Carmine Monacelli wanted to be a Marine, a professional wrestler and the first American pope.

No goal seemed unreachable.

When he died in 2012, two months shy of his 10th birthday and six months after a diagnosis of bone cancer, his mother knew her son’s dreams could not end there.

“I’m not letting him die and just go on. Something has to come out of this,” Larissa Monacelli told Colby Wesner, D.O., one of her son’s doctors.

Shortly after Carmine’s death, his mother, Wesner and other volunteers formed the nonprofit Think Big — inspired by the Scranton boy’s spirit.

The organization will host a “golden sock” football game when Scranton High School plays Williamsport on Friday.

When the teams kick off at 7 p.m. at Memorial Stadium, football players and cheerleaders will wear gold socks, and cheerleaders will wear Think Big bows, also in gold — the color of pediatric cancer awareness. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Volunteers will collect donations and set up tables with information about pediatric cancers.

“I’m so out-of-my-mind happy we’re trying to get this out to the forefront,” Monacelli said.

Shocking diagnosis

At Audubon Elementary School, Carmine earned the nickname “prophet on the playground.”

He wanted everyone to be friends and stood up for children being bullied. With his own money, he bought a Christmas gift for a man who worked in his school’s cafeteria.

“He was like a little saint, an angel,” his mother said.

In September 2011, Carmine, who wrestled and played baseball, started complaining about a pulled muscle in his leg. Within two weeks, the fourth-grader couldn’t climb the stairs. Doctors diagnosed him with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. It quickly spread through his body. Treatments didn’t work.

When Make-A-Wish granted Carmine a trip, at first he wanted to go to Vatican City to hopefully meet the pope. However, he knew his younger brother, Mariano, now 13, and older sister, Marisol, now 16, would rather go to Disney World, so he asked for a trip to Florida instead.

Family photos with his siblings, mother and father, Enrico, cover the walls in the family’s Hill Section home. Most photos show three children smiling together, dressed in Halloween costumes, blowing out birthday candles or buried in the sand on a family vacation.

Carmine never returned to school after his diagnosis, so a Scranton teacher would visit him to work on lessons. After rounds of chemotherapy and intense pain, Carmine would sometimes struggle to sit up and do his schoolwork from his hospital bed in the living room.

“ ‘If I don’t stay awake and with it, I won’t get to fifth grade,’ ” Monacelli recalled her son saying. “In my heart, I knew he wasn’t going to go to fifth grade.”

Making a difference

With bake sales, basketball tournaments, dance-a-thons and races, Think Big supports area families whose children receive treatment at Geisinger’s Janet Weis Children’s Hospital, as Carmine did. At Pocono Mountain West High School, where Monacelli teaches Spanish, students have raised thousands of dollars.

The funds help families pay rent and mortgage payments, utility bills and other out-of-pocket medical expenses.

Since 2014, the organization has donated $175,000 to more than 65 families. Of those families, 17 live in Lackawanna or Luzerne counties. The group plans to allocate $100,000 to families this year.

Wesner, a Geisinger pediatrician who completed his oncology rotation while Carmine was a patient, carried through on his promise to Carmine’s mother.

“He just didn’t think like a normal 9-year-old,” Wesner said last week, after he dropped off a box of socks for Friday’s game. “There are just certain kids who stick with you. He had an uncanny way of viewing the world.”

Carmine should be a sophomore at Scranton High School now. His former friends and classmates will be on the field and in the stands Friday.

“Like my son, I’m always trying to think big,” Monacelli said. “I know he’s with me all the time.”

Contact the writer:

shofius@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9133;

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Abington Heights

Senior transition team members were on hand to help during the opening of school at Abington Heights.

Bristol Grenfell, Sienna Rainey, Isabel MacGregor, Mamie Dempsey, Phoebe Sebring, Marissa Sunick, Kelly Seechock and Abby Brown are part of the 200-plus-member team of sophomores, juniors and seniors who help their classmates get comfortable in their new school.

The team plans the New Student Orientation Program and members often mentor, support and guide students in the freshman class as well as new transfer students.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Blue Ridge

Hunter Conklin and Luke Updyke started their own business designing cellphone cases in 2016.

With the help of their parents, who gave them the loan they needed to purchase the necessary equipment to produce their products, Luke and Hunter are business owners who pay taxes and abide by laws and regulations.

They primarily sell their cases through their online shop on Etsy, and they have begun advertising campaigns on Google, Etsy and Instagram.

They plan to continue their partnership and business when they go to college next year.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5186

Carbondale Area

Katelyn Dovin was elected senior class president and student council secretary.

“I was honored to win the election because that means my classmates think I’m a good leader,” said Katelyn. “Senior year is the most important year of all with many activities and decisions that will play a major role in our future lives. This gives us a bigger say in what goes on and I like being a part of that.”

Katelyn was elected on Sept. 15. She previously served on student council and enjoyed the activities she participated in while in high school.

“I also liked being in a leadership role because I made sure that my class’s opinions were heard and understood,” she said. “This role will give me lots of experience in dealing with all kinds of people.”

