There’s no corner of the U.S. automotive market more crowded and competitive than the one occupied by compact sport-utilities and crossovers.

One of the more familiar faces in the crowd belongs to Toyota’s long-lived RAV4, which arguably ignited the craze for diminutive sport-utes. Compact, all-weather-ready and carrying the brand’s promise of long-term reliability, it’s earned go-to status for American customers since the first generation rolled into showrooms during the Clinton administration.

Toyota provided a gas-electric hybrid version of the RAV4 for our annual journey to the Grand Traverse region of Michigan, a round trip of roughly 1,700 miles through the mountains of Pennsylvania, cornfields of northern Ohio and rolling glacial hills of Michigan’s northwest lower peninsula. At the end of our journey, I was impressed by the little ute’s appealing combination of fuel-sipping frugality, surprising acceleration and cargo capacity.

There are four trim levels from which to choose, with prices starting slightly north of 27 grand. The base LE is a fairly well-equipped affair that includes 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights, a rearview camera, keyless ignition, blind-spot monitoring and more. Also standard is Toyota’s Safety Sense P system that bundles together pedestrian and pre-collision sensors, lane-departure sensing and correction, radar-based intelligent cruise control and road-sign assist.

Upgrading to the LE adds standard goodies like a powered sunroof, a better rearview camera, an Entune audio system with integrated satellite navigation and XM/Sirius radio prep, leather-wrapped steering wheel and more. The sport-oriented SE features a more stiffly tuned suspension system and 18-inch alloys, a powered rear lift gate, power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, upgraded upholstery, and safety-minded items like blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert systems.

Top-dog Limited models get all the SE’s standard gear and then some, minus some decorative details and the sport-tuned suspension. Prices here top out at $34,280.

Toyota provided a nicely optioned SE for our trip north, the $32,185 base price of which rose to $36,055 almost solely due to the $2,785 Advanced Technology Package. Included herein was parking-assist sonar, bird’s-eye view camera, frame­less auto-dimming rearview mirror, premium JBL sound system with enhanced Entune multimedia bundle (seven-inch touch screen, upgraded speakers, USB port with iPod connectivity, Bluetooth and so forth), traffic and weather info, and more.

Factor in $995 for delivery and $90 for a rear cargo cover, and there you have it. That’s a fair bit of coin for a small sport-ute, but it should be mentioned that unlike other gas-electric models, the RAV4 Hybrid doesn’t command a princely premium over the stickers of gas-only models. Our hybrid SE’s base price sits roughly $3,000 north of its dinosaur-juice sibling, for example. A not-inconsiderable sum, but assuming one takes full advantage of the fuel-economy savings (particularly during in-town driving), the long-term financial hit is softened.

Our observed 30.5 mpg in almost entirely highway driving bettered the EPA’s estimate by a half-mile, and we often bettered the in-town 34 mpg estimate by a mile or two. Unlike a lot of other hybridized vehicles where precious cargo space is gobbled up by the battery pack and so forth, the RAV4 Hybrid’s 35.6-square-foot cargo area is only 2.9 cubic feet short of gas-only samples.

Despite consuming fuel at a slower rate, the Hybrid version moves with a notably quicker step than a gas-powered RAV4. The 2.5-liter inline-four engine is joined by three electric motors (one for each axle and another for vehicle accessories) to produce 196 total hp, 19 hp more than the gas-only vehicle. There’s lots of engine drone under hard acceleration (credit the continuously variable transmission), but overall acceleration makes highway passing and merging a snap.

Instrumentation and controls are clearly marked and easy to use, save for the LED infotainment touch screen’s tendency to wash out in direct sunlight or when the driver wears polarized sunglasses. The attractively trimmed, two-tone upholstered seats proved comfortable enough over the roughly 26-hour round trip; the 60/40 split folding back seat was commodious enough to cart my 13-year-old son and his buddy without complaint.

2018 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid SE

Vehicle type: Four-door, five-passenger compact gas-electric hybrid SUV.

Base/as-tested prices: $32,185/$36,055.

Engine and transmission: 2.5-liter inline-four paired with three electric motors and nickel-metal hydride battery back (194 horsepower combined), continuously variable automatic.

EPA estimates: 34 mpg city, 30 mpg highway, 32 mpg combined.

The good: Excellent fuel economy for an all-wheel-drive sport-ute; gas-electric system combines to give this particular RAV4 a livelier step than its gas-only sibling; not appreciably more expensive than gas versions; four trim levels to choose from; spacious cabin offers room for four on a long trip and cargo volume to bring the stuff along; solid-feeling chassis; decent-enough handling; promise of Toyota reliability.

