SCRANTON — The Lackawanna County Marriage License Bureau will offer extended hours on six Thursdays in 2018.

On April 12, May 10, June 14, July 12, Aug. 9 and Sept. 13, the bureau will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Regular business hours are Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Those seeking a marriage license must bring a valid photo ID or current passport and know their Social Security number. Individuals who were previously married must bring a divorce decree signed by a judge or a death certificate. A $70-per-couple fee is also required.

Electronic marriage license applications can be found online at lackawannacounty.org.

For information, call the bureau in Suite 400 of the Scranton Electric Building, 507 Linden St., at 570-963-6708.

— JEFF HORVATH

Q: We recently bought a 2016 Prius. In general, we love it. We’re averaging mileage in the mid-50s. But I have one complaint: After each ride, it gives you a driving score from 1 to 100; if it thinks your score is too low, you get “helpful” driving hints.

What the heck does it know about driving? It gets driven, but it has never driven anywhere on its own — it’s not a self-driving car. I’ve been driving for decades before it was even born!

If I slam on the brakes to avoid some moron who has just swerved in front of me, it most likely will advise me to decelerate more smoothly. But the most aggravating feature is that it consistently gives my wife higher scores than mine. I generally get scores in the mid-60s or 70s (along with helpful driving hints), whereas she consistently gets scores in the 80s and even sometimes in the 90s. I think it’s prejudiced against men.

So, my question: Is there any way to disable this annoying feature without having to spend thousands of dollars?

— MIKE

A: It’s measuring aggressiveness, Mike. And judging from the tone of your letter, it looks like it might be on to something.

If you want better mileage — and if you want your car to last longer — driving gently is among the best things you can do. This annoying “score” is measuring how gently you accelerate, how steadily you cruise and how infrequently and gently you brake. And it’s telling you something I’m sure you already know: that you’re an animal, Mike, and your wife is not.

I’m sure your wife anticipated this problem when she talked you into trading in your Dodge Charger for this Prius.

Psychologists know that if you want to change behavior, you have to measure it. So, by giving you a score, and tacitly encouraging you to beat your score, the car is trying to train you to do the things that improve your mileage. Pavlovian games like this work on most people — we’re a lot more like lab rats than we like to admit.

I suppose, Mike, you could try to spite it and play a game to see how low a score you could get. Then you can try to convince your wife that it’s like blood pressure — the lower, the better. But I don’t think she’s going to buy it.

And unfortunately, there is no way to turn off or disable the scoring. You may be able to choose a different information screen (like the messages screen), but then you’ll lose all the other useful information that the mileage screen provides.

So I’d make peace with it, Mike, and try following its suggestions. Or, if that fails, try sabotaging your wife’s braking score by yelling “Watch out!” every few minutes.

Jan. 20, 1943

Striking Luzerne County miners defy the president

Miners at four Glen Alden mining operations —Woodward, Huber, Nottingham and Old Washington — voted to continue their strike despite an order from President Franklin D. Roosevelt to end the walkout and return to work in 48 hours.

Roosevelt said in his warning that he would take “necessary steps to protect the nation against serious injury to the war effort.”

Some coal miners in the Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton region had been striking for the past three weeks.

Scranton nurse saved

2nd Lt. Helen Jeffrey of Scranton and her fellow nurses and other WAAC officers were among those rescued in the Mediterranean Sea after a torpedo attack on their transport vessel just before Christmas.

Her parents were told of her arrival in North Africa but were unaware of the attack and the rescue until the War Department released information about it Jan. 19.

Jeffrey, who graduated from the Moses Taylor Hospital Nursing Training School in 1941, enlisted in June. She was first stationed at Pine Camp in New York and later transferred to a base in England.

Nane Krebs, musician, dies

Nane Krebs, well-known local string musician, died Jan. 19 at the home of her niece in South Abington Twp. She was 91.

Krebs, who played the cello and violin, had been performing until recently and was also a writer and painter. In April 1939, she staged a concert to raise money to help pay for the Clarks Summit High School senior class trip to Washington, D.C. She was survived by her niece and a nephew.

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.

ALLENTOWN — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention linked a national outbreak of salmonella infections, including five in Pennsylvania, to Coconut Tree-brand frozen shredded coconut, the agency announced.

The infection spread in nine states, affecting 25 people, according to the CDC. Six people have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported.

Salmonella infections can last four to seven days.

Health inspectors found that multiple people had an Asian-style dessert drink weeks before they got sick. The shredded coconut product, which was used in the drink, has been recalled.

Consumers can return the frozen shredded coconut for a refund. And the CDC advised people to wash and sanitize countertops, drawers and freezer shelves where the product was stored.

— THE MORNING CALL

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 Friday, 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 the 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

MARRIAGE LICENSES

• Jeffrey Rimosites and Corrin Elyse McAlarney, both of Blakely.

• Frank J. Ciesielski and Kristy Lynn Neisser, both of Simpson.

DIVORCES SOUGHT

• Donna Lewis, Campbell, Calif., v. Robert Handloff, Thompson; married Sept. 14, 2007, in Wayne County; Dawn M. Riccardo, attorney.

• Adam J. Pezanowski Jr., Greenfield Twp., v. Deborah Pezanowski, Jermyn; married Aug. 8, 1981, in Lackawanna County; John J. Cerra, attorney.

• Margaret Miletta, Old Forge, v. Frank Zaleski, East Stroudsburg; married Oct. 13, 2009, in Lackawanna County; Brenda M. Kobal, attorney.

