saturday, Thomas P. Kearney Funeral Home Inc., Old Forge. Mass, St. Mary of the Assumption Church, Old Forge, by the Rev. Louis T. Kaminski, pastor. Pallbearers: Fred Leoniak, son-in-law; Jack Zukauskas, nephew; Stephen Leoniak and Paul Zukauskas, grandsons. Interment, Marcy Cemetery, Duryea.

Motorcycle crash kills Duryea man

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Motorcycle crash kills Duryea man

OLD FORGE - A Duryea man was killed Saturday in a motorcycle crash in the borough.

Old Forge police Officer Jason Dubernas said 48-year-old Joel Gurley was riding his motorcycle in the 900 block of Moosic Road about 4:16 p.m. when he struck a curb and several metal poles.

Mr. Gurley died of traumatic injuries after being taken to Geisinger Community Medical Center, according to the officer.

Officer Dubernas added that Mr. Gurley was not wearing a helmet. The crash is being investigated by Old Forge and state police.

News quiz, 6/10/2012

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1. Astronomy buffs gathered to watch ...

A. the Hale-Bopp Comet.

B. the Transit of Venus.

C. Uranus.

D. the planet formerly known as Pluto.

2. In the event of payless paydays, city firefighters, police and DPW would ...

A. continue to work.

B. picket in front of City Hall.

C. rearrange their schedules.

D. use rolling brownouts.

3. What upgrade was completed at the Lackawanna County Courthouse?

A. Indoor plumbing

B. Environmentally friendly lighting

C. Free Wi-Fi

D. Coffee stations

4. How long did it take to select 12 jurors and four alternates for the upcoming trial of former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky?

A. 16 years

B. Eight days

C. Less than an hour

D. Less than one week

5. What did special agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives search last week as part of an investigation that spanned three states?

A. Corner bars

B. Convenience stores

C. City Hall

D. A tobacco warehouse

6. A Pittston-area business, Benco, won a Department of Defense contract for what?

A. Dental supplies

B. Laser-guided bombs

C. Mortar shells

D. Quality tomatoes

7. Herndon Products will open a facility in Throop as part of a contract with the Tobyhanna Army Depot. Where is the company based?

A. Boring, Ore.

B. Crapo, Md.

C. O'Fallon, Mo.

D. Bird-in-Hand, Pa.

8. What are three men accused of stealing from a Scott Twp. business and reselling on eBay?

A. Baked goods

B. Plow parts

C. Vintage signs

D. Disc brakes

9. Only one of the city's pools will open because ...

A. equipment repairs to community pools were not completed in time.

B. there was a shortage of qualified lifeguards.

C. city council could not agree on the hours of operations at community pools.

D. city officials are trying to cut costs.

10. Scranton City Council approved an ordinance to pay a $1.03 million balance of a debt belonging to ...

A. Mayor Chris Doherty.

B. Scranton Fire Department.

C. Council President Janet Evans.

D. Scranton Parking Authority.

Answers: 1. B; 2. A; 3. C; 4. D; 5. D; 6. A; 7. C; 8. B; 9. D; 10. D

Chris Kelly: Scranton's only real hope could be the apocalypse

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"Venus, goddess of love that you are/ Surely the things I ask/ Can't be too great a task..." -- from "Venus," by Frankie Avalon

The Transit of Venus went off without a hitch Tuesday, which must have been a blow to doomsday junkies, Internet end times experts and obese survivalists stockpiling bullets, seeds and anything containing high fructose corn syrup.

Like just about every blessed thing that has happened over the past decade or so, the rare sashay of Earth's flashy sister planet across the sun was somehow tied to the Mayan calendar, which - as any survivalist worthy of his XXXL wolf baying at the moon T-shirt knows - is the Facebook of the Apocalypse.

Many 2012 doomsayers predicted that the Transit would spawn earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other natural disasters, but no such luck. The worst thing that happened Tuesday was a double episode of "America's Got Talent."

The Mayan calendar runs out on Dec. 21, 2012, which can only mean one thing: the History Channel has about six months of "original" programming left. It also means another anemic holiday shopping season, despite doomsday doorbusters at Boscov's. Everything must go!

If the world does end on Dec. 21, count on Scranton City Council to call a special meeting to blame Mayor Chris Doherty, who will be making the rounds at area banks trying to borrow another few million dollars at post-apocalyptic interest rates. No money down! No service charges! Pay nothing until the Second Coming!

Some restrictions apply.

Like reality, for instance, which just keeps getting more and more unreal in the Electric (Chair) City.

If you think the Mayan calendar is cause for alarm, take a look at the day planner Scranton is working with. By the end of this month, it will likely be unable to make payroll or put gasoline in its police, fire and DPW vehicles. The city owes its fuel supplier $208,000, and its credit is running on fumes.

Meanwhile, the public service unions have pledged that their members will work without pay, if it comes to that. A nice gesture, but it seems cruel to expect them to do it on foot.

You buy it; they break it

You get what you pay for, folks, an immutable fact Scranton taxpayers are finally learning the hard way. If you want more cops on the street, more firehouses open and your refuse removed, you have to pay higher taxes. Services cost money. If you want them, be prepared to pay more for them every year, just like bread, milk, eggs and cable.

Judging by the perpetual lines at the Comcast store at the Mall at Steamtown, city residents are much happier paying to watch "Law & Order" reruns than they are bankrolling actual cops on the street.

You also get what you vote for, like a mayor who has borrowed the city to the brink of ruin while being re-elected twice and a city council that seems to believe its only responsibility is to blame him for every ill since polio and demand that somebody do something about this mess.

How about a raise?

Two weeks ago, the city council supermajority took the bull by the horns and gored the city's already distended credit. The Unmitigated Disaster Formerly Known as the Scranton Parking Authority asked council to help it make a bond payment to avoid default. Council had the money set aside, but the supermajority saw an opportunity to teach a "lesson in fiscal responsibility," and refused to bail the authority out.

It did this even though the "full faith and credit and taxing power" of the city guarantees the authority's bonds. That means the city is ultimately on the hook for the debt. Council chose not to pay it. As a result, the last lender crazy enough to lend the city money pulled about $16 million in borrowing needed just to keep the lights on through December.

Then, as if to prove it had pole-vaulted the proverbial shark, the supermajority argued for a 67 percent pay raise for solicitor Boyd "Bombs Away" Hughes. The hike would have brought Mr. Hughes' annual salary to $75,000 for a part-time job. The mayor's salary is $50,000. The median household income in Scranton is about $39,000.

Mr. Hughes is a commanding presence, a burly but refined mix of Ernest Hemingway and "The Most Interesting Man in the World" from those Dos Equis beer commercials. But any council that tries to award a part-time solicitor a 67 percent pay raise as the city struggles to buy gasoline for its police cruisers and fire engines is simply not to be taken seriously. Sorry, Papa Bear.

