DUNMORE — Dunmore police are investigating a crash involving a borough officer today.
The crash happened about 8:50 a.m at Jefferson Avenue and Electric Street when the officer’s car was hit by another vehicle.
The officer reported the crash to the Lackawanna County Communications Center and said he was unable to get out of his vehicle.
Police and emergency medical personnel responded.
Check back later for updates.
Lackawanna County and Luzerne counties will have at least two licensed facilities each that grow and process marijuana for medical treatment.
PharmaCann Penn Plant LLC, a Philadelphia-based company, was one of two companies approved to produce medical marijuana in Northeast Pennsylvania in the second phase of licensing, the state Department of Health announced today.
PharmaCann plans to open at 104 Life Science Drive in Scott Twp., next door to Process Technologies and Packaging, a manufacturing company that produces licensed drugs and cosmetics. PharmaCann applied for six licenses across the state, but the state only approved the local one.
Pier Cove LLC, a Chicago-based company won the other second-phase northeast license for a factory in the Humboldt Industrial Park in Hazle Twp. near Hazleton.
The Department of Health announced 13 new grower-processor licenses statewide today.
In June 2017, the department announced a grower-processor license for Pennsylvania Medical Solutions LLC for a plant off Rosanna Avenue in Scranton’s lower Green Ridge neighborhood and another for Standards Farms LLC in White Haven in Luzerne County.
Columbia Care Pennsylvania opened the first medical marijuana dispensary in Lackawanna County in April. Justice Grown opened the first dispensary in Luzerne County in Edwardsville in February.
Check back for updates.
Contact the writer: bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9147; @BorysBlogTT on Twitter.
SCRANTON — An allergist charged with inappropriately touching a female college student who was shadowing him will face further court action.
Magisterial District Judge Laura Turlip ruled there is sufficient evidence to hold Joel Jerome Laury, M.D., 52, for trial on misdemeanor indecent assault and other charges after a preliminary hearing today at the Lackawanna County Courthouse.
At the hearing, the 20-year-old student testified she felt “uncomfortable and violated” when Laury stripped down to his underwear and then lifted her dress and touched her groin area as she lay on an exam table at his West Olive Street office June 21.
“He’s a very well-respected physician. ... I thought he could be trusted,” the woman said.
The Times-Tribune does not identify victims of sexual assault.
Laury is still awaiting a preliminary hearing on charges he had inappropriate contact with two other females, including a 13-year-old patient, who came forward after his original arrest last month.
Check back later for updates.
Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9132
THROOP — Borough police charged a man with assault, accusing him of injuring another man who asked him to leave an apartment Saturday afternoon.
Joshua Carl Davis, 27, the Peckville section of Blakely, remained in the Lackawanna County Prison on Tuesday unable to post $10,000 bail on simple assault and harassment charges.
Police say he beat up Jamie Trout, who told them Davis pushed him into a wall and hit him in the head with a glass object. Trout suffered a severe cut on the right side of his face, according to an arrest affidavit.
Davis told police he was asleep on a couch when Trout came in, asked him to leave and grabbed him by the arm, but said Trout injured himself.
Trout was not charged.
— BORYS KRAWCZENIUK
After dropping lower than it has in three decades, unemployment clicked up two-tenths of a point in June.
Preliminary numbers released Tuesday by the state Department of Labor and Industry show unemployment in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton metro area increased to 4.7 percent last month even though the region added 1,600 jobs.
A big jump in the labor force, 2,100 workers, outpaced added jobs and drove up the rate.
“Typically, if the economy otherwise is doing well, then you should expect that the labor force will increase because more and more people who are hopeful of getting a job join the labor force,” said Satyajit Ghosh, Ph.D., a University of Scranton economist.
“Job creation increased too, but could not keep pace, and that happens often,” he said.
Monthly unemployment numbers offer a snapshot of economic health, but don’t reveal trends over time, the economist said. Unemployment is still down nearly a whole point from last year, when it was at 5.4 percent.
The labor force is flat from last June at 277,700, seasonally adjusted. For a while, it looked like the number of workers was trending downward, which could potentially spell trouble for the area’s economy as new and growing companies have a harder time finding talent.