• Katherine E. Dombroski, Lackawanna County, v. Mark Peter Dombroski, Mountain Top; married March 20, 1982; Marjorie DeSanto Barlow, attorney.

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

• Elizabeth Moshkowski, Lackawanna County, to Francisco Ferrer Gonzalez and Amaryllis Feliciano, Scranton; a property at 302 21st Ave., Scranton, for $52,500.

• James V. and Kathlene D. Negvesky, Lackawanna County, to CGD LLC, Lackawanna County; a property at 901 Sumner Ave., Scranton, for $47,000.

• Ralph and Carol A. Pane, Lexington, N.C., to Thomas and Lisa Schilling, Scott Twp.; a property at 141 Chapman Lake Road, Scott Twp., for $252,000.

• John J. and Helen A. Ruby, Scranton, to Elias Ojeda Lopez, Corona, N.Y.; a property at 1419 Pittston Ave., Scranton, for $30,000.

• Andrew and Rachele Gorel, Simpson, to Kyle Herchik, Forest City; a property at 189 Belmont St., Carbondale, for $77,000.

• Gail W. O’Donnell, South Abington Twp., to Yibai and Xiaobing Li; a property at 219 Marcaby Lane, South Abington Twp., for $389,000.

• Ivan Raynov and Ruhka Shumanova, Glenburn Twp., to Elena Shurdom, Clarks Green; a property at 307 S. Abington Road, Clarks Green, for $127,000.

• Vincent and Marcel Piazza Jr., Clarks Summit, to Jonathan L. and Ariel Zohner, Lebanon; a property on Pondview Drive, South Abington Twp., for $290,250.

• Gertrude Yavorek to Devereux Foundation, Villanova; a property at 1020 Main St., Dickson City, for $150,000.

• Lisa Hnasko, Scranton, to Ragip and Elvir Music, as joint tenants with rights of survivorship, Brooklyn, N.Y.; a property at 1316 W. Gibson St., Scranton, for $46,000.

• Richard Carroll and Allison Schmidt, now by marriage Allison Carroll, Olyphant, to Nancy D. Lee, Herndon, Va.; a property at 929 Wheeler Ave., Scranton, for $70,500.

• Berlyn Holdings LLC to James D. and Sharon A. Elliott; a property at 1826 W. Gibson St., Scranton, for $142,000.

• Gerald Hubshman, Dunmore, to Robert J. Bruno, Clarks Summit; a property at 507 Ward St., Dunmore, for $195,000.

• Jeffrey D. and Rochelle McAllister, Spring Brook Twp., to Edward and Aliceann Moran, Carbondale, two parcels in Covington Twp. for $155,000.

• Manuel and Linda Rego, Newark, N.J., to Dennis J. and Vivian McComsey, Franklin Square, N.Y.; a property at 932 Meadowlark Drive, Madison Twp., for $285,000.

• Wimmers Bible Fellowship Church, Jefferson Twp., to Brian Davis, Jefferson Twp.; a property on Wimmers Road, Jefferson Twp., for $25,000.

ESTATES FILED

• Nancy Sereditch, also known as Nancy E. Sereditch, 725 N. Valley Ave., Olyphant, letters of administration to Edward Sereditch, 299 Live Oak Lane, West Chester.

• Carol Lewis, 100 Edella Road, Clarks Summit, letters testamentary to Kate Holod, also known as Kathryn Holod, 410 Tulip Circle, Clarks Summit.

• Joseph E. Lena, 103 Clairmont Road, Dickson City, letters testamentary to Helen J. Dharmarajah, 10 Sandi Court, North Mankato, Minn.

• Robert Karlavige, Allied Services, 303 Smallcombe Drive, Clarks Summit, letters of administration to Barbara Earley, 2224 Madison Ave., Dunmore.

• Jean Plummer, also known as Jean M. Plummer, 2067 N. Turnpike Road, La Plume Twp., letters testamentary to David Plummer, 96 Matthewson Terrace, Factoryville.

• Marian L. McGraw, also known as Marion L. McGraw, 519 Shirley Lane, Dunmore, letters testamentary to Mary Kathleen Clarke, 1510 Quincy Ave., Dunmore.

• Audrey J. Te’Ketch, 1649 Church Ave., Scranton, letters testamentary to Joelyn S. Neidig, 163 Van Horn Blvd., Muncy.

• Henry G.R. Baust Jr., 212 Miller Road, Abington Twp., letters of administration to Robert Arthur Baust, P.O. Box 101, Gardners.

ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/courts

WILKES-BARRE TWP. — Lord & Taylor has notified the state it plans to lay off 202 workers from its distribution center on Highland Park Boulevard.

“This will be a permanent layoff,” wrote Jessica Arnold, director and senior counsel for labor and employment for parent company Hudson’s Bay Co. in a letter to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, as required by law before larger layoffs.

The layoff notice was the second big one over the last week in Northeast Pennsylvania.

Technicolor Home Entertainment Services in Olyphant announced in a WARN notice that it will lay off 160 workers starting March 17 and the plant will close.

The Wilkes-Barre Twp. layoffs would be finalized by April 27, according to the notice.

But Hudson’s Bay says the positions are being transferred, not eliminated.

Chantal Richard, a company spokeswoman, said Lord & Taylor is not closing and the jobs are being transferred to a new facility in Schuylkill County. She said the state notice is part of a previous announcement that jobs are moving.