Like driving off a cliff and slamming on the brakes in freefall, the supermajority backed off on both bad ideas on Thursday. The Hughes pay grab is exactly the kind of naked cronyism the supermajority promised to end, and payless paydays would hit the supermajority's core constituency - the city's unions - hardest. The supermajority passed a budget that relies on borrowing. Its kneecapping of the parking authority made borrowing impossible. It cut off the city's financial nose to spite Mr. Doherty's face.

Accountability

Not that the supermajority didn't have a point.

The SPA is a ticking time bomb of mismanagement and bad debt. Its incompetent board and administrators were hand-picked by Mr. Doherty. I actually gasped when I learned that SPA executive director Bob Scopelliti was being paid $83,200 a year and had an expense account.

His salary was cut Wednesday by 18 percent to $68,250, which seems awfully generous for the head of an authority that has amassed $100 million in debt and can't pay its bills. Again, the mayor's salary is $50,000. The median household income in Scranton is about $39,000.

Council asked for an accounting of the authority's finances, and what little Mr. Scopelliti produced was as useless as it was hard to read. In the private sector, his salary would have been cut by 100 percent.

The supermajority was wrong to harm the city's credit by refusing to make the bond payment, but it is right on the money to demand answers from the authority. Council should authorize the bond payment as soon as possible, but doing so should be contingent upon the authority coming clean on all accounts, including Mr. Scopelliti's expenses. He and every member of the authority board should concede in writing to a full accounting as a condition of making the payment.

Mr. Doherty should see to it that the authority provides such an accounting. He has had 11 years to right the city's ship. It is sinking faster than ever, mostly under the weight of his titanic borrowing. He clearly didn't expect to be at the helm of the U.S.S. Scranton when it finally capsized, but there he is on the bridge, firing futile flares and wishing he'd spent some of that money on lifeboats.

Mr. Doherty has discussed the city's crisis with Gov. Tom Corbett, R-Drillers, but don't expect much help from him unless the city reincorporates itself as Scranton Gas Extraction Partners for the Re-election of Tom Corbett LLC.

Meanwhile, the supermajority seems happy to see Scranton sink in red ink so long as Mr. Doherty drowns. It claims to be crafting an alternate recovery plan, but whatever council has cobbled together remains a well-kept secret even as the doomsday clock grinds down. The city has been officially distressed for 20 years. What is council waiting for?

On Thursday, the supermajority voted against even putting Mr. Doherty's recovery plan up for council review. A party with superior ideas has no need to suppress the ideas of its rivals. The supermajority has a choice to make: Get moving, or get out of the way.

The lone good news one can divine from this mess is that for Scranton, the apocalypse is definitely coming.

The bad news is that it probably won't make a damn bit of difference.

CHRIS KELLY, the Times-Tribune columnist, isn't psychic, just paying attention. Contact the writer: kellysworld@timesshamrock.com

Wyoming Co. man charged with indecent assault of 7-year-old girl

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Troopers seek alleged molester

TUNKHANNOCK - State police in Wyoming County are trying to locate a borough man accused of sexually inappropriate behavior with a 7-year-old girl at the Oakwood Lake trailer park in late April.

James Louis Barber, 54, was charged with corruption of minors and indecent assault. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Anyone with information about Mr. Barber's location should call state police in Tunkhannock at 836-2141.

I-84 roadwork to restrict lanes on Monday and Tuesday

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PennDOT: Lanes on I-84 to close

DUNMORE - Bridge inspections on Interstate 84 will close alternating lanes between Exit 1 (Tigue Street) and the I-84/Interstate 380 split on Monday and Tuesday, according to the state Department of Transportation.

The lane restrictions will affect eastbound travel on Monday and westbound travel on Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The right lane on I-84 westbound will also be closed Monday between Exit 8 (Mount Cobb/Hamlin) and the I-84/I-380 split from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., PennDOT said.


Vandals strike Pocono Mountain West

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Police ask for help catching vandals

POCONO SUMMIT - Vandals spray painted signs, roads and a mailbox on and around the Pocono Mountain West campus in Monroe County last week, police said.

School district security reported the vandalism to Pocono Mountain Regional police on Tuesday. Many of the markings read "FTP," "CREW" and "FTP VILE CREW," police said.

Anyone with information about the vandalism should call police at 895-2400.

Police investigate attempted arson

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Police investigate attempted arson

WEST WYOMING - West Wyoming police are investigating an arson they said happened around 9:50 p.m. Friday at 442 W. Third St.

An unknown person tried to blow up propane tanks next to a home by "making an incendiary device on the tank." A police report didn't provided further details and a phone call to police was not immediately returned.

Neighbors who saw the flames extinguished the fire before any explosion occurred, police said. Anyone with information should call police at 693-1211.

Abington Fourth of July celebration in jeopardy?

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As the anniversary of the nation's birthday approaches, a longtime tradition in the Abingtons may be coming to an end.

After 25 years of hosting a Fourth of July party famous for its food, games and fireworks, the Rotary Club of the Abingtons announced this year's show, scheduled for June 30 at Abington Heights Middle School, may be the last if support does not improve.

With less than a month remaining until the national holiday, the club still needs about $5,000 in donations to offset the $15,000 to $16,000 cost of the show. If that amount isn't reached, the club has no choice but to put an end to the event, said Edward Nuzzaci, a director for the club in charge of planning for the show.

"Right now, we've probably raised about half of what we've raised in years prior," Mr. Nuzzaci said. "If we lose $5,000, we're not going to be able to give the different scholarships to students in the area, and we won't be able to provide the community with this wonderful event."

In past years, revenues pledged to the annual "Friends of the Rotary Club" sponsorship campaign helped to cover the bulk of the expenses, but with the down economy, organizations and municipalities in the Abingtons have cut back on support.

"I think people are willing to give, but the economy is hurting a lot of the businesses," Mr. Nuzzaci said. "We understand the situation; we're just asking for as much support as they can give us so we can continue with this great event."

Having attended the fireworks for more than 15 years, John Hambrose, the president-elect of the Abington Rotary Club, said he finds it difficult to imagine July 4 without the fireworks show. But he also understands it's not feasible for the club to continue to finance the event when its not getting enough support.

"It's all translated into an event that we're not certain is going to continue in the future," Mr. Hambrose said.

Members of the Abingtons Rotary Club won't be the only ones disappointed if the tradition doesn't continue.

Residents of the Abingtons, including Jennifer Brock, 50, tend to associate the event with some of their fondest family memories.

"We have four children and we've been going to the fireworks since my oldest child, who is 19 years old, was born," Mrs. Brock said. "Some of our favorite pictures of the kids are when they are sitting under a blanket, waiting for the fireworks to start as the sun sets behind them."

Contact the writer: miorfino@timesshamrock.comHow to help

Contributions may be made payable to the Rotary Club of the Abingtons and mailed to the club at P.O. Box 392, Clarks Summit, PA 18411.

New home planned for local veteran in Scott Twp.

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Retired Army Staff Sgt. Earl Granville gave courage and time to his country while serving in Afghanistan, and after a roadside bomb in 2008, he gave even more.