The bad: SE’s “sporty” suspension tuning and 18-inch wheels make for a busy and noisy ride over rough pavement; LED display hard to read through sunglasses; engine howl under hard acceleration.

Bottom line: The crowded compact SUV segment is arguably autodom’s most competitive, and the gas-electric RAV4 stands out with its combination of functionality and fuel efficiency.

Q: My car is a 2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue with 80,000 miles on it. About five months ago, the car would not start. I just got a “click” when I turned the key. The lights, horn, etc., worked fine. I had the car towed to my mechanic. He turned the key and the car started right up. He checked the starter and found nothing wrong. He suggested I have the battery checked where I purchased it, as it was still under warranty.

The dealer tested the battery and found nothing wrong. I’ve used the car for the past five months and have had no starting problems. I start it an average of six or seven times a day for short trips.

The problem reappeared this past week. And while I waited for AAA, my neighbor (not a mechanic) suggested leaving the lights on. Lo and behold, the car started before AAA arrived, and I have been using the car every day with no problem. Any ideas about what’s wrong? Thanks.

— BOB

A: Oh, yes, the magic light trick.

We’ve seen some cases where, if you have a weak connection at the battery, sometimes drawing power (like from the lights) will improve that connection a bit over time. And if it improves the connection enough to start the car before it runs down the battery, you might get lucky. But I wouldn’t count on that working all the time. You have to find and fix what I think is a bad connection.

The most likely problem is that you have a loose or corroded battery terminal end. That’s where the cable attaches to the battery. We see this a lot on older cars. And on a lot of older GM cars, like your Oldsmobile, the terminal ends are on the side of the battery where they can be hard to see and examine. So even though your battery was checked, that could have been missed. I know, because I’ve missed it.

If you want to test this theory, next time the car fails to start, have someone turn the key while you jiggle those two battery terminal wires, one at a time. If that makes it start, you’ve found the problem. Then you can have somebody remove, clean and tighten the terminal ends, and you should be all set. If the terminal ends are tight and perfectly clean, then you could have a bad ground.

A good ground between the battery and the chassis or engine block is necessary for electricity to flow from the battery to the starter. And if your ground cable or clamp is old and corroded, that could intermittently prevent the car from starting. Rather than try to find the problem and fix it, it’s often easier in these cases to simply run a new ground wire from the negative battery terminal to the engine.

It could be a bad starter, but I think if it was the starter, the problem would have recurred more often. So I think you have a bad connection, Bob. And a good neighbor.

MARRIAGE LICENSES

■ Dean Ernest Cali and Caitlin K. Byron, both of Dunmore.

■ Nicholas F. DeSantis and Nicole Elizabeth Cruise, both of Scranton.

■ Melissa Lyn Keisling, Clarks Summit, and Lee Brian Morgan Jr., Odessa, Texas.

■ Felicia Marie Esgro and Robert M. McDonnell, both of Greenfield Twp.

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

■ Robert J. and Bernadine Haas, Taylor, to Darren Johnson, Forty Fort; a property at 323 Sibley Ave., Taylor, for $225,000.

■ Bank of America, Chandler, Ariz., to 1501 Hawthorne LLC, Scranton; a property at 421 Prescott Ave., Scranton, for $30,000.

■ Daniel D. and Daniel P. Colangelo and Marie G. Biel, Scranton, to Poe Management LLC, Fort Collins, Colo.; a property at 1309-11 Prescott Ave., Dunmore, for $115,000.

■ Ivanka Realty LLC to Miguel Suaraz, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; a property at 511 Emmet St., Scranton, for $80,000.

■ Thomas and Jennifer L. Ciccotti, Dunmore, to Joshua Aaron Hayden, Moosic; a property in Scott Twp. for $225,000.

■ Barbara A. Tonkin, Scranton, to John M. Zak and Lawrence J. Harrington, Avoca; a property at 1302 Mountain Laurel Drive, Scranton, for $215,000.

■ Patricia and Norman Vittori and Nancy Abate, Lackawanna County, to Lins Realty LLC; three parcels in Moosic for $538,000.

■ Gerard T. Rouilliard and Marie Rouillilard, also known as Marie Rouilliard, Archbald, to Michael Robert and Kathleen Mary Papciak, Plains Twp.; a property at 248 Foxtail Circle, Archbald, for $214,000.