The e-commerce fulfillment operations are moving to Pottsville and the distribution center in Wilkes-Barre Twp. “will remain open and all retail-focused departments and other support functions, including contact center, store staffing and print shop, will continue to operate,” Richard said.

“Transfer opportunities will be identified when feasible,” Richard said.

Hudson’s Bay Co. also is partnering with organizations and agencies in Wilkes-Barre Twp. to identify local employment opportunities for impacted associates that are unable to relocate, she said.

Richard could not say how many employees still work at the Wilkes-Barre Twp. facility.

According to the layoff notice, all employees who are not placed in other locations will receive “an appropriate” severance package.

The human resources department is providing employees with additional information, including severance and benefit information.

Affected employees are not in a union, according to the notice.

Lord & Taylor opened in Wilkes-Barre Twp. in 1992.

The facility focuses on supporting the retail operations of Lord & Taylor as well as Saks Fifth Avenue and Saks Off 5th. Hudson’s Bay Co. acquired Saks Fifth Avenue in late 2013.

An 8,000-square-foot clearance center and outlet store, located within the 600,000-square-foot distribution and service center, closed in 2015 to allow for an expansion of its e-commerce business.

Contact the writer:

dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2115,

@CVAllabaugh 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 nonfederal 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 — City police are seeking a woman accused of attacking another woman with a Snapple bottle on Thursday night.

Blair Hart, 30, 1614 Linden St., second floor, Scranton, is charged with aggravated assault, robbery and related charges after an altercation near Lackawanna County Prison about 7:10 p.m.

A bloody Kassandra Matthews told police she and Hart were both at the prison to visit a common ex-girlfriend. Afterward, Hart confronted her in a nearby restaurant before hitting her in the head with a Snapple bottle several times. Hart fled with Matthews’ cellphone, police said.

Anyone with information on Hart’s whereabouts is asked to contact city police by submitting an anonymous tip on the department’s website or calling 570-348-4134.

— CLAYTON OVER

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

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 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

WILKES-BARRE — Nonunionized employees of the Luzerne County Court system received a 3 percent raise in paychecks issued Friday, according to court administrator Michael Shucosky.

The raise for more than 90 employees of the court administration, probation and domestic relations departments is overdue, Shucosky said. Court employees not represented by unions last received a percentage-based raise eight years ago, though they received a fixed $1,500 pay increase in 2014, he said.

The raises, which will add about $110,000 to the court system’s payroll costs this year, are factored into the court’s 2018 budget and will not require any budgetary transfers, according to Shucosky and county Manager David Pedri.

— ERIC MARK

NEW YORK — President Donald Trump tweeted that it was a “perfect day” for women to march to celebrate the “economic success and wealth creation” that’s happened during his first year in office — while women across the nation rallied against him and his policies.

“Get out there now to celebrate the historic milestones and unprecedented economic success and wealth creation that has taken place over the last 12 months,” the Republican wrote Saturday afternoon. “Lowest female unemployment in 18 years!”

But people participating in rallies and marches in the U.S. and around the world Saturday denounced Trump’s views on immigration, abortion, LGBT rights, women’s rights and more.

The march in Washington, D.C., on Saturday had the feel of a political rally when U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, both Democrats, urged women to run for office and vote to oppose Trump and the Republicans’ agenda.

“We march, we run, we vote, we win,” Pelosi said, to applause.

Thousands of people turned out for the rally at Lincoln Memorial and a march from the National Mall to Lafayette Park. It was one of many around the U.S. and the world in support of female empowerment.

Thousands of people gathered in Cleveland; Richmond, Virginia; Philadelphia; New York; Austin, Texas; and elsewhere.

“I think right now with the #MeToo movement, it’s even more important to stand for our rights,” said Karen Tordivo, who marched in Cleveland with her husband and 6-year-old daughter.

In Palm Beach, Florida, home to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, several hundred people gathered carrying anti-Trump signs as they prepared to march as part of Saturday’s planned protests.

Across the globe, people hit the streets on the anniversary of Trump’s inauguration, marching against his policies and in support of the #MeToo movement against sexual assault and harassment.

In Palm Beach, a group of women wearing red cloaks and white hats like the characters in the book and TV show “The Handmaid’s Tale” marched in formation, their heads bowed.

In Los Angeles, organizers predicted thousands of people, including state officials and celebrities, would march to City Hall.

Organizers in New York said the march was important because basic rights for women, immigrants and others are under attack.

Cathy Muldoon, a high school librarian from Dallas, Pennsylvania, took her two teenage daughters to the New York rally and said marching gives people hope. She said this year’s action is set against the backdrop of the Trump presidency, which “turned out to be as scary as we thought it would be.”

“I’ve not seen any checks and balances,” she said. “Everything is moving toward the right, and we have a president who seems to have no decency.”

In Chicago, thousands of people gathered in Grant Park. Fawzia Mirza drew cheers from the crowd as she kicked off the event with a reference to the partial government shutdown, which began hours earlier.

“When the government shuts down, women still march,” she said.

She said the event was about channeling women’s energy and “putting that power in the polls.”

Earlier Saturday, dozens of activists gathered in Rome to denounce violence against women and express support for the #MeToo movement. They were joined by Italian actress and director Asia Argento, who made headlines after alleging in 2017 she had been sexually assaulted by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in the 1990s.

The 2017 rally in Washington, D.C., and hundreds of similar marches created solidarity for those denouncing Trump’s views on abortion, immigration, LGBT rights and more. Millions of people around the world marched during last year’s rallies, and many on Saturday thought about all that’s happened in the past year.

