The president of the University of Scranton, the beloved leader who returned to campus this summer after seven years away, revealed Wednesday that he is battling Lou Gehrig’s disease.

In a video message sent to the campus community, the Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., said that this spring he began to experience weakness in his hands and arms and loss of grip.

The disease, officially known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. ALS weakens muscles and impacts physical function.

Doctors caught the disease early in its progression and started to treat the disease aggressively, Pilarz said. He said he has had no additional symptoms or side effects since treatment began.

Pilarz, 59, served as university president from 2003 to 2011, leading the school through its largest expansion. The university announced in March 2017, that he would return to the campus this summer, after serving as president of Marquette University and Georgetown Preparatory School.

Under Pilarz’s leadership, the University of Scranton raised its enrollment, expanded its footprint and increased its national presence. An expert in medieval and Renaissance literature, he also oversaw some of the university’s largest construction projects and its most ambitious capital campaign.

In the video, Pilarz said he will continue to work and wants to become a spokesman for ALS.

“It’s a much misunderstood disease, and so far as I can help talk about it and help people come to clarity, I’m very willing to do that,” he said.

An average of 15 people are diagnosed with ALS daily — about 5,600 people a year, according to the Washington D.C.-based nonprofit ALS Association. The organization estimates more than 20,000 people have the disease at any given time. There is no cure.

Tony Heyl, director of communications and public policy for the associations’s Philadelphia chapter, applauded Pilarz’s goal of raising awareness and being a voice for the disease.

“I think what he wants to do with the disease ... it shows his humanity and selflessness,” Heyl said. “He obviously knows what the disease is and wants to help others.”

Contact the writer: shofius@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9133; @hofiushallTT on Twitter.

Scranton funeral director Al T. Hughes can call a jailed banker who alerted authorities to suspicious activity in Hughes’ account as a witness during trial on his tax evasion charges, a federal judge ruled.

Hughes’ attorney, Christopher B. Jones,was granted permission to call Sean Jelen, the former chief executive officer at Valor Credit Union in Scranton sentenced in January to more than five years in federal prison for bank fraud.

Hughes, a key witness in the 2011 corruption trial of former Lackawanna County Commissioners Robert Cordaro and A.J. Munchak, is awaiting trial on several counts of tax evasion and filing a false tax return.

Federal prosecutors say Hughes is associated with several funeral homes, including two he operates with another person. From 2009 to 2014, Hughes deposited hundreds of customer checks into his personal account for his own benefit without the knowledge of the funeral homes’ co-owner. The scheme netted Hughes about $1.25 million, but he reported income of just $268,164.

Jelen was charged in June 2016 with embezzling about $718,000 from Valor Credit Union. He pleaded guilty in July 2016 to bank fraud and attempted bank fraud. He is now serving his sentence at the Federal Medical Center Devens in Ayer, Massachusetts.

In a motion filed earlier this month, Jones sought court permission to interview Jelen, who tipped off federal authorities about suspicious activity in an account Hughes held at the bank, which is now known as Pentagon Federal Credit Union, or PenFed.

Jones contends Jelen is an important witness because during an earlier, informal interview Jelen provided Jones information that “does not support” the government’s allegations against Hughes. He sought permission to take Jelen’s deposition under oath.

Senior U.S. District Judge James Munley recently denied the motion, but agreed to allow Jones to call Jelen as a witness at Hughes’ trial.

Contact the writer:

tbesecker@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9137;

@tmbeseckerTT on Twitter

CARBONDALE — The second day of school was a short one for students in the Carbondale Area School District.

With temperatures expected to reach 90 degrees, Carbondale Area schools dismissed students before 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Without air conditioning at the elementary school, the temperature in some classrooms reached more than 100 degrees, Superintendent Robert Mehalick said.

“It just really becomes a health risk,” he said.

The district also dismissed students from the high school, which is air conditioned, because many of the older students serve as caretakers for younger siblings, Mehalick said.

— SARAH HOFIUS HALL

By late Wednesday morning, the bustle of the Hometown Farmers Market had reached full pitch. And down the countless aisles of produce and candy, vinyl records and tchotchkes, used clothing and deli meats, the subject of Shawn Christy, fugitive, bubbled up in the cross-talk.

“Every night, I can’t go to sleep,” said David Weston of Tamaqua, browsing the selection of hunting knives, crossbows and nunchakus at one of the stands in the vast market, a weekly fixture in Rush Township, Schuylkill County. “They should have the Army looking for him.”

