A Pittston Area School District teacher could face charges after Scranton police arrested her at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade — making her the eighth area teacher in the past month accused of misconduct.

Scranton police Capt. Dennis Lukasewicz said Tia Biscotti, a Pittston Area teacher, was arrested for possession of a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia during routine checks of the parade area on Saturday, March 12.

Ms. Biscotti, 30, of Dupont, is listed on the district’s website as a third-grade teacher at the Pittston City Intermediate Center.

Charges have not yet been filed against Ms. Biscotti. Action is pending approval by the Lackawanna County district attorney’s office, Capt. Lukasewicz said Thursday.

District Superintendent Kevin Booth was not available for comment Thursday, but school board President Kent Bratlee confirmed Ms. Biscotti’s status as a teacher in the district.

Records show Ms. Biscotti is in her sixth year teaching in the district. A current figure was not available as of press time, but her salary in 2013-14 was $40,450.

Ms. Biscotti did not return requests for comment.

Seven other area teachers have been accused of misconduct within the past month.

Just this week, the Pittston Area School District hired a former Luzerne County judge as special counsel for an employee-termination proceeding. The employee in question was suspended without pay earlier this month, and sources familiar with the allegations identified the teacher as Colleen McGarry. Sources allege Ms. McGarry had an inappropriate relationship with a student.

Wilkes-Barre Area School District officials suspended five GAR Junior Senior High School teachers three weeks ago for violating the district’s alcohol consumption policy while working as chaperones at a school dance. Sources said the teachers allegedly drank alcohol before and during a school dance four weeks ago.

Wilkes-Barre Area also suspended a Dodson Elementary School teacher with pay for allegedly violating the alcohol consumption policy. The teacher, indicated in police reports as Chris Gray, was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after a motor-vehicle crash late Wednesday.

Contact the writers:

sscinto@citizensvoice.com,

@sscintoCV on Twitter;

mbuffer@citizensvoice.com,

@cvmikebuffer on Twitter

DICKSON CITY — Michael McGraw’s late father first took him to the Friendly Sons dinner, and on Tuesday it was time to show his own son, 17-year-old Matthew, what all the fuss is about.

Sporting stiff tuxedos, the two attended the 111th annual Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Lackawanna County dinner together Thursday, a raucous party in Genetti Manor, Dickson City, where more than 1,000 men, Irish and otherwise, packed the house for a night of booze-facilitated revelry.

Mr. McGraw’s great uncle, Thomas Gilmartin, had attended the very first Friendly Sons banquet over a century ago, he said, and the dinner has been a family tradition ever since.

Now the banquet has become a symbol for “the Irish heritage, tradition, to teach my kids the respect that we have for hard work and where we came from,” Mr. McGraw said. “I mean, they came from nothing.”

He explained that his own great-grandfather could neither read nor write but worked hard. His father, Joseph McGraw, went to Georgetown University law school and became a successful attorney.

In usual fashion, the banquet drew on the who’s who of Pennsylvania, with former and current state and local politicians and prominent businessmen filling the double-tiered head table and flowing out into the banquet hall.

Clarks Summit dentist Joseph T. Kelly Jr., D.M.D., summoned deep belly laughs when, as toastmaster, he turned his speech into a well-intentioned roast.

He pulled no punches when making light of serious subjects like the ongoing state budget stalemate in Harrisburg and legally embattled Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane, who was attending the Society of Irish Women’s dinner in Scranton. He poked fun at the region’s reputation for keeping it all in the family when explaining how his brother, Friendly Sons President Christopher M. Kelly, chose him as toastmaster over others.

“In the long-standing Scranton tradition of nepotism, Chris selected his brother over clearly better candidates,” he said. The room erupted in laughter.

Christopher Kelly awarded Monsignor Joseph Kelly (no relation), retiring executive director of Catholic Social Services, with the annual President’s Award for his long-standing commitment to caring for the region’s poor.

The evening’s guest speakers included University of Scranton chaplain the Rev. Richard G. Malloy, Ph.D., and Irish writer Alphonsus Joseph “Alphie” McCourt.

“I’m a visitor, but there’s something about Scranton that makes it feel like home,” said the evening’s guest speaker, Brian O’Malley, president of Domino Sugar maker Domino Foods Inc. and son of a poor Irish immigrant farmer.

He described growing up in an Irish Catholic household where there were more children than available beds and a stern mother who always knew what you were up to.

“You had everything you needed and some of what you wanted, and for no specific reason you always felt guilty about something,” he said.

