Construction of a new bridge for Rockwell Avenue in North Scranton probably won’t be done until spring 2017, state Department of Transportation officials said.

After several delays in work on a long-awaited new bridge, work resumed late last year and progressed this year. That had PennDOT officials hoping for completion by the end of this year, but spring now seems like a more realistic, though not definite, end date, officials said.

“Work is continuing, but they (the contractor) will not be done by the end of the year,” PennDOT spokesman Michael Taluto said. “They’re hoping for spring, but no commitment.”

With winter bearing down, weather also plays a factor in the time line.

“We’re looking at weather forecasts and various waivers we need to continue doing the work we need to do,” said another agency spokesman, James May.

Officials closed a former 1905 stone arch bridge over Leggetts Creek near West Market Street on April 25, 2012, because of its crumbling, unsafe condition.

A replacement project that finally began Sept. 2, 2014, was supposed to take about 13 months to complete, with a new bridge to be done by Oct. 14, 2015.

The old bridge was torn down, but PennDOT suspended work in March 2015, when contaminated soil was found during excavation for new bridge footings. PennDOT then redesigned footings to avoid excavation of contaminated soil.

After work resumed about mid-November, officials had hoped to have a new span open by mid-summer 2016.

Now, completion of the bridge by spring 2017 would put the length of time of Rockwell Avenue’s closure to traffic over Leggetts Creek at five years.

Contact the writer:

jlockwood@timesshamrock.com,

@jlockwoodTT on Twitter

A human torso found along a Monroe County highway nearly five years ago now has a face.

State police hope a name will follow.

A computer-generated face constructed from DNA analysis may breathe new life into a homicide investigation half-a-decade after a motorist found a human torso in a garbage bag near the guardrail on Route 191 in Paradise Twp. No other body parts were found.

A Reston, Virginia, laboratory, Parabon NanoLabs, used DNA extracted from one of the torso’s ribs to recreate what the male victim looked like through phenotyping, which Trooper Craig Vanlouvender, a criminal investigator from the Swiftwater barracks, hopes will lead to his identification.

He cautioned, though, that the computer generated image is an approximation rather than an exact representation of what the victim looked like, but it could still be crucial to closing the case.

“I would hate for someone not to call because it doesn’t look exactly like a family member or loved one,” Trooper Vanlouvender said.

The grisly discovery was made on Dec. 26, 2011, on the stretch of highway not far from Mount Pocono. The torso is thought to be that of a man between 50 and 60 years old who had been dead between two weeks and two months. The Monroe County coroner’s office ruled the case a homicide.

Without the victim’s identity, however, the case went cold. The state police decided to try the laboratory and sent out a rib for DNA extraction.

Within a few months, the results came back.

The DNA phenotype “snapshot” listed high probabilities that the victim had very fair skin, brown or hazel eyes, reddish brown or black hair and few freckles.

Wire holding his sternum together suggested he’d had open-heart surgery. Trooper Vanlouvender said the victim’s coronary artery bypass surgery likely occurred six months to a year before his death. The University of South Florida analyzed isotopes that suggested the victim primarily ate a rice-based diet, which could be the result of the cardiac surgery.

The victim also possibly lived in states just south of Pennsylvania, Trooper Vanlouvender said the isotope analysis revealed.

The phenotyping concluded that the victim’s ancestors primarily hailed from southern Europe.

Anyone who may know the victim is asked to contact Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers at 1-800-4PA-TIPS.

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

DNA analysis puts face to headless homicide victim

Judge Michael Barrasse resentenced a convicted child molester whose sentence was vacated after the state Superior Court ruled the judge used the wrong version of a criminal statute to impose it.

Earlier this month, Judge Barrasse ordered John Cataquet to serve nearly 17 years to 34 years in state prison, followed by 16 years of probation. In the end, the new sentence is almost identical to the original one for Mr. Cataquet, now 42.

That’s due to the discrepancy being a highly technical one rather than one of substance, said Curt Parkins, Mr. Cataquet’s attorney. Judge Barrasse simply had to fix the technicality, he added.

Judges have “vast discretion” in how much prison time they issue to defendants, District Attorney Shane Scanlon said.

In 2009, a jury convicted Mr. Cataquet of Scranton of two counts each of aggravated indecent assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and several other offenses for abusing a 6-year-old girl from January 2002 to January 2003. The victim came forward in 2008 to report the abuse.

The Times Tribune does not identify victims of sexual assault.

In 2010, Judge Barrasse sentenced the defendant to 17 to 34 years in prison. The sentence included two mandatory minimum sentences for the aggravated indecent assault charges, which Judge Barrasse ordered to be served consecutively.

The Superior Court overturned the sentence, finding that Judge Barrasse based it on a version of a criminal statute that was in effect from 2004 to 2006. State law requires a defendant be sentenced under the statute in effect at the time of the crime.

The court noted the statute in effect from 2004 to 2006 provided for a far more severe mandatory minimum prison term. It vacated the sentence imposed and sent the case back to county court for the defendant to be resentenced.

Contact the writer:

pcameron@timesshamrock.com, @pcameronTT on Twitter

The Lackawanna County administration is exploring whether to conduct the first countywide property value reassessment since 1968.

Andy Wallace, chief of staff to county commissioners, told residents during budget hearings Friday that he has been meeting with staff to explore implications of a reassessment and learning about the process from the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania.

“I’m gathering all of this information together, and I’m going to prepare a recommendation to the county commissioners on whether they should go forward with it,” Mr. Wallace said after the hearing in Benton Twp. “We don’t know how this is going to play out.”

Property assessments are used to determine real estate tax distributions, and many advocates believe after nearly five decades without an update, the values are inequitable.

“No one wants to be taxed, but it has to be done fairly,” Democratic Commissioner Jerry Notarianni said. “It’s not, and we have to do what’s right.”

Mr. Notarianni proposed at the June 15 board of commissioners meeting the county begin the process, but his motion died without support from a second commissioner.

Fellow Democrat Patrick O’Malley said at the time the board would revisit assessments when the time is right, and on Friday said his perspective will depend on what Mr. Wallace reports.

Republican Laureen Cummings remained skeptical about the idea, saying she would prefer to see the state Legislature approve House Bill 76 — a legislative proposal would have eliminated school property taxes by bringing in more personal income and sales taxes.

“I’m completely against reassessment, as everyone knows,” Ms. Cummings said. “I feel that most of our elderly population would be affected by that. Unless we can get a substantial decrease in taxes, I wouldn’t vote for reassessment.”

Scranton resident Marie Schumaker raised updating county assessments at the budget hearing in Taylor, and Carbondale resident Michael Carton brought it up at the hearing in his city.

“It’s about time it was done,” Mr. Carton said. “The fact is most of the houses within 50 miles of where you’re sitting have not been assessed for over 30 years. This is something that should be addressed.”

The county began a reassessment in September 2006 with new assessments scheduled to go into effect for 2009. However, then-Commissioners Corey O’Brien and Mike Washo, both Democrats, suspended the process indefinitely in October 2009 because completing it would have cost up to $8 million. At that time, the county had spent $4.37 million on the reassessment before suspending it.

