OLD FORGE — Police are investigating after two men posing as utility workers burglarized a borough home Friday afternoon.

The owner of a South Main Street home allowed the men access to the property when they identified themselves as utility workers, Chief Jason Dubernas said. The men then made off with cash and jewelry from the home.

As of Saturday evening, the men were still at large, Dubernas said. Police believe they escaped in a black Lincoln compact.

Anyone with information related to the theft is asked to call Old Forge Police at 570-457-7441.

— JEFF HORVATH

Hazleton — Firefighters from the city and three neighboring communities worked in frigid, windy conditions while battling a blaze that damaged a South Church Street apartment building Saturday morning.

Seven people were displaced after a cooking incident sparked a fire in the kitchen of a first-floor unit at 121-123 S. Church St. about 9:15 a.m., according to city Fire Chief Donald Leshko and a spokesman for the American Red Cross of Northeast Pennsylvania.

No injuries were reported and the fire will be ruled unintentionally set, the chief said. The Red Cross will provide lodging, food and clothing assistance to the seven people who were displaced.

— SAM GALSKI

Abingtons

Residents of Clarks Green and Clarks Summit can look forward to seeing a familiar face on Electric City Television very soon.

Patty Lawler — a resident of Clarks Green and former mayor of Clarks Summit — said she will host a program called “On the Show with Patty Lawler.” Taping of the first episode is slated for March 24, to air sometime in April, Lawler said. A time slot and specific air date are to be determined, though episodes will be taped monthly and run several times a month, she said.

The show will last an hour and will feature human interest stories split into three 20-minute segments, each devoted to a different guest, subject or topic, Lawler said.

It’s actually Lawler’s second stint as a host on ECTV. Her previous program was called “The Show with Patty Lawler.”

“It was very well received when I did it. We had a lot of followers. It was a fun show,” she said.

— CLAYTON OVER

cover@timesshamrock.com @ClaytonOver on Twitter

Clarks Green

The Rev. Michael Warner, a pastor at Clarks Green Assembly of God Church, stopped by Clarks Summit Borough Council’s meeting Wednesday to talk helicopters and camels.

The church, at 204 S. Abington Road, will host a free indoor carnival Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m., according to the church’s Facebook page. Besides games, food, crafts and other carnival fare, Warner said at the meeting that there would be special guests at the carnival. Firetrucks from two local fire companies will be on hand, and a medical helicopter will fly in and out during the festivities, all to educate the kids who attend about first responders and the things they do, Warner said.

“Who knows who it will inspire to become firemen and policemen and first responders in their own right?” Warner said.

In addition to the carnival, Warner was at the meeting Wednesday to talk to council members about an idea in the works for a procession to go along with the church’s annual live Nativity, slated for Dec. 8, 9 and 10. This year, he said, the church will add camels to the event. The idea involves a procession of wise men, complete with the camels, to walk down State Street to Grove Street en route to the church and the Nativity scene on one of those days.

— CLAYTON OVER

cover@timesshamrock.com @ClaytonOver on Twitter

Clarks Summit

Council President Gerrie Carey received some exciting news

recently.

Carey will serve as the honorary parade marshal, one of the dignitaries of the 2017 Scranton St. Patrick’s Parade.

“It was a total surprise to me,” Carey said of hearing of her selection last weekend.

The parade is due to step off Saturday at 11:45 a.m. after a 10 a.m. Mass at St. Peter’s Cathedral on Wyoming Avenue in downtown Scranton.

— CLAYTON OVER

cover@timesshamrock.com @ClaytonOver on Twitter

Clifford Twp.

Master Gardener Jim Kessler will provide details on trimming and pruning ornamental trees when the Mountain View Garden Club meets. Kessler, a retired district forester, is due to speak to the group Tuesday, March 21, at 7 p.m. at the Clifford Fire Hall.

Plans are in the works for the gardeners’ annual Plant Exchange.

“We are joining forces with the Rail Trail Council and hosting ‘Art in Bloom on the Trail’ on June 24 at the Rail Trail and Susquehanna Studio property in Union Dale. We will still have perennials from area gardens for sale or you will be able to exchange two perennials from your garden for two of like size or value,” JoAnn Hall said in an email. “In addition to local artisans, craftsmen and businesses selling their wares, there will be events on the trail, a chicken barbecue and other foods by Cable’s Deli.”

Applications for Garden Club annual scholarships are available to graduating seniors in the guidance departments at Mountain View and Forest City high schools.

For details on the Garden Club, contact the membership chairwoman, Louise Guszick at lmguszick@aol.com or 570-222-2233.

— STAFF REPORT

yesdesk@timesshamrock.com @YesDeskTT on Twitter

Forest City

The Socks 4 Shelters collection drive by borough residents Rachel Burnis and her son, Christopher, garnered not only socks but also food and funds for St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen and the St. Francis Free Clothing Store.

The family conducted the drive “to note the third anniversary of when — on Feb. 25, 2014 — (they) lost their home and all of their belongings to a house fire,” the kitchen’s Alan Stout said in an email. “At that time, they received much support from the community and, in turn, they decided to turn the recent Feb. 25 three-year anniversary into a positive day and a time to give back.”

Rachel and Christopher Burnis delivered the goods collected through Facebook, with the support of The Forest City News, to the kitchen.

— STAFF REPORT

yesdesk@timesshamrock.com @YesDeskTT on Twitter

Jessup

Citizens for a Healthy Jessup will hold a porketta sandwich sale Saturday, March 18, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Jessup Hose Company 2, 333 Hill St.

The event is presale only, with sales ending Tuesday, March 14. Sandwiches cost $3.50 each.

Proceeds from the sale will support a baseline air and water testing project the organization launched last year. In the fall, the citizens group began collecting samples, beginning with water samples of Grassy Island Creek, a designated cold-water fishery that will receive treated industrial wastewater from the Lackawanna Energy power plant now under construction.

For tickets, contact Angela at 570-489-3929 or Holly at 570-881-4518.

— JEFF HORVATH

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com @jhorvathTT on Twitter

Lackawanna County

Awards, honors and grants issued by Lackawanna County in February — with details provided by county Communications Director Joseph A. D’Arienzo — include:

■ Good Works certificate to Matthew McDonnell of Clarks Summit, who, while battling Stage 4 kidney cancer, is committed to helping other children suffering from various serious maladies through his Matthew’s Miraculous Hot Chocolate stand. He also received a baseball from representatives of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders to use when he throws out the first pitch at an upcoming game.

■ Proclamations to: Walter Pasiak, 94, of South Scranton, the county’s last surviving Pearl Harbor veteran, for his bravery, valor and service to the United States; and Mary Marrara for being selected as UNICAN of the Year by the Scranton Chapter of UNICO.

■ Small Business Spotlight recognition to: Lavender Goose of Blakely, which specializes in gift baskets and flower arrangements, represented by Joyce and George Chowanec; and Yume, an Asian restaurant in Keyser Valley, represented by owners Jay and Eric Chin.

■ Certificate of appreciation to: William Hoban, former director of the Lackawanna/Susquehanna Office of Drug & Alcohol Programs, for his work in delivering a variety of treatment programs and services to constituents and for his role in helping to organize a plan to combat the opioid epidemic.