After graduation, Katelyn plans to attend college and major in psychiatry/psychology.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Career Technology Center of

Lackawanna

County

Still a senior in high school, Jasmine Gomez is already a certified nurse aide.

The Forest City Regional student, who is in the health occupations program, already passed her exam. She will soon start a co-op program at a nursing home in Forest City and plans to attend college to obtain a bachelor’s degree.

Jasmine enjoys cooking, reading and drawing and is involved in several activities, including the Geisinger blood drive and Casual Day.

— SARAH HOFIUS HALL

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

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Delaware Valley

Kara Gearhart is an involved member of the senior class at school and she credits her participation in both academics and athletics with keeping her life balanced.

Captain on the varsity field hockey team and a member of the track and field team, she is also active with National Honor Society and Future Business Leaders of America. She also volunteers her time within her community with Relay for Life, the United Way Day of Caring, the Turkey Trot 5K and the roadside cleanup program.

“Volunteering has shown me the importance of helping others and the impact a little help can have,” she said.

Kara plans on majoring in forensic psychology next year.

— LISA ZACCAGNINO

lzaccagnino

@timesshamrock.com

Dunmore

Senior Amanda Delhagen stayed busy this summer by participating in the visual arts portion of Arts Alive.

Her participation was aided through the Kelcey Hallinan scholarship. A scholarship in memory of Hallinan, a 2013 graduate of Dunmore High School who loved the arts, was established to help fellow Dunmore students awaken their artistic talents.

Amanda’s monthlong stint involved several projects. Mornings were devoted to things like cutting boards, shadow boxes, and decorative wooden structures and sculptures. During the afternoons, Amanda switched her focus to painting, creating several nature scenes and a self-portrait. Her end products were displayed during an art exhibit.

“Arts Alive really challenged me, provided a creative outlet, and made me go outside my bounds,” she said. An art student for several years, she found the program beneficial in honing her craft.

“Art is the one class I look forward to because it allows me to be me and it calms me down,” she said.

She plans on majoring in psychology in college.

— LISA ZACCAGNINO

lzaccagnino

@timesshamrock.com

Elk Lake

Senior Grasyn Bushnell is serving as student council president.

They are in the midst of preparing for homecoming, which is set for Saturday.

“We do a school spirit theme, which is green and white. We’ve been ordering all of the decorations for it. We actually ordered new and bigger decorations for the dance,” Grasyn said. “We start setup at 9 a.m. and usually go until noon. We are usually done by then.”

Grasyn is a member of the soccer team, National Honor Society, track and prom steering.

She hopes to major in business but hasn’t decided on a school yet.

— LISA ZACCAGNINO

lzaccagnino

@timesshamrock.com

Holy Cross

High School

As senior class president and a member of student council, Conor Nealon is helping prepare for homecoming spirit week activities next week. Events include the annual Class Olympics on Friday and homecoming game and dance on Saturday.

“I love homecoming week,” he said. “It’s always the most fun week of the year.”

At Holy Cross, Conor is also a member of the football, swim, and track and field teams.

— SARAH HOFIUS HALL

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

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Lakeland

Kaylee Sanko spent part of her summer in the University of Scranton’s University of Success program.

A member of the program for the past four years, Kaylee meets each month with students from area schools to engage in learning, community service and inter-school relationships.

“I love meeting kids from different schools with different backgrounds,” she said.

Kaylee’s favorite part of the program was a physics experiment on a roller coaster at Dorney Park.

She is a member of National Honor Society, the reading team, yearbook club, Tribe Committee and the Drill Team.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Mid Valley

Before the school year began, Zach Blau spent time scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef and visiting native villages on islands south of the United States.

Zach visited Fiji, New Zealand and Australia, spending a week in each country as part of the People to People International program.

He learned about the religion and culture in the countries.

The junior is a member of the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science where, for the past two years, he’s won first place awards in both the regional and state competitions. Zach runs track and field, is an Eagle Scout and a member of Blessed Sacrament parish.

He plans to study geology or oceanography after high school and enlist in the Coast Guard and Air Force ROTC.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Mountain View

Senor Emma DeMark spent the summer as an intern at the Binghamton Zoo.

She learned about caring for the animals and the zoo’s operational procedures.

“We got to work with the animals and talk with the public about the different exhibits,” she said. “There was so much that happens behind the scenes to keep the zoo maintained and promote public interaction.”

Emma’s favorite activity was working with the red pandas.

“I was happy to get hours with these animals before starting college,” she said.

After graduation, she plans to pursue a career as a veterinarian.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5186

North Pocono

Jenna Schmidt is a member of the National Honor Society who has consistently achieved honors for the past three years. Upon graduation, she will have taken 11 AP courses. Jenna is also ranked among the top 10 of her class. She serves as the executive president of student council, as well as being a four-year varsity player and captain of the girls soccer team. Jenna is active with additional clubs and teams including mock trial, track and field, Future Business Leaders of America, reading competition and SADD. The member of the gifted program is also writing for the Villager every four weeks.