Contact the writer:

joconnell@timesshamrock.com,

@jon_oc on Twitter

Abingtons

Easter breakfast: Knights of Columbus Abington Council 6611 Easter breakfast, Sunday, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., St. Patrick’s Church hall, Nicholson, all-you-can-eat buffet, $4/children, $8/adults, $20/family of four; Easter egg hunt for children.

Beach Lake

Church events: Beach Lake United Methodist Church Kids’ Easter Fun Day, ages 3-11, Saturday, 9 a.m. registration, 10:30 a.m. dismissal; games, Bible stories, crafts, snacks, Easter egg hunt; fair trade sampling weekend, Saturday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Sunday, 7 a.m.-2 p.m., equal exchange products: coffee, tea, chocolate, snack foods, foil wrapped chocolate eggs; fairly traded, many organic; free Community Easter luncheon, Saturday, noon; all events at 7 Milanville Road (across from the Beach Lake Fire Hall); 570-729-7011 or beachlakeumc.com.

Childs

Gun raffle: Meredith Hose Company gun raffle, Saturday, 5-9:30 p.m., gun or cash prize option, tickets, $20, food, refreshments included, 325 tickets sold; 570-282-3102.

East Benton

Chicken barbecue: East Benton United Methodist Church takeout only spring chicken barbecue, April 9, 4-6 p.m., 170 Jordan Hollow Road; $9/dinner, $6/half chicken only; 570-983-8951.

Fleetville

Bunny breakfast: Fleetville Fire Company breakfast with the Easter Bunny, March 26, 9 a.m., fire house, Route 407, $6/adults, free/under 10, Lions Club egg hunt follows.

Hawley

Earth fest: Third annual Hawley Earth Fest weekend, April 22-24, throughout borough; www.hawle

yearthfest.com.

Jessup

Meat spin: Jessup VFW Post 5544 Easter ham, turkey, spare ribs, kielbasi and slab bacon raffle, Sunday, 2 p.m., post home, 205 Dolph St.; 50/50 chances, basket raffle; food.

Lackawanna County

Open house: Grand Army of the Republic Civil War Museum open house, Saturday, noon-3 p.m., Scranton City Hall, side ADA entrance on Mulberry Street; 570-606-1014.

Fashion luncheon: Dress for Success Lackawanna annual luncheon and fashion show, March 23, 11:45 a.m.; 570-941-0339, at http://conta.cc/1OSV7Sk.

International dinner: St. Mary’s International Dinner Club presents “Italy,” April 14, 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. seatings, 320 Mifflin Ave., Scranton; $20, cash bar available; 570-343-5151 by April 11.

Anniversary event: Commem­oration of the 100th Anniversary of the Easter Rising, March 28, 6:30 p.m., Lackawanna County Courthouse Square, proclamation of the Irish Republic read by Past President Judge Thomas J. Munley; Pipers, Gallagher School of Irish Dance.

Mayfield

Watch events: Mayfield Crime Watch suspicious activity/problem, elderly need reports anonymous drop box available, borough building, 739 Penn Ave.; drop non-perishable donations; Mayfield Crime Watch meeting, March 30, 7 p.m., Borough Building.

North Pocono

School play: North Pocono High School presents ​“Lucky Stiff,” April 1 and 2, 7 p.m., auditorium, $10/adults and $7/senior citizens and students; dinner theater, March 31, for community members 55 years of age or older, 5 p.m. dinner and 6 p.m. show; 570-842-7606.

Regional

Free forum: SEEDS (Sustainable Energy Education & Develop­ment Support) free forum, Edible Yards, March 29, 7-9 p.m., Park Street Complex, 648 Park St., Honesdale, growing healthy food, raising chickens, foraging, growing fruit trees, beekeeping, Q&A Audubon Society/Master Gardeners, bring seeds for swap; baked goods and refreshments, door prizes; www.seedsgroup.net.

Scranton

AARP meeting: AARP Chapter 3731 meeting, April 4, 1:30 p.m., Keyser Valley Community Center, 101 N. Keyser Ave., Griffin Pond Animal Shelter collection; guest speaker: Fran Tartella, Anthracite Heritage Museum.

Wayne County

Benefit concert: Float the Boat benefit concert, April 8, 7-9 p.m., the Cooperage, 1030 Main St., Honesdale, $15/suggested donation.

West Scranton

School musical: West Scranton High School presents “Young Frankenstein,” April 15-16, 7 p.m., and April 17, 2 p.m., high school; $10/adults and $8/students; 570-348-3616.

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.

A son of Irish immigrants, the second bishop of Scranton strived to grow his diocese and keep it together as dissident parishioners threatened to pull it apart. Under Bishop Michael J. Hoban’s leadership from 1899 to 1926, the diocese expanded its number of churches, priests, sisters and parochial schools, but his handling of ethnic strife was perhaps his greatest achievement.