■ Certificate of recognition to: Marian Pysh, a resident at Clarks Summit Senior Living, on the occasion of her 106th birthday.

— STAFF REPORT

yesdesk@timesshamrock.com @YesDeskTT on Twitter

Lackawaxen Twp.

A community garden is among the projects being explored for the township.

Supervisors Albert Beisel, Tom Cardinale and Mike Mancino “have gathered Master Gardeners, conservation experts and other experienced volunteers to open discussions on the best way to proceed,” according to an email from the township.

“The Community Garden would serve as an educational outreach (for youths and adults) as well as potential food donations. Beds would be available to lease for a season at a nominal fee.

“Money will be obtained from grants and other sources outside of the approved budget.”

The supervisors are seeking resident input through an online survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/S67WZF6. The township can also be followed on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/LackawaxenTownshipPA/

— STAFF REPORT

yesdesk@timesshamrock.com @YesDeskTT on Twitter

Newton Twp.

The box culvert on Orchard Drive is slated for replacement soon.

Lackawanna County commissioners recently awarded a $266,000 contract to A.R. Popple Construction, the lowest among 15 bidders on the bridge project. The highest bid was $474,398 from Kobalt Construction.

“We originally had $450,000 allocated in the budget for this,” county engineer Gary Cavill said of the project, listed in the capital budget.

— KYLE WIND

kwind@timesshamrock.com @kwindTT on Twitter

Scranton

Lackawanna County food banks will reap the benefits when members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians Division 6, Scranton, march in the city’s St. Patrick’s Parade on Saturday.

Hibernians, including William Cawley, Paul Donovan, Ed Ingoldsby, Brian J. Kennedy, Matthew Lyons, Jerry Sealey, Frank Spager, David Walsh and George Wheeler, met Thursday to prepare for their annual parade food drive.

In honor of Ireland’s great hunger, or “an Gorta Mór,” the AOH will collect donations all along the parade route.

“We are asking paradegoers to please bring with them an item or two to donate,” Kennedy said in an email. “The donation of nonperishable items as well as monetary donations will be accepted.”

Proceeds will be distributed to food banks in Lackawanna County.

— STAFF REPORT

yesdesk@timesshamrock.com @YesDeskTT on Twitter

■

Lackawanna Heritage Valley is encouraging local artists to submit original nature-themed artwork designs for a project to be completed this spring.

Selected artwork will be used for educational panels in the Fidelity Fishing Shack at the Nay Aug Avenue Natural Play Area in Scranton.

“The play area in Green Ridge is designed to encourage creative play and to help foster environmental stewardship among children,” Julie D. Imel said in a release. “Designs should be created in keeping with the play area’s natural theme, focusing on wildlife and/or plants that inhabit the Lackawanna River, wetlands and the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail; the relationship between humans and nature; or local landscapes.”

Submissions will be categorized as: elementary (kindergarten through grade six); middle/high school (grades seven to 12); and community (general public). Winning designs will be selected based on the quality and creativity of the artwork, educational value of the environmental fact presented in the piece, suitability for display in a public space used by children, and the design’s clarity and reproduction value.

Designs in paint, pen and ink, marker, pencil or 2-D mixed media, 14 by 12 inches, may be submitted without mattes or frames March 27. Forms, details and rules are available on the LHV’s website at http://www.lhva.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Call-for-Entries.pdf.

Entries will be displayed at First Friday in April. Winning entries will be installed in the Fidelity Fishing Shack during Earth Week. For details, visit lhva.org or call LHV headquarters at 570-963-6730, ext. 8200.

— STAFF REPORT

yesdesk@timesshamrock.com @YesDeskTT on Twitter

AROUND THE TOWNS appears each Sunday, spotlighting the people and events in your neighborhoods. If you have an idea for an Around the Towns note, contact the writer for your town, or the Yes!Desk at 570-348-9121 or yesdesk@timesshamrock.com.

Pike County Judge Gregory Chelak sentenced the following:

• Harry Michael Morgan, 29, Port Jervis, N.Y., to three to 12 months in the Pike County Jail and a $300 fine for receiving stolen property Dec. 16, 2015, in Westfall Twp.

• Oleg Nemnenko, 48, Brooklyn, N.Y., to five days to six months in the Pike County Jail, a $300 fine and 12-month driver’s license suspension for DUI June 21, 2014, in Dingman Twp.

• James E. Longhenry, 59, Lords Valley, to a $100 fine for public drunkenness April 16, 2015, in Westfall Twp.

• Amber Newell, 32, Port Jervis, N.Y., to 18 months of probation and a $300 fine for retail theft June 17 in Westfall Twp.

• Joshua Wharton, 31, Milford, to three to six months in the Pike County Jail and a $500 fine for theft from a motor vehicle April 17, 2014, in Milford Twp.

• Michael Christopher Anderson, 23, Greentown, to nine months of probation and a $300 fine for possession of drug paraphernalia Aug. 29 in Palmyra Twp.

• Jamie Helen Potts, 23, Greentown, to five days to six months in the Pike County Jail, a $575 fine and 12-month driver’s license suspension for DUI and summary offenses April 3, 2015, in Palmyra Twp.

• Sabrina M. Cavezza, 27, Greentown, to one to 12 months in the Pike County Jail and a $200 fine for possession of drug paraphernalia Aug. 4 in Blooming Grove Twp.

• Kenneth Elmore Hall, 27, Louisville, K.Y., to 72 hours to six months in the Pike County Jail, a $1,000 fine and 12-month driver’s license suspension for DUI on Dec. 25, 2015, in Greene Twp.

• John J. Visone, 50, Bushkill, N.Y., to six months of the Pike Care IP Program, which will include 30 days of house arrest, a $750 fine and 12-month driver’s license suspension for DUI on Jan. 1, 2016, in Dingman Twp.

• Maurice Kenneth Johnson, 56, Bushkill, to six to 12 months in the Pike County Jail, a $850 fine and 18-month driver’s license suspension for DUI, possession of a controlled substance and a summary offense Feb. 20, 2016, in Lehman Twp.

• Rose Mary Defebo, 53, Lackawaxen, to 90 days to five years in the Pike County Jail, a $2,000 fine and 18-month driver’s license suspension for DUI and a summary offense March 20, 2015, in Lackawaxen Twp.

• Jesse Lee Fotusky, 29, Lake Ariel, to three months to one year in the Pike County Jail, a $300 fine and six-month driver’s license suspension for possession of a controlled substance Aug. 5 in Greene Twp.

• Daniel James Levens, 32, Hawley, to 12 months of probation and a $300 fine for possession of drug paraphernalia June 6 in Palmyra Twp.

• Terry L. Kyser, 59, Port Jervis, N.Y., to 36 months of probation and a $1,200 fine for four counts of indecent exposure Aug. 9, 2015, in Westfall Twp.

• Kurtis R. Kimble, 28, Dingmans Ferry, to 12 months of probation, a $300 fine and six-month driver’s license suspension for possession of a controlled substance March 30 in Westfall Twp.

