SOUTH ABINGTON TWP. — A Dunmore man is free on bail after being arrested following a dispute at a township convenience store.

Daniel Christopher Crecca, 24, of 1719 N. Webster Ave., is charged with simple assault, terroristic threats and recklessly endangering another person. According to a criminal complaint, he got into a dispute at Sheetz on Friday at 9:30 p.m. in which witnesses allege he brandished a knife and threatened to slash a man’s vehicle tires and stab a 3-year-old boy. Mr. Crecca’s vehicle was pulled over later by Dunmore police, who found him in possession of a knife, police said.

Mr. Crecca was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge John Pesota, who set bail at $9,000.

— DAVID FALCHEK

HARRISBURG — Supporters of municipal pension reform are proposing to smooth the way for Scranton’s troubled pension system to come under state management.

The municipal pension legislation would put severely distressed pension plans like those in Scranton and Hazleton under management by the Pennsylvania Municipal Retirement System, a state agency. It would establish different options for Pennsylvania’s 2,600 municipal plans for paid police and firefighters based on a pension plan’s financial health.

A proposed amendment seeks to prevent a spike in Scranton’s full required pension contribution that could burden the city’s finances as it struggles to emerge from Act 47 fiscal distressed status. It would achieve this by gradually reducing the assumed rate of investment return for Scranton’s pension fund — by 0.5 percent every two years — until it reaches the system’s 5.5 percent rate of return.

Otherwise, Scranton would have to reduce its 8 percent rate of return immediately to come under the system, thereby triggering a spike in the city minimum municipal obligation from $17 million to $28 million.

The amendment would apply to severely distressed municipal pensions that are funded at 50 percent or below. In Northeast Pennsylvania, pension plans for Scranton and Hazleton fall in this category, according to the Pennsylvania Employee Retirement Commission. Scranton’s firefighter and police pension funds are funded at 17 percent and 23 percent, respectively. Hazleton’s firefighter and police pension funds are funded at 44 percent and 48 percent, respectively.

The amendment recognizes a state takeover of the Scranton pension plan should be done gradually, Finance Chairman Sen. John Eichelberger, R-30, Hollidaysburg, said Monday. The amendment gives PMRS legal authority to manage the severely distressed pension plans, he said.

For severely distressed plans under the bill, current paid police officers and firefighters would keep existing benefits under system management. Future hires would receive benefits under a mixed cash balance and defined benefit plan designed by the system.

Whether the amendment sees a vote in the Senate Finance Committee next month could depend on the political crosscurrents in Harrisburg surrounding this complicated issue.

Mr. Eichelberger said he needs support from Democratic senators to move this bill from the committee. However, he said strong opposition from the Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police is making that difficult to obtain.

Sen. John Blake, D-22, Archbald, the finance panel’s ranking Democrat, welcomed the amendment, but said he still has other concerns with the bill. The amendment would move Scranton’s rate of return downward over a decade to meet the PMRS threshold, he said.

“I appreciate the sponsor’s receptiveness to Scranton’s and other cities’ concerns regarding the impacts of a swift transition from local to state PMRS management,” said Mr. Blake. “I have other serious concerns with the underlying bill as I am not convinced the pension plan designs for future uniformed workers provides adequate retirement security.”

If bipartisan support doesn’t emerge for the municipal pension bill, it may take the bankruptcy of a pension fund to resolve the issue, said Mr. Eichelberger.

Contact the writer: rswift@timesshamrock.com

Scranton will hold its fifth consecutive annual tax sale on Monday, June 6.

Called a treasurer’s sale, the tax sale scheduled for 10 a.m. at City Hall is for delinquent taxes from 2013, according to a public notice for the sale published Friday in The Times-Tribune.

This tax sale follows similar ones held in each of the past four years that have helped the city catch up after tax sales had fallen by the wayside for years.

Now, the annual tax sales have become routine, city Treasurer Wayne Beck said.

“Just the fact that this is brought to people’s attention and the pressure’s on, it gets people to come in” and pay the tax bills or make a payment plan, Mr. Beck said.

The revived annual tax sale stems from the former mayor and council agreeing to hire Northeast Revenue Service in 2011, to create a system to collect back taxes under the Municipal Claims and Tax Lien Act.

A 2010 estimate showed that the city failed to collect about $11 million in delinquent property taxes, some of which had gone unpaid for as long as 64 years. However, some long-ago unpaid taxes might never be recovered, as many delinquencies are on vacant land or owed by absentee landowners or defunct companies, such as orphan coal-mining firms, officials have said.

“One of the biggest complaints we get is that maybe if we had collected in years past, that maybe they wouldn’t be paying as much today” in taxes and fees, Mr. Beck said. “We’re trying to get a handle on it now, and we’re making progress.”

Before resuming tax sales in 2012, the city had last held one in 1998. Over many years, the city had contracted with private firms that collected delinquent taxes with varying degrees of success, and tax sales were regularly held. However, regular tax sales are a tool of collections because unpaid delinquencies eventually result in liens on property.

Delinquent taxpayers can avoid a tax sale either by paying in full before the sale, once their names appear on the tax sale list published in the newspaper, or by entering into a payment plan with the city.