“A lot of areas are actually dropping,” state analyst Steven Zellers said of labor force figures around the state, but he added that it doesn’t appear to be the case in the metro area that includes Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wyoming counties.
“The big news over the year is there’s 2,000 more employed residents, and 2,000 less unemployed residents,” he said.
At 3 percent unemployment, Gettysburg was lowest of Pennsylvania’s 18 metro areas. East Stroudsburg, which is all of Monroe County, had the highest unemployment at 5.1 percent.
The state rate dropped two-tenths of a point to 4.3 percent. The national rate went the other way, and rose two-tenths of a point to 4 percent.
In May, regional unemployment fell six-tenths of a point to 4.5 percent, the lowest it’s been since 1973.
“We think there might have been an over-happy seasonal adjustment, so to speak,” Zellers said of the May numbers. “This month is kind of the return back to … what would be expected.”
Total nonfarm jobs located within the region, seasonally adjusted, continued to set new records. Nonfarm jobs grew by 1,000, to 267,700, from the month before.
While unemployment still remains historically low, Ghosh cautions against too much excitement.
Some sectors producing new jobs, such as leisure and the food service industry, typically don’t pay workers enough to build wealth or careers, he said.
Unemployment between 4.5 percent and 5 percent would be good for this region. Historically, it’s much higher, “but nothing is good unless we see sizable wage growth,” he said.
Contact the writer:
joconnell@timesshamrock.com;
570-348-9131; @jon_oc
UNION DALE
The Herrick Twp. municipal building appears to be a total loss after a devastating fire today, officials said.
The fire broke out about 4:45 p.m., said Dave Magliacane, Pleasant Mount Emergency Services EMS captain. No one was injured.
The building at 1350 Lewis Lake Road housed offices and a garage for the township’s heavy duty equipment. More than 12 fire companies from Wayne, Lackawanna and Susquehanna counties responded to the fire, Magliacane said.
The fire is still under investigation. Crews were still on scene at 6:40 p.m., the captain said.
— KATHLEEN BOLUS
SCRANTON — Roads are closed near a Scranton home where police were called for reports of a man with a gun.
Several police officers, some with SWAT gear and carrying rifles, gathered near 425 Grace St. Portions of that street, as well as parts of Amelia Avenue, were closed.
A 911 call about a domestic incident came in around 3:18 p.m., according to a county 911 official. When police went inside the home, they found a man dead inside, Scranton police Capt. Dennis Lukasewicz said.
The man’s death appears to be a suicide, Lackawanna Coroner Tim Rowland said.
Check back for more information.
FACTORYVILLE
Veterinarian Michelle Zajac faces felony charges after an employee told police she discovered a camera in one of the hospital’s treatment rooms.
Zajac, 49, Factoryville, faces 10 counts of intercepting conversations between Jan. 3, 2017, and Feb. 23, 2018.
In February, an employee of the Bunker Hill Veterinarian Hospital, where Zajac works, discovered a camera in one of the hospital’s treatment rooms and believed she was being taped, according to criminal complaint. State police and the Pennsylvania Department of State began investigating.
Zajac’s iPhone phone had 275 listed audio recordings, but the nature of all of them were not clear, according to the complaint. However, the complaint said the recordings were “surreptitious in nature and made without the knowledge” of the people speaking.
Zajac remains free on $25,000 unsecured bail.
— ROBERT L. BAKER
BOULDER COUNTY, COLO.
Crews used a helicopter to recover a body believed to be Carbondale native Brian Perri at Rocky Mountain National Park on Tuesday, following a nearly month-long search effort for the missing hiker, officials said.
The Boulder County Coroner’s Office will not identify the body until the completion of an autopsy, according to a news release from the park.
The hiker took a 25- to 40-foot “tumbling fall” near the summit of Mount Meeker and is believed to have died instantly, according to park spokeswoman Kyle Patterson. Crews found the body at the base of a nearly vertical drop off, and his tan and green clothing made it difficult to see him, according to the release.
— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY
July 31, 1918
Ex-Minooka man takes over wires
David J. Lewis, a former Minooka resident, was picked to be the new director of operations of the nation’s telephone and telegraph system. The new position came about as part of the federal government takeover of the communication system because of the war.