Shut out of the Irish-German church hierarchy, Polish Catholics felt they were treated as second-class citizens. They could not own the churches they built and were ordered to cease teaching Polish language and culture in parish schools. The resulting “schism” resulted in the founding of the Polish National Catholic Church, but Bishop Hoban was praised for reaching out to Poles to ease tensions.

Bishop Hoban’s peacemaking skills extended to labor disputes. He was a figure in the Great Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902 when President Theodore Roosevelt intervened. Bishop Hoban died in 1926 at age 73.

— CHRIS KELLY

BERWICK — State police say a 78-year-old nun was caught shoplifting $23 worth of coffee, snacks and toiletries from a central Pennsylvania store.

Troopers say Sister Agnes Pennino was seen taking the items from the Surplus Outlet near Berwick on Monday afternoon.

WNEP-TV reported police determined the woman captured on surveillance video was the nun who lived about 20 miles away at a convent in Danville.

The station said SS. Cyril and Methodius Convent officials declined to comment. Nobody answered the phone at the convent Thursday morning.

Shoplifting is a summary offense, akin to a traffic ticket, meaning the nun will likely pay a fine if she’s convicted.

Store manager Zane Kishbach says he “couldn’t believe it that a nun would actually do something like that.”

EFFORT — A coroner says three people have been killed in a two-car crash in eastern Pennsylvania.

And state police say the scene of the crash — Route 115 near Effort — will remain closed while police examine the scene and remove the wreckage.

Names of the victims have not been released and police have yet to determine what caused the crash about 1:30 a.m. Thursday. Two people have also been injured.

The crash happened in Chestnuthill Twp. in Monroe County.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Bob Casey is endorsing Katie McGinty in the four-way Democratic primary to determine who will face first-term Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey.

Pennsylvania's senior senator and fellow Democrat says "McGinty will fight tirelessly for Pennsylvania families, and I'm proud to endorse her."

Braddock Mayor John Fetterman, Joe Vodvarka, and Joe Sestak — a former congressman who Toomey defeated for the Senate seat in 2010 — are the others running for the Democratic nomination.

Sestak says Casey's endorsement "completes an all-inclusive rejection by Washington DC's and Pennsylvania Democratic politicians of what I believe in and stand for."

McGinty was secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under former Gov. Ed Rendell and briefly served as Gov. Tom Wolf's chief of staff before resigning to run for the Senate.

Scranton firefighters battled with two fires this morning.

A fire around 9 a.m. on Fordham Court in the Pine Brook section of the city caused little damage, but displaced two families and eight people. The American Red Cross is providing emergency assistance for lodging, food and clothing.

The Red Cross reported its volunteer team has now moved to the second fire in the city, called around 10 a.m., along North Bromley Avenue, to provide emergency assistance as well. The Red Cross said in a statement they are still assessing people affected by the second fire.

LA PLUME TWP. — Nearly all of the 34 high school students raised their hands Friday when U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright asked who among them are poor standardized test-takers.

The 17th District Democrat posed the question to students from 11 area schools assembled in a Keystone College classroom during the Youth and Government Forum after Riverside student Cyrena Erfman asked state and federal lawmakers if they are planning reforms.

“Is there anything you are doing to try to change it?” the senior asked. “Some kids may be brilliant but are awful test-takers. They can’t sit still. They can’t focus.”

Along with Mr. Cartwright, the panel discussion — one of several happening simultaneously — included state Sen. John Blake, D-22, Archbald, and state Reps. Sid Michaels Kavulich, D-114, Taylor, Mike Carroll, D-118, Avoca, and Karen Boback, R-117, Harveys Lake.

Miss Erfman, who plans to major in education at the University of Scranton, said she thinks the current system pressures teachers to prepare students for tests rather than truly educating them — and that’s not the kind of teacher she wants to be.

Mr. Carroll said state lawmakers already removed the Keystone exams from the state’s graduation requirements, and minimizing Pennsylvania System of School Assessment exams would be good policy.

Mr. Blake noted the state has to come up with a plan for education after President Barack Obama signed the law replacing the No Child Left Behind Act in December.

Lawmakers also heard from students who worried as the state budget stalemate holds up funding, their target colleges could hike tuition beyond what they can afford, and public schools could shut down before they are able to finish their senior years, disrupting their plans.

“These universities have already said if they don’t get their funding, they’re going to eliminate the in-state discounts. They’re going to hike up tuition,” Lackawanna Trail senior Jacob Furneaux said. “We’re already paying immense amounts for college. We don’t need to pay any more.”