Many do just that, said Mr. Beck and Northeast Revenue Service supervisor Kirsha Johns.

For example, the 2016 tax sale public notice lists 689 properties from 2013 that owed $904,415.

After tax sale notification letters were sent to property owners and notices were posted on properties — and the list was published in 1½ pages of the newspaper on Friday — 302 owners had paid on their delinquencies. Those payments whittled the published list down to 387 properties owing $448,046 as of Sunday, Ms. Johns said.

Follow-up tax sale public notices to run in the newspaper Friday and June 3 will reflect smaller lists that no longer contain those who have paid their delinquencies, she said.

Property owners who do not pay or set up a payment plan run the risk of having their property sold June 6.

Contact the writer:

jlockwood@timesshamrock.com, @jlockwoodTT on Twitter

Previous Scranton tax sales

• The 2012 tax sale involved 1,970 delinquencies from 2004-09 totaling $4.1 million owed.

• The 2013 tax sale included 452 delinquencies from 2010 that owed $960,513.

• The 2014 tax sale listed 536 delinquencies from 2011 that owed more than $671,628.

• The 2015 tax sale included 584 properties from 2012; the amount owed was not readily available Monday.

PAUPACK TWP. — The public is invited to join biologists for a bird-banding excursion from 7 to 11 a.m. Saturday, June 4, at Lacawac Sanctuary.

Lacawac members pay $10 after showing their membership cards; nonmembers pay $15. A bagel breakfast is included.

Participants will join biologists Meg Hatch and Robert Smith to check mist nets — wide nets used to safely catch birds — and observe bird banding.

Registration is required, and a limited number of people can participate. To register, call 570-689-9494 or email info@lacawac.org.

WILKES-BARRE — An early look at Luzerne County’s finances from last year shows the government ending the year with a surplus.

An unaudited report of 2015 finances shows the county ending that year with a surplus of about $5.7 million.

Those numbers are likely to change, however, said county Manager David Pedri in an email to council. The completed audited financial data for 2015 will likely show the county either breaking even or ending up with a smaller surplus of up to $2 million.

The county is currently undergoing the 2015 audit, which is due by the end of June, according to a deadline in the county charter.

PITTSTON TWP. — A car caught fire inside a resident’s garage Monday morning and severely damaged the inside of the structure.

After getting the flames under control, crews pulled a blackened and burned Mini Cooper from the garage at 1104 Sunrise Drive in Pittston Twp.

Assistant fire Chief Tony Angelella said crews arrived at the home around 11:10 a.m. to flames shooting out of the garage. The chief had not officially determined a cause or origin of the fire at the scene but said it appeared to have started in the car.

Fans crowded the lobby twice last week as they grabbed drinks and merchandise or found their way to their seats for back-to-back popular concerts.

That’s been a regular theme this year at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts in Wilkes-Barre, which boasted its largest schedule.

The venue announced its 30th anniversary schedule this morning. Executive director William M. Beekman and Anne Rodella, director of sales and marketing, put it together and they say it tops last year’s slate of performances.

“We’re excited about the quantity,” Rodella said, “but we booked them because of the quality.”

The schedule includes rock stars like Joe Walsh, John Mellencamp, 3 Doors Down and Pop Evil and Foreigner, as well as disco icon Patti Labelle. Its Broadway schedule includes “Mamma Mia!,” “Annie” and “Stomp.”

Some of the dates, like Joe Walsh and Mellencamp, were already announced, but today is the big reveal for the whole calendar of 53 events.

Beekman explained that the success of the main stream acts help the theater fulfill its obligations to bring more cultural shows — like the opera or world music — to Wilkes-Barre.

“That’s the stuff that makes us the Kirby Center,” Beekman said.

The schedule shows how much the center is growing.

Last year’s schedule started out with 44 dates.

“Last year, it was by leaps and bounds our busiest schedule,” Rodella said. Previously, the center had announced about 20 dates each season.

This year, the schedule includes 53 dates.

But additional shows always arrive mid-season, like Ringo Starr and his All Starr band this year or recent performances by Jerry Seinfeld.

