A federal grand jury indicted a Hawley woman Wednesday on charges she distributed a controlled substance that led to a person’s death.

Brittany Ann Banscher, 21, is also charged with possession of heroin with intent to deliver in connection with a separate case that was initially filed by state police.

According to the indictment, Ms. Banscher provided heroin to a person between Sept. 3 and Sept. 4, 2015, that resulted in the person’s death.

The indictment, which does not identify the victim, says the case was investigated by the Scranton Police Department.

Scranton Police Chief Carl Graziano confirmed his department investigated the overdose death of Amanda LoConte, 21, of Greeley, who was found dead at a home on Birch Street on Sept. 4, 2015. Ms. Banscher was among people police questioned, he said.

Ms. Banscher was arraigned Friday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karoline Mehalchick. She waived her right to a detention hearing and remains in the Lackawanna County Prison pending trial.

Ms. Banscher’s mother, Kelly, who was among several relatives who attended the hearing, cried softly throughout the proceeding. In a brief interview following the hearing, Mrs. Banscher said her daughter and the victim were best friends.

Attempts to reach Ms. LoConte’s family for comment Friday were unsuccessful.

In the separate case, Ms. Banscher was charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and other offenses after a state police trooper responding to a Sept. 21 car crash on Route 390 in Palymyra Twp. found multiple bags of heroin inside her purse.

Ms. Banscher was awaiting trial on those charges in Pike County Court. That case has now been taken over by federal authorities.

Contact the writer:

tbesecker@timesshamrock.com,

@tbeseckerTT on Twitter

Carbondale

Holiday schedule: City garbage collection suspended for Monday, collection one day late remainder of week; recycling collection Tuesday — all due to Labor Day holiday.

Mum sale: Greater Carbondale YMCA fall mum sale, Sept. 13, 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m., $7, order at front desk.

Dunmore

Reunion planning: Dunmore High School class of 1967 reunion planning meeting, Tuesday, 6 p.m., Two Brothers Restaurant, 215 E. Drinker St.; contact information needed for Jerry Doherty, Rosemary Kolatis, Lynn Luther, Mary Ann Marsh, Daniel Toomey, Robert Wharton and Julie Yando, 570-961-0439.

Honesdale

Shabbat barbecue: Congregation Beth Israel Open House Shabbat Barbecue, Friday, 6 p.m., bethisraelhonesdale@gmail.com, 570-253-2222.

Hop Bottom

Recognition program: Grace Lutheran, Hop Bottom United Methodist, and Kingsley United Methodist churches program honoring Hop Bottom Hose Volunteer Fire Company, local EMTs and law enforcement, Sept. 11, 1:30 p.m., Hop Bottom Borough Park.

Lackawanna County

Documentary showing: Lackawanna-Susquehanna Office of Drug & Alcohol Programs hosting feature documentary “The Anonymous People,” Thursday, 7:15 p.m., Courthouse Square; on recovery, living with addiction and related issues.

Bus trip: Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians bus trip to Sands Casino in Bethlehem, Sept. 24, leaves from front of St. Patrick’s Church, Jackson Street, West Scranton, 10 a.m.; leaves casino, 5 p.m., $25 by Sept. 10, includes $20/rebate and $5/food voucher; Michele McDade, 570-343-7009 or Maureen Wallace, 570-558-5263,; checks payable to LAOH, Div. 5, sent to Michele McDade, 102 Ridgeview Drive, Scranton, PA 18504.

Blood drive: Lackawanna Health and Rehab Center blood drive in memory of Helen Cordelli, a former administrator at the center, Tuesday, 1-6 p.m., 108 Terrace Drive, Olyphant, donors receive Red Cross duffle bag while supplies last and are eligible for other prizes; 570-489-8611, redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Mayfield

Flag installation: Mayfield Lions Club members meet Monday, 6 a.m., club headquarters, to install American flags.

Holiday schedule: Refuse and recyclables collected Tuesday due to Labor Day holiday.

Moosic

Seniors meet: After 50 Club meeting, Thursday, 1 p.m., Greenwood Hose Company, Birney Avenue.

Moscow

Women meet: Moscow Women’s Club meeting, Sept. 13, 11:30 a.m., Moscow United Methodist Church, Church Street; covered dish followed by bingo, Lydia Poppoff, speaker.

Pittston

Bus trip: Pittston Junction Travelers bus trip to New York City, Sept. 24, bus leaves Pittston Plaza by Planet Fitness, 9 a.m., stops at Meadowlands Outdoor Flea Market, South Street Seaport, Greenwich Village to shop, dine and pub crawl; leaves the Village 10 p.m., Feast of San Gennaro, in nearby Little Italy; $37, 18 and older, no refunds; bring coolers, snacks; Jackie, 570-947-3464; Kenny, 570-574-0925.

Regional

Meals fundraiser: Meals on Wheels of NEPA inaugural Founder’s Award for Philanthropy honoring Pat and Kristie McMahon of One Point and third annual Mix & Mingle, Sept. 15, 5:30-8 p.m., Glen Oak Country Club; also presenting inaugural Elaine F. Shepard Award for Exceptional Volunteerism; cocktails, light dinner fare, desserts; basket raffles, prizes, wine pull; Mark Montella Trio; $75, mealsonwheelsnepa.org, 579-346-2421.

