SCRANTON — Today’s high of 91 degrees broke a 35-year-old record for the region.

Set in 1983, the previous record high stood at 90 degrees, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Samuhel said. The current streak of hot weather began Sunday with a humid high of 85 degrees, he said.

The warm weather will continue today with a high of 85 and a low of 71, but temperatures will break going into the weekend with lower humidity, some rain and a lot of clouds, he said.

Weekend highs will be in the 60s and 70s, Samuhel said.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

Desperate to be reunited with his best friend, Buddy limped home. Home was gone, reduced to a splat of blackened boards and broken glass.

Buddy’s best friend, Brian Ott, 58, was laid up with burns over 85 percent of his body in an Allentown hospital, almost 100 miles from Buddy.

The house exploded late Thursday. The cause remains under investigation, Taylor Police Chief Stephen Derenick told me Tuesday. A neighbor noticed Buddy nuzzling the ashes of 308 Union St., Taylor, on Saturday. The neighbor called Derenick, who called Denise Kumor, founder and CEO of Duryea-based Tracey’s Hope Hospice Care and Rescue for Domestic Animals Inc.

“I can’t say enough about Denise’s response,” Derenick said. “She didn’t hesitate. She said, ‘Take him up to VREC and don’t worry about the cost.’ ”

On Saturday, Buddy was treated at Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center in South Abington Twp. His injuries were serious — smoke inhalation, dehydration, singed fur and four burned paws. The pads on one paw were burned off entirely, Denise said.

Buddy is staying with a loving foster family and recovering with the help of antibiotics and pain medication, Denise said. Buddy was short of breath after a Tuesday visit to the Taylor Borough Building, so I will meet him at a scheduled Friday visit with Robert J. Noto, V.M.D., at Memorial Veterinarian Hospital in Old Forge.

Denise said Dr. Noto pledged to donate his services to Buddy’s care going forward. Tracey’s Hope can use help covering the costs of Buddy’s emergency care. To contribute, visit the shelter’s website at www.traceyshope.com.

In the meantime, join me in praying for Brian Ott, who remains in critical but stable condition. Derenick told me Buddy and his best friend were inseparable.

“If he (Ott) was out cutting the grass, that dog was right there by his side,” he said.

The bond between pets and the people who love them is stronger than anything that separates them. Ott’s house exploded, but Buddy came home desperate to be comforted by his best friend.

Derenick couldn’t confirm something Denise told me, but I choose to believe it. She said that before doctors put Brian Ott into a medically induced coma, they let him know Buddy was safe and waiting for him.

“They were very close,” she said. “We want to see them together again.”

CHRIS KELLY, the Times-Tribune columnist, hopes for that reunion, too. Contact the writer: kellysworld@ timesshamrock.com, @cjkink on Twitter. Read his award-winning blog at timestribuneblogs.com/kelly.

OLD FORGE —Ray’s Shur Save Market is closed until further notice, according to a sign taped to the supermarket’s door today.

The supermarket chain moved to Old Forge in 2012, according to its website. Ray’s also has locations in Waymart and Montrose, and it closed a store in Factoryville last year.

Although the lights remained on this evening, the store was empty, and a bundle of Wednesday’s newspapers still sat outside.

A dwindling stock of dry goods and nonperishable items occupied the shelves, but the market’s produce section was barren.

The owner could not be reached for comment late tonight.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

September 5, 1943

Bauxite stored

in Carbondale

The Hudson Coal Co. stored 150,000 tons of Bauxite at its storage yard in Carbondale.

Bauxite, the source of aluminum, is needed to manufacture planes for the war effort. According to the company, the pink-colored ore was mined overseas and transferred to Carbondale.

The reason the ore was in Carbondale was because the storage yard was empty due to the high demand on anthracite coal. The company said it was sending out close to 10,000 tons a day to the Aluminum Co. of Canada for processing.

Bountiful harvest at victory garden

Five neighbors planted a cooperative victory garden on the 1100 block of Washburn Street in Scranton that produced a bountiful return from their hard work.

The group included Mrs. Frank Hyland, Mrs. Robert McAndrew, Mrs. William S. Merwin, Mrs. Frank Ryan and Mrs. Stanley Nicodem.

The group said they plan on planting the garden next year.

Scranton speaks

at commencement

The University of Scranton held its commencement ceremony at the Scranton Estate.

A second commencement was needed due to the number of students enrolled in the accelerated war program. Fifty-one students received their degrees at the ceremony.

Speaking at the ceremony was Worthington Scranton. He spoke about the importance of college education.

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.

MARRIAGE LICENSES

■ Ashley Ann Keen and Frank Robert Smith, both of Simpson.

■ Dawn Susan Dailey, East Stroudsburg, and Christopher Joseph Augustine, Fort Meade, Md.

■ Nicole Concetta Pelosi, Dunmore, and James Patrick McAndrew, Dallas.

■ Castellanos Javier Jimenez and Ignacia Marmolejo, both of Scranton.

■ Joshua David Cillo, Leland, N.C., and Maria Nicole Eboli, Wilmington, N.C.

■ Adit Patel, Redmond, Wash., and Dhruti Patel, Scranton.

■ Nicholas Del Prete and Anita Marie Suppy, both of Olyphant.

■ Robert W. Burrier and Sus­an M. Tucker, both of Moscow.

■ Yan Sonis and Tetyana Pavlyuchyk Dorsaneo, both of Scranton.

■ Jason P. Byers and Colien J. Ashcraft, both of Olyphant.

■ Juan Garcia-Guzman and Berenice D. Polanco-Peralta, both of Scranton.

■ Christine Marie Mariani, Scranton, and Jonathan William Rogan, Carbondale.

■ Amanda Marie Zilla and Mark Fortese, both of Dunmore.

■ Lara Anne Maciejeski, Scranton, and Brian Walter Bennie, Dunmore.

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

■ Kathleen Shemanski, Car­bondale, to Eddy Acevedo Jr., Dunmore; a property at 1307 Grandview St., Dunmore, for $170,000.

■ Robert and Marion Stan­koski, Old Forge, to Bryan and Alison Riviello, Throop; a property at 223 E. Morton St., Old Forge, for $127,000.