The injuries he suffered during the bombing ultimately led to the amputation of his left leg, but thanks to local volunteer efforts and the nonprofit organization Homes for Our Troops, he will soon enjoy a home adapted to his needs.

Since 2004, Homes for Our Troops has built 110 custom homes for disabled veterans who have served since Sept. 11, 2001. Construction will begin on Mr. Granville's new home in Scott Twp. on June 29, following a brief ceremony. In what Homes for Our Troops calls a "build brigade," the walls, roof and framing of the home will be completed by the end of the weekend.

"It's a three-day event," Homes for Our Troops communications director Jennifer Fiorentino said. On Day One, "we do the ceremonial raising of the first wall of the home. The veteran participates in that process as well."

The homes are built at no cost to the veterans, so donations and volunteers, like Ken Kurtz, 62, of Ken Kurtz Builders, the general contractor, are essential.

"It's a totally compatible house," he said of the design. "It's (a Homes of Our Troops) plan, which is approved nationwide for their veterans. It's all one level and Americans with Disabilities Act approved."

After the initial build brigade, the home will follow a normal construction schedule, which Ms. Fiorentino said could take about four months. In the meantime, Mr. Kurtz and his team are still actively seeking donations of time, labor and supplies. Although he cited a need for a plumber, masons and some appliances, overall he was pleased with the response from residents and businesses thus far.

"We have a lot of people stepping up and volunteering at this point," he said, adding that the Lackawanna Homebuilders Association has played a large role in orchestrating preparation.

Skilled workers are among the needs, but anyone is welcome to help out, Ms. Fiorentino said.

"We really want folks to experience the entire process," she said. "We encourage the community to come out and see what it's all about and get involved in fundraising."

For instance, residents can help by donating or distributing food for the weekend, she said. Not all supplies need to be donated prior to the ground-breaking, because the project will be done in stages, she said.

To find out what items and volunteers are needed, visit homesforourtroops.org/granville.

"It doesn't have to be in a construction capacity," she said of volunteering. "If someone has an idea for a fundraiser or a way to raise awareness, we encourage that. There's nothing too big or too small out there, especially if someone wants to help."

Contact the writer: rbrown@timesshamrock.com

Suquehanna Community grads told that 'opportunities are limitless"

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SUSQUEHANNA - A semi-retired engineer and alumnus told the Susquehanna Community High School class of 2012 that the sky is the limit for their future, as long as they are willing to work hard for what they want.

Guest speaker John Kukowski, a 1968 graduate, was one of several speakers at the school's graduation ceremony Saturday.

"You now enter a critical stage in life to achieve your dreams," he said. "The opportunities are limitless but there is a price to pay. The price will be your time, as it takes time to study and put learning ahead of other things."

He also challenged the graduates to dare to be all they can be - to chase their chosen career and leave a mark in the world.

Class President Mary Kemmerer gave the welcome and introduced valedictorian Morgan Ofsharick, who thanked the administration for providing its students with such a variety of course subjects and for teachers being so caring.

Morgan described her class as being relentless and headstrong and thanked faculty, friends and especially parents, for being present to witness the graduation of their children, and she urged her classmates to do more than just exist in life but to live life.

Also at Saturday's ceremony, Principal Mark Gerchman presented scholastic awards to Morgan, Jeffrey Wayman, Alexandria Dominick, Courtney Arthur and Branden Deakin.

Graduates are:

Jeremy Acone, Elizabeth N. Acosta, Dylan S. Aldrich, Kristine Argyros, Aaron J. Arthur, Courtney L. Arthur, Ashley C. Ballard, Daphne B. Barnes, Tabitha L. Bibalo, Jamie B. Boerner, Adam M. Boughton, Andrew M. Burdick, Kayla Coleman, Tiffani A. Colwell, Danielle C. Conklin, Emily Arissa Conroy, Duane R. Consla Jr., Karlene Cottrell, Austin J. Cowperthwait, and Ashley Lynn Craig, Brandon M. Deakin, Brett M. Deakin, Alexandria Rain Dominick, Timothy Thomas Flanagan, Casey Fortune-Squires, Rex A. S. Fullam V, Benjamin G. Gall, Autumn S. Hadlick, David M. Hansen, Heather L. Hedrick, Brittany I. Herold, Matthew R. Hilling, Ashley R. Kapcsandi, Mary H. Kemmerer, Justin A. Kerber, Brenda L. Kochmer, Jared D. Lawson, Mikeala H. Lee, Thomas G. Maby, Jon-Michael P. Marino, Vincent Matta Jr., Sierra M. McConnell, Kristy L. Monks, Alexx J. Nelson, Morgan E. Ofsharick, Zachary P. Ord, Gregory Price, Cooper A. Quick, Dillian J. Rivenburg, Brandon P. Saddlemire, Austin Sampson, Elizabeth Seymour, Stephanie H. Skurski, Christopher Michael Snyder, Zachary S. Stanford, Shane T. Stanton, Anthony S. Stark, Toni A. Testa, Corey M. Towers, Melissa J. Valentine, Lindsay M. Way, Jeffrey A. Wayman Jr., George L.S. Wilkes and Stephanie L. Zappe. Valedictorian

MORGAN E. OFSHARICK

Parents: Francis and Kathryn Ofsharick

Activities: Art, marching and concert band, Envirothon, drama crew, National Honor Society, Scholastic Scrimmage and Bowl, WVIA Artist of the week, NEIU Scholar of the Year, Ross Park Zoo junior biologist

Plans: Attend Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts to major in illustration, and then would like to teach

Salutatorian

JEFFREY A. WAYMAN JR.

Parents: Jeffrey Wayman Sr. and Vicki Goodrich.

Activities: Envirothon, theater, Football, track and field, Engineering Olympics, Marywood math competition, Sabers News Network and National Honor Society

Plans: Attend Rochester Institute of Technology to pursue mechanical engineering

Namedropper 6/10/2012

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Mammo-thon sets up screenings

In honor of Mother's Day, volunteers from Regional Hospital of Scranton, along with University of Scranton student volunteers and the American Cancer Society worked together to call hundreds of area women to remind them to schedule their annual mammograms.

Diana Harris, chairwoman of the Mammo-thon committee, and Jamie S. Stallman, M.D.; Cindy Segar-Miller, Regional, chief operations officer; Joseph Cassidy, director of imaging; and Tom Ranella, director of IT; and Erin Moskel of the American Cancer Society, spearheaded the event that saw to the scheduling of 72 women for mammography screenings and identified 49 women who expressed a desire to be called back to schedule a screening.

"It is important to our team to assist women in our community with this important cancer-screening measure," Cindy said.

Serving Justice

Mark Taticchi of West Scranton will begin a yearlong judicial clerkship with Justice Anthony Kennedy of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Mark, a graduate of West Scranton High School and Penn State University, will join Justice Kennedy after spending the last year working in the Washington, D.C., office of the law firm of Covington & Burling LLP. Before his tenure at Covington, Mark clerked for Judge Sandra Ikuta on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Pasadena, Calif.

