Scouring public notices deep in the pages of newspapers has long been a tool in Times-Tribune’s staff writer Jim Lockwood’s kit, leading him to innumerable stories over the years that shed light on how government works.

It has also brought him several awards and honors. The Public Notice Resource Center recently awarded him second place in the nation in this year’s Public Notice Journalism Award. Lockwood previously won the award in 2015.

“Through a combination of reportorial tenacity and generous applications of elbow grease, he uses the notices published in his paper to report stories that help Scranton residents understand a myriad of issues important to the development of their city,” award judges said in a news release. “It is no overstatement to suggest that Lockwood is a public notice wizard whose work provides a veritable lesson in how a city is managed.”

Amanda Fanger, a reporter with the Reporter & Farmer, a weekly newspaper in South Dakota, took first place.

Lockwood has also won the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association’s public notice reporting contest for the last three years.

“It’s good, old-fashioned reporting, going back to basics,” said Larry Holeva, executive editor at The Times-Tribune, The Citizens’ Voice and the Standard-Speaker, of Lockwood’s efforts scrubbing the public notice page and following up on what he sees. “You can always find stories in the smallest print of the newspaper and Jim is dedicated to doing that.”

The entries that earned Lockwood second place this year included more than a dozen articles published in The Times-Tribune in 2015, including stories about infrastructure financing, specialty taxes, home foreclosure blight, rental unit registries, tax sales, grant requests, cell antenna disputes and fair housing requirements.

“It’s meaningful to me because it’s validation of the everyday, shoe leather reporting,” Lockwood said of the honor. “It seems like a small thing, these public notices, but it’s invaluable.”

DELANO Twp. — A Hazleton man died and 23 others were injured in a crash involving 32 vehicles on Interstate 81 near Delano Twp.

The crash occurred during a snow squall Friday afternoon and brought northbound traffic to a standstill.

In addition to the deceased victim, three people were flown to trauma centers by medical helicopters that landed on the interstate near the crash site.

The 3:45 p.m. crash that involved a state Department of Transportation truck, tractor-trailers, light trucks, SUVs and passenger cars occurred in the northbound lanes of the interstate in the area of mile marker 135.5, about 1½ miles north of the Delano Twp. exit.

In a matter of seconds, drivers found their vehicles transformed into crushed, twisted pieces of metal.

State police Cpl. Jeremy Carroll of the Frackville station identified the deceased man as Charles M. Ehrenberg, 55, and said he was driving a 2015 Chevrolet 2500 pickup.

Radio traffic at the scene indicated Ehrenberg, who was not wearing his seatbelt, was in “trauma arrest” meaning his breathing and heartbeat had stopped.

Numerous state police troopers from the Frackville station were at the scene interviewing drivers, making diagrams of where the vehicles came to a stop and trying to piece together the events that led to the crash.

Trooper Michael Ryan, the investigating officer, said the crash occurred during “white out” conditions from a snow squall that moved through the area.

The Schuylkill County Communications Center began dispatching firefighters, rescue units and ambulance and paramedic units from Schuylkill and Luzerne counties for what they termed a “mass casualty incident.”

Emergency vehicles had to work their way around stopped traffic and others got to the crash by driving south in the northbound lanes that were shut down.

Catherine Libbey of North Carolina escaped injury in the crash when her Nissan Versa ran into the back of a tractor-trailer.

Libbey said she and other vehicles were traveling north when a snow squall started covering both lanes of the interstate.

Although traffic was moving at a reasonable speed, Libbey said, something happened ahead of her that caused other vehicles to begin braking.

That was the start of chaos, she said.

Video by Schuylkill County Firewire

“The road got slick, no one could stop,” Libbey said.

When her car came to a stop, the woman said, she was unable to open her driver-side door so she rolled down the window and crawled out.

“I just wanted to get out, I didn’t know if my car was going to get hit or even catch on fire,” Libbey said.

The driver of a tractor-trailer close to where the crash started said the highway turned slick in a matter of minutes.

Unable to give his name citing company regulations, the driver said it was lucky there were not more serious injuries.

“Look at these,” he said referring to smashed cars and trucks. “You can’t even tell what some of them are.”

Rescue personnel from McAdoo, Mahanoy City, Ryan Twp. and Hazle Twp. used power tools to remove some of the victims from their cars while the majority were able to exit on their own without assistance.

At the time of the crash, the National Weather Service issued a Severe Weather Advisory for snow squalls passing through Schuylkill and neighboring counties stressing roadways can become dangerous quickly.

State police, assisted by firefighters and fire police, shut down the northbound lanes at the Delano Twp. exit, Exit 134, sending all traffic onto alternate routes around the crash site.

Buses were brought to the scene to take those whose vehicles were involved in the crash to the Hampton Inn near Hazleton until they could contact family members and secure transportation to their destinations. Ryan said those involved in the crash were given food, drinks and a warm place by the hotel and the American Red Cross.

Contact the writer:

fandruscavage@republicanherald.com

During our last visit with the GMC Acadia sport-ute a couple of years back, I was struck by its old-school interior. While competent and comfortable, it suffered from instrumentation and controls that looked and felt a little outdated, even compared to other GM vehicles at the time.

The 2017 Acadia offers ample evidence that the General has been busy bringing the Acadia into the present day. It is smaller, lighter and definitely a more here-and-now vehicle than the previous generation (which, by the way, is soldiering on for 2017 as a bigger model dubbed the Acadia Limited).

The new Acadia is offered in six trim levels — SL, SLE1/SLE2, SLT1/SLT2 and Denali. SL, SLE and SLT1 models are powered by a standard 2.5-liter inline-four engine making 193 horsepower and 188 foot-pounds of torque, while the more upscale SLT2 and Denali are fitted with a 3.6-liter V-6 rated at 310 horses and 271 foot-pounds of twist.

All models are equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission and come with a standard front-wheel drive system. All-wheel drive is optional on every Acadia except base SL models.

Pricing starts just shy of the 30-grand mark for an Acadia SL and includes standard features like seating for five, 17-inch alloy wheels, tri-zone automatic climate control, keyless entry and push-button ignition, manual-adjusting driver’s seat, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, Bluetooth, a 7-inch LCD infotainment touch-screen interface with rearview camera and six-speaker audio.

GMC provided an all-the-way Denali AWD for a week of errand-running and commuting in and around Scranton and Lackawanna County. Standard goodies included the V-6 engine, all-wheel-drive system, leather upholstery, 20-inch polished aluminum alloy wheels, six-passenger seating, eight-way power-adjustable driver’s and front passenger’s seating, heated front and second-row seats and mirrors, a 120-volt outlet, 8-inch touchscreen interface with satellite navigation, Bose audio and lots more.

As one would expect, all that cheddar adds up to a decidedly higher asking price. The $46,920 base price rose to $52,185 with the addition of options like $1,400 for a dual sunroof, $1,345 for the Technology Package (adaptive cruise control, full-speed front automatic braking, automatic collision preparation and Surround Sound audio), $1,200 for the variable chassis damping system for improved ride quality, $395 for the “Iridium Metal” paint job and $925 for delivery.