■ Kathleen Farrell, executrix of the estate of Aloysious Mack­rell, also known as Aloysious J. Mackrell, Waymart, to Eugene and Jean Perek, Sebastian, Fla.; a property at Fourth Street, Archbald, for $165,000.

■ Diane A. Thomas, also known as Diane K. Thomas, now know as Diane Keeler-Siniawa, Waverly Twp., to Timothy J. Butler, Clarks Green; a property in Newton Twp. for $229,900.

■ Jonathan R. Fanning and Dominika Piskorski, Clarks Summit, to Copa Properties LLC, Fort Collins, Colo.; a property at 710 N. Main Ave., Scranton, for $84,900.

■ William J. Jr. and Rosemarie Dobitsch, Factoryville, to Richard D. and Whitney D. Durling, Factoryville; a property at Seamans Road, Benton Twp., for $290,000.

■ John C. Kutkowski, Clarks Summit, to Sergio E. Semedo, Scranton; a property at 201 N. Hyde Park Ave., Scranton, for $95,000.

■ Jason J. and Robin M. Proskovec, by their agent NEI Global Relocation Co., Omaha, Neb., by Vicki L. Oakley, its director of closing services (power of attorney to be recorded simultaneously herewith) to N.P. Dodge Jr., as trustee under the trust agreement dated Oct. 14, 1985, and amended May 21, 2002, to provide for Leslie A. Delperdang as an additional trustee to serve along with N.P. Dodge Jr. known as “the Trust Between National Equity Inc., a Nebraska corporation and N.P. Dodge Jr.”; a property at 7 New­berry Circle, South Abington Twp., for $415,000.

■ N.P. Dodge Jr., as trustee under the trust agreement dated Oct. 14, 1985, and amended May 21, 2002, to provide for Leslie A. Delperdang as an additional trustee to serve along with N.P. Dodge Jr. known as “the Trust Between National Equity Inc., a Nebraska corporation and N.P. Dodge Jr.” to Eric and Lauren Eckenrode, Scran­ton; a property at 7 Newberry Circle, South Abington Twp., for $415,000.

■ Branch Banking and Trust Co. Winston-Salem, N.C., to Philip S. and Angela R. Jaimes-Weilbacher; a property at 707 Oak St., Old Forge, for $65,000.

■ Michael E. Bush, Scranton, to Angel Declet, Walden Village, N.Y.; a property at 1413 Rundle St., Scranton, for $99,000.

■ Christine H. Young, Waverly Twp., to Donald J. and Mary T. Booth, Scranton; a property at 901 Longview Terrace, Waverly Twp., for $207,000.

■ Fitzgerald Development Partnership, Moosic, to Christo­pher T. Boland III and Kelly A. Flannery, Moosic; two parcels in Moosic for $528,000.

■ Soup Street Enterprises LLC, Lindwood, N.J., to Copa Properties LLC, Fort Colins, Colo.; a property in Scranton for $89,900.

ARDS

The following were admitted to the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program for driving under the influence:

■ Nicholas Joseph Solomon, 22, 101 Joanne Drive, Archbald, stopped April 27, 2017, by state police.

■ Charles P. Kralovic, 65, 4270 Dawn Acres Drive, Madi­son Twp., stopped Sept. 2, 2017, by Moscow police.

■ Nicholas Tyler Urbanick, 24, 113 Grant St., Dickson City, stopped March 3 by South Abington Twp. police.

■ April Hubshman, 39, 52 John Drive, Gouldsboro, stopped Jan. 16 by Scranton police.

■ Alana Adrianne Hronich, 25, 125 Everett Ave., Scranton, stopped Sept. 26 by Taylor police.

■ Jorge Fuentes-Hernandez, 30, 182 Summit St., Edwards­ville, stopped Nov. 13, 2016, by Scranton police.

■ Joseph McTiernan, 54, 304 N. Main Ave., 2nd Floor, Scran­ton, stopped Nov. 3 by Scranton police.

■ Louis Ruspi, 63, 121 Pierce St., Eynon, stopped Feb. 6 by Blakely police.

■ Jonathan Brian Price, 40, 435 Jefferson Ave., Jermyn, stopped Jan. 31 by state police.

■ Barbara Jean Demeck, 57, 203 Elmwood Drive, Moscow, stopped Dec. 8 by state police.

■ Nicholas Joseph Grady-Hill, 20, 931 William St., Avoca, stopped Dec. 19 by Old Forge police.

■ Kyle J. Shaffer, 28, P.O. Box 283, Moscow, stopped Feb. 1 by Scranton police.

■ Gino Carachilo, 25, 4 Lathrope Ave., Carbondale, stopped Jan. 1 by Blakely police.

■ Jessica Krawczyk, 29, 720 Camalt St., Dickson City, stopped Feb. 9 by Olyphant police.

■ Donee Woodcock, 49, 2047 Maple Road, Dalton, stopped March 3 by South Abington Twp. police.

■ Fred J. Chamberlain, 77, 113 Commerce Drive, Scott Twp., stopped March 3 by Archbald police.

■ Joseph A. Lombardi, 33, 57329 Hospital Road, Bell Aire, Ohio, stopped Nov. 6 by South Abington Twp. police.

■ Dennis Ross, 25, 1027 Lackawanna Ave., Mayfield, stopped Dec. 5 by Taylor police.

■ Tracey L. Adams, 44, 3604 Heather Lane, Tobyhanna, stopped Dec. 3 by state police.

■ Kishor Panday, 43, 2253 Prospect Ave., Scranton, stopped Oct. 23 by Scranton police.

■ Himran R. Aziz, 21, 1945 Amelia Ave., Scranton, stopped Aug. 26, 2017, by Scranton police.

■ David Joseph Chofey, 62, 515 Newton Road, Scranton, stopped Nov. 24 by Blakely police.

■ Maureen Catherine O’Mal­ley, 50, 1730 Bundy St., Scran­ton, stopped Feb. 24 by state police.

■ Troy Mark Texiera, 23, 3152 Laurel View Lane, Tobyhanna, stopped Aug. 2, 2017, by Dick­son City police.