■ George H. Bell III, Snowshoe, W.Va., and Patricia M. Bell, Greenfield, Twp., to Jesse Vipond, Dalton; two parcels in Greenfield Twp. for $175,000.

■ Glenn K. and Karen E. Snyder to Zachery J. Zedar; two parcels in Archbald for $169,500.

■ Anthony and Trudy Santaniello, Lackawanna County, to Noemi Sanchez Yanez, Lackawanna County; a property at 416 15th Ave., Scranton, for $33,000.

■ Cheryl Alvord, now by marriage Cheryl Alvord Gallagher, and Thomas Joseph Gallagher, Carbondale, to Raquel White, Olyphant; a property at 41 Canaan St., Carbondale, for $106,000.

■ Theresa Smith, now by marriage Theresa Dewaele, Jermyn, to Tara Morcom, Jermyn; two parcels in Jermyn for $178,000.

■ Thomas A. and Rose Marie Rogari, Jessup, to John and Cathleen M. Corbin, Clarks Summit; a property at 1223 Waddell St., Jessup, for $246,000.

■ Mukesh Navin Bhaidas, also known as Mukeschandra Bhaidsana, and Chetan Mukesh Bhaidas, also known as Chetankumar M. Bhaidasna, to Copa Properties LLC, Fort Collins, Colo.; a property at 1701-1705 Pittston Ave., Scranton, for $102,000.

■ Casey R. Dickinson and Megan L. Young to Melissa Ferrari and Ryan Brockman; a property at 103 Jennifer Drive, South Abington Twp., for $300,000.

■ Debra Jay Brzozowski, trustee of the Maziak irrevocable grantor trust, to Donna Messina, Scott Twp.; a property at 732 Sunset Drive, Dickson City, for $162,000.

■ Joseph J. Jr. and Andrea Craig, Lackawanna County, to CW & Sons LLC, Lackawanna County; a property at 607 Spring St., Moosic, for $41,500.

DIVORCES SOUGHT

■ Ricardo Cruz, Scranton, v. Fawn Marie Cruz, Scranton; married Nov. 13, 2009, in Lackawanna County; William V. Peters, attorney.

■ Lori Verboys-Demas, Carbondale, v. David Demas, Simpson; married March 30, 2006; John J. Cerra, attorney.

■ Deborah Margaret Mitchell, Scranton, v. David Richard Mitchell, Hinesville, Ga.; married Aug. 11, 1998, in Flemington, N.J.; Anne Marie Howells, attorney.

■ Christina Houman, Carbondale, v. Jerome Mihalik, Carbondale; married Sept. 17, 2011, in Waymart; pro se.

■ Brittany L. Semmel, Palmerton, v. David A. Bennett Jr., Philadelphia; married Jan. 20, 2017, in Philadelphia; Gerald F. Strubinger Jr., attorney.

DIVORCE DECREES

■ Nicolas Fernandez v. Amanda Fernandez.

■ Holly Jacobeno v. Matthew Jacobeno.

■ Erin Mundt v. Sean Mundt.

■ Lauren Delio v. Joanna Delio.

■ Kendra Raidley v. Sean Raidley.

■ Maritza Schubert v. Martin Schubert.

■ Nicholas DeNaples v. Ann DeNaples.

■ James Topa v. Rebecca Topa.

■ Elizabeth Garcia v. Angel Garcia.

ESTATES FILED

■ Valeria Sepelyak, also known as Valeria Justick, 30 Railroad St., Moosic, letters testamentary to Michelle L. Nyzio, 3312 Birney Ave., Moosic.

■ Shirley G. Fanucci, also known as Shirley Grace Fanucci, also known as Shirley Fanucci, 524 Mill St., Peckville, letters testamentary to Debra Calvert, 815 N. Valley Ave., Olyphant.

■ John J. Sawyer, 2450 Brighton Ave., Scranton, letters of administration to Sarah E. Sawyer, 32 Thorn St., Carbondale.

ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/courts

Signs meant to keep tractor-trailer traffic off certain residential roads in Dunmore are working, much to the relief of borough resident Jeff Perri.

Hung last month, the signs advise truck drivers of the appropriate route to United Gilsonite Laboratories, or UGL, a decades-old manufacturer of specialty paint and home maintenance products. While less of an issue with everyday drivers, Dunmore Police Capt. Richard Barth said substitute drivers and those unfamiliar with the neighborhood often relied on GPS directions to reach UGL’s 1396 Jefferson Ave. facility. Drivers in tractor-trailers following those directions often found themselves stuck on small side streets, like Marion Street, where Perri lives.