GMC designers have given the 2017 Acadia a sleeker and more sophisticated look. The new vehicle is 7.2 inches shorter in length, 3.5 inches narrower and 3.9 inches shorter in height than its predecessor, the current Limited. As such, it hits the segment sweet spot, directly competing with models like the Ford Explorer, Toyota Highlander or Honda Pilot.

The interior has been thoroughly modernized, as well, while retaining a sturdy, truckish look and feel. Instrumentation is easy to locate, read and operate. The large infotainment interface is supplemented by an array of well-placed steering-wheel-mounted controls. The Bluetooth system connects and operates quickly and flawlessly.

While the experience is hardly neck-snapping, the smooth-running V-6 provides more than enough accelerative get-go to handle the daily demands of merging and highway passing. The EPA’s estimated 20 mpg in combined driving is about average for this segment.

Tipping the scales at 2 tons, the Acadia can feel ponderous through turns but otherwise handles precisely and predictably, The shorter and narrower dimensions result in a tighter turning radius compared with the bigger Limited and thus ease parking lot maneuvers.

Front and second-row passengers are given plenty of head, leg and shoulder room, although the going will get a little crowded for three adults in back. The third-row seats are best left to the younger set. There’s only 12.8 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row — smaller than most midsize sedan trunks. Volume swells to a more useful 41.7 cubic feet with the third row stowed, however, and increases to 79 cubic feet with the second row folded.

2017 GMC Acadia AWD Denali

Vehicle type: Four-door, six-passenger midsize SUV.

Base/as-tested prices: $46,920/$52,185.

Engine and transmission: 3.6-liter V-6, 310 horsepower, 271 foot-pounds torque, six-speed automatic.

EPA estimates: 18 mpg city, 25 mpg highway, 20 mpg combined.

The good: Comprehensive redesign yields a smaller and more up-to-date Acadia (the previous model soldiers on as the Acadia Limited, though); handsome interior with easy-to-read-and-operate instrumentation; clean exterior design; comfortable front and second-row seating; comfortable ride quality; precise and predictable handling for a heavier vehicle; strong and fade-free brakes; willing V-6 engine delivers decent acceleration and fuel economy; good cargo capacity with third-row seats stowed.

The bad: Third row best left to the kiddos; surprising levels of road roar over rough pavement; 4,000-pound towing capacity lags competitors.

Bottom line: The newer, smaller Acadia provides some much-needed update to the previous model, deserves a test drive by buyers with all-weather, family-on-the-go needs.

Scottish singer, songwriter and guitarist Donovan will bring his 50th anniversary celebration to the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts in June.

The singer will perform a solo acoustic show at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 4, at the Wilkes-Barre theater. Donovan created his masterwork album, “Sunshine Superman,” in late 1965 at 19 and befriended The Beatles.

Tickets are $45, $35 and $25 plus applicable fees.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday and may be purchased at the Kirby Center box office, www.kirbycenter.org, or 570-826-1100. The Kirby member presale begins at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Local maple sugar farmers cling to hope that record warm temperatures this winter won’t sour their season.

For taps to drain sap from red, silver and sugar maple trees, outside temperatures must drop below freezing at night and rise above freezing during the day.

February, when most sugar farmers tap their trees, had 16 days with these conditions, according to preliminary National Weather Service climate records from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport

“There’s been a number of maple sugar operations that actually started in January because of warmer temperatures earlier this year,” said Shane Kleiner, a state Department of Environmental Protection field representative who teaches a maple sugaring class at Keystone College.

The college has a farm with 325 taps.

The warm weather spoiled several batches of sap before he and the 20 students who take his course had a chance to boil it down into syrup.

Sugar farmers in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Susquehanna counties seemed optimistic that the short harvest season won’t be a bust, but likely do not expect a bumper crop for a finicky product that demands precise weather conditions.

“I haven’t talked to many, but I suspect everybody’s got a level of anxiety,” said Jim Finley, a Penn State Extension forester and professor of forest resources at the university.

The warm temperatures will foster bacteria and fungus build-up inside tapholes, he said, slowing sap flow and degrading sap quality.

Trees are budding, and willow trees are in flower in some parts of the state, “which I would say is somewhere around three weeks early,” he said.

The early signs of spring change the sap’s flavor, Finley said.

He also estimated the sap has less sugar content, which means it takes more to make maple syrup.

“As far as the volume of sap we’re getting, that’s actually not too bad, but the sugar content is extremely low,” said Randy Loch, owner of Loch’s Maple Syrup in Springville Twp., Susquehanna County.

The family farm he has worked for 36 years taps between 13,000 and 14,000 maple trees.

The other day, it took 72 gallons of sap for every gallon of maple syrup, he said, so after processing 20,000 gallons of sap, they produced only 280 gallons of syrup. A typical ratio is about 40 gallons of sap to every one gallon of syrup.

Most maple sugar farmers in Pennsylvania have other jobs, and make syrup as a hobby or to carry on a family tradition.

Bill Urbanski is an attorney who runs his family’s maple sugar farm in Rice Twp., Luzerne County, with his brothers, cousin and uncle.

They tap about 450 to 500 trees each year, as they’ve done for the last 42 years.

“It’s a quick season,” he said. “Like any farming endeavor, it’s very weather dependent.”

Farmers have noticed inconsistency in when the season starts and ends, more so in recent years.

Loch said he typically is safe to tap his trees around Valentine’s Day.

“Last year, we were done at the 18th of March; however, the year before we didn’t even start until the 18th of March,” Loch said.

Anyone who pays attention to the seasonal cycles of plants and insects should notice a major shift in their behavior, Finley said.

“This is certainly an indication that things are changing with our climate,” he said.

Dennis Burke, a builder who has 1,500 taps on his Fell Twp. farm, said if he was ready earlier and had a hint it would be such a warm harvest season, he would have started early.

“We can’t really cry over it, but it is tough,” he said.

Like the others, he remained optimistic, but wary.

“If this warm weather continues, that’s a guarantee for a season that’s not going to last through the end of March,” he said.

Contact the writer:

joconnell@timesshamrock.com

@jon_oc on Twitter

It was about dusk one night when Rodman Sisson answered a knock at the door of his farmhouse in what is now La Plume Twp. to find a fugitive seeking refuge.

Without hesitation, Sisson whisked the wanted man inside, hurried him upstairs and shoved him in the unlit fireplace of a bedroom. The runaway shimmied up the chimney, safely shielded from view. A few moments later, Sisson answered another knock at his door to find a band of slave catchers. The men barged in the house and searched the first floor. Sisson managed to keep the hunters from the second floor, all the while denying he had seen anyone. Finally, the men left.

It was the early 1840s, most likely 1843, and Sisson, an abolitionist, sheltered a slave on the lam from a Maryland plantation. The fugitive, George Keys, would remain in the area as one of the first runaways who settled in the Waverly area and formed a community there before the Civil War.

So begins “Embattled Freedom,” a new book by Waverly Twp. native and Abington Heights graduate Jim Remsen.

Four-year project

The culmination of about four years of research, writing and revision, Remsen said the book provides more details than had been available previously on Keys and his contemporaries.

Remsen recalled that when he was a child growing up in the area, people were aware there had once been a settlement of black residents who lived on the edge of town, the area was a stop on the Underground Railroad and several houses in Waverly reputedly had hidden compartments.

“That was the extent of it,” Remsen said. “There was no field trip in school. There was no real content to it.”