The following defendants were admitted to the ARD program for other crimes:

■ Mia Helena Calchino, 27, 441 Edgar St., Throop, arrested Jan. 5 by Blakely police for endangering welfare of children, possessing a controlled substance by a person not registered and use/possession of drug paraphernalia.

■ Eva Lynn Sierra, 23, 538 Mary St., Scranton, arrested Feb. 20 by Dickson City police for possession of marijuana and use/possession of drug paraphernalia.

■ Miguel Angel Ramos-Nunez, 29, 717 Mary Jo Drive, Jessup, arrested Feb. 8 by Dickson City police for receiving stolen property.

■ Kristian Blake Passetti, 21, 9070 Kingsley Road, P.O. Box 86, Kingsley, arrested May 22 by Taylor police for a DUI, use/possession of drug paraphernalia and accidents involving death or personal injury.

■ Louis M. Pasquariello, 63, 283 Drake St., Old Forge, arrested Feb. 22 by Old Forge police for DUI, possession of marijuana and use/possession of drug paraphernalia.

■ Chelsie Lynn Crowell, 19, 1421 Capouse Ave., Scranton, arrested Dec. 5 by Dickson City police for possession of marijuana and use/possession of drug paraphernalia.

ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/courts

Senior U.S. District Judge William J. Nealon broke records for longevity as a federal judge and his wake will break new ground at the courthouse that bears his name.

People wishing to pay their final respects to Nealon will do it Thursday from 3 to 7 p.m. at the William J. Nealon Federal Building and United States Courthouse, at North Washington Avenue and Linden Street in Scranton.

Neither the U.S. Marshals Service nor the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts could come up with another example of a judge’s wake taking place in the courthouse named in his or her honor.

Martin J. Pane, the U.S. marshal for the 33-county Middle District of Pennsylvania, said visitors wishing to pay respects to the Nealon family should enter on the Linden Street side, but the judge’s casket will lie in the lobby on the North Washington Avenue side. The casket’s planned location represents a nod to Nealon’s 2½ years as a Lackawanna County judge in the early 1960s. The county courthouse sits across North Washington, clearly visible from that side of the federal building.

Mourners will not have to pass through the building’s metal detectors.

“The line will be long. I’m very, very certain of that,” Pane said.

Pane was unsure of how the idea of having the wake in the courthouse came about, but said middle district Chief Judge Christopher C. Conner approved the idea. Efforts to reach Conner and members of the Nealon family were unsuccessful.

The original part of the courthouse, which stands at North Washington Avenue and Linden Street, opened in 1931. The newer part, adjacent to the North Washington side, opened May 4, 1999.

Nealon threw himself into helping plan the annex during the 1990s. The annex’s construction and renovation of the original courthouse cost $34 million. Combined, they have 272,000 square feet of space.

“He was intimately involved,” the marshal said. “It’s certainly an honor to have Judge Nealon at the federal courthouse and appropriate treatment for a judge who gave so much to the community and the rule of law.”

President John F. Kennedy appointed Nealon a federal judge on Dec. 15, 1962. On Aug. 28, two days before he died, Nealon broke the record for longest service as a district judge and longest service on a single court. He served 20,349 days.

Contact the writer:

bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9147;

@BorysBlogTT on Twitter

Cases against two of three defendants charged in the April death of a drug informant are on hold until a judge rules on whether a specific defense attorney can represent one of the accused.

Officials postponed a preliminary hearing for Cornelius Mapson, scheduled for July 25. Since then, his attorney, Curt Parkins, filed an appeal with the state Superior Court challenging Lackawanna County President Judge Michael Barrasse’s order removing him from the homicide case and a related drug case.

Barasse barred Parkins from representing Mapson at the request of District Attorney Mark Powell, who cited concerns that Parkins previously worked in the same law firm as attorney Paul Walker,who represented the homicide victim, Nina Gatto, 24, in a drug case.

Police say Mapson, 32, of Pittston, injected Gatto with fentanyl and then suffocated her inside her North Scranton apartment because she worked with police to make a drug purchase that led to his arrest.

Two other people, Melinda Palermo,38, of Pittston, and Kevin Weeks, 25, address unknown, are charged with conspiring with Mapson to commit the crime. Palermo waived her preliminary hearing June 18, but hearings for Mapson and Weeks have not been scheduled.

Walker represented Gatto after she was arrested in January for selling drugs to another confidential informant. He negotiated a plea to a possession of drug paraphernalia charge.

Gatto became an informant for police soon afterward. Her use as an informant sparked controversy after her death because she had serious mental health issues and her mother served as her legal guardian.

In the motion to disqualify Parkins, Powell argued there was a conflict of interest because Parkins had access to Gatto’s file while employed by Walker’s firm. The firm dissolved earlier this year and Parkins is now a law partner with attorney Matthew Comerford.

Parkins raises several issues in the appeal, including that Powell does not have legal standing to challenge his representation of Mapson. He also argued Barrasse erred in denying Mapson the right to have the counsel of his choice and in finding that Mapson could not waive any potential conflict of interest issue.

Powell recently filed a motion to dismiss Parkins’ appeal, arguing he had no legal right to file it because it involves a pretrial ruling. By law, an attorney must seek a judge’s permission to challenge a pre-trial matter and Parkins did not do that.

A judge will take the matter under advisement and issue a ruling at a later date.

Contact the writer:

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

@tmbeseckerTT on Twitter

HAZLE TWP. — An early Wednesday morning burglary was committed by fugitive Shawn Christy.

Christy has been on the run now for 79 days.

He’s wanted for making threats on social media against President Donald Trump, Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli and others.

Authorities believe Christy took about $300, food such as cookies and chips, a Beretta shotgun and a box of ammunition containing about 100 shells, and small tools from Skitco Iron Works, 1478 S. Church St. (Route 309), near Beaver Brook in southern Hazle Twp., Deputy Robert Clark, supervisor of the U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force, said.

Clark said the break-in happened around midnight; state police responded shortly thereafter.

Once confirming Christy was the intruder, marshals, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, U.S. Secret Service and Federal Bureau of investigation began an “extensive” search of the nearby wooded area where Luzerne, Carbon and Schuylkill counties meet, Clark said. To the rear of Skitco, heading west, is coal land and woods that abut Interstate 81. McAdoo and Kelayres can be accessed through the land heading south, as well as the No 8 Reservoir property, all of which were searched by law enforcement when the hunt for Christy began in June.