Lewis settled in Minooka at the age of 11 after running away from home following the death of his mother. He would find work as a breaker boy. By 16, he was a contract miner locally. Four years later, he began working at a fireclay mine in Maryland.
In Maryland, he became a labor delegate and studied law. After serving in the Maryland state Senate, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1910.
Police issue
warning for loafers
Public Safety Director Arthur Davis issued an order to the Scranton Police Department that another roundup of loafers would be taking place soon. The new order gave the police the authority to arrest chronic idlers on sight.
Mayor Alex Connell said of the new order, “There will be no warning, no time allowed for looking around for work, because there is so much work to be done and so many places where work is open that men who sincerely want work do not have to spend any time looking for it.”
City doctor cited
for gallantry
Dr. Daniel Berney of Spruce Street, Scranton, was awarded the British Military Cross for gallantry in the battlefield. Berney rescued wounded soldiers during fighting between March 21 and 26. In the process, Berney was shot in the thigh and foot, and another bullet grazed his knee.
He was recovering from his injuries at Prince of Wales Hospital in London.
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.
SCRANTON — High schooler Mollie Helstrom was looking for something to do this summer, so she decided to help fix a stranger’s home.
The 14-year-old from Reading stood on the porch of Joan Holmes’ Scranton home on Monday, mixing white paint for the upstairs walls.
Helstrom is among approximately 120 volunteers from around the state repairing Lackawanna County homes as part of NeighborWorks Week.
Hosted by nonprofit NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania, the five-day annual event provides 20 modest-income homeowners with free home repairs, including interior and exterior painting, porch repairs and wheelchair ramp construction.
NeighborWorks partners with Group Cares, a mission trip organizer, to gather volunteers for the week. The volunteers pay fees for their trips, which, along with state grants, fund the project. Homeowners, selected by application or referral, are primarily elderly individuals with incomes that fall at or below 80 percent of Lackawanna County’s median household income, according to Todd Pousley, NeighborWorks’ community revitalization manager.
Holmes, 86, said that if it weren’t for this program, she would most likely need to move out. Volunteers at her house are painting, and installing a security light, a shower grab bar and railings on the staircases.
“The greatest benefit for me is that I can stay here. They’re making it safer for me,” Holmes said, noting the peeling paint in the kitchen and on the porch.
Pousley said the goal of this week is for Holmes and the other homeowners to worry less about home repairs and live more comfortably, safely and independently.
Holmes is grateful for the time the volunteers dedicate to repairing her home, but Mollie and her fellow volunteers are grateful for such a humbling opportunity.
“It’s a good feeling to help a stranger,” Mollie said. “This shows us that we’re really lucky that we can do this for those who can’t.”
Contact the writer:
mpetro@timesshamrock.com;
570-348-9100 x1316
SCRANTON — The biggest gripe among the city’s “hidden population” sounds a lot like what the rest complain about.
They loathe the cracked and busted roads.
A research team who surveyed Scranton’s Spanish-speaking citizens as part of a targeted community health needs assessment found when it comes to transportation needs, most have harsh words for road conditions.
The Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine kicked off ongoing research on the social, economic and health needs of people who don’t typically respond to surveys. Transportation is often a barrier to getting health care.
The government requires health institutions, particularly hospitals, to run community health assessments, but those tend to be broad and can’t dig deep when pockets of the population don’t respond, said Ida Castro, the school’s chief diversity officer.
Last year, the medical school was awarded $3.4 million in federal grants through the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Center of Excellence award program, which funded the research.
“Our ability as a school of medicine, our ability as a center of excellence, our ability to engage our own students and do a deep dive to better understand the health care needs of a particular community … will enable us to really look at our commitment of service, at our commitment as professionals, on how to develop strategies that will turn those concerns ... around,” Castro said. “That’s probably the most important thing we can do.”
Spanish speakers, out of fear of scrutiny on their citizenship status or because of the language barrier, seldom respond when approached for a survey, hence the “hidden population” label and their underrepresented needs in data collection.
To start, the team, which includes undergraduates, first-year medical students and high school students, many of them who speak Spanish, set up a booth at the South Side Farmers Market.