Remsen, a former reporter with The Philadelphia Inquirer and author of two other books, decided to circle back and learn more about the topic while writing one of the other books, a historical novel.

His research took him across the area, researching newspaper and other accounts at libraries in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and elsewhere, to Maryland, where several of the Waverly residents labored on tobacco and wheat plantations before fleeing. He mined the National Archives in Washington, D.C., where records in old, fragile manila folders contained information on Waverly’s black Civil War veterans and their service.

“I was opening files that probably no one had opened in 100 years,” Remsen said.

In all, 13 members of the Waverly black community ultimately enlisted and fought in the war. Six of them, including Keys and his teenage son, ended up with the 22nd United States Colored Troops, a regiment that saw action around Petersburg, Virginia, in 1864. Remsen learned those troops, including the Waverly men, were involved in a bloody charge there, a depiction of which hangs in the U.S. Military Academy’s West Point Museum. Others were sent to another unit, the 54th Massachusetts, the subject of the film “Glory.”

As for Keys, he would survive the war but it would ultimately kill him. He was shot in the left thigh in 1864 and the wound left him bedridden upon his return to Waverly. He died in 1867; a local doctor determined the injury, infected and ulcerated, was the only cause of death. Keys is buried in the Waverly United Methodist Church churchyard, “a testament to the respect he’d earned from that white congregation,” Remsen writes in Embattled Freedom.

Awarded grant

As he learned more and shared his findings with others, Remsen decided to write “Embattled Freedom.” The Willary Foundation awarded him a grant, which enabled him to travel and do more extensive research, including to the Petersburg battlefield where the Waverly men fought and some sustained wounds. The book also covers the period of time after the Civil War until the time the black settlement in Waverly petered out in the 1920s, when the older residents died off and the younger generations moved away seeking work.

“The book is very panoramic,” Remsen said. “The whole framework of the book is looking at how black people were treated, particularly in the North, over the course of the 13 soldiers’ lives.”

Deeper into story

Remsen already spoke locally about his book, including at the Lackawanna County Historical Society, society Executive Director Mary Ann Moran Savakinus said. The book delves much deeper into the story of the Underground Railroad and the fugitive slaves who settled in the area and their war service by providing details and bringing to light their personal stories, Moran-Savakinus said. The attitudes of Waverly’s other residents is also an important part of the book, she said. Remsen is quick to point out that not everyone who lived in Waverly were abolitionists, like Sisson, and several held pro-slavery views.

“Some of the things he’s found has been very interesting, not just about the runaway slaves, but also how people locally were reacting to the national pro-slavery versus abolitionist debate,” Moran-Savakinus said.

An accompanying website, www.embattledfreedom.org, is also available as a companion to the book. Remsen said he hopes educators will use the book and website.

“That’s what I’m hoping, that kids get exposed to it,” Remsen said. “It’s important to know.”

Contact the writer:

cover@timesshamrock.com

If you go

“Embattled Freedom” officially releases Sunday at 1 p.m. with an event at the Waverly Community House.

Jim Remsen will be back in the area March 17 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. for a presentation at Library Express in the Marketplace at Steamtown.

“Embattled Freedom” may also be purchased on the Sunbury Press website, sunburypress.com.

Lackawanna County Prison inmates are getting an influx of new books to replace some of the jail’s tattered and incomplete paperbacks.

Bev DeBarros, who runs a women’s Bible study for Exodus Prison Ministry, organized collections and coordinated donations through the prison board and administration after hearing from prisoners about the lack of reading options at the facility.

“During all these snippets, I’ve learned that in their unit, they have a bin for books, and they’ve all been read, torn and have parts missing,” the Scranton resident said.

Lackawanna County Prison has a law library, which is mandated by the state, but doesn’t have a traditional library aside from books that circulate around cellblocks.

Albright Memorial Library used to lend about 100 books at a time to the jail and rotate them every six months, but the program stopped years ago, library Director Jack Finnerty said.

Warden Tim Betti and Assistant Warden David Langan weren’t sure why the program ended, but both expressed support for inmates getting better access to books.

Reading has a therapeutic quality that could improve the lives of inmates — and by extension, the lives of correctional officers, Betti said.

“I’m a reader,” said Langan. “If I was stuck in here, I’d want some books available.”

DeBarros already has dropped off about 300 books collected from the Elm Park United Methodist Church congregation in Scranton, the Century Club and others.

Friends of the Scranton Public Library plans to donate more from books that don’t sell at this week’s used-books sale, which runs through 6 p.m. Sunday at the Library Express branch at the Marketplace at Steamtown.

Selections collected so far include fiction, nonfiction, religious and self-help books. Examples range from short-story collections to parts of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series to “Marley & Me” to “The Far Side” comic strips.

Langan said the jail never stopped accepting donations but he doesn’t recall in recent memory seeing any in the scope that DeBarros is organizing.

DeBarros said she heard from several inmates who received some of the first donations, and they appreciated the intellectual stimulation.

Before books can be distributed, correctional officers need to check them for contraband. The facility will take only paperbacks out of concern that hardcovers could be used as a weapon or a more convenient hiding place for contraband.

Contact the writer:

kwind@timesshamrock.com

@kwindTT on Twitter

The Word Sleuth answers did not run on page C7 Wednesday, C7 Thursday and C5 on Friday. The answers for those three days are on page C7 today.

MARRIAGE LICENSE

■ Jeffrey Marshell Pollock and Jennifer Beth Leighton, both of Nicholson.

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

■ Anthony J. and Susan Delvecchio, both of DuPont, to 1017 Realty Holding LLC; a property at 1017 Acker Ave., Scranton, for $27,000.

■ Kevin J. and Susan M. Keating, both of Scranton, to James P. and Jana Sheerin, both of Scranton; a property at 1732 E. Elm St., Scranton, for $129,000.

■ Mary Ann Maffullo, executrix of the estate of Anthony Maffullo, to 2000 Electric Street LLC, Dalton; a property at 2000-2002 Electric St., Dunmore, for $39,000.

■ Wells Fargo Bank NA, Frederick, Maryland, to Jeff Larue Smith and Kristin Elizabeth Hogan-Smith, both of Jessup; a property at 221 South Valley Ave., Olyphant, for $41,700.

■ William Lee and Vicky F. Kimbell, to Matthew D. and Cassandra L. Walsh; a property in Roaring Brook Twp., for $155,850.

■ Bank of America NA to TNT Foundations LLC, Scranton; a property at 1520 Holly Road, Dunmore, for $62,000.

■ Peoples Security Bank and Trust Co., successor by merger to Penn Security Bank & Trust Co., Scranton, to Joseph Genovese, Dunmore; a property at 1359 Capouse Ave., Scranton, for $35,000.

■ Mark J. and Courtney E. Novak, both of Taylor, to Brandon Bell and Lara Rothman, both of Taylor; a property at 1282-1284 Reynolds Ave., Taylor, for $154,500.

■ Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB, doing business as Christiana Trust, as trustee for Normandy Mortgage Loan Trust, to Zaza Enterprise LLC, Dunmore; a property at 1410 Jackson St., Scranton, for $45,000.

■ Secretary of Veterans Affairs to Michele Atkinson, Peckville; a property at 107 Joan Ave., Archbald, for $98,000.

