NEPA native gets choreography nod

NEPA native and Emmy nominee Fred Tallaksen is nominated for a World Choreography Award.

Tallaksen, a former West Scranton resident, was nominated in the Television Episodic category for choreographing a scene from the ABC television show “The Real O’Neals.” It also earned him his third Emmy nomination — the first two were in 2004 and 2006 for “Malcolm in the Middle.”

Tallaksen is the son of Catherine Tallaksen and the late Frederick Tallaksen,

His dancing career started at the University of Scranton, when longtime dance teacher Gail Ercoli, who has a studio in Jessup, met Tallaksen, who had never studied dance. She recognized talent in him and they began a mentorship.

Tallaksen worked on a “Cats” tour after moving to New York City while continuing to direct and choreograph shows at Marywood University and elsewhere.

The seventh annual World Choreography Awards will be held Monday, Oct. 23, at 7:30 p.m. in Beverly Hills.

Super teachers

Keystone College education majors recently attended a weeklong seminar conducted to prepare for their student teaching assignments.

The students and their school district assignments include Anna Vanderpool of Dallas who will student teach at Mountain View and Abington Heights; Shannon Anderson of Nutley, New Jersey at Tunkhannock; Veronica Mahle of Scranton at Scranton and Dunmore; Meghan McDonough of Scranton and Nancy Petalver of Clarks Summit, both at Scranton; Leighan Noakes of Scranton at Scranton and Mid Valley; Ryan Van Noy of Canton at Troy Area and Canton Area; Phillip DeLong of New Albany at Wyalusing Area and Sullivan County; Eric Olsommer of Hamlin at Western Wayne; Matthew Lukachinsky of Sugar Notch at Wyoming Valley West and Wilkes-Barre; and Nicole Delavan of Forty Fort at Wyoming Valley West.

Lakeland Principal Kevin Sullivan and Montrose Area Principal Greg Adams presented during the seminar.

The students were introduced to important classroom basics and discussed critical topics such as teaching techniques, educational technology and teacher assessment while meeting with their supervisors to establish expectations for the coming semester during the seminar, according to the college.

Golf results

Joanne Wychowanec was the championship flight winner during the Ladies Association of Honesdale Golf Club championship tournament on Sept. 10.

Bridget Simons came in second place; Susan Rickard won first flight and Pip Tagle, second place; Veronica Gardas won second flight and Beth Carmody came in second place.

GLENBURN TWP. — With a team of about 10 hikers in tow, Susan Vinskofski paused periodically to point out different edible plants populating the Trolley Trail along which they walked.

A self-described forager, Vinskofski developed a passion for plants at a young age while spending summers exploring the area around Moosic Lakes in Mount Cobb. At age 16 she purchased a book on identifying wildflowers and began taking note of which flowers, plants and roots can be consumed — knowledge that she’s built on ever since and shared with others Saturday.

“I’m just amazed by God’s provision,” Vinskofski said. “He created this world and he has provided for us. ... There’s a lot out there and I think it’s wise for us to learn what’s around us.”

Many of the folks who followed her along the trail scribbled notes as Vinskofski identified plants such as Queen Anne’s lace — also known as wild carrot — goldenrod and wild cucumber. Garlic mustard, an invasive plant species, can be cooked like spinach, she told the group, adding that dandelion leaves can make a delicious pesto.

While some plants should be eaten only when prepared certain ways, Vinskofski’s point was clear: You can find food in the forest.

“I think there’s been a revival in real food, in growing your own, in homesteading and collecting, and people are hungry for knowledge that seems to be being lost,” Vinskofski said. “There’s a lot out there that is edible.”

Curiosity and the opportunity to take a “beautiful walk in the woods” brought Jessup resident Marion Marcinek to the trail. While she had never foraged before, she was excited to learn something new.

“I know Susan is a wealth of knowledge,” Marcinek said.

Hoping to enjoy some outdoor time as a family, Wayne and Candace Beach of Dalton brought their 4-year-old son, Tobias, on the hike.

“I’ve always been interested in foraging and finding more ways to use the Earth as a resource, and with my son, I want him to grow up learning about what’s edible and what’s not,” Candace Beach said.

Anyone who missed the event, which was sponsored by the Gathering Place in Clarks Summit, can learn more about foraging by visiting Vinskofski’s blog at learningandyearning.com.

Contact the writer:

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9141;

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

SCRANTON — A 21-year-old city woman is accused of not taking her infant daughter for medical care for weeks after the 4-month-old suffered second- and-third-degree burns during a bath, Scranton police said.

Police went to Wilkes-Barre General Hospital on Monday after the baby’s father, Sekou Edinboro, and his mother brought the child in with 2-week-old burns on her stomach, groin area and thighs, Detective Jeffrey Gilroy wrote in a criminal complaint.

Edinboro told police a week prior, the infant’s mother, Jasmin Rodgers, told him the baby turned on hot water during a bath and burned herself, and the next time he got visitation, his mother advised him to take the baby to the hospital.

Rodgers told police she didn’t seek medical care because she was afraid the Lackawanna County Office of Youth and Family Services would take the baby after another of her children died from sudden infant death syndrome. She told police she applied ointment and gauze.

Police charged Rodgers with endangering the welfare of a child.

— KYLE WIND

Gavin Duke heard the bombs go off roughly 12 minutes after he crossed the finish line at the Boston Marathon in 2013.

Now the 49-year-old is running in the Steamtown Marathon today — where he previously finished with his personal-best time at the predominantly downhill course — in hopes of qualifying to run in Boston for the first time since the terrorist attack.

“It’s been a goal for me to go back as a qualifier, not as a charity runner (like I was in 2013) but actually as a qualifier,” the Scarsdale, New York, resident said Saturday. “I think it’s like a personal journey. I was honestly deeply troubled by what happened that day. I want to go back there and experience it in a happier time.”

Duke was hundreds of feet away from the explosions but around a corner and couldn’t see what happened. The deep, loud “booms!” sounded to him like a pair of cannon blasts.

Sometimes he thinks about how close he came to ending up in the carnage.

“I was hurting the last 2 miles,” Duke recalled. “You’re always hurting in a marathon, but I really wasn’t feeling great. I was feeling nauseous. I kept saying, ‘Just stop and walk for a little bit.’ And then the madness takes over, and I just said, ‘Keep going! Keep going!’ I just kept going.”

Terry McCluskey is another of the expected 1,500-plus runners whose personal journey brought him to Steamtown, where participants will travel from Forest City High School to Lackawanna County Courthouse Square in Scranton.

This year marks the 20th anniversary since the 69-year-old Vienna, Ohio, resident last ran Steamtown. It will be his 85th marathon, and he fondly remembers his last experience in Northeast Pennsylvania.

“It’s sort of a nostalgia trip for me,” McCluskey said. “I loved it. I haven’t been back since 1998, so it’s nice to get back one last time maybe because I’m getting a little bit older now. ... It’s a small-town race and a small-town atmosphere, but it’s as good as the big-time races. The race course is excellent. It’s a small-town organization, but it’s so well done.”

McCluskey is grateful to still be able to run, and he reflected on how he’s been able to continue to live his passion as he ages — including overcoming injuries over the years such as a torn meniscus, a blown-out calf muscle and a current problem with tissue around his hips.

“It’s putting it all together: nutrition, cross-training, a little bit of strengthening work, stretching,” he said. “The injuries will happen. Being young, you’re naturally in good shape. You start off with everything working well, but as you get older, regardless of what you do, things start to break down. It’s just part of the game. You do what you can to slow that down and prevent injuries that are preventable.”