Outreach visits: Rep. Karen Boback (R-Lackawanna/Luzerne/Wyoming) outreach events/satellite hours: Tuesday, 10 a.m.-noon, Mehoopany Twp. Municipal Building, 237 Schoolhouse Road, 1-3 p.m., Meshoppen Borough Building, Canal Street and Route 267; Wednesday, 10 a.m.-noon, Dalton Borough Building, 105 W. Main St.; Thursday, 10 a.m.-noon, Factoryville Borough Building, 161 College Ave.; Sept. 20, 10 a.m.-noon, Benton Twp. Community Center, 16043 Route 407, Fleetville; and Sept. 27, 3-5 p.m., Laceyville Borough Building, 342 Church St.; RepBoback.com.

Golf tournament: Geisinger Community Medical Center 35th Annual Dr. Jack Sanner Memorial Golf Classic, Sept. 12, Country Club of Scranton; lunch, golf, cocktail hour, dinner, prize drawing; benefits renovation of Children’s and Teen advocacy centers; reservations/ sponsorships, contact Geisinger Health System Foundation, 570-214-0300, Geisinger.org/foundation by Sunday.

Roaring Brook Twp.

Breakfast buffet: St. Eulalia’s Parish all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast, Sept. 18, 8:30 a.m.-noon, hall, 214 Blue Shutters Road, $7/adults, $6/seniors, $3/6-11, free/5 and younger.

Throop

Annual breakfast: Throop Hose Company 1 annual all-you-can-eat egg, pancake and sausage breakfast, Oct. 2, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 512 Center St.; $7/adults, $3/10 and under, from members, Ralph Obelinas, 570-489-9782; Dave Benson, 570-383-1019.

Tripp Park

Neighbors meet: Tripp Park Neighborhood Association meeting Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., community center.

Upvalley

Fall registration: Lynnette’s Twirlerettes baton twirling registration, Sept. 14, 5:45 p.m., Trinity Church Hall, classes Wednesday evenings beginning Sept 14; Lynnette, 570-281-9797.

CLIPBOARD ITEMS may be emailed to yesdesk@timesshamrock.com or mailed to Clipboard, c/o the YES!Desk at 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, 18503. YES!Desk, 570-348-9121.

Joseph Gregory never met his grandfather, but after a decade he finally got a piece of his handiwork — a big piece.

The Erie caboose 191 that his grandfather, Ernest Gregory, and others made at the Erie Railroad Car Shop in 1946 is back in town, on display at the Steamtown National Historic Site. It’s been available for visitors for several months, but will make its big debut for the Steamtown's Railfest celebration today and Sunday.

For Mr. Gregory, who formed Erie Railroad Rolling Stock Restoration group in 2011, the caboose represents the legacy of his grandfather and hundreds of others. After a long journey, the caboose is home.

“This is one of the most original, non-altered, pristine interiors for a caboose of this type,” he said. “Part of this is sentimental for me and others. But it is a real piece of history and it belongs here.”

Railroad staff generally took very good care of the caboose, which they used for paperwork, eating and sleeping. The exterior is welded metal, the interior is lined with wood. Original features remain, including the pot-belly stove and coal hopper, the kerosene lamps, the rolled black leather window blinds and the original upholstery on mattresses and cushions.

After the Erie Railroad Rolling Stock Restoration group finalizes its nonprofit status, it will begin raising money to bring the caboose closer to its original state. A big part of that will be repainting it with the original Erie color patterns. After the Erie and the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western railroads merged in 1960, the cars were repainted with the combined company’s color scheme, the one 191 has today.

The effort will be expensive, but not prohibitive — about $10,000.

Mr. Gregory, a mechanical contractor, and other handy members of the group plan to do the restoration themselves, using Steamtown’s facilities. First, they have to be cleared as park volunteers and secure time in the roundhouse.

“Steamtown has been a great partner and without the National Park Service here as a resource, we probably wouldn’t be able to do this and share it with the world,” he said.

The Erie Car Shop produced hopper cars and cabooses. Into the 1940s, the shop employed hundreds of people, mostly from Dunmore. The coal industry and hopper car demand was in a slow decline for decades when Hurricane Diane ravaged the shop in 1955. The railroad made the decision to close the shop and move the work to Meadville, Crawford County. Several hundred workers and their families moved to Meadville until they retired, then many moved back.

Today, DeNaples Auto Parts occupies what was once the car shop.

Ernest Gregory began working for Erie in 1916, but an illness made him unable to relocate when the company moved.

He died a year later from stomach cancer at age 58.

Joe Gregory learned about the man and his work from stories his father and others told him. He and his dad, John J. Gregory, became railroad history fanatics. He has a photograph of his grandfather painting lettering on a finished caboose.

As the railroad era ground to a halt, much of the rolling stock was scrapped. Cabooses were often given away for use as outbuildings or recycled. Some survived in private collections. In his search, Mr. Gregory found fewer than a dozen, mostly in private collections, up and down the East Coast.

Many of them were not for sale, including one on display at the Glenburn Twp. building, where it stands as a monument on wheels.

He found one in a private collection in Jim Thorpe and, after four years of waiting and negotiating, the group purchased Caboose 191. The Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad brought it north. Joe Gregory declined to disclose the price.

The Erie cabooses are among the best built in U.S. railroad history, said Dominic Keating, a Dunmore native and railroad enthusiast. Stepping back from the historical significance, he said the caboose is a testimony to the thousands of employees who worked at the Erie Car Shop. As a child, he remembers watching the train roll by and the employees tossing Necco wafers from the caboose to children.

“Caboose 191 is a tribute to the craftsmanship and dedication of all Erie employees and their families,” Mr. Keating said. “They were a great bunch of men and they made an often overlooked contribution to the economy here.”

