The sky darkened and rain fell in sheets.

A bolt of electricity cleaved thick air and reportedly struck the bell tower of a downtown Scranton church.

“Lightning rang our bell last night,” said Harold Rose, a parishioner who volunteers in the office of St. Matthew’s United Evangelical Lutheran Church on Jefferson Avenue, on Wednesday.

Lightning, car crashes and reports of flooding kept emergency responders busy Tuesday night as a potent thunderstorm dumped rain and knocked out power to hundreds in the area, officials said Wednesday. Most of the incidents, though, did not amount to anything serious and power was restored.

More than a quarter-of-an-inch of rain poured on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. as the wind gusted more than 20 mph, a deluge that’s enough to cause ponding on roads and flooding in low lying areas, AccuWeather meteorologist Steven Travis said. Driving in such conditions is treacherous.

“Hydroplaning can become more of a concern,” Travis said.

The Scranton Fire Department responded to 13 storm-related calls between 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Fire Chief Pat DeSarno said. Calls ranged from accidents, alarm malfunctions, flooded basements and downed power lines.

“We had it all,” DeSarno said.

The rest of Lackawanna County experienced similar incidents, which were primarily concentrated in Scranton, Dunmore and Throop, Joe D’Arienzo, a county spokesman, said.

At the height of the storm, which ultimately dumped nearly half-of-an-inch of rain by the end of the night, about 8,000 customers lost power through PPL Electric Utility’s service region. Of those, about 575 customers resided in Lackawanna County, Paul Wirth, a utility spokesman said.

A combination of heat, intense humidity and an incoming cold front helped boost the storm’s firepower, Travis said.

“It sort of felt like Florida outside,” Travis said.

The humidity broke after the storm. Temperate days and cool nights are forecasted for the rest of the week.

A few days of hazy, hot and humid weather are possible in the weeks to come, though.

Summer doesn’t end until Sept. 22, at 4:02 p.m.

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

Judge James Gibbons is the Lackawanna County Prison Board’s new chairman following Judge Vito Geroulo’s resignation from the board.

The prison board appointed Gibbons at its Wednesday meetings and named him chairman.

Reached at his office, Geroulo cited recent medical issues — including three surgeries he underwent earlier this year — as the reason for his resignation. While he will continue to serve on the bench, Geroulo said his doctors advised him to reduce his stress level and workload, and he is following that advice.

Geroulo resigned after the Prison Board’s July 25 meeting.

State law dictates that county commissioners, district attorneys, sheriffs, controllers and judges are to serve on prison boards.

In his new role, Gibbons said he will continue “to make sure that inmates are treated humanely and have what they need for successful rehabilitation” and offer his perspective as issues arise.

Several prison board members praised Geroulo for his work on the board.

“Judge Geroulo worked hard implementing new programs (at the prison),” Sheriff Mark McAndrew said after the meeting. “I believe we evaluated all the operations over at the jail, and he did a good job doing that. There’s a lot more new programs over there that get the inmates that need treatment (the treatment they need).”

Geroulo identified a six-month comprehensive study of the jail, conducted and presented last year, as an accomplishment during his tenure.

“We did a complete analysis of all the operations of the prison ... and developed a game plan for implementing the findings of the study,” Geroulo said, noting that the aim of the study was to make the prison safer for inmates and those that work there.

Also Wednesday, Warden Tim Betti said they are working toward reestablishing a GED program for inmates. Under a telecommunications contract the board approved in June, the jail will receive 450 correctional-grade tablet computers that can be equipped with GED materials.

Officials are determining the cost to download those materials onto the tablets, Betti said. The jail’s GED program was eliminated for budgetary reasons about 5½ years ago, he said.

Contact the writer:

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9141;

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

Seventy retired and active firefighters from Scranton, Dunmore and Wilkes-Barre suing a siren manufacturer claim its devices caused hearing loss.

In five separate but similar lawsuits filed Tuesday in Lackawanna County Court, the firefighters — most of whom are retired — claim they suffered hearing losses from firetruck sirens manufactured by Federal Signal Corporation of Oak Brook, Illinois.

The lawsuits claim the company made and sold the Q-Siren and e-Q2B models of sirens that exposed firefighters to “loud, excessive and harmful noise levels,” including “high intensity sounds within a narrow frequency range,” pitch and decibel levels that can cause permanent hearing loss.

The suits allege the firm is negligent because it did not tell buyers about a “shroud” device the company had under development that, when fitted to sirens, reduced rearward noise and brought them into compliance with acceptable sounds levels for firefighters traveling on fire apparatus.

Each of the five lawsuits seeks monetary damages in excess of $50,000.

The complaints reflect several filed during the past several years by firefighters from various towns and cities throughout the nation against Federal Signal Corporation. The firm has claimed in recent press releases that such lawsuits have no merit and vowed to continue aggressive defenses against them.

“Federal Signal has strong defenses against these cases. We are defending these lifesaving products,” David Duffy, an attorney with the Thompson Coburn law firm in Chicago representing Federal Signal Corporation, said Wednesday. “We will try these cases as necessary to get them resolved.”