Schedule at a glance:
New Riders of the Purple Sage, Live from the Chandelier Lobby Series; 8 p.m. July 1
Project Grand Slam, Live from the Chandelier Lobby Series, 8 p.m., July 15
Joe Walsh, 8 p.m., Aug. 4
Space Oddity: The ultimate David Bowier Experience, 7:30 p.m., Aug. 9
Celtic Thunder, 7 p.m., Aug. 30
3 Doors Down and Pop Evil, 7:30 p.m., Sept. 7
Cory Branan, Live from the Chandelier Lobby Series, 8 p.m., Sept. 9
The Fab Faux, 8 p.m., Sept. 10
Adam Ferrara, Live from the Chandelier Lobby Series, Sept. 16
God Save the Queen, 8 p.m., Sept. 24
Brian Regan, 7 p.m., Sept. 25
Gavin DeGraw and Andy Grammer, 8 p.m., Oct. 6
Hunkappella, 8 p.m., Oct, 7
The Second City: Free Speech! (While Supplies Last), 7:30 p.m., Oct. 9
John Mellencamp, 7:30 p.m., Oct. 14
Foreigner, 8 p.m., Oct. 21
Patti LaBelle, 8 p.m., Oct. 28
Stand Bac and the Idol Kings
8 p.m., Nov. 5
U.S. Army Field Band and Soldiers’ Chorus, 7 p.m., Nov. 15
Octonauts Live, 6 p.m., Nov. 16
Jake Shimabukuro, 7:30 p.m., Nov. 18
A Christmas Carol, 7 p.m., Dec. 14
Mamma Mia, 7 p.m., Jan. 8
Doktor Kaboom Live Wire Electricity Tour, 7 p.m., Jan. 12,
Elvis Lives, 7 p.m., Feb. 1
I Have a Dream, 10 a.m., Feb. 9
I Go On Singing: Paul Robeson’s Life in His Own Words and Song, Lobby for the Arts, 8 p.m., Feb. 11
Bill Blagg’s Science of Magic, 10 a.m., Feb. 13
Cirque Zuma Zuma, Lobby for the Arts, 7:30 p.m., Feb. 16
Last of the Red Hot Lovers, 7:30 p.m., Feb. 17
Annie, 7:30 p.m., Feb. 23
Stomp, March 7:30 p.m., 15-17
Odd Squad Live!, 6:30 p.m., Friday, March 24
Red Hot Chilli Pipers, 8 p.m., March 25
42nd Street, 7:30 p.m., March 29
Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, 7 p.m., April 1
Story Pirates, 10 a.m., April 7
The Hit Men: Time Travel Tour, 8 p.m., April 28
Feet Don’t Fail Me Now! Rhythmic Circus, 7:30 p.m., April 30
Elephant and Piggies We Are in a Play! 10 a.m., May 16

NANTICOKE — Federal agents on Tuesday descended on a sporting goods store that was implicated several years ago in the illegal sale of restricted weapons overseas without required export licenses.

Agents from Homeland Security, the FBI and Pennsylvania State Police lined up nearly a dozen sport utility vehicles outside D&R Sports Center at 620 Fairchild St. on Tuesday morning.

Authorities removed several boxes of items from the business.

An official for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed a federal search warrant was being conducted, but declined further comment. He deferred comment to a regional spokesman.

Federal agents previously raided the business — owned by Mark Komoroski, his brother and his father — in November 2006. In that instance, federal prosecutors alleged the business illegally sold and shipped $247,854 of restricted items — rifles and related devices such as optics — to Russia, Kuwait, Germany and Japan without required export licenses.

Court documents filed in that case alleged money transfers to D&R for some purchases linked the store with “companies and individuals that the United States government has determined pose an unacceptable risk of being involved with or providing ... support to international narcotics trafficking, crimes against humanity/war crimes and/or terrorism.”

The application for the search warrant in that case identified Russian gun runner Viktor Bout, who helped provide weapons to Liberian dictator Charles Taylor, rebel groups in Rwanda, and the Taliban.

Prosecutors in that case charged Komoroski, the business, longtime customer Sergey Korznikov and his business, Tactica Ltd., with conspiracy to defraud the U.S.

Court records show Komoroski pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced in July 2010 to 32 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release.

Komoroski, who served his time at the Federal Correctional Institution at Fort Dix, N.J., was released on Dec. 13, 2012.

Korznikov, who also pleaded guilty, was later sentenced to six months in prison followed by two years of supervised release.

U.S. District Judge Edwin M. Kosik dismissed the charges against both businesses, court records show.

Following that incident, D&R lost its firearms license, but remains open selling other items.

570-821-2058, @cvjimhalpin

Pennsylvania American Water soon will begin replacing water mains in several Midvalley communities.

The $1.8 million-plus project will replace nearly 10,000 feet of pipe on select streets in the boroughs of Olyphant, Jessup and Dickson City. Some of the pipe dates back to the early 1900s.

“We look at our service area every year to assess where we can best invest the dollars to improve the system,” said Pennsylvania American Water spokeswoman Susan Turcmanovich, who added they look to upgrade sites in areas with a history of water quality issues.

The company will replace older 4- and 6-inch water mains with wider diameter, 8-inch pipes, which Ms. Turcmanovich said will increase water pressure, improve reliability of services and increase water flow for firefighting.

In Olyphant, work will be done on East Pine Street, James Street, Mooney Street and West Jackson Street. Water mains will also be replaced on Morgan Street in Jessup, and on Maplewood Drive and Dundaff Street in Dickson City.

“They’ve done these (projects) in the past and it benefits the citizens because they do get more reliable and better quality water,” said Dickson City borough manager Cesare Forconi, who also touted the “curb-to-curb resurfacing of the roadway” the company has done after similar projects in the past.

The replacement work will begin this week with crews working weekdays between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Traffic restrictions will be in place during construction, according to a press release from Pennsylvania American Water.

They expect to complete the project, including restoration and paving, by mid-summer.

For more information, contact Pennsylvania American Water’s customer service center at 1-800-565-7292.

