A 28-year-old Scranton man dropped his pants in front of a middle school Thursday morning and exposed his genitals to a woman and her 12-year-old daughter, city police charged.

Miguel Mercado-Santiago, 917 Cedar Ave., was arrested on two counts of indecent exposure and one count of disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors, Patrolman Robert Keiper wrote in a criminal complaint.

The two victims were in their car on the 300 block of Maple Street by South Scranton Intermediate School shortly after 8 a.m. and noticed a man walking around the school, drinking a beverage and appeared to be staring at children walking into the school.

Then, the man, later identified as Mercado-Santiago, picked up his shirt and pulled down his pants. The woman called 911 and said her daughter witnessed the man exposing himself.

The man fled and Keiper, who was working as the school resource officer there, put his description out over the police radio. Another officer found a man who fit that description and identified him as Mercado-Santiago. One officer drove the two victims to Mercado-Santiago and they identified him as the man who exposed himself.

Magisterial District Judge Theodore J. Giglio arraigned and jailed Mercado-Santiago on $20,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 5.

Contact the writer: jkohut@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9144; @jkohutTT on Twitter.

SCRANTON — An incumbent Lakeland School Board member who appeared to be a winner in the May 16 primary election will not appear on the November ballot after all.

Greenfield Twp. resident Mark Solomon received sufficient write-in votes in the primary to defeat board President Mary Retzbach for both the Democratic and Republican nominations in Lakeland’s Region 1, according to figures released Thursday by the Lackawanna County Department of Elections.

Solomon beat Retzbach by margin of 262 to 120 on the Democratic ballot, official results showed. On the Republican side, Solomon had 215 votes to 93 for the incumbent.

— DAVID SINGLETON

At more than $480,000 and counting, Pike County spent nearly double the $250,000 it earmarked for convicted cop killer Eric Matthew Frein’s capital murder trial.

County officials do not anticipate any trouble covering the additional cost, however.

Matthew Osterberg, county commissioner chairman, said officials faced a tough decision when they put the budget together in November. They knew costs might exceed the budgeted amount. There was also a chance the cost would be substantially less if Frein pleaded guilty.

They chose the $250,000 figure, knowing they could dip into the county’s fund balance, which was $1.6 million at the start of this year, if it went over, he said.

“We tried to be as responsible to taxpayers as we could, keeping in mind we have money in the bank that could pay for it if it went above $250,000,” Osterberg said. “That is the reality of what happened. It’s the cost of justice. Is it unfortunate? Yes.”

Frein, 34, was convicted on April 19, of first-degree murder and 11 other offenses for killing Cpl. Bryon K. Dickson II of Dunmore and wounding Trooper Alex T. Douglass of Olyphant in a sniper attack outside the Blooming Grove state police barracks on Sept. 12, 2014. He was sentenced to death on April 26.

Records show Pike County spent $481,503 on the case as of Thursday. The largest expense was $245,901 in legal fees and other costs incurred since Frein’s arrest to his attorneys, William Ruzzo and Michael Weinstein, who were paid $125 per hour, according to court documents that recently were unsealed.

Part of the fees charged by the attorneys included reimbursement for hotels and meals during jury selection, which took place in Chester County, and for Ruzzo’s hotel stay during the trial.

Ruzzo stayed at the upscale Hotel Fauchere, but received a steep discount. The total cost for Ruzzo’s 26-day stay was $2,125, which averages to about $81 a day.

Sean Strub, owner of the hotel and mayor of Milford, said he was approached by the prosecution and defense about providing discounted rooms and was pleased to do so. He said he also offered free rooms to members of Dickson’s family during the trial.

The second largest expense was for defense experts, who were paid $125,101. Of that, $89,499 went to Louise Luck, a mitigation expert who earned $100 per hour to develop evidence for the defense in the death penalty phase.

The defense expenses do not include fees for work Ruzzo, Weinstein and Luck performed during the April trial, or any work the attorneys did this month in relation to Frein’s appeal. Those bills have not yet been submitted for payment.

Other costs include $68,784 to lodge, feed and transport the Chester County jurors that heard the case, said Pike County Chief Clerk Gary Orben, and $41,717 prosecutors spent on experts, travel and lodging for trial witnesses and expenses related to jury selection in Chester County.

