Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for information that leads to the arrest of murder suspect Ryan Harding and Devante Graham, who police say hindered Mr. Harding's capture.

Scranton police Detective James Pappas announced Friday that Crime Stoppers, an organization of state residents who gather funds to reward those who submit anonymous tips to assist with unsolved crimes, will reward as much as $2,000 for information that leads to arrests.

To submit a tip, visit www.crimewatchpa.com and search for case number 1723.

Mr. Harding, 18, 519 Taylor Ave., shot and killed 22-year-old Lackawanna College student Rahsan Crowder early May 5 after an argument in the 700 block of Vine Street, police said. Initially, Mr. Harding shot Mr. Crowder in the leg, but at the urging of Marlon Clotter, 21, shot him again in the chest, killing him. Mr. Clotter was arrested on May 9 and charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit third-degree murder.

Mr. Graham, 18, address unknown, is accused of harboring Mr. Harding while he was in Scranton and rode in a car with Anthony Gonzalez, 20, of Scranton, while Kristopher Adkins, 18, 626 S. Irving Ave., drove Mr. Harding out of the state. Mr. Adkins was charged Thursday with hindering apprehension and obstructing the law. Mr. Gonzalez was arrested on an unrelated aggravated assault warrant and charges of possession of a small amount of marijuana. Mr. Graham is wanted on hindering apprehension charges.

Mr. Harding, who is known to have ties to Brooklyn, N.Y., is considered to be armed and dangerous. He is wanted on charges of first-degree murder, third-degree murder, aggravated assault, firearms not to be carried without a license and possession of firearms prohibited.

Mr. Adkins is being held at Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $75,000 bail. Mr. Gonzalez is held in lieu of $10,000 bail. Their preliminary hearings are scheduled for Wednesday.

Contact the writer: jkohut@timesshamrock.com, @jkohutTT on Twitter

That shake you felt Friday morning was only the Earth's crust settling like an old home.

A 5.1-magnitude earthquake west of Ottawa, Canada, did not cause damage to the areas surrounding the epicenter nor to Scranton, but was felt by many just before 10 a.m., according to The Associated Press and a local geology expert.

A 4.8-magnitude quake was centered near the town of Braeside, Ontario, the AP reported.

Northeast Pennsylvania is far removed from major continental plate boundaries, where many of the world's most violent earthquakes occur. When the area shakes, it is due to "intraplate" activity, or movement within a tectonic plate, and it is almost always a small event, except for very rare occasions, said Ian Saginor, Ph.D, assistant professor of earth science at Keystone College.

The last time the area felt an intraplate tremor was on Aug. 23, 2011, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake in Virginia took many area residents by surprise.

There is a misconception that a continental plate is a solid or uniform sheet of rock, Dr. Saginor said. In reality, a continental plate is a motley collection of rock sutured together over billions of years with each part subject to its own settling.

"It's like a house settling," Dr. Saginor said. "It doesn't mean this house is going to fall apart."

Just like a continental plate is a collection of rocks, the reason why any one earthquake occurs is the sum of many parts.

Dr. Saginor speculates another part of Friday's earthquake stems from Canada's crust finding a level of balance, having been relieved of a mile of thick sheets of ice in certain areas from the last ice age. Dr. Saginor likened the affect the weight of that ice had to the affect heavy cargo has on a boat. When the cargo is saddled, the boat sits low in the water and when the cargo is lifted, the boat sits higher. In Canada, the Earth's crust has been slowly rising for 18,000 years and the movement contributes to intraplate earthquakes.

"When you remove all of that ice, it's like the ground is actually rising," Dr. Saginor said.

Contact the writer: jkohut@timesshamrock.com, @jkohutTT on Twitter

A Clifford Twp. man who pointed a gun at patrons of a Susquehanna County bar and pulled the trigger has been charged with criminal attempt to commit homicide.

Brandon Lee Walsh, 30, was charged this week after an incident on May 10 at the Clifford Hotel. Although he tried to fire the gun, it did not go off, police said.

According to court documents, Mr. Walsh entered the Clifford Hotel around 8:30 p.m. and argued with customers and bar owner Donald Edwards Jr.

Police said that at one point, Mr. Walsh was upset and yelled, "I am going to get my gun and blow all of your (expletive) heads off."

He then exited through a front door, and 10 minutes later returned through a rear entrance.

Mr. Edwards told police that Mr. Walsh pointed a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber semi-automatic gun at him and one other person and pulled the trigger.

According to a police complaint, one witness said Mr. Walsh pointed a gun at everybody and a couple of customers were able to knock Mr. Walsh down and get the gun away from him.

Mr. Walsh eventually left the scene and Mr. Edwards turned the gun over to Forest City Patrolman Daniel Lomax.

Early the next morning, Mr. Walsh and a girlfriend contacted state police to report that a gun had been removed from his vehicle, the same gun that turned up at the Clifford Hotel. According to a complaint, Trooper John Oliver said Mr. Walsh knew he was lying to troopers and that the gun was taken from him earlier in the night.

In addition to the homicide attempt charge, Mr. Walsh also faces charges of aggravated assault, terroristic threats and reckless endangerment.

Mr. Walsh remains free on a $50,000 bail. His preliminary hearing is set for Tuesday.

Contact the writer: bbaker@wcexaminer.com

Lackawanna County Controller Gary DiBileo said that if he mentioned it would be nice to have a private shower in the renovated Gateway Center office suite where he and his staff will relocate later this month, it was not a formal request and certainly not a serious one.