• Thomas W. Dubiel, 57, Honesdale, to five days to six months in the Pike County Jail, a $1,000 fine and 12-month driver’s license suspension for DUI on Aug. 13 in Lackawaxen Twp.

• Patrick Niedzwiecki, 20, Hawley, to two years of probation, a $500 fine and six-month driver’s license suspension for receipt in commerce of a controlled substance Dec. 11, 2015, in Lackawaxen Twp.

• Matthew Targonski, 49, Milford, to two years of probation and a $300 fine for retail theft July 29 in Westfall Twp.

• Christopher John Kelly, 27, Milford, to 30 days to six months in the Pike County Jail, a $750 fine and 12-month driver’s license suspension for DUI on July 3 in Dingman Twp.

• Kenneth Earl Swingle, 29, Hawley, to 88 days to 12 months in the Pike County Jail, followed by six months of probation and a $800 fine for forgery and possession of drug paraphernalia between Aug. 18 and 31 in Greene Twp. and Sept. 22 in Blooming Grove Twp.

• Paul Joseph Oswald, 31, Dingmans Ferry, to 90 days to five years in a state correctional facility, a $1,800 fine and 18-month driver’s license suspension for DUI on Sept. 9, 2015, in Blooming Grove Twp.

• Melissa Floystad, 47, Dingmans Ferry, to 33 to 72 months in a state correctional facility, a $1,300 fine and 12-month driver’s license suspension for delivery of a controlled substance, flight to avoid apprehension and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia March 21 in Milford Twp., April 22 in Westfall Twp., between Jan. 1, 2014, and April 22 in Westfall Twp. and March 4 in Dingman Twp.

• Christina L. Uhelsky, 34, Hawley, to six months of probation and a $200 fine for recklessly endangering another person Aug. 30 in Blooming Grove Twp.

Wayne County President Judge Raymond L. Hamill sentenced the following:

• Kimberly Lupinski, 38, Waymart, to 15 days to six months in the Wayne County Correctional Facility, a $600 fine and a drug and alcohol evaluation for disorderly conduct and possession of drug paraphernalia on Aug. 8 and 24 in Damascus Twp.

• Scott Paul Novak, 47, Lakewood, to six to 36 months in the Wayne County Correctional Facility, a $1,000 fine, drug and alcohol addiction treatment and the Alcohol Highway Safety Program for DUI, recklessly endangering another person and fleeing or attempting to elude police Oct. 6 in Preston Twp.

• Christopher Connor, 23, Carbondale, to three days to six months in the Wayne County Correctional Facility, a $1,000 fine, drug and alcohol addiction treatment, Alcohol Highway Safety Program and 50 hours of community service for DUI on Sept. 5 in Canaan Twp.

• Michael Jude Pepe, 44, Hawley, to six months of probation and a $300 fine for false swearing on April 30 in Palmyra Twp.

• Michael Eric Bradley, 26, Greentown, to 24 months of probation, a $500 fine and a drug and alcohol evaluation for theft by unlawful taking July 8 in Salem Twp.

• Lindsey Ann Luchonok, 27, Carbondale, to five days to six months in the Wayne County Correctional Facility, a $300 fine, drug and alcohol addiction treatment and the Alcohol Highway Safety Program for DUI on July 13 in Mount Pleasant Twp.

• David Hanlon, 49, Moscow, to 24 months of probation, a $25 fine and $677.79 in restitution for accidents involving death or injury and a summary offense July 31 in Salem Twp.

• Michael Francis Schroeder, 23, Newfoundland, to two to 11½ months in the Wayne County Correctional Facility, a $300 fine and a drug and alcohol evaluation for possession of drug paraphernalia April 28 in Lake Twp.

• Michael Mangin, 27, Beach Lake, to one to six months in the Wayne County Correctional Facility, a $1,200 fine, $5,551.63 in restitution, drug and alcohol addiction treatment, the Alcohol Highway Safety Program and 50 hours of community service for DUI and a summary offense May 11 in Berlin Twp.

• Janine Ferraro, 35, Brooklyn, N.Y., to six months on the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Program, 40 hours of community service and 50-day driver’s license suspension for DUI on Sept. 2 in Honesdale.

• Miriam Leclair, 52, Lake Ariel, to six months on the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Program, 40 hours of community service, and 60-day driver’s license suspension for DUI on June 4 in Salem Twp.

From fairy-tale themes to bold political statements, a host of dapper designs on display this weekend transformed tabletops into canvases for creativity.

Highlighting their table-scape talents at the seventh annual Dinner by Design fundraiser — which benefits the Lackawanna Historical Society and continues today — are 13 area businesses and organizations. Each crafted an artistic table design or event space on exhibit at the Scranton Cultural Center and Posh at the Scranton Club’s ballrooms.

“It’s a different way for us to reach a new audience and highlight something that’s not necessarily history, but a way that can celebrate our heritage because of the talent in the area,” said Mary Ann Moran-Savakinus, executive director of the historical society. “We have a community that is very interested in the arts, and this is a different artistic medium that you get to see. I think people like to come, not just to be inspired ... but to see something beautiful.”

Dinner by Design allows caterers, interior designers and other professionals to showcase their designs to people planning weddings, parties or other events. For some designers, the event also offers an opportunity to make a statement.

Olyphant-based Central Park Flowers, for example, displayed a table divided by a cinder-block wall. The design, titled “North and South of the Rio Grande,” featured red cloth on one side of the wall, blue cloth on the other, and several white orchids protruding from the wall itself.

Across the room, a Cinderella-themed table crafted by the Broadway Theatre League of Northeast Pennsylvania featured a bouquet of white, pink and purple flowers bookended by two gold candelabras. Place cards at each chair identified where Cinderella, Prince Charming and a host of other characters were to sit.

The variety of the displays — from a picnic setting boasting a Harley-Davidson motorcycle to an “Alice in Wonderland”-themed table topped with the Mad Hatter’s chapeau — impressed Donna Snelson of Mountaintop.

“The fact that they were all so different was really, really beautiful,” said Snelson, lauding the creativity.

She and her friend Juanita Holvey attended the event for the first time Saturday.

“It was elegant,” Holvey said. “Everything was just gorgeous and elegant.”

Dinner by Design continues today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Contact the writer:

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

VETERANS

Squadron 86 sets fish dinners

SAL Squadron 86 Lenten Fish Fry benefiting Hunts for Healing, Fridays through April 14, 5-7 p.m., American Legion Post 86, Main Street; dinners: fried flounder, 10 fried butterfly shrimp/$8; baked haddock/$9; add 10 shrimp/$6; fried flounder sandwich/$7; with cole slaw, french fries or mac and cheese; serving post 9-11Combat Wounded Veterans, HuntsForHealing.org.

Post 5544 sets

food sales

Jessup VFW Post 5544 Lenten food and clam chowder sale, Fridays, March 17 and 31; noon-5:30 p.m. or sold out, 205 Dolph St.; Man­hat­tan clam chowder, $7/quart, $5/pint; New England clam chowder, $9/quart, $6/pint, crab bisque, $11/quart, $6/pint, halushki $5.75/quart, $4/pint; tuna hoagies, $5.75, pierogies with butter and onions, deep fried, or deep fried with butter and onions $9.50/dozen, $5.75/half-dozen, $1/each; potato pancakes, $1/each; advance orders accepted but not necessary, 570-489-7070 Thursday previous.