Among law enforcement found near Skitco on Wednesday were the state police Police Forensic Services Unit and an Ashley borough K-9.

Workers at Skitco weren’t permitted inside the business while troopers processed the burglary scene. The workers gathered on the southern edge of the property as law enforcement parked dozens of vehicles in front of the business while investigating until about 10:15 a.m. when it appeared the employees were allowed inside.

When contacted later in the day for comment, an employee said they couldn’t speak to the media.

Troopers advise home and business owners to call 911 immediately if an alarm is activated to allow law enforcement officials to properly check the property.

They also said Christy is to be considered armed and dangerous, and that citizens should not approach him but instead call 911 without delay.

A $20,000 reward remains for information that leads to his arrest.

Clark said Christy is believed to still be in the area and asked the public to remain vigilant about reporting crimes immediately to 911. He said marshals are busy fielding tips from the public and hope to bring him into custody “safely.”

Meanwhile, a post to Christy’s personal Facebook page, presumably by him, was made Tuesday night. In it, he alleges conspiracies against him, claiming Dakota Meyer took out two loans to pay off two people in McAdoo — one his father, Craig Christy, allegedly filed a private criminal complaint against and the other a person Shawn allegedly filed a private criminal complaint against, according to previous postings.

The new post also alleges that it was not Christy who was “dumpster diving” at Skipper Dippers in Rush Twp. on Aug. 29 but contains an admission that Christy did indeed break into and rob that business five days earlier.

“I don’t make the rules, I’m just here to play the game,” the post ends.

Clark said law enforcement is aware of the post though they can’t confirm who posted it and from where.

Christy, 26, McAdoo, has been wanted by law enforcement since June 19. The search has involved the U.S. Marshals Service, Secret Service, FBI, state police and local police in multiple jurisdictions, as law enforcement believes Christy crossed county and state lines while on the run.

State police at Hazleton say he broke into Hazleton Oil and Environmental in Audenried, Banks Twp., on July 7. Troopers filed charges against him in that case.

A pickup truck reported stolen there was found abandoned in New York near the Canadian border the following day.

Marshals believe Christy stole another vehicle in New York and began heading south. That vehicle overheated and was found abandoned on I-81 in the Scranton area.

A man resembling Christy then broke into the Scranton School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Lackawanna County that weekend and once that discovery was made law enforcement conducted a search for him there July 17.

Butler Twp. police said he broke into a relative’s home on July 25, taking supplies and guns. Four days later, a man resembling Christy was pictured on video surveillance at Rohrer Bus Co., on Route 309 in Butler Twp., where a school bus van was reported stolen.

Surveillance pictures obtained by the FBI in Pittsburgh, which were taken at about 4:50 a.m. July 30 at Sheetz in Wexford, Allegheny County, appear to show Christy at a sales counter.

The Rohrer van was found abandoned in Nitro, West Virginia, on Aug. 2. Authorities suspect Christy in the theft of a 2012 Toyota Tundra near Poca, West Virginia, that they believe he later abandoned.

He was spotted on video surveillance Aug. 9 at the home of Meyer, a decorated Marine, in Greensburg, Kentucky. Food reportedly was stolen along with a green 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a black hood and markings for “US Postal Service” and “Rural Carrier.”

Meyer, a Medal of Honor recipient for saving military personnel in Afghanistan in 2009, is the former son-in-law of former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Christy got in trouble with the law in 2010 after Palin took out a restraining order against him.

Christy is suspected of stealing another vehicle on Aug. 19 in Allegheny County, Maryland. The 1997 GMC Sierra pickup truck was found abandoned in Rush Twp. early in the morning of Aug. 21.

A man matching Christy’s description broke into a home on Ben Titus Road near the Still Creek Tavern in Packer Twp., Carbon County, on Aug. 23. When confronted by the property owner, he told the man he was homeless and searching for food. The intruder was wearing blue jeans, an olive drab “military-style” T-shirt and a red baseball hat, and had a thick, bushy beard.

Then on Aug. 24 around 10 p.m., Rush Twp. police said surveillance video showed Christy breaking into Skipper Dippers, helping himself to food and other provisions. Days later an employee of the business reported seeing a man resembling Christy at its dumpster at 8:45 p.m.

Numerous other sightings of Christy or men resembling him were reported to law enforcement throughout the region since the search began but none have resulted in his arrest.

A federal arrest warrant was issued for Christy by the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre, after he was charged with interstate communication of threats and threats against the president of the United States.

He also has multiple arrest warrants in Pennsylvania.

Christy is 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighs about 160 pounds and has dark blond hair. He has a tattoo of a cross on his right upper arm. He also has a beard and speaks with a noticeable lisp.

Contact the writer: achristman@standardspeaker.com; 570-501-3584

SCRANTON — The city removed a small statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary from the front lawn of the police headquarters, the police chief said.

A similar statue that had been placed outside City Hall near a firefighter memorial also was gone on Wednesday.

An article in The Times-Tribune on Monday explored whether the religious statues on government properties break the wall of separation of church and state.

While the statues appear to violate the First Amendment’s establishment clause requiring separation of church and state, an expert said that may not necessarily be the case. Other factors come into consideration, including whether the city has a policy on opening a public forum for such displays on the city properties, said Ian Smith, an attorney with Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a Washington, D.C.-based nonpartisan advocacy organization.

Last week, Mayor Bill Courtright said he would have the city solicitor review the matter to determine if the city must remove the religious statues.

On Wednesday, an editorial in The Times-Tribune called for removal of the religious statues from city properties. At some point in recent days, the statues were removed. Efforts to reach Courtright and the city solicitor on Wednesday were unsuccessful.

Police Chief Carl Graziano said the mayor directed the statue from the police station lawn be removed, but the chief did not know when it was taken away.

Government can choose to “open a public forum” on governmental property to provide a place where citizens can engage in temporary displays of free speech, Smith had said. This typically would be done by creating a policy and rules for use of a particular public forum space or spaces, giving access to the forum equally to all viewpoints, including religious ones, Smith said.