The county administration saw it differently.

Amid the escalating rancor between the two offices, the administration released a letter in which it said the controller requested the addition of a shower to an existing private bathroom during renovations to the basement of the Gateway Center on Jefferson Avenue.

"The commissioners flatly denied your request as excessive and totally inappropriate," Chief Financial Officer Thomas Durkin wrote in the letter he sent to Mr. DiBileo on Thursday, the same day the controller publicly took the commissioners to task over a lack of bidding for the county newsletter.

Mr. DiBileo said Friday the three-page letter, in which Mr. Durkin summarized the circumstances surrounding the controller's pending move, contained "inaccuracies and untruths."

"They are just trying to make me look bad because we ask the tough questions of them," he said of the administration.

The controller's office, now in leased space in the Scranton Electric Building, is scheduled to relocate May 25 to the county-owned Gateway Center. The new space, previously occupied by Magisterial District Judge Alyce Farrell's offices and courtroom, underwent a $33,000 renovation.

Mr. DiBileo acknowledged he mentioned a shower to someone - he couldn't remember whom - while touring the space in 2012.

"In the one room, I said, 'There is a bathroom in this office. Too bad there is no shower,' " he said. "It was just a comment. I don't believe I asked for one, and if I did, I was not serious."

Chief of staff Maria Elkins said Friday she recalled a later phone conversation with Mr. DiBileo in which he told her that he would "appreciate a shower and a couch" in the office. Her response, she said, was no to the shower and maybe to the couch.

Commissioner Corey O'Brien said the request was a nonstarter.

"You know what, Lackawanna County is not building Gary DiBileo a hotel room. ... If he wants to shower, he can go home. He lives seven minutes away," he said.

While Mr. O'Brien said there should be healthy tension between the administration and the controller, he and fellow majority Commissioner Jim Wansacz accused Mr. DiBileo of politicizing the office.

An issue like the newsletter brouhaha, which ended with Mr. DiBileo agreeing the administration acted properly, could have been resolved "in two minutes by talking," Mr. O'Brien said. Instead, he said, the controller chose to take his concerns to the media.

"His job is not about politics. It's good government," Mr. Wansacz said.

Mr. DiBileo said the commissioners are the ones playing politics.

"Politics has nothing to do with me doing my job and doing it in the way I believe it should be done," he said.

In his letter, Mr. Durkin said Mr. DiBileo came to the commissioners and indicated he wanted an office on another floor of the Gateway Center because an elected officer of his "stature" should not be in the basement.

Mr. DiBileo acknowledged he asked about the possibility of relocating his office to the building's third floor but said nothing about his stature.

The commissioners agreed to consider moving his office into a third-floor space now occupied by the assessor's office. However, Mr. DiBileo said he nixed the move and agreed to relocate into the basement space as originally planned after learning it would cost $30,000 to relocate the assessor's office.

Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com

BONCZEK, GARY, Scranton, Tuesday, 11 a.m., Bomberger-Lesko Funeral Home Inc., 1660 N. Main Ave., Scranton. Contribu­tions: North­east Regional Cancer Institute.

BOROSKY, EDWARD T. "JIM," Simpson, today, Joseph W. Scotch­las Funeral Home Inc., 621 Main St., Simpson. Mass, 9:30 a.m., St. Michael's Church, 46 Midland St., Simpson, followed by military honors. Contri­butions: American Cancer Soci­ety, 712 S. Keyser Ave., Taylor, PA 18517. Condolences: scotch lasfuneralhome.com.

CALPIN, TIMOTHY P., Madera, Calif., Monday, Neil W. Regan Funeral Home Inc., 1900 Pittston Ave. Services, 9:30 a.m., by the Rev. Arthur Davis, pastor of Asbury United Methodist Church, Scranton. Interment Cathedral Cem­etery, Scranton. Calling hours, Sunday, 2 to 5 p.m. Con­tributions: The Molly Fund or the Sean Calpin Scholarship Fund c/o Scranton Area Foundation, 321 Spruce St., Suite 608, Scran­ton, PA 18503. Condo­len­ces: neilreganfuneralhome.com.

CONOVER, GARRETT (GARRY) JOHN, Factoryville, today, 11 a.m., Nicholson United Methodist Church, by Pastor John Shaffer. Donations: Nicholson United Meth­odist Church Memorial Fund or Factoryville Ambulance Asso­ciation. Arrangements: Charles H. Litwin Funeral Home, 91 State St., Nicholson. Condolences: lit winfuneralhome.com

HENN, MICHAEL J., San Diego, formerly of East Mountain, today, 10 a.m., Miller Bean Funeral Home Inc., 436 Cedar Ave., Scran­ton. Interment, Abington Hills Cemetery, South Abington Twp. Condolences: millerbeanfh.com.

JONES, JOHN HAWKINS JR., Moscow, today, 11 a.m., Brian Arthur Strauch Funeral Home, 3 First St., Spring Brook Twp., by the Rev. William Jones and the Rev. Jeff Levy, pastor of Moscow United Methodist Church. Inter­ment with military honors, Fair­view Memorial Park, Elmhurst. Visi­tation, today, 10 to service. Masonic services, today, 7. Con­tri­butions: Moscow Masonic Lodge 504, 211 Green St., Mos­cow, PA 18444; or American Lung Association, 1301 Pennsyl­vania Ave. NW, Suite 800, Wash­ington, DC 20004. Condolences: strauchfuneralhomes.com.