He received his law degree from the George Washington University Law School, where he graduated first in his class, served as editor-in-chief of the law review, and published papers on law enforcement seizures of digital evidence and the limits of governmental regulation of speech.

Stars in stripes

Air Force Airman 1st Class Elizabeth J. Hunter has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Airman Hunter is the daughter of John Hunter of Spring Brook Twp., and sister of Cherith Hunter of Apex, N.C. She is a 2006 graduate of Heritage Academy.

High notes

Community members were honored for their service to Keystone College during an annual donor award dinner on campus hosted by President Dr. Edward G. Jr. and Regina Boehm. Jeanne Bovard received the David J. Gray Award; Alex Fried the Joyce E. Tressler Award. Harry Dowling, Dorothy DeWitt Mackie, Albert Mueller, Carol Mueller and Bill Tersteeg each received Presidential Medallions.

Elk Lake graduates 74 Saturday

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DIMOCK - At Elk Lake High School's commencement ceremony Saturday, there were frequent references to several tragedies that had colored the students' high school experience.

In ninth grade, classmate Miranda Larnerd died. In the past year, the McClain family lost a father and had a very serious car accident injuring several family members.

Salutatorian Ryan Wilson was sidelined from his final season on the basketball team after injuries from a soccer game. And just weeks ago, senior Will Bennett fell while removing decorations from the gymnasium rafters after the prom, sustaining multiple injuries that cut short his senior track season.

High school principal Dr. Kenneth Cuomo addressed Will personally in his speech Saturday, saying, "Will, the class is blessed by your being on stage today. All I can say is that God spared you for a reason."

Despite the brushes with tragedy and close calls, students tried to focus on the promise of the future.

Class president and track and cross country star Maria Trowbridge said, "Each one of us has dreams that we are chasing. And now it's time to chase them. It's time to live that crazy thing they call life."

Valedictorian Cathlene Farnelli said, "There may be some things we would like to forget about our time here ... but we have always tried to come together and help with each other's problems."

Ryan, the class salutatorian, reminded his classmates the most important thing to do at Saturday's ceremony was to thank everyone who had an impact on their lives.

"My parents taught me at a young age that no matter what, I could always do better," he said.

Also at Saturday's graduation, the principal acknowledged achievements of senior class members: Ricky Guiton, who came in fourth in the nation at a national forensics tournament; Frederick Hemann, who built furniture for families who lost their homes in Meshoppen during the flood; Brittany DeLancey, who has won national cheerleading titles despite Type 1 diabetes; Jesse Borosh, who has attained the rank of Eagle Scout; and Cathlene Farnelli, Elk Lake's first National Merit Scholarship finalist.

Contact the writer: pfarnelli@wcexaminer.com

Graduates are:

Daniel Addice. Pia Barrett, Morgan Bender, William Bennett, Melissa Bird, Parker Birtch, Jesse Borosh, Douglas Brooks, Zackary Canfield, Ayla Capwell, Amanda Carney, Melissa Copes, Paul Cron, Matthew Cuomo, Jared Curry, Daniel Daly, Brittany DeLancey, Cathlene Farnelli, Samantha Ferguson, Dakota Green, Richard Guiton, Frederick Hemann, Carly Herman, Katie Herring, Dylan Hitchcock, Desiree Hospodor, Cassandra Hunter, Ryan Jenks, Tracey Johnson, Nikki Kamarauskas, Jared Kirchner, Tabitha Kittle, Johnathan Krieg, Allison Krishak, Dustin Linaberry, Lacy Marbaker, Marshall McCarty, Meggan McClain, Cody Mowry, Shante Mowry, Katie Nye, Monica Oakes, Nicole O'Dell, Megan Oliver, Vanessa Otis, Zackery Patton, Adam Phillips, Rachel Pompey, Jessica Prevost, Cody Quick, Joshua Reed, Diana Root, Melvin Route Jr., Allexa Schneider, Jeremy Schwarztrauber, Amanda Silfee, Dylan Simmons, Kyleen Sisson, Alicia Smith, Abigail Spear, Aaron Stang, Danielle Sterner, Shae-Lynd Swingle, Taylor Traver, Maria Trowbridge, Ford VanWert, Erin Walker, Tevin Wallikas, Tiffany Walter, Lydia Watkins, Harold Wehler, Curtis Whitney, Ryan Wilson and Abigail Zdancewicz.

Valedictorian

CATHLENE FARNELLI

Parents: Martin and Patricia Farnelli

Activities: National Honor Society, prom steering, band, Sweet Adelines, swimming, chorus and Keystone Girl's State

Plans: Drexel University to major in engineering.

Salutatorian

RYAN WILSON

Parents: William and Loeda Wilson

Activities: National Honor Society, Future Business Leaders of America, student council, prom steering, basketball and soccer.

Plans: Attend Rochester Institute of Technology to pursue engineering


Montrose grads clear away puzzle

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MONTROSE - Six years ago, Montrose Junior/Senior High School Principal Jim Tallarico asked elementary school principals Chris McComb and Greg Adams about that year's sixth grade.

Their forlorn response, Mr. Tallarico said, was simply "Good luck." But at Saturday's graduation ceremony in the school's auditorium, school officials and seniors celebrated just how far the class of 2012 had come.

"Six years ago, people said we were the worst class," Montrose senior class president Johanna Hripto said. "We're here to tell them they were wrong."

She then proceeded to share how the girls basketball team had gone to the state's final four, the baseball team went undefeated in the regular season, the Scholastic Bowl got three wins and netted the school $9,000, and the band played in Hawaii in December during the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. "You set no limits and you dared to do the impossible," Johanna said.

Salutatorian Katherine Kielceski acknowledged the class had its share of ups and downs, but pronounced it "ready to take on the world."

"The principal told us six years ago we were a puzzle, but we could be something when all the pieces come together," she said. "He was right, but it's now up to us to go out and do even better."

Valedictorian Christopher Jordan noted that classmate Jacob Myers made all-state chorus three years in a row, and Katherine became a Morgan Horse saddleseat world champion her senior year. He also recognized the greatest inspiration of all - classmate Isaac Bulkley, a former football player who survived a tragic accident and now has a prosthetic left arm and left leg.

Mr. Tallarico also spoke of Isaac in his speech to graduates, and the class rose to its feet in thunderous applause echoed by the crowd.

"Here is one who never gave up," Mr. Tallarico said, acknowledging others who also walked in the light to overcome adversity. "What made you special is you looked for the solution and not the problem."