“I’ll come home from work and God knows what I’ll find as far as damage done,” Perri said. “I’ve witnessed a tractor-trailer literally drive right up over the lawn and take out the driveway markers while I was standing there.”

Several drivers got stuck trying to make the tight turn onto Marion Street from Jefferson Avenue. In a tight spot and trying to get out, they sometimes clipped parked cars, damaged lawns and hit utility poles in the neighborhood, said Perri, who most recently raised the issue with the borough about two months ago.

The borough first installed several “no truck traffic” signs on affected streets, but then took it a step further. Together, UGL and Dunmore officials collaborated to create several new signs, paid for by UGL and bearing its logo, that guide drivers bound for the business along Green Ridge Street, onto Wyoming Avenue and then onto New York Street, Borough Manager Vito Ruggiero said. The route can accommodate large truck traffic.

“It’s always our goal to be a good neighbor,” said Michele Neary, senior director of corporate communication for UGL. “We are proud to be part of this community, so we were happy to be able to collaborate with the borough.”

In the more than two weeks since the signs went up, Barth said police haven’t had to cite any drivers and haven’t received any truck-related complaints from residents.

Future violators may face fines of $150 plus court costs, “close to $300 when it’s all said and done,” he said.

Contact the writer:

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9141;

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

SCRANTON — The Sonic Drive-In fast food restaurant on West Olive Street is closed, according to the company’s website.

The restaurant across from Scranton High School opened in August 2011.

Jody McGrail and Sean Kelly, president and CEO, respectively, of NEPA Burgers Inc., owned three Sonics in Scranton, Hazle Twp. and Wilkes-Barre. They recently sold the two Luzerne County locations to Qual-Fresh, an East Coast Sonic franchisee.

McGrail or Kelly could not be reached for comment Friday.

The Sonic near the Wyoming Valley Mall was forced to close in April after the new owner could not come to a lease agreement with the mall owner that owns the land. It’s listed as temporarily closed on the Sonic website.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

Sept. 8, 1968

Parking rates

are going up

The Scranton Redevelopment Authority raised the rent on the land leased to parking lot operators in the 200 blocks of Penn and Franklin avenues.

The operators passed the increase on to the parkers. The new parking rate would be 45 cents for all-day parking, an increase of 5 cents.

State police have

a busy weekend

Pennsylvania state police operating out of the Dunmore barracks announced that 289 speeding arrests were made over the Labor Day weekend in a four-county coverage area — Lackawanna, Wayne, Susquehanna and Pike.

Lackawanna County led the pack with 183 arrests, Susquehanna had 69, Wayne had 19 and Pike had 18. State police also reported a total of 24 traffic accidents over the holiday weekend — five in Lackawanna, six in Wayne, four in Susquehanna and nine in Pike.

Speare keeping

eye on the sky

William Speare, planetarium director at the Everhart Museum, announced that he was a member of the Network of (Rapid) Analysis of Fireball Trajectories, a group composed of planetarium personnel who kept a watch on the skies for meteorites. The program was operated by Michigan State University.

Speare said it was possible that many meteorites had fallen over the years in Pennsylvania. But only eight had actually been found and officially recorded. He said the largest was an 847-pound meteorite that landed on a farm in Mount Joy in 1887.

BRIAN FULTON, library manager, oversees The Times-

Tribune’s expansive digital and paper archives and is an authority on local history.

Contact Brian at bfulton@timesshamrock.com or

570-348-9140.

SCRANTON — A city man faces gun and drug charges after police stopped him for a traffic violation Thursday.

Patrolman Jason Hyler pulled over Michael McHugh, 32, 355 N. Hyde Park Ave., at 6:37 p.m. after McHugh turned left onto Luzerne Street without using his turn signal.

He searched McHugh and found marijuana in his pocket. Later, police impounded the Dodge Ram 1500, got a search warrant and discovered a package containing a 9 mm gun, ammunition, cocaine and crystal methamphetamine attached to the truck’s underside. McHugh claimed the package was planted.

Police charged McHugh with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, carrying a firearm without a license and several related counts. He is in Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $85,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

— STAFF REPORT

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

■ Arturo Ventura and Cartus Financial Corp. POA, to Cartus Financial Corp., property in Tunkhannock Twp. for $111,250.

■ Joan T. Waters to Martin J. Best and Diane Best, property in Overfield Twp. for $57,000.

■ Don P. Melia Jr. and Bridget A. Melia to Leona E. Neal, property in Clinton Twp. for $125,000.