He expects many of the young runners who are new to marathons to learn a lot about themselves today.

Jim Cummings, assistant race director, expects turnout to be down a bit from last year, when 1,729 participated.

He attributed it to competition from other races and expected a portion of the approximately 1,800 people who registered to drop out because of the forecasted heat, which prompted organizers to provide water bottles to participants.

AccuWeather meteorologist Brian Edwards expects the temperature to be about 72 degrees — with humid conditions — when the race kicks off at 8 a.m. and to heat up to about 77 degrees by noon. The good news is he expects cloud cover, although light rain is also a possibility.

“It won’t feel like October,” he said.

Duke feared the hot weather could adversely affect his time.

“Last time I was here, we had better weather,” he said. “It’s going to hurt. In my experience, when you’re running marathons in this kind of weather, it’s very difficult.”

Contact the writer:

kwind@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100, x5181;

@kwindTT on Twitter

TUNKHANNOCK — It started off with a woman searching for unique items for her wedding.

She ran into others doing the same, searching for antique furnishings and upcycled place settings to make their upcoming events special.

Two years later, Julie Piazza and her mom, Stella Novak, took a concept and made it a reality by opening Chippy White Table, a specialty decor rental and event styling business.

By the end of November, they expect to have provided vintage furnishings or place settings this year for 60 regional weddings and have already locked in 15 dates for 2018.

The daughter/mother team are surprised at how well their business plan worked.

“Never did we imagine that we’d be this far along this soon,” Piazza said Monday while sitting with her mom on a Queen Anne sofa in a storage area that used to be the Spice Shop on East Tioga Street in Tunkhannock.

Both were upbeat after a whirlwind weekend of providing the furnishings for two weddings.

Chippy White Table got a boost when Piazza and Novak won a new business contest hosted by the Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce. The chamber required a business plan, which Piazza said her mom aced.

“It forced us to ask some questions we hadn’t thought too much about,” and we ended up looking at each other and asking, ‘Why not?’” Novak recalled.

The Chippy ladies previously leased space next to Twigs, which had formerly been a consignment shop for antiques and one-of-a-kind collectibles.

It’s been especially hectic on those weekends which often see two separate weddings being furnished with the “just right” items.

“The market is very trendy and our clients like us, we believe, because we keep up with the times and have our own unique look,” Piazza said. “We want people to say, ‘That’s a Chippy White Table look.’”

So, how does somebody planning a wedding make a connection?

Piazza recommends going to the website at www.chippywhitetable.com and taking a look at what they have to offer. There’s an inquiry form where potential clients can share what they’re seeking.

She said the business is successful because they filled a void and offered a one-stop shop.

“We knew it could work because we loved doing it. Every day we learn something new about how to make it fun and memorable for the client. The truth is, it’s a journey and adventure. It’s not just a business, it’s our lives.”

Contact the writer:

bbaker@wcexaminer.com

Clarks Summit

Where’s the beef?

For the second year, it will be at the Clarks Summit firehouse, 321 Bedford St. The Joseph W. Hall Memorial Auxiliary will host its second annual roast beef dinner there Saturday, Oct. 21, from 4 to 7 p.m. All proceeds from the dinner benefit the Clarks Summit Fire Company to be used for training, equipment and other needs, dinner chairwoman Mari Bowen said.

The dinner last year drew a lot of people and was well received, she said.

“It was great. It was our first one; we pulled it off and it was so successful, we decided to do it again,” Bowen said. “The feedback was so good.”

Dinner includes beef, mashed potatoes, green beans, applesauce, coleslaw and dessert. Tickets cost $13 for adults and $6 for kids ages 4 to 12. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door, and buying them in advance is recommended, Bowen said. To buy a ticket, call Bowen at 570-575-3599.

— CLAYTON OVER

cover@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5363;

@ClaytonOver on Twitter

■

Folks at the Abington Community Library will be doing things by the book later this month.

The library will host its annual Tasting by the Book III: All Around the Table community fundraiser Saturday, Oct. 21, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the library, 1200 W. Grove St.

The event provides the opportunity to mingle while sampling delicious food made by local cooks and listening to live music. Tickets are $25 and available in advance only. All proceeds support youth and intergenerational programming.

Tickets are available at

the library or online at

eventbrite.com.

— CLAYTON OVER

cover@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5363;

@ClaytonOver on Twitter

Jessup

Borough council President Randy Santarelli is resigning effective Oct. 21.

“Over the last 10 years, it has been an honor to represent the citizens of Jessup,” the councilman wrote in his resignation letter. “Over the past three years, the demands of this position have increased with each passing month, and the time commitment to properly perform the functions of the position have become great. Unfortunately at this time I can no longer meet these demands.”

Santarelli wrote he is proud of the borough’s strides in enhancing services, upgrading infrastructure and managing its budget.

Solicitor Richard Fanucci said council plans to seek letters of interest from qualified borough residents to fill the vacancy once it’s effective, after which council has 30 days to appoint a replacement to serve the rest of the two-year term.

— KYLE WIND

kwind@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5181;

@kwindTT on Twitter

■

Borough Tax Collector Genevieve Lupini will be available to assist qualifying senior citizens with their 2016 state property tax/rent rebate.

The income limit for the rebate is $35,000, counting only half of Social Security benefits as income. The renter’s income limit is $15,000. The deadline is Dec. 31.

Qualifying seniors must be age 65 or over as of Dec. 31 of the claim year. Widows or widowers age 50 and over by Dec. 31 of the claim year also qualify. Those permanently disabled between the ages of 18 and 64 may also apply.

The program can provide rebates from $250 to $650, according to Lupini. Eligibility guidelines and assistance can be obtained by contacting the Jessup tax office. Call 570-383-1217 for an appointment.

— STAFF REPORT

Lackawanna

County

The county filled two 53-foot trailers with 27.21 tons of tires last month, marking another successful year of its annual tire recycling program.

“Having a regularly scheduled event that our residents can count on will keep those tires from going over a hillside or along the side of the road,” said Barbara Giovagnoli, the recycling coordinator and manager of the county’s Office of Environmental Stainability. “This is significant because abandoned tires ... truly are a health and safety hazard.”

In addition to being unsightly and serving as a breeding ground for mosquitoes that can carry diseases, piles of discarded tires can result in tire fires that are hard to extinguish and produce toxic smoke. Tire fires have also been known to ignite underground mine fires, Giovagnoli said.

Tire collections took place Sept. 13-16 at several locations throughout the county. Giovagnoli credited the municipal collection sites as contributing to another successful recycling effort.

— JEFF HORVATH

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9141;

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

Scranton

A new mural brightens one downtown alley.

Muralists Ryan Hnat and Eric Bussart created the artwork on Dix Court, on an alley-facing wall of Levels Bar & Grill that fronts Linden Street.

Combining both artists’ styles, the mural features the letters “SCRANTON” in detailed designs and against a background of colorful, abstract shapes.

The contemporary artwork, sponsored in part by Hnat Designs, a local painting and design business, and Electric City Escape, shows the artists’ pride in the city. They want to reinvigorate citywide pride and promote art that encourages economic growth.

“Our hope is that this will be a catalyst for more murals in the city,” Hnat said in a statement. “This can change the way people view the downtown.”

The pair previously painted murals along the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Trail near Scranton High School.

— JIM LOCKWOOD

jlockwood@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5185;

@jlockwoodTT on Twitter

Throop

The Valley Blood Council of the American Red Cross will hold its next blood drive Thursday at the Throop Civic Center, 500 Sanderson St.

The council hopes to see a few more donors at this drive, which runs from noon to 5 p.m., to continue to satisfy an ever-present need. The group’s drives usually draw between 50 and 60 donors, but only about 35 had registered as of early last week.

“We need to get those numbers up,” Valley Blood Council President Genevieve Lupini said, noting local blood was sent to Puerto Rico after the island was battered by Hurricane Maria last month, and to Las Vegas to treat those wounded in last Sunday’s mass shooting.

“I’m sure that everyone wants to do their share in terms of helping others,” Lupini said. “They’d be helping local people and those hurt by the hurricane and the happening in Las Vegas.”

To ensure they have enough staff to accommodate those who would like to donate blood, the council asks prospective donors to register for the drive by visiting redcrossblood.org or by calling 800-733-2767.

Donors must be at least 17 years old and weigh at least 110 pounds, and will receive a raffle ticket at the drive for a chance to win a $25 dinner gift certificate.

— JEFF HORVATH

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9141;

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

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

1. Which town is considering a $4.5 million facelift to draw businesses and people downtown?

A. Mayfield.

B. Taylor.

C. Dickson City.

D. Carbondale.

2. State police at Gibson charged a 31-year-old Susquehanna County woman with criminal homicide for last Sunday’s shooting death of ...

A. her neighbor.

B. her cousin.

C. a gas station employee.

D. a former romantic partner.

3. True or false? The Lackawanna County Council of Veterans took a stand Monday opposing professional athletes who “take a knee” during the national anthem.

A. True.

B. False.

4. Police charged a man with dangerous burning after he reportedly told them he set fire to bushes because ...

A. skunks lived in them.

B. he no longer liked them.

C. he thought they were evil.

D. he had an ongoing feud with a neighbor.

5. Which of the following topics was the subject of a symposium Tuesday evening held by Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine?

A. Gun violence.

B. Political corruption.

C. Autism.

D. Diabetes.

6. Which local hospital foundation gave grant money to fund a clinic at West Scranton Intermediate School to treat students, their families and residents?

A. Geisinger Community Medical Center.

B. Moses Taylor Hospital.

C. Regional Hospital.

D. Wilkes-Barre General Hospital.

7. A report Monday of two children running around a Scranton street, one of them naked, led police to an apartment they said was ...

A. littered with garbage and spoiled food.

B. lacking a door or roof.

C. crowded with people having a party.

D. on fire.

8. True or false? Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton eliminated its $7 daily entrance fee.

A. True.

B. False. They’re raising the fee to $14.

9. After admitting she stabbed another woman during a fight, killing her, how much time will a 17-year-old Scranton girl spend in state prison?

A. One to 10 years.

B. Seven to 20 years.

C. Twenty to 30 years.

D. Life without the possibility of parole.

10. What did police say they found in a Marywood student’s truck Wednesday, leading to criminal charges?

A. A gun.

B. Body armor.

C. Two hundred rounds of ammunition.

D. All of the above.

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

Wesley Freeman

Wanted by: Scranton office, state Board of Probation and Parole.

Fugitive since: May 31.

Wanted for: Theft of movable property, criminal conspiracy with multiple criminal objectives, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. Sentenced to one year, four months to seven years of incarceration. Paroled Aug. 27.

Description: White man, 44 years old, 6 feet 1 inch tall, 180 pounds, brown hair, blue eyes.

Contact: Agent Gary Demuth, 570-614-7244 or 800-932-4857.

Tuwan Ellison

Wanted by: Scranton office, state Board of Probation and Parole.

Fugitive since: Sept. 28.

Wanted for: Possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. Sentenced to one to four years of incarceration followed by two years of Lackawanna County special probation. Paroled Feb. 22.

Description: Black man, 35 years old, 6 feet 5 inches tall, 240 pounds, black hair, brown eyes.

Contact: Agent Joe Harte, 570-614-7247 or 800-932-4857.

Dustin Harvey

Wanted by: Scranton office, state Board of Probation and Parole.

Fugitive since: Sept. 20.

Wanted for: Criminal conspiracy with multiple criminal objectives, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. Sentenced to one year, six months to 10 years of incarceration. Paroled Oct. 14, 2015.

Description: White man, 31 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall, 200 pounds, brown hair, green eyes.

Contact: Agent Joe Harte, 570-614-7247 or 800-932-4857.

Joseph A. Esgro

Wanted by: Scranton police.

Wanted for: Theft related to the theft of a backpack from Osaka restaurant in downtown Scranton.

Description: White man, 37 years old.

Contact: Scranton police detectives at 570-348-4139.

CAPTURED: Jason Nothoff

Wanted by: Scranton office, state Board of Probation and Parole.

Fugitive since: June 27.

Wanted for: Bad checks. Sentenced to one to three years of incarceration. Paroled April 24.

Description: White man, 32 years old, 6 feet tall, 195 pounds, brown hair, brown eyes.

Contact: Agent Brian Rikli, 570-560-7200 or 800-932-4857.

Scranton Express associate

wins award

Frank Barrett, Scranton, has been named Express Employment Professionals Northeast Zone Employee of the Year. His win comes with $1,000 and a trip to Orlando, Fla. He is now eligible for the nationwide honor where the winner will be awarded $5,000 in February.

University of Scranton included in more rankings

Two 2018 college rankings published online in September placed the university among America’s top colleges. Niche.com ranked Scranton 189 among the “Best Colleges in America” in its list of 1,644 four-year colleges and 120 in its list of “Best Value Colleges in America.” Also, College Factual ranked Scranton 245 in its national ranking of 1,383 schools for “overall quality.”

SUBMIT BUSINESS BUZZ items to business@timesshamrock.com or The Times-Tribune, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503.

Wilkins &

Associates

Latrese Laporte, Lisa Ambrose and Gus Harlacher were recently hired as realtors by the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate firm.

Laporte will work from the Business Campus. A graduate of the Weichert Real Estate School in 2014, Laporte and her family of five moved to the Poconos eight years ago.

Ambrose, who also will work from the Business Campus, received her real estate license in March. A lifelong resident of the Poconos, Ambrose will also work with Jennifer Lynn-Amantea, associate broker in the Mount Pocono office.

Harlacher will work from the historic Milford office. Harlacher was born in Bronx, New York, and grew up in Pike County. He graduated from Delaware Valley High School in 2004. He was formerly an independent professional wrestler.

Foley Law Firm

Kevin P. Foley of the Scranton-based firm has been selected by Best Lawyers in America for his high caliber of work in the practice areas of litigation — insurance, medical malpractice law — plaintiffs, and personal injury litigation — plaintiffs.

Foley graduated from the University of Scranton and completed his law studies at the Dickinson School of Law, earning his J.D. He then served as a law clerk to the Honorable James T. McDermott, Justice, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. He has achieved multiple settlements and awards in excess of $1 million as part of the firm, including the largest settlement in a trucking collision case in Lackawanna County ($14.75 million).

He has served on the board of governors of the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association and was also elected to the board’s executive committee. He has been a member of the Judicial Relations, Legislature Network, Education and Membership Committees. Foley had also served as a member of the Lackawanna County Civil Rules Committee. He is a member of the Pennsylvania and American bar associations, the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, the American Association for Justice. Foley is a member of the Champions of Justice of the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, the Obstetrics Malpractice Litigation Group of the American Association for Justice and the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. In addition, Foley is an advocate of the National College of Advocacy. Since 2005, he has been named a “Pennsylvania Super Lawyer” every year by Philadelphia Magazine. Previously, Foley was also selected by his peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America in the fields of Litigation and Medical Malpractice Law.

Attorney Michael Foley of the firm spoke to the Western Trial Lawyers Association in Maui, Hawaii, on June 10-14, “Don’t Let Bankruptcy Filing Estop Your Client’s Lawsuit.” Foley, of Scranton, is the past president to the Pennsylvania Association for Justice (2008-2009) and was selected by the publication, “Best Lawyers in America,” for “Lawyer of the Year” in Medical Malpractice in the Allentown/Northeast Pennsylvania region for 2017. He has been listed in Best Lawyers in America since 2009. Foley has been selected as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer since 2004, a member of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice since 1991, and a member of the Board of Governors for the American Association for Justice (2009-2017). He has served as a board member of Lackawanna Pro-Bono from 2000-2004.

Honesdale

National Bank

Bank Vice President Luke W. Woodmansee has been named as the bank’s chief credit officer. Woodmansee joined the bank in 1989 as a loan officer, was promoted to the position of vice president and senior loan officer in 1991, and at that time also assumed the position of vice president, treasurer and secretary of HONAT Bancorp Inc., the bank’s holding company. Through the years, he has aided in administration of the bank’s loan portfolio, composed of commercial and consumer loans, home mortgages and equity loans, student loans, credit cards, and overdraft protection lines of credit. He is a member of the HNB Executive Team and serves on various other committees at the bank.

Woodmansee is a graduate of Hancock High School and attended Broome Community College, SUNY-Binghamton College, now Binghamton University, and the New York State School of Banking at West Point. He has attended various courses, seminars and conferences sponsored by the American Bankers Association and, before joining the bank, served as president of the Delaware County Bankers Association.

Woodmansee serves on the board of directors of the Chamber of the Northern Poconos and the Wayne County Cooperative Extension, where he is a past president. He is an active volunteer and supporter of the Wayne County Fair and is involved with various area organizations.

A lifelong Wayne County resident, he is the son of Janet Y. Woodmansee and the late H. Lindy Woodmansee of Lake Como. He resides in Starlight.

King’s College

Eight new full-time faculty members have joined the college for the 2017-18 academic year.

Dr. Jessica Anderson is an assistant professor of psychology. She previously was a post-doctoral research fellow in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Buffalo-SUNY and a research/teaching assistant in the Department of Psychology at SUNY-Binghamton. She earned her doctorate at Binghamton University and bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Connecticut.

Dr. Christopher Aults is an assistant professor of psychology. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University-Altoona and master’s degree and doctorate from Florida Atlantic University. Prior to coming to the college, he served as a visiting assistant professor at Presbyterian College and adjunct instructor at Cambridge College of Healthcare and Technology.

Dr. Cynthia Mailloux has been appointed chair of the Dual 1-2-1 Bachelor of Nursing Program and a professor of nursing. A licensed registered nurse, Mailloux earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Wilkes, her master’s degree in nursing from Misericordia University, and a doctorate in nursing, with a concentration in education from Penn State University. She also earned a certification in nursing education from the National League of Nursing.

Y. Bora Senyigit, assistant professor of accounting, previously was an assistant professor of accounting at Woosong University Sol International School in Korea and an assistant professor of accounting at Zirve University, School of Economics and Administrative Sciences in Turkey. He earned a master’s of business administration from Ball State University and a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and doctorate from Istanbul University in Turkey.

Dr. Tabitha Sprau Coulter is an assistant professor of civil engineering. She previously served as an assistant professor in civil engineering technology at Alfred State SUNY College of Technology. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Lafayette College and a master’s degree and doctorate from Pennsylvania State University.

Dr. Alex Szatmary, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, was a visiting assistant professor of engineering at Bucknell University and an instructor and summer research mentor at the National Institute of Health. He earned an associate degree from Harford Community College and a bachelor’s degree and doctorate from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Matthew Toniatti, assistant clinical professor in physician assistant studies, previously served as an physician assistant for Pinnacle Health in Mechanicsburg and MedExpress in State College. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Penn State University and master’s degree from Lock Haven University.

Dr. Jordan Rodgers will serve a one-year appointment as a Moreau Postdoctoral Fellow. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky and a doctorate from the University of Notre Dame, where he previously served as an instructor of philosophy. He also has taught at Holy Cross College.

Levy, Stieh, Gaughan & Baron

The Center for Developmental Disabilities announced attorney Kelly A. Gaughan, Esq., will serve as president of their board of directors for the 2017-18 school year.

Residing in Milford with her husband and two children, Gaughan is the current vice president of the United Way of Pike County, secretary of Vetstock, secretary for the Pike County Bar Association and sits on the advisory board of GAIT. She is the vice president of the law firm of Levy, Stieh, Gaughan & Baron PC and has been with the firm since 1999. Gaughan has been sitting on the board of directors of CDD for more than seven years and has served as the master of ceremonies for their Chefs Do Dinner fundraising event for the past several years.

Joining Gaughan as officers of the board for the 2017-18 school year will be Mandy Coleville as vice president, Suzanne Wrobleski as treasurer and Tom Duncan as secretary.

The center’s annual open house is set for Thursday, with a ribbon-cutting celebrating the opening of their new playground at 5:30 p.m. and the open house running from 6 to 7.

Misericordia

University

Faculty members in the College of Health Sciences and Education are collaborating to present an academic poster presentation and interactive workshop at the Collaborating Across Borders VI Conference in Banff, Alberta, Canada, this month.

The conference is North America’s premier interprofessional health care education and collaborative practice conference, according to CAB. It links educators, researchers, practitioners, students and patients from Canada and the United States in essential discussions around interprofessional health care education, practice, leadership and policy in North America.

Laurie Brogan, P.T., D.P.T., C.E.E.A.A., G.C.S., assistant professor of physical therapy, and Sheryl E. Goss, M.S., R.T.(R)(S), R.D.M.S., R.D.C.S., R.V.T., F.S.D.M.S., professor and chair of the Department of Sonography, are making the interactive poster presentation, “Development of Interprofessional Education Awareness in a Small Private Catholic University.” The presenters collaborated with colleagues Gina Capitano, M.S., R.T.(R), assistant professor of medical imaging, and Rita Carey, M.S.N., R.N., C.N.E., assistant professor of nursing. The presentation outlines how the college’s faculty collaborated to develop and offer interprofessional educational opportunities for students in the health sciences.

Brogan also is collaborating with Maureen Romanow Pascal, P.T., D.P.T., N.C.S., associate professor of physical therapy, on the interactive workshop, “Does Team Play Enhance Teamwork? Use of a Challenge Course Experience to Enhance Interprofessional Education and Practice.’’ The workshop outlines how the university’s educators utilized the institution’s on-campus challenge course to develop an activity that reflects real-life issues and creates cohesiveness, teamwork, and self-confidence to foster collaboration, cooperation and problem-solving.

United Gilsonite Laboratories

The manufacturers of paint specialty products announced the recent hiring of David M. Jolie as vice president of Manufacturing and Operations. Jolie will oversee the company’s four production facilities in Scranton; Jacksonville, Illinois; Dayton, Nevada, and Jackson, Mississippi.

Jolie, an industrial engineer with an MBA, has more than 18 years in manufacturing, most recently in the building products segment where he served as director of operations for CPG International, Scranton. Jolie has expertise in lean manufacturing, automation, global sourcing, and profit and loss management.

SUBMIT PEOPLE ON THE MOVE items to business@timesshamrock.com or The Times-Tribune, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503.

Frustrated by The Times-Tribune’s reality-based reporting on the $195 million sale of the Scranton Sewer Authority, Mayor Bill Courtright’s handlers are feverishly rewriting recent history.

The first edition of “Scranton News” — a campaign mailer launched last week via snail mail and social media — prints all the “news” that fits the mayor’s re-election narrative.

“Despite detractors, naysayers and relentless negative press for years, Mayor Courtright has gotten the city back on track and in the best financial shape in close to three decades!” Scranton News reports under the banner, “True Stories You May Have Missed.”

Scranton News goes on to glorify Courtright’s transformational leadership, but its crusading publishers “missed” a few true stories that could hamstring the miraculous mayor as he tries to run out the clock between now and Nov. 7:

■ Thomas P. Cummings III and Ryan Nelson are no longer working in the Scranton office of the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Bureau. The bureau is handling the state’s investigation into the SSA sale and $3.1 million in largely undocumented fees paid to local lawyers.

A few weeks back, I reported that Thomas P. Cummings III was a deputy attorney general in the Consumer Protection Bureau. His father is Thomas P. Cummings Jr., the Dunmore borough solicitor who was paid $226,666 in the SSA deal and provided scant documentation of his work, even when his employers demanded more.

Ryan Nelson is the stepson of Lackawanna County Senior Judge Carmen Minora. The judge’s brother, Amil, is the Scranton City Council solicitor. Amil Minora judged the SSA sale troubled but ultimately legit. Judge Minora was assigned to preside over a lawsuit against the Zombie Remains of the Scranton Sewer Authority.

These obvious conflicts of interest were news to the suits in Harrisburg, but they reacted swiftly and accordingly. Attorney general’s office policy prohibits comment on personnel moves. I called Cummings and Nelson at the desks they once occupied. Recorded voicemail greetings said both are no longer with the attorney general’s office.

■ Attorney Ned Abrahamsen dropped his baseless defamation lawsuit against Scranton City Councilman Bill Gaughan, who dared suggest that Ned document his work as “special counsel” on the SSA sale and the lease of the Scranton Parking Authority or forfeit the $400,000 in flat fees he collected on the transactions.

Ned’s firm, Abrahamsen, Conaboy & Abrahamsen, said the suit was withdrawn because a city insurer hired a lawyer to represent Gaughan. The firm said it “never intended to take any money from the city or its insurance carriers” while trying to intimidate an elected official who asked how one of its principals — hired by Courtright without a contract — earned almost half a million dollars in public money.

■ It was inevitable that some citizen of Scranton or Dunmore would file a lawsuit challenging the legality of the SSA sale under the state Municipal Authorities Act, which — as this newspaper has relentlessly reported — seems to explicitly prohibit the deal as it was done.

On Thursday, Scranton resident Anthony Moses filed a lawsuit against the City of Scranton, the Borough of Dunmore, Abrahamsen, Conaboy & Abrahamsen and Cummings Law. Moses and his Philadelphia lawyers attest that all proceeds from the SSA sale — including more than $450,000 in fees paid to Abrahamsen and Cummings — should be returned to the Zombie Remains of the Scranton Sewer Authority until a host of legal loose ends are resolved.

Loose ends include a class-action lawsuit over easements the SSA failed to secure from homeowners like Moses. How could a small army of lawyers split $3.1 million in fees and not nail down basic details that could scuttle a $195 million deal?

Ask the publishers of Scranton News.

CHRIS KELLY, The Times-Tribune columnist, has a nose for news. Contact the writer: kellysworld@timesshamrock.com, @cjkink on Twitter. Read his award-winning blog at blogs.thetimes-tribune.com/kelly.

In 2015, NorthPoint Development swept into a forlorn commercial district in a St. Louis, Missouri, suburb and went to work.

“It was an area that the city had annexed, and it was kind of a mess,” said David Cox, Hazelwood City’s economic developer.

NorthPoint promised to finish the cleanup and build six industrial/commercial buildings in five years.

They’ve exceeded that, and now they’re on track to build eight in three years, Cox said, adding NorthPoint successfully lured Missouri’s first Amazon distribution center to the industrial park earlier this year.

The same young company, which has built a reputation attracting high-caliber companies to its commercial properties, has been scooping up real estate in Northeast and Eastern Pennsylvania starting around the top of 2016.

A Sunday Times review of its properties shows NorthPoint so far has bought, built or is building more than 4 million square feet of commercial and industrial space in Schuylkill, Luzerne and Lackawanna counties.

Most recently, NorthPoint spent $19.4 million on two industrial buildings on 21 acres in the Jessup Small Business Center through a subsidiary, NP 81 North Industrial LLC. The Sept. 14 purchase of 7 and 15 Alberigi Drive marks NorthPoint’s northernmost acquisition in Pennsylvania.

“They’re the real deal, and they’re not afraid to spend money,” said John Augustine, president of Penn’s Northeast, a cooperative charged with attracting large firms to the region. “They’re fulfilling promises, and I think that was seen in Hanover.”

A NorthPoint official did not respond to several interview requests.

The company built the hulking 800,000-square-foot Chewy.com distribution center in the Hanover Industrial Park and has two other buildings under construction nearby on the 172 acres it bought last year.

It recently bought the bankrupt Schuylkill Mall in New Castle Twp. near Frackville at auction and is in the process of leveling it for two new industrial buildings. Its mall project follows its purchase of a three-years vacant building in the Highbridge Industrial Park, which is now leased to another firm.

In Hanover Twp., NorthPoint built the Chewy.com center and is still scooping up more real estate in the area. In the last month, It bought a warehouse near the Chewy.com site for $10.7 million.

“We buy buildings across the country,” Brent Miles, a NorthPoint vice president said to a Times-Shamrock reporter last month. “We like the area.”

Like many other firms, NorthPoint typically locks in some type of business development tax incentive where it builds, ensuring it will save millions on property taxes for the first few years of operation.

In both Hanover Twp. and at the Schuylkill Mall, NorthPoint received Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance, or LERTA, status from the local governments and school districts.

LERTA status gives companies a temporary tax break on any improvements made to the property. They still pay taxes, just not as much as they would if the government considered the improved property.

One of the Jessup properties is partly occupied by paper products maker LBP Manufacturing LLC. The other, now vacant, enjoys Keystone Opportunity Expansion Zone status — in which a number of state and local taxes are suspended until 2020.

NorthPoint boasts a portfolio of industrial, residential and self-storage space across the country totaling over 21 million square feet. Square feet are the stock and trade among real estate developers.

Its rapid-fire acquisitions in Northeast Pennsylvania prove it can punch in the same weight class as some of the region’s biggest commercial real estate names, and that the region has room for more than one alpha.

“Whenever major developers come into the market and build on speculation, it’s a sign that the market has matured as a preferred location for major industrial projects,” said Jim Cummings, the marketing vice president at Mericle Com­mercial Real Estate Services based in Plains Twp.

Mericle owns and manages 13 million square feet of commercial, office and medical real estate.

The company has developed more than 20 million square feet and has played a key role in growing some of the region’s most notable business parks, including the CenterPoint Commerce parks in Pittston and Jenkins townships, Hanover Industrial Estates and Humboldt Industrial Park, Hazle Twp.

As the cost of business swells in larger cities like New York and Philadelphia, what Cummings described as the Interstate 81/Interstate 78 corridor — from the New York border to the Maryland border — has become more attractive to growing transportation and warehousing firms.

His company competes with builders throughout that corridor, and he doesn’t see NorthPoint as a threat to Mericle’s lead in Northeast Pennsylvania.

“We’re very comfortable that we’re going to remain the premier developer in the marketplace,” he said.

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

DICKSON CITY — The scene of a Friday night inferno in the borough was calm Saturday morning, hours after crews from multiple fire companies doused a blaze that started in an industrial area off Main Street.

A pickup blocked the entrance to the industrial area about 8:45 a.m. Saturday, where flames broke out in a pile of plastic utility pipes and other construction materials belonging to TSE Inc. around 10 p.m. the night before. TSE Inc., which has a Dunmore mailing address, moved to the site off Main Street just a few weeks ago, company owner Jamie Valvano said.

Fire crews left the scene about 1:30 a.m. Saturday after extinguishing the flames, which damaged a garage and several trucks and destroyed building materials, Dickson City Fire Chief Matthew Horvath said. There were no injuries.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the state police fire marshal. Fire investigators are expected to return to the scene early Saturday afternoon.

“It was a challenge fighting that fire due to limited accessibility to the property and some distance from nearby fire hydrants,” Horvath said, praising the “excellent response” of first responders. Fire companies from Dickson City, Throop, Olyphant, Blakely and South Abington Twp.fought the fire.

Truck driver Tim Latniak spent the night at the industrial site to make sure no one disturbed the scene.

“You thought the whole place was burning, that’s how bad it was,” Latniak said.

Contact the writer: jhorvath@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9141; @jhorvathTT on Twitter
 

SCRANTON — A sedan rolled onto its side in North Van Buren Avenue’s 200 block Sunday evening in West Scranton.

Crews are on the scene. The block is closed to traffic.

It’s unclear at this time whether anyone was injured.

Check back for updates.

Dickson City

Welsh cookies: Bradley Memorial United Methodist Church Welsh cookie sale, Oct. 28, pick up by 1 p.m., 106 Lincoln St.; $5, place orders by Sunday with Joan, 570-383-4868; or Pat, 570-489-8735.

Duryea

Borough meeting: Duryea Borough Sewer Authority emergency meeting, Wednesday, 6 p.m.; public invited to attend.

Hughestown

Holiday fair: Hughestown Holi­day Gift and Craft Fair, Nov. 5, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Pittston Area Primary Care Center, 210 Rock St.; more than 40 vendors, door prizes, food for purchase and basket raffle; benefits Park and Recreation Committee fund; free admission; Mary Golya, 570-655-4552; Mary Anne Quick, 570-654-5763; or Hughes­town Park and Recre­ation Facebook page.

Jessup

Flea market: First Presbyterian Church flea market, Oct. 21, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., fellowship hall, 325 Third Ave., various items for sale (no shoes or clothing).

Lions meet: Jessup Lions meeting, Oct. 17, noon at the Eatery, Hill Street, to discuss white canes.

Rigatoni dinner: Queen of Angels Parish rigatoni and meatball dinner, Oct. 28, 3:30-5:30 p.m., takeouts only; and Oct. 29, noon-3 p.m. (dine in, noon-2 p.m.), Madonna Hall, 607 Church St., $10/adults and $5/under 12, “Viva Vino” basket raffle tickets available; 570-489-2252.

Scranton

College homecoming: Lacka­wanna College annual homecoming weekend, begins Oct. 20, 7-9 p.m., with cookout and bonfire for students, Angeli Hall student parking lot; Oct. 21, 10:45 a.m., cornhole tournament and pumpkin carving contest, Valor Credit Union Field, Scranton Memorial Stadium; pregame chili cook-off, 11, outside of stadium, free and open to the public; Lackawanna Col­lege v. Hocking football game, 1 p.m., Valor Credit Union Field, $5 admission for adults, $3 for students.

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

DUNMORE — Police accused a 35-year-old woman of her of leaving her 4-month-old son alone for an hour and a half.

Karen Robbins, 120 Barton St., Dunmore, was jailed on counts of endangering the welfare of children and recklessly endangering another person.

Robbins initially told police she had left the baby alone for five minutes to go to a nearby store. Her receipt’s time stamp and other anachronisms negated her claims, police said.

Lackawanna County district Magistrate Theodore J. Giglio arraigned her Sunday and sent her to Lackawanna County Prison without bail because the new charges violate conditions of her probation for previous drug offenses.

— JON O’CONNELL

Most of the 20 animals seized during a Friday night raid in Scott Twp. have been placed in temporary foster homes, Griffin Pond Animal Shelter’s interim director said.

After securing a warrant for suspected animal cruelty, Griffin Pond’s Humane Officer Lisa Lowry, staff and volunteers worked into the predawn hours Saturday finding temporary accommodations for 15 dogs, a ferret and a hedgehog seized from Robert and Hope Sia’s 12 Lakeside Drive home. The humane officer also took two snakes and a bearded dragon.

The Sias have not been charged with a crime. Efforts to reach them Sunday for comment were unsuccessful.

Scott Twp. police say it’s up to the shelter’s humane officer to file any charges. Griffin Pond officials are exploring options, interim Director Jess Farrell said Sunday. She added that Pennsylvania law prohibits keeping hedgehogs as pets.

Some of the animals were emaciated, had matted fur and untreated medical needs when Lowry arrived with a search warrant, Farrell said.

No one was home at the time. Scott Twp. police assisted in the raid.

Photos and video from that night show excited, barking dogs locked in at least eight kennels inside a garage.

One photo shows a dog poking its snout and a paw through a chewed-out hole in a plastic kennel. Another photo shows a large growth dangling from one dog’s leg. Another shows the inside of a collar caked with skin and dirt.

One older dog, a black Labrador mix named Jake estimated to be about 10, was in particularly rough shape, thin and unkempt, Farrell said. He’s under the care of Dr. Ramsi Chaudhari of VCA Dunmore Animal Hospital, who is assisting the shelter in tending to the seized animals.

Many of the animals will need additional veterinary attention, and shelter officials are raising money to pay for their care. Several groups and individuals have already started donating to the emergency vet fund, Farrell said.

Anyone who wishes to donate to the veterinary fund may send donations to Griffin Pond Animal Shelter, 967 Griffin Pond Road, South Abington Twp., PA 18411, and write “vet care fund” on the check memo.

For information, contact Griffin Pond at 570-586-3700 or visit www.griffinpondanimalshelter.com/donate.

Contact the writer:

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

@jon_oc on Twitter

MOSES TAYLOR

BARRATTA: A son, Sept. 29, to Justin and Alicia Ashford Barratta, Mountaintop.

CADELL: A daughter, Sept. 29, to D’Alton Cadell and Melissa Barrett, Dickson City.

DECKER: A daughter, Sept. 30, to Joseph and Maura Gallagher Decker, Scranton.

FREIWALD: A daughter, Sept. 29, to Jeremy Freiwald and Seleena Rashid, Scranton.

KOSIK: A son, Oct. 2, to Jacob and Kaitlin Jones Kosik, Throop.

KUCKER: A son, Sept. 30, to Corey and Nicole Stout Kucker, Dunmore.

LYNOTT: A daughter, Oct. 3, to Martin Jr. and Sarah Holmes Lynott, Scranton.

MYERS: A daughter, Oct. 1, to Wesley Myers and Courtney J. Roberts, Scranton.

O’MALLEY: A son, Sept. 28, to Jim and Ashley Adams O’Malley, Dunmore.

RIXFORD: A daughter, Oct. 2, to Cody Rixford and Dawn Hoyer-Rixford, Archbald.

SULLIVAN: A son, Sept. 29, to Brett and Candace Wentland Sullivan, Jessup.

Dr. Margaret LaManna refuses to surrender in the search for her long-missing sister, Renee.

Eighteen months after the most promising lead to Renee’s whereabouts in decades evaporated in a disappointing case of mistaken identity, LaManna said she has never given up hope that her sister is still out there somewhere or that someone will recognize her and place a call to the toll-free 888-RENEE11 tipline.

“I’m praying for that phone call,” LaManna said. “She’s alive. I’ve always felt that.”

Renee, who grew up in the Scranton area and graduated from Abington Heights High School and the University of Scranton, disappeared in January 1994, in Ocean City, New Jersey, after suffering a breakdown that left her in a psychotic and catatonic state.

There were a few confirmed sightings in New York and New Jersey after that. The last came in Northfield, New Jersey, in May 1995, when Renee approached a man at a car dealership and tried to sell him a hair dryer for $20, saying she needed money to buy a bus ticket to New York City.

Renee, who was 35 when she disappeared, would be 59 now, her sister said.

Given her condition when she vanished, Renee may have no recollection of who she is or her past life, said LaManna, who also grew up in Scranton and now lives in West Palm Beach, Florida.

“That’s really the dilemma,” she said. “Renee may be among us with an assumed identify, and people may not be aware of the situation. She may not recall her name or her past.”

A seeming break came in 2015, when LaManna received a tip about a disoriented homeless woman in Virginia who identified herself as “Renee” and said she was looking for her family. After seeing photos of the drifter, LaManna believed it could be her sister.

However, when the woman finally was located early last year in Florida after an intense, 11-month search, she turned out not to be Renee.

Although heartbroken by the outcome, LaManna said she has been able move past it and focus on renewed search efforts in the New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania area, where she believes her sister is most likely to be found. That hasn’t been the case for law enforcement, she said.

Police in both Cape May County, New Jersey, and in New York City, where Renee lived in the decade before her disappearance, have shown little interest in pursuing the cold case, she said.

“Unfortunately, I think the police felt exhausted after those 11 months and they have really given up assisting in Renee’s case. They have thrown in the towel,” she said.

One issue, LaManna said, is while Renee’s photo, dental chart and other information are on file in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, her DNA is not filed in the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System database. To be included in CODIS, DNA must be collected and submitted by law enforcement, she said.

Investigators lost the items originally provided by the family for DNA sampling, including Renee’s hairbrush, although the family was not told that until years later, LaManna said.

In the summer of 2016, Cape May County officials requested and she provided envelopes and other materials from which her sister’s DNA and fingerprints might be collected, but they recently declined to submit the items for laboratory testing, she said.

“It’s disheartening,” she said.

One positive that did come out of the 11-month hunt for the wrong woman is the establishment of a group of volunteers, dubbed “Team Renee,” that continues to assist with the search. LaManna said many of the volunteers knew Renee or their mother, Anne, who was a teacher in the Scranton School District.

In June, some members of the group joined LaManna in New York, where they spent five days canvassing shelters and other agencies and handing out information about Renee in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx.

Team member Nancy Adams, a Minooka native who met Renee in middle school and remained friends with her into their late 20s, expressed frustration that law enforcement officials have not done more. Like LaManna, she believes extracting a sample of Renee’s DNA from an old envelope and getting it into a national database is probably a necessary step.

“That to me is the key to getting to the next level,” said Adams, who now lives in the Philadelphia area. “Something needs to be stirred up, and it needs to be something different than we have been doing.”

The search still has a strong social media presence, including a new community page on Facebook: Renee LaManna Missing and Lost Far Too Long. The page includes age progression photos depicting what Renee might look like today.

Melissa Bradley, a South Williamsport resident who created and helps LaManna administer the page, said no family should have to endure 23 years of not knowing what happened to a loved one.

She is committed to the cause until LaManna brings her sister home.

“I would love for us to get answers,” Bradley said, “and I do believe we will get answers someday, hopefully sooner than later.”

Contact the writer:

dsingleton@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9132

Notable local missing-person cases

Joanne Williams

Williams, then 22, left her East Gibson Street home on Dec. 7, 1978, to go to an exercise class and never returned. Police found her unlocked car on Lafayette Street nine days later, with her purse and paycheck still inside. Lackawanna County Court declared Williams dead in 1991.

Michele Jolene Lakey

The 11-year-old girl disappeared Aug. 26, 1986, after leaving Mercy Hospital, where her mother was a patient. She was last seen walking on North Washington Avenue near her home. Although there was no concrete evidence, police believed from the beginning that she was abducted. Her case remains unsolved.

Robert Baron

Baron, 58, was last seen Jan. 25 at Ghigiarelli’s, his Old Forge restaurant. Investigators discovered evidence at the restaurant of a violent assault, including traces of Baron’s blood. His car was found a few days later parked on Herbert Street in the borough. An investigation by borough police and Lackawanna County detectives continues.

Abington Heights

Senior Dominic Angelicola donated first-responder kits to the Clarks Summit Police Department.

Dominic raised money for the kits during the Clarks Summit Festival of Ice. The kits are filled with emergency supplies.

Chris Kane helped Dominic with the project.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

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

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Blue Ridge

Emma Mangel has taken on a leadership role in the high school National Honor Society’s costume collection drive.

The collection drive aims to provide costumes for elementary students who may not have the resources to buy or make a costume.

The National Honor Society put up collection bins in the school, and they’re looking for spots to collect costumes in the community. This is the second year Blue Ridge is holding the drive, following a very successful first year.

Emma wants to make sure no one misses out on Halloween and is able to experience what she did as a child, enjoying their time with friends and family.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

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

Carbondale Area

Bayley Grizzanti is the school’s student council treasurer.

“I think our student council is a very active body, participating in fundraisers, service projects and student activities,” said Bayley. “I want to be an active part in all of these and encourage my peers to participate as well.”

He was elected for his second term as treasurer Sept. 15.

“Right now I’m looking at careers in either engineering or law, specifically tax law,” he said. “These leadership skills that I learn as part of student government will help me in both of those future endeavors.”

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

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

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Dunmore

Students chose senior Amanda Lucas as homecoming queen, part of a long-standing tradition of choosing the girl who represents the values and traditions of the school community.

“I was not expecting this. I was genuinely surprised and honored that I was chosen by the student body,” she said. “Dunmore is very close to my heart because I go to school here, my family went to school here, and my family works here. It is a privilege to represent this special place.”

Amanda is in the French club, Spanish club, National Honor Society, engineering club, service club, drama club, yearbook staff, Students Against Destructive Decisions club and Teens Against Corporate Tobacco club. She serves as editor-in-chief of the yearbook and an officer in the French, engineering and Teens Against Corporate Tobacco clubs. Amanda is also a football cheerleader and plays on the golf, track and swim teams.