Marine Corps Leage sets ham dinner

Northeastern Detachment Marine Corps League and Museum annual ham and cabbage dinner, Saturday, noon-5 p.m., detachment., 1340 Alder St., Scranton, $10, at door.

Post 4909 hosting dinner-dance

Dupont VFW Post 4909 Home Association annual St. Patrick’s Day dinner-dance, Saturday, post home; buffet, 7:30 p.m.; entertainment by Millennium, 9-1; bar open, 7:30-12:30, $30; reservations: 570-654-9104 or see Bob Lopata by March 10, www.vfw4909.com.

Post 7069 Auxiliary sets annual dinner

VFW Post 7069 Auxiliary annual ham and cabbage dinner, March 17, 4-7:30 p.m. or sold out, 402 Winola Road, Clarks Summit, $8.50/adults and $4/children, takeouts available; 570-586-9821 or 570-587-5663, bagpiper, 5 p.m.

Ham/cabbage

dinner planned

Olyphant American Legion Post 327 Auxiliary ham and cabbage dinner, March 19, 1 p.m.-sold out, $6.

VFW offers

scholarships

Dickson City VFW Post 5937 is again offering two $2,000 scholarships, to children and grandchildren of regular members and veterans living in the Mid-Valley area. Applications for scholarships are available by contacting Rich Capwell at 570- 489-1222. Deadline May 1.

Reunion

USS Independence CVA-62 28th Reunion, Aug. 23-27, Buffalo N.Y., all Navy, Marine, and Air Squadron personnel who served on the Independence and their families are welcome; USS Independence CVA-62, 65 Pioneer Ridge Road, Canton, NC 28716, 828-648-7379, or ussindycva-62@hotmail.com.

Meetings

MARINE CORPS LEAGUE

Northeastern Detachment Marine Corps League and Museum, today, 2 p.m., detachment, 1340 Alder St., Scranton.

POST 5207

John J. Michaels VFW Post 5207, today, 10 a.m., post home, routes 502 and 307, Covington Twp.; nominations.

POST 25

Gen. Thedore J. Wint VFW Post 25, today, 2291 Rockwell Ave., canteen meeting, noon, and post meeting, 12:30 p.m.; nomination of officers.

POST 665

Dickson City American Legion Post 665, today, post basement: board of directors, 12:30 p.m.; home association, 1:30; and post, 2:30.

POST 4909

VFW Post 4909, Monday, 7:30 p.m., post home, nominations of officers; home association meeting follows.

POST 610

Mayfield American Legion Post 610, Monday, 7 p.m.

POST 327 AUXILIARY

Olyphant Raymond Henry American Legion Post 327 Auxiliary, Monday, 7 p.m., post.

POST 920

American Legion Post 920, Monday, 7 p.m., 815 Smith St., Scranton; 570-903-2939.

DAV CHAPTER 114

Disabled American Veterans Chapter 114, Wednesday, 7 p.m., Cordaro’s Restaurant, 186 Grandview Ave., Honesdale.

VIETNAM VETS POST 1

Veterans of Vietnam War Post 1, Saturday, 1 p.m., Marine Corps League, 1340 Alder St., Scranton; $25 for 2017 dues accepted, or mail to Nate Warshawsky, 922 Harrison Ave., Scranton, PA 18510-1404.

VFW DISTRICT 10

VFW District 10, March 12, 2 p.m., Post 4712, 500 Main St., Simpson.

TESTIMONIAL DINNER COMMITTEE

VFW District 10 testimonial dinner and hospitality room committee, March 13, 7 p.m., Post 7069, Clarks Summit.

POST 6082 AUXILIARY

Shopa-Davey VFW Post 6082 Auxiliary, March 14, 6 p.m., post.

CAMP 8

Ezra S. Griffin, Camp 8 Sons of Union Veterans and Auxiliary, March 18, 10:30 a.m., Scranton City Hall side ADA entrance, Mulberry Street; 570-606-1014.

VETERANS HONOR GUARD

Dickson City Veterans Honor Guard quarterly meeting, March 18, 2 p.m., 901 Main St., Dickson City.

POST 5937

VFW Post 5937, March 18, 1 p.m., 901 Main St., Dickson City, nomination of officers.

POST 5209

VFW Post 5209, March 19, post home, 1849 Bloom Ave., Scranton; home association, 12:30 p.m., officers, 1 p.m.

VETERANS NEWS should be submitted no later than Monday before publication to veter

ans@timesshamrock.com; or YES!desk, The Times-Tribune, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503.

Commonwealth Health has big Heart gift

Commonwealth Health committed to the largest- ever sponsorship of the American Heart Association, Northeast Pennsylvania Division. The hospital network will provide it with a total of $25,000 — $20,000 to support the Northeast PA Heart Ball, set for Saturday, April 8, at the Westmoreland Club in Wilkes-Barre, and $5,000 for the Northeast PA Heart Walk, set for Saturday, April 29, at PNC Field in Moosic, the association said in a release.

Cornelio “Cor” Catena, CEO, Commonwealth Health; Dr. Douglas Coslett, 2017 Heart Ball chairman and chief medical officer, Wilkes-Barre General Hospital; and Dr. Steven Marra, chief of cardiothoracic surgery, Wilkes-Barre General Hospital Heart and Vascular Institute; presented the donation check to Tara Sokola, social events director, American Heart Association.

This years’s annual Heart Ball, which raises funds for the association, is themed “Fire & Ice.” Dinner, dancing, silent and live auctions are among the highlights. The Heart Walk is a family and pet-friendly event that includes a non-competitive fitness walk, prizes and activities for participants of all ages. Money raised at the Heart Walk “supports the American Heart Association’s lifesaving mission to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke,” according to the release.

Super students

Medical assisting program at the Dickson City Campus of McCann School of Business & Technology graduates Lisa Allen of Nicholson, Brittney Brink of Dalton and John Robinson of Lake Ariel, have successfully passed the certified clinical medical assisting certification examination. ... David Mallarkey of West Pittston, Alexa Malloy of West Wyoming, Dianna Murphy of Archbald, Emma Niznik of Wyoming, Kayla Shotto of Tunkhannock and Julie Stine of Lake Ariel, were among the students at Misericordia University who were cloaked as they began the professional portion of the nursing program in the spring semester at the second annual Arnold P. Gold Foundation and American Association of Colleges of Nursing White Coat Ceremony.

High notes

Representatives of the Mah Jongg group of the Abington area Comm-Unity Club, including Barbara Borek, Dottie Hood and Madaline Lori, presented the Ronald McDonald House in Scranton with a donation during a tour of the facility conducted by Robert Kollra, a Ronald McDonald House board member.

PITTSTON — John Koza had a prime spot to watch the Pittston City St. Patrick’s Parade, even as a bitter wind whipped along Main Street.

“It’s a Pittston parade, how do you miss a Pittston parade?” he said, tossing a treat to his

goldendoodle, Brady.