Christy, a man familiar to law enforcement for many years, has been at large since early June. Federal authorities are seeking him for allegedly posting threats on Facebook against President Donald Trump and Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli.

State authorities, meanwhile, want him on multiple warrants for burglary, probation violation and failure to appear for an aggravated assault case stemming from his alleged attack on the mayor of his hometown of McAdoo.

He may be armed with guns stolen from a relative’s home. He is suspected of stealing vehicles in Kentucky and Maryland. And he is believed to be the man who broke into a house about 4 miles south of McAdoo on Thursday night, telling the homeowner he was homeless and looking for food.

The man fled into the woods. But the following night, not far away, a man believed to be Christy broke into a popular ice cream parlor called Skipper Dippers Dairy Bar & Grill on Route 309. Surveillance video show a scruffy man in a cap pacing around the kitchen, eating out of a small bin.

Since then, Christy has seemingly been popping up everywhere. On Tuesday night alone, people in far-flung locations across three counties reported sightings.

It’s reminiscent of the 2014 hunt for Eric Frein, the Poconos man who shot a state trooper to death and spent 48 days eluding a massive manhunt before his capture at an abandoned airport hangar. Like Frein, Christy is described as armed and dangerous. He also allegedly threatened to use “full lethal force” against police.

“Every time I leave, I put on my alarm now,” said Mary Hoffman, who lives in Ryan Township, not far from Skipper Dippers, and finds the thought of the elusive fugitive thoroughly unnerving as she locks the house at night. “When I saw the [surveillance video], I thought ‘Oh, great, he’s right here.’ ”

Hoffman works at the market’s Sweet Expectations Bakery with Tveta Negrea, the owner, who isn’t unduly alarmed about Christy — she lives in Hazleton, Luzerne County, some 8 miles north of the alleged Rush Township sightings — but is dismayed by the trouble he’s causing.

“He seems like he has a lot of problems, that kid,” she said, in the soft accent of her native Romania.

Christy’s strange story goes back about a decade. In October 2008, he called Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s campaign office and offered to volunteer for the McCain-Palin Republican presidential ticket.

Early in 2009, he developed an online chat relationship with someone who may have been Palin’s daughter. Federal authorities warned him off. The following year, Palin took out a restraining order against Christy after he allegedly bombarded her and a friend with threatening phone calls and emails.

In 2011, Christy and his father, Craig, were charged with harassing Palin’s lawyers. Shawn pleaded guilty to harassment and was sentenced to probation, but spent two years in federal prison after he left a Scranton halfway house in violation of probation.

After that, he cropped up in police blotters again and again, accused of harassing a teacher at a business school, threatening to kill a tax collection clerk in Bangor, swinging a stick at the McAdoo mayor.

All of these stories are well known in the area. Indeed, it wasn’t hard Wednesday to find people who said they knew Christy personally.

Weston, the fretful insomniac, was one, claiming to have had run-ins with Christy and his father. Dave King, a market merchant who sells music and videos, was another.

“I knew him years ago,” King said.

Like Negrea, the bakery owner, King lives in Hazleton.

“But if my kids were going to school here, I’d be worried,” he said.

Kelly Chicarelli, administrative assistant at the Rush Township municipal building, said she isn’t especially worried.

“I’ll worry when the police chief tells me to worry,” she said with a laugh.

That’s not likely to happen. Chief Ken Zipovsky is preaching caution, not worry.

“It’s just a commonsense thing,” he said. “If you see him, don’t approach him — call 911. Take your keys out of your car, lock your car.”

The chief said there have been no credible sightings of Christy in the area since Friday, when federal authorities — U.S. marshals and the Secret Service — staged at the township fire department.

It’s been an unusual few days for the township.

“One thing I’m proud to say is that there’s not a lot of crime here,” Zipovsky said. “So something like this stands out.”

Christy is 5 feet 10 inches tall; weighs approximately 160 pounds; has a tattoo of a cross on his right upper arm; short, dark brown hair; and a full beard. He speaks with a noticeable lisp and claims to be a survivalist.