Contact the writer:

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com, @jhorvathTT on Twitter

A man accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in a Dickson City hotel room earlier this month is back in Lackawanna County to answer the charges brought against him.

Francisco Palhinhas, 40, 792 Ash St. , Strasburg, Virginia, was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Joanne Price Corbett on several felony sex charges Tuesday afternoon. An arrest warrant for Mr. Palhinhas had been out since May 9, the same day county detectives, assisted by Dickson City police, arrested and filed charges against a Wayne County woman, Carrie Ann Hunter, 38, 141 Belmont St., Waymart.

Ms. Hunter is charged

with sex trafficking and

related offenses. She is accused of arranging for Mr. Palhinhas, whose address was originally listed as Ossining, New York,, to have sex with the teenager on May 3, according to court documents.

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

Authorities first became aware of the incident after speaking with staff from Wayne County Children and Youth Services. County detectives talked to the teen at the Children’s Advocacy Center, where the girl told them Ms. Hunter forced her to have sex with Mr. Palhinhas. Ms. Hunter was present in the hotel room when the incident occurred, according to the teen. Detectives verified that Mr. Palhinhas rented a room at the motel for three guests on May 3.

Detectives also obtained surveillance footage and transaction reports from the Dickson City Wal-Mart.

The video depicts Mr. Palhinhas going in the store with Ms. Hunter and the teenager. The footage shows Mr. Palhinhas buying condoms at the pharmacy check-out. Store records indicate he purchased them with the same credit card used to rent the hotel room, according to court documents.

Detectives and Dickson City police spoke with Ms. Hunter before her arrest. She initially told authorities she couldn’t recall the alleged incident “because she was high on marijuana and cocaine” but eventually said she was in the room and corroborated the teen’s story, according to court documents. She also said she and Mr. Palhinhas had conversations about exchanging money for sex with the girl, police said.

Mr. Palhinhas is held in Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $300,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 31.

Ms. Hunter has been held the county jail since her arrest after failing to post $200,000 bail.

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

NORTH ABINGTON TWP. — The late Gov. William W. Scranton helped set the direction for the modern state parks system and signed legislation that created numerous parks all over Pennsylvania — including the one just over the hill from his home.

The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources recognized the Republican’s contributions Tuesday by dedicating Lackawanna State Park’s new $4.6 million pool complex to his memory.

“One of my father’s most prized accomplishments as governor was signing the act in 1964 that allowed (the) Project 70 (bond program), that made these parks possible,” former Lt. Gov. William Scranton III said at the dedication ceremony. “He worked ... to create the money necessary to make parks like this

available to as many

people ... as possible in this

Commonwealth.”

Mr. Scranton described his father as a lover of the outdoors and an avid hiker who was thrilled every time Dr. Maurice Goddard — who was then secretary of what was then called the Department of Parks and Forests — would show him a map of the next state park to be constructed.

“This is a day he would be out in this park,” Mr. Scranton said of Tuesday’s warm, sunny morning. “He and my mother would have walked over. He was an inveterate user of this park.”

DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said Mr. Scranton worked with Dr. Goddard toward a vision of placing a park within 25 miles of every Pennsylvania resident

— a goal the agency has accomplished.

In 1955, Pennsylvania was home to 44 state parks, according to DCNR. Project 70 money was used to purchase land for 22 state parks, including Lackawanna, Lehigh Gorge, Shikellamy, Locust Lake, Nescopeck and Mount Pisgah in Northeast Pennsylvania.

Today, 121 parks comprise the system.

The new goal is to put a trail, a state park or a local park within 15 minutes of every Pennsylvanian.

“We’re finding that trails and parks are so important to people’s health,” Ms. Dunn said. “People really need to come outdoors more than just on the weekend.”

The William W. Scranton Pool Complex is home to a Keystone-shaped, 2,784-square-foot pool with two wheelchair ramps providing handicapped access into the water. It replaces the old round pool that opened with the park in 1972.

Aside from building a new splash pad, the project also replaced shower and changing facilities, as well as a new food concessions building, first-aid area, ticket booth and lifeguard facility.

Construction started in late 2014, and the pool will open to the public for the first time Saturday for Memorial Day weekend.

Contact the writer: kwind@timesshamrock.com, @kwindTT on Twitter

Detectives make two drug arrests

Lackawanna County detectives made two unrelated drug arrests Tuesday night.

Detectives first arrested Jesus Acosta, 45, 6 Walsh Plaza, Olyphant, about 4:45 p.m. after they say he sold cocaine in a parking lot on the 1500 block of North Main Avenue in Dickson City.

Detectives later arrested John Henry Moore, 55, 431 Prospect Ave., Scranton, along Lavelle Court in the city, where detectives wrote in court documents that Mr. Moore sold crack cocaine.

Mr. Acosta and Mr. Moore each face drug delivery and possession charges. Bail and preliminary hearing information for either man was not available Tuesday night.

— CLAYTON OVER

Fisherman find body in rec area

MILFORD — A body was discovered by a group of fishermen in the Sawkill Creek on Monday, according to information from the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

The body of a white man estimated to be in his mid-to-late 20s was discovered in the creek near the Mott Street Bridge about 2:15 p.m. It was recovered by National Park Service rangers and turned over to the Pike County medical examiner and coroner about 4:15 p.m.