She works at the Olde Brook Inn and plans on studying communications at a four-year university.

— LISA ZACCAGNINO

lzaccagnino

@timesshamrock.com

Old Forge

Senior Amanda Katchmar is a semifinalist in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship program and has an opportunity to continue in the competition.

Amanda is one of approximately 16,000 semifinalists from a pool of 1.6 million seniors nationwide who took the PSAT last year.

“It was a surprise finding out, and just being honored is amazing,” she said.

The member of the National Honor Society participates in annual scholastic, science and math competitions and volunteers in the community. She is the Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit’s scholar of the year for Old Forge.

— SARAH HOFIUS HALL

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

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Riverside

Fourth-grader Meghan Tigue not only tries to be a friend to those who may need one, but she also wants other students to do so as well.

She thought a “Buddy Bench” was a good addition to the playground at East Elementary.

“Since about two years ago I became concerned when I noticed some kids walking around by themselves on the playground,” Meghan said. “I finally brought the idea to administration and they approved it.”

When a student sits on the bench, which is currently on order, the other children will hopefully notice and offer to include them in whatever they are doing.

— LISA ZACCAGNINO

lzaccagnino

@timesshamrock.com

Scranton Prep

When people see the Prep Players’ production of “Almost, Maine” in November, they will hear the original music of senior Henry Rusak.

Henry, who has played the piano since the age of 7, is composing nine original songs for the play. He is also a member of Prep’s choir and sings at Masses.

A captain of the soccer team, the Dalton resident is a member of the business club and president of the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science group at Prep.

— SARAH HOFIUS HALL

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

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Valley View

Dylan Rutsky volunteers for Archbald Hose Company 1.

The senior assists the firefighters and participates in firehouse projects, including community cleanups and donations.

“I really wanted to join and help out my community,” said Dylan.

Dylan studies welding at the Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Wayne Highlands

Honesdale High School senior Dominic Vender juggles a lot of activities.

He’s the student council president, played on the soccer team for four years, participated in track and field for a year and now focuses on weightlifting. In addition to his involvement with Interact Club and the Science Olympiad, Dominic helps out at the book fair, food panty and holiday celebrations. He’s attended several mission trips and is a member of the First Presbyterian Youth Group.

“To me, there is nothing more important than helping others,” he said. “One of my many focuses is student government. I love spreading school spirit and pride.”

Someday, Dominic aspires to become a surgeon and minister.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5186

Western Wayne

Western Wayne’s Robert D. Wilson Elementary administration recognized fifth-grader Samantha Linn as an outstanding student.

Samantha loves her classes and after-school activities like cheerleading and sports. Art class is her favorite part of school. She has helped her art teacher prepare projects, and she helps younger students assemble their projects.

She’s looking forward to fifth-grade clubs, including Kindness Club, because she wants to help brighten the lives of her fellow classmates. Samantha enjoys writing and is a member of the cheerleading club. She is looking forward to competition and school spirit events where she can perform for the crowd.

Along with cheering for her classmates, Samantha also plays basketball for three different Western Wayne teams.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5186

The death of a 41-year-old Duryea man sent ripples through the tight community where he grew up.

Rescue crews pulled the body of Brian J. Wychoskie from a rocky stretch of the Lackawanna River on Friday near Main Street in Old Forge, 11 days after he went missing.

Lackawanna County Coroner Timothy Rowland released his name to the public Sunday after an autopsy by Dr. Gary Ross, who determined Wychoskie drowned and ruled his death an accident with no sign of foul play. Wychoskie’s name was withheld from the public until Sunday while officials notified family members of his death.

The Bernard J. Piontek Funeral Home is handling final arrangements.

Wychoskie had been staying with his mother in Duryea, his friends said.

He often walked to Ary’s Express Mart in Old Forge for cigarettes and beer, using the train trestle instead of the nearby bridge on Main Street to cross the Lackawanna River.

He was last seen Monday, Sept. 11, at Ary’s, and officials say it’s possible he fell from the trestle shortly thereafter.

“It’s not that far (to fall), but the water is very, very shallow in that area,” said Duryea Police Chief Nick Lohman.

Anxiety mounted in the days after Wychoskie’s disappearance, revealing itself on social media pages. Friends shared photos of him and pleaded with the online community to stay vigilant.

News of his death shocked lifelong friend Marcel Zack of Duryea, who remembers the day he met Wychoskie more than 30 years ago.

Zack used to play in a field near where his dad worked, when one day Wychoskie just showed up to play. They became fast friends.

They played with Matchbox cars and Tonka trucks together. They graduated from Pittston Area High School and Wilkes-Barre Area Vocational Technical School, where they both studied auto body with a group of friends who stayed close into adulthood.

Wychoskie was an active member of the Polish Falcons and the Sons of the American Legion, Squadron 585.

Sons of the American Legion Adjutant Pete Guitson said Wychoskie had joined only about two years ago but was a faithful volunteer who, in May, spent all day cooking food for the group’s chicken barbecue and gun raffle and traveled with the group to visit cemeteries on Memorial Day.