A large segment of the city’s Spanish speakers live in South Scranton, but after two weeks, the students found they weren’t going deep enough.
“We actually noticed that the population there wasn’t our targeted population,” said Erik Gamarra, 25, of North Arlington, New Jersey, a first-year medical student. Vendors at the farmers market sold specialty goods at higher prices geared more toward affluence. Few catered specifically to Latinos, they said.
The group spent a month designing identical surveys in English and Spanish and relied on a number of translators to ensure both produced consistent data. Still, the same questions curiously summoned different answers depending on language.
For example, one question asked: “Do you think people in your community need help getting healthy food like fresh fruit and vegetables?”
More than 80 percent of those who answered in English answered “yes,” while less than half, 48 percent, of those who answered in Spanish said “no.”
Just how the same question in two languages produced two vastly different responses remains unclear.
Brian Piper, Ph.D., a neuroscientist who is helping lead the project, suggested some communities may have better access to healthy foods. Another explanation might be that some communities are less aware of what food is healthy for them.
United Neighborhood Centers, a social services organization with offices in South Scranton that offers citizenship and English language coaching classes, helped them get even deeper when they allowed research students to sit in on classes and pitch their surveys afterward.
“They need to feel safe, otherwise they are not going to open arms to you ... they will try to avoid you,” said first year medical student Fedor Cabrera, 34. He’s from South Florida, and a native Spanish speaker.
After the farmers market, they took to the streets, he said, visiting businesses and even approaching some people sitting on their front porches.
“If you saw someone on the street that looked Latino,” the group would ask them to participate, he said.
Using those techniques, they found, was more representative of the group they wanted to study, Gamarra said.
The team is still breaking down data culled from 60 people who responded, and, now that they have a strategy, they hope to build on the survey and answer new questions. They want their research to inform public health policy in Northeast Pennsylvania and beyond.
“We’re very excited by the beginnings of this project,” Castro said. “Our intention is to be locally relevant, but also have a national impact.”
Contact the writer: joconnell@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9131; @jon_oc on Twitter
MARRIAGE LICENSES
■ Paul Wilson Dunbar, Attica, N.Y., and Susan Roberts Reilly, Covington Twp.
■ Nicole Marie Marzani and Kevin Chester Lewis, both of Clarks Summit.
■ Amy Elizabeth Yarros and Anthony B. Matuska, both of Dunmore.
■ Joshua Christopher Heffner, Northumberland, and Abigail Marie Mappes, Clarks Summit.
■ Dustin Patrick Carney and Spring Lee Conklin, Carbondale.
■ Mallorie Nowakowski and Jeremy Matthew Pryal, both of Throop.
■ Britani Michele Barletta and Joshua James Padden, both of Scranton.
PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS
■ Allen M. and Joyce Cornell Papp, Clarks Summit, to Lindelou Strain, Clarks Summit; a property at 1402 Summit Pointe, Scranton, for $75,000.
■ William Wayne Love, also known as Wayne Love, administrator of the estate of Dave Love, also known as David S. Love, Park Ridge, N.J., to Lewis B. Sare, trustee of the Lewis B. Sare Revocable Trust, Delray Beach, Fla.; a property at 204 Debbie Drive, Scranton, for $92,500.
■ Rushmore Loan Management Services, attorney-in-fact for U.S. Bank NA, Irvine, Calif., to Vladimir Prots, Scranton; a property at 405 Harrison Ave., Scranton, for $32,500.
■ David and Karla Fleury, Luzerne County, to Susan Glinsky, Throop; two parcels at 500 Short St., Throop, for $122,450.
■ Frank S. and Stacie Hutchinson to Michael J. Nardella; a property at 109 Sunset Road, Roaring Brook Twp., for $125,000.
■ Lucille Toole, Pittston Twp., to Kerie G. Mecca, Old Forge; a property at 131 S. Keyser Ave., Taylor, for $90,000.
■ Lindelou Strain, Clarks Summit, to Alan D. and Beth L. Roby, San Diego; two parcels on Haven Lane, Clarks Summit, for $199,550.