KLODNICKI, EDWARD C., Scran­ton, today, 9:15 a.m., Edward J. Chomko Funeral Home, 254-268 Railroad Ave., Scranton. Mass, 10, St. Francis of Assisi Church, South Scranton, by the Rev. Scott P. Sterowski, pastor, St. Paul of the Cross Parish. Mem­orials: St. Paul of the Cross Parish, 1217 Prospect Ave., Scran­ton, 18505; or favorite charity. Condolences: www.chom kofuneralhome.com

KOMORA, MICHAEL J., Chulu­ota, Fla., today, 10 a.m., Law­rence E. Young Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 418 S. State St., Clarks Summit. Interment, Cosner Cemetery, Newton Twp. Condolences: lawrenceeyoungfu neralhome.com

KRISIAK, FRANK, Cortez, Fri­day, Harrison Funeral Home, Arch­bald. Mass, St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Archbald, by the Rev. Christopher Sahd and Deacon Edward Kelly. Pallbearers: Ron Sadaka, Jerry Bryk, Mark and David Swoyer. Interment, Kizer Cemetey, Cortez.

LAWRENCE, ALBERT J. SR., Dunmore, Monday, Carlucci-Golden-DeSantis Funeral Home Inc., 318 E. Drinker St., Dunmore. Mass, 9:30 a.m., St. Anthony of Padua Church, Smith Street, Dun­more. Interment Mount Carmel Cemetery, Dunmore. Calling hours, Sunday, 5 to 8 p.m. Contri­butions: American Heart Associ­ation, 613 Baltimore Drive, Suite 3, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702, or to SS. Anthony and Rocco Parish, 303 Smith St., Dunmore, PA 18512. Condolences: Dunmore FuneralHome.com.

MALONE, SHAWN C., Scotland, formerly of West Wyoming, Both­well, Tuesday, 11 a.m., Metcalfe-Shaver-Kopcza Funeral Home Inc., 504 Wyoming Ave., Wyo­ming, by the Rev. James Thyren of the First United Presbyterian Church of West Pittston. Inter­ment, convenience of the family. Calling hours, Monday, 4 to 8 p.m. Contributions: St. Vincent De Paul Kitchen, 33 E. North­ampton St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701.

MEIXNER, ROBERT, Scranton, service, private. Calling hours, Monday, 5 to 7 p.m., Thomas J. Hughes Funeral Home Inc., 1240 St. Ann's St., Scranton.

MILLER, MICHAEL JAY, Elm­hurst Twp., visitation, today, 2 to 4 p.m., Brian Arthur Strauch Fune­ral Homes & Cremation Ser­vices, 3 First St., in Spring Brook Twp. Interment, private. Condo­len­ces: strauchfuneralhomes.com.

NELSON, DOROTHY E., Jessup, Friday, Arthur A. Albini Funeral Home, Jessup. Mass, Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Peckville, by Monsignor Peter P. Madus. Pallbearers: Jimmy, Leo, John, Ricky, Wayne and Richard Nelson, sons. Interment, Fairview Mem­orial Park, Elmhurst.

PAZZAGLIA, EUGENE "GINO," Peckville, Wednesday, Mass, Sac­red Heart of Jesus Church, Peck­ville, by Monsignor Peter P. Madus. Pallbearers: Ernie and A. J. Sebastianelli; Robert Snod­grass, Chas Dennis, Glenn and Thomas Pazzaglia; Nicco Granci and Robert Jude Stroney. Interment with military rites, St. Mary's Cemetery, Montdale.

PELSYNSKI, STELLA C., Dur­yea, Monday, 10:30 a.m., Ber­nard J. Piontek Funeral Home Inc., 204 Main St., Duryea. Mass, 11, Holy Rosary Church, Duryea, by the Rev. Andrew Sinnott. Interment, Holy Rosary Cemetery, Duryea. Calling hours, Monday, 9:30 to 10:30, funeral home. Condolences: piontekfu neralhome.com.

PORONSKY, CATHERINE, Arch­bald, Monday, Mass, 9:30 a.m., St. Thomas Aquinas Church. Interment Hollywood Memorial Park, Union, N.J. Calling hours, Sunday, 3 to 6 p.m., Louis J. Rapoch Funeral Home, 420 Church St., Archbald. Contribu­tions: Griffin Pond Animal Shelter, 967 Griffin Pond Road, Clarks Summit, PA 18411. Condolen­ces: RapochFuneralHome.com.

PUTIRSKAS, LOIS C., Scranton, today, Mass, 10 a.m., Immaculate Conception Church, 801 Taylor Ave., Scranton. Calling hours, 9:30 to service. Arrangements: Carlucci-Golden-DeSantis Funeral Home Inc., Dunmore. Condolen­ces: DunmoreFuneralHome.com.

RAFALKO, EDWARD JOHN, Bridgewater, N.J., Mass, today, 11 a.m., Divine Mercy Parish, 312 Davis St., Scranton. Inter­ment, St. Mary of Czestochowa Cemetery, 3335 Greenwood Ave., Moosic. Visitation, today, 10 to 11, church. Arrangements: Holcombe-Fisher Funeral Home, 147 Main St., Flemington, N.J. Con­dolences: holcombefisher.com. Contributions: Community Visiting Nurses Association, 110 West End Ave., Somerville, NJ 08876.