Contact the writer: bbaker@independent weekender.com

Graduates are:

Cory Joseph Adams, Leah Marie Aldrich, Dylan Joseph Amplo, Brooke Lianne Andersen, Jesus Alonzo Avila Sanchez, Sandra Avila Francisco, Pia Barrett, Tyler John Beagle, Brooke Ann Bennett, Nicholas Kenton Best, Fayth Suesanna Betke, Kimber Leigh Blaisure, Jacey Alexandra Blom, Justin James Boldt, Charles Johnathan Brand, Gracee Rose Bulger-Oakley, Isaac M. Bulkley, Michele Laura Burke, Ayla Ruth Carley, Alexander Scott Charles, Jordan Mark Christofaro, Bryanne Elizabeth Clark, Nathan Lee Clark, Codey David Cobb, Victoria Elizabeth Collins, Cierra Dawn Cook, Amanda Jeanne Cornwell, Matthew Christopher Coy, Spencer William Craige, Taylor Michelle Cudo, Kenneth Lee Curtis, Elizabeth Jean Cushner, Thomas Charles Davenport, Jennifer Ellen Davis, Bryan Allen DeGraw, Jeremy Scott Dibble, Sidney Veronica Earley, Dallas Georgine Ely, Sara Nicole Fair, Dorian Malik Ford, Michael Patrick Gardner, Zachary Dean Geisler-Zenefski, Joseph Pasquale Genito, Emmie Lu Gibson, Michelle M. Glassmeyer, Kate Elizabeth Gnall, Kyle David Graver, Emma Elizabeth Gregory, Megan Alicia Gregory, Kiera Ann Grochal, Aaron Joseph Grochowski, Katie Mae Groover, Nathan M. Haberle, Michael Hart Hackett, Joshua Taylor Hale, Anneliese Catherine Hamernick, John J. Harding, Brittany Susan Hartman, Samuel Troy Henry, Quiersti M. Louise Hooko, Sarah Elizabeth Howell, Johanna Lee Hripto, Dakota Lynn Jerauld, Brett Matthew Johnson, Melinda Rae Johnson, Rebecca Jean Johnson, Allison Jones, Stephen Timothy Jones, Christopher Brown Jordan, Allison Elizabeth Kiefer, Katherine Mary Kielceski, Kurt Garrett Kimsey, Emily Ann Kinney, Andrew David Klein, Sara Elizabeth Krupinski, Jamie Allen Lapuszynski, Clara Carlin Lattimore, Mason A. Legg, Thomas Emory Lewis, Zachary Everitt Loomis, Ashley Lee Luce, Colby Wescott Major, Brooke Morgan Malloy, William Mitchell McKeen, Timothy Richard McNamara, Ashley Anne Mershon, Leo Douglas Mock, Caitlin R. Morgan, Katlyn Marie Morrison, Dezyrea Dawn Mower, D'Jay Mark Mower, Jacob David Myers, Rina Nikol Nikolaidis, Nicole Elizabeth Norton, David Kirk Oakley, Bradley Steven O'Brien, Katharine E. Olszewski, Casey Mark O'Reilly, Juan Antonio Ortiz, Sara Ann Pabst, Alejandra Palomino, Megan Faye Phillips, Michael Dominic Rapisardi, Madeline Alise Richmond, Rachel Marie Robinson, Alexander Thomas Rodino, Michael Brandon Roman, Samantha Rose Roszel, Lanci Hazel Salsman, Jason P. Savage, Thomas Joesph Walter Schremm, Austin James Shaffer, Brittany Lynn Shields, Rachael Renee Sisson, Jordan Mark Smith, Matthew Douglas Sobiech, Allegra Kay Spero, Christopher Dillon Spoehr, Shannen Noelle Squires, Halee Marie Steen, Liana Lynn Stinson, Kathryn Elizabeth Stranburg, Timothy Charles Strayer, Amanda Mae Tanzini, Emily Melissa Teed, Korey Alex Travis, Tanna Marie Ulmer, Michael James Vaccaro, Blake Edward VanNostrand, Frankie Jolise VanNostrand, Terry Ruth Visakay, Katelin Mae Volk, Maura Elaine Warner, Roger T. Weidow, Anthony Michael Whitney, Ellamae Ann Wilbur, Michaela Cheyenne Williams-Clark, Timothy Eugene Wilson, Dustin James Wolf, Andrew David Wood, Taylor Suzanne Wright, Benjamin Joseph Zalewski, George Raymond Zamorski and Jonathan Richard Zielewicz. Valedictorian

CHRISTOPHER BROWN JORDAN

Parents: Richard and Mauren Jordan

Activities: Wood shop, tennis, cross country, FBLA, Boy Scouts, 4-H, trap shooting, boxing, French Club, National Honor Society

Plans: U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.

Salutatorian

KATHERINE MARY KIELCESKI

Parents: Stephen and Loraine Kielceski

Activities: Saddleseat equitation, class treasurer, student council, French club, IONS club, AP club, National Honor Society

Plans: Penn State Univerity, Schreyer Honors College.

Commissioners defend unadvertised meetings

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Commissioners Jim Wansacz and Corey O'Brien have held more than a dozen private meetings with elected municipal and school board officials from throughout Lackawanna County over the past three months in possible violation of Pennsylvania's Sunshine Act.

The majority Democratic commissioners describe the unadvertised, invitation-only meetings as little more than informal chat sessions, a chance to swap ideas and learn what other public officials have on their minds.

Because no deliberation or official action takes place, there is no violation of the state's open meetings law, either by the commissioners or the other elected officials in attendance, the administration maintains.

"It's not like there is an agenda," Mr. Wansacz said. "When we go in there, it's kind of like, 'What do you want to talk about? What's going on?' "

Melissa Melewsky, media law counsel for the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association, said the Sunshine Act does not make a distinction between formal and informal meetings when it comes to public policy discussions. At best, she said, the commissioners are "walking a very thin line."

"There is no reason these discussions can't happen at a properly advertised public meeting," Ms. Melewsky said. "What the commissioners hear is certainly proper for anyone to hear."

Since mid-March, Mr. Wansacz and Mr. O'Brien have individually or together held at least 13 meetings attended by elected municipal council members, township supervisors or school directors. Minority Commissioner Patrick O'Malley has not participated in most of the meetings; efforts to reach him on Friday were unsuccessful.

Most meetings have occurred in regional settings, such as the Abingtons, the Midvalley and North Pocono, although there have also been sessions in specific municipalities such as Scranton and Dunmore. Multiple government bodies have been represented at nearly all. In some cases, mayors, appointed managers and superintendents have also taken part.

Mr. O'Brien said he and Mr. Wansacz are trying to establish regular quarterly meetings with public officials in various areas of the county to open a dialog about what is happening in their respective realms "so if there is any way we can work together on projects, we know about those."

"When I was elected in 2008, if somebody asked me what surprised me the most, it's that nobody works together, nobody communicates. We are trying to stop that and turn that around," Mr. O'Brien said.

A number of municipal officials who have participated in the meetings said they were unaware there might be a Sunshine Act issue.

But others have had concerns.

In March, in response to questions from Taylor officials, county community relations coordinator Rick Notari assured borough manager Dan Zeleniak in an email that county solicitor Donald Frederickson and minority solicitor John Brazil both agreed an informal session could take place if no ongoing borough issues were discussed.

"As long as the informal session remains question and answer, there shouldn't be a problem," Mr. Notari told Mr. Zeleniak.