Among questions Mr. Wallace is hoping to answer are whether the county could use that data in a new reassessment, or if it is too outdated at this point, and how much completing the process might cost the county at this point.

He hoped to make a recommendation to commissioners before the end of the year.

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

Scranton is seeking to recoup a $150,000 economic development loan that was supposed to be used to help convert a stately home into a bed-and-breakfast.

The owner of the Cleland House, at 520 Madison Ave. in the Hill Section, blames the unpaid loan on the city because it would not allow him to open without first making costly building-code upgrades that he says don’t apply to his structure.

The dispute, which started in 2013, centers on whether certain upgrades are required as the city contends, or whether the building is grandfathered from the upgrades as owner William Nasser of 520 Madison Associates LLC claims.

As the disagreement dragged on, the bed-and-breakfast hasn’t opened, the loan has gone unpaid, and a loan condition of the business creating five jobs is unmet. As a result, the business defaulted on the $150,000 loan awarded in 2012 by the city’s Office of Economic and Community Development, said the agency’s solicitor, Eugene Hickey.

The city filed a judgment in Lackawanna County Court last week against 520 Madison Associates LLC for nearly $177,000. That amount includes $148,000 in loan principal, $12,000 in interest, $800 in late fees and $16,000 in attorney fees.

After providing the loan in 2012, the city issued a “notice to vacate” Cleland House in 2013 until a fire-suppression sprinkler system was installed. Mr. Nasser claimed the building was exempt from such a requirement and the dispute lingered. In 2015, the city designated the house as historic to “grandfather” it around the sprinkler requirement.

Around that time, the city also told Mr. Nasser that a bed-and-breakfast must either be accessible to disabled patrons or he must obtain an exemption from accessibility requirements from the state. Mr. Nasser again disagreed, citing the historic exemption. He said he tried to resolve this matter, but the city would not cooperate.

The OECD, which has to answer to the federal Housing and Urban Development agency about the status of such loans, filed the judgment to cover the city, Mr. Hickey said.

“The city just can’t sit idly by and has to protect its interests,” Mr. Hickey said.

Mr. Nasser blames the city.

“The same city who gave me an OECD loan wouldn’t let me open to pay them back. I paid it (the loan) for two to three months, but then said, ‘I’m not paying a dime,’” Mr. Nasser said. “They had every right to let me open and they refuse to do it.”

Mr. Nasser said he plans to sue the city to recover operating losses and damages.

Contact the writer:

jlockwood@timesshamrock.com,

@jlockwoodTT on Twitter

A woman who claims numerous Lackawanna County prison guards sexually abused her did not report the assaults for years because she was threatened with retaliation if she spoke out, her attorney says in court papers.

Attorney Matthew Comerford argues the alleged threats against his client also impacted her ability to file a federal lawsuit for injuries she suffered, therefore the statute of limitations should not apply in the case.

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

The woman filed suit in July against more than two dozen current and former prison employees and county officials, seeking damages for sexual abuse and harassment she claims occurred between 2011 and 2016. Among the defendants is former guard John Shnipes,who is accused of abusing her between 2011 and 2013.

Mr. Shnipes, an Archbald councilman, filed a motion in September asking a judge to dismiss him from the suit because claims against him fall outside of the two-year statute of limitations.

Mr. Comerford acknowledges some claims are outside the statute, but argues Mr. Shnipes should remain in the suit because all the defendants have “unclean hands” as they actively prevented the woman, who remains on probation and could potentially be re-incarcerated, from filing suit because of threats they made against her .

“Defendants not only threatened her with harm but also threatened to have her violated and incarcerated in the same facility where they continually raped her,” Mr. Comerford says in a reply to the motion to dismiss.

Mr. Comerford also argues Mr. Shnipes was part of a conspiracy among employees that protected guards who committed the assaults, which allowed the abuse to continue for years. That continuing activity falls under an exception to statute of limitation rules, he says.

“The customs, policies and practices at the prison over the course of the past five years have enabled individual defendants to perpetrate their pattern of abuse against inmates,” the reply says. “Shnipes’ actions are part of the larger pattern ... and can be considered within the statute.”

The lawsuit is among three suits filed against the county and prison in recent years that alleged sexual abuse of female inmates. The prison and county in March agreed to pay $1.25 million to settle two of the lawsuits.

The latest allegations prompted the county to place six guards on administrative leave in June pending the outcome of a criminal investigation by the Lackawanna County district attorney’s office, which is ongoing.

A judge will review Mr. Comerford’s reply to the motion to dismiss and issue a ruling at a later date.

Contact the writer: tbesecker@timesshamrock.com, @tmbeseckerTT on Twitter.

A Scott Twp. man awaiting sentencing for a fatal DUI crash was thrown in jail Friday after a judge ruled he violated his bail conditions by driving.

Brandon Vansplinter, 23, took the stand and denied driving, but a police officer said he had evidence the man was lying.

Last year, Mr. Vansplinter crashed his Jeep Cherokee into the back of a tractor-trailer on Interstate 81 in South Abington Twp. Tests showed Mr. Vansplinter had heroin and Xanax in his blood. His passenger, Carly Otto, 26, of Dalton, died in the wreck.

In September, Mr. Vansplinter pleaded guilty to DUI and homicide by vehicle while DUI. The second charge carries a minimum of three years in prison.

On Oct. 12, the victim’s sister, Alexandra Otto, reported to 911 that Mr. Vansplinter was driving in Jermyn, according to the incident report.

Officers located the Hyundai sedan reported by the caller and followed it to a house at 355 Washington Ave. in Jermyn.

A man wearing a dark sweatshirt with the hood up, concealing his face, exited the Jeep and walked into the house, Jermyn police said.

When the officers knocked at the door, Christopher Frisbie and Mr. Vansplinter, wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, greeted them, police said.

Mr. Frisbie initially said he was the one behind the wheel of the Hyundai, but later told police that Mr. Vansplinter asked him to cover for him, police said. He gave the officer a written statement saying Mr. Vansplinter was driving.

Investigators obtained a phone record that showed the defendant called Mr. Frisbie shortly after the initial 911 call, said Deputy District Attorney Brian Gallagher, who is prosecuting the case.

At a bail hearing Wednesday, Mr. Frisbie pleaded the fifth amendment and refused to testify against Mr. Vansplinter, Mr. Gallagher said.

Mr. Vansplinter’s attorney, Corey Kolcharno, said the lead officer in the case, Patrolman Dane Sorensen, never testified that he saw the defendant actually driving the vehicle, but rather “pieced together” circumstantial evidence.

Judge Vito Geroulo ruled the evidence and the credibility of the officer outweighed the credibility of the defendant. Deputies cuffed Mr. Vansplinter and took him to Lackawanna County Prison.

Mr. Vansplinter has been “heavily involved” in substance abuse treatment since the crash, said Mr. Kolcharno, who added “his heart is breaking” over the death of his friend.