Erie Caboose joins Erie Office Car 3 in the Steamtown collection along with several Delaware, Lackawanna & Western pieces and more than 70 others.

Contact the writer:

dfalchek@timesshamrock.com

Keystone Sanitary Landfill did not use an alternate leachate line in Scranton’s Green Ridge section during flooding there in late July, officials said.Scranton City Council sent Scranton Sewer Authority a letter

on Aug. 8 asking how stormwater flooding during July 25-31 impacted the sewer system and whether the landfill’s alternate leachate line was used.

In an Aug. 23 reply, authority Executive Director Eugene Barrett said the alternate leachate was not used.

Council discussed the matter Thursday. Council’s letter last month also asked how the authority maintains the sewer system to minimize storm flooding, how it might help the city with future stormwater management, and whether there are procedures to help homeowners flooded by stormwater.

Mr. Barrett replied to each question. He said that “unique storm events do not occur frequently,” but when they do, authority employees clear blockages at catch basins and manholes.

To minimize the potential for problems, the authority follows a procedural control program involving inspecting, cleaning and repairing sewer and stormwater lines and catch basins, and street sweeping. The authority also works with the city DPW on lines and basins that carry only stormwater.

Council’s inquiry reflects a growing awareness about how the city will manage stormwater long term, spurred by Pennsylvania American Water Co.’s proposal to buy sewer-system segments that contain some, but not all, stormwater lines. That $195 million sale is pending regulatory approval.

The authority serving Scranton and Dunmore owns all of the sewer system infrastructure, including lines solely sewers, portions combining sewer and stormwater, and parts carrying only stormwater. The water company’s proposes to buy only the first two portions — sewer and combined sewer overflows — but not the sole stormwater lines.

While the city is responsible for the latter, called “Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System,” or MS4, both city and authority have maintained this segment over the years. Now, the city would fully inherit the stormwater segment.

Contact the writer:

jlockwood@timesshamrock.com,

@jlockwoodTT on Twitter

A New Jersey man convicted in 2011 of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl seeks a new trial after the victim told the man’s attorneys she lied about the assault.

The victim, now 21, later told authorities who questioned her about the new claims that she only recanted the sexual assault allegation because a former cellmate of the defendant threatened her.

Rene Sanchez is serving a sentence of 5½ to 14 years in prison for his May 2011 conviction in Lackawanna County court for involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and several other offenses. Prosecutors said he sexually abused the victim on three occasions in Scranton in 2007. The girl reported the abuse in 2009.

The Times-Tribune does not identify victims of sexual assault.

In February, the woman contacted Mr. Sanchez’s attorney, Matthew Comerford of Scranton, and told him she had made up the allegations, according to testimony at a hearing Friday. Mr. Comerford then filed a motion seeking a new trial based on newly discovered evidence.

When a Scranton police detective interviewed the woman in June about what she told Mr. Comerford, she claimed she was coerced into making the statement.

Mr. Comerford questioned the woman’s credibility.

“How do we know what to believe? Is the statement you gave detectives true or is the statement you gave my office true?” he asked her during Friday’s hearing in front of Lackawanna County Judge Michael Barrasse.

Mr. Comerford also seeks a new trial on the grounds prosecutors improperly were permitted to question Mr. Sanchez at his trial about his prior criminal record. No evidence or testimony was presented on that issue Friday, however, because prosecutors were first advised of the claim shortly before the hearing.

Judge Barrasse continued the hearing to give prosecutors an opportunity to research the other issue. Mr. Comerford said he also expects to present additional evidence to rebut the victim’s testimony. No new date for the second hearing was set.

Contact the writer:

tbesecker@timesshamrock.com,

@tmbeseckerTT on Twitter

Amidst the sounds and smells of the Old Country, downtown Scranton served up some great art, too.

The Labor Day weekend tradition, La Festa Italiana, which runs through Monday on Courthouse Square, held all the gnocchi, pizza, pasta and cannoli one could eat Friday.

The crowds could also drop in 19 venues that showcased art, music and other wares as part of downtown’s monthly First Friday art walk.

The Workshop on Adams Avenue hosted “The Art of Movies: Creations Inspired by the Silver Screen.” The group show featured an array of alternative movie posters and film campaigns re-imagined by six local artists.

Gary Irwin, owner of film art design agency, Variant, creates posters and key art for independent films based in New York City and California as his day job. The ability to re-envision his favorite films provides a welcome diversion for Mr. Irwin, and still ties in to his main trade.

“I love movies,” the Hill section resident said. “It’s just a chance to take a new spin on something.”

Ashley Kujat works digitally as a graphic designer but crafted her movie posters by hand with Rubylith masking film and an X-Acto knife. She drew the smaller, more detailed parts with pen and ink. The chance to work on these brightly colored posters of “Gremlins,” “Mars Attacks!” and “The Thing” felt a nice shake up to Ms. Kujat as well.

“It’s really involved,” Ms. Kujat laughed of the process to create the posters. “It’s a lot of fun, though. I wanted to celebrate really colorful, old B-movies.”

Between all of the different entertainment and activity options Friday, many area residents spent all evening downtown.

Marissa Kline and her daughter Ava, 3, perused First Friday venues around the square and stopped at La Festa to grab pizza fritas on their way home to Moosic.

“This is my favorite First Friday, the one during La Festa,” Ms. Kline said. “There’s so many people out and about. It makes the city look so full of life.”