■ Merrie and Richard J. Ruane, Roaring Brook Twp., and Leah Levin, New York, to Alfred Jr. and Grete M. Silvi; a property at 736 Theodore St., Scranton, for $66,000.
■ Edward M. and Christine A. Kane, Abington Twp., to Gurkaramjit Khaira and Amandeep Kaur, Olean, N.Y.; a property at 104 Morningside Drive, Waverly Twp., for $635,000.
■ Jerome Liuzzo and Jill A. Ball-Liuzzo, Pennsylvania, to Igor Georgievsky, Pennsylvania; a property in Jermyn for $410,000.
■ Brian J. and Jaime M. Litts, Clarks Green, to Arthur J. Jordan III and Alysha L. Marzani, Scranton; a property at 281 Short Hill Ave., Clarks Green, for $175,000.
■ Lauren R. Brostoski to Caitlyn Rae and Daniel Rivero; a property at 198 Coppernick St., Throop, for $181,500.
■ John Kretch, Scranton, and Elizabeth Bowen, West Hempstead, N.Y., to Laureen Helen Sheypuk, Beavercreek, Ohio; a property at 1729 Wyoming Ave., Scranton, for $252,500.
■ Edward R. and Karen K. O’Hara, Olyphant, to Mark E. and Nicole Yazinski, Throop; a property at W. Palm St., Olyphant, for $214,000.
■ Nicholas and Audra Gillette, Dunmore, to Throop Holdings LLC, Dunmore; a property at 1202 Marshwood Road, Throop, for $100,000.
■ Jennifer Pappas to Mary Elizabeth Kramer; a property at 19 Court Road, Jefferson Twp., for $280,000.
■ Patricia Valunas, Scranton, to Christine Ann Gabello and Nadyne Marie Gabello, Spring Brook Twp., as joint tenants with rights of survivorship; a property at 1026 Froude Ave., Scranton, for $55,000.
■ Joseph P. Bennett, individually and as executor of the estate of Thomas V. Bennett, Throop, to Kimberly May Csezmadia, Scranton; two parcels in Throop for $40,000.
■ Timothy J. and Mary Harrison to Carissa A. Crews and Nichole M. Nye, joint tenants; a property at 214 S. Main St., Archbald, for $83,000.
■ RECA Property Holdings LLC, Lackawanna County, to Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania; a property at Wyoming Avenue and New York Street, Scranton, for $875,000.
DIVORCES SOUGHT
■ Joshua Edward Kohut, Carbondale, v. Tracy Elizabeth Kohut, Sumter, S.C.; married Oct. 12, 2012, in Sumter County, S.C.; John T. O’Malley, attorney.
■ Wendy Kamosky, Scott Twp., v. Joseph Kamosky, Equinunk; married June 30, 2012, in Wayne County; Ryan P. Campbell, attorney.
■ Mahmoud Mansour, Carbondale, v. Noor Alkrad, Carbondale; married Nov. 25, 2015, in Tunkhannock; John T. O’Malley, attorney.
FEDERAL TAX LIENS
■ Sports Page Great Haircuts LLC, 135 Welles St., Forty Fort; $3,055.97.
■ Louise A. Viola, P.O. Box 243, Dunmore; $52,091.20.
ESTATES FILED
■ Olga R. Gulla, 950 Morgan Highway, South Abington Twp., letters testamentary to Harriet Fike, also known as Harriet G. Fike, 73 Parkland Drive, Clarks Summit.
■ Leonard J. Goonan, 8 D. Morel St., Scranton, letters testamentary to James Goonan, 100 Cambridge Lane, Lewisburg.
■ Robert L. Weston, 1160 New St., Jessup, letters testamentary to Diana M. Weston, same address.
■ Martha M. Augustine, also known as Martha Mary Augustine, 423 Loftus St., Throop, letters of administration to Andrew M. Augustine, same address, and Gregory P. Augustine, 124 Keene St., Moscow.
ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/courts
Lackawanna County
Library benefit: SweetFrog charity evening benefiting the Abington Community Library, today, 5 to 9 p.m., Dickson City store, 1152 Commerce Blvd.; organization will receive 50 percent of all sales that take place during the benefit.