RESIO, GILIA RIGNANESI, Old Forge, today, 9:30 a.m., Victor M. Ferri Funeral Home, 522 Fallon St., Old Forge. Mass, 10, St. Mary of the Assumption Church, West Grace and Lawrence streets, Old Forge. Interment, Old Forge Cemetery. Contribu­tions: Prince of Peace Parish, 123 W. Grace St., Old Forge, PA 18518. Condolences: ferrifuner alhome.com.

ROGALA, GLORIA, Throop, Mass, today, 9:30 a.m., Blessed Sacrament Parish at St. Anthony's Church, Rebecca Street, Throop, by Monsignor Michael J. Delaney, pastor. Interment, parish cemetery, Dickson City. Arrangements: John J. Turko & Sons Funeral Home, Dickson City.

SOLTIS, HELEN M. MACHALE, Scranton, today, 8:45 a.m., Sem­ian Funeral Home, 704 Union St., Taylor. Mass, 9:30, St. Ann's Basilica, Scranton. Interment, Cathedral Cemetery, Scranton. No flowers. Condolences: semi ancares.com

SOPHABMIXAY, THAMPHALY, Old Forge, Buddhist ritual ceremony, today, 1:30 p.m., Semian Funeral Home, 704 Union St., Tay­lor. Condolences: semian cares.com.

SPADINE, AUDREY MAY HAR­MAN, West Nicholson, Monday, 11 a.m., West Nicholson United Methodist Church, by Pastor Margaret M. McCarty. Interment, Nicholson Cemetery. Calling hours, Sunday, 5 to 8 p.m., Charles H. Litwin Funeral Home, 91 State St., Nicholson. Contri­butions: West Nicholson United Methodist Church. Condolences: litwinfuneralhome.com.

STROKA, ANN MARIE WIER­NUSZ, Sugar Hollow, Tunkhan­nock, Mass, today, 11 a.m., Church of the Nativity B.V.M., Tunkhannock, by the Rev. Richard Polmounter. Interment, Pieta Cem­etery, Tunkhannock. Arrange­ments: Sheldon-Kukuchka Fune­ral Home, Tunkhannock. Contribu­tions: Church of the Nativity B.V.M., 99 E. Tioga St., Tunkhan­nock, PA 18657; the Alzheimer's Association, 57 N. Franklin St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701; or the Wyoming County Heart Associa­tion, Route 6, Tunkhannock, PA 18657. Condolences: sheldon kukuchkafuneralhome.com.

TELIPSKI, EDWARD "BENNY," Greenwood section of Moosic and Lake Wallenpapauck Estates, Monday, 10 a.m., Semian Funeral Home, 704 Union St., Taylor. Mass, 10:30, Divine Mercy Par­ish, 312 Davis St., by the Rev. Francis Pauselli, pastor. Interment with military honors, St. Mary Czestochowa Cemetery, Moosic. Calling hours, Sunday, 5 to 7 p.m. Condolences: semiancares.com.

UNGER, MARY JANE, Olyphant, today, 10 a.m., Dunmore United Methodist Church basement by the Rev. Drew Cottle. Contribu­tions: Dunmore United Methodist Church, 222 S. Blakely St., Dun­more, PA 18512. Condolences: hudak-osheafuneralhome.com.

WADMAN, MYRLE E., Carbon­dale, private. Cremation, Maple Hill Crematory, Archbald. Arrange­ments: Battenberg Funeral Home, Jermyn.

WILLIAMS, BARBARA A., Peck­ville, today, 10 a.m., Robert E. Decker Funeral Home, 702 River St., Peckville, by Pastor Terry Drost of the Peckville Assembly of God. Interment, Union Ceme­tery, Peckville.

ZWANCH, ANNA, Carbondale, today, Joseph W. Scotchlas Fune­ral Home Inc., 621 Main St., Simpson. Divine Liturgy, 11:30 a.m., SS. Peter & Paul G.C. Church, Rittenhouse Street, Simp­son, by the Rev. Myron Myronyuk. Interment, SS. Peter & Paul Cemetery, Simpson. Calling hours, today, 10 to 11 a.m. Con­tri­butions: SS. Peter & Paul Greek Catholic Church, PO Box 124, Carbondale, PA 18407. Con­dolences: scotchlasfuneral home.com.

Troopers will inspect car seats

DICKSON CITY - State police at Dunmore will host two car seat checkups in the coming weeks as part of their "Click it or Ticket" campaign.

The first will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, May 24, in the Wal-Mart parking lot in Dickson City.

The second will be held on Saturday, June 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Old Stourbridge School in Honesdale for the annual Safe Kids Fair.

State troopers will inspect and reinstall child seats at no charge during each event.

No appointment is necessary for either event.

Police probe two burglaries in city

SCRANTON - City police are looking for leads on two burglaries from the past few days.

Acting Capt. Glen Thomas said when Frank Marriggi, 31, returned home to 425 Depot St. at 10:30 a.m. Friday, his 26-inch television, valued at $200, was missing.

There are no suspects in the case, nor a time frame for when the burglary occurred.

On Thursday, police were called to Rear 1212 Luzerne St. at 2:30 p.m. when Christall Alodaj, 47, reported three cans of paint, paint rollers, a roll of electrical wire and a $300 chop saw were stolen out of the basement.

Anyone with information in either case is asked to call detectives at 348-4139.

Police charge four in drug bust

COOLBAUGH TWP. - Four Tobyhanna residents were arrested on drug charges after a search warrant revealed $33,000 worth of cocaine, along with illegal firearms, police said.