The commissioners earlier this year hired four community relations coordinators to act as liaisons with local government officials. Each coordinator typically attends public meetings in their assigned area and the informal sessions held by the commissioners.

Mr. Frederickson, who was asked by the commissioners to research the legality of the sessions under the Sunshine Act, prepared a memorandum in which he concluded meetings "to discuss matters of concern and share ideas about mutual matters of concern" do not violate the law.

He cited a 1989 decision in which Commonwealth Court held that the process of discussing and debating informally with others, including fellow members of a public agency, does not amount to deliberations under the Sunshine Act.

According to the ruling, members of a government agency may engage in "inquiring, questioning and learning" about issues outside of a public meeting, the solicitor said.

In an interview, Mr. Frederickson was hesitant even to refer to the informal sessions as meetings.

"Nobody is chairing it. There is no agenda. They don't call it to order and do the Pledge of Allegiance and all that," he said. "It's more sit down, have a cup of coffee and ask what's going on."

Ms. Melewsky of the PNA called Mr. Frederickson's take on the Commonwealth Court ruling a "rather broad interpretation" of the decision with which she does not agree. If the Sunshine Act is to mean anything, it must be strictly followed, she said.

Unless they fall within one of the narrow and specific exceptions to the Sunshine Act, discussions of public issues must take place in public forums, she said.

"If there is a back and forth going on, that could be the genesis of public policy, and the public is entitled to witness that and participate in that," Ms. Melewsky said. "The public doesn't just get to see the final vote. They get to see the process from formation to completion, and this has the potential to cut the public out of the initial step."

The commissioners have invited The Times-Tribune to cover any or all of the informal meetings - an invitation issued after the newspaper made its initial inquiries about the sessions. Ms. Melewsky said that is a "wonderful" gesture, but it does not meet the requirements of the act.

"If they have invited the press, why not everyone else as well?" she asked.

Doug Hill, executive director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, said commissioners in a number of counties across the state conduct similar meetings "as a matter of course" to keep abreast of issues at the municipal level.

"If they said, 'OK, we want to get together and talk about bridge projects for next year,' that would be a whole different matter," Mr. Hill said. "If they are just acting as a sounding board, that is fine, as we see it. I don't see any real issue."

Although it has not happened often, some of the meetings have attracted quorums of other public bodies.

On May 14, four members of Clarks Summit Borough Council attended a meeting Mr. Wansacz held with officials from the Abingtons.

Council President Gerrie Carey, who was there, said the Sunshine Act didn't come up because it was not "a situation where council members were getting together and discussing council or borough activities or business."

A week earlier, five members of the Mid Valley School Board were at a meeting in Dickson City for Mid Valley officials. Both Mr. Wansacz and Mr. O'Brien attended.

Board President Gerald Luchansky said it did not occur to him at the time that a board quorum was present. As it turned out, aside from complaints about the impact of state budget cuts, there was little discussion about the Mid Valley School District, he said.

Mr. Luchansky said it seemed to him the commissioners "were sort of pushing for regionalization of government," although they offered no specifics, and there was a lot of talk about the county's baseball deal.

"I personally didn't see any real point to having the meeting," Mr. Luchansky said. "I felt they were just kind of, you know, promoting themselves, really."

Dickson City Councilman Mike Fedorka, one of two council members who attended, said he thinks it is great the commissioners are meeting with municipal officials and hopes it will lead to more intergovernmental cooperation.

With only two members of council present, he does not think the session presented any Sunshine Act issues. However, it is something Dickson City council is very sensitive to and if two more members had shown up, one would have left to avoid having a quorum, he said.

"We make sure everything is on the up and up," he said. "We don't want to leave the wrong impression."

In the end, no elected borough officials showed up at a May 2 meeting in Taylor with the two majority commissioners. Mr. Zeleniak, the borough manager, attended, and Director Carol Armstrong represented the Riverside School Board.

Mr. Zeleniak said it was a "very informal" session.

"It was like we were sitting on a park bench, just talking about what Taylor has going on and so forth," he said. "It was more like whether the county can do anything for us and how can they can help and have better communications and that kind of thing."

Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com

Two complex murder cases kick off Luzerne district attorney's career

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Confronted with two complex homicide cases to start her career as a prosecutor, Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis hesitated to releasing any information as the public clamored for answers.

She had good reason, she says.

Both times, Ms. Salavantis reasoned, police were misled by an initial witness and authorities sensed the information wasn't reliable.

When a 14-year-old was shot dead outside his Wilkes-Barre home on April 5, a teenage friend claimed the shooter fled in a red car. As it turned out, there was never a drive-by shooter, Ms. Salavantis said.

After gunfire erupted in Edwardsville on May 16, a man was found dead and a wounded victim told police they were shot in a robbery attempt by a gunman who fled. The investigation determined the wounded man was actually the killer, the district attorney said.

"Coming out and speaking and giving the public a statement, it's difficult, because you don't know in the very beginning what is reliable and what is not," Ms. Salavantis said Friday in an interview at her office. "That is the toughest part of the job."

This is all new to Ms. Salavantis, 29, who assumed office in January after ousting incumbent District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll. Two years out of law school, Ms. Salavantis had no prior prosecutorial experience when she was elected as the county's top prosecutor.

The shooting death of 14-year-old Tyler Winstead near his Hill Street, Wilkes-Barre, home was her first homicide investigation. The fatal shooting of Daron Rhashawn Trollinger behind the Eagle Ridge Apartments in Edwardsville was the first crime scene she was at with the body still present.

Neither were quick, open-and-shut investigations. In both cases, police were initially provided false information that took time to debunk.

"That's fair to say. You're given a statement you want to rely upon and it takes the investigation to find out what occurred and who actually was involved," Ms. Salavantis said. "I try not to give information out to the public that I feel may not be accurate."

Winstead shooting

Ms. Salavantis said she was still at the office around 7:30 p.m. April 5 when she got the call from her chief detective that a 14-year-old was shot and his prospects to survive weren't good.

"This is going to be difficult," she remembers saying.

Little did she know.

Immediately after Tyler was found shot, his friend and neighbor Elijah Yussuf told police and the media that the teenager was gunned down by a drive-by shooter who fled in a red car.

Ms. Salavantis arrived at the scene, her first homicide, to try to gather the details regarding the death of the beloved GAR Junior/Senior High School student.

"I will never forget that night. Just being there and knowing what happened. It was tough," Ms. Salavantis said. "What gets you through is knowing we're going to fight to find out what happened to him."

Ms. Salavantis said investigators eventually learned the true story about what happened, and it wasn't a drive-by shooting. However, she says she is forbidden by the state Juvenile Act from discussing details.

Media members were barred from a May 30 hearing regarding the Winstead case. Prosecutors would only say the case involved a 13-year-old and did not deal with any of the 10 juvenile crimes that allow for a public hearing - like murder or voluntary manslaughter - for 12- and 13-year-olds. Yussuf was led away from the hearing in handcuffs.