“He enjoyed helping out. He would do anything for anybody,” Guitson said. “It was a shame. He was a good guy. It shouldn’t have happened the way it did.”

Wychoskie was talented and would go where the work was, often taking construction and landscaping jobs, Zack said.

They saw each other less over the years, he said, but their friendship forged in childhood remained strong.

“I used to see him every couple weeks, and it was like we’d pick up right where we left off,” he said.

“If he fell off that bridge, I was hoping that he didn’t suffer,” he said. “I’ve lost a lot of friends since high school. I don’t know. He leaves a different kind of dent. I don’t know what to do with it.”

Contact the writer:

joconnell@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9131;

@jon_oc on Twitter

The Valley View School District is in the very early stages of potentially reopening its high school pool.

Consultants recently visited the school to assess the pool area, said Corey Castellani, business manager. They determined holes must be drilled into the deck and walls to determine the stability of the area. It’s too early in the process for a cost estimate; the district is still getting price quotes for drilling, said Castellani.

Board President Ellen Nielsen added that the district borrowed money to repair areas of the pool but the damage from years of use needs to be assessed.

“We’d like to be eager to get it back open but it depends on how much damage there is,” she said.

The board voted to temporarily close the pool in December. Following the vote, the pool, which was built in the 1970s, was drained and remains empty.

The area around the pool is also unsafe. A 2-foot-wide and approximately 3-foot-deep trench that allows for proper drainage and helps the air conditioning unit circulate air throughout the pool area is deficient. Its reinforced concrete wall and steel decking also are corroded.

School directors decided to close the pool, which was leaking and losing money, to help balance the district’s operating budget and prevent injuries in the unsafe area.

The season for the high school swim team, which had 17 members last school year, begins in the winter. The team will spend four days at West Scranton Intermediate School’s pool and two days at Carbondale YMCA per week, said Castellani.

Contact the writer:

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

CLARKS SUMMIT — The cause for celebration Sunday is about 3 feet tall, has a sturdy steel cover and delivers lots of potential to the borough’s pocket park.

More than 50 people gathered at dusk at the Depot Street pocket park to mark its latest addition — electricity.

The Abington Heights Civic League donated $1,000 for PPL Electric Utilities to run power to the park. It now can host live performances and power lights.

“It’s a celebration of completion, because the pocket park has everything any park ever needed or wanted,” said league member and former Mayor Patty Lawler, before she and league President Cheryl O’Hora ceremonially plugged in the decorative lights that encrusted the gazebo.

Performer John Evanina of Archbald sang old country and western songs and played trumpet, a performance amplified by the new electricity source, while guests munched on tiny sandwiches and fruit kabobs.

In prepared remarks, Clarks Summit Mayor Herman Johnson thanked the civic league for its donation.

The pocket park, about one-tenth of an acre, is the manifestation of efforts by a number of community groups over the last several years.

The lot was donated by the Maria family in 2014.

A $20,000 Lackawanna County Community Re-Invest Program grant provided seed money to begin reclaiming the land, and a number of community groups and businesses pitched in to add their own contributions since then.

They’ve added features including a pocket library at the street, a butterfly garden, sidewalks and a flower bed.

Civic league member Linda Young said she hopes the people will take advantage of the park, once an empty lot overtaken by knotweed and poison ivy, as a place to take a lunch break, hold community meetings or stop for a rest while shopping in town.

Contact the writer:

joconnell@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9131;

@jon_oc on Twitter

MOSES TAYLOR

DROZDICK: A daughter, Sept. 17, to Alex Drozdick and Hayley Button, Scranton.

EISELE: A son, Sept. 19, to David and Kristen McAuliffe Eisele, South Abington Twp.

LEBRON: A son, Sept. 19, to Melvin Lebron and Samantha Slocum, Scranton.

LOSHBOUGH: A son, Sept. 16, to Brian and Lani Keefe Loshbough, Montrose.

LUCIANO: A daughter, Sept. 14, to Christian and Ashli Lasley Luciano, Scranton.

NIEMOTKA: A son, Sept. 18, to Brian C. and Dana M. Krueger Niemotka, Peckville.

MERIESKI: A son, Sept. 16, to Ross and Megan Mercer Merieski, Old Forge.

MEYERS: A daughter, Sept. 14 to Joseph Meyers and Shawna Hornbaker, Scranton.

PERRY: A daughter, Sept. 19, to Joshua and Kimberly Grilletto Perry, Pittston Twp.

ROSS: A son, Sept. 18, to William Ross and Molly Allen, Waymart.

VINEYARD: A son, Sept. 14, to Nicholas Vineyard and Kristian Rutledge, Old Forge.

WEINBERGER: A daughter, Sept. 16, to Jeff and Kerin Podunajec Weinberger, Waymart.

BLAKELY — U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-17, Moosic, announced Friday that the Blakely Hose Company 2 was awarded a $32,000 Community Facility Grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The funds will be used to help with the purchase of a 2018 rescue/pumper/squad vehicle for the fire company. The vehicle is designed to carry a full complement of tools and equipment.

— STAFF REPORT

Joseph Watley was heading to his home in Connecticut when a Pennsylvania state trooper pulled him over near the Blooming Grove exit on Interstate 84 in Pike County for allegedly driving 48 mph in a 65 mph zone.

It wasn’t the first time Watley, who acknowledges he drives cautiously, was stopped for driving too slowly. This time, he decided to take a stand.

When the trooper approached his car, he pressed a prewritten sign against his rolled-up window:

“I remain silent.”

“No searches.”

“I want my lawyer.”

“Place ticket under wiper blade.”

Watley said he expected to be ticketed and back on his way home.

Instead, he was handcuffed and hauled away to the Pike County Correctional Facility — despite only being charged with several minor traffic citations, according to a recently filed federal lawsuit.

Watley’s attorney, Cynthia Pollick of Pittston, filed the lawsuit against three troopers involved in the traffic stop, Michael Felsman, Daniel Nilon and James Sohns. She also filed a separate lawsuit against the Pike County jail and an employee for allegedly strip searching Watley after he was incarcerated there overnight following the May 11, 2016, traffic stop.

“I have a constitutionally protected right to travel,” Watley, 62, of Thomaston, said in a recent phone interview. “That is all I was doing.”

Traffic citations are a summary offense that usually result in the driver being cited and released. Watley was not charged with any other offenses, court records show.

Pollick said Watley still doesn’t know why he was taken into custody.

“How you get arrested for three traffic tickets ... is unexplainable,” Pollick said.

Trooper Adam Reed, spokesman for the state police, said he could not comment on why Watley was jailed, citing the department’s policy not to comment on pending litigation.

In a response to the lawsuit filed Thursday, Gerard Geiger, attorney for the prison, denied the prison violated any of Watley’s rights. He admitted Watley was strip searched but said that was done for his own protection because staff was concerned he was suicidal since he refused to communicate with anyone.

Watley said he does not know why prison officials claim he was suicidal. He did not make any threats to harm himself. In fact, he never spoke a word to either police or prison staff.

“That would be something they invented in their heads,” he said.

Watley, who is white, said there is no indication race played a role in the traffic stop. He suspects the trooper was suspicious of his car, a “flashy,” limited-edition 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, and because he was driving so carefully. He had just purchased the car in Indiana through an online auction and was driving it home when he was stopped.

“They were probably anticipating a big drug bust, but there was nothing,” Watley said. “I was just lawfully traveling, trying to get back to Connecticut.”

Watley initially was found guilty of one of the citations issued for driving too slowly and impeding traffic. A Pike County judge upheld the conviction, but the state Superior Court later overturned it.

Watley said he is a law-abiding citizen and was not trying to start trouble when he refused to speak to the trooper and held up the sign. He said he always has driven slowly since suffering serious injuries in a car crash years ago, and he is frustrated that he gets stopped for it.

“You have to understand me and what I’ve been through before,” Watley said. “I decided I’m going to protect myself the best way I can.”

He said he looked online for advice. He got the idea for the sign from a YouTube video that explained drivers’ rights when traveling through DUI checkpoints.

“The law is clear,” Watley said. “It says you have to show your license. I don’t have to hand it to him.”

Watley said he initially planned to drop the matter once he won the criminal court case but decided to sue as a matter of principle.

“I try not to cause any problem in the world,” Watley said. “I don’t mean to harm anyone. It’s my responsibility not to let this happen to anyone else.”

The lawsuit against the state troopers seeks damages on seven counts, including false arrest, unlawful search and seizure, malicious prosecution and violations of Watley’s First Amendment right to free speech. The lawsuit against the Pike County jail seeks damages on a single count of unlawful search and seizure. Both cases remain pending in federal court.

Contact the writer:

tbesecker@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9137;

@tmbeseckerTT on Twitter

One night in early September, a critical piece of natural gas infrastructure temporarily blew its stack.

By the time a resident heard the racket, dialed 911 and workers responded, the Harmony compressor station in rural northeastern Pennsylvania had spewed more than twice as much natural gas into the air as a typical compressor station does in a year.

Yet the Sept. 2 leak was not made public by any state agency or by the company itself. The Associated Press learned of it during a review of calls to the U.S. Coast Guard's National Response Center hotline for discharges of oil, chemicals and other substances.

County emergency management officials found out the same way — about a week after the fact. They said the station's operator, Detroit-based DTE Energy, should have notified them at the time of the release so they could've taken steps to make sure residents were out of harm's way.

"If it's something like this that's larger, we definitely need to know about it," said Robert Thatcher Jr., coordinator of the Susquehanna County Emergency Management Agency. "I don't know why they didn't contact us. That's a question that DTE needs to answer."

Company spokesman Pete Ternes didn't offer a direct response but said: "DTE has a strong track record of following all state and federal regulations." He said that as a matter of courtesy, the company notifies the county agency of planned releases in case emergency officials get 911 calls from the public. On occasion, unplanned releases have been called in, also as a courtesy, he said.

State regulations require operators of compressor stations to "immediately" alert county emergency officials when there's an "imminent and substantial danger to the public health and safety."

The company might not have seen the methane release as a serious situation that warranted public notice, as the nearest residence is more than a half-mile away. There was no explosion and no one was hurt.

When Thatcher found out about the release and called DTE, "They said it was a minor leak, less than two hours," he recalled. "We questioned them: 'Did you notify the residents, did you reach out to them?' They said no."

The National Response Center log of the gas release said a "technician was called to the site, the emergency stop button was pushed, pilot was replaced and unit was put back into service."

Compressor stations help get natural gas to market by pressurizing it for movement along the pipeline network.

Environmental groups and some residents have long expressed concern over air quality and safety. Residents who live downwind of compressor stations have complained of headaches, breathing trouble or other health problems they blame on air emissions from the compressors.

In 2012, an explosion at a compressor station about 35 miles (56.32 kilometers) from the DTE facility sent black smoke into the air and shook nearby trailer homes, but caused no injuries.

DTE said the release at its Harmony station was caused by a failing pilot on a discharge valve, which triggered a release valve.

"The system worked as designed, preventing a buildup of gas in the building and mitigating any safety concerns," Ternes, the company spokesman, said in an email.

DTE reported the release to the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

"Under DEP regulations, the operator would have also needed to alert the county emergency management agencies," said DEP spokesman Neil Shader. "Notification to residents nearby would fall to the county," with DEP assistance if necessary.

The release did not prompt a state investigation. That's because methane emissions aren't currently covered by the operating permit for compressor stations.

The DEP is developing a new permit as part of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf's pledge to require the natural gas industry to reduce emissions. It would require operators to use "best available technology" to detect and plug leaks of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.

The industry says it's already taken steps to sharply reduce methane emissions. According to an emissions inventory released by DEP last month, the average compressor station released 97.5 tons of methane in 2015, down from nearly 107 tons in 2014, though experts say the actual amount is likely far higher because fugitive emissions are so difficult to quantify.

By comparison, DTE's Harmony station leaked more than 200 tons of methane in the span of a couple hours.

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. (AP) — Some vendors have been displaying Confederate flags at a Pennsylvania fair amid confusion about the policy in effect.

The (Bloomsburg) Press Enterprise (http://bit.ly/2xtuDEm ) reports that Bloomsburg Fair officials originally said the flags wouldn't be prominently displayed, but they've dotted the midway.

President Paul Reichart said officials "don't want 15 flags up" but he doesn't see a problem with a few if no one complains.

Vendor John Wolf says he sells 200 to 250 a week when the flag is a hot topic — but otherwise he only sells a few.

Activist Gene Stilp set fire Friday to a two-sided Nazi-Confederate flag at the Columbia County courthouse to protest the decision to allow sales of the flag.

Last year, someone selling swastika flags at the fair was asked to leave.

SCRANTON — The Green Ridge Neighborhood Association has not appealed the dismissal of its lawsuit that aimed to shut down a specific leachate line of Keystone Sanitary Landfill.

Senior Judge John Braxton of Philadelphia, sitting in Lackawanna County Court, ruled last month that the association does not have legal standing to sue Scranton, the Scranton Sewer Authority and its successor, Pennsylvania American Water, over the leachate line issue; and failed to name the landfill as a necessary defendant.

After an appeal period recently lapsed, association President Mark Seitzinger issued a statement saying the small group does not have the financial means to pursue an appeal.

- JIM LOCKWOOD

U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright wants Pennsylvania’s health and business leaders to help fix the Affordable Care Act.

He’s enlisted a roundtable of 22 people including medical professionals, business owners, patient advocates and insurance company executives to convene panel discussions, he said this morning at a news conference outside his Scranton district office.

The group is charged with recommending “sustainable solutions to strengthen our health care system in the U.S.,” Cartwright, D-17, Moosic, said.

The panel will meet for the first time sometime next month.

Cartwright’s panel comes as Senate Republicans make a last-ditch effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also called Obamacare.

“Repealing the ACA would have devastating consequences for many Americans, and I firmly believe making improvements to the ACA is our best hope for keeping Americans insured and healthy,” he said.

Panelists are:

Ms. Donna Barbetti, President, NEPA Dietetic Association

Mr. Eugene Bartoli, Principal and Executive Vice President, AssuredPartners Insurance – Wilkes-Barre

Dr. Matthew Berger, Director of Geriatric Psychiatry, Moses Taylor Hospital

Ms. Denise Cesare, former CEO of Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania

Dr. Nicholas Colangelo, CEO, Clearbrook Treatment Centers

Mr. Peter Cooper, President and CEO, Lexus of Lehigh Valley

Mr. Mark Dodel, BSN, MBA, Retired RN

Dr. Robert Gan, DMD

Dr. Jonathan Hosey, Chief of Neurology, St. Luke’s University Health Network

Mr. Richard Master, Chairman and CEO, MCS Industries

Ms. Virginia Doherty McGregor, Director of McGregor Industries and Geisinger Health System and Commonwealth Medical College

Mr. Bill Moyer, President, St. Luke’s Hospital – Miners Campus

Ms. Margaret Neville, Co-owner, Acton Technologies

Dr. Madhu Rao, Director of Non-Invasive Cardiology, Geisinger Community Medical Center

Mr. William Reppy, President, Lehigh Valley Hospital – Schuylkill

Dr. Steven Scheinman, President and Dean, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

Ms. Alicia Simon, MSN, CRNP, ANP-C, and Board Member of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Nurse Practitioners

Mr. Drew Simpson, Council Representative, Carpenters and Joiners Local 445, Scranton

Ms. Marlee Stefanelli, Licensed Dietitian/Nutritionist

Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, President and CEO, The Wright Center

Mr. Keith Wasley, President and CEO, AllOne Health

Mr. Kurt Wrobel, CFO and Chief Actuary, Geisinger Health Plan

Check back for updates.

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

SCRANTON — The Municipal Recreation Authority received two proposals for engineering services to design repairs of the David Wenzel Treehouse at Nay Aug Park.

The city closed the treehouse May 8, because of safety concerns about dead trees and branches.

The authority will review proposals received last week from Greenman-Pedersen of Scranton and KBA Engineering of Jermyn, in anticipation of an Oct. 2 vote on awarding a design contract, board solicitor Timothy Corbett said.

The board later will hire a contractor. A time frame has not been set, but the city aims to reopen the treehouse as soon as possible, Corbett said.

— JIM LOCKWOOD

Former U.S. Rep. Joseph McDade, who achieved legendary status locally for securing money for a downtown Scranton mall and railroad museum, flood control and a wide variety of other projects, died Sunday in Virginia, family members confirmed today.

McDade would have celebrated his 86th birthday Friday.

Check back for updates.

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

A 35-year-old Scranton man choked his wife in a violent assault that ended with his arrest Sunday, city police said.

Max Davila, 2092 N. Main Ave., is charged with strangulation, simple assault, false identification to law enforcement and harassment, Patrolman John Megivern wrote in a criminal complaint.

Davila told his wife, Charity Carrasquillo-Davila, to return home early Sunday morning then he started punching her, grabbed her throat and choked her, police said. She told police she passed out and came to in pain.

A black sport utility drove by as officers walked her out to an ambulance. She exclaimed that was her husband’s vehicle and police went after it.

Police found him parked in a nearby parking lot and questioned him. He explained his name is “Harry Rodriguez” but recanted when police challenged him.

“OK, you got me,” he said, according to police.

Davila is in Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $10,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Monday.

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

Attorneys for Lackawanna County filed a civil lawsuit Monday against 14 drug companies over what county officials sees as their role in spawning the opioid epidemic — less than a week after another county resident died from an opioid overdose.

Holding the obituary of 24-year-old Scrantonian Samantha Victoria Mahoney, who died of an overdose last Tuesday and whose obituary appeared in Monday’s edition of The Times-Tribune, Commissioner Patrick O’Malley announced that the county’s war with the pharmaceutical companies has begun.

“This is a war for the hearts and souls of our community,” O’Malley said minutes after the suit was filed in the county Court of Common Pleas. “Today, we add one more person to the list of Lackawanna County citizens that lost their life to this scourge.”

Among the many allegations levied in the 81-page lawsuit — which names as defendants, drug manufacturing and distribution companies and several individual physicians — are charges that defendants knew opioids are too addictive and debilitating for long-term use, yet sought to create a false perception of their safety in the minds of medical professionals and the public.

They pushed that perception through a coordinated, sophisticated and highly deceptive marketing campaign that began in the late 1990s, and resulted in expanded opioid use and major profits for drug companies, according to the suit.

Moreover, the suit claims Lackawanna County spent millions of dollars each year combatting the public nuisance caused by the drug companies’ deceptive marketing, and continues to incur costs related to opioid addiction and abuse — from healthcare, criminal justice and social costs to costs resulting from lost productivity.

A jury trial is demanded in the case, which will be decided in Lackawanna County, said attorney Marc J. Bern of Marc J. Bern & Partners LLP, the firm representing the county.

“We believe that the citizens of Lackawanna County should be the ones who decide this case,” Bern said, adding that he hopes to see the matter resolved within two years.

“Once we get on the path to having a trial, to bringing the parties who are responsible for this epidemic in front of a court, in front of the local citizens, then we’ll be on our way,” he said.

A forensic audit to determine the total costs the county will seek in damages could take several months, but Bern guaranteed it will be in the tens of millions of dollars. His firm will keep 25 percent of whatever the suit nets, but will represent the county at no cost.

“We’re going to push this,” Bern said. “We’re going to have a team of lawyers, paralegals, researchers (and) investigators going forward as quickly as possible.”

Contact the writer:

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9141;

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

Broadway Theatre League of Northeastern Pennsylvania will hold an open house Thursday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple, 420 N. Washington Ave.

