An Olyphant man is accused of sexually abusing two girls over the course of more than six years.

On Thursday, Taylor police arrested Gary Cooper Sr. , 40, 232 Grant St. , on child rape, child aggravated indecent assault and corruption of minors charges. Borough police started investigating Cooper in November after receiving a report from the Luzerne County Child Advocacy Center about two girls, both under 13, who went there to report Cooper had sexually abused them, according to court documents.

The girls told investigators the incidents happened in Scranton, Mountain Top and Taylor.

The Times-Tribune does not identify victims of sexual assault.

The incidents occurred between 2011 and mid-2017, according to court paperwork. Cooper is accused of raping one of the girls, performing other sex acts on both of them and showing them pornography, charging documents indicate.

Cooper’s bail and preliminary hearing information were not immediately available.

Contact the writer: cover@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5363; @ClaytonOver on Twitter

Dozens of inoperable parking meters in downtown Scranton had mechanisms removed for repairs but should be restored next week, city Councilman Wayne Evans learned today from the parking-system operator.

A Times-Tribune article in Wednesday’s editions reported a spot check by the newspaper on Tuesday of meters on several downtown streets and counted no less than 50 partially dismantled meters. The operator, ABM Parking, on Tuesday did not specifically address the meter situation, but issued a general statement about improvements underway. On Wednesday, the firm put ‘no parking’ bags on gutted meters.

Evans, who is council’s newly designated parking liaison, said someone with ABM told him the mechanisms were removed from meter heads as part of ongoing maintenance. He declined to identify that person. Efforts by the Times-Tribune to contact ABM’s spokeswoman Thursday were unsuccessful.

ABM began a meter maintenance program when the firm took over operating the city’s parking system in September 2016, Evans said. Generally, ABM has repaired 30-plus meters at a time. Those currently hollowed out and inoperable are among the final, large group of meters undergoing maintenance, he said.

“The most recent batch of meters sent for repair should be back next week,” Evans said.

ABM also has agreed to remove some of the orange ‘no parking’ bags where businesses seem most affected by losses of parking spaces in front of or near their establishments, Evans said.

ABM removed ‘no parking’ bags from five gutted meters in the 300 block of Adams Avenue after Christian Pilosi, owner of Eden — A Vegan Cafe at 344 Adams Ave., expressed concern to ABM about losing five spots in that block where parking already is tight, he said.

Pilosi understands that parking meters are a fact-of-life in the city and was happy that ABM removed the ‘no parking’ bags from the five meters. He thinks that inoperable-meter spaces should be left open with free parking, because bagging them as off-limits only penalizes businesses.

“Parking is scarce enough,” Pilosi said. “Just leave it be, until you fix them.”

Evans also hopes the parking operators do a better job communicating with the public and media, and with council as a go-between, because a successful parking system will help the downtown and its businesses.

“The meetings I’ve had with NDC and ABM generally have been positive,” Evans said. “We want them to succeed as much as anybody. We’re totally all in this to help them.”

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

A Carbondale therapist faces charges after police said he had an inappropriate relationship with a teenage client, including writing her a love letter.

Evan James Maclusky, 33, 26 Oak Ave., is free on $50,000 unsecured bail after turning himself in Thursday on charges of endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors and tampering with evidence.

The investigation began in December, after police received a report from the county district attorney’s office about allegations made by a 15-year-old girl’s guardian. The woman believed Maclusky, who worked for NHS Human Services of NEPA, 30-32 N. Main St., Carbondale, had been seeing the girl in her home when adults were not present.

Police did not identify the victim by name in their affidavit of probable cause.

Investigators viewed emails between Maclusky and the girl, which were described in court papers as inappropriate. A “love letter” written by Maclusky to the girl was confiscated by staff at the middle school she attended, police added. Investigators received a copy from the school’s principal. All correspondence between the pair was signed “I love you,” investigators wrote in court papers.

Police spoke to employees with NHS, who said they were conducting an internal investigation in response to allegations made by the girl’s guardian. They said Maclusky was not authorized to make visits to the girl’s home. An NHS employee also checked Maclusky’s work email and discovered he had deleted all his emails.

“She believed that this was done in order to cover his inappropriate emails to” the victim, police wrote in the affidavit.

Police asked Maclusky to come to the station on Dec. 15 to return property belonging to NHS. When he arrived, officers told him he was under investigation. Maclusky referred them to his attorney, Robert Munley.