Orben said he has not yet calculated additional costs the county incurred in overtime for sheriffs deputies and court staff that worked the trial. He also is awaiting a bill from Chester County for certain costs it covered for the jury, including meals and lodging during jury selection.

Whatever the final total, Osterberg said he is confident the county can pay all the costs from money it already has.

“We’ve always been fiscally responsible so it’s not like all of a sudden this case hits and we are going to be out of money,” Osterberg said. “When it’s all done and settled we will see what shape we are in. I don’t think it will deplete all the carryover (fund balance) for next year.”

Contact the writer: tbesecker@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9137; @tmbeseckerTT on Twitter.

BLAKELY — Electricians are working to restore power in the borough after a utility pole fire tonight.

The incident occurred around 7:30 p.m. The fire knocked power out to the entire community, borough police Chief Guy Salerno said.

Check back for updates.

— CLAYTON OVER

CANAAN TWP. — The Route 296 Easton Turnpike bridge, which crosses the creek in Wayne County, is complete and open to traffic, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced.

The Canaan Twp. crossing, longer and wider than the original, is designed with a 100-year lifespan.

It had been deemed structurally insufficient and is one of 558 bridges replaced under the state’s Rapid Bridge Replacement Project.

The project is a public-private partnership between PennDOT and Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners, which will finance, design, replace and maintain the bridges for 25 years.

— PETER CAMERON

SCRANTON — A man is locked up on charges he twice punched his sister and threatened her with a knife.

Alan Townsend, 20, homeless, is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment and harassment stemming from an incident on the 1000 block of Mount Vernon Avenue at about 6 p.m. Monday. Jessica Davis told police her brother, Townsend, punched her in the arm and chest before he pulled a knife, swung it at her and threatened to stab her with it, according to court documents.

Townsend is held in Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $10,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

— CLAYTON OVER

A 42-year-old Tunkhannock woman will serve 30 months of probation and pay a $500 fine and restitution for her role in taking more than $6,000 from the Tunkhannock Junior Women’s Club.

Brenda Anne Publik of Mill Lane appeared before Senior Judge Kenneth Seamans from Susquehanna County on Thursday morning and tearfully gave an apology for her actions.

“I’m very sorry for what I did,” she said. “And just want to be with my kids.”

Her attorney, Joseph Toczydlowski, said a series of misfortunes, including losing a job, car problems and caring for a special-needs child, led her to steal from the group. He said she was a long-standing member of the community, had graduated from the local high school and had been married for 21 years.

According to court records, the missing money came to light in 2016 when the guidance department at Tunkhannock Area High School had contacted Publik in the spring about whether the Junior Women’s Club would be granting three $500 scholarships as it had done in the recent past. Publik never returned its calls.

An eventual audit of the club’s three different accounts at Community Bank and Trust revealed a zero balance in a savings account, a zero balance in one checking account and a negative balance of $62.16 in a second checking account. It pointed to “inappropriate and questionable use of Community’s funds for personal use” totaling $6,147.72.

Seamans, who was brought in for sentencing because Wyoming County Judge Russell Shurtleff’s wife was a former president of the Junior Women’s Club, lectured her.

He said there are people with an addiction such as drugs or gambling, and those who take a little at a time thinking they are going to pay it back.

“The problem is that almost never happens,” Seamans said.

He noted that with a job that pays $12 an hour, it will take a while to pay $6,147 back.

“You will pay that back?” he asked.

“Yes sir,” she said.

Seamans acknowledged the payback would be difficult if she were in jail and sentenced her to probation.

Contact the writer:

bbaker@wcexaminer.com; 570-836-2123

A lawsuit against the owners of 16 local McDonald’s restaurants for paying employees exclusively with fee-laden debit cards appears to have reached a conclusion.

The state Supreme Court this week denied a request to hear an appeal filed by the owners after prior courts ruled the pay method was illegal.

“The kids won. McDonald’s lost,” said West Pittston-based attorney Mike Cefalo, who filed the class-action lawsuit on behalf of local McDonald’s workers in June 2013.

Albert and Carol Mueller of Clarks Summit, the franchise owners, declined comment on the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear their argument, a spokeswoman said.

The case will now return to Luzerne County Court, where Judge Thomas F. Burke Jr. will determine what damages will be awarded to the plaintiffs, according to Cefalo.

In June 2015, Burke ruled that paying employees exclusively with a debit card did not fall in line with the Pennsylvania Wage Payment and Collection Law, which mandates “wages shall be paid in lawful money of the United States or check.”

The state Superior Court last year upheld Burke’s decision.

“The language is clear. A debit card is not ‘lawful money’ and it is not a ‘check’ …” Superior Court Judge Anne Lazarus wrote in the court’s opinion.

Attorneys for the Muellers had argued a debit card was the “functional equivalent” of a check or lawful money.

The Superior Court panel called that argument “unavailing,” because the cards were mandatory and “forced users to incur fees” for all types of transactions.

Contact the writer:

bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2055,

@CVbobkal on Twitter

FRACKVILLE — A Lackawanna County father and son who died when their crossover SUV was struck from behind and burst into flames Wednesday on Interstate 81 in Butler Twp. were fondly remembered Thursday in their tightknit community.

Killed were Kevin C. Novitsky, 52, of 1940 Heart Lake Drive, Scott Twp., and his father, Clement Novitsky, 79, of 1950 Heart Lake Drive, Scott Twp., according to Schuylkill County Deputy Coroner Andrew Szczyglak.

A Hop Bottom man was seriously injured in the four-vehicle crash that closed the northbound lanes of the busy highway for about 10 hours.

The Novitskys operated the Heart Lake Road auto dealership, Village Auto Sales. On Thursday, neighbors said the Novitskys were a big part of the community.

Clement Novitsky would sell someone a car and throw in a cheerful story for free, said Bob Noldy, a family friend and township supervisor. Kevin Novitsky had a smile strong enough to “light up the room.”

“It was a pleasure to have known him and Clem,” Noldy said.

Kevin Novitsky, a father of two, was heavily involved in his community and coached baseball for the town’s Little League.

He coached Kera Mizok’s son from T-ball through Little League, she said. Their boys play baseball together for the Lakeland School District. No one could find a bad word to say about him, she said.

David Duchnik, owner of Duchnik’s Towing and Recovery, said he knew the Novitsky family well and said they were “straight-up business people.”

He said his heart breaks for the Novitsky family and knows the pain they will endure. Duchnik’s son, also named David Duchnik, died last summer in a crash on Interstate 81.

“It’s a tragedy what they’re going through,” Duchnik said.

Trooper John Carr of the Frackville state police station said the crash occurred about 2:15 p.m., about 2 miles south of the Frackville exit. Carr said Brian Barrett, 45, of Greentown, was driving a 1990 International tractor-trailer north in the left lane as traffic in front of him was slowing for a construction zone ahead. The trooper said Barrett’s truck struck the rear of the Nissan Rogue driven by Kevin Novitsky, causing both vehicles to burst into flames.

Carr said the impact from the tractor-trailer pushed the Novitsky vehicle into the back of a 2002 Dodge Ram pickup driven by Bryan Ketcham, 24, of Hop Bottom. The pickup was then pushed into the trailer portion of a tractor-trailer driven by Roman Zhuk, 50, of Feasterville.

Carr said Ketcham suffered severe injuries and was flown to a trauma center by a medical helicopter. Barrett and Zhuk were not hurt.

The northbound lanes of the interstate were closed from the time of the crash until midnight.

Szczyglak said autopsies are planned.

Contact the writers:

fandruscavage@

republicanherald.com;

570-628-6013;

jkohut@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9144;

@jkohutTT on Twitter

‘Freed Brady’ kicks to 1st place

Eric Florance, Mike Pennell, Justin Valinski, Cole McConnell, Aaron Lenz, Adrian Giordano, Chris Daniels, Jon Gillow, Craig Ciarrocchi and Chris Cheng prevailed victorious in United Neighborhood Center’s Kicks for Kids kickball tournament.

The group of friends who found the event on Facebook are members of the “Freed Brady” team that competed against 27 teams during the tournament. Kicks for Kids raised funds for UNC’s Project Hope Summer Camp for children from low-income families, according to the organization.

Members of the kickball tournament event committee included: Christian Rinaldi, Jude McDon­ough, Kellen Kraky, Carrie Hodovanec and Mary Carroll Donahoe.

Cost was $200 per team and all proceeds benefit the summer camp. Sponsors of the kickball tournament included: Times-Shamrock Communications, Scranton School District, WNEP -TV, Grimm Construction, Geisinger Community Medical Center, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and PNC Bank.

Jeans wearers make donations

Brook Lipperini, FNCB banking officer, human resources generalist, nominated Dress for Success Lackawanna as the recipient of the bank’s April “Jeans for a Cause” fundraiser.

“I am proud to support this organization in their mission to provide professional attire and services to women in Lackawanna County who are striving for financial independence,” said Lipperini, in a press release.

Each month the employees of the bank are able to wear jeans to work if they make a small donation to various charities. The donations are matched dollar for dollar by the bank

Dress for Success Lackawanna representatives, Mary Ann Iezzi, executive director, and Ashley Murray Sunseri, program coordinator, were presented the $976 donation from FNCB.

Super students

Daniel Mecca of Dickson City, a third-year medical student at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society. The society recognizes individuals who are exemplars of humanistic patient care and who can serve as role models, mentors and leaders in medicine, according to the school. … Misericordia University occupational therapy student, Alyssa Auer of Scranton, was part of the university’s team that took home first place in the American Occupational Therapy Association/EBS Healthcare Knowledge Bowl held during the 2017 American Occupational Therapy Association Annual Conference and Centennial Celebration in Philadelphia. … Local Albright College students including: Emma Musto, a senior religious studies/sociology/family studies major from Clarks Summit, and Kayleah Trecoske, a junior psychology/child development track major from Montrose, presented research at the Higher Education Council of Berks County’s 18th annual Undergraduate Research & Creativity Conference at Penn State Berks on April 22. Musto presented “Understanding the Impact of Religious Perspectives and State Policy and on Attitudes Towards Same-Sex Couples” while Trecoske’s research was titled, the “Effects of Punishment Type and Parent Gender on Perceptions of Punishment.”

Students from Charles Sumner School Elementary in Scranton conducted a Memorial Day concert observance at the school for veterans and family members on Thursday.

The program also featured several speakers, including Pat Ahern, chairman of the Scranton Veterans Memorial Park Committee; Jim Kuschwara, commander, VFW Post 25; Alexis Kirijan, superintendent of the Scranton School District; and Robert DeLuca, school principal. 

WILKES-BARRE — A Pittston man used a scam involving purchase orders to fraudulently acquire thousands of dollars’ worth of tires from MotorWorld, according to city police.

Patrick Elliot, 31, was charged with a felony count of theft Wednesday, police said.

Over the course of three months, starting Feb. 27, Elliot reused purchase orders to obtain tires with a total value of $24,267 at MotorWorld, police allege.

Elliot admitted to the series of thefts, police said. He was arraigned Wednesday and released on $10,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 8 before Magisterial District Judge Thomas Malloy.

— ERIC MARK

LAKE TWP. — Sarah Russoniello believes in the healing power of horses.

As a child, they helped her deal with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Now, she’s using equine therapy to help others confront a variety of life’s problems, from addiction to physical disabilities.

Russoniello is ready to launch her business, Serendipity Therapeutic Riding Program, in the Back Mountain of Luzerne County following an open house Saturday.

“Everybody could be involved with horses in one way or another,” Russoniello said. “They are the most compassionate, sensitive animals. Just being around them is healing.”

A certified riding and equine therapy instructor, Russoniello previously ran her business at a farm in Greenfield Twp. She owned one horse and used several others on the property.

Russoniello now has a stable of six horses at her new, rent-to-own facility at 300 Route 29 in Lake Twp. — Cigala, Daisy, Markaus, Piper, Snowball and Victory.

At Saturday’s open house, which begins at 12:30 p.m., people will get a chance to tour the facility and meet the animals, but no riding sessions will be held. Typically, an hourlong session costs $45. She’s looking to start a program where people could sponsor sessions for people who could use the therapy but can’t afford it.

Russoniello, who is certified through the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International, plans to continue the “Horses and Heroes” program that introduces the animals to military veterans from the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Plains Twp.

Horse therapy is used to help people with emotional and physical problems. Some find comfort in riding, while others just like petting the friendly creatures, Russoniello said.

“For a lot of people who have learning difficulties or physical differences, the world focuses so much on what they can’t do, but here we focus on the opposite, on what they can do,” Russoniello said. “I have (semi-paralyzed) riders who never felt what it’s like to walk. Then they feel the horse taking steps.”

Military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder also seem to form bonds with the horses, she said.

“They are instinctual animals. They see you for who you are. They are fantastic gauges of body language,” Russoniello said.

Russoniello knows firsthand. As a child, she had behavioral problems related to ADHD. Nothing seemed to help her. Then she started taking horse riding lessons.

“I found my healing through horses. So I experienced it in a personal way,” she said.

Last year, Russoniello was presented a community service award from the Edward R. Leahy Jr. Endowment, a fund administered through the University of Scranton that aids programs helping the disabled.

Dr. Maral Sheruda, the veterinarian Russoniello uses, is an advocate for horse therapy programs.

“I grew up volunteering at a place like this. It’s a great program. Horses really help heal,” Sheruda, of Northwinds Veterinary Services in Dalton, said during a recent visit to Russoniello’s facility. “There isn’t a lot of places like this around, so I’m glad she is getting up and running. It’s pretty awesome.”

Contact the writer:

bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com

570-821-2055,

@cvbobkal on Twitter

If you go

What: An open house for the Serendipity Therapeutic Riding Program

When: Saturday, 12:30 p.m.

Where: 300 Route 29, Lake Twp., Luzerne County

Contact: Sarah Russoniello, 570-561-6743

Albena Ivova Gesheva’s family won the lottery when she was only 7 years old.

Her parents believed the prize, a green card from Bulgaria to the United States, would give their two children education and opportunity.

On Sunday, Gesheva, who only spoke Bulgarian when she enrolled in the Scranton School District more than a decade ago, will graduate from the University of Scranton. A winner of a prestigious Fulbright award, she will study bats in Germany for a year before enrolling at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine next year.

“There’s no way I could have achieved all of this by myself,” Gesheva, 23, said. “Everyone has helped me so much.

“It doesn’t even feel like my accomplishment. I feel proud but not just proud of myself. I’m proud of being part of everything here.”

Academic excellence

In 2001, Gesheva’s parents, Sonya Gesheva and Ivo Geshev, sold their family’s belongings in Bulgaria. With only money and clothing, the family moved to Scranton at the recommendation of a family friend who already lived here.

Albena Gesheva and her brother, Yavor Geshev, began to learn English in Scranton schools.

At McNichols Plaza and Audubon elementary schools, Gesheva found caring teachers who she said helped change her life. She made friends, and within six months, she considered her English fluent.

“I was at the perfect age for learning a new language,” she said. “I picked it up quickly. I had no choice.”

She went on to attend South Scranton Intermediate School and then Scranton High School, making the honor roll and developing a love for science. As a young teenager, she started volunteering at local hospitals, where she said she learned about sensitivity, sympathy, vulnerability and the need to connect with people at a personal level.

In high school, she participated in the medical college’s Regional Education Academy for Careers in Health — Higher Education Initiative, more commonly known as REACH-HEI, program. There, her love for medicine grew.

Her parents worked several jobs before taking work at the University of Scranton, her mom as a custodian and her dad as a groundskeeper. The jobs came with a tremendous benefit — free tuition for the couple’s children. Gesheva’s brother graduated from the university in 2014, and now attends a podiatry school in New York City.

Gesheva will graduate with degrees in neuroscience and philosophy and with minors in biochemistry and Japanese, and a concentration in Asian studies.

“This is definitely the best place I could have come,” she said. “The community is incredible. The people are amazing.”

Research opportunity

Gesheva will leave next week for a two-month trip to Southeast Asia where she will immerse herself in a new culture.

In August, Gesheva will study the effect of light intensity on echolocation behavior in tropical bats in Germany at the University of Ulm’s Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics. She began her research on bats in 2016 as a summer intern with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. After that experience, she decided to pursue the Fulbright award, a program of the United States Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs designed to increase mutual understanding between U.S. residents and those of other countries.

In addition to fluency in Bulgarian and English, she also speaks some Spanish and German. While in Germany, Gesheva plans to volunteer with the University of Ulm’s Refugee Support Office.

Gesheva’s award is the latest for the University of Scranton. In the last 10 years, 39 university students received Fulbright awards, and in 11 of the last 15 years, the Chronicle of Higher Education named the school as a top Fulbright producer.

“She’s so energetic and engaging, and she’s a wonderful example of what the Fulbright program is all about,” Susan Trussler, Ph.D., Fulbright adviser and associate professor of economics and finance said of Gesheva. “She’s so eager for cultural exchange and academic excellence.”

To accept the Fulbright, Gesheva deferred her acceptance at the medical college until fall 2018. She wants to eventually work as a surgeon in a rural area.

On Sunday, Gesheva will celebrate her graduation with her parents, 16 years after they gave up their jobs and left their family and friends to move to America.

“Everyday, I’ve acknowledged how much they’ve given up and sacrificed for us,” she said.

Contact the writer: shofius@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9133; @hofiushallTT on Twitter

Developers plan a center in Blakely devoted to helping people stay healthy, a project that could produce 250 temporary and permanent jobs.

In Susquehanna County, a project to extend a natural gas line could produce 100 jobs and retain 80.

Both will benefit from state Commonwealth Financing Authority money. Gov. Tom Wolf announced the loans Thursday.

IBIS Enterprises and BlakelyRidge, a local limited liability company, have teamed up to develop the Northeast Pennsylvania Wellness Center on 20 acres next to the Electric City Kia dealership on Business Route 6, said Ray Angeli, BlakelyRidge’s managing partner.

BlakelyRidge will receive a $2.9 million loan to buy the land, build streets, install utilities and cover other related costs. The infrastructure alone will cost $3.95 million as part of a $23 million project, Angeli said.

Angeli said the wellness center is expected to employ 53 people at first as medical assistants, physical therapists, nutritionists, exercise trainers and other jobs. He did not have a breakdown of how many of the 250 jobs will ultimately be permanent.

“These are all good-paying jobs,” he said.

Angeli, former president of Lackawanna College in Scranton, said he hoped to pull off the idea in the former Catholic Youth Center when he was still at the school, but couldn’t get the deal done. The former CYC became the school’s student union and gymnasium.

Efforts to reach an IBIS official were unsuccessful. IBIS has headquarters in Pittsboro, North Carolina, a small town west of Raleigh.

Angeli said IBIS has developed 26 similar centers nationwide. He expects the company to build the center and team up with a local nonprofit organization that would eventually run the center after IBIS shows how it’s done. He declined to name possible nonprofits that might be interested.

Angeli said his partners in BlakelyRidge are Dan Summa and Karl Pfeiffenberger, a former Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce official.

Construction on roads and related infrastructure could start later this year with the center ready to open within two years, Angeli said.

The Susquehanna County project involves a $442,274 grant to Leatherstocking Gas Co. LLC for an $884,548 extension of a natural gas line to serve Montrose and Bridgewater Twp.

Efforts to reach a Leatherstocking official were unsuccessful.

Contact the writer: bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9147; @BorysBlogTT on Twitter.

The Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County held Senior Awards Night on Thursday at the school on Rockwell Avenue in Scranton.

Every year, the CTC’s senior awards ceremony recognizes the school’s entire senior class, all of whom have earned certificates of completion for their programs, according to Jenine Ikeler, the center’s career resource coordinator. The school offers more than 20 programs of study, ranging from building mechanics trades and masonry to health occupations technology and culinary arts.

Mayfield

Trash pickup: Due to Memorial Day on Monday, borough trash and recycling pickups will be collected Tuesday.

Yard waste: Collections of yard waste are every Tuesday and contents must be in bags or containers that are acceptable weights. Too heavy and waterlogged containers will be left at the curb.

Old Forge

Trash pickup: Due to Memorial Day on Monday, borough garbage and recycling pickups will be one day late next week.

CLIPBOARD ITEMS may be emailed to yesdesk@timesshamrock.com or mailed to Clipboard, c/o the YES!Desk at 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, 18503. YES!Desk, 570-348-9121.

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

■ Joan C. Mitchell and Charles Fernandes, Lititz, to Jerome Jr. and Anthony Passariello, Scranton, as joint tenants with rights of survivorship; a property at 1229 Academy St., Scranton, for $36,750.

■ Pasquale and Mary Jo Sacco to Anthony Sacco; a property in Newton Twp. for $70,000.

■ Gayle Padfield, attorney-in-fact for Lois M. Smith, Elmhurst Twp., to Angela Sibick and Carole McHale, Peckville, as joint tenants with rights of survivorship; a property in Elmhurst Twp. for $76,500.

■ Eileen Olenchak, executrix of the estate of Marion W. O’Connor, Moosic, to Richard Grzyboski and Brianna Finnerty, Moosic; parcels in Moosic for $142,500.

■ USA HUD to Michael Stankiewicz; a property at 20 Gilbert St., Carbondale, for $30,000.

■ Robert and Sheila Marie Wilkes, Jermyn, to James J. and Alicia McDermott, Jessup; two parcels at 318-320 Chestnut St., Jermyn, for $210,000.

■ Vincent J. Villani to Joseph and Sandra Vitali; a property at 629 N. Sumner Ave., Scranton, for $70,000.

ESTATES FILED

■ Lorraine A. Tomaskevitch, 509 Susquehanna Ave., Olyphant, letters of administration to Gerald J. Tomaskevitch, 435 Delaware St., Olyphant.

■ Mary K. Lalicki, 700 W. Elm St., Scranton, letters testamentary to Traci L. Adomiak, 313 Marshall Squire Road, Nicholson.

■ John Kuchko, 1425 St. Ann’s St., Scranton, letters testamentary to Margaret Vazquez, 14011 Maple Drive, Clarks Summit.

■ Paul P. Roche, 221 Hoover St., Apt. 1, Old Forge, letters of administration to Paul Roche Jr., 114 Lincoln St., Taylor.

ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/courts

Wyoming County Court Notes appear weekly in The Times-Tribune.

REAL ESTATE

■ Salvatore Mincolelli to Geremia Padula and Elena S. Padula, a property in Meshoppen Twp. for $140,000.

■ Arthur Walton and Sandra L. Walton to Bruce W. Insinger and Brenda Insinger, a property in Lemon Twp. for $290,000.

■ Robin Harvey and Robin C. Harvey to Wayne John White, a property in Meshoppen and Washington Twps. for $68,000.

■ Castlerock 2017 LLC to Walter Raymond Tiffany and Quintin Tiffany, a property in Laceyville for $29,910.

■ Eugene J. Ryan and Jane Ryan to Gerald E. Burke and Gail M. Burke, a property in Braintrim Twp. for $5,000.

■ Eugene Ryan, Jane Ryan, Jane Ryan, Excx., and Geraldine E. Ciprich, deceased to Gerald E. Burke and Gail M. Burke, a property in Braintrim Twp. for $60,000.

■ David W. Evans and Linda L. Evans to David Evans and Sharon Evans, a property in Falls Twp. for $195,000.

MARRIAGE LICENSE

■ Jeffrey Edward Grimes, of Kingston, and Abby Marie McManus, of Wilkes Barre.

■ Dakota Tunis and Rachel Lynn Brozusky, both of Tunkhannock.

■ Francis Matthew Delesky and Megan Elizabeth Ely, both of Tunkhannock.

■ Anthony Bruce Kimble and Savannah Marie Shea, both of Tunkhannock.

■ Alex Paul Campbell and Kerstian Lane Saxon, both of Laceyville.

ESTATES FILED

■ Angeline Kupchunas, aka Angeline G. Kupchunas, late of Lemon Twp., Wyoming County, letters testamentary, Matthew J. Kupchunas, c/o Judd B. Fitze, Esquire, 7 Marion St. Tunkhannock, PA 18657.

■ Carlene Anthony, aka Carlene Ann Anthony, late of Northmoreland Twp., Wyoming County, letters testamentary, Melissa Ann Anthony, c/o Catherine J. Garbus, Esquire, 24 E. Tioga St., Tunkhannock, PA 18657.

After Monday’s bombing at a concert in Manchester, England, the changing of the guard no longer takes place at Buckingham Palace in London, 100 miles away.

Public events have been canceled. Armed military personnel patrol many popular sites in the city, where University of Scranton professor Michael Jenkins, on a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar grant, has spent the last four months studying policing methods.

“There is actually quite a difference in the feel of the city,” he said, adding that the terrorist level in England was raised to the highest level. “Essentially, they’re saying that a terrorist attack is imminent.”

Jenkins, an associate professor of sociology/criminal justice, worked with the London Metropolitan Police for four months to learn how police use force. He also observed officers on patrol, interviewed trainers, reviewed records and studied how police engage citizens involved with lower-level offenses.

The Manchester attack, combined with the March Westminster attack, both influenced Jenkins’ studies abroad.

The events change “how police are defining their role and danger they face in their jobs,” he said.

Jenkins and his family are returning to the United States this month.

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