■ Dr. John D. and Nancy Y. Kizer, both of South Abington Twp., to Jeffrey S. and Kim L. Treat, both of Dunmore; a property at 808 N. Sumner Ave., Scranton, for $52,000.

■ Justin B. Hunter, Peckville, as executor of the estate of Elisa M. Munley aka Elisa Munley, to Bryan Fairfax Columbo, Peckville; a property at 216 Main St., Blakely, for $90,000.

ESTATES FILED

■ John J. Christian, 201 Dale Ave., Scranton, letters of administration to Lisa Marie Owens, 1739 Monsey Ave., Scranton.

■ John Crane, 230 Sanderson Ave., Olyphant, letters of administration to Sean J. Crane, 402 N. Valley Ave., Olyphant.

■ Bernard B. Burnett, 402 Morse Ave., Simpson, letters of administration to Bernadette Lombardi, 120 Center St., Waymart.

■ Mary Eloise Dwyer, 802 N. Irving Ave., Scranton, letters testamentary to Richard Remondelli, 88 Windfall Drive, Factoryville.

LAWSUIT

■ Edward James, 1352 St. Johns Road, Drums, v. the Service Team Inc., 6565 Interchange Road, Lehighton; and Jeff Vernon, 1 Filbert Lane, Effort, seeking in excess of $50,000 on two counts for injuries suffered Dec. 21, in an automobile accident at the intersection of St. Johns Road and North Hunter Highway, Drums; James F. Mundy and James J. Powell III, attorneys.

ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/courts

MOSES TAYLOR

BARRETT: A son, Feb. 19, to Ryan and Caroline Mullally Barrett, Scranton.

CHMIL: A daughter, Feb. 25, to Ben and Kaitlin Moran Chmil, Scranton.

CLORURI: Twin daughters, Feb. 23, to Marc and Stephanie Seamon Cloruri, Dunmore.

DROZDICK: A daughter, Feb. 20, to Carol Lynn Drozdick, Scranton.

FAGAN: A son, Feb. 24, to Peter and Carolyn Ryan Fagan, Throop.

GALDIERI: A daughter, Feb. 22, to Frank Galdieri and Selena Sacchetti, Scranton.

JONES: A daughter, Feb. 19, to Ryan and Kathryn Fidiam Jones, Elmhurst.

KULENICH: A son, Feb. 20, to Kevin and Lindsay Prendergast Kulenich, South Abington Twp.

MARTINEZ: A son, Feb. 25, to Dennis Martinez and Lyndsay Sopp, Scranton.

MULLEN: A daughter, Feb. 26, to Jeremy and Milessa Walsh Mullen, Scranton.

MURAZZI: A daughter, Feb. 23, to Paul and Amanda Cleary Murazzi, Olyphant.

PORTER: A son, Feb. 20, to Carl Porter and Angelia Breneiser, Dickson City.

ROCHINSKI: A son, Feb. 21, to Nicholas Rochinski and Michelle Miles, Dickson City.

SEDLAK: A daughter, Feb. 19, to Jonathan and Kristal Muto Sedlak, Olyphant.

THOMPSON: A son, Feb. 23, to Jonathan and Kimberly Miller Thompson, Scranton.

VARGAS: A son, Feb. 18, to George Vargas and Margaret Goble, Scranton.

WOODEN: A son, Feb. 21, to Demetrius Wooden and Christina Granville, Scranton.

ZONA: A son, Feb. 19, to Jeramy and Alicia Sturdevant Zona, Nicholson.

DETAILS: This recall involves Oball Rattles in pink, blue, green and orange with model number 81031 printed on the inner surface of one of the plastic discs and on the packaging. The balls have 28 finger holes and measure four inches in diameter. Embedded in the rattles are a clear plastic disc with orange beads and two clear plastic discs with beads of varying colors on the perimeter. Only rattles with date codes T0486, T1456, T2316, T2856 and T3065 located on a small triangle on the inner surface of the rattle are included in the recall. The first three numbers represent the day of the year and the last digit represents the year of production. The rattles were sold at Target, Walgreens, Walmart and other retailers nationwide and online at Amazon.com, Babyhaven.com, Diapers.com, ToysRUs.com, Walgreens.com and other online retailers from January 2016 through February 2017.

WHY: The clear plastic disc on the outside of the ball can break, releasing small beads, posing a choking hazard to young children.

INCIDENTS: The firm has received 42 reports of the plastic disc breaking releasing small beads including two reports of beads found in children's mouths and three reports of gagging.

HOW MANY: About 680,000 in the U.S. and 17,000 in Canada.

FOR MORE: Call Kids II toll-free at 877-243-7314 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit www.kidsii.com and click on "Recalls" at the bottom of the page for more information.

SCRANTON — Montage Mountain Ski Resort will reopen today and resume its normal operating schedule, according to its Facebook page and a recorded message on its phone lines.

The Cardboard Box Derby at Montage Mountain, sponsored by Times-Shamrock Communications’ alternative rock radio station Alt 92.1, is rescheduled for Sunday at 10 a.m.

The severe weather system and tornado that hit Lackawanna County last weekend damaged the resort and left it without power.

Due to unforeseen weather, snow tubing is closed for the rest of the season.

— PETER CAMERON

MARRIAGE LICENSES

■ Bailey Cramer and Kimberly Holbrook, both of New Milford.

■ Laverne Robert Conklin and Taylor Kilmer, both of Thompson.

■ Adam Millard and Ashley Skiba, both of New Milford.

ESTATE NOTICES

■ Ruth Helen Stone, 2872 Turnpike St., Susquehanna; letters testamentary to Gary Stone, 32250 Route 171, Susquehanna.

■ Francis Valentine, 550 Round Pond Road, Union Dale; letters testamentary to Barbara Valentine-Tatarka, 39 Valentine Road, Lenox.

PROPERTY TRANSFERS

■ US Bank to Diane Swift, a property in Montrose for $24,000.

■ Jeffrey and Beth Ann Williams to Diaz Stone and Pallet Inc., a property in Brooklyn Twp. for $250,000.

■ Maria Kryson to Joseph and Susan Smith, a property in Springville Twp. for $120,000.

■ Steven Danatos to Snake Hill Minera LLC, two properties in Jackson Twp. for $80,874.89 and $4,011.65.

Tuesday: Free, four-session course to provide knowledge needed to pass the entry level Ham Radio license, the Technician Class license, Federal Communications Commission, 6 to 9 p.m., second floor meeting room, Keystone Apartments, Main Street, Dickson City. Park behind the building. Boy Scouts can achieve their Radio Merit Badge and, upon obtaining a license, the new Radio Communicator badge. For information or to register, contact Bob Chimel, also known as WA3LWR, at WA3LWR@comcast.net or William Leggat, also known as WA3LLF, at

Wleggat@comcast.net.

Wednesday: “Eat, Sleep, Play,” webinar, AMSkier Insurance, 2 p.m. Focused on maintaining health in a fast-paced world. Panelists include: Erin Tiffany, a dietitian, nutritionist and mother who has worked at Baylor and Geisinger; Linda Vose, registered polysomnographic technologist from Wayne Memorial Hospital; Joshua Heath, outdoor adventure manager from the Lodge at Woodloch; and Lisa Champeau (moderator), Wayne Memorial Health System’s public relations manager. To register or for information, visit www.amskier.com/eat-sleep-play or email jillc@am

skier.com.