Judge Geroulo likely will sentence Mr. Vansplinter in December, Mr. Gallagher said.

Contact the writer:

pcameron@timesshamrock.com,

@pcameronTT on Twitter

MAYFIELD — A technology company received $1.5 million state grant to redevelop a Mayfield building and surrounding land into a business complex.

NorthEast Environmental Technology’s project takes an existing 95,000 square foot office building and an adjacent 16-acre parcel and prepares the site to develop additional buildings to create nearly 300,000 square feet of state-of-the-art space, according to state Rep. Sid Michaels Kavulich, D-114, Taylor, who announced the grant. The company hopes the new complex will attract biotechnology and science firms.

The grant was funded by the Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, which specializes in projects with economic, cultural and recreational benefits.

HARRISBURG — The end of a legislative session is a gauntlet where bills either make it to the finish line or die.

This week’s end of the session produced action to curb the spread of a deadly epidemic of opioid and heroin overdoses in Pennsylvania, a top priority this fall.

However, the House and Senate went in separate directions when it came to restoring a state casino tax that recently was declared unconstitutional. The divide between the two chambers threatens to leave municipalities in Northeast Pennsylvania without local share gambling money that they counted on for nearly a decade.

Lawmakers left open the possibility for compromise when they meet for a few days next month to reorganize in the post-election “lame duck” session on changing public pension plans for state government and school district employees.

Here is what made it to Gov. Tom Wolf’s desk as the voting part of the 2015-16 session ended this week:

■ Opioids: Mr. Wolf and lawmakers seized on the opioid abuse issue in part to demonstrate that bipartisanship is alive in the aftermath of last year’s lingering state budget stalemate.

The governor is expected to sign several bills to stem the flow of medical prescriptions for opioids or painkillers that can become addictive and lead to heroin use. One bill establishes a curriculum at medical schools to teach the safe prescribing of opioids.

Two measures sponsored by Sen. Gene Yaw, R-23, Williamsport, restrict a doctor’s ability to prescribe opioids to minors, including limiting a prescription to seven days, and require continuing education for medical professionals in the areas of pain management and addiction.

A bill sponsored by Rep. Rosemary Brown, R-189, Middle Smithfield Twp., limits the quantity of opioids that hospital emergency rooms and urgent care centers can prescribe.

■ Beer sales: Expanded wine sales come first. Now it’s the turn for beer sales. Beer distributors will be able to sell six-packs under the second liquor reform bill of the year. Mr. Wolf said he supports this move as part of efforts to bring Pennsylvania’s liquor system into the 21st century.

■ Blight: Northeast region lawmakers worked in a bipartisan fashion in recent years to pass bills giving local officials more power to fight neighborhood blight. The latest one gives counties the option of levying a special fee on recording deeds and mortgages to pay for demolition of blighted buildings. Sen. David Argall, R-29, Tamaqua, sponsored this measure.

A bill sponsored by Rep. Neal Goodman, D-123, Mahanoy City, to reduce the grace period from 18 months to 12 months for a purchaser of a building to correct known code violations also passed.

■ One-call: Lawmakers renewed a utility safety program for one year, but they didn’t make the changes sought by Sen. Lisa Baker, R-20, Lehman Twp. The House removed a provision in her bill to include natural gas gathering lines in Pennsylvania’s “One Call” program. Companies and individuals are required to contact a 811 communications system to have underground lines marked before they dig. Ms. Baker described the final bill as “well short of the public interest” in a Senate floor speech, but said it had to be passed anyway so the program wouldn’t expire at year’s end.

■ AG prosecutor: The legal saga that led to former state Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane’s conviction on perjury charges and resignation last August resulted in legislation to revive the office of special prosecutor. The measure creates a process to pick a special prosecutor to investigate alleged wrongdoing by an attorney general.

■ Spray: Corrections officers could carry pepper spray under a bill passed with bipartisan support. The bill will improve the personal safety of officers who are outnumbered greatly in overcrowded prisons, said Jason Bloom, president of the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association.

■ Rides: Legislation allowing ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft to operate in Pennsylvania is expected to get Mr. Wolf’s signature.

■ Unemplyment insurance: Seasonal workers will get access to state unemployment insurance under a bill the governor supports.

Here is what did not make it to the finish line:

■ LGBT: The momentum for a ban on workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity stalled after a Senate hearing last August.

■ Gas royalty: Landowners in the Marcellus Shale drilling region kept a daily presence at the Capitol during session days this fall, but they couldn’t persuade the House Republican leadership to vote on a bill to prevent some gas drillers from reducing royalty payments through deductions.

■ Judge: A Senate-passed bill to create a second judgeship in Wayne County stalled in the House.

Contact the writer: rswift@timesshamrock.com

Keystone Sanitary Landfill, Scranton and its sewer authority oppose a neighborhood group’s fight for a court determination on whether the city and agency improperly allow the landfill to pipe leachate through Green Ridge.

The Green Ridge Neighborhood Association filed a petition in Lackawanna County Court on Oct. 7, seeking to overturn an authority permit change in December that allows the landfill to use an alternate leachate line, known as the Monahan/Reeves or Green Ridge line.

The neighborhood group believes the permit change violates a 1990 settlement between the landfill, authority and city for Keystone to solely use a different, dedicated line for pre-treated leachate, also called garbage juice.

The landfill, city and authority disagree and contend that landfill use of the alternate leachate line always was, and remains, permissible. The authority’s permit change in December merely corrected a clerical error or oversight in omitting the alternate line from the permit, and the so-called ‘dedicated’ line was never meant as the exclusive discharge pipe, they claim.

Because the settlement stems from a 1989 lawsuit by the landfill against the city and authority, the neighborhood group cannot automatically intervene in the case and must first gain court approval to do so. A hearing on this aspect initially scheduled for Monday has been canceled by the court and has not yet been rescheduled.

‘A 26-year delay’

In separate replies filed Thursday, the landfill, city and authority each contend the civic group should not be allowed to intervene. The group is not a party to the settlement and acting way too late to intervene now, they claim.

A court can deny such a petition if the intervenor unduly delayed entry, and “this is a 26 year delay,” the authority filing said.

The neighborhood group believes it has legal standing to intervene because its residents are the intended, third-party beneficiaries of the 1990 settlement.

The landfill claims the civic group is not a third-party beneficiary or successor to the 1990 settlement, and is “undeniably too late” to get into the case now. The city also argues that the civic group is not a third-party beneficiary and does not have legal standing.

The issues stem in part from an incident in September 2015, when a foul smell from a mysterious black fluid discharge in a sewer line permeated parts of Green Ridge and Dunmore and caused some evacuations. The state could not determine the source, though it ruled out the landfill.

As a result of that incident, the civic group became more concerned about leachate line issues and stormwater flooding of sewer lines that at times backs up into homes.

Going it alone

The neighborhood group wanted the city to go to court to enforce the 1990 settlement, to get the sewer authority’s December permit tossed and the Green Ridge leachate line shut down. City solicitors concluded in the summer that the 1990 pact has not been violated, the alternate leachate line is permissible, and there are no reasons for the city to go to court. That left the civic group to go it alone in court.