The five lawsuits in Lackawanna County initially were filed 12 years ago in Illinois, where numerous other such suits also have been filed, said the local plaintiffs’ attorney, Todd O’Malley of the Scranton-based O’Malley & Langan law firm.

Earlier this year, a judge in Illinois ordered that siren negligence lawsuits against Federal Signal Corporation instead should be filed where alleged hearing losses occurred, meaning in the states where the firefighters worked. The order dismissed out-of-state lawsuits filed in Illinois, but gave plaintiffs six months to file their lawsuits anew in their own states, O’Malley said.

The local cases arose after hearing losses were noticed among the plaintiffs years ago, and tests of the 70 firefighters displayed a characteristic hearing loss of certain high frequencies, O’Malley said.

“We had all of them tested and all came back with same high frequency hearing loss,” he said. “In the trade, they call it a firefighter’s notch.”

The Scranton, Dunmore and Wilkes-Barre firefighters filed five lawsuits with seven to 17 plaintiffs per case, instead of just one suit with all plaintiffs together, to make the cases more manageable, O’Malley said. The lawsuits do not specify in which department each firefighter worked.

The local firefighters named as plaintiffs are: Thomas Andrejack, Robert Armitage, Paul Batyko, Ralph Borgia, Charles Braz, Frank Burke, Robert Burnside, Michael Calpin, Donald Compton, Jim Cooney, Thomas Czyzyk, Peter Delfino Sr., Robert Durkin, Vincent Dutkevitch, James Fanning, Anthony Fargione, James Floryshak, Bernard Garvey, Gerald Garvey, Thomas Gervasi, John Gilbride, Paul Golden, Robert Golden, Robert Grisko, Gary Guesto, Kelly Hopkins, Clement Jacklinski, Jude Kane, Joe Keegan, Paul King, George Kohler, Gerald Kolodzieski, John Koval, Robert Koval, Michael Lally, Fred Lance, Nelson Lanning, John Loscombe, Donald Love, Leonard Lowry, John Malecki, John McDonnell, John McGowan, Robert Milewski, Martin Monahan, Gene O’Hora, James Palutis, Anthony Patte, Kenneth Pembridge, Andrew Peranick, William Piazza, Eugene Rempe, Roger Rogalewicz, John Ruby, Jim Sable, Ed Smith, Leo Southard, Michael Stine, Robert Strong, John Sweeney, Joseph Sznyter, Richard Tomasello, John Tomchik, Fredrick Voelker,William Wagner, Anthony Walsh, Paul Walsh, Frank Waznak, Jeffrey White and Robert Williams.

Contact the writer: jlockwood@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5185; @jlockwoodTT on Twitter

HONESDALE
Résumés sought for council seat

Honesdale Borough Council is accepting résumés to fill a recently vacated council seat.

Council accepted the resignation of Councilman William Canfield at its meeting Monday. Residents wishing to be considered for the council seat must submit a résumé by noon on Sept. 11. All applicants should attend the regular council meeting at 6 p.m. on Sept. 18 to state why they want to serve on council and also field questions from other council members.

Applicants must be a resident of Honesdale for at least a year and be registered to vote. Résumés can be dropped off at borough hall, 958 Main St. , faxed to 570-253-4624 or emailed to hdleboro@ptd.net.

— CLAYTON OVER

WILKES-BARRE
Coal breaker

arsonist sentenced

WILKES-BARRE — A Dalton man who pleaded guilty to arson for setting fire to an abandoned coal breaker in Duryea was sentenced Wednesday to serve up to three years in state prison.

Zachary Sorak, 21, was ordered to serve 12 to 36 months in prison for pouring gas and setting a fire at Popple Coal off Simpson Street last August.

Sorak, who also pleaded guilty last month to a count of theft in a separate case, was ordered to serve four years of probation as well as the prison term.

Luzerne County Judge Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr. imposed the sentence.

— JAMES HALPIN

A year ago, Sister Mary Persico, I.H.M., Ed.D., told Marywood University employees they were embarking on a new day.

“I was wrong,” the university president told those same faculty and staff members on Wednesday. “As I look back... we were on the dark evening of a very stormy day.”

Starting her second year as president, Persico broke tradition and brought all Marywood employees together for convocation and an update on the state of the university, instead of meeting with employee groups separately.

As the school begins its 103rd academic year on Monday, Persico called for unity, innovation and change and encouraged everyone to embrace the university’s mission and Catholic identity. If those ideas are embraced, there will indeed be a new day, she said.

“Everything we do, however we do it, must be in service to our mission,” she said. “We have the potential to be the greatest university in Northeast Pennsylvania ... we need to change our old ways of thinking.”

When Persico began her presidency last year, she faced a divided campus, with faculty members who had been critical of the university’s prior leadership and even took votes of no confidence in the former president and former vice president of business affairs.

“Let’s move forward and find ways to dissolve the differences between us,” she said. “We all need to work together ... to make sure the decisions we make are for the common good for the university and our community here.”

Last year, the university had feared it would not pass all of its standards for accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The university received full accreditation. Also last fall, an “alarmingly low” number of freshman students — 331 — enrolled. This year, 447 freshmen are scheduled to arrive on campus this weekend — a 35 percent increase that Persico attributes to new targets and a strategic enrollment plan.