■ Charles O. Zebley Jr., trustee, and Somerset Regional Water Resources LLC to Michele Brown and Philip S. Brown, property in Lemon Twp. for $25,000.

■ Jennifer Bronko, administratrix, Salvatore Rocco Larusso, deceased, and Salvatore R. Larusso, deceased, to Albert Dorunda, property in Clinton Twp. for $6,000.

■ Todd C. Vandermark to Roger E. Burgess Jr., Wilma R. Burgess, Roger E. Burgess III, property in Laceyville for $78,000.

■ Larry C. Follweiler and Dirk A. Follweiler to Shayn RT Bieber and Tammy L. Bieber, property in Forkston Twp. for $10,000.

■ Robert E. Singer and Carol A. Singer to Aaron Trauger and Nancy Trauger, property in Falls Twp. for $185,000.

■ Joe Stephenson Jr. to Mario D. Zaffino, Denise M. Zaffino, Ryan D. Zaffino, Justin T. Zaffino and Colin M. Zaffino, property in Eaton Twp. for $118,000.

■ Aaron L. Trauger and Nancy Trauger to James Douglas McDonnell and Samantha N. McDonnell, property in Eaton Twp. for $167,5000.

■ Ronald A. Andrews and Catherine Andrews to BCKK LLC, property in Tunkhannock Twp. for $150,000.

■ Joseph Goas, administrator, and Deanna Pahl, deceased, to David Bertram and Heidi Bertram, property in Exeter Twp. for $8,500.

■ James Sendik, John Sendik and Jeanette Sendik to David Sinker Jr., property in Falls Twp. for $80,000.

■ Place Drive LLC to Andrew Nicholas Wagner and Aislinn Rose Evans, property in Tunkhannock Twp. for $139,900.

■ Dustin Babcock to Alec J. Bevan, property in Overfield Twp. for $106,000.

■ Huckleberry Hill LLC to Mathew H. Faux, property in Tunkhannock Twp. for $165,500.

■ Fannie Mae, Federal National Mortgage Association, Service Link LLC AIF to Randy Lewis, property in Overfield Twp. for $176,000.

■ Jean Marie Knight, executrix, and Elizabeth E. Boginski, deceased, to Ashley M. Warren and Curtis C. Darrow, property in Nicholson for $140,000.

■ Beth Borel and Beth A. Borel to Matthew Miller and Jessica Miller, property in Meshoppen Twp. for $290.000.

■ Lisa A. Harvey, Lisa A. Arthur and Stirel Harvey to Henry J. Stanton Jr. and Maureen Stanton, property in Laceyville for $88,3000.

MARRAIGE LICENSES

■ Jonathan Price, Hunlock Creek, and Jessica L. Dearmond, Union Dale.

■ Matthew John Stephenson and Rebekah Stuart, both of Dallas.

■ Corey A. Shylkofsky and Ashley M. Kostick, both of Nicholson.

■ Joseph Eugent Michael and Rhiana Adel Shean, both of Forkston Twp.

■ Zachary Douglas Forcea and Melanie Katlin Thompson, both of Laceyville.

■ Anthony Robert Caselli and Samantha Annmarie Scott, both of Brooktondale, N.Y.

■ Kyle Malcolm Layaou and Demenica Grasiela Caballero, both of Meshoppen.

WYOMING COUNTY COURT NOTES appear weekly in the Times-Tribune.

Sept. 9, 1918

Army lieutenant colonel from Scranton dies in France

Word was received Sept. 8 that Lt. Col. Frank Duffy of the 103rd Engineers was killed in action Aug. 18 in France.

Officials said Duffy was riding on a motorcycle with another officer when a German shell exploded alongside them. Duffy and the officer died from shock, according to a medical officer.

Duffy was known in the Army as the “Fighting Colonel.” It was reported that he was fearless in leading his men into battle, and this fearlessness caused concern among his superiors.

Before the war, Duffy was the head of the electrical department for the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in Scranton. The news of his death shocked his colleagues at the railroad. The employees of the electrical department took the day off as a tribute.

He is survived by his wife, the former Bertha Hessenbruch, and his father, A.J. Duffy. Through a family member who was working with Morgan-Harjes War Relief in France, Mrs. Duffy was making arrangements for the return of Duffy’s body to the United States.

Duffy was the president of the Scranton Engineers’ Club and a member of the Buffalo, New York, Canoe Club. He was considered a leading expert in the electrical industry in the United States.

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.