Police seized the girl’s phone, as well as the work phone, laptop and work equipment belonging to Maclusky.

Maclusky spoke to police again on Jan. 8. He denied having a sexual relationship with the girl but claimed he was in love with her. Police said he admitted the relationship was not appropriate for a therapist and client and that he’d “crossed a line.” He also admitted to visiting the girl at her home in early December.

Maclusky’s employment status was not available. Neither he nor officials at NHS could be immediately reached for comment. Messages left for Munley late Thursday were not returned.

A preliminary hearing in the case is set for Wednesday.

Contact the writer: enissley@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9138

Students

of the month

• Abington Heights: Middle School October Students of the Month are Hayley Smeraldi, Madeleine Walsh, Ankita Saxena, Lily Rozzi, Gavin Myers, Jazmyn Horton, Joshua Parfrey and Anha Islam.

Waverly Elementary School October Students of the Month are Lauren Lesniak, Akim ud Doula, Addison Stark, Paige Smith, Paige Moroski, Samiah Fabian, Jackson Karam, George Lynett, Joseph Arcuri, Abygail Ralston, Orion Grose, Caleb Connell, Domnick Pasqualichio, Ethan Ciavarella and Rowan Barth-Gris.

• Forest City Regional Elementary School Foresters of Month for October include Skyla Pfleger, Alivia Smith, Isabella Dayton, Jacob Fitzsimmons, Catherine Graziano, Lily Wagner, Brandon Non and Dominic Vishnefski.

The students were recognized for consistently demonstrating ready, respectful and responsible behaviors. They went above and beyond to meet and surpass school-wide behavior expectations, according to the school.

• Old Forge Devil Pride elementary school students for October are Liam Casey, kindergarten; Nina Barbuti, first grade; Taylor Bledsoe, second grade; James Kupetz, third grade; Bobby Solfanelli, fourth grade; Addreanna Nelson, fifth grade; and Hunter Tisdel, sixth grade. The students were recognized for their Devil Pride. Pride stands for Prepared, Respectful, Independent, Dependable and Example to others, according to Old Forge.

• Riverside Elementary West October Role Models are Aleigha Fetchen, Ellie Wargo, Ellie Davis, Daniella Espinal, Emma Hopkins, Colin Lewis, Milania Grasso, Kaylin Hutchins, Eamon Paroby, Nelson Villafane, Raigan Monahan, Vincent Maroni, Nathan Thorp, Kennedy Schimelfenig and Addison Smith

Students of the month will continue Tuesday.

LA PLUME TWP. — On Jan. 20, President Donald Trump’s Inauguration Day, the Dow Jones industrial average closed at 19,732.40.

As the first anniversary of the inauguration approaches, the Dow topped 26,000 for the first time earlier this week and closed above that mark Thursday.

Trump’s impact on the economy was just one of several topics a panel consisting of Wilkes University political science professor Thomas Baldino, Ph.D., local businessman Bob Bolus, Keystone College political science professor Jeff Brauer, Times-Tribune columnist Chris Kelly and Lackawanna County Recorder of Deeds Evie Rafalko McNulty discussed regarding Trump’s first year in office.

“For sure, Donald Trump has had an amazing psychological effect on the economy,” Brauer said, though he noted the economy had been heading in the right direction before Trump took office. “He is a businessman and he touts that and he’s come to office and he’s done a lot of deregulation, which makes businesses, especially small businesses, quite happy.”

While Baldino agreed the economy has shown growth during Trump’s time in the White House, he said the stock market might not be the best indicator of economic health. While gross domestic product and unemployment figures have also improved, Baldino said Trump campaigned on delivering higher-paying jobs, but income disparity in the country hasn’t changed.

“He appealed to voters who were frustrated. Now we’re going to see whether or not he can actually deliver the jobs he’s promised them,” Baldino said.

The panel talked about the president’s stances and strides — or lack thereof — on immigration, health care, relationship with Congress and other topics. Panelists also fielded questions from the audience.

Moderator Francine Schertzer of the Pennsylvania Cable Network asked the forum what about Trump appealed to Pennsylvanians in the run-up to the November election.

Bolus, a staunch Trump supporter known for canvassing Northeast Pennsylvania and beyond with a tractor-trailer emblazoned with Trump’s likeness, said frustration with politicians over the years factored in Trump’s victory. He encountered a pro-Trump “silent majority” on the campaign trail with the trailer.