SHAWN CHRISTY

Federal authorities are offering a cash award of up to $20,000 for information directly leading to Christy's arrest. Information will be considered confidential. Anyone with information is asked to contact the U.S. Marshals Service at 1-877-Wanted-2 (1-877-926-8332) or the FBI at 215-418-4000.

daniel.sheehan@mcall.com

610-820-6598

A man was in police custody this morning accused of spraying a group of people with tar over the weekend, Scranton Police Chief Carl Graziano said.

In a text message, Graziano identified the suspect as a man named Michael D’augostino. It was not immediately clear what charges he faces.

The arrest stemmed from an incident early Sunday morning on the 200 block of North Washington Avenue. A group of friends had just left Levels, a bar in downtown Scranton, and became embroiled in a confrontation with a man they did not know.

The confrontation ended with the man spraying their vehicle with tar, burning the arm of Nick Thompson, a member of that group.

Check back for updates.

William J. Nealon, who on Tuesday became the longest-serving U.S. District Judge in the nation’s history, died today at the age of 95.

The judge passed away peacefully about 11:30 a.m. at his apartment at Allied Terrace surrounded by his family.

Appointed by President John F. Kennedy in December 1962, to the Middle District of Pennsylvania bench, Nealon became the longest-serving district judge in the 229-year history of the federal judiciary on Tuesday. He also has spent more time in one court appointment than any other federal judge in the nation’s history.

Check back for updates.

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

SCRANTON — A free concert planned Friday evening at Steamtown National Historic Site as part of this weekend’s Railfest 2018 festivities has been canceled.

The pre-Railfest “Johnny Cash Experience” tribute concert by David Stone, which had been scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the Steamtown theater, had to be scratched because of performer injury, Superintendent Debbie Conway said.

The concert will not be rescheduled, and Stone will not be performing at Railfest, she said.

Railfest officially kicks off Saturday with an opening ceremony at 10 a.m. It will continue Sunday.

— DAVID SINGLETON

SCRANTON — A Jeep with significant damage was found this afternoon in the parking lot of The Times-Tribune.

The blue Jeep Liberty, registered to a woman from Hawley, has a badly cracked windshield and a banged up passenger side.

It appeared in the parking lot of the newspaper’s downtown offices at about noon.

The sides and undercarriage of the vehicle are caked in mud.

Police responded to take a report and authorities are currently trying to reach the SUV’s owner.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

Jermyn council Vice President Dan Markey will take over as borough manager.

Council unanimously voted during a special meeting Wednesday to reestablish the borough manager position after struggling to fill its secretary and treasurer position.

Markey will step down from council and begin as borough manager on Sept. 17.

Council also selected councilwoman Kristen Dougherty as vice president.

The borough will begin looking for a new council member to fill Markey’s seat, council President Frank Kulick said.

Check back for updates.

A national behavioral health provider is closing its locations in four Northeast Pennsylvania counties, affecting about 2,400 clients and 165 employees.

In a statement today, officials with Merakey, formerly NHS, said they will continue to provide services at programs in Lackawanna, Pike, Susquehanna and Wayne counties until all patients can move to other providers. The closures are to be completed by the end of October.

The company blames unsustainable insurance reimbursement rates for the closures.

“There’s no secret that ... reimbursement rates remain a challenge,” spokesman Kevin Feeley said. “Merakey has tried for most of the last decade to find a way to offer these programs as affordably as possible, and it just can’t do it any more.”

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

SOUTH ABINGTON TWP. — The township police chief is warning residents to be careful after a thief took $20,000 worth of jewelry from a resident’s home.

Police Chief Robert Gerrity said a woman in the 900 block of South Abington Road reported the theft Wednesday but believes it happened either Aug. 22 or Aug. 23. A man came to the victim’s door, said he was with the water company and asked if he could come inside. She agreed, then he led her outside and left the property. The jewelry theft was discovered later.

The incident happened either the same day or the day after an incident in Clarks Summit, Gerrity said. The description of the man who posed as the utility worker is the same in both: white, late 40s to early 50s, about 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches with a medium build and salt and pepper hair.

Anyone who encounters someone claiming to be a utility worker should ask for the person’s ID and can always call the police to verify who they are, Gerrity said.

— ERIN L. NISSLEY

SCRANTON — Sixteen Scranton teachers officially lost their jobs tonight.

After the Scranton School Board failed to get a majority to approve the layoffs earlier this week, directors voted 9-0 to take the final step in eliminating the jobs.

Meanwhile, the teachers union contends tonight’s vote was illegal and will seek a court injunction to stop the layoffs.