Yussuf's home at 117 Hill St., where he lived with his mother, was searched several times by police, who seized evidence. Ms. Salavantis said the investigation is ongoing.

"As people are starting to learn about the Tyler Winstead shooting, I think people now realize why I was not open as everybody wished I was," Ms. Salavantis said. "It was a unique situation."

Edwardsville murder

The fatal shooting in Edwardsville on May 16 also presented challenges to investigators - one man was dead, another was wounded, and few witnesses could be found, she said.

Ms. Salavantis, who just got home when she got the call about the shooting, traveled to the scene to gather information and watched as the coroner examined Mr. Trollinger's lifeless body.

"It's another image you will never forget," she said.

George Lee Barnes, 22, the eventual suspect, told police someone shot him in a robbery attempt at the Eagle Ridge Apartments.

Again, another false story, police later learned.

Mr. Barnes suffered a gunshot wound to the upper chest, and a bullet graze wound to the head. He was treated at the hospital and was discharged hours later. It wasn't until the next day that police found a .22 caliber gun inside his Main Street, Edwardsville, apartment. Soon, they'd interview two informants who claimed they saw Mr. Barnes confront Mr. Trollinger, 26, with a gun during a planned marijuana deal.

By that time, Mr. Barnes had already fled the area, police said.

Authorities revealed little about the progress of the investigation until they filed an arrest warrant against Mr. Barnes on May 22.

"Within the first 72 hours, it's very critical for us to be able to interview and talk to as many people as we can who were at the scene or who have information about what may have occurred," Ms. Salavantis said. "It is important we don't divulge too much information until we fully know what occurred."

Mr. Barnes was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Philadelphia on May 25.

"We were told by Barnes, the person we arrested, it was an individual who tried to rob him and (Trollinger)," Ms. Salavantis said. "We come to find out that's not what occurred. As you saw in the (arrest) affidavit, it told you what the findings were in the investigation. It took awhile to gather everything."

A tough task

Some of these experiences may be new for Ms. Salavantis, but she doesn't feel unprepared. She said she surrounded herself with good people who help her make good decisions.

"I feel that it's not your age, it's how you handle yourself," Ms. Salavantis said. "Coming in, I'd have to say I am very fortunate. I have an amazing staff."

One thing she said she learned quickly is this isn't a 9-to-5 job.

"People ask me all the time, 'Do you feel overwhelmed?'" she said. "I love my position and I handle everything. You can work 24/7 and you will always have work. You have to sit back and breathe at times. You have to rely on other people as well. I take it one day at a time. That's all you can do."

Contact the writer: bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com, @cvbobkal on Twitter

All else aside, city still lacks a recovery plan

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The controversy is over unpaid bond payments, payless paydays, unpaid gasoline bills that could idle police cars and fire and garbage trucks and closed swimming pools, but at the bottom line lies a simple fact.

Financially distressed Scranton still desperately needs a new financial recovery plan.

Mayor Chris Doherty says it over and over.

The Pennsylvania Economy League, which has coordinated the city's everlasting financial recovery for more than 20 years, knows it and pushes the mayor and the city council to adopt one.

So does the state Department of Community and Economic Development, which appointed PEL as financial recovery coordinator 20 years ago.

Banks demand a recovery plan and won't lend the city badly needed and budgeted money, according to city officials.

Even the council knows a plan is required, having engaged in what Council President Janet Evans said was five months of fruitless negotiations that she says Mr. Doherty undermined with a recovery plan that calls for massive property tax increases.

The council blames the mayor for the lack of a workable plan. The mayor blames the council for failing to come up with an alternative.

Everyone knows the city needs a recovery plan and still it does not have one after months of negotiations.

"The importance of the recovery plan is it is a … a plan to move forward in the next three years," said Gerald Cross, executive director of the Pennsylvania Economy League Central Division in Wilkes-Barre, the city's recovery coordinator.

Whatever the plan finally is, it will certainly involve painful decisions.

"If you're in distress, the way out probably involves something painful. Otherwise, it would be easy," Mr. Cross said.

Mr. Doherty has proposed a recovery plan, a painful one.

It proposes 78 percent higher property taxes over the next three years, $22 in garbage collection fee increases over two years, a 1 percent commuter wage tax, an amusement tax and higher license and permit fees plus selling the city's stormwater collection system and other measures.

With its 2-2 tie vote Thursday on introducing the mayor's recovery plan, the council officially rejected the plan. Mrs. Evans was absent because of the death of her mother, but she roundly criticized it last month and said she would vote against it.

Mr. Doherty contends the council must work to adopt a recovery plan partly because the 2012 budget it produced called for borrowing millions of dollars and banks won't lend the city the money without a workable plan.

Without the borrowing to fund the rest of this year's budget, city employees face payless paydays as early as June 22 and the city might eventually run out of money to pay overdue bills such as a $208,000 gasoline bill. Dunmore Oil Co. has threatened to cut the city off if it does not arrange to make payments on the gasoline bill and Mr. Doherty said his administration is working on that. The city is already planning to open only one of its swimming pools this summer.

The city is facing a cash crunch because money it normally would have had was spent paying back a tax anticipation note.

"They decided to borrow. This is their budget. I offered a 29 percent (property) tax increase. If they did that, we wouldn't have this problem today," Mr. Doherty said. "The banks aren't fooling around here."

Mr. Doherty said hopes were raised little Thursday when the council reversed itself and voted to introduce a money transfer to help the Scranton Parking Authority make an overdue almost $1.2 million bond payment. For one thing, the council only introduced the measure, and won't vote on final approval until next Thursday.

"The council reversing their position on the (bond) payment is one small issue," Mr. Doherty said. "The real issue is we're running out of money because they voted not to introduce my recovery plan. But they haven't come up with their own plan and that's where we need to get the (borrowed money) that they put in their budget."

Without the recovery plan, banks will not feel confident to lend the city money to balance this year's budget because they will not believe the money will be there in future years to repay loans or bonds," Mr. Doherty said.

"And the state has said to me, 'We will go with you to the banks and help you out and say we approve this plan.'" Mr. Doherty said.

State Department of Community Development Secretary C. Alan Walker invited the mayor and council members to attend a session overseen by an independent mediator to try to come to some agreement on a recovery plan. The mayor is willing, but no one from the council has committed with Councilman Jack Loscombe flatly ruling himself out during the council meeting Thursday.

Simply getting a hold of council members proved difficult again Friday, Mr. Doherty and Mr. McGowan said.

They said they called every council member but Mrs. Evans - because she was preparing for her mother's funeral - and only Councilman Bob McGoff called back. Mr. McGoff is Mr. Doherty's lone council ally.

Mr. McGowan said he emailed banks Friday to gauge interest in providing financing, but did not hear from any. He believes they are waiting for the council's final vote on the bond money before deciding whether to get involved in loaning the city money, he said.