Both the cause of death and the victim’s identity are under investigation. Anyone with information should call the National Parks Service 24-hour emergency communications center at 570-426-2457.

— STAFF REPORT

Feds raid sporting goods store

NANTICOKE — Federal agents Tuesday raided a sporting goods store that was once implicated in the illegal sale of restricted weapons overseas to buyers with connections to drug trafficking and terrorism.

Agents from Homeland Security and state police lined up nearly a dozen SUVs outside D&R Sports Center at 620 Fairchild St. on Tuesday morning. Agents were seen removing boxes marked “evidence” as well as rifle cartridges from the store.

An official for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed a federal search warrant was being executed, but declined further comment.

Khaalid Walls, a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, confirmed a criminal investigation was underway but declined to elaborate.

— JAMES HALPIN

AND SARAH SCINTO

Pools and waterparks around the area are gearing up for summer.

■ The pool at Lackawanna State Park will reopen Saturday. It will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission for the day costs $5 and $4 for seniors. Children under 42 inches tall can swim for free.

■ Montage Mountain Water Park will open for the season Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. For information about admission prices and season tickets, visit www.montagemountainresorts.com.

■ Scranton plans to open four pool sites — Nay Aug Park, Weston Field, Weston Park and Connell Park — on June 18 for the summer.

Nay Aug Park is the only city pool site that charges fees. A day pass is $5, single-season passes are $50, and family season passes cost $75. Children 5 and under swim for free.

This year, the Scranton Municipal Recreation Authority, which operates the Nay Aug Park pool complex, is donating 400 season pool passes — a value of $20,000 — to the Scranton School District to give to children 12 and under, based upon factors such as school attendance, behavior, academic achievement and financial need.

— JIM LOCKWOOD AND KYLE WIND

A jury this week convicted two former community leaders on dozens of charges stemming from their attempts to fix an election in a private Pike County housing development.

Myron Cowher II, 53, and Dmitry Kupershmidt, 42, were charged with more than 150 counts of forgery, identity theft, criminal conspiracy and other charges for a 2014 scheme to rig a board of directors election in the private, Delaware Twp. community of Wild Acres Lakes, according to the Pike County district attorney’s office.

An employee of Wild Acres alerted the district attorney’s office in May of 2014 of a possible plot to fraudulently cast ballots for the homeowners association’s then-upcoming board of directors election, according to the release. The board of directors serves as the community’s governing body; at the time of the incident Mr. Kupershmidt served as chairman of the board and Mr. Cowher as secretary of the board.

The employee, who was not identified by the Pike County district attorney’s office, was referred to state police, and told them of Mr. Cowher’s desire to procure blank ballots meant for voting lot owners.

Mr. Cowher asked the employee to select the ballots of lot owners who owned vacant lots unsuitable for building, admitting he chose these lot owners because they rarely voted in elections, according to the district attorney’s office.

State police ultimately monitored a meeting that took place between the employee and Mr. Cowher, during which Mr. Cowher fraudulently filled out nine of the ballots and took 62 other ballots to complete later. He was arrested by state police upon leaving the meeting.

Evidence presented during the trial pointed to an agreement between Mr. Cowher and Mr. Kupershmidt concerning the scheme, and that Mr. Kupershmidt suggested the employee turn off the cameras in the office building, according to information provided by the district attorney’s office.

The four-day trial concluded Monday. The jury found Mr. Cowher guilty on 217 criminal charges. Mr. Kupershmidt was found guilty on 190 charges.

Both men are currently housed in the Pike County Correctional Facility. Mr. Cowher’s bail is set at $175,000, and Mr. Kupershmidt’s at $125,000.

Sentencing for both men is scheduled for Aug. 4.

Contact the writer:

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com, @jhorvathTT on Twitter

MARRIAGE LICENSES

■ Julia Jane Buselli, Pittston, and Nicholas Brandon Weidow, Spring Brook Twp.

■ Matthew John Butler, Scran­ton, and Anna Paffi McLane, New York, N.Y.

■ Meghann Colleen Lyons and Jason Michael Rought, both of Scott Twp.

■ Thomas Peter Costello and Heather Marie Czachor, both of Scranton.

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

■ LSF9 Master Participation Trust by Caliber Real Estate Service LLC, solely in its capacity as services by power of attorney, to Germain Davidson and James Jackson, both of Burling­ton, Vt.; a property at 432 Brook St., Scranton, for $28,500.

■ Shirley Cieri, Scranton, to Kyle and April Kemp, both of Scranton; a property at 2705 Olyphant Ave., Scranton, for $142,000.

■ Ronald F. Moore, Clarks Sum­mit, to Matthew T. Austein and Alexandra M. MacNamara, both of Clarks Summit; a property at 719 Winola Road, Clarks Summit, for $208,000.

■ Bernard G. Cossack Jr., executor of the estate of Loretta T. Cossack, to Kenneth D. Cossack; a property at 310 Atherton St., Old Forge, for $100,000.