The Republican president on Friday delivered new support to the anti-abortion movement he once opposed, speaking by video to thousands of activists at the annual March for Life.

In New York, scheduled speakers included Ashley Bennett, a Democrat who was elected Atlantic County, New Jersey, freeholder last November. Bennett defeated Republican incumbent John Carman, who had mocked the 2017 women’s march in Washington with a Facebook post asking whether the women would be home in time to cook dinner.

Among the goals of this year’s march are getting more Democrats to run for public office and bolstering voter registration.

In Rome, Argento addressed the criticism she received once she spoke up about her abuse.

“Women are scared to speak, and because I was vilified by everything I said, I was called a prostitute for being raped,” she said at the rally.

Argento, who’s 42, was strongly criticized by many Italian media and Italian women for not speaking out earlier and was hounded on Twitter with accusations that she sought trouble.

Weinstein has apologized for causing “a lot of pain” with “the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past,” but he has denied “any allegations of non-consensual sex.”

Last year’s march in Washington sparked debate over inclusion, with some transgender minority women complaining that the event seemed designed for white women born female. Some anti-abortion activists said the event did not welcome them.

The organizers for the Sunday rally are striving for greater inclusion this year, with Latina and transgender female speakers, said Carmen Perez, another co-chair of the 2017 Washington march. Women in the U.S. illegally, sex workers and those formerly incarcerated are welcome, she said.

Linda Sarsour, one of the four organizers of last year’s Washington march, said Las Vegas was slotted for a major rally because it’s a strategic swing state that gave Democrat Hillary Clinton a narrow win in the presidential election and will have one of the most competitive Senate races in 2018.

The rallies also laid the groundwork for the recent movement that brought a reckoning for powerful men accused of sexual misconduct, Sarsour said.

“I think when women see visible women’s leadership, bold and fierce, going up against a very racist, sexist, misogynist administration, it gives you a different level of courage that you may not have felt you had,” she said.

Managing pizza restaurants in Northeast Pennsylvania, Heather Revello is always on the move, and she has a Fitbit activity tracker to record every step.

Revello, who runs pizza restaurants in Old Forge and Kingston, said she and her friends have a healthy ongoing competition using their Fitbits.

“Fitbit holds you accountable. I love it,” Revello, 36, said. “There’s a competitiveness when you challenge yourself with friends. You’ll take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park the car a little farther from the entrance. All to win a little emoji trophy on Saturday morning.”

They are not alone.

People in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre region ranked 17th nationwide in Fitbit use in 2017, according to data released by the San Francisco-based company.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre was on Fitbit’s list of the top 20 U.S. cities that were most active last year. The data was based on average step count, active minutes, lowest resting heart rate and longest sleep duration.

The study’s results don’t surprise Kim Laboranti, sales consultant for Uno Fitness in Scranton, who said she has seen an increased number of runners in the area in recent years.

Laboranti uses a Fitbit, and her goal is 15,000 steps a day, which she typically achieves. She also likes that the Fitbit holds her accountable to achieve her goal.

“If you don’t do it one day, you’ve got to do it tomorrow or better, or just maintain,” she said.

Laboranti is typically up before 4 a.m. working out on her treadmill before she opens Uno Fitness at 5 a.m. She said she is usually asleep by 7:30 or 8 every night and likes that her Fitbit also monitors her sleep patterns and makes sure she stays on schedule.

In addition to using her Fitbit to monitor her average daily steps and average hours slept per night, Laboranti also uses it to see how fast she’s going when she works out and when she’s most active.

Kim Segiel, registered dietitian for Geisinger Health System, was surprised by the region’s ranking because the area typically does not have a reputation for being fit and active.

“Maybe with devices like Fitbit, people are becoming more aware they need to move more and are moving,” said Segiel, who has a Fitbit and an Apple Watch.

Depending on the model, the cost of a Fitbit ranges from less than $100 to hundreds of dollars, she said.

Segiel sets a personal goal for herself to walk 20,000 steps a day. The recommended amount is typically 10,000 steps a day.

If people have desk jobs, she encourages them to find ways to move around more. People who get fitness trackers find them to be “very motivating,” she said.

Contact the writers:

dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com;

570-821-2115;

@CVAllabaugh on Twitter;

bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com;

570-821-2055;

@cvbobkal on Twitter

The people of NEPA may be stereotyped as hard-drinking, heavy-smoking residents of coal county, but we do also like to walk, keep moving and get a good night’s sleep. The area was included on Fitbit’s 2017 list of most active cities, based on step count, active minutes, lowest resting heart rate and longest sleep duration.

The top 20 most active areas are:

1 Boston, MA-Manchester, NH

2 Madison, WI

3 Portland-Auburn, ME

4 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN

5 Denver, CO

6 Rochester, NY

7 Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City & Dubuque, IA

8 Hartford & New Haven, CT

9 Yakima-Pasco-Richland-Kennewick, WA

10 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY

11 Syracuse, NY

12 Green Bay-Appleton, WI

13 Seattle-Tacoma, WA

14 Portland, OR

15 Providence, RI-New Bedford, MA

16 Philadelphia, PA

17 Wilkes Barre-Scranton, PA

18 San Diego, CA

19 San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA

20 Lincoln & Hastings-Kearney, NE

The top 20 cities with the lowest average resting heart rate is:

1 San Diego, CA

2 Boston, MA-Manchester, NH

3 Madison, WI

4 Portland-Auburn, ME

5 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN

6 Denver, CO

7 Rochester, NY

8 Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City &

Dubuque, IA

9 Hartford & New Haven, CT

10 Yakima-Pasco-Richland-Kennewick, WA

11 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY

12 Syracuse, NY

13 Seattle-Tacoma, WA

14 Portland, OR

15 Providence, RI-New Bedford, MA

16 Philadelphia, PA

17 Wilkes Barre-Scranton, PA

18 San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA

19 Lincoln & Hastings-Kearney, NE

20 Washington, DC (Hagerstown, MD)

Overall, the United States was ranked 20th for average daily steps with 7,500; Hong King took the top spot with 9,600 average daily steps. The U.S. ranked 13th for average hours slept per night with 6.73 hours; New Zealand was first with 7.1 hours.