Contact the writer:

gmazur@timesshamrock.com,

gmazurTT on Twitter

SCRANTON — The owner of a Scranton deli fired a handgun into the air to scare off a thief brandishing a knife Thursday night, city police said.

Police are investigating if that is a crime along with the theft, Capt. Dennis Lukasewicz said. The captain declined to identify them.

A man entered The International Deli and Grocery on the 1100 block of Cedar Avenue and took two bottles of juice. He fled.

The owner chased him for several blocks until the thief took out a large knife and turned toward the deli proprietor. The store owner fired a handgun and scared the thief away.

Anyone with information can contact detectives at 570-348-4139.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

Just days after being accused of impersonating a police officer, a Dunmore man faces more charges after police say he claimed to be a federal marshal and questioned someone about a drug operation.

Law enforcement officials again arrested Michael Tatulli, 23, 217 Prospect Ave. on Friday night, Lackawanna County District Attorney Shane Scanlon said. Earlier on Friday, a Clarks Summit man reported to the district attorney’s office that Mr. Tatulli showed up at his home on Aug. 29 sporting a suit, a silver badge and a gun. He identified himself as a “federal marshal” investigating a methamphetamine operation, according to court documents.

Mr. Tatulli questioned the man and asked if he had an alibi for the time of a recent raid. The man said he doesn’t leave home that much and his girlfriend would be able to vouch for him. Mr. Tatulli said they would have to go to the girlfriend’s house to verify that story.

Mr. Tatulli then patted the man down and placed him in the back of a black Volkswagen equipped with light bars across both the windshield and rear window, according to court documents.

They arrived at his girlfriend’s house and Mr. Tatulli questioned her before he took the man back to his house and told him to “stay out of trouble” and that he would be able to take care of everything because the man cooperated, according to court documents. The man told county detectives Friday that he felt like he was in police custody throughout the entire encounter with Mr. Tatulli.

Mr. Tatulli is charged with kidnapping, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment and simple assault, in addition to impersonating a public servant, according to court documents.

Dunmore police arrested Mr. Tatulli on the last charge earlier this week, stemming from a separate incident.

Mr. Tatulli is accused of pretending to be a Scranton police officer investigating drug activity at Penn State Worthington Scranton on Aug. 23, according to court documents. He also wore a badge and gun during the earlier incident, police said.

Mr. Tatulli was released on bail after his arraignment on those charges earlier this week. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 7. Bail and preliminary hearing information for the new set of charges was not available Friday night.

Contact the writer:

cover@timesshamrock.com,

@ClaytonOver on Twitter

A new restaurant concept called Londyn’s will fill vacant space at the Marketplace at Steamtown, and change the front appearance of the mall as owner John Basalyga seeks to recreate the block where Penn Avenue meets Lackawanna.

The new restaurant, named after Mr. Basalyga’s daughter, remains in the planning stage, with the goal of opening in time for Scranton’s St. Patrick’s Parade Day in March.

Mr. Basalyga, 37, who purchased the former Mall at Steamtown in 2015 and redubbed it Marketplace at Steamtown earlier this year, will develop the restaurant. He is not new to the restaurant business — the Roaring Brook Twp. developer has owned the Olde Brook Inn for several years.

“There are some great restaurants downtown, but I don’t think there’s enough to make the downtown a dining destination,” he said. “We have an improving downtown environment that we want to add more options and make it great.”

Mr. Basalyga said the restaurant will be “very trendy,” with a dance floor and valet parking. Londyn’s will have at least 50 beer taps. Sliding doors will open the restaurant to the street, offering sidewalk seating in fair weather and a presence on Lackawanna Avenue. A bar and tap standard will be partially outside as well.

The restaurant Ground Round occupied the space from the early days of the mall, followed by Hurricane Grill and Wings then the Steamtown Pub and Grill, which was open for less than a year before closing in 2014.

Joe Kenney, current general manager of the Olde Brook Inn and the Marketplace at Steamtown, will manage the restaurant. A restaurant consultant, Mr. Kenney met Mr. Basalyga two years ago while working at Olde Brook. In the 1990s, Mr. Kenney was the manager of the Ground Round at the newly opened Mall at Steamtown. Those were heady days for the shopping center, he recalled. In the chain, the mall Ground Round ranked among the top 20 in revenue and top five in profitability. As he does now, Mr. Kenney walked the mall daily and knew mall employees and restaurant customers by name.

Going through old blueprints for the Ground Round as he mulled over ideas for Londyn’s, he found 24-year-old notes scrawled in his handwriting.

With Londyn’s, Mr. Kenney is shooting for a refined atmosphere that will offer an affordable event for diners and late-night revelers.

“We are not going to be a college bar or beach bar,” he said. “Lunch is big downtown so we’ll have salads and burgers. But we are going to offer unique fusion food in an atmosphere of a high-end, big-city establishment.”

Londyn’s, Mr. Basalyga expects, will add to the value and feeling of the shopping center and the block.

“Right now, that space isn’t helping me,” Mr. Basalyga said of the vacancy where Londyn’s will go. “If I need to be the one to do it to get this place where it needs to be — then I will.”

Directly across the street, work continues on Mr. Basalyga’s Iron Horse Movie Bistro.

The opening date is moved back again, he said, because crews learned more of the mechanical equipment needs to be replaced. The theater should open in December, he said, and add a visual effect on the block. The new theater, which will include reserved-seating theaters with recliners and dining, was to open mid-July but then was pushed back to Sept. 15.