“These are the people who are going to make this country change,” Bolus said.

Others attributed Trump’s victory in the Keystone State to other factors. Rafalko McNulty, a Hillary Clinton supporter, conceded that her preferred candidate did not campaign well enough here. Brauer noted the youth and black vote did not turn out for Clinton the way they did for Barack Obama. Baldino thinks a “perfect storm” of a flawed Democratic candidate and a frustration with the established political order fueled his victory.

“He’s already making his mark,” Brauer said, adding that Trump has already also had one judicial nominee seated on the U.S. Supreme Court and nominated about 20 others to other federal courts. “Donald Trump is being the president he said he’s going to be. If you agreed with him during the election, I guess you think that’s great, but if you disagreed with him during the election, you should be scared.”

PCN filmed the forum and will broadcast it several times this month. To watch the entire discussion, tune in to PCN today at 2 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Contact the writer:

cover@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5363;

@ClaytonOver on Twitter

MARRIAGE LICENSE

• Raffaele Lubrano and Yessenia Cruz-Salazar, both of Old Forge.

DIVORCES SOUGHT

• William H. Lovell III, Clarks Summit, v. Gabriela E. Lovell, Clarks Summit; married Oct. 25, 2014, in Dickson City; pro se.

• Francis Edward Schumacher, Spring Brook Twp., v. Doris Marie Schumacher, Bethlehem; married May 4, 2004, in Bethlehem; pro se.

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

• John L. Kennedy, South Abington Twp., to Joseph P. and Janet B. Incelli, Archbald; two parcels in Jermyn for $300,000.

• Specialized Loan Servicing, attorney-in-fact for Bank of New York Mellon, formerly known as the Bank of New York, as trustee for the certificate holders of the CWALT Inc. alternative loan trust 2006-OA10 mortgage pass-through certificates, Highlands Ranch, Colo., to William and Susan Lee Felins, Gouldsboro; a property on Lake Natalie Drive, Clifton Twp., for $142,500.

• Udren Law Offices PC, attorney-in-fact for Freddie Mac, aka Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., to Ann Marie and Ivan Pagan; a property at 1414 St. Ann’s St., Scranton, for $44,900.

• Daniel John and Shawna Patrice Marx, Scranton, to James M. and Marilee A. Sweeney, Scranton; a property at 203 Yesu Drive, Scranton, for $207,000.

ESTATE FILED

• Rose Bauer, 700 Davis St., Scranton, letters of administration to Charles Bauer, 7372 North Papago Road, Douglas, Ariz.

LAWSUITS

• Martha Marsico, 514 Electric St., Scranton, v. Thomas F. Mazur, 1210 Melnes St., Scranton, seeking an amount in excess of $50,000 exclusive of interest and costs and in excess of any jurisdictional amount requiring compulsory arbitration for injuries suffered Sept. 3, 2016, in an automobile accident on Boulevard Avenue, Scranton; Edward G. Krowiak, attorney.

• Victor Bolcavage, 112 Old Ridge Road, Archbald, v. Nicole Davies, 177 Railroad Ave., Peckville, seeking in excess of $50,000 plus all costs and other relief deemed necessary for injuries suffered June 15 in an automobile accident on Commerce Boulevard at or near the intersection of Route 6, Dickson City; Marc I. Simon, attorney.

ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/courts

Honesdale

Blood drive: American Red Cross blood donation opportunity, Wednesday, 1:30-6 p.m., Honesdale High School, 459 Terrace St.

Lackawanna County

Blood drives: American Red Cross blood donation opportunities, today, 1-6 p.m., Greenfield Fire Hall, 424 Route 106, Greenfield Twp.; Thursday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Keystone College, Evans Hall, 1 College Green, La Plume; Jan. 30, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Penn State University Worthington Scranton Campus, 120 Ridgeview Drive, Dunmore.

Sewing club: The Glenburn 4-H Sewing Club is taking registrations for youth to sign up for 4-H textile science projects; members learn basic clothing construction skills to complete a garment of their choice; all levels of experience are accepted, including tailoring and formalwear; boys and girls 8-19 years old can register by calling Hilda Lewis, 570-563-1369; info, 570-963-6842.