Marywood had also recently faced a budget deficit of several million dollars but should eliminate the deficit by the end of the fiscal year, she told employees. The university has also torn down the vacant library and addressed deferred maintenance issues, such as cracked sidewalks and potholes.

Persico addressed Marywood’s Strategic Resource Allocation process, an effort that caused unrest and concern and resulted in the restructuring of academic schools and a reduction of employees. Seeing the effort as a way to cut expenses is a misuse, and the goal should be to see it as constructive and not destructive, she said.

Initiatives this year include branding and marketing changes, the creation of new programs and working with the village of Blakeslee and Tobyhanna Twp. as an educational partner for the Pennsylvania Experience, an 80,000- to 100,000-square-foot structure that will house local restaurants, a walk of fame and marketplace of products made in the state.

Persico’s goals include increasing fundraising efforts, after exceeding goals by 23 percent last year, increasing alumni engagement and community involvement and securing fiscal stability.

Anticipating questions from employees, Persico said Marywood is considering subdividing the former Scranton State School for the Deaf property to make it more appealing to possible buyers. Marywood acquired the property from the state in 2011 for $500,000 and put it on the market in February 2015.

Sarah Kenehan, Ph.D., an associate professor of philosophy and the president of the faculty senate, called Persico’s speech “a sign of hope” and a reminder of the “hard work left to do.” She also appreciated the president’s focus on Marywood’s mission.

After several years of unrest, faculty members feel optimistic about Marywood’s direction, she said.

“We can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel,” she said.

Contact the writer:

shofius@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9133;

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

A village in the Poconos could soon be home to a center focusing on Pennsylvania’s food, beverages and history.

The “Pennsylvania Experience,” a project of Tobyhanna Twp. and the village of Blakeslee, would feature an 80,000- to 100,000-square-foot structure with restaurants, a Pennsylvania walk of fame, marketplace with items made or grown in the state and meeting space.

“It’s really impacting the economies of all 67 counties in the commonwealth,” said John J. Jablowski Jr., Tobyhanna’s township manager.

Marywood University will act as an educational partner. Architecture students could have impact on the design; gerontology students may study how to adapt the center for senior citizens, and multimedia students may help with history displays, Jablowski said.

“Projects like this help engage students,” he said. “We’re excited about that.”

In an address to employees on Wednesday, university President Sister Mary Persico, I.H.M., Ed.D., called the partnership an excellent opportunity for students and faculty members.

The Pennsylvania Experience is one part of what organizers call a sustainable community initiative of creating a “walkable urban village” in the Poconos. An outdoor amphitheater and public event pavilion are also planned.

The township has started a study and the design process, with the complete project estimated to cost at least $30 million. Jablowski said he hopes for both state grants and private funding for the project, which he hopes to see open in 2019.

A formal announcement is expected in the coming weeks, he said.

Contact the writer:

shofius@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9133;

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Migrant site

squalid?

Representatives from federal and state agencies inspected a migrant labor camp at a farm in Newton Twp. today. This inspection comes after Angelo Craig, of the Central City Neighborhood Council, visited the camp the day before.

Craig said during his visit he found the conditions for the workers to be inadequate. He said the camp was lacking kitchen tables, garbage disposal and fire extinguishers, and the beds lacked blankets.

Kidney transplant for teen approved

Eric Sussman, 15-year- old student at Abington Heights High School, was approved to undergo a kidney transplant operation at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. No date was set for the operation. Sussman, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Sussman, had been suffering for many years with kidney disease.

Once he has the surgery, he will have to stay in Cleveland for several months for outpatient care.

To help with the Sussman’s medical bills, the Dunmore Central Catholic High School Fathers Club recently sponsored a dance that raised $1,200. Over 1,400 teenagers attended the dance.

Downtown Sales Days begin

Downtown Sales Days kicked off today in Scranton. Twenty-eight stores participated in this three- day bargain-hunting event.

In addition to the sales, shoppers were able to enter raffles for prizes such as $1,000 shopping spree, a weekend trip to New York City, and tickets to performances at the Pocono Playhouse.

This shopping event was sponsored by the Commercial Association of Scranton.

BRIAN FULTON, library manager, oversees The Times-Tribune’s expansive digital and paper archives and is an authority on local history. Contact Brian at bfulton@timesshamrock.com or 570-348-9140.

Local musician Janet Rains, known as Jane Train, died Wednesday after being removed from life support, her attorney confirmed.

“Janet has passed,” attorney Ed Ciarimboli said.

Rains, 48, of Pittston, was severely injured in July in a tractor-trailer crash in Florida.

The RV she was riding in was hit by a truck on Interstate 75 in Micanopy, Florida, according to the Gainesville Sun newspaper. David Zablidowsky, the bassist for Adrenaline Mob, was killed in the crash, the New York Daily News reported. Train was the tour manager for the New York-based metal band. Zablidowsky was a member of Trans-Siberian Orchestra and had performed with the group in Wilkes-Barre.

Jason McCloe, 41, of Wilkes-Barre, who was driving the RV, and Robert Dressler, 45, of Plains Twp., were also seriously injured, according to the Florida paper.

Train became known in the Wilkes-Barre area music scene as lead singer for the band M80.

Ciarimboli represents Train in litigation against the truck driver and trucking company. He said she died around 3 p.m. after being removed from life support earlier Wednesday.

While no official cause of death has been declared, Ciarimboli said Train died as a result of the injuries she suffered in the crash.

“Her family and friends just want to thank everyone and ask that people continue thinking of them,” he said. “It’s a very, very difficult time. It’s a true loss not only to her family and friends but to our community.”

Alan Stout, former organizer of Concert for a Cause where Train and M80 frequently performed, had rallied the local music community to plan a benefit for Train set for October. He saw an outpouring of love for the singer as soon as people heard the news. Stout writes a freelance column for Electric City, a Times Shamrock publication.

“We will all remember Janet in our own special ways, because it seemed everyone she met has warm stories about her,” he said. “I will remember Janet as an energetic and charismatic entertainer with a golden voice.”

He recalled Train’s numerous contributions to the music scene around Northeast Pennsylvania, specifically her contributions to Concert for a Cause. She played the benefit every year that it existed.

“I remember her as someone who loved to give back to our community and brought so much to the stage every year at the former ‘Concert for a Cause,’” he said.

Stout said Jane Jam, the benefit set for Oct. 12 at the Woodlands, will go on as a tribute to Train and a benefit for the two others injured in the crash.

“We will celebrate Jane’s life and her spirit through music, which she loved so much, and monies raised at the show will still be able to help her family,” he said.

A GoFundMe page for Train, set up by her mother, Lucille Joyner, had raised more than $21,000 in donations by Wednesday. Across Facebook, Stout said he saw countless tributes and kind words about Train and her impact on local people.

“The smile — that more than anything is what I think I’ll remember most. It could light up a room. And it did. Thousands of times,” he said. “We will all remember that. Rest in peace, friend.”

Contact the writer:

sscinto@citizensvoice.com

570-821-2048, @sscintoCV

The Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple plans to award a contract next month for a project to repair mortar joints in the historic building’s limestone walls.

The work is essentially a stop-gap measure intended to buy the center time by halting water infiltration until the structure can undergo a full exterior renovation, general manager John Cardoni said.

“We are getting water into the interior of the building in places, most notably in the theater. People see that all the time up on the balcony walls, where the paint, the plaster, is peeling,” Cardoni said. “This is to stave off any more damage so we don’t have extra headaches to deal with.”

The project will be paid for with a $180,000 Local Share Account grant the Commonwealth Financing Authority awarded for the restoration work in 2015, from the state assessment on casino slots revenue.

Cardoni said the project will entail replacing any missing mortar between the Indiana limestone blocks on the exterior walls of the building and removing and replacing any loose mortar.

The center anticipates most if not all of the work can be done from existing roof surfaces or with lifts, and scaffolding will not be needed, Cardoni said.

The deadline for the submission of sealed bids is Sept. 12, and the center plans to award the contract Sept. 15. A mandatory pre-bid meeting for prospective contractors is scheduled on site Monday at 10 a.m.

Center officials want to have the work wrapped up by the end of October, Cardoni said.

“Our goal is to get it completed before we have to go through another winter with this stuff open,” he said.

In the meantime, center officials are looking to the 2017-18 state budget for a more permanent fix.

The $32 billion budget, which the Legislature approved June 30 but still has not funded, includes a $10 million appropriation through the Department of General Services and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to replace the center’s roof and fully renovate the exterior walls, Cardoni said.

“We’re hoping that will push through,” he said, adding the center would then embark on its own capital fundraising campaign to address still-needed interior renovations.

Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9132

Judge Michael Barrasse sentenced the following defendants recently in Lackawanna County Court:

Grant Struble, 26, 631 the Hideout, Lake Ariel, to six months of probation and a $300 fine for DUI — tier 1, first offense.

James Noone, 59, 111 Homestead Drive, Roaring Brook Twp., to six months of probation and a $300 fine for DUI — tier one, first offense.

Deshand Minus, 44, 326 Prescott Ave., Scranton, to a $200 fine for possession of a small amount of marijuana.

Juan Gonzalez, 35, 1406 Townhouse Blvd., Scranton, to six to 24 months in state prison for simple assault.

Roemail Killbrew, 36, 326 Spruce St., Apt. 302, Scranton, to 21 to 48 months in state prison followed by two years of probation for delivery of a controlled substance.

Amanda Reesey, 36, homeless, to 143 days time served to 24 months in state prison and a $300 fine for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and driving with a suspended license.

Jermaine Curry, 21, 5119 N. Fairhill St., Philadelphia, to 45 to 102 months in state prison followed by five years of probation for possession with intent to deliver and delivery of a controlled substance.

Cody Evans, 25, 1201 Moltke Ave., Scranton, to 12 to 36 months in state prison followed by two years probation for firearms not to be carried without a license.

Joshua Anderline, 26, 705 E. Drinker St., Dunmore, to 1,340 days time served to five years in state prison followed by one year of probation for theft by unlawful taking and drug paraphernalia possession.

Jose Rodriguez Jr., 51, 16 Rittenhouse Place, Fell Twp., to 2 ½ to five years in state prison for possession with intent to deliver.

Jordan Howard, 21, 50 E. First St., Bloomsburg, to six months of probation and a $300 fine for DUI — tier one, first offense.

Judge Vito Geroulo sentenced:

Christopher Taylor, 25, 6133 Washington Ave., Philadelphia, to 293 days time served to 23 months in county prison for criminal use of a communication facility.

Frank Materio, 44, 1706 Brick Ave., Scranton, to 15 to 30 months in state prison and a $1000 fine for DUI — tier three, first offense, and endangering the welfare of children.

Thomas Coffield, 34, 145 E. Elm St., Dunmore, to three years of court supervision, including three months of house arrest, for criminal use of a communication facility.

Richard Forbes, 44, 733 Dunmore St., F12, Throop, to two years of court supervision, including six months of house arrest, and a $500 fine for DUI — tier one, third offense.

Jon Collazo, 632 N. Lincoln Ave., Scranton, to 229 days time served to 23 months in county prison and $376.86 in restitution for theft by unlawful taking.

Derrick Pham, 37, 207 S. Valley Ave., Olyphant, to six months of probation and a $300 fine for DUI — tier one, first offense.

John Adams, 26, 444 Main St., Archbald, to a $100 fine for possession of a small amount of marijuana.

Judge Margaret Bisignani Moyle sentenced:

Phillip Harris, 35, 220 Willow St., Dunmore, to 20 to 60 months in state prison for delivery of a controlled substance, recklessly endangering another person and fleeing and eluding police.

Leroy Grant, 19, 227 Colfax Ave., Scranton, to 21 to 46 months in state prison for burglary and resisting arrest.

Christopher Buckas, 46, 301 Maple Manor, Scranton, to seven days time served in Lackawanna County Prison for disorderly conduct.

After seeking treatment at Geisinger Community Medical Center for a stab wound that collapsed his lung, Nathaniel Powell told police he was injured when four men jumped him Wednesday morning.

But as detectives investigated further, police said they discovered Powell, 24, 506 Broadway St., third floor, Scranton, actually received the wound from his girlfriend, who said she stabbed him in self-defense after he assaulted her. Powell now faces charges of simple assault, making false reports, disorderly conduct and harassment.

Police responded to the hospital at about 8:15 a.m. to speak with Powell, who suffered a collapsed lung from a stab wound to his left side. Powell told police earlier that morning the men attacked him near Pittston Avenue and Hickory Street before eventually saying he wasn’t “worried about it” and didn’t want to answer any more questions.

Police detectives returned later to speak with Powell. When he told them the incident happened in front of a gas station, the detectives said there are cameras there and police would be able to see what happened and identify the men, according to court documents. Powell then changed his story and again stopped talking, police said.

“Well, it happened down on the side street more,” Powell said, according to charging documents. “I don’t want to talk any more.”

Powell’s girlfriend, Racquelle Surico, did speak

to detectives.

Police noted Powell had been arrested before, in July, related to assaulting her. The woman’s eye was bruised and her cheek had a mark on it Wednesday, according to court documents. She told police Powell showed up at her apartment Wednesday morning, started pushing her around and put a cigarette out on her face. She stabbed him because she feared for her life, police said.

Powell had been free on unsecured bail from the July incident and the woman told police Powell has a court order stipulating he not contact her, court documents indicate. Bail and preliminary hearing information stemming from the incident Wednesday morning was not immediately available.

Contact the writer:

cover@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5363;

@ClaytonOver on Twitter

Clifford

Chicken barbecue: St. John’s Orthodox Church chicken barbecue and flea market, Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., 378 Lyon St. (Dundaff), takeouts only for barbecue, 10 a.m.-sold out, dealers welcome; advance tickets, 570-585-8940 or 570-955-8758.

Lackawanna County

Summer festival: Scranton Plan annual summer festival, today, Glenmaura National Golf Club, 100 Glenmaura National Blvd., Moosic, golf, 9 a.m., networking, 4-5 p.m. and a dinner; Amy Luyster, aluyster@scrantonchamber.com or call 570-342-7711.

Genealogical program: Genealogical Research Society of Northeastern Pa. program, Sept. 20, 7 p.m., 1100 Main St., Peckville, Stephanie Longo speaking on “Italian Festivals in NEPA,” reservations recommended; 570-383-7661.

Peckville

Purse bingo: Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish designer purse bingo, Nov. 5, church auditorium. doors open at 2 p.m. and bingo starts at 3, $20/advance and $25/door, includes 20 games of bingo, additional cards may be purchased at the event, basket raffle tickets, 50/50 chances and food/refreshments for sale throughout the event; 570-489-1965.

South Scranton

Flea market: St. Stanislaus Youth Center giant flea market, Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 530 E. Elm St.; antiques, jewelry, furniture, toys, tools, electronics, baby/children clothing, household items, homemade Polish food including pierogi, stuffed cabbage, potato pancakes, cabbabe and noodles, baked goods; no early birds.

Thompson

Beef supper: Thompson United Methodist Church roast beef supper, Saturday, 586 Main St., takeouts, 4:30 p.m., eat-in, 5.

Waverly

Bull Roast: Waverly United Methodist Church 48th annual bull roast, Monday, Sept. 4, 1 to 5 p.m. Open pit roast beef, potatoes, baked beans, corn on the cob, tomatoes, rolls, dessert and beverages; $14/adults; $6/children under 10.

Waymart

Purse bingo: Friends of Western Wayne boys basketball purse bingo, Oct. 8, Ladore Conference Center, 398 South St., doors open at 11 a.m. and bingo starts at 1 p.m., $20/advance or $30/at door (if available), basket raffles, 50/50 drawing, a chance to win an overnight stay at a local resort and other special prizes, food and beverages sold throughout day; Lisa, 570-904-3229.

CLIPBOARD ITEMS may be emailed to yesdesk@times

shamrock.com or mailed to Clipboard, c/o YES!Desk, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503. YES!Desk, 570-348-9121.

MARRIAGE LICENSES

Alyssa Rupp and Joseph John Bohenek, both of Archbald.

Barbara Ann Thompson and Priscilla Marie Torres, both of Old Forge.

Lori Lee Wright and Jeffery John Bonacci, both of Archbald.

DIVORCE SOUGHT

Sonia Castillo, Scranton, v. Mariano Castillo, Rochester, N.Y.; married Nov. 30, 2013; Marjorie DeSanto Barlow, attorney.

LAWSUIT

Michele and Thomas Snipes, 20 Stonewood Drive, Scott Twp., v Logan O’Boyle, 501 Dudley St., Dunmore, seeking in excess of the amount requiring compulsory arbitration on two counts and seeking in excess of the amount requiring compulsory arbitration and also compensatory damages, interest, costs, counsel fees and damages for delay and any other damages on one count for injuries suffered April 21, 2016, in an automobile accident on South Blakely Street, Dunmore; Michael A. Dempsey, attorney.

ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/courts

Griffin Pond Animal Shelter board members knew their fundraising manager had been jailed in 2009 for stealing nearly $88,000 from a past employer but they let her climb through the ranks, two former board members said.

Anastasia Daniels, 41, who still holds the fundraising manager title at the South Abington Twp. shelter, pleaded guilty to a single felony count of theft eight years ago.

Daniels is not accused of any wrongdoing at the shelter.

Douglas Boyle, a board member, said the complaints against her employment will be included as part of a board committee’s comprehensive review now underway. Daniels declined to comment.

Her conviction added fuel to the recent public outrage against shelter administrators. Board members on Tuesday launched a formal review of public complaints, made mostly online, alleging misconduct and placed Executive Director Ed Florentino on paid suspension.

Daniels’ ascent to fundraising manager baffles past board members Kevin Young and Janet Garvey, who both sat on the board during her employment.

In November 2013 after Florentino promoted Daniels to front desk supervisor, Garvey wrote a cautioning email to fellow board members, with Daniels’ court documents attached.

“Although people make mistakes, and it looks like she’s making good on her payback, in my opinion the value that she adds to the shelter is not worth the risks the shelter would take in keeping her anywhere near the front desk where money passes through all the time … but that’s Ed’s (Florentino) call,” Garvey said in a telephone interview, reading from the 2013 email.

Garvey and Young said board members sat on their hands and ignored a serious risk to the shelter’s finances while Florentino promoted her. The board typically does not interfere with how the executive director promotes staff.

Neither Garvey nor Young sat on the board when she was promoted to fundraising manager in 2015.

Daniels was sentenced in July 2009 to six to 23 ½ months in the Wayne County Prison, court records say.

She pleaded guilty to stealing $87,790 from Settlers Inn in Hawley, where she worked, by altering financial records.

She was paroled on Dec. 20, 2009, about five months after her sentencing, records say.

“Anastasia Daniels was a big part of the board’s ignorance,” said Young, a longtime volunteer who sat on the board from 2013-14. “There is literally hundreds of dollars a day in cash that is brought into that place that is non-traceable.”

In response to mounting criticism, the board on Tuesday stepped in and suspended Florentino pending their review of allegations that under his watch, shelter staff unnecessarily euthanized dogs, among other things.

Last year’s tax returns for the shelter were not immediately available. The 2015 return shows Florentino was paid $77,485 that year.

Also Tuesday, the board took other measures to protect employees who wish to come forward with complaints of wrongdoing and to create a community advisory board.

An interim director has not been selected, and the finance and governance committee will assist staff on important decisions when necessary, Boyle said.

The committee met Wednesday morning with staff to review duties and make sure all tasks were covered, he said. Volunteer dog walkers also showed up to help and that afternoon, it seemed like business as usual.

Prospective adopters were outside with staff members taking dogs for walks and getting acquainted with them.

A cat, whose new owners had already gone through the adoption screening process, was placed into a pet carrier to make the journey to its new home.

TED BAIRD, STAFF WRITER, CONTRIBUTED TO THIS REPORT.

Contact the writer: joconnell@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9131; @jon_oc on Twitter.

Paws in the Park rescheduled

Griffin Pond has rescheduled its annual Paws in the Park fundraiser for noon to 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 30 at McDade Park in Scranton.

It had been set for this Sunday at the park.

In a statement posted to Facebook, the shelter board said it rescheduled the fundraiser to provide the “best possible event experience,” and that the board appreciates the support from vendors, sponsors and patrons.

Rich Hayes has raised thousands of dollars for animal shelters. As fiery accusations fly across cyberspace at Griffin Pond’s executive director, the Pleasant Mount bicyclist and board member of the Dessin Animal Shelter in Honesdale, said he doesn’t want to wade into the controversy.

Earlier this month, Hayes raised $13,000 on a bike ride, dubbed Pedaling 4 Paws, from State College to Honesdale, to be distributed to Dessin, Griffin Pond and the Luzerne County SPCA.

Confident that the controversy would pass in time, he urged the community not to abandon Griffin Pond.

“I don’t want people to think that their job ends here,” he said. “They need to stand tall and give back to their shelter. These shelters depend on the community for foster care and volunteers. You take that away and what do you have? Four walls. Our four-legged friends depend on us.”

— JON O’CONNELL

Judge James Gibbons is the Lackawanna County Prison Board’s new chairman following Judge Vito Geroulo’s resignation from the board.

The prison board named Gibbons chairman at its Wednesday meeting.

Reached at his office, Geroulo cited recent medical issues — including three surgeries he underwent earlier this year — as the reason for his resignation. While he will continue to serve on the bench, Geroulo said his doctors advised him to reduce his stress level and workload, and he is following that advice.

Geroulo’s last prison board meeting was July 25.

State law dictates that county commissioners, district attorneys, sheriffs, controllers and judges are to serve on prison boards.

In his new role, Gibbons said he will continue “to make sure that inmates are treated humanely and have what they need for successful rehabilitation” and offer his perspective as issues arise.

Several prison board members praised Geroulo for his work on the board.

“Judge Geroulo worked hard implementing new programs (at the prison),” Sheriff Mark McAndrew said after the meeting. “I believe we evaluated all the operations over at the jail, and he did a good job doing that. There’s a lot more new programs over there that get the inmates that need treatment (the treatment they need).”

Geroulo identified a six-month comprehensive study of the jail, conducted and presented last year, as an accomplishment during his tenure.

“We did a complete analysis of all the operations of the prison ... and developed a game plan for implementing the findings of the study,” Geroulo said, noting that the aim of the study was to make the prison safer for inmates and those that work there.

Also Wednesday, Warden Tim Betti said they are working toward re-establishing a GED program for inmates. Under a telecommunications contract the board approved in June, the jail will receive 450 correctional-grade tablet computers that can be equipped with GED materials.

Officials are determining the cost to download those materials onto the tablets, Betti said. The jail’s GED program was eliminated for budgetary reasons about 5½ years ago, he said.

Contact the writer:

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9141;

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

Seventy retired and active firefighters from Scranton, Dunmore and Wilkes-Barre suing a siren manufacturer claim its devices caused hearing loss.

In five separate but similar lawsuits filed Tuesday in Lackawanna County Court, the firefighters — most of whom are retired — claim they suffered hearing losses from firetruck sirens manufactured by Federal Signal Corp. of Oak Brook, Illinois.

The lawsuits claim the company made and sold the Q-Siren and e-Q2B models of sirens that exposed firefighters to “loud, excessive and harmful noise levels,” including “high intensity sounds within a narrow frequency range,” pitch and decibel levels that can cause permanent hearing loss.

The suits allege the firm is negligent because it did not tell buyers about a “shroud” device the company had under development that, when fitted to sirens, reduced rearward noise and brought them into compliance with acceptable sounds levels for firefighters traveling on fire apparatus.

Each of the five lawsuits seeks monetary damages in excess of $50,000.

The complaints reflect several filed during the past several years by firefighters from various towns and cities throughout the nation against Federal Signal Corporation. The firm has claimed in recent press releases that such lawsuits have no merit and vowed to continue aggressive defenses against them.

“Federal Signal has strong defenses against these cases. We are defending these lifesaving products,” David Duffy, an attorney with the Thompson Coburn law firm in Chicago representing Federal Signal Corporation, said Wednesday. “We will try these cases as necessary to get them resolved.”

The five lawsuits in Lackawanna County initially were filed 12 years ago in Illinois, where numerous other such suits also have been filed, said the local plaintiffs’ attorney, Todd O’Malley of the Scranton-based O’Malley & Langan law firm.

Earlier this year, a judge in Illinois ordered that siren negligence lawsuits against Federal Signal Corporation instead should be filed where alleged hearing losses occurred, meaning in the states where the firefighters worked. The order dismissed out-of-state lawsuits filed in Illinois, but gave plaintiffs six months to file their lawsuits anew in their own states, O’Malley said.

The local cases arose after hearing losses were noticed among the plaintiffs years ago, and tests of the 70 firefighters displayed a characteristic hearing loss of certain high frequencies, O’Malley said.

“We had all of them tested and all came back with same high frequency hearing loss,” he said. “In the trade, they call it a firefighter’s notch.”

The Scranton, Dunmore and Wilkes-Barre firefighters filed five lawsuits with seven to 17 plaintiffs per case, instead of just one suit with all plaintiffs together, to make the cases more manageable, O’Malley said. The lawsuits do not specify in which department each firefighter worked.

The local firefighters named as plaintiffs are: Thomas Andrejack, Robert Armitage, Paul Batyko, Ralph Borgia, Charles Braz, Frank Burke, Robert Burnside, Michael Calpin, Donald Compton, Jim Cooney, Thomas Czyzyk, Peter Delfino Sr., Robert Durkin, Vincent Dutkevitch, James Fanning, Anthony Fargione, James Floryshak, Bernard Garvey, Gerald Garvey, Thomas Gervasi, John Gilbride, Paul Golden, Robert Golden, Robert Grisko, Gary Guesto, Kelly Hopkins, Clement Jacklinski, Jude Kane, Joe Keegan, Paul King, George Kohler, Gerald Kolodzieski, John Koval, Robert Koval, Michael Lally, Fred Lance, Nelson Lanning, John Loscombe, Donald Love, Leonard Lowry, John Malecki, John McDonnell, John McGowan, Robert Milewski, Martin Monahan, Gene O’Hora, James Palutis, Anthony Patte, Kenneth Pembridge, Andrew Peranick, William Piazza, Eugene Rempe, Roger Rogalewicz, John Ruby, Jim Sable, Ed Smith, Leo Southard, Michael Stine, Robert Strong, John Sweeney, Joseph Sznyter, Richard Tomasello, John Tomchik, Fredrick Voelker,William Wagner, Anthony Walsh, Paul Walsh, Frank Waznak, Jeffrey White and Robert Williams.

Contact the writer: jlockwood@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5185; @jlockwoodTT on Twitter

An 8-year-old Carbondale boy struck by a car Tuesday in Scranton has been released from the Geisinger Community Medical Center, where he was treated, a hospital spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday.

Keagan Healey crossed Lackawanna Avenue with his parents at 4:56 p.m. but ran ahead. Angel Leon-Castellanos, 18, of Scranton, struck the child; police said a bus partially blocked his view.

Keagan appeared to suffer minor injuries and went to the Mulberry Street hospital, police said.

Denise Rader, a hospital spokeswoman, said staff treated and released Keagan.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

Griffin Pond has rescheduled its annual Paws in the Park fundraiser for noon to 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 30 at McDade Park in Scranton.

It had been set for this Sunday at the park.

In a statement posted to Facebook, the shelter board said it rescheduled the fundraiser to provide the “best possible event experience,” and that the board appreciates the support from vendors, sponsors and patrons.

Rich Hayes has raised thousands of dollars for animal shelters. As fiery accusations fly across cyberspace at Griffin Pond’s executive director, the Pleasant Mount bicyclist and board member of the Dessin Animal Shelter in Honesdale, said he doesn’t want to wade into the controversy.

Earlier this month, Hayes raised $13,000 on a bike ride, dubbed Pedaling 4 Paws, from State College to Honesdale, to be distributed to Dessin, Griffin Pond and the Luzerne County SPCA.

Confident that the controversy would pass in time, he urged the community not to abandon Griffin Pond.

“I don’t want people to think that their job ends here,” he said. “They need to stand tall and give back to their shelter. These shelters depend on the community for foster care and volunteers. You take that away and what do you have? Four walls. Our four-legged friends depend on us.”

— JON O’CONNELL

A village in the Poconos could soon be home to a center focusing on Pennsylvania’s food, beverages and history.

The “Pennsylvania Experience,” a project of Tobyhanna Twp. and the village of Blakeslee, would feature an 80,000- to 100,000-square-foot structure with restaurants, a Pennsylvania walk of fame, marketplace with items made or grown in the state and meeting space.

“It’s really impacting the economies of all 67 counties in the commonwealth,” said John J. Jablowski Jr., Tobyhanna’s township manager.

Marywood University will act as an educational partner. Architecture students could have impact on the design; gerontology students may study how to adapt the center for senior citizens, and multimedia students may help with history displays, Jablowski said.

“Projects like this help engage students,” he said. “We’re excited about that.”

In an address to employees on Wednesday, university President Sister Mary Persico, I.H.M., Ed.D., called the partnership an excellent opportunity for students and faculty members.

The Pennsylvania Experience is one part of what organizers call a sustainable community initiative of creating a “walkable urban village” in the Poconos. An outdoor amphitheater and public event pavilion are also planned.

The township has started a study and the design process, with the complete project estimated to cost at least $30 million. Jablowski said he hopes for both state grants and private funding for the project, which he hopes to see open in 2019.

A formal announcement is expected in the coming weeks, he said.

Contact the writer:

shofius@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9133;

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

WILKES-BARRE — The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Booster Club has reported nearly $11,000 is missing from its checking account, according to police.

A representative of the club came to police headquarters Wednesday afternoon to report that club records show the money is missing from its general checking and trip accounts.

According to the club’s website, its purpose it to support players and their families and to perform charitable work in the community.

Police said the whereabouts of the missing money is under investigation.