■ Michael and Mary Ellen Toth, both of Jessup, to Robert F. and Sharon T. Durkin, both of Olyphant; a property at 133 E. Acorn Hill Drive, Olyphant, for $257,900.

■ Bahor Pinkhasov, Scranton, to Pro Universal LLC, Scranton; a property at 832 Madison Ave., Scranton, for $41,000.

DIVORCES SOUGHT

■ Nicole Hedden, Taylor, v. Matthew Hedden, Taylor; married March 27, 2004, in Bath, N.Y.; Brian J. Cali, attorney.

■ Kevin D. Smith, Moosic, v. Lisa Micciche, Moosic; married July 6, 2014, in Scranton; Howard M. Spizer, attorney.

■ Buffie Rohr, Scranton, v. James Ray Knight, Scranton; married Dec. 4, 2014, in Scranton; Raymond W. Ferrario, attorney.

DIVORCE DECREES

■ Sara Golbin v. Rachael Smith.

■ Brenda Mucciolo v. John A. Mucciolo.

■ Serena Metschulat v. William Arthur Metschulat.

■ Wendy L. Zackoski v. Richard P. Zackoski Jr.

■ Eric Perez v. Gladys Jimenez.

ESTATE FILED

■ Barbara A. Latniak, 2408 Amelia Ave., Scranton, letters of administration to Theresa Verdon, 2511 Madisonville Road, Madison Twp.

FEDERAL TAX LIEN

■ Refik Babic, 3342 Birney Ave., Moosic; $12,547.52.

ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/courts

TUNKHANNOCK TWP. — Dairy farmers from Pennsylvania and New York gathered Tuesday in Tunkhannock to lament the low price of milk, profit-hungry dairy cooperatives and apparent inaction from lawmakers that is gouging their profit margins and threatening their livelihood.

The Progressive Agriculture Organization, based in Meshoppen, held a hearing at the Perkins Restaurant and Bakery along Route 6 where more than a dozen people testified on the mounting threats to their business.

“We’re at a critical, critical time for dairy food supply,” said Damascus Twp. farmer Brian Smith, who also is chairman of the Wayne County Board of Commissioners.

Farmers at times became emotional and spoke directly to staffers from federal and state lawmakers’ offices, pleading for the government to step in.

Dairy farmers get paid based on every 100 pounds, or per hundredweight (cwt), of milk they produce. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates it costs about $21.75 to produce 100 pounds of milk. However, the starting price per cwt is $14.81, which means farmers lose nearly $7 for every 100 pounds of milk.

“The average dairy farmer is going to lose $160,000 to $175,000 in 2016 compared to 2014,” said Arden Tewksbury, Progressive Agriculture’s manager.

Milk prices reached near record highs in 2014 before plummeting the following year.

Robin Fitch from West Winfield, New York, painted a picture of life on the farm. The bills are piling up, equipment needs thousands of dollars worth of maintenance, and they can’t afford seed to grow feed crop.

“Every month, we call the creditors and plead our case, hoping that we can work it out for another month,” she said. “My husband had open-heart surgery, and 10 days after his operation, he was out doing his work again because we couldn’t afford to pay someone else to come and help.”

Farmers called for reviving a U.S. Senate bill that would give the USDA secretary authority to set the price for milk. U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, introduced the bill in 2011, but it stalled in the Senate agriculture, nutrition and forestry committee.

“As a U.S. senator, I am committed to ensuring that farmers get a fair price for their milk,” Mr. Casey, a member of the Senate agriculture committee, said in a email statement after the hearing. “I recognize that many Pennsylvanians are concerned about the state of the dairy industry.”

The price drop is part of the recurring price cycle, he said, and Congress in 2014 included a profit margin protection program to help farmers manage risk when the price is low.

There’s an oversupply of milk in the United States, which is driving down the price and making it difficult for farmers to turn a profit.

U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Hazleton, a member of the House dairy caucus, said he still gets feedback on the program, and “it is important to understand that any new policy may not be perfect in its first use in real practice.”

Beyond the low price of milk, dairy cooperatives that buy milk from farmers for processing are paying less by deducting costs for advertising, shipping and other expenses.

The farmers shot sharp criticism at the cooperatives, some of which have licenses to import milk from other countries, which further adds to the domestic milk glut.

“The world market is not good for U.S. dairy people,” Mr. Smith said.

Contact the writer:

joconnell@timesshamrock.com, @jon_oc on Twitter

HARRISBURG — A Luzerne County senator is in the hot seat over the abrupt resignation of the state environmental secretary and controversies relating to regulation of natural gas drilling and clean air.

Environmental groups have sharply criticized Sen. John Yudichak, D-14, Plymouth Twp., as having a role in John Quigley’s departure as secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection and for opposing Wolf administration proposals to regulate gas drilling and pass a clean power plan to reduce air pollution.

Mr. Quigley, a one-time mayor of Hazleton, was brought down by a campaign orchestrated by Mr. Yudichak to divert attention away from his

recent votes on gas drilling and the clean power plan, wrote veteran environmental activist Jan Jarrett in an Op-Ed on PennLive.