Vegetable meeting: The local commercial vegetable growers Northeast Vegetable Meeting will be Thursday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Newton Ransom Fire Company, Newton Ransom Boulevard; registration fee for the meeting is $36 if registering now or at the door; fee includes morning refreshments, buffet lunch and handouts; to register, https://extension.psu.edu/vegetable-meeting or 877-345-0691; questions, John Esslinger, 570-316-6516.

Scranton

Blood drives: American Red Cross blood donation opportunities, Mondays, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays, 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Scranton Blood Donation Center, 3 W. Olive St. (in the Icebox Complex); Tuesday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Marywood University, Nazareth Hall, 2300 Adams Ave.; Wednesday, noon-5 p.m., Regional Hospital of Scranton, General Services Building, 746 Jefferson Ave.; Jan. 30, noon-5 p.m., Moses Taylor Hospital, 700 Quincy Ave.

Throop

Chicken barbecue: Throop Hose Company 1 annual Super Bowl Sunday chicken barbecue, Feb. 4, noon-3 p.m., 512 Center St.; takeout or sit-down; $9 donation, tickets available from all members or call Dave Benson, 570-383-1019; all members and auxiliary are asked to bake; baked goods can be dropped off at the hose company hall on the morning of the barbecue.

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.

Jan. 19, 1918

Scranton’s oldest native son dies

Edward Merrifield, a lawyer and historian, died Jan. 19 at Hahnemann Hospital. He was 86.

Merrifield was born in Hyde Park in 1832, making him the oldest native son of Scranton. He attended Judge MacCartney’s law school in Easton. In 1855, he was admitted to the Luzerne County Bar. He would become a recognized barrister throughout the area.

In 1878, Merrifield took a break from his law practice to draft the legislation for the creation of Lackawanna County. He also worked to get it passed in the state Legislature. He was survived by an adopted daughter and a nephew.

Mayor Connell confined to bed

Scranton Mayor Alex Connell was confined to bed with a possible appendicitis. According to those close to the situation, Connell had been complaining of abdominal pain for several weeks, and the pain grew worse the evening of Jan. 18.

Connell was staying at the home of his physician, Dr. Charles Noecker, under the care of Mrs. Noecker, who was Connell’s cousin. Dr. Noecker was expected to return to Scranton Jan. 19 to diagnosis and develop a treatment plan for Connell.

Councilman’s idea to ‘get out’ tabled

Scranton Councilman Robert Bauer proposed at a council meeting that council should take a day each week to get out and see what is going on around the city.

Councilman D.J. Campbell said, “Do you mean, Bob, to go out looking for trouble?” Bauer said the idea was for council to get “acquainted with conditions and familiarizing itself with things generally.”

Council President Thomas Saville said, “The members of the council are concerned in the affairs of the city seven days of every week.”

Council tabled the idea.

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.

HONESDALE — Wayne County has a new first assistant district attorney.

District Attorney Patrick Robinson named Deborah Rothenberg, who has worked as a Wayne County prosecutor for more than five years, as first assistant. Rothenberg primarily focused on child abuse and sexual abuse cases during her tenure with the office.

“Debbie Rothenberg is a fierce advocate for the victims of child abuse and sexual assault. She is smart and tenacious,” Robinson said in a statement. “The taxpayers of Wayne County will certainly get their money’s worth from Debbie Rothenberg.”

— CLAYTON OVER

SCRANTON — A West Scranton couple accused of neglecting their young son pleaded guilty to endangerment charges Thursday in Lackawanna County Court.

Ashley Stoveken DeJesus, 26, and her husband, Jonathan DeJesus, 25, both of 811 W. Elm St., each admitted their guilt to one misdemeanor count of recklessly endangering another person during brief appearances before Judge Andy Jarbola.

The parents, who have married since their arrests, were charged by city police in April with failing to provide proper medical care and sustenance to their child.

The investigation began after Ashley DeJesus took her son for a well-child examination March 7, leading to the boy’s hospitalization and resulting in a Childline referral to the police special victims unit, according the arrest affidavit.

The Childline report said the boy, who was 21 months old at the time but weighed just 13 pounds, was severely malnourished and was not walking or talking. The child had not been seen by a physician since he was 2 weeks old and had not received any of his immunizations, the report said.

In statements to investigators, Ashley DeJesus acknowledged she had done things incorrectly with respect to caring for the child but blamed her failure to take him for regular pediatrician visits on the lack of insurance, police said.

Both she and Jonathan DeJesus told police they fed the boy everything from eggs to pizza to macaroni and cheese, but were at a loss to explain why he did not gain weight, the affidavit said.

Jarbola set sentencing for the couple for Jan. 29.

The endangerment charge carries a sentence of up to two years in jail and a $5,000 fine. Deputy District Attorney Jennifer McCambridge told Jarbola the prosecution will not make a sentencing recommendation and will defer to the court on sentencing.

The parents remain free on bail.

Contact the writer:

dsingleton@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9132

A family-owned motorcycle dealership on Thursday acquired the former Rommel Harley-Davidson of Scranton, with plans to restore its historic name.

Hannum’s Harley-Davidson, based in Media, bought the dealership at 1534 Scranton/Carbondale Highway, Dickson City. Hannum’s owners say they’ll call it Electric City Harley-Davidson, the same name chosen by the original owners, the Noto family, when they opened it 12 years ago.

Renovations to the 32,000-square-foot motorcycle shop and service station are underway, with the dealership to open Thursday, Feb. 1. A grand opening event is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 17.

Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Hannum’s owns four other dealerships, three in Southeast Pennsylvania and one in Rahway, New Jersey.

“The passion for Harley-Davidson out here is undeniable and we look forward to welcoming customers both old and new back to Electric City Harley-Davidson,” said third-generation owner Tom Hannum III in a written statement.

Hannum’s boasts it will have more than 500 new and used motorcycles in stock at all times, as well as robust sales, service, parts and merchandise departments.

Under the Notos’ ownership, Electric City hosted frequent bike night and fundraiser events, and it appears Hannum’s will preserve the tradition with plans already underway for summer bike nights and workshops.

“We’ve been selling motorcycles since the ’50s,” said Hannum’s spokesman Tony Sebia. “That’s what drove us to the area; we liked the history and the people and that they’ve been riding for so long, the generational aspect of it.”

Bob Noto founded his family’s first dealership in 1989 in Scranton. He and his sons, Robert and Thomas Noto, opened Electric City Harley-Davidson in 2005 in Dickson City. The family also owned the former Noto’s Harley-Davidson Shop on Route 315 in Plains Twp., which opened in 2002.

The Noto family sold Electric City Harley-Davidson and its Plains Twp. shop to Annapolis, Maryland-based Rommel Harley-Davidson in 2014.

Contact the writer:

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

@jon_oc on Twitter

With a federal government shutdown looming, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey urged Republicans to spend a few more days nailing down missing elements of a massive bill to fund the government rather than allowing a shutdown.

Without more negotiation, 35,000 retired Pennsylvania coal miners could lose their pensions, 800,000 Pennsylvanians could lose access to community health care centers, veterans could lose some benefits and rural hospitals could lose extra funding that helps them remain open, Casey said during a conference call with reporters.

“Republicans who have a one-party rule ... seem to want to provoke a shutdown by refusing to do the basic work of governing,” Casey said.

Casey placed the potential blame on a possible government shutdown firmly on Republicans, saying they control both houses of Congress and the White House. He decried a House bill that he said fails to address the issues he talked about. He called that bill the work of the House Freedom Caucus that “runs the House” and wants “to run the Senate.”

Casey, a Scranton Democrat, never mentioned congressional Democrats other demand before they back a spending bill: a deal on immigration that would prevent deportation of young immigrants known as dreamers. Republican congressional leaders say Democrats demands to tie a deal on the dreamers to support for the spending bill could lead to a shutdown.

The House bill passed 230 to 197 on Thursday and includes funding for six years of funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, one of Casey’s pet programs. Casey said he wants either a 10-year extension or permanent funding of CHIP.

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

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bitterly divided Washington hurtled toward a government shutdown Friday in a partisan stare-down over demands by Democrats for a solution on politically fraught legislation to protect about 700,000 younger immigrants from being deported.

Republicans and Democrats in Congress and the White House traded blame for the increasingly likely shutdown with just hours remaining before the midnight deadline. President Donald Trump phoned Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York to invite him to the White House Friday afternoon to try to reach some sort of accord.

Democrats in the Senate have served notice they will filibuster a four-week, government-wide funding bill that cleared the House Thursday evening. That could expose them to charges that they are responsible for a shutdown, but they point the finger at Republicans instead.

"They're in charge," Schumer said Friday as he entered his Capitol office. "They're not talking to us. They're totally paralyzed and inept. There's no one to negotiate with."

Republicans controlling the narrowly split chamber argue that it's the Democrats who are holding the government hostage over demands to protect "dreamer" immigrants brought to the country as children and now here illegally.

And the White House piled on, trying to paint the impending action as the "Schumer shutdown." Still, officials said the president has been working the phones trying to avert one.

As a shutdown loomed, the White House said Friday that Trump would not leave for a planned weekend trip to Florida. The president had been set to leave Friday afternoon to celebrate the one-year anniversary of his inauguration at his Palm Beach estate.

The impact of the potential shutdown on the planned trip by Trump and much of his Cabinet to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, next week was still undetermined.

Trump entered the fray early Friday morning, mentioning the House-approved bill on Twitter, adding: "Democrats are needed if it is to pass in the Senate — but they want illegal immigration and weak borders. Shutdown coming? We need more Republican victories in 2018!"

Trump has given Congress until March 5 to save the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program protecting young immigrants, so "there is absolutely no reason to tie those things together right now," Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said at the White House.

On Capitol Hill, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he hoped to vote on the House-passed bill "soon," and he said Americans at home would be watching to see "which senators make the patriotic decision" and which "vote to shove aside veterans, military families and vulnerable children to hold the entire country hostage... until we pass an immigration bill."

In the House, Republicans muscled the measure through on a mostly party-line 230-197 vote after making modest concessions to chamber conservatives and defense hawks.

The chamber backed away from a plan to adjourn for a one-week recess Friday afternoon, meaning the GOP-controlled House could wait to see if a last-minute compromise would be reached requiring a new vote.

A test vote on a filibuster by Senate Democrats appeared likely before the shutdown deadline. Schumer was rebuffed in an attempt to vote Thursday night.

"We can't keep kicking the can down the road," said Schumer, insisting on more urgency in talks on immigration. "In another month, we'll be right back here, at this moment, with the same web of problems at our feet, in no better position to solve them."

The short-term measure would be the fourth stopgap spending bill since the current budget year started in October. A pile of unfinished Capitol Hill business has been on hold, first as Republicans ironed out last fall's tax bill and now as Democrats insist on progress on immigration. Talks on a budget deal to ease tight spending limits on both the Pentagon and domestic agencies are on hold, as is progress on a huge $80 billion-plus disaster aid bill.

House GOP leaders sweetened the pending stopgap measure with legislation to extend for six years a popular health care program for children from low-income families and two-year delays in unpopular "Obamacare" taxes on medical devices and generous employer-provided health plans.

A shutdown would be the first since 2013, when tea party Republicans — in a strategy not unlike the one Schumer is employing now — sought to use a must-pass funding bill to try to force then-President Barack Obama into delaying implementation of his marquee health care law. At the time, Trump told Fox & Friends that the ultimate blame for a shutdown lies at the top. "I really think the pressure is on the president," he said.

Arguing that Trump's predecessors "weaponized" that shutdown, Mulvaney said Friday the budget office would direct agencies to work to mitigate the impact of a potential lapse in funding.

"The difference between now and 2013 is that the president is standing in the way of a bipartisan agreement," Schumer said, referring to a proposal forged by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., among others, that would provide protections to dreamer immigrants, fund border security, and eliminate an immigration lottery aimed at promoting diversity.

Democrats want a deal to protect around 700,000 immigrants from deportation who arrived in the U.S. as children and have stayed here illegally. Trump has ended an Obama-era program providing those protections and given Congress until March to restore them, and he and Republicans want any immigration deal to include money for the president's promised wall along the Mexican border and other security measures.

Congress must act by midnight Friday or the government will begin immediately locking its doors. Though the impact would initially be spotty — since most agencies would be closed until Monday — the story would be certain to dominate weekend news coverage, and each party would be gambling the public would blame the other.

In the event of a shutdown, food inspections, federal law enforcement, airport security checks, and other vital services would continue, as would Social Security, other federal benefit programs and military operations. But most federal workers wouldn't be paid.

SCRANTON — Two city men face charges after selling drugs to undercover police officers Thursday.

Joshua “Fresh” Sweeting, 27, 1317 Myrtle St. , and Brian O’Hara, 38, 2012 Edna Ave. , each face drug charges after police said Sweeting sold oxycodone pills to officers in a parking garage at The Marketplace at Steamtown at about noon Thursday. Sweeting and O’Hara were together when police arrested Sweeting shortly thereafter. Sweeting initially resisted. Officers found two loaded handguns concealed in Sweeting’s pants, plus 105 oxycodone pills in a diarrhea medication pill bottle, police said. Officers seized 46 pills from O’Hara, who told police he conspired with Sweeting to sell the drugs earlier.

Sweeting also faces firearms charges. Bail and preliminary hearing information were not immediately available.

— CLAYTON OVER

A 21-year-old Carbondale man who gagged when investigators showed him a photograph of child pornography admitted within about an hour of seeing it that he seeks the images out, Lackawanna County detectives charged.

Damian J. Robinson, 72 Cemetery St., had 10 sexual images of prepubescent girls on his Samsung phone when detectives searched his devices Thursday. One of the photos displayed a young girl having sexual intercourse with an adult male, Detective Sheryl Turner wrote in a criminal complaint.

Detectives went to Robinson’s home because they had information child pornography had been uploaded from there, according to the complaint. Robinson denied ever seeing child pornography and gagged at an image detectives showed him. That image was provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Detectives told him they were checking his devices using forensic equipment and Robinson hedged, saying he may have seen child pornographer once or twice on Kik, a messaging app, but he would immediately block the person who sent it.

Turner then went to check on the status of the examination of Robinson’s electronic devices. About 45 minutes later, Robinson wanted to tell the detective a different story.

Robinson said he has a Facebook friend from Pittsburgh whom he would solicit child pornography from via Kik. Robinson stores the images on Dropbox in sub-folders with sexually suggestive labels.

Robinson is charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony. Robinson is in the Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $20,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

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

Lackawanna County detectives arrested two Scranton men and seized heroin and cocaine during a raid at an apartment in South Scranton, according to a criminal complaint.

Jack Tully, 39, 1242 Loomis Ave., and Robert Brownstein, 46, 315 Cedar Ave., were each arrested on several drug charges Wednesday night. Detectives also charged Tully with weapons charges once they discovered a stolen handgun in his trunk. Tully, who has a criminal history stretching back nearly 20 years, according to state records, is prohibited from owning a handgun because he pleaded guilty to a felony theft charge, according to detectives.

While investigating Brownstein, detectives bought heroin and cocaine from the Cedar Avenue apartment and applied for a search warrant. They learned Brownstein’s supplier, “Jack,” would be at the apartment and moved to arrest both of them.

Detectives and members of the Drug Task Force executed a search warrant on the apartment and said they found 30 bags of heroin, 10 twist bags of cocaine and, on the coffee table, the buy money they police used in their controlled drug purchases.

Tully is in Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $75,000 bail and Brownstein is free on $75,000 unsecured bail. Preliminary hearings are scheduled for Thursday.

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

Two airports in Northeast Pennsylvania will receive almost $353,000 from the state for equipment or safety upgrades.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport in Pittston Twp. and Seamans Airport in Benton Twp. are among nine across the commonwealth that will share $2.4 million in state money, the state Department of Transportation announced Friday.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will use its $279,375 from the state to acquire equipment to maintain the airfield and terminal area. The overall project cost is about $372,000.

Specifically, the airport will purchase new and better painting equipment for use on its runways, taxiways and ramps, said executive director Carl Beardsley Jr. It will replace older equipment that is now “on its last legs.”

The project also includes the first-time acquisition of a lift to perform maintenance on overhead lights. Until now, the airport relied on lifts belonging to other airfield tenants to do the work, Beardsley said.

“It’s similar to most of our projects,” he said. “It’s all about safety, operational effectiveness and the customer experience, and the thing about this project is it hits upon all three.”

The $73,500 in funding for Seamans will go toward rehabilitation of the existing runway, said Bill Dobitsch, president of Endless Mountains Air Inc., which operates the facility.

“We’re excited about it,” Dobitsch said. “We were hoping the funding would get allocated, but you never know for sure. ... It will be good for the field and obviously for the pilots of the area.”

The project, which has a total cost of $98,000, will include repairing the cracks in the runway and taxiways that have developed since the last rehabilitation project in 2004 or 2005, he said.

Dobitsch said he anticipates Seamans to go back to the state in two years to seek funding to fully seal-coat the runway and apply new lines.

The department distributed the money through the State Aviation Development Program, which is funded through the collection of state taxes on jet fuel. The funds typically are used to pay for up to 75 percent of the total eligible project costs and 50 percent of the non-federal share of federally funded projects.