With Londyn’s and the movie theater, Mr. Basalyga adds another shopping center tenant in which he has direct financial involvement. He also is half-owner of Crunch Fitness, a gym in Marketplace at Steamtown.

He also owns Electric City garage, which his firm, Steamtown 300, bought from the city for $1 then leased back to the Scranton Parking Authority. The authority assigned it to National Development Council to continue operating as a city parking garage as part of Scranton’s parking deal that closed this week.

Contact the writer: dfalchek@timesshamrock.com

Rain associated with Hermine is expected to stay to the southeast of Scranton over the weekend, AccuWeather Meteorologist Andy Mussoline said. Comfortable conditions, temperatures in the mid to high 70s and low humidity, are predicted, Mr. Mussoline said, but clouds from the Hermine system could blow in on Sunday.

While the local area will remain dry, precipitation is in the cards for coastal areas of the mid-Atlantic region. Anyone planning a trip to the beach over the weekend should keep an eye on the forecast and the path of the storm, Mr. Mussoline said.

— CLAYTON OVER

WAVERLY— Marworth Treatment Center is now called Geisinger Marworth Treatment Center to reflect its affiliation with Geisinger Health System and a branding effort.

Nearly 35 years ago, Geisinger founded Marworth Alcohol and Chemical Dependency Treatment Center in Waverly Twp. to provide residential programs for those with addiction problems.

The estate served from 1931 to 1981 as the family home for three generations of the Scranton family. The name, Marworth, is derived from the first names of Margery and Worthington Scranton, parents of former Pennsylvania Governor William Scranton, who donated the property to Geisinger to help those with substance abuse issues.

— DAVID FALCHEK

CARBONDALE — Pennsylvania American Water restored service to five customers affected by a water main break Friday morning, the utility said.

An 8-inch water main at Wyoming Avenue and Eighth Avenue ruptured at 3 a.m. and caused flooding at some residences, spokeswoman Susan Turcmanovich said. Service was restored by noon.

For those flooded, the water company’s restoration crews and insurance representatives responded to the scene, Ms. Turcmanovich said.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

CARBONDALE — The buzz has worn off.

The Carbondale police station was open to the public Friday, three days after a swarm of honeybees invaded Carbondale City Hall and drove police officers out of their headquarters, Mayor Justin Taylor said.

A beekeeper this week captured hundreds of honeybees from a hive on the exterior of the building’s third floor. Workers sealed holes where bees likely entered the building.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

SCRANTON — The civil division of the Lackawanna County clerk of judicial records office is temporarily operating out of the Family Court division in the county Administration Building on Adams Avenue because of a sewer backup problem at the Brooks Building on North Washington Avenue, the county announced.

The county said it expects the problem to be resolved and the civil division to resume normal operations in the Brooks Building on Tuesday.

— STAFF REPORT

When officials at the Commonwealth Medical College wanted to spark interest in a new master of biomedical science program in Doylestown, they turned to digital marketing and saw a substantial return on their investment.

The college hired Wilkes-Barre digital marketing services firm LSEO, founded by Kris Jones, and the campaign led to national recognition.

The new course required 12 students to make the venture successful.

LSEO had just a few months to enroll students in the program and a budget of $33,000, Mr. Jones said.

The firm identified the demographic profile of students within a certain geographic range who would be interested in the program and targeted them through Facebook and Google ads.

In the end, 23 students enrolled and, Mr. Jones said, that made it a tremendous success.

With each of the students paying about $45,000 in tuition, that equaled more than $1 million generated for the college and a 3,300 percent return on their investment.

Mr. Jones, 40, a Shavertown entrepreneur who also founded other companies, including Pepperjam, ReferLocal.com and KBJ Capital, said the success in attracting students to the new program at TCMC was one of the highlights of his career.

“It was a great challenge to be able to execute it as effectively as we did,” he said.

In recognition of their success in web and social media marketing, LSEO and TCMC now are finalists for a national Landy Award.

Search Engine Land, a daily publication covering all aspects of the search marketing industry, created the Landy Awards to recognize excellence in search marketing.

LSEO’s work for TCMC garnered a finalist’s slot in the category for best integration of search into cross-channel marketing.

Other well-known companies, such as Morgan Stanley and Jamba Juice, also are nominated for the award.

Winners will be announced at an awards gala in New York City on Sept. 28 during Search Engine Land’s annual Search Marketing Expo and Conference.

Mr. Jones said he was encouraged to apply for the award by Clutch, a Washington D.C.-based research firm that named LSEO one of the top 15 search engine optimization companies in the United States.

Michelle Schmude, Ed.D., associate dean for admissions, enrollment management and financial aid for TCMC, said the Landy Awards are extremely competitive and to be named a finalist for the partnership the college just began with LSEO is an “amazing opportunity.”

“I’m extremely excited,” Dr. Schmude said. “I’m proud of the partnership we created and ultimately the results that we achieved together.”

Mr. Jones said the campaign used for TCMC can be replicated by any business that takes the time to get to know its target audience.

“We helped them really understand who their market was,” he said.

The campaign also is an example of how colleges, universities and business can leverage digital marketing at a reasonable rate to drive customers and see a substantial return on investment, he said.

“In a highly competitive environment where colleges and universities are competing to win students, digital marketing provides a competitive edge,” Mr. Jones said.

The campaign was a such a success that TCMC retained LSEO for additional work to meet enrollment goals.

“As we continue to grow, we will be utilizing their services,” Dr. Schmude said.

Contact the writer: dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2115

Seeking veterans

If you were or a member of your family was from Lackawanna County, in the military and based at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, contact the 9/11 Memorial Committee at charliespano8@gmail.com or 570-342-5390; on Wednesday, Dec. 7, the 75th anniversary of the attack, the committee will place a plaque honoring all Lackawanna County veterans who were there on that “day of infamy,” people submitted must meet all three conditions above.

Marine Corps League sets barbecue

Northeastern Detachment Marine Corps League and Museum annual chicken barbecue, Saturday, noon-5 p.m., detachment, 1340 Alder St., Scranton, $10, at door.

VFW Post 5207 plans events

VFW Post 5207 annual Patriots Day/9-11 ceremony, Sept. 11, 2 p.m., Routes 502 and 307, Covington Twp., with members of the North Pocono area fire, rescue and police forces in attendance, reception follows in the post hall; POW/MIA Day event, Sept. 16, 6 p.m., post hall; information, 570-241-3274.

Post 7069 sets chicken barbecue

VFW Post 7069 and auxiliary chicken barbecue, Sept. 17, 2-6 p.m. or sold out, post grounds, 402 Winola Road, $10/adults and $4.50/children; tickets, 570-586-0669 or 570-586-9821.

Reunion

AIR FORCE RESERVE REUNION

The 92nd Aerial Port Squadron Air Force Reserve Unit, Wyoming, eighth annual reunion, Saturday, American Legion Post 644, 259 Shoemaker St., Swoyersville, casual dress, $25 payable to Mike Tressa, 55 Shoemaker St., Forty Fort, PA 18704; or Mike, 570-287-4899, or Norman, 570-383-12450.

Meetings

POST 665

American Legion Post 665, today12:30 p.m., board; 1:30, open meeting for members; 2:30, post meeting.

POST 657

Dupont American Legion Post 657, Tuesday, 6 p.m., VFW Post 4909, 401 Main St.

AMERICAN LEGION DISTRICT 11

POST 920

American Legion Post 920, Tuesday, 7 p.m., 815 Smith St., Scranton. American Legion District 11 reorganization meeting, Wednesday, 7, American Legion Post 920, Smith Street, Scranton.

MARINE CORPS LEAGUE

Marine Corps League and Museum, Sept. 11, 2 p.m., nomination of officers.

POST 5207

VFW Post 5207, Sept. 11, noon, post home, Routes 502 and 307, Covington Twp.

SQUADRON 665/SAL DISTRICT 11

Sons of the American Legion Squadron 665, Sept 11, 1 p.m., collecting for 2017 membership, $15; District 11 Sons of the American, Sept. 11, 2:30 p.m., both at Dickson City American Legion Post 665.

POST 610

Mayfield American Legion Post 610, Sept. 12, 7 p.m.

POST 327 AUXILIARY

Olyphant Raymond Henry American Legion Post 327 Auxiliary, Sept. 12, 7 p.m.

POST 4909

Dupont VFW Post 4909, Sept. 12, 7:30 p.m., home association follows.

POST 3474 AUXILIARY

VFW Post 3474 Auxiliary, Sept. 12, 7 p.m., 110 Chestnut St., Dunmore.

POST 6082 AUXILIARY

Shopa-Davey VFW Post 6082 Auxiliary, Sept. 13, 6 p.m., note new time.

DAV CHAPTER 114

Disabled American Veterans Chapter 114, Sept. 14, 7 p.m., Cordaro’s Restaurant, 186 Grandview Ave., Honesdale.

EZRA GRIFFIN CAMP 8

Ezra S. Griffin, Camp 8 Sons of Union Veterans, Sept. 17, 10:30 a.m., Scranton City Hall, side ADA entrance on Mulberry Street, 570-606-1014.

POST 25

VFW Post 25, meeting changed to Sept. 18, 1 p.m., canteen meeting, noon, post home, Scranton.

VFW DISTRICT 10

VFW District 10, Sept. 18, 2 p.m., Jessup VFW Post 5544, 205 Dolph St.

Merli Center

Today: Coffee, 8:30 a.m.; morning visits, 8:45; Eucharistic ministers, 9:15; chocolate peppermint patty brownies with music, 2 p.m.

Monday: Labor Day. Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; Bible study, 9:30; tai chi, 10:15; Jim Cerminaro music program, 2 p.m.

Tuesday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; resident council, 10; trivia, 10:15; food committee meeting, 10:30; volunteer ministry, 1:15 p.m.; choir practice, 1:45; Catholic service, 3.

Wednesday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; Walmart shopping trip, 9; chapel service, 10; Fabulous Fortunes music program, 2 p.m.; music video, 7.

Thursday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; Dupont VFW lunch and bingo, 10:15; bingo in memory of Jack B. Stephens, 2 p.m.; blackjack, 7.

Friday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; nature video, 10:15; Burger King dine-in by Mr. Gavalis, noon; bingo by American Legion District 11, 2 p.m.

Saturday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; coffee and doughnuts by the Ladies Auxiliary to the VFW Dept. of Pa., 10:15; karaoke, 2 p.m.

VETERANS NEWS should be submitted no later than Monday before publication to veterans@timesshamrock.com; or YES!desk, The Times-Tribune, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503.

Wayne County President Judge Raymond L. Hamill sentenced:

• Bridget Nadine Gilgallon, 21, Scranton, 12 months of probation, $200 fine and drug and alcohol treatment for possession of drug

paraphernalia.

• Tara Lynn Capponi, 32, Dingmans Ferry, five days to six months in the Wayne County Correctional Facility, $300 fine, drug and alcohol treatment, the Alcohol Highway Safety Program and 50 hours of community service for DUI.

• Dale Gene Rollison Jr., 43, Lake Ariel, six months of probation, $300 fine, drug and alcohol treatment, the Alcohol Highway Safety Program and 50 hours of community service for DUI.

• Leonard Edward Sanders, 40, Honesdale, nine to 24 months in a state correctional institution for criminal attempted theft.

• Justin David Shoemaker, 23, Honesdale, six to 12 months in the Wayne County Correctional Facility, $300 fine and a drug and alcohol evaluation for criminal

conspiracy.

• Ryan Paul Tucker, 26, Covington Twp., six months of probation, $300 fine, drug and alcohol treatment, the Alcohol Highway Safety Program and 50 hours of community service for DUI.

• Keone Joseph McHugh, 32, Waymart, 10 days to 23 ½ months in the Wayne County Correctional Facility, $100 fine, a drug and alcohol evaluation and 50 hours of community service for two counts of possession of a controlled substance.

• Steven Deveao, 42, Cochecton, New York, 30 days to 6 months in the Wayne County Correctional Facility, $300 fine, drug and alcohol treatment, the Alcohol Highway Safety Program and 50 hours of community service for DUI.

• Shalena E. Hill, 34, Chenango Falls, New York, six months on the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Program, 40 hours of community service and 60 day driver’s license suspension for possession of a controlled substance on Nov. 21.

• Ryan N. Longuet, 36, Moscow, six months on the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Program, 40 hours of community service and 60 day driver’s license suspension for DUI and possession of a controlled

substance.

• Todd Alan Price, 33, Greentown, 12 months of probation and $500 fine for false swearing in official

proceeding.

• Chelsea A. Wells, 28, Equinunk, 11 to 23 ½ months in the Wayne County Correctional Facility, $900 fine and a drug and alcohol evaluation for possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and required financial

responsibility.

While La Festa took over the Courthouse Square on Saturday to celebrate Scranton’s long-established Italian heritage, one of the city’s newest ethnic groups held a much smaller gathering a few miles away to keep its own traditions alive.

Wearing shiny red dresses in the backyard of one member’s house, the ladies of the city’s Bhutanese population gathered Saturday to celebrate the Teej Festival.

“Today is a very, very significant day,” said Pabitra Thapa, who co-hosted the event and spoke on a loudspeaker in Nepali for the older members. Hema Dahal translated her explanations into English.

The Hindu festival features the women and girls, who celebrate by dancing in their bright dresses, called sarees. Those who are married pray for the good health of their husbands, and the unmarried pray for good men to marry.

The Bhutan-born, ethnic Nepalese community has gone from just a few in 2009 to more than 2,500 now living in Scranton. Called the Lhotshampa, they have been persecuted and forced out of Bhutan in the past few decades. After years of living in tents and bamboo houses in dismal Nepalese refugee camps, they have been moved to Western countries in resettlement programs, searching for a better life. Many have succeeded in the Electric City, buying homes and finding jobs and happiness.

The community has celebrated the festival for the past seven years, said Ms. Thapa. The 42-year-old Bhutanese-born woman works a cleaning job at the Geisinger Community Medical Center and helps her husband in his Bhutanese grocery store on Pittston Avenue.

While the ladies and girls danced Saturday, many of the men stood around filming on their cellphones while munching spicy food like samosas and a dish called momo, a stuffed, boiled dumpling similar to a pierogi.

“We just want to pass our culture on to the next generation,” said Krishna Rai, the 31-year-old chairman of the group’s organization, the Bhutanese Community of Scranton.

One of the honored guests of the community was the Rev. James Redington, Ph.D, who has a doctorate in Hinduism and teaches interfaith dialogue at the University of Scranton.

The Catholic priest is a member of the Scranton Area Ministerium, a gathering of clergy and religious leaders throughout Lackawanna County who seek to promote interfaith cooperation and understanding, and build a better community for all.

The teacher could not resist to share “one little point of scholarship” with the group, explaining that he had done a little research and found some symmetry between Scranton’s newest ethnic group and the city’s Western traditions.

“Teej” means the third day of a fortnight on the Hindu calendar, he said. And what day did the festival fall on the Western Calendar? Sep. 3, he noted.

Contact the writer: pcameron@timesshamrock.com, @pcameronTT on Twitter

Local radio stations under the Entercom Communications banner performed well in the spring Nielsen ratings with the leading WKRZ-FM pop hits station extending listenership while news and talk WILK-AM gained on a year-over-year basis.

However, the spring Nielsen “book,” as the trade refers to the survey covering April, May, and June, wasn’t all good news for the Pittston-based regional office. The No. 2 station overall, country FGGY-FM Froggy 101, showed a small decline, year-over-year. At the same time, Entercom rookie station WMQX-FM Max 102 continued with a less than 2 percent share, seeking to build identity. The results, measured over Luzerne, Lackawanna, Columbia, Monroe counties, were not unexpected, said Entercom Wilkes-Barre/Scranton General Manager Ryan Flynn.

WKRZ has a strong signal and continues to refine its playlist with listener surveys and promotional events, he said. The political cycle helped WILK, as it does many news/talk outlets, because interest in news and politics grows in presidential election years.

“We hope WILK will continue to grow through to the election, but ratings are never a guarantee,” Mr. Flynn said.