The city had not created policies for opening public forums in these two particular spots. By not removing the statues, the city could have been creating a de-facto public forum in these areas, where anyone could plunk anything down, Smith said.

Meanwhile, in response to the newspaper article on Monday, city resident Jane Pattison contacted The Times-Tribune saying she was the person who placed both of the Blessed Virgin Mary statues outside the fire and police headquarters. She did so because firefighters and police officers put their lives on the line daily, said Pattison, whose husband and brother are city firefighters.

“They should be blessed every time they leave the station, because you never know when they’re not coming back,” Pattison said in a phone interview Tuesday.

She said she placed a Blessed Virgin Mary statue at the base of the lawn sign of the Police Department headquarters on South Washington Avenue in July 2015, in response to the line of duty death of Patrolman John Wilding. She got that statue from her own yard and placed it, and a few other small statues, at the police station lawn sign three years ago.

The other small statues, and other similar mementos left by other people at the police station three years ago, all had been removed over time. But the Blessed Virgin Mary figurine remained there.

This past July 4, Pattison placed a similar statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary near the Benjamin Franklin Firefighter Memorial outside City Hall along Mulberry Street. She bought that statue, which cost nearly $100, from the Chinchilla Hardware and Variety store in South Abington Twp.

As of last week, this Blessed Virgin Mary statue was still outside City Hall, but by Wednesday it, too, was gone. Pattison was disappointed to hear from a reporter from The Times-Tribune on Wednesday that the statues were removed. She would like to have them returned.

Meanwhile, several other small religious figurines, including angels, the Crucifixion and the Nativity scene also have been placed in an exterior window-frame recess on City Hall near the Firefighter Memorial. These items were still there in that spot on Wednesday.

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

Super student

Penn State Scranton business major Nick Fiels was awarded the Fall 2018 Chancellor Service Award.

Fiels is also a student worker in the campus’ Academic Affairs department since fall of 2017.

Chancellor Marwan Wafa, Ph.D., presented Fiels with the award, which recognized him for his outstanding service to the school during the annual

Welcome Back Assembly event on Aug. 15.

“He is a team player and is always willing to do what is asked of him,” said Suzanne Morgan, Academic Affairs administrative support assistant and Fiels’ direct supervisor.

She said Fiels has a great work ethic, is a great ambassador for the campus and his hard work shows in his studies and his jobs.

Fiels lives in Eynon and will attend Smeal College at University Park in fall 2019 to study finance.

Tournament scheduled

Golf tournament committee members, including Pat Purdy, luncheon chairwoman; Pastor T.J. McCabe; Chairman Jim Gray and Vic Purdy, co-chairman, from the Dalton United Methodist Church are busy organizing the church’s 21st annual golf tournament on Sept. 22.

The event raises funds for the church, which distributes food and clothing

to Abington-area families

in need, the Bright Beginnings preschool and Cub Scouts.

The tournament at Lakeland Golf Club in Fleetville will be a nine-hole captain- and-crew format. Tee off time is 9 a.m.; a luncheon will be served and prizes will be awarded. Cost is $40 per golfer. For details, contact Gray at 570-587-7067.

High notes

Winners of the Remembering Our Fallen bocce tournament are the Mule Barn Bocce Club, including Tony Russo, Jack Stets, Joe Martinelli, Don Stets and Stephen Burgerhoff.

Son of a Bocce team members, including Tim Tursdale, John Bieczorek, Jess Winters and Shane Lynn, came in second place.

Stephen Evers, John Rettura, Silvio Mele and Tom Godino from the team Al’s Pals came in third place.

The tournament was held at Arcaro & Genell’s courts in Old Forge. Remembering Our Fallen is a national mobile memorial honoring military service members who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The national memorial will visit Pennsylvania once this year in Scranton at McDade Park the week of Sept. 11. For details, visit rememberin

gourfallen.org.

The former humane officer at Griffin Pond Animal Shelter is suing the shelter and two former board members claiming they improperly portrayed her as an animal abuser.

In the lawsuit filed late last month, an attorney for Sandy Scala specifically accuses former board President Douglas Boyle and board member Daniel Mahoney of perpetuating falsehoods and ignoring requests made by other board members to bring in a neutral investigator to look into claims she mistreated animals.

Besides Boyle and Mahoney, who are no longer on the board, the suit names the shelter and the current board of directors as defendants.

Current board President Elaine Geroulo and Vice President Arthur Moretti said it would be inappropriate to speak about the lawsuit and declined to comment.

Scala was one of several officials at the center of a public effort to oust top-level employees and directors over euthanasia practices and other issues at the shelter that came to a head last year.

Scala’s attorney, Christopher P. Caputo, said the public outrage stemmed from widespread misunderstanding that Griffin Pond never killed animals for space. Many believed that the shelter in South Abington Twp. was a no-kill shelter, which was not the case, he said.

“The truth is, they needed to do that because of their limited resources,” he said in a phone interview. “They made difficult and hard decisions, but they did it humanely and never in a cruel fashion.”

Boyle and Mahoney, who were on the finance and governance committee, claimed to have evidence that Scala cruelly euthanized animals without authority. They said they had video evidence, eyewitness testimony and a confession from Scala, according to the lawsuit.

They accused her of putting cats in bags and slamming them on concrete to kill them; of performing euthanasia without using a sedative; and, in one case, after several hours of attempting to put an animal down, using a gun, the suit says.

The lawsuit says that there is no evidence to back those allegations up, that eyewitnesses remained anonymous and that Scala never confessed.

Boyle resigned from his position as board president earlier this year. Mahoney left the board in late 2017.

“I’m confident that the matter will be properly handled and resolved by the shelter,” Boyle said. “I continue to support the mission of the shelter and all those who dedicate their time and effort to the animals.”

Because of the board members’ portrayal of Scala, she can’t find work in “a field she devoted her life to,” the lawsuit reads.

“Plaintiff Sandy Scala, a person who has dedicated her life to prosecuting those who abuse animals, is now seen in her community as a hypocrite that tortured dogs, enjoyed killing animals, placed cats in bags and slammed them on concrete, indiscriminately put down animals for no reason, and enjoyed it,” the lawsuit says.