VETERANS

Sen. Baker plans

veterans event

State Sen. Lisa Baker veterans outreach with a VFW service officer, Sept. 17, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 2512 Route 6, Hawley, lower level, rear, Lake Wallenpaupack Visitors Center; 570-226-5960.

Post 7069 sets barbecue

VFW Post 7069 and Auxiliary chicken barbecue, Sept. 22, 3-7 p.m. or sold-out, post grounds, 402 Winola Road, Clarks Summit; $10/adults and $4.50/children, tickets recommended, available at the post on Winola Road or call 570-586-9821 or 570-881-0273.

Meetings

VFW DISTRICT 10

VFW District 10, today, 2 p.m., Post 25, 2291 Rockwell Ave., Scranton.

DAV CHAPTER 114

Disabled American Veterans Chapter 114, Wednesday, 7 p.m., Cordaro’s Restaurant, 186 Grandview Ave., Honesdale.

POST 327 AUXILIARY

Olyphant Raymond Henry American Legion Post 327 Auxiliary, Monday, 7 p.m.

NEPA COAST GUARD

NEPA Coast Guard Veterans Association, Sept. 19, 6:30 p.m., Perkins Restaurant, Route 315, Pittston Twp.; Neil Morrison, 570-288-6817.

POST 4909

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

109TH INFANTRY

The 109th Infantry Regiment Association, Wednesday, 6 p.m., Shopa-Davey VFW Post, Peckville.

VICTORY POST 13

Victory American Legion Post 13, Monday, 7 p.m., Post 908, Deacon Street, Scranton.

DAV CHAPTER 1

DAV Malia Chapter 1, Sept. 17, 7 p.m., American Legion Post 908, 625 Deacon St., Scranton; Joe Sylvester, 570-961-2696.

POST 6528

Hyde Park Memorial VFW Post 6528, Sept. 23, 11 a.m.; 570--961-2696.

VFW DISTRICT 10 AUXILIARY

VFW District 10 Auxiliary, Monday, 7 p.m. Post 3474, 110 Chestnut St., Dunmore.

POST 908

American Legion Post 908, Monday 7 p.m., post home, Deacon Street, Scranton.

POST 6082 AUXILIARY

Shopa-Davey VFW Post 6082 Auxiliary, Peckville, 6 p.m. Sept. 18.

CAMP 8

Ezra S. Griffin, Camp 8, Sons of Union Veterans, Sept. 16, 10:30 a.m., Scranton City Hall, side ADA entrance, Mulberry Street. Open house, Sept. 16, noon-3 p.m. Grand Army of the Republic Museum.

Merli Center

Today: Keurig coffee, 8:30 a.m.; morning visits, 8:45; eucharistic ministry visits, 9:15; snow cone day with musical activity, courtyard, 2 p.m.

Monday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; Bible study visits on units, 9:30; ball toss with music, second floor, 10:15; casino trip, 12:15 p.m.; bingo by the VFW Department of Pennsylvania Auxiliary, 2 p.m.; senior fitness, 3; Bible club, 2 south lounge, 4; unit visits, 4.

Tuesday: Moment of silence for 9/11 victims, 8:46 a.m.; patriot crafts and discussion, 10:15; “United 93,” movie, 10; trivia, 2 p.m.; Catholic service, 3; unit visits, 4; black jack, 1 south, 7.

Wednesday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; Walmart shopping trip, 9:30; birthday bash with the Fabulous Fortunes performing, cake and ice cream, 2 p.m.; unit visits, 4; game nigh, 2 north lounge, 7.

Thursday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; chapel service, 10; bowling, third floor, 10; cookout, 2 south, noon; bingo by American Legion 86, 2 p.m.; senior fitness, 3; unit visits, 4.

Friday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; current events and music, 10:15; morning stretch, third floor, 10:15; Polka Jets music program, 2 p.m.; senior fitness, 3; VFW Dupont trip, 5:30.

Saturday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; current events and music, second floor, 10:15; bingo sponsored by Order of Eastern Star, 2 p.m.; unit visits, 4.

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

Business wins memorial award

415 PRO Hardware in Dallas is being honored by Denver-based PRO Group Inc. as the 2018 Paul L. Cosgrave Memorial Award winner for its success in customer service and retail operations. Additionally, the company is the 2017 PRO Hardware Retailer of the Year for the Bostwick-Braun Co. based in Toledo, Ohio. The location is owned by Kurt Fetterman.

College earns Forbes ranking

Johnson College has been ranked 10th on Forbes’ list of Two-Year Trade Colleges That Can Solve the Skills Gap. Johnson earned its spot on the top 25 list out of a pool of 700 trade and technical institutions. It is one of two private institutions in the top 10, and the only school ranked from Northeast Pennsylvania.