Mr. Yudichak owes voters an explanation for his apparent role in the Quigley resignation and votes against environmental proposals, said Myron Arnowitt, Clean Water Action’s Pennsylvania director.

For his part, Mr. Yudichak said he’s looking out for the interests of his district, which benefits greatly from coal land reclamation projects. He criticized environmental activists for disregarding the need to find compromise in a Republican-controlled Legislature.

“Activists don’t like the regulatory process,” he said. “They don’t like compromise. They don’t like Republicans and Democrats working together.”

Mr. Yudichak is in the spotlight because of his role as ranking Democrat on the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.

With the Wolf administration giving no public reason for Mr. Quigley’s departure and no public comment from Mr. Quigley himself, Mr. Yudichak found himself cast as chief public explainer.

The senator issued a statement on Friday that Mr. Quigley had demonstrated poor judgment and a clear inability to work with lawmakers.

The statement came hours after Gov. Tom Wolf announced a “personnel update” at DEP. That announcement came after an acknowledgment by his spokesman, Jeff Sheridan, that the administration was looking into a private email that Mr. Quigley sent.

The email criticized both environmentalists and Democratic and GOP lawmakers for their roles in the recent environmental battles, the Associated Press reported Monday.

“He (Quigley) no longer had the confidence of the governor,” said Mr. Yudichak on Monday. “Quigley in the end didn’t represent the viewpoints of his own boss.”

A key point of dispute in the controversy revolves around whether Mr. Quigley got environmental groups to run ads critical of Mr. Yudichak for his committee vote on the clean power plan. An ad by PennFuture, Clean Air Council and PennEnvironment that ran earlier this month in The Times-Tribune criticized the senator for voting for “rollbacks that would make it harder for Pennsylvania to reduce global warming pollution.”

Mr. Quigley did send a blunt email to environmentalists urging them to do more to support the drilling regulations and clean power plan, but he’s the victim of false allegations that he’s behind the ad, said Ms. Jarrett.

“Lies and innuendos then that got layered around that kernel portraying Quigley as personally directing a campaign to inform Yudichak’s constituents of his anti-environmental votes,” wrote Ms. Jarrett.

Mr. Yudichak said he is suspicious of the ad and concluded it was done at the behest of Mr. Quigley.

Environmental activists ignore the importance of coal reclamation projects in Luzerne and Carbon counties when criticizing him over the clean power issue, said Mr. Yudichak.

The key issue with the drilling regulations is whether they should apply to both the deep Marcellus Shale wells and conventional or shallow gas wells, said Mr. Yudichak.

“Conventional wells need to be regulated, but not in the same ways as Marcellus and other unconventional wells,” he said. “Addressing conventional wells continues to be a topic of discussions.”

Mr. Yudichak’s view of the drilling regulations differs from that of Rep. Greg Vitali, D-166, Havertown, ranking Democrat on the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.

Conventional drillers were responsible for about half of the water supplies contaminated in Pennsylvania by drilling from 2008 to 2014, said Mr. Vitali.

“Gov. Tom Wolf and the Pennsylvania Legislature should stand firm and make sure these regulations apply to all gas drillers,” wrote Mr. Vitali in an Op-Ed in PennLive.

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rswift@timesshamrock.com

SCRANTON — The state Department of Environmental Protection has issued a Code Orange air quality action day forecast for today in 22 counties, including Lackawanna and Luzerne.

The warning means people with respiratory problems, young children and the elderly — anyone who is susceptible to air pollution effects — should limit outdoor activities, the DEP says.

A high-pressure air mass sweeping across the Midwest will reach the eastern states today and is expected to bring clear skies and light winds but likely will create elevated levels of ozone, or smog, in the air, the DEP says.

— JON O’CONNELL

GHP train days

stay on Trax

From tours through the Old Stone Jail (which saw a record number of visitors), to a Civil War Living History in Central Park, to an antique car show, to shopping at stores and vendor tents, to getting a bite to eat, to taking a bike ride to Hawley, to riding on the train, to finally topping off the evening listening to an outdoor concert featuring the Coal Town Rounders while sipping an ice-cold beer from Irving Cliff brewery, Gail M. Tucker reports, “there was certainly no lack of things to do” during the Greater Honesdale Partnership “Train Day.”

One of the main events was the “Find Trax” contest, Gail, the executive director of the Greater Honesdale Partnership, said in a release. Participants picked up town maps/contest tickets and walked from Fourth Street to 12th Street, attempting to locate four posters of the train’s mascot, Trax , in GHP business windows to be entered into a lottery for several gifts.

Train tickets were won by Barbara Brownell, Jean Carroll, James Cruse, Danielle Hanson, Scott Hanson, David Islas, Matt Lorent, Matt Meather, Heather, Kevin, Kevin Jr., Pat, Taneisha and Tiffane Rine, Jesse Rascona and Gary Wegrzyn, all of Honesdale; Gillian Burke of Massapequa, New York, Ashley Divenute of Lake Ariel; Roger Flederbach of Milanville and Diane Morano of Lackawaxen.

Cindy Furman of Honesdale won the gift certificate to the Velvet Maple. Gift certificates to Honesdale Greenhouse Flowers went to Toni Lehutsky of Honesdale and Bonnie Reining of Beach Lake.