The suit demands a trial by jury and seeks damages in excess of $50,000 for two counts.

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

Dunmore

Society meeting: SS. Anthony and Rocco Holy Name Society meeting, Sunday, parish hall, following 8:30 a.m. Mass, breakfast served.

Jessup

Montly meetings: Michael Steiner Jessup American Legion Post 411 meetings second Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m., 508 Church St.

Old Forge

Felittese Festival: The Felittese Association of Old Forge annual festival Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 8-9, 146 Third St. Homemade foods and desserts. Grounds open Saturday at 2 p.m. Enter­tainment, Sweet Pepper & the Long Hots, 5 p.m. Mass Sunday, 10 a.m., Prince of Peace Parish Catholic Church, 127 W. Grace St., with traditional procession of Our Lady of Constantinople from church to festival grounds. Grounds open at noon. Fuzzy Park Band, 4 p.m. More info 570-457-4312, felitto.net.

Taylor

Club meets: R & L Civic Club meeting, Friday, 8 p.m., St. George’s Hall, Taylor.

Wayne County

Food cupboard: Annual Cortez Country Cupboard food pantry benefit, Saturday, 2-7 p.m., free food, 50/50s, door prizes, tricky trays, four bands, $10/donation, Jefferson Twp. Lions Club, Lions Road, Lake Ariel.

CLIPBOARD ITEMS may be sent to yesdesk@timessham

rock.com or Clipboard, c/o YES!Desk, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503. YES!Desk, 570-348-9121.

MARRIAGE LICENSES

■ Vladislav Kostik, Jefferson Twp., and Erica Josephine Viola, Scranton.

■ Eric Jonathan Torvinen and Megi Imeraj, both of Scranton.

■ Pamela Jean Abbott, Pitts­ton Twp., and Jason Seneca Manzer, Avoca.

■ Zachary Thomas Henson and Brittany Michele Cavallotti, both of Tempe, Ariz.

■ Donald Jeffrey Stott, Car­bon­dale, and Monique Nicole Uzialko, Olyphant.

■ Carina Marianna Shults and Paul John Mackarey, both of Scranton.

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

■ Robert and Marion Stan­koski, Old Forge, to Bryan and Alison Riviello, Throop; a property at 220 E. Morton St., Old Forge, for $127,000.

■ Russell Basalyga Jr., Olyphant, Robert D. and Elizabeth Basalyga, Mansfield, and Barbara Basalyga Brojack and Gregory Brojack, Tuckerton, N.J., to Cliff and Helen White, Port Richey, Fla.; a property at 822 Edella Road, South Abington Twp., for $150,000.

■ Justin Marshall Davis and Martha Cecilia Davis, by their agent, Diana Orr, assistant vice president of Cartus Financial Corp., of Newton Twp., to Cartus Financial Corp.; a property at 1006 Scenic Drive, Newton Twp., for $558,000.

■ Cartus Financial Corp. to David Ka Pun Phang and Karina Geronilla Phang; a property at 1006 Scenic Drive, Newton Twp., for $$558,000.

■ Yolanda O’Neill and Rafael Rodriguez, Gouldsboro, to Gabriel Christie, Pocono Pines; a property at 59 N. Lehigh River Drive, Clifton Twp., for $188,000.

■ Kevin M. Beers, Roaring Brook Twp., to Darren M. Nich­olas, Scranton; a property in Roaring Brook Twp. for $160,000.

■ Brenda and Leonard Grun­za, Nicholson, to Bayard B. Wil­liams III, Scranton; a property at 2020-2022 Price St., Scranton, for $65,000.

■ Angela and Gary Yunko, Dunmore, to Roswitha C. Nogan, Dunmore; a property at 324 Oak St., Dunmore, for $79,500.

■ William J. and Kathryn A. Leonard, Scranton, to Sean Dav­id Ross, North Syracuse, N.Y.; a property at 1402 S. Irving Ave., Scranton, for $85,000.

■ Ephraim Feinroth, agent for Yeshiah Feinroth, Brooklyn, N.Y., to Copa Properties LLC, Denver, Colo.; a property at 430 Phelps St., Scranton, for $75,500.

■ James J. and Anne Walker, South Abington Twp., to Sean P. and Jenna A. Castellani, Fac­toryville; a property at 3012 Quail Hollow Drive, South Abington Twp., for $353,000.

■ William G. Jr. and Laura Fallat to Michael and Jennifer Robbins; a property in Green­field Twp. for $49,500.

■ Yvonne C. Rafferty, Scran­ton, to Skeeps OB LLC, Colum­bus, Ohio; a property at 301 Seymour Ave., Scranton, for $130,000.

■ Robert and Linda Natale, Mars, to Sharon Homick, Spring Brook Twp.; a property in Spring Brook Twp. for $29,000.

ESTATES FILED

■ Madeline Barchak, also known as Madeline Marie Bar­chak, 129 Olga St., Jessup, letters testamentary to Terri Kurilla, 414 White Birch Drive, Archbald.

■ Arlean V. Palka, also known as Arlean Viola Palka, St. Mary’s Villa, 516 St. Mary’s Villa Road, Elmhurst Twp., letters testamentary to Pamela D. Kahn, 1539 the Hideout, Lake Ariel.

■ August Piazza, 719 Cedar Ave., Scranton, letters of administration to William Piazza, 1540 E. Elm St., Scranton, and Robert Piazza, 2513 Frisco Drive, Clear­water, Fla.

■ Frank P. Trader, also known as Frank Paul Trader, 1007 Line St., Archbald, letters of administration to Dawn Marie Koehler, 430 Church St., New Milford, and Sean Arthur Bell, 418 15th Ave., Scranton.

■ Daniel Dominick Maroni, 116 S. Rebecca Ave., Scranton, letters of administration to Dan­iel Louis Maroni, 2096 Spen­cers Way, Stone Mountain, Ga.

ARDS

The following defendants were admitted to the ARD program for the specified crimes:

■ Kaitlyn A. Sullivan, 23, 132 Greencroft Ave., Staten Island, N.Y., arrested March 10 by the Pennsylvania State Police liquor control enforcement for disorderly conduct-engaging in fighting, furnishing liquor/malt/brewed beverages to certain persons and selling/furnishing liquor etc. to a minor.