March 15: First Step seminar, the Wilkes University Small Business Development Center, 6 to 8 p.m., room 228 at the University Center on Main, 169 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre. Designed for anyone interested in starting a small business. Cost is $15. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. To register, visit wilkes.edu/sbdc and select Education and Training from the menu or call the SBDC at 570-408-4340.

March 16, 23 and 30: “Wright Steps for Healthy Living,” educational sessions, 10 a.m. to noon, the Wright Center for Primary Care Mid Valley, 5 S. Washington Ave., Jermyn. For information or to register, call 570-230-0019.

March 23: Annual Heavy Equipment Contractors Workshop, the Susquehanna County Conservation District, 7:30 a.m. to noon, Montrose Bible Conference’s Dreyer Hall, 218 Locust St., Montrose. Registration by Monday. For information, contact the District at 570-278-4600 ext. 3054.

June 16 to 22: 40th annual Elder Religious and Diocesan Priests workshop, Misericordia University, on campus in Dallas. Weeklong conference designed for priests, brothers, sisters, deacons, ministers and church laity in a variety of leadership, administrative, social work and support positions. Residential cost of the workshop, including all housing, meals, socials and workshop materials, is $910 for a single air-conditioned room; $860 per person for a double air-conditioned room; and a group rate of $885 per person for three or more from the same diocese or congregation. The all-inclusive resident fee includes housing, all meals, breaks, socials, workshop, materials and shuttle service. The commuter rate is $750 and includes meals, breaks, socials, workshop and materials. A special day rate is $190 for the first day; $165 each following day and $75 per session. For information, contact Johnna Evans, Center for Adult and Continuing Education, at 570-674-3021 or

email jevans@misericordia.edu or visit www.misericordia.edu/conferences.

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rock.com or The Times-Tribune, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503.

HARRISBURG — The high overtime costs at the state Corrections Department were in the limelight last week due to a combination of events.

The Legislative Budget and Finance Committee released a long-awaited report on the link between staff shortages and overtime costs at the agency while top corrections officials appeared at budget hearings before the Senate and House Appropriations Committees. Sens. David Argall, R-29, Tamaqua, and Mario Scavello, R-40, Mount Pocono, both raised the overtime cost issue.

This all happened within weeks of the Wolf administration’s decision to close SCI-Pittsburgh as part of a cost-saving move while sparing three prisons in Northeast Pennsylvania — SCI-Waymart, SCI-Retreat and SCI-Frackville — from the same fate. The transfer of correctional officers from SCI-Pittsburgh will ease overtime demands at other prisons, corrections officials said.

For years, the corrections department has led state agencies in overtime costs for its employees. The department’s overtime costs — mainly for correctional officers — doubled from $49 million in 2010 to $100 million in 2015, according to a Sunday Times analysis.

Corrections overtime costs are declining from a 2015 peak with a projected cost of $90 million in fiscal 2017-18, Corrections Secretary John Wetzel told senators.

The department has reduced mandatory overtime — a major bone of contention with the correctional officers union — by 50 percent during the past two years, said Christopher Oppman, a deputy corrections secretary.

The legislative committee was charged with looking at why overtime costs went up while the inmate population steadily declined during this decade. The declining population is the main reason why prisons are being closed.

One reason was a freeze on hiring of new correctional officers in fiscal 2014-15 that led to more overtime hours for the remaining correctional officers. It led to hundreds of vacancies when correctional officers who retired or quit weren’t replaced.

The hiring freeze resulted in an additional 358,000 overtime hours that cost the agency $4.6 million in fiscal 2014-15 and $9.1 million in fiscal 2015-16.

Paying the overtime proved more costly than filling vacancies, the committee concluded. The agency would have saved $16.2 million in net wages in fiscal 2015-16 if fully staffed.

Another reason for overtime is increasing demand for inmate medical and mental health services. The percentage of inmates over age 55 is increasing and that means correctional officers putting in more overtime to escort them to hospitals. An agreement with the federal Department of Justice to settle a lawsuit regarding mental health needs resulted in more screening of inmates for mental health issues and requirements that they spend more time outside their cells. This necessitated more overtime for security purposes.

The committee recommended that corrections avoid any more hiring freezes involving correctional officers, include medical escorts when calculating staffing needs and require monthly reports to justify use of overtime.

Argall obtained assurances from corrections officials that they are implementing those recommendations.

Contact the writer:

rswift@timesshamrock.com

Connie Cramer came face to face with the man who would become President Donald Trump during one of his many campaign visits to Northeast Pennsylvania.

“I was shaking ...” the Cuban-born Harveys Lake woman said. “All I said was, ‘I love you, I love you!’ ”

The future president signed the brim of her red cap, and she wore it proudly Saturday at a March 4 Trump rally on Lackawanna County Courthouse Square in Scranton.

About 50 people, some coming from as far as Syracuse, New York, braved the subfreezing temperatures to gather, sip hot chocolate and show support for the president.

They shook signs bearing his name to passing cars, and mostly received honks and waves of support, but got at least one obscene gesture from a driver.

“We just felt like he’s been taking such a pounding from the liberals that we need to back him up in some way,” said Betsy Green of Tunkhannock, the founder of NEPA Women for Trump.

The president has had a tumultuous first few weeks in office, signing several executive orders curbing things like immigration and the Affordable Care Act, which incited intense protests. Also, revelations of contacts with Russian government officials within his presidential campaign have led to the resignation of his national security adviser and the announcement that his attorney general will recuse himself from investigations of Russian hacking influence on the election.

Scranton businessman and vocal Trump supporter Bob Bolus organized the Scranton gathering, part of nationwide March 4 Trump rallies, and brought his well-known Trump tractor-trailer, adorned with photos of the president and slogans like “Make America Great Again.”

The rally, he said, is “about telling everyone in America that it’s time to unite.”

He also brought a second truck pasted with photos of Hillary Clinton and slogans criticizing her and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, for things like his White House sex scandal as well as her use of a private email server.

“If you follow the loser, who was Hillary, that’s what you would have stood for,” he said.

“The rally is here is to say the race is over,” he continued. “We have a commander in chief. Let’s unite behind our commander in chief and take America back and make America great again. Everybody coming in here legally.”

Matt Catanzaro, an 18-year-old advertising student at Marywood University, who was a fixture at area Trump events during the campaign, attended the rally, seeking to promote his group, the Patriotic Resistance. The group’s goal is to resist the division of the country and promote freedom of speech for everyone.

Contact the writer:

pcameron@timesshamrock.com

@pcameronTT on Twitter

The former anchor for “NBC Nightly News” will be the main speaker at the annual dinner of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Lackawanna County.

Brian Williams will deliver the principal remarks at the association’s 112th annual gathering March 17 at Genetti Manor in Dickson City, said Robert J. “Bobby” Lynett, president of the association.

Williams anchors “The 11th Hour with Brian Williams,” on MSNBC. In that role, he anchors live, breaking news coverage.