Pocono Mountain Regional Police served a warrant at 809 Grouse Point on Wednesday and found bags of crack, cocaine, supplies used to package and sell drugs, a Ruger Blackhawk .357 revolver and various ammunition.

The four people in the home - Angelo Pennetti, 18; Raffaele Pennetti, 21; Christine Kelly, 25; and Anthony Ianniello, 28 - were charged with possession with intent to deliver, criminal conspiracy and related counts, according to a news release.

All four were arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge Richard Claypool and are in Monroe County Correctional Facility in lieu of $35,000 bail each.

Information on preliminary hearings was not available.

The typical natural gas bill will go up 4.2 percent starting June 1 for customers of UGI Penn Natural Gas.

At the new rate, the monthly heating bill for a customer using 8.9 thousand cubic feet (Mcf) of gas, will increase from $92.75 to $96.67.

An improving economy and late cold snap prompted increased demand for natural gas, resulting in a dip in supply for the first half of the year, said UGI spokesman Joe Swope. Despite the pending increase, rates remain more than one-third lower than five years ago.

The increase results from a jump in the price UGI pays for natural gas, the "purchased gas cost rate," which will go from the present $5.12 per Mcf to $5.55, an increase of 8.4 percent. Other parts of the bill will not change.

Although UGI has the ability to adjust rates Sept. 1, it rarely does. The new rate will likely stand until Dec. 1.

UGI credits the availability of natural gas with the persistence of comparatively low rates.

"The availability of increasing volumes of reasonably priced, locally produced supply from the Marcellus Shale ... has allowed costs to remain below their 2008 levels," said Vicki O. Ebner, senior vice president at UGI.

The company also issued a tentative Dec. 1 rate, predicting another increase, but a smaller one. Under its projections, gas prices will increase 5 percent to $5.81 per Mcf. That would move the average monthly bill to $99.17, an additional 2.6 percent greater than the current rate.

However, a growing number of gas companies that have shut in supplies from idled wells may be reconsidering as the price of gas inches up to where drawing it becomes economical.

"After being artificially low for some time, prices may be coming into balance," Mr. Swope said.

Contact the writer: dfalchek@timesshamrock.com

La PLUME TWP.

When Edward G. Boehm Jr., Ed.D., arrived at Keystone Junior College 18 years ago, he found a school on the verge of collapse.

With plummeting enrollment, shaky finances and campus facilities falling into disrepair, the board of trustees had a plan for shutting the school down.

Dr. Boehm took a look around and started pulling weeds.

His hands-on philosophy, from meeting potential donors to trimming trees, marks the tenure of his presidency. He and his wife, Regina, expected to stay for five years. Five became 10. Today, after 18 years, he will preside over his last commencement ceremony. He retires May 31 as the college's longest serving president.

During his tenure, the college started to offer baccalaureate degrees. Enrollment grew from 376 to about 1,800. The number of employees doubled.

His colleagues credit him with saving Keystone.

"Eighteen years can come and leave you in an instant," Dr. Boehm, 71, said. "It's like we just stopped for a rest and stayed for a lifetime. And we'll always be grateful we did."

In the 1990s, with enrollment in community colleges growing, private, more expensive two-year colleges like Keystone struggled to fill classrooms.

When the trustees named Dr. Boehm president in 1995, he knew changes were needed for the college to survive.

Dr. Boehm, who had held positions at Marshall University in West Virginia and Texas Christian University prior to his appointment, got to work immediately on the overgrown landscaping.

Not wanting to spend what little money Keystone had left on landscapers, Dr. Boehm and his wife started to beautify the campus themselves. As a Father's Day gift, Mrs. Boehm bought her husband a tree trimmer.

Then he removed a blue dumpster from the front of Ward Hall - an eyesore that had been there so long staff members began to look past it. The cornerstone of the building was revealed, and the brick was faded around where the dumpster had stood.

"It illustrated how we became so used to the old way," said Charlotte Ravaioli, executive director of institutional advancement and a 30-year Keystone employee.

He still picks up fallen branches or a stray piece of trash. Before classes start every morning, he leaves his on-campus home and rides around the grounds on his blue and orange bike ­- Keystone's colors, making sure the campus looks presentable.

Adding degrees

Though new facilities were added and every building on campus has been improved in the last 18 years, Dr. Boehm's tenure is about far more than aesthetics. At commencement in 1998, he announced Keystone had been given approval from the state to award bachelor's degrees. The 'Junior' was dropped from Keystone's name, and in 2000, the first student graduated with a four-year degree in criminal justice.

"Everyone at this college had something to do with our success," Dr. Boehm said.

Last year, the number of Keystone graduates was nearly as many as the entire student body when Dr. Boehm became president. In 2012, 355 students received degrees, the majority of them bachelor's degrees.

Community involvement and recruitment became priorities under Dr. Boehm's watch, and he also worked to remember the name of each Keystone student.

It was an easier task when there were only 400 students on campus, so he must work even harder to remember now.

"A simple 'hello' to a student means a lot," he said.

Thomas "Tim" Speicher, chairman of the board of trustees, credits Dr. Boehm with taking Keystone from a small two-year college to what it is today.

"He came to Keystone at a time when they really needed a visionary leader, and he was absolutely the right guy for the job," Mr. Speicher said. "He always put the college first and always had a great vision."

Mrs. Ravaioli said Dr. Boehm came to Keystone 18 years ago with enthusiasm and energy - and still has those traits.