“It’s shocking that the city of Scranton would team up with Keystone landfill to try to prevent the Green Ridge Neighborhood Association from having their day in court,” association President Jim Mulligan said in a phone interview. “It’s so disappointing.”

The Green Ridge Neighborhood Association’s recording secretary is Matthew E. Haggerty, publisher of The Times-Tribune and a resident of Green Ridge.

Contact the writer:

jlockwood@timesshamrock.com,

@jlockwoodTT on Twitter

SCRANTON — A Scranton man faces charges for flooding the holding cells at city police headquarters Friday morning, authorities said.

Tyran B. Dowdell, 28, 1107 Watson St., is charged with institutional vandalism.

Mr. Dowdell had been in a holding cell at 9 a.m. for public drunkenness, Capt. Dennis Lukasewicz said.

The sprinkler system went off and flooded five holding cells.

Surveillance footage shows Mr. Dowdell manipulating an overhead sprinkler, Patrolman Kevin Davis wrote in an affidavit.

Mr. Dowdell is in Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $10,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled Oct. 7.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

Those who knew Mariagnes Brown remember her as someone committed to learning and teaching.

“She had nine children and she saw how education was important in all of our lives,” her eldest child, Betsey Moylan, said Friday night. “She thought education was key to being a well-rounded person.”

Mrs. Brown, a former guidance counselor and three-term board member with the Scranton School District, died Friday at the age of 93.

It was the pursuit of learning that led Mrs. Brown to Scranton, albeit indirectly. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and first came to Pennsylvania as a student at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, Ms. Moylan said.

A roommate there hailed from Scranton and she tagged along on a trip to the Electric City. The roommate happened to date a relative of Scranton native Robert Brown. The two met during the trip — an instance of “love at first sight,” Ms. Moylan said — and later married. She moved to South Scranton in 1950, where she and her husband raised a family.

She would eventually earn a master’s degree in counselor education. She served as a guidance counselor at West Scranton Intermediate School, Ms. Moylan said, before becoming a school board member in 1981 and serving 12 years. She brought a lot of expertise with her to that position, her daughter said.

Professional colleagues agree.

Former Mayor Jim Connors knew Mrs. Brown from his time at the district as a history teacher and Title One administrator. She was “one of the best school directors we ever had,” Mr. Connors said, calling her a generous and hardworking woman who cared deeply for the students and parents of the district.

Mary Anne Sinclair served on the board with Mrs. Brown. Mrs. Brown always researched topics and knew how to make tough decisions, Ms. Sinclair recalled.

“She found out all the information,” she said. “She got along with everyone, but she wasn’t afraid to give her opinion because she looked into things ahead of time.”

While on the board, Mrs. Brown was especially proud of pushing policies that banned smoking on school property.

“She saw that as a real public health issue for the children,” Ms. Boylan said.

Mrs. Brown was active in the church and as a volunteer. She donated time to Meals on Wheels and Catholic Social Services, amongst other organizations, over the years.

Ever the educator, she also volunteered with Scranton Council of Literacy Advance and helped people earn their GEDs and citizenship. Her involvement in the community earned her the Gov. Robert P. Casey Medal for a Lifetime of Service in 2010.

“She just loved to learn, along with teaching,” Ms. Sinclair said.

Contact the writer:

cover@timesshamrock.com,

@ClaytonOver on Twitter

An advocacy group for clergy abuse victims is urging the Diocese of Scranton to reach out to individuals who may know about other potential crimes committed by a former priest who is up for parole after molesting a boy a decade ago in Wayne County.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said it opposes the release of Steven Wolpert, who is serving a nine- to 18-year sentence at the State Correctional Institution at Camp Hill for involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child under 13.

“Kids will be safest if Wolpert serves his entire sentence of 18 years behind bars,” SNAP director David Clohessy said in a statement.

Mr. Wolpert, 63, who served as a priest in Brooklyn, New York, from 1981 to 1987, pleaded guilty in Wayne County Court in March 2008, to charges he abused an 8-year-old boy in Hawley in 2006 and 2007. He was sentenced three months later.

In August, Mr. Wolpert had his parole interview with the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, which is reviewing his case, board spokeswoman Maria Finn said Friday.

If the board grants parole, he could be released as early as Dec. 11, she said.

Although Mr. Wolpert never had a formal assignment in the Diocese of Scranton, the molestation happened in the diocese and he “very likely used his status as a priest to ingratiate himself” to area families, Mr. Clohessy said.

He called on Bishop Joseph C. Bambera to aggressively reach out to those who may have information or suspicions about other victims.

Diocesan spokesman William Genello said it is diocese policy to report all abuse allegations to law enforcement.

“In its mission to protect children and to offer pastoral care to survivors of sexual abuse, the Diocese of Scranton consistently and aggressively seeks to respond to anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered such crimes,” he said in an email.

A notice encouraging the reporting of suspected abuse is posted on the diocesan website and in every edition of The Catholic Light, he said. The notice also publishes regularly in parish bulletins.

Contact the writer:

dsingleton@timesshamrock.com

SCRANTON — The Harrison Avenue bridge will close through the day Monday and Tuesday for crews to deliver and set beams for the new bridge.

The bridge will close both days from about 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. , according to the state Department of Transportation. Emergency responders will be able to use the bridge for most of the time it is closed those days, but the public must follow a posted detour. City police will be on scene to help with traffic control and to notify the contractor should emergency personnel need to use the bridge.

— CLAYTON OVER

The only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys.

There’s not a better category of consumer goods that fits that saying than cars and trucks. Whether it’s a heavy-hauling utility vehicle or exotic sports coupe, they fulfill a guy’s need in ways formerly served by bicycles, dirt bikes and go-karts.

Our ride-of-the-week is a case in point. The 2016 Ram Power Wagon is a stump-jumping, gravel-chewing, mud-bogging monster Tonka truck on steroids, from its big knobby tires, to its 14.5-inch ground clearance, to its bright-red accented grill, and to its generous application of “POWER WAGON” decaling.

Created by Dodge in the aftermath of World War II, the Power Wagon began its run as a civilian-ized version of the company’s military-grade 4X4 light truck.

Fast-forward seven decades, and it is now the biggest and baddest manifestation of the wide-ranging Ram 2500 series of trucks.

Big rig

Unlike its lesser brethren, it is sold only in a Crew Cab configuration with a 6’4”-long plastic-lined bed. Measuring nearly 20 feet long and roughly 6½ feet wide and tall and weighing in just north of 7,000 pounds, the Power Wagon puts the “big” in big rig.

There are three trim levels — Power Wagon Tradesman, Power Wagon and Power Wagon Laramie — all powered by a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 (410 horsepower and 2429 ft-lbs torque) that’s connected to a trick off-road ready drivetrain via a standard six-speed automatic transmission.

We spent a week recently rumbling through our daily routine behind the wheel of a flame-red mid-trim Power Wagon that sported a $51,160 base price. A long list of optional goodies (most notably the $1,150 UConnect infotainment/interface system) and a $1,195 delivery tab brought the final asking price to $56,845.