Koza and Amy Schnader of Shavertown braved Saturday’s return to wintry cold for the fourth annual parade, standing near the middle of the route to watch the marchers, floats and cars pass through downtown Pittston.

“Normally it’s the beginning of the spring season,” Schnader said. “It’s good to get out of the house.”

Despite the cold, people lined Main Street. Children held out plastic bags in the hopes of catching candy and prizes along the way.

“Everybody is in really great spirits,” said parade organizer Sarah Donahue. “Everybody seems happy, everybody is smiling and laughing so it’s a perfect day to me.”

Parade day in Pittston started with a special 9 a.m. Mass at St. John the Evangelist Church that led into the return of the Leprechaun Loop, a 1-mile walk/run around downtown that started last year.

Those runners lined up just before 11 a.m. outside the Greater Pittston YMCA on Main Street, pumping their legs and running in place to keep warm before starting.

At the sound of a shot at 11, the group of about 200 participants took off, speeding by clad in festive running clothes.

Jeffrey Skwirz crossed the finish line first, clocking what he estimated as a four minute, 43-second mile.

“There were some nasty headwinds,” he said, panting slightly. “I just ran my race.”

The parade started promptly at noon. The more than 100 marching groups made their way along Main Street through downtown and along Kennedy Boulevard.

Joseph Mackesy, 10, ended up with a tall hat full of candy and snacks tossed by the marchers. His dad, Christian Mackesy, said they came to meet a classmate of Joseph’s at the parade.

“This isn’t as crowded and it’s better for children,” Mackesy said.

Donahue watched the parade pass in awe after a year of work by the parade committee to make Saturday’s event happen.

“I can’t believe it’s the fourth (parade), I still feel like it’s the first,” she said. “I’m so proud of the committee and the work that they did.”

Contact the writer:

sscinto@citizensvoice.com

@sscintoCV on Twitter

An Olyphant woman was arrested Saturday on charges she abused her 14-month-old son, causing facial bruising and several fractured bones.

Joleen Scanlon, 29, 601 Susquehanna Ave., was taken into custody Saturday after more than a weeklong investigation into serious injuries suffered by her son.

Police and officials with the county Office of Youth and Family Services, acting on an anonymous report, arranged for the child to be examined at the Children’s Advocacy Center on Feb. 24. When injuries were identified, the child was transported to Geisinger Community Medical Center, and later to Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital in Danville.

Doctors there diagnosed the child with facial bruising and what appeared to be finger impressions on his face, as well as fractured bones in the left arm, right leg, skull and clavicle, according to a criminal complaint.

Scanlon told authorities the injuries occurred when the child repeatedly fell while trying to walk, hit his head off the railings of a crib and fell from the couch. Doctors, however, said the injuries were suffered from “non-accidental trauma,” the complaint reads.

Police interviewed several individuals during the investigation, including family members and Scanlon’s roommate, who told police Wednesday that she had witnessed Scanlon strike the child’s head with an open hand on Feb. 21. She also said Scanlon had a temper at times when caring for the child, police said.

The roommate detailed another incident from around Feb. 14, where the child began crying while in another room with Scanlon. According to the roommate, Scanlon said she had tripped while holding the child, causing him to fall headfirst into the crib and hit the back of his head on the railing, police said.

On Friday, the roommate gave the same fact pattern in a separate interview with a caseworker.

Scanlon was arrested Saturday and will be charged with endangering the welfare of a child, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person, police said.

It was unclear if Scanlon was arraigned late Saturday. Bail and preliminary hearing information were not available Saturday night.

Contact the writer:

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com @jhorvathTT on Twitter

Branch opens

NET Credit Union’s Scranton branch has moved to 119 Mulberry St. The new, two-story building opened Feb. 21. It has an elevator, four drive-thru windows and a large parking lot. The 920 Oak St. branch in Scranton is officially closed and the ATM there is not

operable.

Drivers recognized: UPS announced that drivers from Pennsylvania are among 1,575 newly inducted worldwide into the Circle of Honor, an honorary organization for drivers who have achieved 25 or more years of accident-free driving. Drivers recognized include: John Clark of Mayfield, who works at the Scranton location; Albert Gulbierz of Hunlock Creek, who works at the Wilkes-Barre location; Eric Hinkley of Beach Lake, who works at the Scranton location; Mark O’Malley of Scranton, who works at the Scranton location; and Thomas Tigue of Scranton, who works at the Scranton location.

Office relocates: JHA Cos. moved its Wyoming County office from Tunkhannock to Moosic, located at 1 Montage Mountain Road. JHA Cos., with its headquarters in Montrose, employs land surveyors, civil and structural engineers, environmental scientists, building code officials, sewage plant operators, sewage enforcement officers and GIS mappers.

Bank presents donation: FNCB Bank presented a $10,000 donation to the Downtown Hazleton Alliance for Progress. This donation was made as part of a larger $204,000 DCED (2016-2017) Neighborhood Assistance Program, Special Project Priorities (SPP) tax credit award. The Alliance will be dedicating its donated program funds to the phase-one renovation and adaptive reuse of the property at 13-15 West Broad St. Due to its location within the downtown’s revitalization zone, the building has been identified as a high priority renovation project.

Federation names honoree: As part of the annual American Advertising Awards competition, the American Advertising Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania announced that this year’s Silver Medal recipient is Rita Fendrych, with posthumous honors to her late husband, Gil Hoban. The Silver Medal awards a professional who has made outstanding contributions in the realm of advertising and who has also been active in furthering industry standards, creative excellence and responsibility in areas of social concern.

Home care service awarded: Visiting Angels announced that locations across the country received the Best of Home Care — Employer of Choice Awards from Home Care Pulse. The award is granted to the top-ranking home care providers based on caregiver satisfaction scores gathered by Home Care Pulse. The local award-winning market includes Forty Fort.

Firm receives award: The Pennsylvania Bar Association presented three County Bar Recognition Awards to the Wilkes-Barre Law and Library Association during the 51st annual Seminar of the Conference of County Bar Leaders at the Nittany Lion Inn, State College. Recognized for its CLE/CPE: the Canvas of an Ethical Mind — George Catlin, Esq., Guide to Juvenile Court Booklet, and YLD Soup Kitchen and Clothing Drive, the Wilkes-Barre Law and Library Association is one of 23 local bar associations in Pennsylvania honored this year.

Department re-accredited: Wayne Memorial Hospital’s Imaging Services Department has been re-accredited in mammography by the American College of Radiology. The accreditation was awarded after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified physicians and medical physicists, who assessed image quality, personnel qualifications, adequacy of facility equipment, quality control procedures and quality assurance programs.

Top producers honored: Davis Chant, founder and chairman of the board, applauded his sales force at the Agents Recognition Luncheon at the Dock at Silver Birches in Tafton. The company’s top producers, as well as the entire Chant team, were praised for another year with sales volume in excess of $239 million. Unveiled at the event was the company’s 2017 theme, “High-Tech Sales Marketing, High-Touch Customer Experience, and Global Reach with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World.”