SUBMIT BUSINESS BUZZ items to business@timesshamrock.com or The Times-Tribune, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503.

TUNKHANNOCK — A 31-year-old Exeter man faces as much as 7½ years in state prison after pleading guilty Friday for his role in a Wyoming County crash that left a passenger with substantial injuries while he was not properly licensed to drive and also driving under the influence of a controlled substance.

Alan Joseph Hadvance Jr., of Schooley Avenue, appeared before Wyoming County President Judge Russell Shurtleff, who said Hadvance could also face $20,000 in fines.

Court records reveal that Hadvance and passenger Jodie Emmett sustained injuries the night of Oct. 6, 2017, when the 1998 Ford Escort he was driving slammed into a stone wall at the intersection of Route 92 and the Falls Bridge at a high rate of speed.

By the time authorities arrived, both victims had been removed from the vehicle before it caught fire.

While Hadvance was treated at Tyler Memorial Hospital and released, Emmett was taken to Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton with serious bodily injuries, including a brain contusion, broken ribs, fractured femur, broken leg and a lacerated right kidney, liver and spleen.

She also has had to undergo substantial rehabilitation since the crash.

Hadvance will be sentenced at a later date.

Other guilty pleas entered Friday in the Wyoming County Court of Common pleas:

Douglas Paul Antanaitis, 51, of Portersville, pleaded guilty to false identification to law enforcement on May 9.

Justin Lance Burgess, 40, of Tunkhannock, pleaded guilty to DUI, second offense, on Feb. 10.

Darryl John Cook, 54, of Tunkhannock, pleaded guilty to DUI of a controlled substance on Feb. 23.

Travis Michael Davis, 25, of Mehoopany, pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance on Aug. 16, 2016; and to simple assault on April 28.

Stephen Tyler Dengler, 28, of Tunkhannock, pleaded guilty to DUI of a controlled substance on May 31, 2017.

Brittany Nicole Evans, 28, of Mehoopany, pleaded guilty to DUI, second offense, on March 3.

Betsy Lee Green, 62, of Tunkhannock, pleaded guilty to DUI, second offense on Feb. 2.

Paula Kay Hue, 53, of Tunkhannock, pleaded guilty to DUI of a controlled substance on March 22.

Paul J. Janowitz, 59, of Harveys Lake, pleaded guilty to DUI of a controlled substance on May 24.

Michael Francis Lathrop, 26, of Montrose, pleaded guilty to fleeing and attempting to elude police, and to DUI, both on July 1.

John Kenneth Manning, 40, of Hop Bottom, pleaded guilty to resisting arrest on April 26.

Erin Leigh Marabell, 46, of Tunkhannock, pleaded guilty to retail theft on Jan. 26.

Wendy L. Myers, 46, of Nicholson, pleaded guilty to DUI on Jan. 5, 2017; and to DUI, second offense, on March 4.

Jeffrey Allen Rail, 28, of Tunkhannock, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to deliver, and to criminal use of a communication facility, both on Nov. 2, 2017.

Nicole Lee Sands, 30, of Tunkhannock, pleaded guilty to recklessly endangering another person on April 22.

Krista Danielle Strohl, 33, pleaded guilty to access device fraud on April 30, 2017.

Ryan William Terbush, 27, of Factoryville, pleaded guilty to DUI of a controlled substance on Feb. 8.

Shawn Michael Wyant, 40, of Wyalusing, pleaded guilty to theft by deception on March 7.

Contact the writer:

bbaker@wcexaminer.com

OLD FORGE — With an Italian flag hanging from their century-old home, members of the Salerno family slowly paraded across their green-carpeted porch Saturday carrying Styrofoam containers of their favorite Italian meals — just like they have for more than 30 years.

Every September, family members come together at their homestead on Third Street, which has been in the family since 1901, to enjoy the annual Felittese Festival. Located next door to the Salerno home, the two-day festival began in the late 1980s and features a variety of homemade foods, including porketta, gnocchi, meatballs, soffritto and tripe.

Norah Moon, 13, of Clarks Summit, was the fourth generation of Salerno family represented at the annual get-together. Her great-great aunts, Ann and Rita Salerno, live at the Third Street home. Family members came from across the area and New York.

“It’s nice because you get to see a lot of family and friends you haven’t seen,” Norah said, adding that it can be a bit nerve-wracking meeting so many new family members.