The financially struggling district originally planned to lay off as many as 89 teachers, and the number dropped to about 50 after the board passed this year’s budget. Within the last month, the number dropped from 25 to 16, after the district looked at staffing needs and retirements.

Although the school board passed a resolution in January to lay off teachers and also passed a budget that accounted for a reduction in staff, state school code requires a final vote after teachers are afforded the right to a hearing.

A motion on Monday failed 3-3, with some directors questioning the process and why as many as 200 evaluations were initially missing. Those issues have all been resolved, officials said.

Eight directors were present at tonight’s meeting, and Paul Duffy voted by phone.

With the plan, the district eliminated all librarians and will reduce students’ exposure to classes such as art, music and physical education. The district is still working on determining how much money the layoffs will save, Superintendent Alexis Kirijan, Ed.D., said. Many of the laid-off teachers will work for the district as long-term substitutes, she said. As job openings become available, the affected employees will be called back, she said.

The layoffs are one of many ways the board is trying to find savings, board President Barbara Dixon said.

“None of us wanted to do this, but we are making the move toward solvency,” she said. “We all worked hard this year to do as much as we could.”

Rosemary Boland, president of Scranton Federation of Teachers, said she will seek an injunction to stop the layoffs because of discrepancies with voting procedures. Because Monday night’s motion failed, the board could not automatically vote on the same motion.

Solicitor John Minora said the board only had to take a vote to renew, not a vote to reconsider. The vote to renew acted like a normal motion.

Under board rules, directors needed to vote to reconsider — a motion that could only be made by one of the directors who voted against the previous motion, Boland said.

Teachers laid off are: Molly Popish, Joshua Watters, Laurie Burdett, Kendra Hooper, Thomas Hirschler, Alena Schneider, Basil Bannister, Brianna Rice, Christina Gibson, Lindsey Fultz, Megan Ackourey, Megan Gilroy, Tara Cummings, Nicole Gillette, Ronald Simpson and Michael Tigue.

Contact the writer: shofius@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9133; @hofiushallTT on Twitter

TAYLOR — Police and fire personnel are on the scene of a reported gas explosion on the 300 block Union Street in the borough.

Police on scene confirm a gas explosion happened at a house there. The call came in about 8:40 p.m.

Debris from the blast is strewn on the street. The blast appears to have blown a window from a building about a block away.

“It shook the whole block,” Evans said. “It knocked pictures off my wall.”

There’s no word on injuries. Gas can be smelled in the neighborhood still and police are keeping people several blocks from the scene. Part of the house appeared to be on fire briefly.

Check back for updates.

MARRIAGE LICENSES

■ Learsi Janese Campos and Jalissa Marie Peralta, both of Scranton.

■ Keith Russell Roneker and Kasey Lynn Caragine, both of Blakely.

■ Joseph John Gibbons and Colby Cottell, both of Clarks Green.

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

■ Claire Golob, by and through her agent, David Golob, Boynton Beach, Fla., to Isaac and Yocheved Swiatycki, Brooklyn, N.Y.; a property at 26 Olyphant St., Chapman Lake, Scott Twp., for $99,000.

■ Patrick J. Munley, Dickson City, to Richard J. Youshock, Dickson City; a property at 840 Lincoln St., Dickson City, for $157,900.

■ Thomas D. DeVita, in his capacity as executor of the estate of Janet P. Suraci, Waver­ly Twp., to Frank T. Suraci IV and Kathryn M. Cawley, South Abing­ton Twp.; 5 Starlight Drive, Wav­erly Twp., for $344,000.

■ Stanley H. and Martha D. Cohen, Palm Springs, Calif., to Paul J. and Sarah Deutchman Walker, Clarks Summit; two parcels in Waverly Twp. for $315,000.

■ Fannie Mae, also known as Federal National Mortgage Association, Dallas, Texas, to Dionicio R. Fernandez, Scranton; a property at 2237 Pittston Ave., Scranton, for $36,750.

■ US Bank National Associ­ation, as trustee for the structured asset securities corporation mortgage pass-through certificates, series 2006-BC4, its attorney in fact, by power of attorney, whose address is c/o Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Freder­ick, Md., to Arlene Baez and Francisca Suriel, New York, N.Y.; a property at 1300 Luzerne St., Scranton, for $39,000.