■ Joseph Fabricatore, 45, 519 2nd St., Dunmore, arrested Feb. 15 by Dunmore police for a DUI and accidental damage to an unattended vehicle or property.

■ Corey Matthew Schuster, 27, 111 Valentine St., Moosic, arrested Feb. 14 by Moosic police for theft by unlawful taking-movable property and receiving stolen property.

■ John M. Dobrowski, 33, 1230 Winthrop St., Archbald, arrested Oct. 28 by Blakely police for a DUI, intentionally possessing a controlled substance by a person not registered and use/possession of drug paraphernalia.

■ Jacob Edward Nykaza, 49, 955 E. Elm St., Scranton, arrested Dec. 10, 2016 by Scranton police for theft by unlawful taking-movable property, receiving stolen property, criminal mischief-damaging property and criminal trespassing-simple trespasser.

■ Ariana Djerdjaj, 22, 15 Wooded Way, Mahopac, N.Y., arrested March 10 by state police for furnishing liquor/malt/brewed beverages to certain persons and selling/furnishing liquor to a minor.

■ Robert Francis Barrett, 27, 638 N. Lincoln Ave., Scranton, arrested Sept. 14 by Scott Twp. police for a DUI, intentionally possessing a controlled substance by a person not registered, possession of marijuana, use/possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while operating privileges are suspended or revoked and driving without a license.

■ Carol Henry, 20, 31 Locust Lane, Gouldsboro, arrested Nov. 29 by South Abington Twp. police for a DUI, possession of marijuana, use/possession of drug paraphernalia, exceeding 35 mph in an urban district by 25 mph, restrictions on alcoholic beverages and minor prohibited/operating with alcohol.

■ Nicholas Robert Lisowski, 19, 626 Clark St., Old Forge, arrested Jan. 6 by Old Forge police for theft by unlawful taking-movable property.

■ Jennifer Butts, 35, 214 Main St., Moosic, arrested April 10 by Moosic police for a DUI, resisting arrest/other law enforcement, disorderly conduct-engaging in fighting, public drunkenness and similar misconduct and driving an unregistered vehicle.

ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/courts

Sept. 6, 1968

Little League offered 99-year lease

Scranton City Council President John Brazil and fellow Councilmen Vincent Manzo and William Gerrity attended the West Scranton Little League meeting to give information about developments with the Oxford Plot.

During the meeting, Brazil told those gathered the city planned to condemn a major portion of the Oxford Plot. The city would offer the Little League a 99-year tax-free lease on land within the new recreation area being constructed off Eynon Street.

The land being condemned was owned by James Cadden. Cadden planned on building a beer distributor business on Luzerne Street. The city officials said Cadden would receive 410 feet on Luzerne Street at a depth of 150 feet with 100 feet between the distributor and the new recreation area.

Rain causes flooding throughout city

A storm dropped over 2 inches of rain throughout the area. In Scranton, low-lying areas were hit by the flooding. The water was reported to be 2½ feet deep at Memorial Stadium. Flooding was also reported along Birney Avenue due to heavy runoff from industrial plants in the area.

Out and about

At the clubs: “Inciters” at the What’s Happening A Go-Go, Tony Costa at the Sixpence, Jack and the Rippers at St. Patrick’s in West Scranton, “The Happy Go Lucky Revue” at the El Dorado, comedian George DeWitt and Louise O’Brien at Mount Airy Lodge.

At the movies: “With Six You Get Eggroll” at the Strand, “A Time to Sing” at the Center Theater, “The Conqueror Worm” at the Comerford, and “Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?” and “Stay Away, Joe!” at the Circle Drive-In.

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.

CLARKS SUMMIT — Borough council approved a tax credit ordinance Wednesday night that will give borough fire company volunteers a tax break, a measure fire officials hope will increase active membership.

Officials modeled the ordinance after one enacted in Jessup in September. A state law authorizes municipalities to offer incentives, including tax credits, to attract and retain volunteer fire and ambulance personnel. Under the Clarks Summit ordinance, an eligible volunteer who is a borough resident can receive a 20 percent rebate on municipal property taxes, the maximum amount allowable under the state law.

“Hopefully, this will spur some interest in volunteering, either people we already have or new members coming in,” borough fire Chief Jay Miller said at the meeting.

The ordinance passed 6-0. Council Vice President David Jenkins abstained because of his involvement with the fire company.

The municipal property tax rate in Clarks Summit is 33.5 mills. A house assessed at $18,000, the median residential assessment in the borough, carries a municipal real estate tax bill of $603, according to 2014 county assessor’s office information. That would yield a tax credit of $120.60 under the ordinance.

Non-property owners can opt for an earned income tax break of $150 in lieu of a property tax credit, which could encourage younger people to volunteer with the fire company, Borough Manager Virginia Kehoe said.

Eligibility criteria that must be met in order to qualify for the credit is based on factors including the number of calls to which a volunteer responds, participation in formal training and drills, time spent on administrative and support duties such as fundraising, bookkeeping and facility and equipment maintenance, and the number of years a volunteer has served. The criteria could also inspire current members to be more active with the department in order to qualify for the credit, Miller said.

While the department is sufficiently staffed for emergencies, active membership has taken a hit over the years, Miller said. Firefighters have been using other means, like visiting schools and using social media to recruit younger people for involvement with the department, in efforts to bolster the ranks, he said.

“We’re OK, but we do notice our numbers have dwindled,” Miller said.

Contact the writer:

cover@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5363;

@ClaytonOver on Twitter

DURYEA — A Scranton man has been arrested on allegations he raped a young girl who trusted him, according to police.

Shawn Booths, 40, of 130 S. Hyde Park Ave., is accused of having sexual contact with the girl at least four times starting when she was 6 years old.

According to the charges, the girl’s mother brought her to Wilkes-Barre General Hospital for evaluation Aug. 14 after discovering the girl, then 7, had been sexually assaulted.

The mother told police she confronted Booths about the allegations and he refused to answer her.

During a forensic interview, the girl told police she had been very close with Booths, who was a relative’s friend, but he would look at her “weird” and touch her “the wrong way,” the complaint said.