Blood drive: Leaders Save Lives blood drive in memory of Jamie Kotula, Thursday, 1-6 p.m., Holy Cross High School, 501 E. Drinker St., Dunmore, all donors receive a ticket to Dorney Park; Kelsey Conlon, 570-445-8860.
Moosic
Bible school: Vacation Bible School, Aug. 13-17, 6-8 p.m., Hope Church, PCA, 4951 Birney Ave. Registration and details: 570-451-7460 or email secretary@hopenepa.org.
Regional
Outreach hours: Rep. Karen Boback, R-117, Harveys Lake, announcing outreach events and satellite hours, with a member of Boback’s staff available: Wednesday, Dalton Borough Building, 105 W. Main St., Dalton, 10 a.m.-noon; Tuesday, Aug. 7, Mehoopany Twp. Municipal Building, 237 Schoolhouse Road, Mehoopany, 8 a.m.-10 a.m., and Meshoppen Borough Building, Canal Street and Route 267, Meshoppen, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; Tuesday, Aug. 9, Factoryville Borough Building, 161 College Ave., Factoryville, 10 a.m.-noon; Tuesday, Aug. 21, Benton Twp. Community Center, 16043 Route 407, Fleetville, 10 a.m.-noon; Wednesday, Aug. 15, Falls Senior Center, 2813 Sullivan’s Trail, Falls, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Aug. 28, Laceyville Borough Building, 342 Church St., Laceyville, 3-5 p.m.
West Scranton
Senior picnic: Jackson Street Seniors annual picnic, Thursday, noon, McDade Park; bring a covered dish, beverage and place setting.
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.
SCRANTON — The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections incarcerates more than 47,000 people each year on average, of which 90 percent will eventually return to society.
Jeff James and his staff at the department’s Community Corrections Center in Scranton are doing their part to reduce the chance those offenders return to prison.
The center at 240 Adams Ave. opened in the mid-1970s and is a key component of the DOC’s efforts to reintegrate inmates into society through its Bureau of Community Corrections, which this month marks its 50th year in existence.
Often referred to as a halfway house, the residential program provides offenders, known as “re-entrants,” a structured environment to live in while they work to find employment and housing and re-connect with their families.
“A lot of time when guys are released from prison ... they don’t have anywhere to go,” said James, the center’s acting director. “While they’re here it gives them a chance to get their feet back on the ground, save a little money and get back to society.”
The center is among 12 residential re-entry facilities the DOC operates statewide. It also contracts with private companies to operate other facilities. That number fluctuates based on need but is generally around 30, said Amy Worden, press secretary for the DOC.
James on Monday took several members of the media on a tour of the Scranton center, which houses up to 36 men at a time in six dormitory-style rooms. There is also a kitchen and two community areas for them to socialize, which are decorated with motivational posters.
“Every morning we get a chance to be different. A chance to change. A chance to be better. Your past is your past,” read one of the posters.
The residents pay no rent but are responsible to provide for all their care, including food and clothing. They must also cook for themselves and do their own laundry, James said.
Most residents stay about 90 days, but can be there longer if they cannot find stable employment or living arrangements, James said.
“While this is a good, safe, clean facility, they don’t want to be here,” James said. “They want to do what they have to do to get out of here, gain employment and get a home plan.”
The center employs counselors who assist residents in finding work, furthering their education or obtaining other social services they need.
“The first couple of weeks they get here are the toughest because they just came from the institution,” said Kenny Jordan, one of the counselors. “That’s where we come in to encourage them to keep focused and keep doing what they are doing and stay positive.”
The center is open to inmates who have served at least nine months in state prison, regardless of the offenses for which they were incarcerated, as long as they complied with prison rules and have no major misconduct incidents.
The residents are free to leave the facility for up to 14 hours a day if they are working or up to 12 hours a day if they are seeking employment. Their actions are strictly monitored by staff and employees with the state Department of Probation and Parole.
Only two residents were at the facility during the tour, including a 36-year-old Jessup man who had just completed a roughly two-year sentence for resisting arrest and harassment.
The man, who asked not to be identified to protect his family’s privacy, said he’s thankful for the opportunity the center is providing him.