■ Michael and Beverly Walsh, Waverly Twp., to Martin Ventures LLC, Scranton; two parcels in Scranton for $400,000.

■ Sandra E. Villa, New York, to TLC Technologies Inc., Center Valley; a property in Scranton for $207,700.

■ Jessica Catherine Kraft, Bloomsbury, N.J., to Jillian Marie Helcoski; a property at 35 Havenstrite Lane, Covington Twp., for $316,000.

■ Jacqueline A. Emlaw to Ryan J. and Abby L. Haraschak; two parcels in Old Forge for $84,000.

■ Robert P. Jr. and Sandra L. Bird to Nathan and Silver Can­field; a property at 1058 N. Sekol Ave., Ransom Twp., for $197,400.

■ John E. and Janice M. Cam­pos to Edward G. and Lisa A. Bath; a property at 113 Fox Run Circle, South Abinton Twp., for $270,890.

■ Frederick L. and Barbara A. Hickman, Clarks Summit, to Brian J. Jr. and Eileen O. Bell, Stamford, Conn.; a property in Clarks Summit for $550,000.

■ John D. and Lisa B. Husosky, Scranton, to Brianna Young, Pittston; a property at 2631 Lafayette St., Scranton, for $188,500.

■ Michael J. and Erika Domi­nick, Greenfield Twp., to Car­mino A. Perri, Carbondale; a property at Rear 56 Laurel St., Carbondale, for $117,000.

■ Maryann Veno, as executrix and successor trustee of the estate of Kenneth C. Santarelli, Peckville, to Carl and Patricia Goldyn, Peckville; a property at 96 Clearview Lane, Blakely, for $115,000.

■ TEK78 LLC to Margaret S. Mitchell; a property at 904 Winola Road, South Abington Twp., for $250,000.

BENCH WARRANTS

Judge Thomas Munley has issued the following bench warrants for failure to appear on fines and costs:

■ Azhnoe Jamila Lattimore, 160 Coal St., Wilkes-Barre; $1,598.

■ Daniel T. Jones, 30 N. Jacob St., Apt. 7, Mount Joy; $703.50.

■ Colleen M. Kresky, 716 Lan­dis St., Scranton; $4,325.79.

■ Charles Hoskins, 533 N. Main St., Scranton; $3,887.20.

■ Juan C. Hiraldo, 539 Linden St., last known address, Scran­ton; $942.82.

■ Douglas Clark Hess, 78 Spring St., Carbondale; $595.50.

■ Edward Hazelton, 511 Sand­er­son St., Olyphant; $22,100.

■ Kevin C. Hayden, 2105 S. Irving Ave., Scranton; $2,393.

■ David Joseph Hastie, 1011 Church St., Jessup; $2,823.

■ Daniel Sean Harrity, 127 N. Broad St., Nazareth; $863.50.

■ Edwin Griffin, 801 Delaware St., Scranton; $2,115.

■ Sisselyn Gonzalez, 221 Put­nam St., Scranton; $3,761.50.

■ Sean Edward Glennon, 505 Linden St., Room 10, Scranton; $758.45.

LAWSUITS

■ Danielle Toomey, individually and as administrator of the estate of Chaniya Morrison-Toomey, 717 Mill St., Apt. 2, Dunmore, v. Pocono Motor Freight Inc., 522 Memorial Blvd., Route 611, Tobyhanna, and Michael J. Parks, 6582 Linden Drive, Tobyhanna, seeking an amount in excess of $50,000 including interest, costs and any other or further relief the honorable court may deem just and proper on six counts, for the wrongful death of Chaniya Morrison-Toomey, on Dec. 6, 2016, at approximately 12:11 a.m., in an automobile accident in the right southbound lane of travel on Interstate 380 in the vicinity of mile marker 4.0; Steven E. McConnell, attorney.

■ Jacqueline Saar, 1954 Myrtle St., Scranton, v. Progres­sive Specialty Insurance Co., 6300 Wilson Mills Road, W33, Cleveland, Ohio, and/or 5000 Tilghman St., Suite 300, Allen­town, seeking an amount in excess of $50,000 of compensatory damages, plus interest and costs of suit, attorney fees and such other relief as the honorable court deems just and proper, for injuries suffered in an automobile accident on or about Sept. 10, 2013, while stopped at a red traffic light awaiting to enter Route 611 from the Turkey Hill exit in Pocono Twp.; Michael J. McDonald, attorney.

ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/courts

SCRANTON — A federal jury ruled Wednesday that state police did not violate a Clarks Summit man’s rights when they questioned him about a 2014 sniper attack that killed one trooper and badly injured another.

Jeffrey Hudak filed suit against state police and six state troopers in 2016 seeking damages for unlawful seizure, wrongful arrest and false imprisonment related to being questioned after the attack at the Blooming Grove state police barracks on Sept. 12, 2014. On Wednesday, eight jurors unanimously decided Hudak willingly went with troopers when they arrived at his mother’s home on the morning of Sept. 13, 2014, he agreed to be questioned by police and he could have left the Dunmore barracks at any point as police questioned him.

The jury of six women and two men started deliberating at about 4 p.m. and rendered their verdict at about 6:45 p.m.

“They didn’t treat me right, that’s all I know,” Hudak said of his treatment by state police as he left the William J. Nealon Federal Building and Courthouse on Wednesday. “I’m not disappointed; I just think they’re not fair.”

Hudak was wrongfully suspected of killing Cpl. Bryon K. Dickson II and wounding Trooper Alex T. Douglass during the sniper attack at the barracks. His lawsuit alleges troopers were so desperate to find who carried out the ambush, they let emotions cloud their judgment.

Hudak was initially a suspect after police learned his estranged wife was dating Douglass at the time of the shooting. During opening statements, Hudak’s attorneys said he had no choice but to comply with troopers’ demands when they ordered him from his mother’s home at gunpoint, then handcuffed him and placed him in a patrol car.

Police did not identify the real shooter, Eric Matthew Frein, as a suspect until several days later, when his abandoned vehicle was found with incriminating evidence inside. Frein was convicted in Pike County Court in April 2017 of first-degree murder and other offenses and sentenced to death.

Attorneys representing the state police maintained troopers treated Hudak with respect and that he agreed to be questioned. He was transported in the patrol car because he was offered a ride and accepted.

Jessica Davis, the attorney representing the state police, declined to comment after the trial.

George Reihner, one of Hudak’s attorneys, said a single sentence as he left the courthouse.

“The jury has spoken.”

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

A local businessman bought 36 acres that were once part of the West Mountain Sanitarium at auction on Saturday.

The sale is now under private contract, auctioneer John Cowley, with Cowley Real Estate Auctions, said Wednesday. He wouldn’t disclose the buyer’s name nor the winning bid amount, only that it exceeded the $99,500 bid opener. Nine bidders attended the auction, two at the site and seven online, he said.

The sale is to close some time in October, he said. The buyer has no immediate plans.

The sanitarium, once a treatment center for tuberculosis patients, ceased operations in the 1970s. Peter Sabia bought it in 1983 and has been selling off pieces of it ever since.

— JON O’CONNELL

A malfunction Wednesday at a new power plant in Jessup resulted in the release of a poisonous gas at a rate three times higher than what the state Department of Environmental Protection allows.

The malfunction is one of six instances where the Lackawanna Energy Center exceeded DEP emissions regulations for nitrogen oxides, or NOx, since May. Although NOx is defined as a poisonous gas and pollutant, the emissions are unlikely to cause any lingering health effects for residents, according to an expert. NOx comes from a variety of sources ranging from cars to industrial boilers.

Invenergy reported the excessive NOx emissions to the DEP, but did not immediately notify Jessup officials.

At 11 p.m. Wednesday, a loss of power caused the natural gas power plant to exceed the DEP’s limit for NOx, according to a letter sent to the DEP on Friday by plant manager Jason Carey. The DEP established a 2.0 parts per million limit per hour on NOx. The plant released 6.2 ppm.

The plant is now in “shakedown mode,” which “allows it to refine its operations” and reduce the release of excess emissions, DEP spokeswoman Colleen Connolly said in an email Friday.

The plant is investigating wiring and a power supply to prevent future malfunctions, Carey wrote.

Wednesday’s excessive NOx emissions came after Jessup council and residents raised concerns over Invenergy waiting more than two weeks to notify the borough about excessive NOx emissions

July 31 that lasted 10 minutes. Those emissions occurred after a pump lost communication with a control system, Connolly said in an email last week.

The plant reported the event to both the DEP and council

, and implemented corrective actions to enable operators to prevent future excess NOx emissions, Invenergy spokeswoman Beth Conley

said in an email last week.