The girl described Booths touching her private parts when she got out of the shower, and having sexual intercourse with her despite her telling him to stop because it hurt, according to the complaint.

The girl told investigators she was scared to say anything because Booths threatened to sneak into her house and take her away, according to the complaint. Booths also promised to buy her presents when she got older, police said.

Police said an exam of the girl indicated she had been sexually active.

Investigators got a warrant Aug. 23 charging Booths with rape of a child, indecent assault of a person under 13, statutory sexual assault, indecent exposure and making terroristic threats.

Police said Booths was captured Wednesday in Upper Providence Twp. following an incident there.

Magisterial District Judge Alexandra Kokura Kravitz arraigned Booths on Wednesday afternoon and ordered him jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility with bail set at $200,000.

A preliminary hearing was set for Sept. 18.

Contact the writer:

jhalpin@citizensvoice.com

570-821-2058

Incorrect info on what bishop knew about priest

A story on Page A13 of the Aug. 26 edition of The Sunday Times incorrectly reported what Diocese of Scranton Bishop Joseph F. Martino learned between March and June 2006 about the nature of relationships between a Diocese of Scranton priest, J. Peter Crynes, and underage girls he came in contact with decades ago. During that period, Martino learned Crynes had actual sexual intercourse with one woman and some sexual contact with at least four others, according to a grand jury report. At least three of the five happened in the 1970s, including the one involving intercourse, according to the report. The dates of the other two incidents are unclear. While the report says one girl discovered she was pregnant after a return from a counseling center encounter with him, the report does not specifically say Crynes was the child’s father.

Incorrect date

A Super Students in Namedropper on Page A2 of Wednesday’s edition incorrectly stated the date of Leah Loomis’ death. Loomis died in September 2017.

Wrong address

A property transaction published on Page A4 of Wednesday’s edition included the wrong address. The correct transaction is Robert and Marion Stan­koski, Old Forge, to Bryan and Alison Riviello, Throop; a property at 220 E. Morton St., Old Forge, for $127,000.

The last message Rachel Ayers received from her boyfriend John Amrein’s cellphone was three words.

“I love you.”

Amrein did not type those words. He was unconscious, already dying, by the time they were sent Monday by a woman who would wrap his body in black and white garbage bags soon after sending that message, state police at Gibson charged.

Andrea Nicole Martel, 20, 47 Madison Circle, Hallstead,who police said sent the final text, was taken into custody Wednesday. State police arrested Quentin Robert Millard, 22, 4004 Highlands Road, New Milford, Wednesday evening at a home in New Milford Twp. after a daylong manhunt.

“When asked why she did that, Martel advised that Amrein’s girlfriend kept messaging him and that is the message he would send her,” Troopers Girard Dempsey and Jeffrey Sokso wrote in a criminal complaint.

Martel and Millard are charged with criminal homicide and abuse of a corpse. Troopers said that Millard “swung” Amrein and caused him to hit his head on a wall, fatally injuring him Monday, Amrein’s 52nd birthday. After, Millard and Martel dumped Amrein’s body in a small hole they dug with a stick in the woods near Millard’s home.

The investigation began shortly before 2 a.m. Tuesday, when Ayers reported him missing. She hadn’t seen her boyfriend since Monday morning when he said he was going to a market in Hallstead. He didn’t show up for work, she told troopers.

Sokso interviewed Amrein’s brother, Stanley French, who told him that Amrein had been in an argument Sunday night with Martel at a Hallstead bar.

State police interviewed Martel several times Tuesday. Each time, the details of what happened came into clearer focus.

At 7 p.m., the first interview, she told investigators Amrein came to her home Monday morning and she told him that she is pregnant and he might be the father. Angry, he pushed her to the bed.

“I’ve had enough and I’m leaving,” he said.

She called Millard and asked that he come over. Amrein was already gone, she said at first. The story would change before the end of Tuesday night.

Carolyn Linsey, Martel’s neighbor, told investigators she saw a dark SUV back into Martel’s trailer with its parking lights on at 6 a.m. Tuesday, then watched Millard use a plywood board to “load” something from the porch into the back of the SUV, according to a complaint. State police found Amrein’s vehicle, a blue Mazda, parked behind Millard’s home.

Martel eventually told investigators Amrein came over and they engaged in sexual activity until he said something she didn’t like. She punched him in the head and Millard, who she said was at her home at the time, came into the room and hit him, too. Amrein pulled out a gun and shot Millard in the arm. The two went to the ground and struggled. The gun went off again. This time, a bullet hit Amrein’s leg.

They calmed down after that, even got along a bit, until another argument ensued and Millard “swung” Amrein, causing him to hit his head.

After he died, they decided to get rid of Amrein at Millard’s home. Martel started to help Millard dig the grave but couldn’t see it through. She needed to use the bathroom, she told troopers. Millard told her he would finish.

At 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, investigators received a search warrant for Martel’s home. They found blood spatter on a wall and on the ceiling. A bottle of all-purpose cleaner smeared with blood was nearby.

Troopers found Amrein’s body later Wednesday.

Martel is jailed at the Susquehanna County Correctional Facility without bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Monday. Bail and preliminary hearing information for Millard weren’t available late Wednesday.

Clayton Over, staff writer, contributed to this story.

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

SCRANTON — The outbound lanes of the Central Scranton Expressway will be closed for several hours today while crews paint the Harrison Avenue Bridge abutment, the state Department of Transportation said.

The closure will take place between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. The expressway is scheduled to reopen by 3 p.m. for the evening rush hour.

PennDOT said the closure is necessary to ensure no paint gets on vehicles passing under the Harrison Avenue Bridge while crews complete the painting.

Traffic on Harrison Avenue will not be affected by the closure.

— STAFF REPORT

SCRANTON — Wednesday’s high of 91 degrees broke a 35-year-old record for the region.

Set in 1983, the previous record high stood at 90 degrees, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Samuhel said. The current streak of hot weather began Sunday with a humid high of 85 degrees, he said.

The warm weather will continue today with a high of 85 and a low of 71, but temperatures will break going into the weekend with lower humidity, some rain and a lot of clouds, he said.

Weekend highs will be in the 60s and 70s, Samuhel said.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY