A longtime lawmaker and a challenger who wants structural changes to the Legislature are voters’ choices in the 117th Legislative District.

Republican incumbent Karen Boback is running for her seventh term.

Her challenger, Libertarian Lou Jasikoff, wants to limit state representatives to two terms.

Boback pointed to her decades of life in the area and to her time as a legislator as assets that helped her understand her constituency.

“Experience is tantamount to the expertise you develop as far as being a representative,” Boback said. “I’m always learning, always reteaching, always evolving to the needs of my district.”

Both candidates oppose the idea of shrinking the size of the Legislature.

A smaller Legislature would require a larger support staff for each representative to field the requests and concerns of a larger constituency, and it would “take the voice of the people away,” Boback said.

Jasikoff admires the model in New Hampshire, where legislation in the House of Representatives is a part-time job.

He said he’ll give the difference between the average salary in his county and a legislator’s salary to community organizations in the district. He also wants to end the per diems legislators receive and pointed to the term limits as a way to eliminate legislative pensions. One person won’t change the salary structure in Harrisburg, but it would be leading by example for the model he wants, he said.

Both candidates are in favor of lowering school property taxes.

“If there is one tax I’d like to see us get rid of, it is the property tax,” Jasikoff said, although he has concerns about how to make up the revenue that would be lost from eliminating school property taxes.

Boback was a co-sponsor of House Bill 76, the latest proposal to change the way the state collects revenue to fund public schools.

In conversations with people around her district, she’s heard many concerns about opioid abuse. She pointed to seminars about the issue and a visit from the state secretary of health she has hosted as efforts to mitigate the problem.

“It’s a necessity. It’s something that’s very important,” she said.

Boback’s district is home to the Dallas School District, which was the site of a protracted dispute between the teachers union and the school board. She’s in favor of using binding arbitration to resolve such disputes.

Voters will go to the polls Tuesday.

Contact the writer:

bwellock@citizensvoice.com;

570-821-2051;

@CVBillW on Twitter

Blakely

Meeting rescheduled: Blakely-Peckville Lions Club meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 6, has been changed to Tuesday, Nov. 13, due to Election Day; at William Hopkins American Legion Post 570, Blakely, 7:30 p.m. Contact: Bill Tarby, president, 570-498-0446.

Lackawanna County

Blood drive: American Red Cross blood donation opportunities, today, 1-6 p.m., Lackawanna Health and Rehab Center, 108 Terrace Drive, Olyphant; Saturday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Tripp House, 1011 N. Main Ave., Scranton; Thursday, 1-6 p.m., Elmhurst Presbyterian Church, 108 Maple St., Elmhurst Twp.; Nov. 14 and 15, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., University of Scranton, John Long Center, 800 Linden St., Scranton; Mondays, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays, 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Scranton Blood Donation Center, 3 W. Olive St. (inside the Icebox Complex), Scranton.

Luzerne County

Blood drive: American Red Cross blood donation opportunities, Monday, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Hazleton Chapter House, 165 Susquehanna Blvd., West Hazleton; Nov. 10, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Masonic Sylvania Lodge 354, 249 Trailing Pine Road, Shickshinny; Nov. 12, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 1111 E. End Blvd., Plains Twp.; Nov. 13, 1-6 p.m., Fox Hill Country Club, 454 Tunkhannock Ave., Exeter; Nov. 15, 1-6 p.m., Dallas American Legion Post No. 672, 730 Memorial Highway, Dallas, and 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Wilkes University, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre; Mondays, 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m., Tuesdays, noon-8 p.m., Fridays, 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays, 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Wilkes-Barre Blood Donation Center, 29 New Commerce Blvd., Ashley.

Moosic

Corvette Club: Corvette Club of NEPA meeting Thursday, 7 p.m., Marzoni’s, 26 Montage Mountain Rooad, Moosic. Contact: CCNEPA.com.

Olyphant

Pasta party: St. Joseph’s Center fall festival pasta party, Regal Room, Olyphant, Saturday, Nov. 17, 5-7 p.m., $15/person; music by Rick Gillette, To’ten, Dave Brown, Nothing Yet and Steve Kucharski and the Anti-Depressants; $5/music only, raffle baskets, kiddie crafts. Contact: 570-963-1290.

Scranton

Free meal: Free meal Saturday, 1-3 p.m., St. Stanislaus Youth Center, 530 E. Elm St. Contact: 570-343-6017.

Neighborhood meeting: North Scranton Neighborhood Association Watch meeting Monday, 6 p.m., Weston Park, discussing upcoming Christmas party.

Taylor

Chicken dinner: Chicken dinner at Taylor United Methodist Church, 402 S. Main St., Saturday, 4-6 p.m., takeout only, $10/ticket. Tickets: 570-357-8194.

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

Nov. 2, 1918

No lifting of store bans because of flu

Dr. S.P. Longstreet, Scranton public health director, addressing the influenza epidemic, said “there will be no lifting of the ban ... until we’re satisfied that the city is absolutely safe from a recurrence of the disease.”

The possibility of lifting the bans came up after Longstreet’s office reported there had been only 61 new cases of influenza in the past 24 hours. The number of infected was at 5,255 and the total number of deaths at 554.

Longstreet also ordered that all stores in Scranton were to close at 6 p.m. and stay closed until Monday morning. The closure was to keep people from gathering in crowds throughout the city. Stores exempt from the closure were grocery stores, butcher shops, cigar shops, candy shops and fruit stands.

35 years of free mail began with 10 carriers

Nov. 1 was the 35th anniversary of the establishment of free mail delivery in Scranton. Scranton’s first free mail delivery started with 10 carriers in 1883. The carriers were David Jenkins, Harry Fuller, Samuel Heller, Anthony Scanlon, John N. Phillips, Eleazer Evans, Henry Knoepfel, William Williams, Charles Kirst and Thomas O’Donnell.

Riots in Lancaster linked to flu outbreak

Munitions workers took to the streets of Lancaster when they discovered that all transportation in and out of the city had been banned after the state Health Department quarantined the community because of the influenza epidemic. The munitions workers needed to travel to Coatesville.

The owners of Lancaster’s traction company defied the state’s order and transported 1,000 passengers out of the city. The city Chamber of Commerce was looking to fight the ban in court.

BRIAN FULTON, library manager, oversees The Times-Tribune’s expansive digital and paper archives and is an authority on local history. Contact Brian at bfulton@timesshamrock.com or 570-348-9140.

WILKES-BARRE ­— A warning about the fentanyl-laced heroin’s extreme potency didn’t dissuade Holly Kaszuba from going through with a drug deal that killed a Dunmore man, a federal prosecutor said Thursday.

“This is strong stuff. I warned those guys,” Matthew McCollum, a one-time co-defendant of Kaszuba, told her and Christopher Graff as they drove past paramedics working to save another overdose victim Dec. 12, 2015.

About an hour earlier, McCollum had set up a drug deal between that victim, Theresa Garrison, and the same supplier McCollum and Kaszuba had just arranged for Graff to meet in a nearby parking lot, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Olshefski said during her opening statement in Kaszuba’s trial.

“That is the same ‘strong stuff’ Holly Kaszuba put into the hands of Christopher Graff,” Olshefski said.

Garrison survived. Graff did not.

Kaszuba, 45, is on trial for one count of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance resulting in death. Prosecutors say she and McCollum arranged for Graff, 30, to purchase drugs from Josthan Cardona.

Cardona, 28, of Scranton, pleaded guilty last week to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance resulting in death. In July, McCollum, 34, of Scranton, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the unlawful distribution of a controlled substance. Olshefski said McCollum will testify against Kaszuba. It was not clear whether Cardona will testify.

“This case is about holding someone accountable for facilitating the drug deal that put dangerous drugs in the hands of Christopher Graff, causing him to die,” Olshefski told jurors.

In his opening statement, Kaszuba’s attorney, James Swetz, acknowledged Kaszuba and Graff met McCollum with the intent of purchasing heroin.

“This is a tragedy,” Swetz said. “A young man lost his life unnecessarily.”

Swetz indicated the defense will question if the government can prove the drug obtained from Cardona is the same substance that killed Graff. The drug deal took place Dec. 12, 2015, but Graff died the next day, when he shot up after coming home from work. Swetz said a defense toxicology expert also questions if the level of fentanyl in Graff’s body was sufficient to kill him.

To obtain a conviction, prosecutors must prove Graff would not have died “but for” the drugs Kaszuba supplied him. Prosecutors must also show Kaszuba played an active role in facilitating the drug deal, Senior U.S. Judge A. Richard Caputo told the jury of six men and six women. Her mere presence during the transaction is not sufficient, the judge said.

Olshefski said evidence will establish Kaszuba played a key role. She noted Kaszuba is the only defendant who knew Graff, having worked with him at Cinram in Olyphant.

“The defendant was the critical link in this chain,” Olshefski said.

The trial will continue today at 9:30 a.m. before Caputo in the federal courthouse in Wilkes-Barre.

Contact the writer:

tbesesecker@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9137;

@tmbeseckerTT on Twitter

DICKSON CITY — Customers at Sheetz along Business Route 6 and in Wilkes-Barre should soon be able to buy beer.

The Altoona-based gas station chain announced Thursday that beer sales will start at 23 stores across the state, including the one in Dickson City, which is waiting on a final inspection from state regulators in the next few weeks.

The Sheetz on Wilkes-Barre Township Boulevard is slated to begin beer sales in late November.

Sheetz was a strong advocate for selling booze at places such as gas stations leading up to state liquor law reform in 2016. It already sells beer at 108 locations in Pennsylvania and in five other states.

— JON O’CONNELL

MARRIAGE LICENSES

• Linda Hood, Clarks Summit, and Benjamin Ward Clark, Waverly Twp.

• Lewis Dewitt Davis and Natalie J. McCloe, both of Scranton.

• Joseph C. Lesnefsky and Raven Henderson, both of Scranton.

• Jose Castro-Baez, South Richmond Hill, N.Y., and Jevina Sookram, Jamaica, N.Y.

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

• David P. and Ellen Rudis, Pittston, to Tina M. Puffenberger, Clarks Summit; two parcels in Clarks Summit for $162,800.

• Reza and Wanda D. Nikain, Belle Mead, N.J., to Thomas and Christel R. Gillette, Jefferson Twp.; a property at Cortez Road, Jefferson Twp., for $175,000.

• Michele and William Drazdowski to Michael J. and Casey A. Vescovi; a property at 2305 N. Washington Ave., Scranton, for $212,000.

• Anthony and Madeline Delgado Antell to Kimberly Pregnar-Wilson; a property at 1026 Sleepy Hollow Road, Clarks Summit, for $326,500.

• Janet M. and Karen R. Tigue, co-executrixes of the estate of Vivienne W. Yaggi, Scranton, to Melissa A. Palmer, Scranton; a property at 1230 S. Irving Ave., Scranton, for $45,000.

• Michael A. and Donna M. Lucas to Collin Ferguson and Laura Ferraro; a property in Jefferson Twp. for $265,000.

• 3900 LLC, Baltimore, to Idle Hour Realty Inc., Scranton; a property in Dickson City for $200,000.

• Raymond M. and Eileen M. Blasi, Dunmore, to Kenneth D. Cruser, Scranton; a property at 817 Newton Road, Ransom Twp., for $45,000.

• Marianne Gambucci, Olyphant, to Christine F. Parise, Scranton; a property at 1630 Myrtle St., Scranton, for $90,100.

• Christina M. Ryan, now by marriage Christina M. Lukowski, and Kyle D. Lukowski, Peckville, to Taylir D. Korjeski and Jonathan E. Killiany, Archbald; a property at 754 Crystal St., Blakely, for $225,000.

• Kim M. Spaulding, Dalton, to John Conklin, Dalton; a property at 20 Waterford Village Drive, Unit 16, Glenburn Twp., for $175,000.

• Barbara Smith to Luigi and Kim Marie Spagnuolo; a property at Eagle Lake Drive, Covington Twp., for $64,000.

• The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Washington, D.C., to Carmine Gerard and Linda Lee Saita, Scranton; a property at 505 Greenbush St., Scranton, for $76,780.

ESTATES FILED

• Vincent Charles Mecca, 109 Varhley St., Dunmore, letters testamentary to Charles Mecca, 423 Smith St., Dunmore.

• Timothy P. McGoff, 2147 Brick Ave., Scranton, letters of administration to Trena R. McGoff, same address.

• Irene Zuchlewski, also known as Irene Amelia Zuchlewski, 808 Marion Lane, Moosic, letters testamentary to Alice Kovalski, same address.

• New Alan Lane, 21 Moosic St., Moosic, letters testamentary to Lori Ann Lane, same address.

ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/courts

­­­­­Welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Playlist where members of the Times-Tribune staff submit their music picks base on a theme.

This week's theme is Pennsylvania Musicians.

Enjoy:

Mac Miller - Wake Up
Patrice Wilding

My old roommate introduced me to Mac Miller via this incredibly catchy album ("Best Day Ever"). We used to play this song loudly between our two rooms while getting ready for a fun night out, dancing down the hall to pass off the can of good hairspray or looking to borrow a pair of shoes between each other.



Todd Rundgren - I Saw the Light
Jim Haggerty

Rudgren is from Philadlelphia and this hit is from 1972's Something/Anything, probably his best release.



Tommy Genova - The Lover
Patrick McKenna

Enough said



Art Blakey - Moanin
John Cole

Pittsburgh native Art Blakey was a jazz legend, not only for the bluesy and lyrical sounds he and his ensembles created, but also for the numbers of young jazz musicians who got their starts with the Jazz Messengers. This particular cut features Lee Morgan on trumpet and Benny Golson on sax.



MewithoutYou - Red Cow
Jon O'Connell

MewithoutYou are one of my all-time favorite bands, and they're from Philadelphia. "Red Cow" is a great track from the 2015 album "Pale Horses" that teases sounds from much earlier records. It's dynamically invigorating with sudden, screaming hooks that drop into quiet verses filled with vivid storytelling.



The Original Sins - Why You Love Me So
Ted Baird

These guys were from Bethlehem, were fairly successful and totally rock. They still play shows together sometimes, but frontman JT has a great catalog of albums under the name Brother JT.He just had a new one earlier this year. I've also had the great pleasure of working with organist Dan Mckinney at his recording studio.. great musician, engineer and all around good guy



The Menzingers - Bad Catholics
Erin Nissley

Not only are they a Pennsylvania band, they're a Scranton band that's made it big. Check out the Scranton references in the song AND in the video, which takes place at an event that would be familiar to any NEPA native: the church picnic.



Ron Gallo - Young Lady, You're Scaring Me
Erin Nissley

Formerly of Philly-based Toy Soldiers, Gallo has struck out on his own with growly guitar licks and witty lyrics. I listened to this all summer long.



The Dead Milkmen - Punk Rock Girl
Frank Wilkes Lesnefsky

Based out of Philadelphia, the Dead Milkmen are one of the most iconic punk bands to come from Pennsylvania, and Punk Rock Girl is one of, if not their most well-known song.



Glocca Morra - Broken Cigarettes
Joe Kohut

Long live emo revival from Philly!



The Miller Brothers and Pretzel City Cheer Band - Fly Eagles Fly
Caitlin Heaney West

Wait, was this not what you meant?



Taylor Swift - Shake It Off
Caitlin Heaney West

I have to go with my fellow Berks County native, T Swift, and her ridiculously catchy song that even my baby son thought was a hit.



Stanky & his Pennsylvania Coal Miners Polka Band - Who Likes Pierogies?
Jim Lockwood

I like pierogies.



Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - Do You Wanna Touch Me
Chad Sebring

It's Joan Friggin' Jett!



Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers - I'm not your man
Ed Pikulski

Tommy Conwell was part of the Philadelphia music explosion of the 1980's and is still worth seeing live to this day!

Ween - Transdermal Celebration
Joe Healey

Sprouted from the demon-god Boognish and hailing from New Hope, Pa., it's Ween. I've been a fan of Dean and Gene Ween for years and this track has a cool fan-produced video.



Christina Aguilera - Genie in a Bottle
Gia Mazur

This was a tough choice because I am a pretty big Xtina (who grew up outside of Pittsburgh) fan. I could have picked something from the "Stripped" era or one from the most underrated musical movie masterpiece in history, "Burlesque," but I decided to go with her first hit. Maybe it's the way her vocals sound so dark but hold so much power behind them or maybe it's the double-bass drum beat (usually reserved for hardcore songs) during the song. I think it's really about the cool late-'90s look of the video. I remember being a little girl and idolizing pop stars like Christina. All I wanted was to be blonde with a cool halter top and orange cargo pants to look like her in this video. I grew up and kind of got my wish, sans orange cargo pants. Dreams do come true.

Nina Simone - I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free
Joe Butkiewicz

Nina Simone moved to Philadelphia but was denied admission to the Curtis Institute - she says because of racial discrimination.  Simone persevered and found success and fame. She crossed musical genres; she could be fiery on stage. Look for "Mississippi God Damn." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBiAtwQZnHs)

 

SCRANTON — A discussion on health insurance costs and county employees’ health care contributions dominated a Lackawanna County budget hearing Thursday morning.

Held at the county administration building downtown, the first of the day’s four public hearings saw commissioners solicit feedback on the $126.6 million tentative 2019 budget they unveiled last month. The budget, which officials described as a “work in progress,” includes a roughly $2.05 million general fund operating deficit that would shrink the county’s projected surplus from about $27.06 million to about $25.02 million by the end of 2019.

Following a reading of the county’s 2019 budget message, city resident Joan Hodowantiz, one of the only members of the public to attend the hearing, presented a spreadsheet comparing the cost of health insurance and other benefits with budgeted salaries in county departments. The tentative spending plan, for example, budgets $369,943 for salaries in the recorder of deeds office and $152,833 for health insurance for employees in that office.

Hodowantiz provided several similar examples to show that health insurance costs represent a significant expense for county taxpayers.

County Chief Financial Officer Tom Durkin explained that the monthly cost of providing health insurance ranges from about $700 to $2,700 per county employee. County employees contribute $60 per month for individual health insurance coverage and $120 per month for anything more, such as employee and spouse or full-family coverage, Durkin said.

Calling that arrangement “very generous” to employees, Hodowantiz said the county may need a “reality check.”

“The private sector is nowhere near that generous,” she said. “I think we need a reality check here. You’ve got to have priorities of what you can afford to fund and what you can’t afford to fund, and there may be more urgent requirements for these 214,000 citizens of the county.”

Durkin didn’t disagree, but noted the difficulty in negotiating both wage increases and health insurance contribution rates with the unions that represent about 800 county employees.

Commissioner Laureen Cummings said she doesn’t believe employees contribute enough to their health insurance. She has voted against approving union contracts in part because they included no change in employee health insurance premiums, she said.

County Risk Management Director Richard Jones also spoke at the hearing and presented a different perspective, arguing county employees are generally paid less than their private-sector counterparts.

“Prior to 11 years ago I worked in the private sector,” Jones said. “I paid more for my health care, but I had a much higher salary. ... We can attack one particular item in the budget, but our county employees are not paid a king’s ransom, and they work here because they get good benefits. And they are dedicated to providing service to the residents of the county.”

Lackawanna County plans to introduce the 2019 budget for first reading Wednesday. A vote approving it could take place as early as Nov. 21.

Commissioners conducted three other sparsely attended budget hearings Thursday in Madison Twp., Covington Twp. and Clarks Green.

Contact the writer:
jhorvath@timesshamrock.com;
570-348-9141;
@jhorvathTT on Twitter

Commissioner: County may allocate $500K to employees’ pension fund

County officials have yet to include a contribution to the county employees’ pension fund in the tentative 2019 budget, but Commissioner Patrick O’Malley said Thursday that officials at a recent budget meeting discussed allocating $500,000 for the fund next year.

It would mark the first time since 2016 that the county made a pension contribution. It contributed $600,000 that year.

“Compared to other municipalities and even the state, our pension is in very, very good shape,” O’Malley said.

If a $500,000 pension contribution is added to the budget absent other changes, the county’s 2019 operating deficit would grow from about $2.05 million to $2.55 million. That would shrink the county’s projected surplus from about $27.06 million to $24.51 million by the end of next year.

— JEFF HORVATH

A Milford man pleaded guilty Thursday to killing his 17-year-old girlfriend in 2016, a case that sparked a weeks-long search for the teen that ended when her burned remains were discovered on a farm.

Sky McDonough, 27, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, interference with the custody of children, escape, resisting arrest and corruption of minors related to the death of Leanna Walker, Pike County District Attorney Ray Tonkin said. McDonough entered the guilty plea before President Judge Gregory H. Chelak. A sentencing date has not been set.

“I think the plea was in accordance with the evidence,” McDonough’s attorney, Michael Weinstein, said.

Leanna went missing in April 2016, after her brother saw her and McDonough leave her family’s Milford home together. The pair camped out at several locations for about a week, including a llama farm where McDonough previously worked.

Milford police arrested McDonough on a burglary warrant from New Jersey about a week after Leanna was last seen.

McDonough, then a person of interest in her disappearance, took authorities to a campsite at which he said he and Leanna stayed. After leading authorities in circles, he escaped from police custody but was found a day later near the farm.

Police later found Leanna’s remains at the site.

Leanna and McDonough met through one of Leanna’s classmates at Delaware Valley High School, and they dated from the beginning of 2016 until her disappearance. Leanna’s mother told police McDonough stayed at their home for two or three weeks during that time. He grew possessive and didn’t want her around other boys, police said. She left Delaware Valley and started cyberschool. Family members said McDonough viewed Leanna as his “wife.”

At the time of McDonough’s initial arrest, Leanna’s family described him as a mercurial and occasionally violent man who held “bizarre religious views” and a possessive attitude. Search warrants executed on Leanna’s Facebook account yielded glimpses of conversations in which Leanna wrote that McDonough had threatened and hit her.

A former co-worker of McDonough, David Decker, told police during an interview that McDonough often said that if a man’s wife ever left him, the man should kill her — and that if Leanna ever tried to leave him, he would kill her and burn the body to cover up the smell, according to court documents.

Contact the writer:

cover@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5363;

@ClaytonOver on Twitter

DICKSON CITY — A Scranton man faces aggravated assault, terroristic threats and reckless endangerment charges after police say he attempted to stab several people outside a bar early Thursday.

Shane Lysak, 31, 1820 Washburn St., began arguing with several customers in Legends Saloon and was asked to leave the bar after he threatened to stab them.

When the other people left the bar one hour later, Lysak was hiding outside, according to the criminal complaint. He began to swing a metal tool at them, and they were able to detain him until police arrived.

Unable to post $25,000 bail, Lysak was remanded to Lackawanna County Prison.

— SARAH HOFIUS HALL

CARBONDALE — When Dion Snell’s mother asked him to stop kicking her dog, he pushed her and caused her to fall into the corner of a table, according to a criminal complaint.

Snell, of 9 Jeffrey St., Carbondale, age unavailable, faces cruelty to animals, drug possession, simple assault and harassment charges. Police arrived at Snell’s home Wednesday night and found his mother, Karina Aruila, with a laceration on the side of her head. Police said Snell appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance and found marijuana and drug paraphernalia in his room.

After arraignment Thursday morning, he was sent to Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $20,000 bail.

— SARAH HOFIUS HALL

SCRANTON — An expert who reviewed blood-pattern evidence in the Jason Dominick homicide case testified Thursday it alone cannot point to who fired the shot that killed Frank Bonacci five years ago.

Bloodstain-pattern analyst Stuart H. James testified for more than two hours at a Lackawanna County Court hearing for Dominick, 28, of Scranton, who is seeking to overturn his conviction for third-degree murder and conspiracy in Bonacci’s death.

At their separate trials, Dominick and co-defendant Neil Pal accused each other of shooting Bonacci, 24, of Dunmore, in the head as they rode in the victim’s SUV with Pal driving on July 20, 2013.

James testified he could not corroborate Dominick’s claim that Pal shot Bonacci, but he also told Judge Terrence R. Nealon he does not believe there is sufficient blood-pattern evidence to draw a firm conclusion, as prosecutors contend, that Dominick fired the fatal shot from the rear passenger seat of the SUV.

Under questioning by Dominick’s attorney, Terrence McDonald, James said his evaluation of the evidence determined the shot could have come from the driver’s seat or from the back seat.

“I cannot consider one more likely than the other. … There is just not enough data there to say,” James said.

Dominick, who was convicted in May 2014 and sentenced to 40 to 80 years in prison, is seeking a new trial under the Post Conviction Relief Act based on ineffective assistance of counsel.

McDonald, appointed by the court to handle the appeal, raised more than a dozen issues for the court to review. Most of those were argued at a hearing in October 2017, after which Nealon granted Dominick’s request to have an independent expert evaluate the blood-pattern evidence.

James testified it is impossible to do a complete reconstruction of the shooting because there was no exit wound, among other factors, that could have provided clearer evidence of Bonacci and the gunman’s positions when the deadly shot was fired.

He questioned the testimony of prosecution experts at Dominick’s trial that blood-pattern evidence showed the gunshot came from the rear.

“This is not a bloodstain-pattern case, in my opinion,” he said.

Under cross-examination by Deputy District Attorney Brian Gallagher, James reiterated he could not determine whether Dominick or Pal was more likely to have shot Bonacci. He could neither confirm nor refute the commonwealth’s theory that Dominick pulled the trigger, he said.

Dominick participated in the hearing by video conference from the State Correctional Institution at Fayette. He sat quietly throughout most of the proceeding, responding only when asked questions by the judge or his attorney.

Pal, also 28, of Scranton, was convicted of first-degree murder in 2014, and sentenced to life imprisonment. He is an inmate at SCI Greene, according to the state Department of Corrections website.

Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9132

TAMAQUA, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania school board has become the first in the state to pass a policy allowing teachers and other employees to carry firearms.

The Tamaqua Area School District passed the policy in a unanimous vote last month, receiving pushback from both parents and members of the teachers' union.

The policy would allow staffers to carry handguns in holsters on their bodies. The staff members would be required to complete firearms training and lethal weapons training.

In a separate vote, the board passed a policy allowing a $2,000 yearly stipend and $250,000 insurance to employees who sign up.

Frank Wenzel, head of the teachers' union, says the majority of teachers are against the policy.

The board will hold a special meeting to hear alternative proposals Nov. 7.
 

SCRANTON — Lackawanna County detectives today charged a Scranton man with selling $250 worth of crack in an alley behind a South Side grocery store and in a West Side neighborhood.

Stephen R. Little, 26, 449 Hitchcock Court, sold crack and marijuana during two controlled purchases Thursday and today, according to a complaint charging him with drug crimes.

The Thursday deal happened near the intersection of North Garfield Avenue and Pettibone Street. Today's deal happened behind the Meadow Avenue Gerrity’s Supermarket.

Little claimed the crack was crushed Tylenol once he was arrested. The drugs were sent to a state police laboratory for testing.

Little was jailed on $100,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled Nov. 15.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

SCRANTON — A man who withdrew his guilty plea to killing a Scranton woman by pushing her into the Lackawanna River will head to trial next year.

Lackawanna County Judge Andy Jarbola set a Feb. 19 trial date for Ryan M. Taylor, 26, during a pretrial conference today with prosecution and defense attorneys.

Taylor, who is listed as homeless in court documents, is charged with criminal homicide in the Feb. 28, 2017, death of Danee L. Mower.

An autopsy found Mower died from the combined effects of hypothermia and drowning after city police investigators say Taylor pushed the 28-year-old woman into the Lackawanna near West Olive Street during an argument.

Taylor pleaded guilty to third-degree murder May 1 and was scheduled for sentencing July 31.

However, before his sentencing date, Taylor told his attorney, Matthew Comerford, that he was innocent of the crime and wished to withdraw his guilty plea, according to court documents.

Comerford filed a motion to withdraw the plea on Taylor’s behalf in September, arguing there is a “substantial question” whether the facts alleged by prosecutors are sufficient to meet the definition of malice, which is necessary for a third-degree murder conviction.

Even if jurors were to accept the prosecution account as fact, the jury could still find the killing was accidental or that Taylor is guilty of a lesser charge such as involuntary manslaughter, Comerford said.

Jarbola agreed on Sept. 28 to allow Taylor to withdraw his guilty plea.

The defendant remains in the county jail without bail while awaiting trial.

Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9132

FACTORYVILLE

A former Lackawanna Trail High School student whom police say pointed an air-powered handgun at a Factoryville community center pleaded guilty to criminal attempt to commit simple assault.

Brian M. Peterson, 19, Nicholson, originally faced charges of risking catastrophe and terroristic threats for the March incident.

Peterson had been riding his bicycle on College Avenue in Factoryville, when he stopped, took off a Spiderman mask, pulled a black handgun from a holster on his pants and point the gun, according to court records.

Judge Shurtleff said the misdemeanor charge Peterson admitted to carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

He has been in the Wyoming County jail since his arrest in March.

He will be sentenced at a later date.

— ROBERT L. BAKER

A Dallas man is accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl last year.

Moosic police charged Austin Knight, 29, 215 Huntsville Road, with aggravated indecent assault, sexual assault, indecent assault and unlawful contact with a minor stemming from incidents that happened at a borough home between October and December.

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

The girl and her mother reported the assaults to borough police in January. The girl told investigators she met Knight at a Wilkes-Barre-area skating rink sometime last year and they started up a friendship. About three weeks to a month after they met, the girl told police she and Knight attended a haunted house together last Halloween and afterward, he inappropriately touched her at a Moosic home, according to court documents.

The girl told investigators Knight forced himself on her and sexually assaulted her on another occasion after she told him no and tried to push him away, according to court documents.

Officers took DNA samples from the scene of the sexual assault and took a DNA sample from Knight, police said. Testing at a state police laboratory determined the DNA profiles matched, according to court documents.

Magisterial District Judge Terrence Gallagher arraigned Knight on Thursday and set bail at $25,000. Knight is free after posting bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

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GIBSON TWP. — A New Milford man died after he hit a tree with his car on Wednesday, state police said.

Nathan Grover, 29, drove a vehicle northbound along state Route 2067 at about 3:20 p.m. when he lost control on a right curve and drove off the left side of the roadway, striking a tree, state police said. County Coroner Anthony Conarton declared him dead at the scene, troopers said.

A passenger, Kyle Franchak, 24, of Kingsley, suffered injuries of unknown severity, troopers said.

— CLAYTON OVER

SCRANTON — With only one week to prepare for her wedding, Moscow resident Aubrey Noon had no time to worry.

The 22-year-old married her fiancé, Jimmy Hasselbrock, 23, at a pop-up wedding during Scranton’s First Friday at the Electric City Bakehouse.

“I think it’s nice because you don’t have any time to stress about things like you would if you had a year or two to plan,” she said.

She and Hasselbrock met in second grade and began dating in eighth grade, she said.

When Noon entered the bakery’s online contest late last month for an all-expenses-paid wedding, she didn’t really expect to win. About 20 couples entered the contest.

“I was really, really shocked that we made it to the top three — let alone won,” she said.

After garnering 1,600 votes in the contest, the couple stood on a small stage at the Penn Avenue bakery Friday to say “I do” as their friends, family and 14-month-old daughter, Avery, looked on.

Just as the bride walked into the bakery, though, a fire alarm brought the festivities to a blaring halt. Scranton Mayor Bill Courtright, who officiated the wedding, believed it could have been caused by tape placed over the alarm.

“Unexpected things happen, and you just got to roll with them and deal with it,” Noon said as she waited for someone to silence the false alarm.

Eventually, the alarm was turned off and the bride and groom made their way into the shop, led by their daughter.

After the ceremony, tears streamed down Hasselbrock’s face as he celebrated with his loved ones.

“(I feel) pretty overwhelmed with a lot of love by my friends and family,” he said.

The masquerade-themed ceremony was the bakery’s second pop-up wedding, shop owner Michelle Cadden said.

For their first pop-up wedding last year, they planned everything in about four days, Cadden said. This time, they spent two months planning. About 40 vendors participated, donating everything from food and wine to the wedding dress, she said.

“I hope it means the world to them,” Cadden said. “It’s for all the vendors to gather together and throw a really great event, but at the end of the day, it’s still their wedding day. We just hope it’s everything they could’ve dreamed of.”

Noon “couldn’t hope for something more than this,” she said, explaining that the support from so many area businesses “shows that you can shop local.”

Kelli Bray of Gouldsboro fought back tears as she held Avery and watched her best friend become Mrs. Hasselbrock.

“Avery means the world to me, so to be able to hold her at her mom and dad’s wedding is something I’ll remember forever, and I hope that she remembers for the rest of her life,” she said, calling the wedding “a true blessing.”

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flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com;

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SCRANTON

Trash and recycling pickup will be a day behind next week in Scranton due to the midterm elections, the city’s Department of Public Works said.

Election Day is one of 11 holidays observed by the DPW. When those holidays fall during the workweek, pickup is a day behind.

Election Day is Tuesday. Polls open at 7 a.m.

— JOSEPH KOHUT