Association receives sponsorship: The American Heart Association announced that Commonwealth Health committed a total of $25,000 to the American Heart Association; $20,000 to support the Northeast PA Heart Ball, set for Saturday, April 8, at the Westmoreland Club in Wilkes-Barre; and $5,000 for the Northeast PA Heart Walk, set for Saturday, April 29, at PNC Field in Moosic.

Seeking scholarship applications: NET Credit Union is accepting applications for its 2017 Annual Scholarships. NET will be award two $2,500 scholarships. The winners will receive their awards at the annual meeting Saturday, May 13, at the Hilton Scranton & Conference Center in downtown Scranton. One scholarship is for a high school student and the other is for a college/trade school student. For more information, email marketing@netfedcu.org with the subject line “Scholarship Question.”

SUBMIT BUSINESS BUZZ items to business@times

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

EDWARDSVILLE — Customers now have the option to choose from more than 30 types of beer at Wyoming Valley Beverage in Edwardsville and build their own six-packs, a trend you’ll likely see at more and more beer distributors.

For $9.99, people can choose a six-pack of bottles or cans of craft beer from Susquehanna Brewing Co. in Jenkins Twp., Nimble Hill Brewing Co. in Tunkhannock and Founders Brewing Co. in Michigan, as well as brands such as Samuel Adams.

People also could buy a single 12-ounce bottle for $1.75, said Lenny Cordora, manager of Wyoming Valley Beverage.

“You get a plethora. You get a little bit of everything,” Cordora said. “This is a constantly rotating selection.”

Wyoming Valley Beverage was among about 1,200 beer distributors throughout Pennsylvania permitted to sell beer in smaller quantities thanks to new regulations that went into effect in January.

Although people can now buy six-packs at beer distributors, Cordora said some people just want to try one or two bottles of one type of beer.

“One lady bought a bottle and then she came back for a six-pack because she liked it,” said owner Len Cordora, adding millennials especially appreciate that they can build their own six-packs.

Since sales of beer in six-packs and single bottles have been booming, Wyoming Valley Beverage will add more racks and another cooler, they said.

Since the new law was passed, Jim Cadden, co-owner of Cadden Brothers Beer Distributor in Scranton, said his business also has sold six-packs.

He said 22-ounce bottles of high-end beer like Sam Adams, Heineken and Corona and 24-ounce cans of beer have been especially popular sellers.

The “build-your-your-own six-pack” concept hasn’t caught on yet at Cadden Brothers, but he said that’s something they will try at the end of the next season.

“We have sold several six-packs but we haven’t seen a rush to be a bottle shop,” Cadden said. “People don’t think of a beer distributor as a bottle shop.”

When people want to go to a bottle shop, Cadden said they typically would go to places like Backyard Ale House in Scranton or Krugel’s Georgetown Deli & Beer in Wilkes-Barre Twp.

Cadden finds that people still view beer distributors as a place to buy beer in bulk, but he expects sales of six-packs and other smaller packages will increase in the spring around St. Patrick’s Day. Allowing distributors to sell beer in smaller packages was a “great thing,” he said.

Six-packs and single beer bottles also have been selling well at Beer Super in Wilkes-Barre, said owner David Shipula.

“The biggest thing we have seen is customers who are coming in buying a case or two of beer and now they have an opportunity to pick up a six-pack of brands they would like to try but don’t necessarily want to buy a case,” Shipula said.

Beer Super has not yet started the “build-your-own six-pack” initiative yet, but Shipula said the distributor probably will do that in a month to allow customers to try different brands of craft beer.

Shipula said it was good that the new law began during the slow winter months so they have time to organize space and rearrange space to sell smaller packages of beer.

“Our customers seem to be pleased with it,” he said.

Contact the writer: dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com

Drunk on gin mixed with Mountain Dew and pedaling a stolen bicycle, Ronnie Curtis thought about turning back. The 21-year-old Marine lance corporal was certain he was physically capable of killing his commanding officer, but not sure he had the mental toughness to take a life.

He had already taken the knife — a K-Bar with a 7-inch, double-edged blade — from a Camp Lejeune supply building, so he pushed on. It was midnight when 1st Lt. James Lotz opened the front door of the home he shared with his wife, Joan.

Curtis said he had been in a car accident, and asked to use the phone. In the kitchen, he stabbed Jim Lotz twice in the chest. Joan ran out from the bedroom. Curtis stabbed her seven times in the chest, back, head and neck. He sexually assaulted Joan, then made a sandwich and watched TV.

Curtis took a $5 bill from a dish on a nightstand and the keys to the Lotzes’ cars. After running one of them into a ditch, Curtis explained to a North Carolina state trooper that the red 1985 Ford Tempo belonged to his lieutenant. The trooper asked whether the owner knew his car had been wrecked.

“No, and he won’t,” Curtis said. “He’s dead.”

The saddest big story

As a longtime reporter for The Scranton Times, Bill Halpin had written reams of crime stories. He exposed the Scranton-based “Air America” drug trafficking ring, broke the news that fugitive heiress Patty Hearst was holed up in the Poconos and landed the first press interview with reputed Kingston mob boss Russell Bufalino.

On April 14, 1987, Bill was again involved in a big story. He would have traded all the others for this one not to be true. His daughter was dead, murdered alongside his son-in-law in their home. Joanie was gone.

She was one of eight girls born to Bill and Ann Rose Halpin. The couple also had four boys, which inspired some in the newsroom to quip, “Billy’s got so many kids, he qualifies for free government cheese.”

Bill was especially fond of Joan, who was beautiful, funny and a talented athlete, singer and musician.

“Always the life of the party,” said Tom Halpin, 54. “Losing her broke him. The way she died was really hard for him, for all of us. It still is.”

Curtis was sentenced to death for the murders in August 1987. Bill Halpin said the punishment fit the crime. Alice Lotz, Jim’s mother, had a different perspective.

“I suppose people are not going to be happy with me, but I don’t feel that killing that person will relieve anybody at all,” she told the Times.

Curtis launched a series of appeals based on a claim that Jim Lotz was a racist who bullied Curtis into killing him. He said Lt. Lotz would call him names like “Bebop Curtis” and “Shoo-be-do” and “dark green Marine.” Those who knew the lieutenant, including black Marines, testified that while he was often tough on subordinates, he was not a racist.

Curtis’ sentence was affirmed by military courts in 1993 and 1996 but was reversed in 1997. This meant that not only would Curtis escape execution, but he would someday be eligible for parole. His latest hearing is scheduled for Wednesday at U.S. Penitentiary Beaumont, Texas. Tom Halpin, his sister, Anne Slifer, 63, and a former student of Joan’s will be there. Other family will be watching on closed-circuit television.

“You know, one thing he’s supposed to show in order to be eligible for parole is remorse,” Tom said. “To this day, he has shown no remorse for taking two beautiful lives. He hasn’t changed at all over the last 30 years, and if he gets out, he’ll kill again.”

Bill Halpin died in 1992, at 64. Ann Rose Halpin was 85 when she passed away in 2013 after a battle with Alzheimer’s. The disease erased his mother’s memory of what Ronnie Curtis did to Joan, but Tom said he and his siblings are determined to haunt her killer to his grave.