Invenergy reported six instances where NOx emissions exceeded DEP limits since May 25. According to Invenergy reports, they were all halted within an hour.according to a DEP list of pollutants.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency

defines NOx as “a family of poisonous, highly reactive gases,” according to the agency’s website.

The gas is emitted by numerous sources, including automobiles, trucks, construction equipment, boats, and industrial sources like power plants, industrial boilers and turbines, according to the EPA.

NOx is primarily an irritant, so if residents haven’t noticed any negative physical effects from the malfunctions, they don’t need to worry about whether the leak affected their health, said Michael McCawley, Ph.D., a West Virginia University associate professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences

. McCawley has co-authored various publications on topics that have included studying the effects of contaminants on health and the environment.

NOx would cause people to feel a “scratchy” sensation in their lungs. It could be more problematic, causing lung spasms for asthmatics or those with some kind of lung hypersensitivity

, McCawley said.

Although the energy center was three times over the DEP’s NOx limit Wednesday, other recent higher-than-allowed NOx emissions were 2.1 ppm. Exceeding the 2.0 ppm limit by 0.1 is “negligible,” McCawley said.

Being three times over the emissions limit for an hour is “probably not something to panic about,” but it should be something to look into to ensure it doesn’t happen again, he said.

“For a three-fold (increase), I’d say you want to be a lot more concerned, but would you shout ‘fire’ in a crowded theater? I’m not sure you would,” he said, explaining that emissions standards are designed to keep emissions well below ambient air quality standards.National Ambient Air Quality Standards

Regardless of how much excessive NOx was released, council President Gerald Crinella

raised concerns over the delayed reporting by Invenergy.

“Whether it’s negligible or not, they are supposed to self report and disclose that to us — DEP and us — and we’re not getting it, so to me it’s indicative of trying to cover something up,” he said.

Invenergy notified the DEP on July 31 that Unit 1 at the plant had exceeded the hourly emissions limit for NOx by 0.1 ppm at 4 p.m. that day, Connolly said in an email. Invenergy sent the DEP a written notice

Aug. 6 outlining what caused the excess emissions.

The borough receives monthly updates during council meetings at well as weekly reports, and neither mentioned the NOx issues in July, Crinella said. Council last met Aug. 6.

Councilman Peter Larioni

learned of the July malfunction via email Aug. 17.

“We’d like to know as soon as it happens, and we’re hoping to straighten it out,” he said.

In the event of a situation, council wants to know what happened and why, and Crinella did not feel that council is finding out in a timely manner.

“The good thing is they’re following procedure when it comes to DEP,” he said.

Crinella said he had not heard about Wednesday’s malfunction.

“That’s really concerning because we just had the prior one a month before,” he said, explaining he couldn’t comment on the leak itself.

Crinella also chided Invenergy last week for the complexity of its explanation of the situation. While he acknowledged that the highly technical explanation was written for DEP officials, he would have preferred if council received a release written in layman’s terms.

“If you are not part of that industry, I don’t think that you can absorb 25 percent of what they put in that release,” he said.

The next council meeting is scheduled for Sept. 10, and Crinella plans to question Invenergy on the recent NOx emissions.

Contact the writer:

flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5181;

@flesnefskyTT on Twitter

Recently reported excessive NOx emissions at the Lackawanna Energy Center:

May 25, 9 p.m.: 2.1 ppm

May 26, 8 a.m.: 2.1 ppm

May 29, 11 a.m.: 2.1 ppm

June 2, 4 a.m.: 2.1 ppm

July 31, 4 p.m.: 2.1 ppm

Aug. 29, 11 p.m.: 6.2 ppm

Sept. 1, 1968

More women in workforce

Loretta Fleming, manager of the Scranton office of the Bureau of Employment Services, shared information about women in the Scranton workforce.

Women made up 38 percent of the workforce in the Scranton labor market, and the previous year, women accounted for 43 percent of all the job placements made by her office. She said the median age of a working woman in the Scranton area was 40. Also, 58 percent of the area’s working women were married and 21 percent widowed or divorced.

Fleming started with the bureau as an employment interviewer in 1938. She held a master’s degree from Columbia University and was a charter member of Business and Professional Women’s Club of Greater Pittston.

Jefferson School to open

The Dunmore School District announced that the new Jefferson Elementary School would open Sept. 9 and would be home to students in kindergarten through sixth grade.