The open house will give people a chance to see what seats still are available for season tickets and select their spots, said Frank Blasi, the league’s executive director. Staff will be there to answer questions.

Season tickets are $245, $325 and $385 and include six shows: “A Gentleman’s Guide To Love & Murder,” Oct. 13 to 15; “A Christmas Story,” Nov. 17 to 19; “A Chorus Line,” Feb. 23 to 25; “Kinky Boots,” March 16 to 18; “Chicago,” April 13 to 15; and “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” May 8 to 13.

For details, call the league at 570-342-7784.

— CAITLIN HEANEY WEST

Clarks Summit

Fashion show: Margery Scranton Council of Republican Women fashion show and silent auction, Sunday, 1-4 p.m., Ramada Inn; $20 per ticket, includes lunch and dessert bar; proceeds benefit scholarships for local high school seniors pursuing college educations; contact MSCRW members or Kay, 570-222-3729, for tickets.

Dalton

Drop-off days: Dalton United Methodist Church rummage sale drop-off days, Oct. 3-4, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., 125 S. Turnpike Road; no shoes, electronics, televisions or large appliances.

Rummage sale: Dalton United Methodist Church fall rummage sale, Oct. 6, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-6 p.m., food service and bake sale; Oct. 7, 8 a.m.-noon, bag sale and half-price for better table; 570-563-1280 or 570-563-1619.

East Scranton

Neighbors meet: Hill Neighbor­hood Association meeting, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m., Immac­ulate Conception Church, Taylor Avenue and Gibson Street, to focus on regrouping after summer hiatus, speaker: Jane Risse from the Greenhouse Project, and Gene Talerico, candidate for Lackawanna County District Attorney, will also speak.

Moscow

Auction/bake sale: Moscow Women’s Club auction and bake sale, Oct. 3, Moscow Methodist Church, bring auction items at 10:30 a.m., meeting is at 11:30 and auction starts at 12:30 p.m., proceeds benefit local projects and scholarships.

Peckville

Association meeting: 109th Infantry Regiment Association, Oct. 4, 6 p.m., Shopa Davey VFW Post.

Pittston

Suicide prevention: Open discussion on mental wellness and suicide prevention, Thursday, teens in grades 7-12 meeting 6-7 p.m., adults 7-8 p.m., Pittston Memorial Library, John P. Cosgrove Center; guest speaker Sally Sims Alinikoff; 570-654-9565 to reserve.

Scranton

AARP meeting: AARP North East Chapter 3731 meeting, Monday, 1:30 p.m., Keyser Valley Community Center, 101 N. Keyser Ave.; accepting donations of coffee, tea, sugar and creamers for Community Intervention Center.

Freedom talk: Marywood University freedom of the press and media literacy event, Oct. 4, 2 p.m., upper main dining area of Nazareth Student Center; free and open to the public; Dr. Wotanis, llwotanis@marywood.edu, or Dr. Shprintzen, shprintzen@marywood.edu.

German class: Beginner’s German language class, Wednesdays beginning Sept. 27, 6 p.m., St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, 1000 Taylor Ave.; free and open to all; Jim Kobeski, jkminooka2@yahoo.com.

Remembrance walk: Hospice of the Sacred Heart remembrance walk, Saturday, registration begins at 9 a.m., walk begins at 10, McDade Park; $25 registration fee includes pre-walk snack, light lunch and T-shirt with bib; free for children 12 and under; proceeds support Hospice programs and services; to register, www.hospicesacredheart.org, 570-706-2400 or at McDade Park on day of walk.

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

New York asks

to restore rail line

New York Attorney General Louis J. Lefkowitz filed a brief in U.S. District Court in Utica asking for the Interstate Commerce Commission to restore the famed Phoebe Snow line, of the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad, to service and the return of passenger service between Port Jervis and Binghamton, New York.

Lefkowitz said in his brief that the rail lines earned an average profit of $400,000 a year from 1963 to 1965.

The Phoebe Snow’s last run was in November 1966.

County savers

could see windfall

The U.S. Treasury Department released the names of 85 Lackawanna County residents who might have been unaware of postal saving accounts in their names. Scranton Postmaster Bernard Harding said some of the accounts had up to $2,500 in them. People on the list were asked to contact Harding to secure their savings.

Once a popular way for people to save money, the program was discontinued by the post office in March 1966.

LUF drive kickoff event scheduled

The Lackawanna United Fund announced that the kickoff for the annual campaign would take place Tuesday, Oct. 3, at Dutch Treat Bar, with dinner afterward at the Hotel Jermyn.

The goal for the year’s campaign was $1, 261,000.

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.

As construction is underway for its new $35 million addition, Wayne Memorial Hospital is asking patients and visitors to park across Route 6.

The Main Entrance will be the primary entrance and the Outpatient Services entry will be closed until 2018.

Signs are in place to help direct parking, and a security guard is stationed at lot across the street to help people cross The guard also has wheelchairs on hand.

The parking situation should ease up within 14 months of the expansion. The new addition, which will house 50 private patient rooms, will be built on top of the general parking garage.

— Nicole DiTolla