"The whole thing is you don't like my plan, what's your plan?" Mr. Doherty said. "They've had it for three weeks. And they knew everything about it because we discussed it with them. Myself and Ryan met with Mr. Joyce and Mrs. Evans. So nothing's new here … All along I told her we're going to have dramatic tax increases because, 'If we want to get the (loan) money that you put in the budget, this is what the banks require.' They knew it, it's simple, it's just numbers, it's not philosophy."

Mr. Doherty said he might take legal action if the council does not act.

"Some way, it'll have to come to court because you can't just not do something," he said. "We're getting close to where there is no money and people should understand that."

Councilman Pat Rogan, the only council member to speak to a reporter Friday, said the two sides must meet, but said he knows little about when that will happen because he had not spoken to council members since Thursday night.

Mr. Rogan did not rule out going to Harrisburg if asked, but said Mr. Joyce, as council finance chairman, is a more appropriate choice. He said recovery plan talks are likelier to heat up after the council votes on the bond payment again Thursday.

Efforts to reach Mr. Joyce and Mr. Loscombe were unsuccessful.

Steve Kratz, a spokesman for the Department of Community and Economic Development, said there is little the state can do to force the sides to come up with a plan. Sanctions, which would cut off state money, are an option, but do not help when the problem is having enough cash, he said.

The onus to act is on the council, he said.

"The offering of a third-party mediator was an attempt to get both parties to sit down and air out their issues to come to an agreement on a plan because a recovery plan is what they need to move forward," Mr. Kratz said. "If they (the council) didn't like the coordinator's plan (PEL's plan) and the mayor's plan, ask them if they have a plan. What's their plan? They face serious issues, and at the end of the day, they need to take action to make sure that they can meet payroll and continue to provide vital and necessary services to the citizens of Scranton."

Contact the writer: bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com

Paterno's Will is Sealed, but reason why is unclear

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BELLEFONTE

The last will and testament is supposed to be the final word on a person's life, wealth and material assets. In almost all cases, after the required paperwork and court hearings, the document becomes a public record, on file at the local courthouse or county office for anyone to see.

Joe Paterno's will is, curiously, not among them.

In April, three months after the legendary former Penn State football coach's death from lung cancer at age 85, a Centre County judge ordered the will and all related court filings permanently sealed.

Even the judge's sealing order and the petition a Paterno attorney filed to request the order were sealed, erasing from the public record any explanation for the maneuver, which estate law experts and the Centre County register of wills called exceedingly rare.

"It's not common," the county's register of wills, Kimberly A. Barton, said.

In fact, Mr. Paterno's was the only last will and testament sealed in Centre County in the past 18 months, according to a Times-Shamrock newspapers review of the county's estate and orphan's court dockets.

Court officials on Friday could not determine which of the county's five judges ordered the Paterno will and case file sealed. A docket sheet for the case did not indicate the judge's name, either.

The county's president judge, Thomas K. Kistler, did not return telephone messages left Friday with his chambers and at his home.

The estate attorney who filed the petition to seal Mr. Paterno's will and all related court documents, Raymond P. Parker of Pittsburgh, did not return telephone and email messages.

Paterno family spokesman Dan McGinn returned an initial message Friday but did not respond to a subsequent call for comment.

Mr. Paterno died Jan. 22, less than three months after doctors diagnosed him with metastatic small-cell carcinoma, the most aggressive form of lung cancer.

His will entered probate - the legal process for validating the document - on April 5. Mr. Parker petitioned to keep the matter secret the same day and a judge ordered the record sealed four days later.

Jerry B. Chariton, a Wilkes-Barre attorney who has worked on estate law cases for four decades, called the decision, "very strange."

"Would there be reasons why any family would like to preserve confidentiality? Sure, but that would be true of lots of people," Mr. Chariton said. "I don't know what creates any special situation here."

Girard J. Mecadon, an attorney who has practiced estate law in Pittston for 21 years, said, "There has to be something highly sensitive" in the Paterno case file "for a judge to seal it."

He suggested several reasons a judge might have issued the order, including Mr. Paterno's role as a grand jury witness in the prosecution of former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky on child sex-abuse charges and his family's concern over liability from Sandusky-related civil litigation.

Neither would warrant sealing the complete file, though, Mr. Chariton said.

"There's nothing there that would suggest that (the Paterno estate) is entitled to privacy," Mr. Chariton said. "Even if one assumes that Joe Paterno would have been an important witness in the pending criminal case involving Mr. Sandusky, it's hard to see why that would create a particular reason for privacy."

Mr. Paterno's fame alone would not warrant confidentiality, either.

In all but the most extreme cases, courts have treated the last wills and testaments of deceased celebrities as public records, no different from those of the fans who watch their movies and television shows and attend their concerts and football games.

A website, megadox.com, displays electronic copies of the wills of hundreds of stars, including the late singers Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston.

Judge Richard Hughes, head of the Orphan's Court in Luzerne County, said the public has the "general right of access" to court files, including last wills and testaments.

The sealing of records is within the "sound discretion of the judge," Judge Hughes said citing state law, but attorneys seeking confidentiality must show their client's privacy interest "outweighs the presumption of openness."

In the Paterno case, only a court docket sheet remained a public record. It offered limited details about the former coach's will, wealth and estate:

- Mr. Paterno completed his last will and testament in June 1997 and filed an amendment, known as a codicil, in February 2010.

- His widow, Sue, is the executrix.

- The estate paid a $200,000 inheritance tax on April 23. Depending on the applicable rate, the taxable portion of Mr. Paterno's estate at the time of the tax payment was worth between $1.35 million to $4.45 million.

Other details about Mr. Paterno's wealth, and that of his widow, came from Penn State and the state employees retirement system:

- On April 19, the university paid Mr. Paterno's estate more than $3 million in salary, television and radio revenue sharing, bonuses and death benefits. The university also said it would forgive $350,000 in unspecified outstanding loans and debt incurred by the Paternos.

- On May 22, the state retirement system revealed that Mr. Paterno had left Mrs. Paterno his $13.4 million in pension benefits. Mr. McGinn said at the time that she would give $1.5 million to charity, including $500,000 to the Susan Pohland Paterno Catholic Student Faith Center.

"Mrs. Paterno wanted to make sure all this information was out," Mr. McGinn said at the time, "to make it transparent."

Her husband seldom talked so explicitly about money.

For years, Mr. Paterno dodged questions about his salary, telling reporters, "I got all the money I need." State officials kept his privacy, repeatedly rebuffing media requests to reveal his compensation until late in his career.

In 2007, a court ordered the Pennsylvania State Employees' Retirement System to disclose Mr. Paterno's base salary of $512,664, saying it was a public record.

Mr. Paterno's last will and testament, in nearly all cases a public record, remains shrouded in secrecy by an unusual and unexplained court order.

"It's a public document because it's a public document," Mr. Chariton said. "All court filings are public documents except those related to juveniles. If that document is made non-public, and by that I mean not open for public inspection, someone must have given good reason to the court. But, if the petition isn't public, how can you tell if that reason is good or not?"

Contact the writer msisak@citizensvoice.com, @cvmikesisak on Twitter

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