"He saved the college. That is just the beginning and the end of it," she said.

Final thoughts

Now the man who wears only orange ties (he has 47 of them) is packing the contents of his corner office. His orange tennis shoes and photos of his grandchildren are being moved to make room for David Coppola, Ph.D., the vice president for strategic planning and administration at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn., who will succeed Dr. Boehm.

Dr. Boehm will serve as president emeritus for the 2013-14 school year and will still be around campus. After that, he and Mrs. Boehm may move to Richmond, Va., where their grandchildren live.

This afternoon, as he delivers his final commencement remarks as president, he expects to feel pride, joy, gratification and a bit of sadness.

He plans to end his remarks with the same message he has conveyed for years: "May the paths that lead you away from Keystone College always lead you back."

Contact the writer: shofius@timesshamrock.com, @hofiushallTT on Twitter

The majority of Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce members surveyed this week support food trucks doing business downtown, the chamber found.

More than 400 members took an online survey asking how often they eat at food trucks, how often they eat at brick and mortar restaurants, if they think food trucks should be allowed downtown and whether they think food trucks take business away from downtown restaurants.

More than 90 percent of those who responded said they think food trucks should be allowed downtown, and 66.9 percent said they didn't think the food trucks take business away from downtown restaurants.

Food trucks have been a hot-button issue at city council meetings over the past few months. Council announced Thursday that restaurant owners and food truck vendors agreed the city should make changes to a food truck ordinance that includes regulations about how far trucks should be from restaurants, increased licensing fees, eliminating the overnight curfew for trucks and making trucks abide by Scranton Parking Authority meter rules and regulations, among other things.

"We have members on both sides of the issue. We're hoping they can work it out," said Kate McDermott, a spokeswoman for the chamber.

Contact the writer: ksullivan@timesshamrock.com, @ksullivanTT on Twitter

Drunken brawl leads to arrest

SCRANTON - A West Chester man tried to punch a University of Scranton police sergeant after leaving a bar early Friday, city police said.

Michael Monastra, 24, 830 Braxton Lane, and two others got into a fight with a group of four or five men while standing outside Cockeyed Oscars, 1234 Mulberry St., around midnight.

After police arrived, Mr. Monastra tried to punch another man but was held back by police.

Mr. Monastra strongly smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech, police said. He was charged with disorderly conduct and cited for public drunkenness. Bail and preliminary hearing information was not available Friday.

A Scranton man insistent on returning to the Dominican Republic bit and stabbed his brother-in-law who tried to calm him down Thursday night, Scranton police said.

Hatuey Vargas, 19, 529 Eynon St., was put in a "bear-hug" by his brother-in-law, Omar Duval, so he wouldn't hit anyone at around 8 p.m. Thursday, police reported.

To shrug Mr. Duval off, Mr. Vargas bit him on his left shoulder, leaving a large bite mark.

Mr. Vargas went back into the house and came back out with a knife in his hand, police said.

Mr. Duval backed up, lost his footing, and fell, and Mr. Vargas jumped on him. Mr. Duval knocked him off, but not before Mr. Vargas stabbed him in the left arm, police said.

Police responded and found Mr. Duval bleeding from a deep wound on his arm and had an ambulance take him to Geisinger Community Medical Center. There was no information about his condition late Friday.

Police took Mr. Vargas into custody and charged him with aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, simple assault and harassment.

He is in Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $20,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 22.

Contact the writer: jkohut@timesshamrock.com, @jkohutTT on Twitter

A political action committee this week circulated a flier that reproduced a Times-Tribune editorial opposing a push for a study of county government. The flier's design led some readers to conclude that it was produced and distributed by the newspaper. It was not.

Details, Roderick Random, A11

PennDOT: Expect delays on Keyser

SCRANTON - The state Department of Transportation announced utility companies will continue construction along Keyser Avenue this week as part of a $10.4 million project.

Motorists traveling on Keyser Avenue between Union Street in Taylor and Route 307 (the Morgan Highway) should expect delays throughout the day, the PennDOT release said.

Meanwhile, PennDOT officials expect to reopen several access points to area highways by Thursday.

As part of the I-81 Pavement Preservation Project, PennDOT closed the ramp connecting the Casey Highway west to I-81 north, as well as the ramp linking the Casey Highway to Route 347 (Dunmore/Throop) and the ramp from Interstate 84 west to Route 347.

HARRISBURG - A combination of events is focusing attention on whether Gov. Tom Corbett and lawmakers can perform the political hat trick of passing major legislation dealing with transportation spending, liquor store privatization and curbing public pension costs while passing the next state budget on time for the third year in a row.

A dimmer outlook for state tax revenue growth and a lack of consensus among lawmakers on the trio of initiatives sought by Mr. Corbett creates prospects for more political uncertainty during the next six weeks in the Republican-controlled statehouse.

Democratic lawmakers are pressing the governor to say yes on another budget-related issue: adding hundreds of thousands of low-income Pennsylvanians to Medicaid rolls under the 2010 federal Affordable Care Act.

Lawmakers are on recess the next two weeks, with the clock ticking on the June 30 deadline for passing the state budget for fiscal 2013-14. But work on these issues continues behind the scenes with negotiations planned between Mr. Corbett and GOP legislative leaders.

June 30 deadline

Following a Harrisburg tradition, the June 30 budget passage deadline stands alone as a must-do from a legal standpoint, but the budget typically gets intertwined with other major pieces of legislation sought by governors and lawmakers before the lengthy summer recess.