“Transferring from jail to live back on the street again is kind of tough,” he said. “I have a roof over my head while I try to reintegrate back into the community.”
Contact the writer:
tbesecker@timesshamrock.com;
570-348-9137;
@tmbeseckerTT on Twitter
SCRANTON — A controversial 10-building apartment complex in North Scranton has been put on hold for re-evaluation by the developer.
NEPA Realty Ventures LLC of Mohrsville, Centre Twp., Berks County, won’t return before the zoning board next week to discuss plans for 252 apartments to be built in North Scranton off Interstate 81 and the McDade Expressway.
The company has not decided whether to proceed as envisioned or revise the plan toward something palatable to neighbors and economically viable for the firm, attorney Ron Corkery said.
“They’re seriously looking at the project and the viability of apartments there, the number (to seek) or whether it’s something else” to propose instead, Corkery said.
The soonest the company may come before the zoning board would be at its October meeting, he said.
Kathleen Quinn, president of the North Scranton Neighborhood Association Watch,
said everyone she has spoken to about the proposal is “dead set against it.”
“Everyone is hoping that it’s dead in the water. We’re cautiously optimistic,” Quinn said. “Right now, I believe it’s just a waiting game. Wait and see what they do next.”
On July 11, dozens of residents packed a zoning board meeting to object to the proposal that was on the agenda that night. The board ended up not even holding a hearing. Instead, the board told Corkery and company engineer Bryan Ritter to meet in another City Hall room to explain the project to a crowd of more than 60 people, hear their concerns and answer their questions.
That discussion at times got testy, as some residents berated the firm for not unveiling the project sooner and in greater detail. Concerns included that the project would destroy the neighborhood, greatly increase traffic in that area, become low-income housing, and that the access road of Hollow Avenue already has a weight-restricted bridge.
Corkery told the neighbors that the firm would rent to medium- to upper-income tenants, the plans were only in a preliminary stage and the firm did not expect opposition.
The R-1 residential zoning of part of the 19.5-acre irregularly shaped tract would allow 74 units to be built without zoning approval, city officials had said. The company planned 216 units in several buildings on that R-1 portion, and a 36-unit building in a different section zoned R-1A. The firm would need several variances to carry out that plan, and would need 252 units to make the project economically feasible, Corkery said.
Now, the company is reviewing whether to change the proposal, he said.
Meanwhile, some residents have placed small signs saying “No To North Scranton Apartment Complex” on lawns and along driveways on Hollow Avenue, Wales Street and other nearby streets.
City Zoning Officer Jack Sweeney said he will post notices in the immediate neighborhood informing residents that the project will not be coming back before the zoning board at the Aug. 8 meeting.
The North Scranton Neighborhood Association Watch also expects to discuss the apartment complex issue at the organization’s next monthly meeting Monday at Weston Park at 6 p.m., Quinn said.
Contact the writer:
jlockwood@timesshamrock.com;
570-348-9100 x5185;
@jlockwoodTT on Twitter
Duryea
Authority meets: Duryea Borough Sewer Authority meeting, Monday, 6 p.m.
Ledgedale
Pancake breakfast: Blueberry pancake breakfast, Aug. 12, 8 a.m.-noon, Ledgedale Volunteer Fire Company, Goose Pond Road, $7/adults and $4/under 12.
Old Forge
School District
Committee meetings: Old Forge School District education and technology committee meeting, Aug. 13, 6 p.m., LGI; and policy committee meetings, Aug. 13, 7 p.m., LGI.
Regional
Club meets: Corvette Club of NEPA meeting, Aug. 9, 7 p.m., Marzoni’s, 26 Montage Mountain Road, Moosic, final payment on summer party and Corvette Weekend in Maryland pending; CCNEPA.com.
Taylor
Club meets: R & L Civic Club meeting, Friday, 8 p.m., St. George’s Hall, Taylor.
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.
SCRANTON — Alexa Deal was only 111 days old when she hit her $1 million lifetime insurance cap.
The 15-year-old from Covington Twp. was born with cerebral palsy and spent the first three and a half months of her life in the neonatal intensive care unit, said her mom, Amy Zemek.
Because of Alexa’s disability, Medicaid kicked in when private insurance ran out.