PennDOT said the $2.4 million announced Friday will leverage $665,125 in matching funds.

“Supporting our roughly 400 airports not only keeps goods and people moving, but also supports hundreds of thousands of jobs,” PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards said in a statement.. “These investments ensure safe operations and assist with key upgrades.”

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

SCRANTON — Many federal facilities in Northeast Pennsylvania will remain open under a government shutdown, officials said Friday.

For example, federal employees at the William J. Nealon Federal Building in Scranton, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Plains Twp., the Tobyhanna Army Depot in Monroe County, and with the Transportation Security Administration at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport in Avoca, all stay on their jobs as usual, because those operations are deemed essential by the federal government, officials said.

However, the approximately 40 employees of the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton are not as lucky.

In the event of a shutdown, Steamtown National Historic Site would have about four hours early Saturday to clear out and close, park Superintendent Debbie Conway said.

“We really do hope the government remains open, but we have to be thinking about it just in case,” Conway said.

Having gone through a prior 16-day shutdown in 2013, and later near-shutdowns, some federal employees generally have a good idea about where they stand.

Operations remaining open in a shutdown still may have a few non-essential employees furloughed, while other facilities closing down may have some essential employees remain for vital maintenance or security.

VA Medical Center spokesman William Klaips said that while that facility, which serves 38,000 veterans, will not close in a shutdown, a few employees perhaps could end up furloughed.

The same holds true for the larger Veterans Health Administration, according to its statement provided by Klaips:

“The Veterans Health Administration received advance appropriations for fiscal year 2018, as part of the 2017 budget. So in the event of a government shutdown, VHA would continue full operations. In addition, even in the event that there is a shutdown, 95.5 percent of VA employees would come to work, and most aspects of VA’s operations would not be impacted.”

Tobyhanna Army Depot told its 3,800 employees to report for duty as usual, depot spokeswoman Kristyn Smith said.

“In the event of a government shutdown, Tobyhanna Army Depot will continue to operate as normal” and employees should report to work as scheduled, Smith said.

All functions at the federal courthouse in Scranton, including hearings and jury proceedings, also go on as usual under a shutdown, said courthouse operations manager Kevin Calpin.

“We’re deemed essential,” Calpin said.

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

The state Commonwealth Court again denied Dunmore businessman Louis DeNaples’ request to allow corporations in which he has an ownership interest to do business with Mount Airy Casino Resort.

The ruling, issued today, is the latest of several adverse decisions the court has handed DeNaples regarding his attempt to alter a decade-old agreement he reached with the Pennsylvania State Gaming Board that prohibits him from profiting directly or indirectly from the casino.

The dispute stems from a 2008 trust DeNaples established that transferred control and operation of the casino to his daughter, Lisa. The trust was formed after Dauphin County District Attorney’s office charged DeNaples with perjury for allegedly lying on his gaming license application. The case was dropped in 2009, but the gaming board continued to restrict his involvement in Mount Airy.

In the latest appeal, DeNaples’ attorney raised numerous issues with the board’s interpretation of the agreement. He argued, among other things, that the ban should not extend to corporations in which DeNaples has ownership because prior appellate courts have held that corporations are separate from the individuals who own them.

A three-member panel of the Commonwealth Court rejected all claims. The court said the agreement clearly states DeNaples cannot financially benefit from the casino either directly or indirectly. If it were to adopt his interpretation, it would render the agreement “essentially meaningless,” the court said.

The court noted the gaming board also said it would consider removing the provision that bars him from doing business with the casino if DeNaples would agree to answer questions regarding the alleged false statements he made to the board during the licensing process. He has declined to do so.

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

SCRANTON — The Soup Chic, a specialty soup maker from Forty Fort, plans to open at The Marketplace at Steamtown’s new Scranton Public Market.

Housed at Chic Chic Marketplace in Forty Fort, The Soup Chic participated in organizing the “Trim the Table” holiday-themed opener of the Scranton Public Market held in December at the downtown mall.

The business is run by Jessica Dal Santo Zielen and Megan Mould.

“The Soup Chic will be slinging soup once again … get excited Scranton! Our little soup stand should be up and operational by March-ish if all goes well,” a web post on Friday said. “Being a part of a diverse multi-use building in the heart of Scranton opens us up to traffic far beyond our customer base, especially in a new town where we may not be soup legends … yet.”

— JIM LOCKWOOD