Passing the state budget is needed to extend state spending authority into the new fiscal year that starts July 1. But budgets are often late due to anything from the protracted stalemate over dealing with deficits as happened in 2009 to wrangling over the infamous pay raise of 2005.

Mr. Corbett has met a campaign pledge to produce on-time budgets with his GOP majorities in the House and Senate during the past two years even if the deadline was met with minutes to spare.

"I think the only thing we can hold sacred is June 30," said Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati, R-25, Jefferson County.

Holding to the deadline should help some realize they better compromise if they don't want to go home empty-handed, said Mr. Scarnati.

Medicaid expansion

Sen. John Blake, D-22, Archbald, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, thinks an on-time budget is achievable, but he is critical of Mr. Corbett for not agreeing to the Medicaid expansion and linking his proposal to change future retirement benefits for state government and school district employees to the budget.

"We (lawmakers) are going to be out of here until June 3 and we are packing a lot of hard work in a short space," he said.

Mr. Blake plans to put a spotlight on the advantages of Medicaid expansion and accompanying federal aid for the health care industry in Northeast Pennsylvania. The Senate Democratic Policy Committee plans a hearing Thursday on Medicaid expansion at the Commonwealth Medical College in Scranton, he said.

The next move in the budget process is up to the House GOP majority, which plans to introduce a budget bill on May 28 that reflects the tighter revenue picture due to lower projections of state sales tax revenue collections, said House Appropriations Chairman Bill Adolph, R-165, Springfield.

Mr. Corbett presented a $28.4 billion budget proposal in February that includes a 2.4 percent overall increase in state spending, a modest boost for public education, elimination of the state capital stock and franchise tax and savings of $175 million from curbing public pension costs.

Revenue growth stalls

The state Independent Fiscal Office forecasts that a projected $232 million growth in revenue above estimates made last summer won't pan out due to lower state sales tax collections.

That $28.4 billion number is now an upper ceiling in Mr. Adolph's pending budget bill and it won't include projected pension savings since the fate of the enabling legislation is up in the air.

"Lower revenue receipts in 2012-13 also mean lower projected revenue for 2013-14, further reducing the amount of spending available next year," said the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, a Harrisburg think tank. Lawmakers should delay the final CSFT phaseout as a result, the center said.

Meanwhile, the three ancillary issues are at various stages of development. The House passed a landmark liquor privatization bill in March and the Senate has held two hearings on it. There is bipartisan support in the Senate for the alternative of modernizing the state stores.

The Senate is poised to vote on a $2.5 billion transportation funding bill that has bipartisan support in that chamber. House Republicans are less enthusiastic with one contingent led by Rep. Jerry Knowles, R-124, Tamaqua, seeking to use liquor store sale proceeds for state road and bridge work instead.

Mr. Corbett's pension proposal to place new state government and school district employees under a 401(a) defined contribution plan was just introduced as bills earlier this month in the House and Senate.

Kicking the can

There's no consensus in the House about dealing with pensions, said Stephen Miskin, spokesman for House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, R-28, Pittsburgh.

"Budget pressures will be exponentially more difficult to address each year moving forward, if we do not accomplish pension reform in this year's budget," said Corbett spokeswoman Christine Cronkright. "We can't continue to kick the can down the road."

Mr. Corbett would get kudos if he scores wins with two of the three ancillary proposals, said Terry Madonna, Ph.D., a pollster at Franklin & Marshall College. The governor would probably have a leeway of two or three days past the budget deadline to wrap it all up.

"You don't get any credit from the voters for doing it (budget) on time," he said. "You get hurt if you don't."

Contact the writer: rswift@timesshamrock.com

Taxi driver killed in Monroe crash

COOLBAUGH TWP. - A taxi driver from Stroudsburg died after he lost control of a Pocono Cab Co. minivan on Sunday and it collided with a Coolbaugh Twp. Volunteer Fire Company vehicle, Monroe County Coroner Bob Allen said. The four fire police officers in the vehicle were injured.

Mr. Allen pronounced Michael West, 55, dead at the scene of the crash on Route 196 at about 12:15 p.m.

Mr. West lost control of the minivan taxi while on a curve in the northbound lane. The vehicle then entered the southbound lane and struck the fire company's vehicle. Mr. West, who had no passengers, was not wearing a seat belt, Mr. Allen said.

All four fire police officers were hospitalized. Mr. Allen did not know their names or the extent of their injuries.

Efforts to reach the Pocono Mountain Regional Police on Sunday for crash details were unsuccessful.

Lackawanna County voters face major choices about the future of their county government in the primary election Tuesday, but their choices about governments closer to home are fewer than four years ago.

Only about one in five of the nominations for mayor, borough or city council, township supervisor, tax collector and school director in Lackawanna (21.1 percent) and Luzerne (22.1 percent) counties is contested.

That means more than three quarters of the nominations are either uncontested - in other words, have as many candidates as nominations available - or have no candidates at all.

Four years ago - an equivalent election - about 30 percent of the nominations in each county were contested.

The numbers would be even worse if municipal auditor and controller seats were included in the totals because many municipalities have no candidates for those jobs.

"Clearly, people today are even more stressed than they were four years ago," said Thomas J. Baldino, Ph.D., a political science professor at Wilkes University. "Potential candidates have way too much on their plates. Many people are working two jobs or their jobs demand much more time and to take time to do public service is much more difficult ... And you also have families where both members of the family are working."