Zemek worries that ongoing efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, which nixed lifetime limits and provides other protections, could soon make paying for her daughter’s care impossible, she said during a roundtable discussion Tuesday with U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-17, Moosic.
Action Together Northeast Pennsylvania, an activist group that promotes progressive issues, met with the congressman for about an hour to urge him to continue his efforts to protect Medicare and Medicaid programs. They also told him where they think those programs should be improved.
Alexa, confined to a wheelchair, needs round-the-clock care, Zemek said.
She gets nutrition through a feeding tube because she can’t swallow. She takes around 16 medicines each day, and can’t be left alone for more than a few seconds.
“It’s kind of like living with an 18-month-old for 15 years,” Zemek said.
Private insurance pays for a home nurse 16 hours a day. Medicaid pays for the other eight.
She leaned forward as she spoke, her voice wavering close to tears. Alexa gripped her mom’s fingers with both hands.
“She’s my joy in life, and I couldn’t take care of her by myself without the nursing care,” Zemek said. “Medicaid for her, it’s her lifeline for staying home. ... I can give her a safe home, and a home where she’s nurtured.”
Action Together planned the meeting to coincide with Medicare and Medicaid’s 53rd anniversary, which was Monday.
The roundtable also happened the same day Cartwright’s Republican opponent in the Nov. 6 general election, John Chrin, released an attack ad slamming the Democrat’s voting record, tax policy and alignment with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, among other things.
In a tweet last week, Chrin challenged Cartwright’s vote to preserve a tax on medical devices, an Obamacare provision.
Chrin spokesman Michael Stwarka in an email said the medical device tax is unacceptable because costs are passed on to patients.
Eleven people with Action Together packed Cartwright’s Scranton office conference room where the congressman listened and asked questions Tuesday, but he already knew he has their support for re-election.
Action Together doesn’t back candidates based on party, rather its progressive agenda, said the group’s president, Marlee Stefanelli, but their priorities usually sync with his, she said. They plan to formally endorse Cartwright this month.
Contact the writer:
joconnell@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9131;
@jon_oc on Twitter
SCRANTON — Nearly 20 high school students spent the last month learning about business fraud.
Their professor at the University of Scranton gave up his pay so they could have the chance to learn.
As part of the university’s new Business High School Scholars program, students in their junior or senior years of high school earn college credits by taking college-level courses.
While the university has long offered students the chance to earn credits before high school graduation, a group of business professors from the region who graduated from the school wanted to do more.
“Coming to the University of Scranton changed my life,” said Douglas M. Boyle, associate professor and chairman of the accounting department. “I just want to help other kids.”
Boyle, who grew up in West Scranton, is donating his compensation from teaching the additional classes so the university may give program scholarships to students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Fellow professors Daniel P. Mahoney and James F. Boyle — Douglas Boyle’s brother — are doing the same. The university’s Jesuit Center and other donors also are offering support.
Most of the students in the program’s first class received some kind of financial aid.
In Douglas Boyle’s business fraud class Tuesday, students discussed government regulations and executive compensation. Lively discussion highlighted each session during the four-week class, and the students also started their own club, the High School Business Scholar Society. The class ends Thursday.
“In the first 20 minutes, we forgot we were teaching high school students,” Douglas Boyle said. “I’m really optimistic about our future.”
Students said they plan to enroll in two courses the university will offer this fall. “It’s a great experience to earn college credits,” said Randall Bonitz, 16, a junior at West Scranton High School. “I really like the professor, too.”
Mackenzie McHale, 16, a Valley View junior, said not only did she learn about business, she learned from her classmates from other high schools. “We all feel really comfortable with each other,” she said.
For information, visit Scranton.edu/bhsscholars.
Contact the writer:
shofius@timesshamrock.com;
570-348-9133; @hofiushallTT on Twitter
Listing gave
wrong address
A property transaction published on Page A5 of Tuesday’s edition included the wrong address. The correct transaction is Patricia Valunas, Scranton, to Christine Ann Gabello and Nadyne Marie Gabello, Spring Brook Twp., as joint tenants with rights of survivorship; a property at 1341 E. Elm St., Scranton, for $55,000.