December 31, 2016 (New Year’s Eve) was an active day for users around the world. It was the day with the most steps taken, active minutes, and sleep duration in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

The most popular day in 2017 for runners in the United States was May 16, 2017. The most popular day for bikers was July 4, 2017 for males and May 16, 2017 for females.

Fewer people own their homes, and that’s squeezing the rental market as more families sign leases instead of mortgages.

As the number of available apartments lags behind growing demand, rents are on the rise.

The median cost to rent an apartment in Pennsylvania swelled 5 percent, from $822 to $859 between 2011 and 2016, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data.

The phenomenon appears to have a disproportionate effect on people spending more of their income on rent, data shows.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development says a family is housing cost-burdened when they spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent.

Half of renting Pennsylvanians fit that description, data shows.

“The issue is that people don’t really make enough to afford housing,” said Phyllis Chamberlain, executive director of the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania. “It’s people like teachers and firefighters who are unable to afford housing in a place that doesn’t require them to have a really long commute.”

She pointed to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, which says the state suffers a deficit of nearly 260,900 rental units affordable for the lowest-income families, or those making 30 percent of the median family income or less.

In Lackawanna County, the number of households spending 30 percent or more on rent swelled from 44 percent in 2011 to 47 percent in 2016.

In Luzerne County, the increase was minuscule, less than 1 percent.

Wyoming County saw the greatest increase in cost-burdened residents, with a jump of nearly 10 percentage points in the same time frame to 47 percent.

“We have an affordable rental housing crisis in America,” said HUD Philadelphia regional spokeswoman Niki Edwards in an email. “We need more affordable homes — it’s just that simple.”

After the housing bubble burst and sparked the Great Recession, families lost their homes and were forced to rent. Add to that, the younger generation is delaying home ownership, choosing instead to rent.

Another factor leading to the shortage: more builders and developers favor high-wage earners with new construction, according to a report by the Joint Center for Housing Studies, a collaboration between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.

Think the dozen or so luxury apartment conversion projects in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre’s downtown areas, or Yalick Farms in Lehman Twp.

“It’s more challenging for developers housing for the lowest income households,” Chamberlain said. “There needs to be some subsidy that’s available so that we make it possible to create housing.”

Charles Jefferson’s development firm transformed several historic Scranton buildings to high-end apartments. From the outside looking in, he said the regulatory hurdles for low income tax incentives are far more rigorous than for typical apartments like his.

“There’s a lot of up front costs,” he said.

His current undertaking, Samters Lofts at Lackawanna and Penn avenues in Scranton where he plans apartments and commercial spaces, received a historic preservation tax credit to give new life to the old building, he said. He had clear parameters to meet in order to get it.

“It’s not that way with low income, it’s a very different process,” he said.

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

If voters approve reducing the state House by about a quarter, Northeast Pennsylvania will certainly wind up with fewer representatives in Harrisburg, local legislators said.

“I think if we’re reducing the House by a quarter, I don’t see how our region in Northeast Pennsylvania can avoid losing one legislator or two or maybe more,” state Rep. Aaron Kaufer, R-120, Kingston, said.

It’s simple math, said local legislators, most of whom favor reducing the House’s size from 203 to 151 members.

“We definitely would lose a seat,” state Rep. Marty Flynn, D-113, Scranton, said.

Lackawanna County, which has three House districts entirely and two partially in its boundaries, had 214,440 residents in the 2010 census.

After the 2010 census, the state’s 203 House districts were drawn to reflect districts of about 62,600 people.

Based on the state’s U.S. Census-estimated 2017 population of 12,805,537, a 151-member House would increase each district’s size to about 84,800 people.

With districts at 84,800 people, Lackawanna, which has about 211,300 residents, has enough people for two full districts with 41,700 people left over.

Luzerne County, with about 316,400 residents, has four districts entirely and two more partially in its borders. At 84,800 people, Luzerne only has enough population for three full districts with only 62,000 people left over.

Wayne, Susquehanna, Wyoming and Pike counties, already carved up among different districts, each have fewer than 62,600 residents and lack enough people to have a district entirely in their county boundaries. They would likely remain carved up among different districts, though maybe differently.

These are rough estimates, and reapportionment of districts after the 2020 census could alter district boundaries in myriad ways, but some loss of local legislators almost must happen in a smaller House. The reduced House changes would take effect in 2022. However, nothing can happen until the House and Senate vote a second time to put the question to voters later this year.

The last time the House voted on putting downsizing in the hands of voters, all but two local legislators voted for it.

The House passed the bill by 139 to 56 with six members absent on May 5, 2015. The local House members who voted for the bill were: Kaufer; Flynn; Rep. Sandy Major, R-111, Bridgewater Twp.; Rep. Sid Michaels Kavulich, R-114, Taylor; Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-116, Butler Twp.; Rep. Karen Boback, R-117, Harveys Lake; Rep. Mike Carroll, D-118, Avoca; Rep. Gerald Mullery, R-119, Newport Twp.; and Rep. Mike Peifer, R-139, Greene Twp.

Rep. Frank Farina, D-112, Archbald, and Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-121, Wilkes-Barre, voted no.

The Senate passed the bill 43 to 6 on Jan. 27, 2016. State Sen. John Blake, D-22, Archbald, Sen. John Yudichak, D-14, Plymouth Twp., Sen. Lisa Baker, R-20, Lehman Twp., and Sen. John Gordner, R-27, Berwick, voted for the bill.

Carroll, Flynn, Kavulich, Fritz and Peifer said they plan to vote for the bill again.

“I don’t think it’s the panacea that everybody thinks it is,” Carroll said. “But there’s nothing magical about 203 (members).”

Carroll said the estimated savings of about $15 million expected from reducing the House’s size represents a small percentage of the state’s $32 billion budget. Still, modern ways of communicating and travel allow for larger districts, he said, though he acknowledged rural districts could face greater travel times because of their comparatively sparser populations.

“Obviously, things are broken now,” Flynn said before adding reservations.

Because the House is so much larger than the 50-member Senate, issues get vetted more thoroughly there, but it also means special interests have less influence, he said. That could change with a smaller House, he said.

With the state budget tight, Kavulich said the legislature should set an example.

“Even if it costs me my job, it’s the right thing to do,” he said. “If you have the right people in there and in there for the right reasons, I don’t think it will hurt us (the region).”

Fritz said he favors downsizing as long as rural districts like his don’t get hurt. He favors a population-based distribution of House members with every county getting at least one to a maximum of 10 for the most populous counties such as Philadelphia and Allegheny.

Peifer said he will vote for reduction. Before the 2010 reapportionment, his district probably had 75,000 residents because of population growth.

“I don’t think it’s a big deal,” Peifer said. “I do worry that at some point they’re (the districts are) going to get too big. People should be able to reach their representative.”

Haggerty said in an email that he favors reducing the size of the legislature.

Boback said in an email that she will decide whether to back the bill after debate on it. She raised concerns about whether downsizing would hurt people “who live outside of the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia metropolitan areas.”

Blake and Yudichak said they would vote for the bill again.

Efforts to reach Baker were unsuccessful.

Blake said he thinks the Senate should stay at 50 members because senators already represent about 255,000 people, but House colleagues tell him the House is “a little unwieldy.” The bill does not propose a change in the Senate’s size.

“Trying to get to 102 votes is a challenge,” he said, referring to the majority necessary to pass bills when all 203 members are present.

Yudichak, a House member for 12 years before his election to the Senate, said downsizing should produce a more manageable and efficient House, but favors a constitutional convention to address government reform.

Contact the writer:

bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9147;

@BorysBlogTT on Twitter

LAFLIN — State police on Saturday released the identities of two passengers in an ambulance that was struck in a head-on collision Thursday on state Route 315.

The passengers were Emmett Thomas, a paramedic with Greater Pittston Regional Ambulance, and Marjorie Melewski, 87, of Pittston, who was a patient being transported to a hospital at the time of the crash.

As of Saturday, Melewski had been discharged from the Progressive Care Unit at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Twp., according to hospital personnel.

Ed Szafran, Greater Pittston Ambulance deputy chief of operations, indicated in a Facebook post late Thursday night that Thomas, 50, of Kingston, and Shavertown resident Michael Ankenband, the 34-year-old driver of the ambulance, had been released from the hospital.

— STEVE MOCARSKY

“You got to know when to hold ‘em/ Know when to fold ‘em/ Know when to walk away/ And know when to run.” — from “The Gambler,” by Kenny Rogers

Called on his bluff for the umpteenth time, Chris Thomas smiled like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth.

Cool confidence is a plus in poker but can’t improve a losing hand. Chris Thomas doesn’t know when to fold. He’s still playing “Old Forge Hold ’em” with house money.

Thomas sat grinning next to Joan Wilk at Tuesday’s meeting of the Old Forge School Board. Thomas, 45, is board secretary. Wilk, 77, is president. Both are new(ish) members (Wilk was on the board in the late ’80s), but only one was fired by the district in March 2017 and somehow allowed to resign three months later with a secret settlement funded by taxpayers.

The Times-Tribune has been trying to get the details of that settlement — which was paid with public money and therefore must be revealed to the public — for months. Thomas and the district have stonewalled the newspaper, which has filed several Right to Know requests that remain under review by the state Office of Open Records.

A decision by the OOR could come by Feb. 9, and possibly sooner. We are confident the office will rule in the public interest, and the secrets Thomas and this district have been keeping will be brought to light.

If (when) the OOR rules that a settlement paid with public money can’t be kept secret, Old Forge Open Records Officer Brian Rinaldi told me Friday he will release the information.

“I would feel obligated to follow the direction of the Office of Open Records,” he said.

Secrets are tough to keep in a small town, and the Chris Thomas debacle has long been the talk of the town. Rumors abound, and readers routinely ask me and other Times-Tribune reporters what’s taking the newspaper so long to sort this scandal out.

Again, the delay is on Chris Thomas and the district. Would he have been elected to the school board if voters had known the details of his settlement? There’s no way to know because Thomas and the district denied voters the chance to make an informed choice.

Back in November, I asked Thomas to come clean and explain why he was fired and how he was allowed to resign three months later. He wouldn’t even admit that he was fired, but said, “I really hope you get the information you’re looking for. I really do.”

I went to the Old Forge School Board meeting Tuesday to call Thomas on his bluff. He said I was seeking information he “can’t” provide. The board also declined to release the settlement details, but did manage to fire Superintendent John Rushefski. He and Thomas have a history of bad blood, and Thomas openly threatened to get rid of Rushesfski.

At Tuesday’s meeting, there was a discrepancy in which the minutes for the November meeting were substituted for the December meeting. Thomas, the board secretary, couldn’t explain the switch, and the board tabled a motion to approve the minutes.

The next day, Joan Wilk called to say I was welcome to listen to the recorded minutes of the past few meetings. I was on deadline, but decided to honor the district’s lone approximation at transparency on the Thomas case.

I went to the high school and picked up a thumb drive and wasted about three hours listening to recordings that brought me no closer to being able to report the details of Thomas’ settlement. It was like binge-listening to a narcoleptic read the phone book, but I got paid to do it.

Chris Thomas got paid to go away. He didn’t. The Times-Tribune isn’t going away, either. I’ll tell you what I told Thomas as he left Tuesday’s meeting: He can bluff all he wants, but eventually, he’ll have to lay his cards on the table.

“We’re going to get to the bottom of this,” I said.

Thomas walked away, smiling like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth.

CHRIS KELLY, The Times-

Tribune columnist, doesn’t play poker. Contact the writer: kellysworld@timesshamrock.com, @cjkink on Twitter. Read

his award-winning blog at blogs.thetimes-tribune.com/kelly.

VFW Post 4909
plans dinner-dance

Dupont VFW Post 4909 Home Association’s Valentine’s Day dinner-dance, Feb. 10, post; bar open, 7:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.; dinner, 7:30-8:45; Millennium playing, 9 p.m.-1 a.m., door prizes; $30; reservations, Bob Lopata at post or 570-654-9104 before Feb. 9; www.vfw4909.com.

109th offers
scholarships

The 109th Infantry Regiment Association will offer $1,000 scholarships to children and grandchildren of members and veterans of the regiment. Applications are available at http://109thinfantry.org under the documents tab. Deadline is April 15.

Meetings

POST 4909

Dupont VFW Post 4909, Feb. 5, 7:30 p.m., post home; home association meeting follows.

POST 6528

Hyde Park Memorial VFW Post 6528, today, 11 a.m.; 570-961-2696.

POST 665 AUXILIARY

American Legion Post 665 Auxiliary, Dickson City, today 1 p.m., post.

NERMA

Northeast Retired Military Association, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., Maira’s Cafe, 327 Chestnut St., Dunmore.

VFW DISTRICT 10

VFW District 10, meeting on Voice of Democracy and Patriot Pen, Feb. 24, noon, Post 7063, 272 Main St., Eynon.

POST 7069

Abington Memorial VFW Post 7069, February meeting canceled.

SEABEES

Seabee Veterans of America, Wednesday, 1 p.m., Dickson City American Legion.

MILITARY SPOUSES

Support group for military spouses and significant others of all branches, Thursday 5:30 p.m., Gino J. Merli Veterans Center, Scranton; 570-961-4359.

MERLI CENTER

Today: Keurig coffee, 8:30 a.m.; morning visits, 8:45; Eucharistic ministry visits, 9:15 a.m.; bingo sponsored by Rolling Thunder, 2 p.m.; small group programs on units, 3:30.

Monday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; Bible study visits, 9:30; tai chi with music, second floor, 10:15; La Trattoria dine-in, 12:15 p.m.; karaoke, open mic with beverages, 2 p.m.; small group programs on units, 3:30.

Tuesday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; bingo social, second floor, 10:15; volunteer ministry, 1:15 p.m.; choir practice, 1:45; Catholic service, 3; unit visits, 4.

Wednesday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; tic tac toe floor game, second floor, 10:15; birthday bash, music by Millennium, cake and ice cream; small group programs on units, 3:30; poker night, 2 north lounge, 7.

Thursday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; Denny’s brunch trip, sponsored by Disabled American Veterans, 9:45; chapel service, 10; arts and crafts, second floor, 10:15; horse races sponsored by Rocco Valvano, 2 p.m.; senior fitness, 3; unit visits, 4; Bible study, 2 south lounge, 7:15.

Friday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; coffee and doughnuts, 10:15; bingo sponsored by the Marine Corps League, 2 p.m.; senior fitness, 3; unit visits, 4.

Saturday: Morning visits, 9 a.m.; golf, second floor, 10:15; bingo social, third floor, 2 p.m.; small group programs on units, 3:30.

VETERANS NEWS
should be submitted no later than Monday before publication to
veterans@timesshamrock.com; or YES!desk, The Times-Tribune, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503.

Ice industry focus of program

Local historian Rick Smith will discuss the former local ice harvesting industry in the Pocono plateau and its demise at a Lackawanna Historical Society event in February.

From Monroe County, Smith’s father was an “ice- man” and worked on ice harvests, storage and local deliveries, the society said. He passed his knowledge and tools onto his son, whose program is titled, “The Ice Industry of the Poconos.” Ice was harvested from lakes and ponds in the area from the late 1800s to mid-1900s. Smith will also show video footage from the 1920s about the industry.

A Pocono Mountain High School 1971 graduate, Smith received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Wilkes University. Smith retired from Sanofi Pasteur in 2016 and lives with his wife, Kelley, in Stroudsburg.