Dr. Baldino and others said the tough economic times are making running a local government less appealing because local governments also have less money.

"When budgets are tight, people (elected officials) are forced to make very difficult decisions," he said. "The public wants services continued or they want more service and there's less money to provide those services. So the people who occupy the elected positions are always under pressure and it's not any fun."

Lackawanna County Democratic Party Chairman Harry McGrath attributed the lower interest in running for office to the difficulty in raising money to campaign and "the toll it extracts on your personal life."

"The economy's bad, it's difficult to pay the taxes, you run for office, you have to raise the taxes, you make decisions that impact people's support systems and the resources provided by state or local government which aren't there," Mr. McGrath said. "It's very difficult in this community, because I think this community due to its (poorer) socio-economic profile, including age, is one that's become dependent perhaps, moreso than others, on government. And all of sudden, if you're a government, you're reducing the services that a person literally grew up with. All of a sudden, you're cut off and do you want to be that person responsible for cutting them off?"

Ozzie Quinn, president of the Scranton and Lackawanna County Taxpayers Association, blamed the declining influence of and disgust with the two major political parties for discouraging many people from running for office. Plus, with budgets squeezed, the ability for a public official to hand out jobs to family or friends is diminished, he said.

State Sen. John Yudichak, D-14, Plymouth Twp., said governing local boroughs, townships and cities is harder because state government is providing local municipalities less financial help. That is discouraging potential candidates.

His father, Joseph, a Plymouth Twp. supervisor, wanted to step aside, but couldn't find anybody to replace him. He is running unopposed.

"He was trying to drum up folks to run for the job, but you just don't have anybody stepping up because these jobs are so challenging," John Yudichak said.

Interestingly, the percentages of contested school board nominations are significantly higher - more than one in three (36.4 percent) in Lackawanna County and almost two in three (64.4 percent) in Luzerne County. Unlike municipal officials, school directors receive no pay for serving.

"That is the enigma of enigmas," Mr. McGrath said.

"That's hard to understand because my experience is that they're the toughest jobs in politics," Mr. Yudichak said.

Mr. Quinn had a simple explanation.

"Because I think the school board has more hirings than anybody else," he said.

Dr. Baldino agreed, but said school boards could be going through a generational clash.

"There may be more competition for school board because there's the old guard who views the world (as one of patronage) ... and - I know this from my own school board - there's a slate of people running to unseat the old guard because they don't want the politics as usual where the school board rewards friends, family and neighbors with positions in the school district," Dr. Baldino said.

Contact the writer: bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com

The weather wasn't entirely pleasant, but it didn't stop droves of Celtic culture devotees from stopping by the Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain this weekend. Nearly 2,000 people attended the two-day, second annual Scranton Celtic Festival that began Saturday and ended Sunday night, festival chairman Jack McIntyre said.

In his eyes, the weather was perfect - overcast with a little chill in the air, like one of the Celtic nations the festival celebrated: Ireland.

"The weather was just how we like it," said Mr. McIntyre, who said he is 99 percent Irish. "It went over well."

The festival drew an assortment of Irish and folk bands, as well as offering its fair share of Irish step dancers.

The number of vendors nearly doubled - 42 this year compared to 24 last year, the festival's inaugural year. They doled out authentic Irish cuisine and, of course, American food.

Among them, Dan Dunleavy sold a very popular product - "Whiskey Rocks."

The product - a carved stone that has a tap sticking out of it to allow a smooth pour from an upside-down bottle of liquor placed on top of the rock - was a hit at the festival, Mr. Dunleavy said.

"I'm the only one in the country that makes it," Mr. Dunleavy said. "They go nuts over it."

Mr. McIntrye said festival planners are aiming for a third run on Montage Mountain next year.

Contact the writer: smcconnell@ timesshamrock.com, @smcconnellTT on Twitter

SOUTH ABINGTON TWP. - Fifty two years ago, Tony Marinucci navigated the downtown Scranton streets in his 1947 black Cadillac sedanette.

Then a student at Scranton Technical High School, Mr. Marinucci still remembers the moment his uncle Sam handed him the keys to the car.

"I felt like the coolest kid in school," he said.

On Sunday afternoon, Mr. Marinucci parked his restored car on the soccer field behind Scranton School for Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing Children - the site of the 10th annual classic car and hot-rod car show.

Sponsored by the Pocono Mountain Street Rods and Baptist Bible College, the show featured more than cars, ranging from a 1922 Ford Model-T pickup truck to a 1966 Pontiac GTO.

Though admission was free, all donations benefit the school's 55 students, who range from 3 years old to eighth-graders, said Jon Konzelman, assistant to the principal.

School officials haven't determined what the funds will go toward, but it can be anything from library books to laboratory equipment, Mr. Konzelman said.

The car show provides community residents an opportunity to see the renovated campus, the former Lourdesmont school on Venard Road, CEO Donald E. Rhoten said. "It's an example of our commitment to Northeast Pennsylvania."

Seated next to his British sports car, a 1959 MGA 1600, Bob Petras said he found his prized possession - after years of unsuccessful searching - while driving in West Pittston in 1994.

"I was in the car with my son, and we saw it pass by," the Old Forge man said. "Then, when we were headed back home, it passed us again.

"My son made a U-turn and chased him down."

Contact the writer: miorfino@timesshamrock.com, @miorfinoTT on Twitter