Go-to hauler

That’s a pretty penny, but to be fair this is a lot of truck. If one’s regular automotive needs include towing 5-ton loads to the shore, hauling a horse trailer to the farm and barging up some backwoods two-track, this is a go-to choice. In addition to an on-the- fly manual transfer case and locking front and rear differentials, the Power Wagon also features a six-ton front bumper-integrated winch, a hill-descent control system and disconnecting sway bars to keep the rubber in contact with the gravel in severe off-road conditions.

As a daily driver, the Power Wagon presents a predictable list of compromises, not the least of which is the considerable climb required when entering or exiting its cabin. There’s no running board or nerf bar present (they’d compromise the truck’s rock-hopping mission), so it’s up to the driver and passengers to grab on to the lord-have-mercy handles and swing themselves into position. The kids and I agreed it’s a bit like climbing a jungle gym.

Once inside, though, occupants are treated to a large and comfortable cabin with more than enough room for five adults. Instrumentation and gauges are clearly marked and easy to read. Cupholders and storage cubbies abound.

Roaring ride

Handling and steering response are both fairly described as “truck-like.” While markedly smoother-riding than pickups of not so long ago, the Power Wagon’s tall driving position (my feet probably rested at the same level as my head during a previous week test driving the Mazda Miata) and rock-hopping suspension amplified road conditions. Factor in a good deal of engine noise and tire roar, and the going is anything but calming or sedate.

The big Hemi is a powerful unit that also can be found in the non-Hellcat version of the Dodge Challenger and other SRT-tuned Chrysler vehicles. The EPA doesn’t give any fuel-efficiency estimates. We observed a miserable 11.8 mpg in combined driving. Curiously, the heavy-hauling Cummins turbo-diesel inline-six is not available on the Power Wagon. While optional on other 2500 models, it reportedly added too much weight, thereby compromising the Power Wagon’s off-road performance.

2016 Ram 2500 Power Wagon

Vehicle type: Four-door, five-passenger full-size 4X4 pickup truck

Base/as-tested prices: $51,160/$56,845

Engine and transmission: 6.4-liter Hemi V8, 410 horsepower, 429 ft-lbs torque, six-speed automatic.

EPA estimates: N/A (11.8 mpg combined driving observed)

The good: Go-almost-anywhere off-road abilities combined with serious towing; large and comfortable interior with plentiful legroom for back-seaters; seriously stout and capable Hemi V8 power; reasonably smooth road manners and precise handling for a big rig; the envy of high-school boys everywhere.

The bad: Step ladder would come in handy for climbing in and out; big, knobby off-road tires make road roar a constant presence; awful fuel economy; length, width and wide turning radius compromise handling in tight spots, be it off road or in the Weis parking lot; goofy exterior decaling.

Bottom line: Assuming one doesn’t mind the daily-driving compromises posed by its height, mass, proportions and thirst for gas, the Power Wagon is hands down the mack-daddy among full-size stump-jumping pick’em-ups.

SCRANTON — Police arrested a man Thursday they said stole cologne from Boscov’s at The Marketplace at Steamtown, according to Scranton police.

Boscov’s loss prevention officers stopped Edgar Sierra, 26, 2712 N. Main Ave., Scranton, around 6 p.m. outside the store’s garage vestibule after an officer witnessed Mr. Sierra place four boxed cologne sets in the bottom of a stroller, which he then pushed out of the store.

Officers then escorted Mr. Sierra to the security office and called Scranton police. Officials found the four boxed sets of cologne, worth about $391, concealed under a blanket in the stroller.

Police charged Mr. Sierra with retail theft. He remains free on $1,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

— Eliana Saks

VETERANS

Hero Haul 5K

Run/Walk set

Hero Haul 5K Run/Walk, today, 9 a.m., VFW Post 6520, 846 Cortez Road, Jefferson Twp., $25/race day, $10/12 and under, awards to female and male first-, second- and third-place winners in each age group, trophies for overall female and male winners; Post 6520 Ladies Auxiliary holding a basket raffle; breakfast sandwiches available for purchase, benefits Homes for Our Troops; registration, 7:30-8:30 a.m. race day; donations: Hero Haul, 2620 Aberdeen Road, Madison Twp., PA 18444; Christine, chrissie0427@gmail.com.

VFW Post 6082 holding pork dinner

Shopa-Davey VFW Post 6082 pork and sauerkraut dinner, today, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. or sold out, post home, 123 Electric St., Peckville, $10, from members or at door, takeouts available.

Post 4909 to hold anniversary dinner

Dupont VFW Post 4909 Home Association’s 71st anniversary dinner-dance, Saturday, post home, 401-403 Main St.; buffet, 7:30-8:45 p.m., bar open 7:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.; entertainment by Millennium, 9-1; $30; tickets and reservations, Bob Lopata at VFW or 654-9104 by Friday.

Post 5207 sets turkey raffle

John J. Michaels VFW Post 5207 annual Turkey Raffle and More, Saturday, 4-7 p.m., routes 502 and 307, Covington Twp.; 570-842-7301.

Post 3474 sets pancake breakfast

VFW Post 3474 pancake breakfast, Saturday, 9 a.m.-noon, post home, 110 Chestnut St., Dunmore, $7/adults and $4/children.

Post 6082 sets sandwich sale

Shopa-Davey VFW Post 6082 Auxiliary porketta sandwich sale, Saturday, 1-4 p.m., post, 123 Electric St., Peckville, $3; Lisa, 570-955-6272.

Post 327 Auxiliary selling porketta

Raymond Henry American Legion Post 327 Auxiliary, Olyphant, porketta sandwich sale, Saturday and Sunday, 1-7 p.m., $3.50, 3/$10.

Detachment plans birthday event

The 241st birthday of the Marine Corps celebration, Nov. 10, 6 p.m., Northeastern Detachment Marine Corps League, 1340 Alder St.; buffet meal, $10, flag raising at Courthouse, 8 a.m.

Veterans Center dedication set

University of Scranton is dedicating its new Veterans Center, Nov. 11, 2 p.m., on site in Hyland Hall, Linden Street and Jefferson Avenue, Scranton, open house follows until 5:30; 570-941-4334 or veteran

sclub@scranton.edu.

Veterans

workshop set

In conjunction with Veterans Day activities at the University of Scranton, the Veterans Club is hosting a professional workshop to provide mindfullness training tailored for veterans and military recruits to reduce stress, anxiety and fear, Nov. 11, 7 p.m., veterans lounge, Hyland Hall, Linden Street and Jefferson Avenue, free, open to veterans, their families and veterans service organizations, reservations required; 570-941-4334.

Post 7069 sets meat raffle

Abington Memorial VFW Post 7069 Thanksgiving turkey and ham raffle, Nov. 12, 4 p.m., 402 Winola Road, Clarks Summit.