The school, which cost $1.2 million, had 12 classrooms, a music room, a library and a 3,000-square-foot multipurpose room that would serve as a cafeteria and gymnasium.

The district was also undertaking a renovation and expansion of the senior high school. That work was expected to be completed by September 1969.

PSU campus to be dedicated

Officials with the Penn State Worthington Scranton campus announced that the dedication ceremony for the new college would take place Sept. 4. Scheduled to speak at the ceremony were former Gov. William Scranton and Penn State President Eric Walker.

Classes were scheduled to begin Sept. 23.

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.

The state is making an area road more bicycle friendly.

Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation and Department of Community and Economic Development designated a new U.S. bicycle route that cuts through the region.

USBR 36 extends 398 miles across Pennsylvania, from Ohio to New York. Through Pennsylvania, it follows much of Route 6 into Tunkhannock, but then branches off at Factoryville to Route 107, through Fleetville, Benton Twp., Scott Twp., and Mayfield, linking back up with Route 6 near Jermyn. It then heads east through Carbondale, Waymart and Milford.

“This helps people who take daylong or multiday cycling trips to find direct routes easier,” said Roy Gothie, PennDOT’s statewide bicycle-pedestrian coordinator.

When cyclists can easily find routes, they can bring tourism to locations along the routes, too.

“Anything like this that accommodates adventure tourism is great for our community,” said Curt Camoni, executive director of the Lackawanna County Visitors Bureau. “We’re already a great place for local hiking, biking, fishing, kayaking. The more we can market what we have to offer, the better for our economy.”

He noted that millennials and major biking communities in cities such as Allentown and Philadelphia seek places to ride, which brings more business to local hotels, restaurants and other places.

Designating bike routes can benefit locals, as well, Gothie said. If people, especially with lower incomes, buy bikes instead of cars, they may better afford health care, schooling and other resources, he said.

Nationally recognizing these bike routes also helps cyclists, especially families, feel safer on the road because drivers will be more aware of cyclists, said cyclist Aaron McNany, owner of Veloce bike and coffee shop in downtown Scranton.

The new routes may also give people a reason to be active.

“People in our area aren’t as recreational because they aren’t aware of the opportunities,” McNany said. “This creates public awareness.”

The state also designated USBR 30, which extends 46 miles along the shore of Lake Erie, from Ohio to New York.

The U.S. Bicycle Route System gives bicyclists the ability to ride officially numbered and signed bicycle routes.

To date, more than 13,000 miles of U.S. bicycle routes have been approved in 25 states. When complete, the system will encompass 50,000 miles of routes and create opportunities for cross-country travel, regional touring and commuting by bicycle, according to adventurecycling.org, the online home of the Adventure Cycling Association, which hosts maps and details of the nationwide program.

WILKES-BARRE — The state Department of Community and Economic Development has denied Mayor Tony George’s request to declare the city financially distressed.

“I’m kind of shocked,” George said. “They understand we’re $3.5 million in debt this year,” and larger deficits are projected down the road.

City Administrator Ted Wampole said he and the mayor were informed of DCED Secretary Dennis Davin’s decision during a teleconference Friday morning with DCED Deputy Secretary Rich Vilello and C. Kim Bracey, executive director of the Governor’s Center for Local Government Services.

In a letter to George, Davin said Wilkes-Barre’s citizens “deserve every opportunity for the city to retain its financial independence, and keeping Wilkes-Barre out of Act 47 at this time provides that opportunity.”

George sent a request to Davin on June 29 asking him to deem the city financially distressed as defined under the Municipalities Financial Recovery Act of 1987, commonly referred to as Act 47, citing projected budget deficits as a major reason for his request.

Act 47 allows distressed municipalities certain revenue-collection advantages other cities don’t have, such as increasing the local services tax — the $1 tax withheld weekly from people employed within city limits — and imposing an earned income tax on people who work in the city but reside outside its borders, commonly called a commuter tax.

DCED Press Secretary Michael Gerber said the department — based on testimony presented at an Aug. 1 public hearing, written testimony, and an extensive review and analysis of the city’s financial data — found several actions the city could take before it needs to enter Act 47 “as a last resort.”

Davin’s decision gives the city the opportunity to incorporate those recommendations in the 2019 budget process, and reassess the city’s financial condition and need for Act 47 status at a future date, Gerber said.