The program is Sunday, Feb. 11, at 2 p.m. at the society’s headquarters, the Catlin House, 232 Monroe Ave., Scranton. For details or to make a reservation, contact the historical society at 570-344- 3841 or by email lacka

wannahistory@gmail.com.

High notes

Representatives from the Build a Spartan Foundation including, Don Healey, president, presented the Mid Valley School District with a $17,000 donation to help support the district’s new Science Technology Engineering and Math programs.

The foundation was created in 2017 to help provide financial support to the district’s students in academics, arts and athletics. They held multiple activities and events in the community to raise funds for the foundation.

The money will help the district purchase equipment and consumables for the district’s STEM programs. School board President Paul Macknosky, Superintendent Patrick Sheehan and Donna Dixon, board treasurer, accepted the donation during a board meeting Wednesday.

Super students and teachers

Students in the sixth-grade classes of Denise Rosak, Greg Justave, Elizabeth Snyder, Kim Zambetti, Dave Perrotti, PJ Hughes, Beverly Hanis, Lauren Hoban, Jeff Grasso and Colleen Shimko at Abington Heights partnered with Families United and Abington Angels Program to help families in need from Lackawanna County during the holiday season.

The students solicited donations from family and friends and, along with their teachers, raised nearly $3,000 for children.

They went shopping in area stores to purchase holiday gifts for 15 families in the county.

“The goal of our angel project was for students to reach out to their local community and to experience the joy of giving,” Rosak said.

This was part of the sixth-graders’ Abington Heights Middle School Advisory program community service project, which is designed to help students make connections with their community, according to the school.

In a kitchen that could pass for a makeshift chemistry lab, Jim Babinski toils away to find his next brew.

Babinski is the owner of Craft Malt Direct LLC, an online store based out of Scranton that sells ingredients for brewing beer at home. He started brewing his own beer in 2013 and decided to turn his hobby into a business over the summer.

Currently, Craft Malt Direct caters to more advanced brewers by selling around 20 different types of malts — an essential ingredient in beer.

A malt is a grain that’s heated after it begins to sprout, halting the process. Then, when malts are soaked in hot water during a step in the brewing process called a “mash,” they convert their starches into sugars, Babinski said.

“You put three or four malts together in the right ratios, and it becomes this wonderful-flavored thing,” he said. “Then the yeast pulls the sugar out, you add some hops and it’s a beautiful, frothy beer that you know and love.”

The company offers malts in 20-pound and 50-pound quantities with prices ranging from under $40 up to about $75.

One 50-pound bag of malts will make about 25 gallons of beer, or about five batches, which averages out to around 60 to 70 cents per bottle of beer, Babinski said.

Babinski uses his company to support Pennsylvania-grown malts by working with companies like Double Eagle Malt in Huntingdon Valley, which sources its grains from farms around the Philadelphia area. So far, rye malt has been his best seller.

Due to his niche market of customers, Babinski opted to go online-only with drop shipping to reduce overhead costs, although he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of becoming a brick-and-mortar retailer or opening a warehouse if his company grows enough to warrant it.

“From a business standpoint, everybody in Northeast PA should have a little side thing going on because it’s just so inexpensive to do an online business these days,” he said. “This costs me less than half of my phone bill.”

Being online-only also gives Babinski the chance to prove his products in a competitive market.

“There’s tons of competition out there, so I have to find the right customers that want the high-end product that I have access to,” he said.

According to the American Homebrewers Association, a national homebrewing advocacy organization, 76 percent of homebrewers will use different online stores five times a year. A survey conducted by the organization estimates that in 2017, homebrewers produced over 1.4 million barrels of beer, or over 43 million gallons.

There are about 1.1 million people brewing their own beer across the country, and the number of homebrewers is expected to continue growing, association assistant direct Steve Parr said.

“Homebrewing is the crux of a currently growing craft beer industry,” Parr said.

Babinski relies on online advertising, both free and paid, to drive homebrewers to his website, and he is working to establish his company locally.

“That’s really what I’m working on now — building a local fan base,” he said.

He uses targeted advertisements through Facebook, which can cost as little as $2 a day, to promote his company to homebrewers in Pennsylvania, he said.

One major challenge of online advertising is reaching a potential customer at the right time, Babinski said.

“If someone brews once a month and buys one of my bags of malt, they’re good for five months, and if you’re not in front of them on month five when they run out, you’re probably not going to make a sale,” he said.

Babinski plans to expand his product lineup by selling step-by-step recipe kits in the near future. He recently obtained a distributor slot to sell his kits at Brewcraft USA, an online homebrew vendor, and he is going to begin using the Carbondale Technology Transfer Center in February. Pending setting up the space and inspection by the Department of Agriculture, he expects to be up and running in a few weeks.

“I can take the effort I’ve put in, and I could just make it easier for somebody else,” he said.

Homebrew recipe kits are common, so Babinski hopes to differentiate himself from the competition by offering recipe kits with unique ingredients and “expert-level instructions” to appeal to more advanced brewers.

“Basically, I’m going to try to get somebody who builds their own recipes to come back to buying a kit because they are the best brewers, and they’re going to take care of my product,” he said.

Experimenting with unique flavors like cherry-smoked malts and a dark-roasted wheat malt, Babinski tests different combinations to figure out what tastes best as he crafts his recipe kits.

“This is how I’m building my recipes. I’m testing the ways different malts taste, blending them and coming up with a flavor profile,” he said. “Some of the best beers I’ve ever had I’ve made myself.”

Contact the writer: flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5186