Williams served as anchor and managing editor of “NBC Nightly News” for a decade until 2015. In 2007, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

He is a former White House correspondent for NBC News and former anchor of “The News With Brian Williams” on MSNBC and CNBC. He joined NBC as a national correspondent in 1993 after 12 years in local news as a correspondent and anchor at stations in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. He had his TV broadcasting start in Pittsburgh, Kansas.

He is a native of Middletown, New Jersey, and attended Brookdale Community College, Catholic University and George Washington University.

Williams has received more than a dozen Emmy Awards, 11 Edward R. Murrow Awards, four DuPont-Columbia University Awards, the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism and the industry’s highest honor, the George Foster Peabody Award. He is the recipient of seven honorary degrees.

He and his wife, Jane, have two adult children.

Stiff sentencings, high bails and a surplus of out-of-county inmates caused the Lackawanna County Prison to incarcerate people at more than twice the national rate of similar jails, a Sunday Times analysis found.

In fact, in the past four decades, the inmate population in Lackawanna County’s jail exploded past the rate of other local jails in the U.S., according to a report from the Vera Institute of Justice, a think tank that advocates for criminal justice reform.

While the national rate of people held in local jails, like county lockups, increased four times between 1970 and 2014, the most recent year nationwide data is available, the rate in Lackawanna County Prison skyrocketed more than 14 times in that same period, according to the report, which analyzed Bureau of Justice Statistics data.

In 2014, the Lackawanna County Prison housed about 698 inmates for every 100,000 residents. Nationally, local jails locked up about 341 people for every 100,000 residents. The report compares the jail population with a general population of people ages 15 to 64 to calculate the per capita rate because the vast majority of inmates fall in that age range.

The interwoven problems of poverty and drugs are partially to blame for the high incarceration rate in Lackawanna County, some experts say. Others point to local policy choices that funnel more people to the jail, including judges setting high bails and sentencing lengths, as well as the revenue-boosting decision to house some state prisoners in Lackawanna County Prison.

Crime rates fluctuate

In Lackawanna County, crime rates and the number of arrests fluctuate, depending on the type.

Drug crime arrests in the county remained relatively flat in the past decade at about 900 per year, according to crime data collected by Pennsylvania State Police. Arrests for violent crimes like murder, robbery and aggravated assault in Lackawanna County increased from 482 in 2007 to 727 in 2016. However, arrests for total crime in the county dropped from 5,528 in 2007 to 4,831 in 2016.

A big reason for the inflated incarceration rate in Lackawanna County is that the jail houses inmates from nearby state prisons, which the Vera Institute includes in its data. The county jail also houses federal prisoners, but the think tank does not include these people in its data analysis.

Though the county jail’s population routinely hovers just under 1,000 people — it averaged 968 inmates in 2016 — about a quarter of those are state and federal prisoners awaiting court appearances.

When crime rates mushroomed in the 1990s, the county expanded the capacity of the prison to house about 1,200 inmates. As it did elsewhere in the nation, crime did not continue on its upward path, leaving the jail with extra beds, Lackawanna County Prison Warden Tim Betti said.

The Vera Institute argues that in the face of declining manufacturing, Lackawanna and other counties with limping economies have turned to their local jails as an economic driver.

Lackawanna County Judge Vito Geroulo, who oversees much of the county’s criminal cases and is chairman on the Lackawanna County Prison Board, acknowledged the area’s high rate of poverty and lack of education are a large factor of the high incarceration rate.

Lackawanna County has a poverty rate of more than 15 percent, higher than the national average, 13.5 percent.

However, Geroulo disagreed that the county is using the prison as an economic driver.

“I don’t think there’s any county that really wants to operate a prison,” he said, noting the high costs that taxpayers ultimately pay.

This year, the county allotted about $26 million of its $104 million budget to cover costs at the county jail.

A downside of housing state and federal prisoners, which brought in more than $6 million to the county in 2016, is that some get paroled in Lackawanna County.

“That’s not an infrequent occurrence,” Geroulo said.

About half of inmates released from Lackawanna County Prison end up incarcerated again, according to county officials. Housing state and federal prisoners here, many of whom eventually are released into the community, can increase recidivism, Geroulo said.

High bails problematic?

Many Lackawanna County Prison inmates are in the jail because they did not pay bail. They remain there until the resolution of their cases.

A long wait for the completion of criminal cases could lead to a backlog of prisoners in the county jail, but Lackawanna County does not have many pending cases that are more than a year old, state court data shows.

High bails are more problematic, some local attorneys say.

Joseph D’Andrea, a longtime defense attorney in Lackawanna County and surrounding counties, said local judges sometimes order “excessive” bails.

“The purpose of bail is to protect the community and to try to determine if the individual is a flight risk, and the flight risk is often minimal,” he said.

It costs the county about $55 a day to house an inmate. And, imprisonment before a conviction can cause a defendant to lose a job or home and strains families, said Ann Schwartzman, policy director of the Pennsylvania Prison Society.

“The consequences end up being huge and costly for a policy that could change,” she said.

Lackawanna County President Judge Michael Barrasse, a former district attorney, said judges may have issued higher bails in the past, but the county addressed that problem last year by launching a pretrial services program. The program connects defendants with treatment and supervision from probation officers immediately after an arrest to help get their lives straightened out before sentencing.

And, choosing the right amount for bail is always a judgment call, Geroulo said. As the opioid epidemic continues, the judge said he has released defendants before sentencing only to learn they died from an overdose.

“That is absolutely a daily consideration,” he said. “When I have somebody that appears to be out of control and using heroin, I would rather err on the side of incarcerating somebody that could possibly be out on the street as opposed to putting them out on the street and having them turn up on the obituary page.”

Bail can be a “weapon” to persuade addicts to start treatment, Geroulo said.

“If you check in to rehab, I’ll reduce your bail tomorrow,” he said. “Anything is better than this county jail. That provides enormous motivation for getting people into treatment.”

In Lackawanna County, where Barrasse launched the state’s first drug court in 1999, the judges focus on attacking the roots of addiction, offering leniency for those who complete treatment, and wielding jail time as a threatening cudgel for those who don’t.

‘Product of the same culture’

From 2012 to 2015, the most recent years for which data is available, county judges sentenced about half of all defendants to the local jail or state prison. By comparison, Luzerne County judges jailed about 40 percent. Among similarly sized counties, Lackawanna County judges fall in the middle in terms of percentage of defendants ordered to serve time in jail or prison.

Many local attorneys describe Lackawanna County judges as harsh sentencers.

Paul Ackourey, a Scranton defense attorney who practices throughout the region, said that while Lackawanna County judges often allow DUI offenders to remain free by using electronic monitoring, many judges punish defenders with minor misdemeanors with county jail time when they could also release people using that same technology.

“Part of it is cultural for Northeastern Pennsylvania,” he said. “I think the average guy on the street wants to see a jail sentence (for offenders), even if it’s for a minor crime of violence. I think the judges are just responding to what the people want. They’re a product of the same culture.”

Geroulo disagreed with the idea that he and his fellow judges are too severe in handing out discipline. He noted that in 2015, the county judges sentenced 93 percent of its 1,313 offenders within state guidelines, including 74 percent in the standard range, 15 percent in the higher, aggravated range, and 4 percent in the lower, mitigated range.