Vets appreciation dinner set

Hamlin Fire and Rescue Company’s veterans appreciation dinner, Nov. 12, 407 p.m., bingo hall, free/veterans and $7/guests; 570-815-8286.

Seeking veterans

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

Infamy.”

Veterans Day services

■ Abington Memorial VFW Post 7069, Veterans Day service, Nov. 11, 6 p.m., Our Lady of the Snows Church, 301 S. State St., Clarks Summit.

■ Michael Steiner American Legion Post 411 and Jessup VFW Post 5544 services, Nov. 11, 11 a.m., tank, Hill Street, light refreshments follow at Post 411, 508 Church St.

■ Scott Twp. Veterans Day service, Saturday, 10 a.m., Veterans Memorial in front of the Joe Terry Civic Center, 1038 Montdale Road, guest speaker: the Rev. Daniel Geeza, a retired Army Lt. Col with 21 years of service, with participation by the Lakeland High School Band and Chorus and Scott Twp. Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, invocation by the Rev. Donald Hasselman, pastor of Mount Bethel Baptist Church, Justus will give the invocation, light refreshments follow.

Meetings

POST 6528

Hyde Park Memorial VFW Post 6528, today, 11 a.m.; 570-961-2696.

DISTRICT 11

District 11 American Legion, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., American Legion Post 604, 309 Spring St., Moosic.

109TH ASSOCIATION

The 109th Infantry Regiment Association, Wednesday, 6 p.m., Shopa-Davey VFW Post Peckville.

POST 7069

Abington Memorial VFW Post 7069, Thursday, 7 p.m., 402 Winola Road, Clarks Summit, to finalize Veterans Day activities.

POST 207

Kosciuszko American Legion Post 207, Thursday, 7 p.m., SS. Peter and Paul Church hall, 1309 W. Locust St., Scranton.

POST 25

VFW Post 25, Nov. 6, 1 p.m., canteen meeting, noon, post home.

MARINE CORPS LEAGUE

Northeastern Detachment Marine Corps League and Museum Nov. 6, 2 p.m., installation of officers, 1340 Alder st. Scranton.

OST 5207

John J. Michaels VFW Post 5207, Nov. 6, 10 a.m., post home, routes 502 and 307, Covington Twp., agenda: veterans dinner scheduled for Thanksgiving day and Veterans Day programs.

POST 4909

VFW Post 4909, Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m., post home, home association meeting follows.

POST 610

Mayfield American Legion Post 610, Nov. 7. 12, 7 p.m., headquarters.

CHAPTER 114

Disabled American Veterans Chapter, Nov. 9, 7 p.m., Cordaro’s Restaurant, 186 Grandview Ave., Honesdale.

POST 306

Taylor American Legion Post 306, Nov. 12, noon, agenda: vote to approve recent bylaw changes.

EZRA GRIFFIN CAMP 8

Ezra S. Griffin, Camp 8 Sons of Union Veterans, Nov. 12, 10:30 a.m., Scranton City Hall, side ADA entrance, Mulberry Street; 570-606-1014.

VFW DISTRICT 10

VFW District 10, Nov. 13, 2 p.m., Shopa-Davey VFW Post 6082, 123 Electric St., Peckville.

POST 5209

VFW Post 5209, Nov. 20, home association, 12:30 p.m., officers, 1 p.m., post home, 1849 Bloom Ave., Scranton.

Merli Center

Today: Coffee, 8:30; morning visits, 8:45; Eucharistic ministers, 9:15; Jim Reeves gospel concert, 2 p.m.

Monday: Halloween. Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; Bible study visits, 9:30; monster mash, 10:15; Halloween party with EJ the DJ and food, 2 p.m.

Tuesday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; resident council, 10; food committee, 10:30; McDonald’s dine-in, noon; volunteer ministry, 1:15 p.m., choir practice, 1:45; Catholic service, 3.

Wednesday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; turkey toss, 10:15; Eitner memorial bingo, 2 p.m.; music video, 7.

Thursday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; chapel, 10; video resident choice, 10:30; Redhatters bingo, 2 p.m.; poker, 7.

Friday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; horse racing, 10:15; bingo by American Legion District 11, 2 p.m.; happy hour, 3:30.

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

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

Former Democratic state Rep. Kevin Haggerty wants to return to his former office, but Republican travel agent Ernest Lemoncelli hopes to pull off a major upset.

Their 112th state House district contest turned more competitive than expected as they aim in the Nov. 8 general election to replace Rep. Frank Farina, whom Mr. Haggerty defeated in the April primary election to earn the Democratic nomination.

Repeated efforts to interview Mr. Haggerty, who refused to debate Mr. Lemoncelli, were unsuccessful.

By voter registration, Mr. Haggerty has the edge because the district has almost four times as many Democrats as Republicans. However, Mr. Lemoncelli’s yard signs in much of the Midvalley show he’s taking the race seriously and has more support than Republicans in the district usually find.

Mr. Lemoncelli has no doubts about why Mr. Haggerty refuses to debate: Mr. Haggerty missed 181 of 1,817 votes in his two earlier years as a representative, 2012-2014.

“He’s got some indefensible positions,” Mr. Lemoncelli said. “One is not showing up for work. How do you defend that?”

Mr. Lemoncelli sees a career politician in Mr. Haggerty, who ran for representative three times, winning once so far, and unsuccessfully for Lackawanna County clerk of judicial records last year.

“I’m not a career politician,” Mr. Lemoncelli said. “I haven’t run for a lot of offices like my opponent has and I actually show up for work. Harrisburg is a group of serious people dealing with serious issues. You can’t act like that and expect any respect or success at bringing what we need to this area.”

If elected, Mr. Lemoncelli said, he will join a House Republican majority and that means he can be more effective than Mr. Haggerty.

“My opponent would be in the minority and he would be a freshman with a bad reputation of not doing the work,” he said.

Mr. Lemoncelli said his top priorities are extracting more education funding for local schools and creating greater transparency in the way state government spends money.

He favors putting all state spending and his office expenses online and said he will submit receipts for actual expenses instead of accepting per diem reimbursements. He plans to hold regular town hall meetings to listen to constituents.

He favors cutting the state 9.9 percent corporate net income tax by closing the loophole that allows companies to shift profits to states with a lower income tax. He favors swapping higher income or sales taxes or a combination of both for lower school property taxes.

He will consider imposing a natural gas extraction tax but would want the tax to apply to coal, timber, gravel and sand, too. At least half the money should stay locally, going toward education, fixing local roads or other needs, he said.

On state pension reform, he favors shifting newly hired employees to 401(k)-style plans and would consider reducing benefits for existing employees to pre-2001 benefit-increase levels. He would privatize the state liquor store system but allow store employees to take state jobs as they become available.

Mr. Lemoncelli advocates reducing the number of state legislators, favors term limits and pledges to serve no more than 12 years.

In the spring and in 2014, Mr. Haggerty touted his bipartisan work as a legislator to obtain money for school districts to pay police officers to watch schools and favored extending the state’s existing budget if the General Assembly fails to pass a new budget. He also said he favors swapping higher income or sales taxes or a combination of both for lower school property taxes and wants an independent commission to draw new boundaries for House and Senate districts and the creation of a new, independent organization dedicated to attracting new jobs to Pennsylvania.

Contact the writer: bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com

Kevin Michael Haggerty

Party: Democrat

Age: 44

Residence: Dunmore

Family: Wife, Jennifer; son, Kevin; daughter, Giovanna

Education: Dunmore High School, 1991; bachelor’s degree, political science, Villanova University, 1995

Employment: Small business owner

Experience: Stillmeadow School, Scott Twp., teacher, counselor and coach, state youthful offender program, 1997-1999; teacher, Potter-Thomas Elementary School, 1999-2001; director of social justice, DeSales University, 2003-2006; adjunct teacher, communications/public speaking, Marywood University, 2008-2010; deputy director of governmental affairs, Lackawanna County, 2008-2011; state representative, 112th state House district, 2012-2014

Ernest Dominic

Lemoncelli

Party: Republican

Age: 61

Residence: Archbald (Eynon)

Family: Wife, Beatriz; sons, Federico, Francisco, Eliot, Eric; daughter, Marina

Education: Scranton Preparatory School, 1973; bachelor’s degree, elementary education, Bloomsburg University, 1977

Employment: Travel agent

Experience: Industrial electronic equipment sales, Deutsch Electronics, Houston, Texas; Augat Inc., Florida and KSM Electronics, Florida, all at different times from 1978-2002; co-owner, EZ Cruise & Travel, Archbald, 2002-present

During his 41 years in the Scranton School District, Michael Sheridan never forgot why he wanted a career in education.

“All he cared about at the end of the day was educating kids. He did that throughout his lifetime,” said Brian Jeffers, former Scranton School Board president.

On Saturday, Mr. Sheridan’s friends and former colleagues remembered the man who taught children to read, cared about his coworkers, read to the blind and reluctantly took the job as CEO when the district needed a leader. Mr. Sheridan died unexpectedly late Friday night at the age of 71.

“He was a loved man,” said Joe Brazil, the district’s chief information officer. “He took an interest in everyone.”

Mr. Brazil had lunch with Mr. Sheridan on Friday. The two discussed how excited the former CEO was to watch his grandson play baseball.

Mr. Sheridan retired in 2008, serving his last three years as CEO — a title given to him because he lacked a superintendent’s certificate. He started his career at Whittier Elementary School at the age of 22, climbing from teacher, to reading supervisor, to supervisor of administrative services.

Rosemary Boland, president of the Scranton Federation

of Teachers, taught fifth grade next to Mr. Sheridan’s sixth-grade classroom at Whittier.

“Mike liked a good joke, whether it was about him or about me.” Ms. Boland said. “We had a really good working relationship.”

During his time as CEO, Mr. Sheridan helped commission the district-wide feasibility study and oversaw the beginning stages of a $60 million construction project, which included the creation of Isaac Tripp Elementary, the addition to John F. Kennedy Elementary and the rebuilding of Whittier.

“He knew those things were important,” said former Superintendent William King, who served as assistant superintendent under Mr. Sheridan. “Mike was a good people person. I learned that a lot of school business, when in administration, deals with people and how you treat people.”

Bryan McGraw, former principal of Scranton High School and the superintendent of North Pocono, said his career was greatly influenced by his uncle.

“The focus was always to do what’s best for the kids,” Mr. McGraw said. “You learn about your staff and the people who work for you and treat them like they are your family. That was always a priority of his.”

Mr. Sheridan adored his wife, daughters, grandchildren and the New York Giants. In his more than four decades in the district, he saw major changes, including standardized tests and technology. As CEO, he tried to keep board politics out of education.

By Saturday night, Mr. Brazil said he had received more than 30 phone calls from friends and coworkers, many of them in tears.

“I’m still in shock,” he said. “He was just down to earth. He cared about everyone, no matter who you were.”

Mr. Sheridan’s obituary appears HERE.

Contact the writer: shofius@timesshamrock.com, @hofiushallTT on Twitter

Allied Services Integrated Health System

The health system recognized six of its employees at an annual awards ceremony held in the Graf Community Room at the Luger Rehab Center in Scranton. The Charles Luger Memorial Employee Award recognizes an employee or employees for their outstanding commitment and dedication.

Michael Frey, FMP, assistant vice president of food services, an employee of 10 years, has provided nourishment for thousands of patients, residents and staff served by the health system. Mr. Frey was awarded the 2016 Charles Luger Memorial Employee Award. He is a certified food management professional, and is responsible for the food service operations at Allied Services Rehabilitation Hospital, Skilled Nursing and Rehab Center, developmental services division, “Possibilities” employee and visitor cafeteria on the Scranton campus and the corporate center cafeteria.

Allyson Simpson, BS, CPRP, program manager, behavioral health division, began her career 16 years ago as a student intern. since then, she has made an impact on the behavioral health division and the individuals served by its programs. Ms. Simpson is a certified crisis prevention intervention trainer and serves on the Pennsylvania Association of Pyschiatric Rehabilitation Services.

Jeana Sluck, RN, BSN, CRRN, assistant vice president, nursing and clinical programs, has been employed at the health system for 40 years. Ms. Sluck previously worked as a floor nurse, unit manager, supervisor, patient safety nurse, executive director of nursing through out her career.

John Niznick, PT, MDT, CSCS, JSCC, CMP, joined the health system in 1978. He studies widely, acquiring therapeutic tools for the benefit of his patients. Mr. Niznick mentors students from local and regional colleges.

Christine Gush, RN, admissions nurse is a certified wound nurse, admission nurse and electronic medical record expert. Ms. Gush has been an employee for almost 25 years. She has worked at Heinz Rehab Hospital, Heinz Transitional Rehab Unit, Allied Scranton Rehab Hospital and Allied Transitional Rehab Unit.

Kristina Dorkoski, PT, DPT, PYT, CPI, is a 14 year employee. Ms. Dorkoski is an outpatient physical therapist, specializing in neurological and geriatric rehabilitation at Heinz Rehab Center in Wilkes-Barre. She is certified in LSVT Big and Loud and PWR!Moves. Additionally, Ms. Dorkoski is an adjunct faculty member in the physical therapy department at Misercordia University, where she instructs neuroscience labs and a special practices course she created on the use of pilates and medical therapeutic yoga in rehabilitation.

Community

Bank NA

The wealth management group announced that Jude McDonough has been promoted to vice president. Mr. McDonough is a certified financial planner professional, and an accredited investment fiduciary. He brings to the position more than 12 years of experience in the financial services industry, managing more than $100 million in assets for individuals and institutions. Mr. McDonough is a graduate of the University of Scranton with a Bachelor of Science in marketing, and was honored as one of the region’s “Top 20 Under 40” by The Northeast PA Business Journal in 2011. In 2014, he was recognized as one of the Top 50 Bank Advisers by Bank Investment Consultant magazine. In addition, he volunteers with a variety of groups, including United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Wyoming County United Way, St. Patrick’s Parade Committee, Techbridge, Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, and Geisinger Community Medial Center advisory council.

Home Instead Senior Care

Sylvia Kolosinsky has joined the office, serving Lackawanna, Monroe, Pike, Wayne and Wyoming counties. As the manager of CAREGiver administration, Ms. Kolosinsky manages the day-to-day operations of the CAREGiver experience, including ensuring all files are updated and compliant with the franchise and state requirements. In addition, she oversees the process for which CAREGiver policies and procedures are communicated, implemented and tracked. Ms. Kolosinsky has more than a decade of experience in the administration of services to seniors in our community.

King’s College

Ellen (Moran) Gallagher and Peter Kozloski have been appointed to a three-year term on the college’s board of

directors.

A 1987 King’s College graduate with a degree in international business, Ms. Gallagher is the senior vice president and chief financial officer of the American Museum of Natural History in New York. She is a graduate of Wyoming Seminary and serves on its board of

trustees.

Mr. Kozloski is the retired chief executive officer and owner of NEPSK Communications, a Maine-based company. A 1968 King’s College graduate with a degree in business administration, he was previously a chief financial officer at WNEP-TV. He was a member of the college’s club football team.

Lightspeed

Technologies

Members of the sales team have achieved Cisco certifications in their field. Jeff Boam, inside sales, and Victor Delaglio, outside sales, completed training and passed the Cisco business value analyst certification.

Mr. Boam joined the company in September 2015.

Mr. Delaglio joined the company in June, bringing more than 25 years of Cisco experience to the team.

Joe Strubeck, sales administrator, is a Cisco services expert and a barracuda certified sales partner. Mr. Strubeck holds VMware VSP certificates in desktop and server virtualization, and is a NetApp-accredited sales professional with certificates in FlexPod for account managers, SnapProtect management software, data protection, data fabri and ONTAP, and is a Cloud Builder sales associate.

Misericordia

University

Michael J. Smith, M.H.Sc., M.S., an adjunct faculty member of health care informatics, recently presented at two conferences. He was a speaker at the eighth annual Personalized & Precision Medicine Conference held in San Francisco. His presentation, “Patient Engagement and Technology in Genomic Medicine,” offered insight into patient engagement as a key to keeping patients involved with their own health care. He also presented “Patient Connected Healthcare: Enhancing Patient Engagement through Technology and Innovation” at the UpNext Tech Conference at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, Harrisburg. Mr. Smith earned a master’s degree in medical health sciences from Saint Francis University, Loretto, and a Master of Science from California University of Pennsylvania, California. He is currently completing his doctoral studies at the University of New England, Biddeford, Maine.

Jennifer M. Black, Ph.D., assistant professor of history and government, was honored by Pittston for her work and leadership of projects to help the Greater Pittston Historical Society preserve the region’s history. A specialist in public history, Dr. Black was presented with a proclamation at a city council meeting by Mayor Jason C. Klush. The proclamation recognized her work with three groups of university students, all participants in the summer research fellowship program. over the past two years, her students have assisted GPHS to research and record the history of Main Street, Pittston, record and transcribe a large cache of oral histories from members of the community, and digitize and catalogue a large collection of photos and memorabilia into an online exhibit. The three projects have been published at MULocalHistoryProjects.org. Dr. Black joined the university faculty in 2014. She earned a Ph.D. in American history and visual studies from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, and a Master of Arts degree in public history and a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history from Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan. She teaches classes in United States history, visual culture and public history.

Paul Nardone, M.S., director, center for adult and continuing education and office of summer studies, and Joseph J. Grilli, M.P.A., D.P.A., director, corporate and institutional recruitment, CACE presented at the University Professional and Continuing Education Association Mid-Atlantic Region Conference in Annapolis, Maryland. The theme of the conference was “Scanning the Horizon: Opportunities for Discovery in Continuing, Professional, and Online Education.”

Mr. Nardone presented “Giving a Voice to Adult Learners,” which explored the positive impact that has resulted from the formation of an adult student council for nontraditional students at the university. He serves as an adjunct professor in the business department, in addition to his role as director of CACE. He earned a Master of Science degree in organizational management and a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Misericordia University.

Dr. Grilli presented “Case Study: A Partnership between a University and a Major Health Care System.” The presentation discussed how the university industry partnership with Geisinger Health System achieves success by encouraging the integrated health system to identify needs based on organizational priorities, allowing the university to identify and offer specific academic programs in response to those needs and priorities. In his role as director of corporate and institutional recruitment, Dr. Grilli works in collaboration with the director of admissions at the university to advance strategic recruitment and admissions initiatives in the area of nontraditional student enrollment, particularly in the corporate and business sectors. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Wilkes University, attended the Penn State University graduate program in public administration, and received both master’s and doctorate degrees in public administration from Nova Southeastern University.

MotorWorld

Mercedes-Benz

Justin Partington has completed Mercedes-Benz product concierge training. During the two-day training, Mr. Partington demonstrated the skills of a Mercedes-Benz product concierge. he joined the team in December 2015.

Munley Law

Attorney Marion Munley hosted the Pennsylvania Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession mentoring reception on Oct. 13 at the law office in downtown Scranton. The reception was one of three held statewide, with the others taking place in Harrisburg and Philadelphia, and provided an opportunity for mentors to meet with their mentees, and for commission members to learn more about the mentoring program. Ms. Munley is also the recipient of the PBA’s 2016 Lynette Norton Award, which recognizes a female lawyer who excels in litigation and demonstrates a commitment to mentoring other women lawyers.

NBT Bank

Michael Barrett has been hired as financial consultant for wealth management, and will be based in the Mayfield office, 500 Lackawanna Ave. In this position, Mr. Barrett will assist clients in the pursuit of their financial goals, and will provide customers in Lackawanna County with access to financial products and services through NBT Financial Services and LPL Financial. He has six years of experience in the financial services industry. Mr. Barrett earned his bachelor’s degree from Susquehanna University, and holds Series 7 and 66 registrations with LPL Financial.

North Penn

Cardiovascular Specialists

Samir B. Pancholy, MD, FACP, FACC, FSCAI, has been elected a fellow of the American Heart Association conferred by the Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology. The fellowship recognizes and awards premium professional members for excellence, innovative and sustained contributions in the areas of scholarship, practice and/or education and volunteer service within the AHA/ASA.

Weinstein

and Zimmerman

Attorney Ashley Zimmerman, a partner in the local law firm, participated in a continuing legal education event presented by the Pike County Bar Association. Ms. Zimmerman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in interdisciplinary studies with a concentration in law from College Misericordia in Dallas. She earned her Juris Doctorate from Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center in Central Islip, New York. In July 2013, Ms. Zimmerman became associate attorney at the firm, and became a partner at the January. She holds certifications and memberships in NACDL, PACDL, Pennsylvania Bar Association, New York Bar Association, Public Defenders’ Association and Pike County Bar Association, as well as the Wayne County Bar Association. She is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.

SUBMIT PEOPLE ON THE MOVE items to business@timesshamrock.com or The Times-Tribune, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503.