“It’s important for me to be involved in my community and to be in touch with my peers,” she said.

Amanda is ranked first in her class. She plans to major in chemistry in college, ultimately to become a forensics scientist.

— LISA ZACCAGNINO

lzaccagnino@

timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9130

Elk Lake

Eliza Bosscher was chosen as this year’s homecoming queen.

“There are seven girls’ and seven boys’ names for seniors and juniors, and when you get to the dance you get to choose,” she said.

Parents of those on the homecoming court were able to attend the dance as well.

Eliza plays soccer and basketball, runs track and field, and is a member of student council and the National Honor Society at school.

She plans to study nursing next year.

— LISA ZACCAGNINO

lzaccagnino@

timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9130

Forest City

Regional

Erin Urban worked with the Pleasant Mount Historical Society for her senior project, where she interviewed and filmed various people in the community.

The videos will be put on disc for the historical society.

“I really like hearing about people’s lives and the history of Pleasant Mount,” Erin said.

She is active with basketball, cross country, National Honor Society, FBLA and the art club, and plans to study chemistry in college.

— LISA ZACCAGNINO

lzaccagnino@

imesshamrock.com;

570-348-9130

Holy Cross High School

Junior Olivia Osborne is ready to cheer for the Crusaders. This is her third year on the cheerleading team.

“Cheering at Holy Cross has been the highlight of my high school experience,” she said. “Cheerleading has taught me how to be a leader, manage my time wisely and understand the meaning of work ethic.”

Olivia is also a member of the advanced chorus.

— SARAH HOFIUS HALL

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

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Lakeland

Lauren Rzucidlo will serve as editor-in-chief of the 2018 Lakeland Yearbook.

“I want to capture the crazy atmosphere of fun events like spirit week,” said Lauren. “My goal is for us as a team to make a book that really sparks our memories.”

The yearbook has grown from a senior-only book to a ninth- through 12th-grade yearbook.

Lauren is also a member of National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Future Business Leaders of America, Students Against Destructive Decisions, Family Career and Community Leaders of America and plays on the golf team.

After graduation, Lauren plans to attend Penn State and study the medical sciences.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114; @kbolusTT on Twitter

Mid Valley

Vanessa Mazur volunteers in her community.

She works with the Pride Squad, a cheerleading team made up of boys and girls with mental or physical disabilities. She helps her buddy, Noel, and the other squad members during practices to prepare them for community events.

Vanessa is a high honors student who has been cheerleading for 12 years and is in her fourth year as a varsity cheerleader.

In her senior year, Vanessa and other members of the Family Consumer Science Club make food and volunteer within the community at such places as the soup kitchen. She is also a member of the Busted Club, assists with the yearbook and writes for the school newspaper.

She plans to attend Penn State’s main campus to study nursing.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114; @kbolusTT on Twitter

Mountain View

Senior Ben Galvin lived in Thailand during the 2016-17 school year as a Rotary Youth Exchange student.

“As part of my exchange program, I got to travel with other exchange students all over Thailand, the northern jungles, Cambodia and Laos,” he said.

His experiences made him realize that he can’t take life at home for granted, especially aspects like having food, a police force and an educational system, he said.

“I wanted the chance to see and experience the world firsthand and plan to use the communication skills I learned in the future,” he said.

Ben plans to start a business after graduation.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

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

North Pocono

Shelbe Scarborough is making the most of the partnership between her school district and the Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County.

The third-year cosmetology program student has maintained a 90 average throughout the previous two years. By accumulating more than 900 theory and practical hours, Shelbe has become eligible to take part in the early bird test, a requirement for state licensure. In addition, she takes academic and accelerated classes at the high school.

A three-year member of the girls golf team, Shelbe is active with North Pocono and CTC student councils, Future Business Leaders of America, as a Geisinger volunteer and CTC student ambassador. Shelbe works as a marketing agent with USA Home Improvement Solutions and plans to further her education in sonography to eventually become an ultrasound technician.

— LISA ZACCAGNINO

lzaccagnino@

timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9130

Old Forge

When senior David James “DJ” Megotz finishes with classes at Old Forge, he starts more classes at night.

David takes emergency medical technician courses four nights a week. DJ is already a volunteer firefighter with his dad. Once he completes his EMT courses, DJ will be nationally certified.

DJ participates in the Envirothon team at Old Forge and also loves to fish and hunt.

— SARAH HOFIUS HALL

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

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Riverside

Fifth-grader Hunter Brown is excited about the DARE class this year.

“I’m hoping to learn some ways to deal with making important choices when it comes to gun safety and drugs as I get older,” he said. The upcoming class is offered districtwide to all fifth-graders.

“I think it’s kind of like the junior deputy sheriff’s program we had last year, but with more information,” Hunter added.

— LISA ZACCAGNINO

lzaccagnino@

timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9130

Scranton

The West Scranton High School chapter of the Students Against Destructive Decisions club recently selected its officers for the school year.

They are Haley Leonard, president; Milagros Cervantes, vice president; Alura Henderson, secretary; and Jayla Rodriguez, treasurer.

— SARAH HOFIUS HALL

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

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Scranton Prep

Senior AJ Hendershot , captain of the girls soccer team, hopes to attend a military academy after graduation.

Both her father and brother are members of the military.

“I’ve always grown up around that, and I want to continue,” she said.

At Prep, AJ is a member of the Technology Student Association, Science Olympiad, campus ministry team, St. Joseph of Arimathea Society, dean’s team, National Honor Society and track and field team. She also studies Arabic through the Jesuit Virtual Learning Academy.

As captain of the soccer team, AJ takes pride in her role.

“I really try to keep the girls positive,” she said. “A positive atmosphere definitely affects our record.”

— SARAH HOFIUS HALL

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

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Valley View

Mason Black is the Honor Society president.

“National Honor Society is such an important organization to ensure the core values of leadership, scholarship, service and character are represented throughout the school,” said Mason. “I am proud to say that I play a large role in it.”

As president, Mason organized the Challenger Little League volunteer roster and throughout the school year will help the society with service projects, including tutoring and working at community and school events.

In his senior year, Mason is a member of math honor society, student council, ping pong club and the president of the Spanish club. He also is the varsity baseball captain.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

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

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Wallenpaupack Area

Chloe Steuhl , a second- grader, is the first to lend a hand to anyone in need.

School staff describes her as a friendly, smart and hardworking 7-year-old who is always kind to others.

Chloe’s favorite subject in school is art. During her school’s Wild About Reading-themed Scholastic Book Fair, Chloe created an imprinted lion with watercolors to help decorate the hallways of her school.

“It was so much fun,” Chloe said. “I love to paint.”

When Chloe isn’t in school, she enjoys spending time with her sisters and cousins. Chloe is the daughter of Alexandra and Charles Steuhl.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

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

Western Wayne

EverGreen Elementary fifth-grader Austin Kenyon’s generosity helped kickstart a districtwide donation effort to aid hurricane victims.

After celebrating his birthday, Austin told a staff member at the school that he wanted to donate his birthday money to the victims of the recent hurricanes.

His school asked him to write up a list of items that he thought would be helpful to people, and he inspired Western Wayne’s staff and administration to begin a “Stuff a Truck” fundraiser.

Thanks to Austin’s kindness and empathy, from Sept. 25 through Friday, students and the community filled a trailer with nonperishable food, school supplies, baby supplies and paper products to help hurricane victims.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

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