Ms. Boback noted the House approved a spending bill on Wednesday that would fund five state-subsidized universities — a provision Gov. Tom Wolf’s office said he will veto and Mr. Carroll told students he voted against.

“I’m not going to make a decision of which of my children do I love the most,” Mr. Carroll said. “I cannot celebrate — ‘Good news, Penn State got their money plus 5 percent, and Pittston Area is going to shut down.’ ”

The lawmakers were optimistic that the budget battle won’t force public schools to close, because that’s something neither party wants.

“It would be a national disgrace for this commonwealth if any school closed down,” Mr. Blake said. “The CNN people would be here with their microphones in our faces telling us to explain that. It’s not going to happen.”

Contact the writer:

kwind@timesshamrock.com,

@kwindTT on Twitter

NEW MILFORD — About 10 days before Blue Ridge teachers planned to go on strike, union officials announced the date would be pushed back because of progress in negotiations between teachers and the school district.

“The Blue Ridge Education Association and the school board had a very productive and positive bargaining session last night,” said James Maria, PSEA representative, in a statement.

“We are very close to meeting in the middle with our issues and concerns to reach a new contract for the teachers and professionals. We decided to move the strike date back to allow more time for everyone to work together in regards to reaching a new contract that is fair, reasonable and affordable.”

The association was set to strike on March 29, but moved the date to April 25.

— CLAYTON OVER

TAYLOR — U.S. marshals arrested a man Thursday accused of indecent assault of a person younger than 13.

The Plymouth Police Department in Luzerne County issued an arrest warrant for John Lee Parsons, 29, of Scranton, in January, but attempts to find him were not successful. After the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force learned that Mr. Parsons may have been staying in Taylor, members of the force apprehended him at a home in the 100 block of Colan Court at about 2 p.m. Thursday.

Mr. Parsons is being held at Luzerne County Correctional Facility in lieu of $50,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 30.

— CLAYTON OVER

BLAKELY — For preschool teacher Corri Franchetti, coloring is an occupational side effect.

“I would print coloring pages for the younger kids, or a worksheet for the older ones, and I started printing one off for myself, too,” she said.

When the 26-year-old borough resident, who works as a preschool teacher at a local day care, heard about a new coloring program for adults at the Valley Community Library, in the Peckville section of the borough, she jumped at the chance to join “Color Me Calm.”

The program is the brainchild of adult services librarian Michelle Muro, who decided to bring coloring to the library after she experienced the stress relief it can provide, and on the heels of its growing popularity for adults.

Coloring can be relaxing too, she said.

“I personally love coloring; I think it’s a great stress reliever,” Ms. Muro said.

The program kicked off last month. At Tuesday’s session, a small group of five people gathered around a table at the library. Ms. Muro expects the program will grow once word spreads.

As simple as coloring sounds, the coloring pages Ms. Franchetti gives to her students are hardly child’s play. The pages are intricately detailed, such as the rabbit she was coloring Tuesday, which already had required several hours of work.

“Kids can’t be bothered to do something that detailed,” Ms. Franchetti said.

The consensus among the group is that coloring is soothing because it provides a stress-free outlet.

The ability to have control over the apparent chaos of intricate mandalas and paisleys or simpler floral and geometrical designs provides a Zen-like calm that’s a welcome contrast to everyday life, they say.

That sense of calm can be hard to find through other, more conventional relaxation activities, said group member Leah Wasnetsky of Throop.

“TV actually doesn’t help stress relief sometimes,” said Ms. Wasnetsky. “Sometimes you watch a show and it’s exciting and it gets you more anxious than you were when you started.”

The group meets from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month. The library provides the coloring pages and materials; participants also can bring their own materials to share.

For information, call the library at 570-489-1765.

Contact the writer:

iweir@timesshamrock.com

Over 40 years in the state Legislature and particularly as Senate Democratic leader, Sen. Bob Mellow used his power to steer money to projects in the 22nd Senatorial District. He was Northeast Pennsylvania’s ultimate power broker and came to be seen as untouchable by his allies, the media and, most fatefully, himself.

Evidence of Mr. Mellow’s effectiveness as a power broker can be seen throughout the district in developments that once bore his name. Mellow Park, for instance, is now Blakely Borough Recreation Complex. Mr. Mellow’s name was also removed from the Theater at Lackawanna College, the Marywood University Center for Athletics and Wellness and the Family Children’s Campus at Keystone College. His greatest achievement in office was securing $35 million to build the Commonwealth Medical College in Scranton.

Mr. Mellow pleaded guilty in May 2012 to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and filing a bogus tax return. He was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Mr. Mellow is 73.

— CHRIS KELLY

A Scranton High School student is in Lackawanna County Prison, accused of having more than 500 images and videos of child pornography on two cellphones.

Lackawanna County detectives started investigating Kevin Aguilar-Sanchez, 19, 708 S. Webster Ave., Apt/Suite 1, last May, after getting a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that someone using a Google email address had uploaded six images of child porn. A portion of that address included the name “Kevin Aguilar,” according to court documents. Detectives wrote in charging papers that all of the images depicted child pornography. Two of those images depicted pre-pubescent boys and girls engaged in sexual conduct.

Investigators also traced another email address, also including the name “Kevin Aguilar,” used to download similar images to an IP address registered to the Scranton School District.

Authorities contacted the school district and learned Mr. Aguilar-Sanchez was a student at the school. District Attorney Shane Scanlon said it appears as though Mr. Aguilar-Sanchez was using the school’s wireless Internet to download the images on the phones.

Law enforcement officials searched Mr. Aguilar-Sanchez’s home Thursday morning and discovered the phones in his bedroom. Members of the state police Computer Crime Unit analyzed one of the devices at the scene and discovered more than 500 pictures and videos, some of which depicted adults engaged in sex acts with children, according to court documents.

District Superintendent Alexis Kirijan, Ed.D., said Mr. Aguilar-Sanchez was a junior enrolled at the school, but was taken off the rolls following his arrest.

Magisterial District Judge Paul Ware arraigned Mr. Aguilar-Sanchez on more than 20 counts of child pornography-related charges Thursday night and set bail at $50,000. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 23.

Contact the writer: cover@timesshamrock.com, @ClaytonOver on Twitter

Two top members of Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration returned home to Lackawanna County on Friday to drum up support for their boss’s proposed 2016-17 state budget.

Department of Aging Secretary Teresa Osborne, Scranton, and Department of Health Secretary Karen Murphy, Ph.D., Clarks Summit, spoke about the importance of the budget to the work of their agencies to about 30 health care providers and others at Allied Services.

Their remarks came as lawmakers in Harrisburg continue work on a new budget even as they try to resolve the still lingering 2015-16 budget impasse.

“We need the 2016-17 budget to continue our work, and we need Gov. Wolf’s budget,” Dr. Murphy said. “If we don’t ... the answer is cuts. Currently, the Department of Health is 47th in the country in funding for public health.

“I daresay we cannot afford to cut any more from the Department of Health. Instead, we have to invest. The governor’s budget does that.”

The $33.3 billion budget Mr. Wolf proposed in early February would provide funding to combat Pennsylvania’s epidemic of prescription drug and heroin abuse, which Dr. Murphy identified as the “worst public health crisis I have seen since I began my career.”

“We have children dying. We have spouses dying. We have elderly dying from prescription drug abuse,” she said.

Ms. Osborne said the state budget battle could have two distinctly different outcomes.

Under one, state government fulfills its duty to provide essential social and human services to its most vulnerable citizens, including older Pennsylvanians, she said. Under the other, seniors face hardship “by way of significant property taxes at the local level, higher out-of-pocket cost for prescription drugs or waiting lists for home- and community-based services.”

“This budget reflects the core values prioritized by Gov. Wolf, including investments in caregiver services, our pharmaceutical benefits program and investments in our 52 local Area Agencies on Aging to cover the 67 counties of our commonwealth,” Ms. Osborne said.

Older Pennsylvanians who have worked hard to raise their families, build their communities and defend their country in times of crisis deserve to live without fear of losing their homes due to skyrocketing property taxes or going without food or medicines, she said.

“Without a real budget that appropriately funds services for seniors, without the resources to respond, our seniors will not receive the services they need,” she said.

Sen. John Blake, D-22, Archbald, told the group he is optimistic the Legislature will reach an omnibus agreement by June 1 that addresses both last year’s and this year’s budget.

“It’s an aggressive agenda, but I think it’s very possible,” he said.

Contact the writer:

dsingleton@timesshamrock.com

SCRANTON — A man charged with the death of a woman after a crash in Old Forge last year waived his preliminary hearing Friday.

Corey Uhrin, 22, of Old Forge, faces vehicular homicide, DUI and related charges stemming from the crash on Sibley Avenue in August. Mr. Uhrin was behind the wheel of a Ford F-150 that struck a tree, killing 18-year-old Mackenzie Evanusa. Another passenger, a 16-year-old boy, was injured.

Mr. Uhrin is scheduled for a formal arraignment in Lackawanna County Court on April 29. He has been held at Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bail since his arrest in January.

— CLAYTON OVER

BLAKELY — A borough resident was charged with child endangerment and assault after a reported domestic incident Thursday night.

Blakely police arrested John Pickens, 35, 230 Third St., after being called to that address about 9 p.m. Thursday. Mr. Pickens is charged with simple assault, public drunkenness, disorderly conduct and child endangerment charges after witnesses reported he punched a man at the scene and shoved and threatened a female, according to court documents. He had custody of two girls at the time of the incident, according to police.

Mr. Pickens is held in Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $15,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

— CLAYTON OVER

The amount wasn’t much.

In Florida, Bobby Long’s doctor wrote him a prescription in the winter of 2013 to take 5 milligrams of oxycodone four times a day to curb his sudden neck and arm pain. The patient didn’t want to, and the doctor didn’t want him to. Both knew Mr. Long was seven years sober from alcohol and cocaine addiction, but tramadol wasn’t touching the pain.

Mr. Long took the pills sparingly. But by February 2014, he needed discs replaced in his spine and received intravenous pain medication and he “loved how it felt.”

“That is the day the demon of addiction woke up again,” he said.

His story, though perhaps the most personal, was one of several told Friday at Geisinger Community Medical Center during a hearing called by U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey that examined opiate and opioid addiction — and the community’s response — so Congress can craft specific policy proposals.

“It is in every county of Pennsylvania, it is in every geographical area of Pennsylvania, it is in every demographic,” Mr. Toomey said. “It’s urban, it’s suburban, it’s rural.”

The hearing comes on the heels of a bill drafted by Mr. Toomey, the chairman of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care. The bill targets Medicare abuse by preventing beneficiaries from going to multiple doctors and pharmacies to obtain and fill prescriptions for a large amount of pills, which could be abused or diverted to the black market. The bill locks people into a single prescriber and pharmacy upon the discovery of evidence of doctor shopping, much like what Medicaid and commercial insurers already do.

The problem is significant because the number of opioid-addicted seniors has tripled during the last decade. The bill passed the Senate earlier this month.

Worst in history

Mr. Long was one of four witnesses called to testify during the hearing. The others — Margaret Jarvis, M.D., medical director of the Geisinger Health System’s Marworth Treatment Center; Lackawanna County President Judge Michael J. Barrasse; and Eric A. Wright, Pharm.D., a research investigator at Geisinger Health System — each shared very different perspectives of the regionalized impact of a nationwide crisis.

“The current overdose epidemic is the worst in the history of humanity,” Judge Barrasse, who heads the county’s treatment court, said at the hearing Friday. “I’ve never seen devastation as we see today.”

Judge Barrasse stressed that treatment courts should be the foundation of a criminal justice system rather than simply as a part of it. About 80 percent of people jailed are there for drugs or alcohol related crimes. While jail holds them accountable, treatment courts can prevent them from relapsing and repeating the pattern.

“We cannot simply lock up the addicts and expect the underlying disease to vanish,” Judge Barrasse said.

Educating doctors on addiction is key, Dr. Jarvis said. Predicting who is vulnerable to addiction is difficult. Programs that curb doctor shopping, like Mr. Toomey’s bill aims to do with Medicare, will help, she said.

“My colleagues and I received little education on addiction in medical school and the consequence of that is what’s killing more patients than car crashes in this country,” Dr. Jarvis said.

‘Unholy marriage’

A shift occurred in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s when doctors began treating pain more aggressively. But at about the same time, OxyContin, an addictive opioid, received FDA approval. A lot of money went into its marketing. The mixture of good intentions and heavy marketing formed “a rather unholy marriage,” Dr. Jarvis said.

“That changed things a great deal,” Dr. Jarvis said.

During the last 10 years, overdose deaths from prescription drugs tripled while the rate at which pain medications are prescribed quadrupled, Dr. Wright said. At Geisinger, doctors still prescribe opioid pills to manage pain in legitimate cases, but the medications are prescribing lower amounts.

Gregory Thomas, D.O., who specializes in orthopedic trauma, said at the hearing his practice has changed “100 percent” during the last year, reflecting on a statistic that the United States prescribes 80 percent of the world’s narcotics. He now treats patients with a minimum amount of opioid medication.

“Everyone’s perception ... needs to change,” Dr. Thomas said.

Great need

Through more than an hour of testimony, Julian Phillips felt stigmatized.

He agrees that addiction is an issue and that more needs to be done to curb it, but he and many other people have legitimate needs for opioid medications. While living in London in 1982, he dislocated his right ring finger and developed reflex sympathetic dystrophy, a chronic pain condition. After more than 20 surgeries, he’s had the ring finger amputated and any contact with his right arm brings excruciating pain. He lives in the Lehigh Valley as the state’s ambassador to the U.S. Pain Foundation.

“There are people who do need medication and a lot of what you’re doing is great, but a lot of what you’re doing is making me feel like a ... drug addict and I’m not,” Mr. Phillips said. “You talk about medications being an issue, you need to start with alcohol.”

Lost all, again

Alcohol began Mr. Long’s troubles. He started drinking at 13 and turned to other drugs. Cocaine was his “best friend” until he was 30 and he had a criminal record in every one of the numerous jurisdictions he’s lived in across the country. He became sober in 2007 and built a life.

“I was happy, my family came back to my life, my legal problems were solved,” Mr. Long said. “I had the greatest friends I could ever ask for. I was so full of hope and happiness that it still brings a tear to my eye today.”

He moved to Naples, Florida, got married and bought a house. He even built a “white picket fence” around it.

“I wish my story ended there,” Mr. Long said.

When his spine surgery spiraled him into opioid addiction, he drank alcohol and consumed cocaine again. In five months, he lost everything he built during seven years of sobriety.

On Dec. 30, 2014, he checked himself back into Clearbrook Treatment Centers, where he is now a treatment provider in Scranton.

“As much as I wanted to die, I wanted another shot at life a little bit more,” Mr. Long said.

He acknowledged he has a long road ahead for recovery. He suffers from doubt. He has guilt and feels shame. But he also has hope.

“There is a bigger part of me that says I deserve and will have a life beyond my wildest dreams again,” he said.

Contact the writer: jkohut@timesshamrock.com, @jkohutTT on Twitter

Hamlin

Bingo event: Hamlin Fire and Rescue bingo, Sundays beginning April 3 (year round), Wednes­days, May 18-Oct. 19, bingo hall (behind fire hall on hill), doors open, 5 p.m., games start, 6, smoke-free

environment.

Jessup

Annual dinner: Jessup Demo­cratic Organization takeout-only chicken parmesan/pasta dinner by Billy “G” Genovese, April 10, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Caverna, 602 Church St., $12; from any committee member or at the Caverna, 570-489-1888.

Lackawanna County

Basket distribution: Friends of the Poor Easter food basket distribution, Tuesday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., St. Mary’s Center, 320 Mifflin Ave., Scranton, on-site registration.

Craft fair: Prosper drug and alcohol prevention programs spring vendor craft fair, April 2, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Riverside Elementary East School; baskets, door prizes, food, $2/admission; 570-963-6842.

Fashion show: Friends of the Blind 87th annual Helen Keller Day Fashion Show benefiting the Lackawanna Blind Associ­ation, April 3, doors open 11:30 a.m., St. Mary’s Center, 320 Mifflin Ave., Scranton; Ron Leas Big Band, DJ Edwin Velez, hosts: Tom and Noreen Clark, fashions by Tunis Bridal, Small Fryes, Old Navy, Christopher & Banks, Joseph A Banks; $30/adults, $15/10 and under, reservations required; 570-342-7613 or lack

awannablind.org, by March 25.

Porketta sale: Nadine Cenci Marchegiani Foundation porketta sandwich sale, March 26, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Jessup Hose Company 2, 333 Hill St.; $3.50/sandwich, advance orders recommended: Ken, 570-499-1794 or 570-383-0783, or foundation board members.

Midvalley

Planning meeting: Mid-Valley Communities American Cancer Society Relay for Life planning meeting, Sunday, 6 p.m., Dick­son City Municipal Building, 801 Enterprise St., Dickson City; Jack Horvath, 570-489-7834.

Library event: Valley Community Library hosting “Books Appétit,” April 21, 6:30-9:30 p.m., library, 739 River St.; food and drink from area restaurants, raffle baskets and prizes, guest Chef Antonio Sacco, of Pasquale’s Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant, opening summer, Eynon; tickets: $25, at library.

Moosic

Garbage collection: Moosic borough office and Department of Public Works closed Good Fri­day, no grass/brush collections until April 1; 570-457-5480.

Pittston

Movie showing: Pittston Knights of Columbus John F. Kennedy Council 372 showing “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” Sunday, 2 p.m., Knights Home, 55 S. Main St., free.

Regional

Annual breakfast: Penn State Worthington Scranton Alumni Society’s breakfast with the Nittany Lion, April 3, 9 a.m.-noon, View Cafe, Campus Study Learning Center; paw tattoos, coloring books for children, photo opportunities with Nittany Lion; $8/adults, $5/under 12, from members or 570-963-2536.

Hiking event: Lacawac Sanc­tuary Get Outside Hike, today, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., meet at vistor’s parking lot, guided 3-mile hike to the Wallenpaupack shoreline, bring snacks and water bottles, dress for wea­ther, free/members or $5/nonmembers; 570-689-9494 or educator@lacawac.org.

Scranton

Class meeting: Scranton Tech ’62 meeting, Wednesday (change of date), 5 p.m., Sacco’s, Meadow Avenue; Jan, 570-842-6034.

Fish fry: Shiloh Baptist Church fish fry dinner, Friday, noon-6 p.m., 223 William St., $10, takeouts available.

South Scranton

Seniors meet: Young at Heart of South Scranton meeting, Tuesday, 1 p.m., St. Paul of the Cross Parish Center, Prospect Avenue.

Throop

Breakfast buffet: Throop Hose Company 2 all-you-can-eat breakfast, Sunday, 8 a.m.-noon, 206 Boulevard Ave., $7, from members or at door.

Wayne County

Lyme presentation: Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers lyme disease aware­ness presentation, April 21, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Forest City Area Emergency Services Building, 380 Railroad St., Walter Dobushak, D.O., free; Wayne Memorial Public Relations Department, 570-253-8390.

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.

MARRIAGE LICENSES

■ Valerie Janice Igals and Paul Justin McHale, both of Scranton.

■ Bruce Troy Arrowood and Kathleen Marie Gerhard, both of Clarks Summit.

■ Keith Hender and Steph­anie Lee Getz, both of Spring Brook Twp.

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

■ Kathleen Andidora, individually and as executrix for the estate of Donald Loftus aka Donald J. Loftus Jr., Carbondale; Judy Loftus Durkin, Carbondale; Patricia Loftus Jones, Carbon­dale; and Cynthia Loftus Vergari, Mountain Top, to Regina’s Estates LLC, Archbald; a property at 25 Grove St., Carbondale, for $29,500.

■ Bruce E. Barton, with joinder of his spouse, Doreen Bar­ton, both of Scranton, to Ryan M. Kranson and Jill M. Foley, both of Scranton; a property at 100 Kelly Way, Scranton, for $245,000.

■ Marc A. and Karen M. Moore, both of Madison Twp., to Edward and Melinda Roche, both of Scranton; a property at 352 354 Theodore St., Scran­ton, for $98,000.

DIVORCE DECREES

■ Nancy Haines v. Randall Haines.

■ Marie V. Travis v. Richard M. Travis Jr.

■ Carlena Welby v. Raymond Welby.

■ Angela Keating v. Laurence Kress.

■ Michele Traucht v. Duffy Traucht.

■ Joseph T. Felker v. Sarah E. Felker.

■ Danielle Hutchins v. John Dunbar.

ESTATES FILED

■ Michael J. Mancuso aka Michael Mancuso, 77 N. Main St., Carbondale, letters testamentary to Robert Mancuso, 110 Raymond Drive, Jermyn.

■ Bessie M. Stiteler, 100 Catherine Drive, Archbald, letters testamentary to Joann M. Stiteler, same address.

■ Victoria M. Davis, 203 Sturges St., Jessup, letters testamentary to Fay Sobleskie, 704 Hilltop Drive, Jessup.

■ Susan Fleischmann, 465 Venard Road, South Abington Twp., letters testamentary to Howard Fleischmann, 2812 Kersdale Road, Pepper Pike, Ohio; and Carol J. Paulus, 2664 Tacoma Drive, Blakeslee.

■ Alberta Barnes aka Alberta A. Barnes, 610 Hilltop Road, Peckville, letters testamentary to Nancy Barnes, 418 Lafayette St., Hackettstown, N.J.

BENCH WARRANTS

Judge Vito Geroulo has issued the following bench warrants for failure to appear on fines and costs:

■ Christopher Joseph Weiss, 190 Church St., Edwardsville; $1,529.95.

■ Craig DeFelice, 1222 Diamond Ave., Apt. 2, Scranton; $1,443.65.

■ Patrick J. Zawicki, 1295 Mount Cobb Road, Unit C, Jefferson Twp.; $6,742.

■ Sean Michael Smith, 232 Dixon Lane, Factoryville; $3,937.44.

■ Suzanne Wood, 117 Montrose Terrace, Montrose; $1,637.50.

■ Sabrina Dalessandro, 1063 Mount Cobb Road, Jefferson Twp.; $2,110.50.

■ Richard Witkowski, 628 Morgan St., Dickson City; $5,655.

■ Tina Vosburg, 1101 Court­right Lane, East Stroudsburg; $316.

■ Tina Elizabeth Carlucci, 420 Adams Ave., Scranton; $2,977.50.

■ Jason Graham, 924 W. Lackawanna Ave., Scranton; $2,812.

■ William C. Banks, 2127 Pittston Ave., Scranton; $850.50.

ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/courts