Neilsen ratings are done by giving select respondents a diary to record listening habits. The lack of identity makes it difficult for new stations such as Max 102, an adult hits format whose signal hits Lackawanna and Luzerne counties, to gain traction. Max 102 targets an audience that falls between the listenership or harder-edged WEZX-FM Rock 107 and the softer WMGS-FM Magic 93.

At Scranton-based Times-Shamrock Communications, its radio flagship, WEZX-FM Rock 107 ranked fifth in all times and listeners, but held onto the third spot in its target demographic

— adults ages 25 to 54, said Dave Mehall, director of sales for Times-Shamrock Radio, a division of the parent company of The Sunday Times, Citizens’ Voice and The Standard-Speaker.

WEJL-FM ESPN radio is near the bottom with a 1 percent overall share of audience. However, Mr. Mehall said it offers programming for passionate sports fans, and, on occasion, larger general audiences. WEJL listenership spikes with live professional sports featuring the Phillies baseball and Eagles football games. Local high school games also draw audience.

“Some people aren’t near a television or just enjoy listening to sports on the radio,” Mr. Mehall said. “For high school events — people want to hear the local kids’ or their grandkids’ names – it’s incredible.”

Honesdale-based Bold Gold Media Group’s WTRW-FM 94.3 The Talker saw its share of listeners double from 0.6 to 1.2 percent.

“Interest in talk radio has been off the charts,” said Brian Spinelli, general manager of Bold Gold. Bold Gold’s other property, WWRR-FM 105 The River shed its rating share compared to last year, from 3 percent to 1.2 percent. Sometimes, Mr. Spinelli said, ratings can swing based upon where Nielsen diaries fall. That phenomenon seemed to happen in the spring, when WSBG-FM 93.5 SBG out of Stroudsburg, a Connoisseur Media property, popped in the book with 1.8 percent share.

Contact the writer: dfalchek@timesshamrock.com

DAMASCUS TWP. — Emily Montgomery grew up milking cows on her family’s Wayne County farm. When she left for college, she never expected to move back home.

However, with a desire to be closer to her family and help support the farm, Mrs. Montgomery and her husband, Jay, started to make cheese. What started as experimenting with gouda and cheddar in their kitchen is now a growing business with distribution as far away as Colorado.

Calkins Creamery will soon celebrate its 10th anniversary, producing up to 1,500 pounds of cheese each week.

“We wanted to help sustain the family farm,” Mrs. Montgomery said. “We didn’t want to be the generation to have to sell.”

Helping the farm

Members of the Bryant family have farmed the 300 acres in Wayne County since the 1880s. Mrs. Montgomery, whose grandmother still lives at the farm and whose father and brother help run daily operations, is part of the sixth generation at Highland Farm, 10 miles north of Honesdale. Mrs. Montgomery’s three children, the seventh generation, play and help in the barns and fields and sometimes assist with cheesemaking.

Her father, Bill Bryant, said he has seen fellow farmers struggle to survive and be forced to cease operations. As milk prices tanked and costs grew, his daughter found a way to help the farm.

After studying food science at Penn State, she worked for several food manufacturers across the country and met her husband in an ice cream factory. While in California, Mrs. Montgomery, 38, took a class in cheesemaking. The couple moved back to Wayne County, where she started working on her recipes.

While she worked for a Kraft Foods sour cream and cottage cheese plant across the border in New York, Mrs. Montgomery tried to determine whether it was feasible to use the milk from her family’s farm to make and sell her own cheese. She and her husband considered making ice cream, but worried the product would be too seasonal. People enjoy cheese year-round.

Confident in their cheesemaking methods and business prospects, Mrs. Montgomery and her husband built the creamery adjacent to the barn. Mr. Montgomery, plant manager for Mia Products, which makes frozen novelties in Moosic, does the creamery’s accounting at night.

Growing market

Milk from 85 cows flows underground from the barn to the creamery in stainless steel pipes. About 40 percent of the milk produced at the farm is made into cheese, with the rest picked up by a milk truck. Mrs. Montgomery buys the milk at a price that helps provide stable income to the farm, her father said.

After opening Calkins with six cheese varieties, Mrs. Montgomery and her nine employees now make between 1,200 and 1,500 pounds of cheese each week. About 2,000 pounds of milk make 200 pounds of cheese. Once she found success with her raw milk cheese, she bought a pasteurizer and now makes 20 varieties of raw and pasteurized cheese, including mozzarella, Brie, havarti with dill and “Vampire Slayer” — a garlic cheddar.

Most of the cheese is aged, some in an underground cave system at an old winery a few miles from the farm. Pigs at the farm eat whey, a by-product of cheesemaking.

As the company has grown, so has its involvement in the community. A memorial run called Herd the Curd honors Mrs. Montgomery’s brother, Michael, who died of a brain aneurysm in 2007 at the age of 27. The fourth annual race was scheduled for Saturday. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of one cheese, “Smoke Signal,” go to helping people with mental and developmental disabilities.

Calkins cheese is sold across the country, in small markets in the region to large retailers like Whole Foods and shops in Philadelphia and New York City. Customers can order cheese online, and it’s available at Caravia Fresh Foods in Clarks Summit and the Lands at Hillside Farms in Shavertown.

The shop at the farm, 288 Calkins Road in Damascus Twp., is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturdays. Tours are also available by appointment.

In the last decade, Mrs. Montgomery has seen interest in locally made products grow. At Highland Farm, visitors see the cows grazing on the rolling hills and milked just feet away from where she makes the cheese.

“People want to know where their food comes from,” she said.

Contact the writer:

shofius@timesshamrock.com,

@hofiushallTT on Twitter