Worlds apart

Jim and Joan Lotz and Ronnie Curtis came from very different places. The Lotzes grew up in large, loving families in Scranton. Their neighborhoods were tightknit, working class and mostly Catholic. Jim grew up on Gibbons Street, graduated from Scranton Central High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Scranton. He chose a career in the Marine Corps.

Joan grew up on North Irving Avenue and was a basketball star at Bishop Hannan High School, where she would return to teach after earning degrees at East Stroudsburg University and what was then Lackawanna Junior College. She was the girls basketball coach at Camp Lejeune High School, where she was named coach of the year for her North Carolina conference.

The Lotzes were happy. Ronnie Curtis was not. Just 2 years old when he was adopted by a Southern Baptist couple from Wichita, Kansas, Curtis has testified that his father was verbally and physically abusive, calling the boy names and beating him with a horsewhip. He joined the Marines to escape, but projected his resentments for his adoptive father onto Jim Lotz. When the lieutenant taunted him, Curtis heard his father’s voice.

Recurring nightmare

Nothing Ronnie Curtis endured as a child or as an inmate over the past 30 years stacks up against the pain he caused the families of his victims, said Mary Halpin Swift, 61. She lives in San Francisco and will participate in the hearing by teleconference at the attorney general’s office there.

“It really is cruel and unusual punishment for our family to have to go through this over and over,” Mary said. Because he has served two-thirds of his life sentence, Curtis, 51, will be eligible for parole every two years if he is denied this time, she said.

“It’s hard, but we would rather go through this than ever let him get out,” Mary said. “He’s a monster. He butchered them and stood on their bodies to make sure they weren’t breathing anymore. I can’t believe we have to fight to keep this monster where he belongs.”

CHRIS KELLY, The Times-Tribune columnist, will have an update on this tragic story after the parole hearing. Contact the writer: kellysworld@timesshamrock.com. Read his award-winning blog at blogs.thetimes-tribune.com/kelly.

Find a pet who needs a new home at the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter.

Bruno is a young adult male Pitbull mix. He is very strong and friendly.
Contact the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter at 586-3700 if your pet is lost or goes astray. Staff Photo by Ted Baird

Gibson is a 6-month-old, male, domestic long hair cat. He is a little shy but friendly with people he gets to know.
Contact the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter at 586-3700 if your pet is lost or goes astray. Staff Photo by Ted Baird


Watch the latest Pets of the Week video here:

An elderly Lake Twp. couple were taken by helicopter Sunday morning after suffering burns and smoke inhalation when their house caught fire.

The fire was one of three in Wayne and Lackawanna counties to chase residents from their homes Sunday.

Lake Ariel Volunteer Fire Company Deputy Chief Christopher DiPierro was first on scene about 7:30 a.m. at 2081 Glenwood Lane. He found it engulfed in flames.

The couple, whose names have not been released, were already outside.

Deputy Chief DiPierro said it was unclear how the husband and wife got out. They were badly burned, he said. Two rescue helicopters took them to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville for treatment, he said.

The home was about 90 percent destroyed by the fire, and what caused it remains under investigation, DiPierro said.

The victims’ names will be released pending family notification, said state police Fire Marshal Sandra Van Luvender.

Their conditions were not available Sunday.

Pine Street, Scranton

Merrica Keller and her fiance, Rahiem Rolling, were settling into their new apartment at Pine Street and Wheeler Avenue on Sunday afternoon. They had just moved in Friday, and had stepped out after 3 p.m. to go shopping.

They returned a few minutes later when they heard their building was ablaze.

Eight people in all lived in the building, according to the American Red Cross. They all escaped safely and no firefighters were injured.

The fire appeared to be confined to the rear upper floor of the building.

A city fire inspector

had not completed the investigation, but firefighters believe it started accidentally, not under suspicious circumstances, said Assistant Fire Chief Paul Laskowski.

Residents said the furnace had stopped working Friday. The landlord provided space heaters for each tenant, promising he would send someone to repair the furnace, said Jamie Sussman, whose daughter, Courtney Sussman, lived in the building.

Scranton Department of Licensing, Inspections and Permits Director Patrick Hinton said someone had complained Friday evening of sewage leaking from third-floor pipes to the second floor. He planned to send an inspector as soon as possible, he said.

Fire beat both the furnace repairman and the inspector.

County property records show PSN Realty Inc. of Bronxville, New York, owns the home. Efforts to reach someone with the company were unsuccessful.

Moosic Street, Scranton

Elsewhere in the city, an apartment building on the 600 block of Moosic Street caught fire before dawn Sunday, displacing two families, 11 people total, according to the Red Cross, which is helping them with food, clothing and a place to sleep.

City fire officials could not immediately provide details Sunday. It was unclear whether anyone had been injured.

Contact the writer:

joconnell@timesshamrock.com, @jon_oc on Twitter

HARRISBURG — Creating a fairer tax system is on the state budget agenda again with a proposal from Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf to eliminate a business tax loophole.

Wolf wants to close the Delaware loophole — a mechanism that allows businesses headquartered in other states to avoid paying taxes on their operations here — in exchange for dramatically reducing the state corporate income tax rate. It’s one of several proposals to erase a stubborn $3 billion state budget deficit.

The governor wants to implement a “combined reporting” method where businesses and their subsidiaries would file tax returns as a single company, state Revenue Secretary Eileen McNulty recently told the House Appropriations Committee.

“The budget will dramatically improve the competitiveness of our economy by lowering the tax rate for corporations while making taxation more fair for Pennsylvania’s small businesses through combined reporting,” McNulty said. “The governor is proposing to phase down the corporate net income tax rate of 9.99 percent — the second-highest in the country — to 6.49 percent by 2022. The proposal will also ensure all corporations pay their fair share by requiring combined reporting beginning in the tax year 2019.”

If adopted by lawmakers, it would end a long-standing practice where businesses shift assets to an affiliated company in another state where they are not subject to Pennsylvania taxes. Delaware has a reputation as a corporate tax haven.

Starting combined reporting would have the greatest impact on large manufacturers doing business in a number of states, said Matthew Knittel, director of the state Independent Fiscal Office.

The Delaware loophole was narrowed under a compromise state law passed in 2013. This law requires that businesses, even if headquartered elsewhere, pay taxes in Pennsylvania on their profits. The measure was steered by Rep. Dave Reed, R-62, Indiana, who is now House majority leader.

Some Democratic lawmakers said the 2013 law doesn’t go far enough.

The law doesn’t require reporting for tax purposes of lucrative corporate assets such as patents and trademarks, said Sen. John Blake, D-22, Archbald.

Blake plans to sponsor a bill linking combined reporting with a steep corporate income tax rate cut. He introduced similar bills in previous legislative sessions.

“For me, it’s an issue of tax fairness,” he said.

Blake proposes to make a gradual transition to mandatory combined reporting and a corporate tax rate of 6.99 percent over six years. Initially under the proposal, corporations would file two tax returns using the combined reporting method and the current method so the revenue department could gauge the difference.

Blake is concerned that a swift switch to combined reporting would be punitive for corporations.

“A gradual transition would avoid the adverse shock to our economy and allow tax fairness to be achieved without that short-term risk,” he said.

The Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association strongly opposes combined reporting.

Because states have different tax systems, rates and tax definition, there can never be a true apples-to-apples comparison for combined reporting, the association said. That only will lead to more disputed tax cases for businesses with the revenue department.

Closing the loophole would prevent corporations from shifting profits to lower-tax states like Delaware, according to Clear Coalition, an advocacy group.

Blake said he is surprised that more Republican lawmakers haven’t supported a plan that dramatically lowers the corporate income tax rate.

“The 9.99 percent corporate income tax is sticker shock to companies looking at Pennsylvania,” he said.

Contact the writer:

rswift@timesshamrock.com

Susquehanna County Court notes are published weekly in The Times-Tribune.

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.

ESTATES FILED

■ 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

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

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

The Lackawanna County Prison agreed to pay $90,000 to settle a federal lawsuit filed by six guards who alleged they were retaliated against for refusing to work overtime because of medical conditions.

The guards filed suit last year, alleging the prison violated the Family Medical Leave Act and Americans with Disability Act.

According to the lawsuit, each of the guards obtained doctors’ notes saying medical conditions precluded them from working overtime, which provided them protection under the FMLA and ADA. Despite that, the suit says the prison fired three of the guards — Matthew Besecker, William Ferrario and Allen Joyce and retaliated against other three guards who remain employed — Anthony Mariano, Jeremy McClemens and Justin Kopa.

Joseph Joyce,attorney for the county, said the prison did not admit to any wrongdoing. The settlement, which includes legal fees for the guards’ attorney, Sidney Gold of Philadelphia, will be divided amongst the six guards and is covered by the county’s insurance policy. He declined to provide additional terms of the deal because the agreement has not been finalized.

Contact the writer:

tbesecker@timesshamrock.com, @tmbeseckerTT on Twitter

Huddled in the back of Keystone Mission, Gina Ellis held her head in her hands and trembled.

She mourned the death of her friend Danee L. Mower, who died Tuesday after police say a man pushed her into the Lackawanna River, just a short walk from the mission on Olive Street.

John Durost, also a friend of Mower’s, put his hand on Ellis’ back and stared blankly at the table where they sat.

Mower, who died from the combined effects of hypothermia and drowning, had been a regular at the mission the last few years, said Kim Marie Fitzgerald, who works there. About 60 friends gathered Sunday at the mission, a place where the city’s homeless go for meals, clothing and friendship, for a memorial service.

On Feb. 25, when a raging storm struck the city, Mower walked in soaked to the skin, Fitzgerald recalled.

“I got her a towel and put it around her,” she said. “She was always there for everybody — her family on the street.”

Three days later, Mower, 28, was dead.

“Something went horribly wrong that day. I don’t know what it was,” Ellis said before the service began. The two became friends about five years ago.

Ellis had been at the police station for something unrelated when she first heard of Mower’s death. She asked an officer about it.

“He told me he didn’t know, but the look on his face, you could tell there was something not right,” she said. “She was so bright, she really was. Her smile, everything about her was amazing.”

During the memorial, the Rev. Scott Hall of the Grove Church on North Main Avenue led the service with sobering words and encouragement.

“The events of last Tuesday, choices that put that in play, were put in play a long time ago,” he said. ”And unfortunately our community has lost a young woman, and in our eyes, it was way too soon.”

Mower had three children, all of whom she gave up for adoption, said her father-in-law, Joseph Clark Sr. of Newfoundland, who clutched a framed picture of Mower.

He didn’t always agree with her choices, but, “I loved the girl,” he said.

“I thought an awful lot of her,” he said. “And, generally, she was a nice girl. Like I said, she had ways that I didn’t particularly care for, but she was a human being.”

Mower’s husband, Joseph Clark Jr., currently is incarcerated in Wyoming County Prison. He’s taking news of his wife’s death hard, his father said. They last saw each other when he was arrested in December, he said.

“He did love her,” Joseph Clark Sr. said. “There’s no question about that.”

Police charged Ryan M. Taylor, 24, with aggravated assault and lesser charges related to Mower’s death.

The Lackawanna County coroner’s office ruled her death a homicide.

As of Sunday, Taylor had not been charged with homicide. He remains in Lackawanna County Prison on $250,000 bail.

Contact the writer:

joconnell@timesshamrock.com

@jon_oc on Twitter

The application process has concluded for the next superintendent of the Carbondale Area School District.

“We have 15 interviews scheduled between March 12 and March 21,” said Gary Smedley, school board president.

District Business Manager David Cerra has served in the position since last April, when former Superintendent Joseph Gorham left for the top job in the Crestwood School District in Luzerne County.

Like many school districts across Lackawanna County and Pennsylvania, Carbondale Area struggles financially. The district delayed replacing Gorham for a year to save on his $150,000 salary and benefits.

Cerra’s salary is about $90,000, and depending on his performance as acting superintendent, he could receive a stipend at the end of his tenure. He served in the temporary position since April 12, and previously held the position before Gorham’s hiring in 2013.

When a new superintendent is hired, he or she may not be able to start immediately, Smedley said. The board will then discuss appointing another temporary superintendent or Cerra again, Smedley said.

“There is a one-year limit on an individual serving as an acting superintendent, however, a district can have successive acting superintendents,” said Pennsylvania Department of Education spokeswoman Nicole Reigelman in an email.

Affairs have gone smoothly since Cerra took the reigns at Carbondale Area, noted Smedley.

The board meets on March 14, and April 10, at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium.

Contact the writer:

kbolus@timesshamrock.com, @kbolusTT on Twitter

MONDAY UPDATES brings

Times-Tribune readers up to date on past or pending stories of interest. To offer a suggestion for a Monday Update, please email metrodesk@timesshamrock.com with

“Monday Update” in the

subject line.

A state appellate court overturned a Lackawanna County judge’s ruling that dismissed a lawsuit filed by two men who were injured while trying out for Lackawanna College’s football team.

Agustus Feleccia and Justin Resch sued the college in 2012, alleging they suffered serious injuries during a 2010 tackling drill because of the negligence of the college’s coaching staff and trainers. The suit, filed by West Chester attorney Andrew Motel, said Feleccia, of Montgomery County, suffered nerve damage to his right arm and Resch, of Northampton County, fractured one of the vertebrae in his back.

Judge James Gibbons dismissed the suit last year, finding that the men could not recover any damages because they signed a waiver that protected the college from liability if they were injured.

The state Superior Court recently reversed that ruling, finding that the judge did not properly consider the men’s claims that the waiver was invalid because the college was grossly negligent for not employing certified athletic trainers at the time they were injured.

The court said waivers generally are considered valid if those signing the document are aware of the risks involved in the activity. This case differed, however, because Feleccia and Resch did not know that the trainers the college employed were not certified.

“We conclude it is for the jury to decide whether the college’s employment of unqualified personnel increased the risk of harm to its student athletes,” the court said.

The court returned the case to Lackawanna County Court for further proceedings.

Contact the writer:

tbesecker@timesshamrock.com,

@tmbeseckerTT on Twitter