The judges say they consider the unique factors of each case before issuing a sentence. Barrasse said he is stricter with defendants when the case calls for it, such as when a person deals drugs simply for profit. However, mitigating factors like selling to feed an addiction can persuade him to order treatment and a potentially lesser period of incarceration, he said.

Countermeasures

Lackawanna County judges may have mirrored the national trend by using incarceration as ammunition in the war on drugs, but the strategy is changing.

To reduce the jail population, officials are trying aggressively to attack the causes of crime — things like addiction, mental health and anger — and experiment with methods to keep people out of jail while still being monitored.

Along with creating the state’s first drug court, Lackawanna County also has the state’s second mental health court. There are specific courts for veterans, drunk drivers and domestic abusers. The idea behind these treatment courts is to offer lesser sentences or even the elimination of non-violent criminal charges if offenders stay out of trouble and complete counseling for the issues leading to their arrests. Hundreds of offenders now receive guidance and treatment from those courts, Barrasse said.

The court also launched the pretrial services program and is experimenting with devices like the Smart Mobile, which allows drunk-driving offenders to stay out of jail but requires frequent breath tests to ensure sobriety.

Lackawanna County Prison offers a re-entry program for soon-to-be-released prisoners to help them with education, employment and housing so they don’t come back.

“We’ve been in the vanguard on that,” Geroulo said, noting the county’s “strenuous efforts toward rehabilitation.”

Still, the average population of county prisoners in Lackawanna County Prison — excluding state and federal inmates — holds steady at about 700 people in recent years, bouncing from 721 in 2014, to 671 in 2015, and creeping back up to 709 last year.

Ultimately, the purpose of the criminal justice system is to keep the public safe as well as to rehabilitate offenders.

Geroulo noted the data point in the Vera Institute report that the violent crime rate in Lackawanna County is nearly 30 percent lower than the national rate.

“If we are incarcerating at a higher rate, at least we’re getting some return on our investment if we have a lower level of violent crime in our county,” he said.

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

1. According to the National Weather Service, where in Northeast Pennsylvania did a tornado pass through on Feb. 25?

A. Plains Twp.

B. Pittston Twp.

C. Moosic.

D. All of the above.

2. A snaggletoothed, cross-eyed cat named George featured on popular website the Dodo was adopted from ...

A. Griffin Pond Animal Shelter.

B. St. Cats.

C. One Life to Live.

D. Blue Chip Farms.

3. True or false? The state Superior Court upheld the contempt conviction of former state Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane’s aide for illegally accessing emails related to the grand jury investigation of her.

A. True.

B. False.

4. Which of the following bands will appear at the Pavilion at Montage Mountain’s Peach Music Festival in August?

A. Wilco.

B. N’Sync.

C. My Morning Jacket.

D. Demi Lovato.

5. Why did Greater Scranton YMCA officials ban cable news from the TVs there?

A. They received a grant that stipulated only PBS and Ion be shown.

B. “Boisterous” political talk made members uncomfortable, management said.

C. Too many people changed the channels without asking permission, leading to TVs breaking.

D. They didn’t explain the reason.

6. Who bought a former municipal dump in Jessup at an auction last week?

A. Businessman Bob Bolus.

B. Carbondale Mayor Justin Taylor.

C. Developer John Basalyga.

D. Power plant developer Invenergy LLC.

7. What was the sale price of the former dump?

A. $268,000.

B. $268 million.

C. $268.

D. $26.80.

8. True or false? Lackawanna County President Judge Michael J. Barrasse succeeded in convincing a county official to withhold his name on a public deed for a Benton Twp. home he just bought.

A. True.

B. False.

9. What happened last week to four correctional officers placed on paid leave amid allegations of sexual abuse at Lackawanna County Prison?

A. They were fired.

B. They were indicted.

C. They were cleared to return to work.

D. The accusers dropped the allegations.

10. Who will be the grand marshal of the 2017 Scranton St. Patrick’s Parade?

A. Joe Biden.

B. Dave Clark.

C. Hillary Clinton.

D. Bill Courtright.

Answers: 1. D; 2. A; 3. A; 4. C; 5. B; 6. D; 7. A; 8. A; 9. C; 10. B

Allied Services Home Health

Melissa Kelleher, RN, BSN, has been named director of operations. Kelleher will oversee a staff who provide skilled nursing, medical social services and physical, occupational and speech therapy to patients in their own homes. She joined Allied Services in 2013 as a patient care supervisor. From 2014 to 2016, she served as clinical director of quality, compliance and audits for the home health care service. Kelleher earned her Bachelor of Science in nursing from Bloomsburg University in 1996. She is a Certified OASIS Specialist, COS-C and a Home Care Coding Specialist, HCS-D.

Allied Services Hospice

Laura Marion, RN, BSN, has been named the new director of operations. Marion joined the hospice in November 2016 as director of patient services. She earned her Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Scranton and, from 2009 to 2011, served as nurse manager of the University of Scranton’s Leahy Community Health and Family Center. She is a board member of the Foundation for Cancer Care in Scranton, former basketball player and now coach.

Shahroon Choudry, M.D., has been named medical director. A Scranton native, Choudry completed his undergraduate training at Drexel University in Philadelphia and attended medical school at Windsor University School of Medicine in Saint Kitts and Nevis. He completed his residency in family medicine with Geisinger Health System and his Palliative Medicine fellowship at Geisinger Medical Center. He is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and fellowship trained in palliative medicine. he is on staff at the Regional Hospital of Scranton and involved with multiple healthcare organizations in the Scranton area.

Rebecca Rust, RN, BSN, is a new case manager for the team at the hospice. Rust has 12 years experience in nursing, with more than eight years dedicated to hospice nursing at Celtic Hospice and Hospice of the Sacred Heart. She graduated from Penn State University, Worthington Campus, with a Bachelor of Science in nursing.

Barbara Schlasta has been named a new case manager for the team at the hospice. Schlasta has 17 years experience in nursing and graduated from Penn State University, Worthington Campus. She spent several years as a nurse at Our Lady of Peace Residence (Marion Convent) in Dunmore before transitioning to traditional hospice. Schlasta has more than seven years of experience in hospice nursing.

Allied Services Palliative Care

Travis Davis, M.H.A, N.H.A., has been named director. The new program expands on the services and care offered through Allied Services Hospice by offering community based, specialized medical care for patients suffering from the symptoms and stress of life-altering illnesses. Davis earned his undergraduate degree in finance from St. Joseph’s University and graduate degree in healthcare administration from the University of Scranton. Currently, he is working toward a certificate in nonprofit leadership at the University of Scranton. Davis joined Allied Services in 2014 as director of business development, bringing seven years of experience in financial operations and healthcare services. Additionally, he serves on the community council of the Children’s Advocacy Center/NEPA.

Allied Services Transitional Rehabilitation

James Cooney, L.N.H.A., has been named assistant vice president of transitional care. He will oversee two transitional care units located inside the Scranton Rehab Hospital and Regional Hospital of Scranton. ​Cooney joined the company in 2014 as administrator of the then-new transitional rehab unit located in its Scranton Rehab Hospital. Cooney is a graduate of the University of Scranton, and is a Pennsylvania licensed nursing home administrator with more than 15 years of professional experience in healthcare.

Nancy Hardick, RN, BSN, C-GCM, has been named director of nursing at the new transitional rehab unit at Regional Hospital of Scranton. Hardick has 13 years nursing experience, including home health, skilled, medical and surgical nursing. She will lead a team of nursing staff and collaborate with therapists, physicians, social workers and families to provide high quality care to support patients in their physical rehabilitation. Hardick earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Misericordia University in 2013, and received her qualification as a certified geriatric care manager from Misericordia University in 2015. She has worked in gerontology since the age of 16. Additionally, she received the Stellar Award for Home Health and the Shining Star Mercy Hospital.

Classic Properties

Arlene Herron has joined the Kingston office. Herron’s career background is in medical laboratory technology. She earned a master’s degree in organizational management from Misericordia University. Herron completed her real estate education from Vintage Real Estate Academy. Currently, she lives in Dallas.

Geisinger Health System

Gregory W. Bormes, M.D., has joined the health system as a plastic and cosmetic surgeon. After a 16-year career in private practice, Bormes will provide surgical services, seeing patients at Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton. Board certified in plastic surgery, Bormes sees pediatric and adult patients in need of reconstructive plastic surgery for facial and body defects arising from birth disorders, trauma, burns and disease. He performs procedures such as breast reconstruction, skin cancer removal and tendon repair and procedures that treat conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome and trigger finger. Additionally, he specializes in cosmetic surgery procedures such as facial rejuvenation, including face, eyelid and neck lifts; skin rejuvenation, including Botox, Juvederm and spider vein treatment; facial contouring, including rhinoplasty; body contouring, including tummy tucks and arm and thigh lifts; and cosmetic breast surgeries. A member of the American Board of Plastic Surgeons, Bormes earned his medical degree from Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, D.C., and completed general surgery and plastic surgery residencies at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago.

Kane Is Able Inc.

Rich Bourque has been appointed director of business development, transportation. Bourque has more than 35 years of experience in logistics and transportation. Additionally, he has served in leadership positions in several national and regional companies, and a proven track record of results-oriented expertise. Bourque is a veteran of the Army and earned a dual Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Delaware.

Lenahan & Dempsey

Attorney Alan Schoen has been notified by Martindale Hubble that he has been named to the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. The Bar Register is a legal publication that uses peer and judicial reviews to recognize lawyers as “preeminent” within their practice areas. Schoen is a personal injury and worker’s compensation attorney, and has 35 years of professional practice experience. He is a board certified civil trial specialist as approved by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Schoen has also been named one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Pennsylvania. He is a past president of the Northeast PA Trial Lawyers Association, an associate of American Justice Association and is a member of several bar associations. Schoen is a graduate of the Western New England College of Law. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Scranton and attended the University of Scranton Graduate School of Management.

Marywood University

Carolyn Bonacci, M.A., was appointed director of professional continuing education. Bonacci also serves as an instructor in the philosophy department. In her new role, she is involved with the planning and coordinating of professional continuing education and workforce education discipline workshops. Bonacci completed her master’s degree in philosophy at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, in 2009. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Loyola University in Maryland in philosophy and fine arts with a concentration in art history. She also studied abroad at both Oxford University (Wadham College) in England, and at Syracuse University in Florence, Italy. Her area of specialization in art history is Italian late medieval and early renaissance art.

RE/MAX EDGE

The real estate agency has announced its Top Real Estate Agent Awards for the fourth quarter of 2016. Susanne Norton was awarded top producing agent, while Jesse Williams earned top listing agent.

Norton has been a licensed Realtor since 2014. She services all of the Greater Susquehanna Valley area. A Bloomsburg native, she offers insight into the communities of Luzerne, Columbia, Montour and Northumberland County. Norton contributes a portion of each of her sales transactions to the Geisinger Children’s Miracle Network.

Williams, a Columbia County resident for the past 13 years, serves all of the Greater Central Susquehanna Valley area. He has a background in construction, property management and real estate investment. A portion of Williams’ sales transactions goes to Beyond Violence.

University

of Scranton

Eight recently published books can be directly linked to two psychology professors and a staff psychologist. The books include “Supervision Essentials for Integrative Psychotherapy,” published in 2017, a collaboration between John Norcross, Ph.D., distinguished professor of psychology; and Leah Popple, Psy.D., a staff psychologist in the counseling center. Another 2017 book, the second edition of “Clinician’s Guide to Evidence-Based Practices: Behavioral Health and Addictions,” is a collaboration between Dr. Norcross, Thomas Hogan, Ph.D., distinguished professor of psychology; and two colleagues. In addition, the five-volume “APA Handbook of Clinical Psychology,” edited by Dr. Norcross and two other colleagues, was published in 2017; and the 2016/2017 edition of the “Insider’s Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology,” by Dr. Norcross and Michael Sayette, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, was published in 2016. “Supervision Essentials for Integrative Psychotherapy” is part of the American Psychological Association Clinical Supervision Essentials Series. The authors of the “Clinician’s Guide to Evidence-Based Practices: Behavioral Health and Addictions,” are Norcross, Hogan, Gerald Koocher, Ph.D., professor of psychology and dean of the College of Science and Health at DePaul University, and Lauren Maggio, Ph.D., associate professor of medicine and associate director of graduate programs in health professions education at Uniformed Health Services University. Part of the American Psychological Association’s handbooks in psychology series and the APA reference books collection, the “APA Handbook of Clinical Psychology” was edited by Norcross and colleagues Gary VandenBos, Ph.D., former executive director of the office of publications and databases and publisher for APA; and Donald Freedheim, Ph.D., professor emeritus of psychology at Case Western Reserve University.

Norcross, an internationally recognized expert on behavior change and psychotherapy, is the author of “Changeology.” Additionally, he authored more than 400 scholarly publications and 25 books that he has co-written or edited. He joined the university’s faculty in 1985, and is a licensed psychologist.

Hogan has authored three textbooks and has co-authored several standardized tests, which include the Survey of School Attitudes and the Metropolitan Achievement Tests. He joined the university’s faculty in 1985.

Popple first began working at the university’s Counseling Center as an intern in 2010. She served as a post-doctoral resident before joining the staff full time in 2016.

Wilkes University

Eugene Lucas of Hunlock Creek, an assistant professor in the Passan School of Nursing, has been awarded the 2017 American Association of Nurse Practitioners State Award for Excellence as Nurse Practitioner in Pennsylvania. He will receive the award in June at the American Association of Nurse Practitioners national conference in Philadelphia. Lucas is coordinator of the psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner program in the Passan School of Nursing. In addition to his work as a member of the university’s nursing faculty, Lucas provides behavioral health care services in various clinical settings. He is a volunteer at Volunteers in Medicine, Luzerne County. Recently, he was awarded a grant from the AllOne Foundation for over $250,000 to start an integrated behavioral health and wellness center at the clinic. Lucas has been actively involved in the Care for PA campaign, advocating to grant nurse practitioners full practice authority in the state. Additionally, he has been recognized as the top recruiter of new members for the Pennsylvania Coalition of Nurse Practitioners and is also a member of Nurse Practitioners of Northeast Pennsylvania. Lucas earned a doctor of nursing practice degree at Wilkes University. He also earned a master’s degree in nursing and ANCC certification as a family nurse practitioner from Misericordia University and a master’s certificate and ANCC certification as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner from Drexel University.

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