Joy Hollister of Lake Ariel, who won a Lionel G- gauge battery-operated Solar Express train set, donated it back to the Greater Honesdale Partnership.

For the Boys, Girls

Three Scranton establishments donated funds from the proceeds of their Scranton St. Patrick’s Parade Day events to support local kids in need. Andy Gavin’s Eatery & Pub, the Hilton Scranton & Conference Center and Morganz Pub & Eatery raised a combined $825 to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of NEPA.

Club members Kiara Gonzalez, Zachary Ogden and Jasmin Rodriguez were on hand with Tricia DiBiasi Thomas , club executive director, to thank Ryan Alpert and John Argonish from the Hilton; and Tony Frable Morganz Pub & Eatery director; when they stopped at the club.

High notes

Members of the Knitting/Crocheting Group at VNA Hospice donated 24 blankets to Davita Dialysis in Childs in memory of Mary Ann Milo, a dedicated member, who passed away in November. The ladies, including Ann Milo, Mary Ann’s mother; Joann Appleyard, Carol Bannon, Margy Monahan, Mary Lou Perri, Katie Ricci and Carol Steinetz delivered the blankets to Davita

Dialysis nurse Marlene Muto.

Starting next year, students can no longer take technology, family/consumer science and art classes in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District. The cuts, which include the elimination of 50 teaching jobs, serve as a warning of the tough decisions facing districts in the region, officials say.

Some superintendents worry their Lackawanna County districts soon could be forced to make similar decisions.

“It’s just impossible to continue at this pace,” said Corey Castellani, Valley View’s acting superintendent. “Something has to give.”

Across the region, as state funding dwindled and pension costs skyrocketed the last five years, school districts eliminated teaching jobs, increased class sizes and borrowed money to keep the doors open. The Wilkes-Barre school board voted 8-1 Monday to eliminate those programs, seeking a way to trim $4 million from the budget. During the last year, the district’s fund balance went from $6 million to close to nothing. Wilkes-Barre’s proposed budget is $116.9 million for next year. The district will lay off 37 teachers, not replace 12 retiring teachers and also suspend library services.

Meanwhile, districts in Lackawanna County face similar, if not worse, situations. The Scranton School District borrowed millions, delaying debt payments and using money set aside to pay large health care claims, to balance its 2016 budget. The district, unlike others in the region, is on a calendar-year budget cycle. The $146.5 million spending plan did not address the district’s general fund deficit, which was a negative $18.9 million at the end of 2014.

“We have no intention of making any cuts to any academic programs,” Scranton School Board President Bob Sheridan

said. “We’re looking forward ... we have a good group working. The future is bright with the state.”

Districts, other than Scranton, must pass their preliminary 2016-17 budgets by the end of the month, and will vote on final budgets in June. Most districts will call for tax increases, as uncertainties with state funding levels continue, and pension and health care costs rise.

Last week, the Abington Heights School Board passed a preliminary budget that cut $690,000

in personnel costs for next year. Along with not replacing the assistant superintendent, who is taking the superintendent job at Valley View, the district will not rehire for several teaching jobs. Two retiring librarians also will not be replaced, meaning the district will no longer have any librarians. The budget also calls for a 2.4 percent tax increase.

“We’ve been cutting for years, trying to avoid catastrophic cuts that would include layoffs,” Superintendent Michael Mahon, Ph.D.,

said.

For example, in the last five years, the number of teachers in the district dropped from 271 to 243 through attrition, and the number of custodians from 40 to 24.

Within the last decade, Carbondale Area already has made tough decisions. There is only one art teacher at the high school, instead of two. The number of family and consumer science teachers went from three to one. German, Italian and French language programs were eliminated.

Carbondale’s school board is expected to vote on a preliminary budget next week that will increase taxes 3.5 percent and eliminate several teaching jobs through attrition, said David Cerra,

acting superintendent.

Last week, Mid Valley’s board passed a preliminary budget that calls for a 6.9 percent

tax increase. Instead of cutting programs, the district is focusing on internal cost controls, like better controls on purchasing, Superintendent Patrick Sheehan

said. A few positions also will be lost through retirements this year.

“A last result would be to ever affect any programming for our kids,” he said.

While the district is able to continue the academic programs, it comes at a cost — larger class sizes.

Old Forge is looking at a tax increase as high as 3.1 percent. However, the district’s $12.9 million budget shows that Old Forge may be recovering from its hardest times, Superintendent John Rushefski

said. For the first time, the addition of textbooks aligned to Common Core curriculum is included in the budget. “Because we’re small, it hit us first,” he said. “We stood the test.”

Valley View is looking at a $1.3 million increase in health care and state-mandated pension costs for next year. The preliminary budget includes a $470,000 deficit, and the board may vote to raise taxes 4.5 percent

, Mr. Castellani said.

The board discussed closing the district’s pool to save the $200,000 operating costs.

“It’s very, very difficult to forecast for the future,” he said. “The state is really letting public schools down in my opinion. When we get any type of increase, it’s minimal. You can’t sustain it.”

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