Her father, John Moon, 36, has been coming to the festival for at least 26 years. As Norah has gotten older, she has come to appreciate the significance of the family get-together more, her dad said.

Moon estimated that at least a dozen family members come to the festival each day. By gathering with so many relatives, he wants his daughter “just to take away a sense of family and getting together,” he said.

Just like the Salerno family, members of the Felittese Association, which organizes the festival, carry on family traditions.

Like other members of the association, both Louis Mazza and Jo Ann Graziano’s grandparents came from Felitto, Italy. Both Felitto and Old Forge hold the festival that commemorates Our Lady of Constantinople, the patron saint of Felitto.

“We carry on this tradition for our parents,” Graziano said. “All this work that we do is for our parents.”

Their parents helped bring back the festival in the 1980s. The tradition originally took hold in Old Forge in the late 1920s but petered out around World War II, Mazza said. Although his parents have passed away, organizing the festival helps him feel a connection with them, he said.

“It’s also a time for people to come together,” he said, explaining it’s a way to identify with their past and their heritage.

Volunteers begin preparing for the festival as early as July. Together, they make about 1,600 pounds of gnocchi, 400 pounds of tripe, 400 pounds of soffritto and 500 pounds of porketta, Graziano said.

The Felittese Association is a nonprofit, and all of its profits go toward local organizations and charities, Mazza said.

The organizer teared up as he explained their most meaningful contribution: buying Christmas presents for underprivileged children in the borough. They give away about $10,000 each year, and 25 percent of that goes toward presents, he said.

Raising money for the organizations, especially the children, is a wonderful feeling, said Graziano, who helps purchase the gifts.

“We’re very happy to do it,” she said. “It takes a lot of work, a lot of time, but we do it. We enjoy it.”

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flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5181;

@flesnefskyTT on Twitter

Tonight at sundown, members of the Jewish faith will light candles to signify the start of Rosh Hashana — the Jewish New Year and a time of self-reflection.

Rosh Hashana continues through Tuesday at sunset, and it marks a 10-day period known as the Days of Awe, said Rabbi Daniel Swartz of Temple Hesed. It’s a time for them to reflect on their actions in the past year, how they have treated others and how they have behaved toward God, he said. Jews use the time to make amends with others and realign themselves with God, he said.

“It’s sort of like realigning your spiritual compass to turn back to the best person you can be,” Swartz said, explaining that members of the faith also look forward to the year ahead, refocusing themselves on what is most important in life.

A ram’s horn, known as a shofar, is a key symbol associated with Rosh Hashana, Swartz said. During a service Monday, they will blow the horn with 30 different calls. The shofar is seen as a “spiritual alarm clock” that aims to wake up members of the faith, prodding Jews to better themselves, he said.

Jews from different regions have different traditional foods during the new year, Swartz said. Eastern European Jews often eat apples and honey to celebrate the idea of a sweet new year, and Spanish and North African Jews eat various foods that are puns on blessings, he said. For example, they will eat fish heads as a reminder to be ahead, he said.

Rabbi Moshe Saks of Temple Israel explained that they celebrate Rosh Hashana “not so much with a party or just fun,” but rather “we take a very serious approach to ourselves.”

One of the most well-known rituals associated with Rosh Hashana is tashlikh, he said. It means “to send away” and is a custom involving prayer and throwing bread crumbs into a river. The crumbs are symbolic of people’s sins and things they want to get rid of, Saks said.

Rosh Hashana leads into Yom Kippur, a day of fasting that begins Sept. 18 at sunset and concludes Sept. 19 at sunset, Swartz said.

“Yom Kippur is a fast day — a day of separating ourselves from our earthly needs and focusing on ourselves as what’s spiritually right to do,” he said. “The idea was that you just restricted yourself from the things that reflect ego in modern terminology and that reflect appetites, so you hold back on the id and ego for a day and you focus on what really you should be doing.”

For anyone curious about Rosh Hashana, Temple Hesed, 1 Knox Road, Scranton, will hold a shorter public service Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. that focuses on chanting and reflection, he said.

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flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5181;

@flesnefskyTT on Twitter

SCRANTON — As people walked to raise awareness of suicide, they remembered how their loved ones lived, not how they died.

Family members and friends recalled devoted mothers and fathers, kind children and loving companions.

Dot and Mike Beam of Waymart remembered their son’s willingness to stand up for others, how he protected his younger brother and enjoyed wrestling and the outdoors. Colin Beam died in 2013, at the age of 16.

“We’re here just so another family doesn’t have to feel what we feel,” Colin’s mother, Dot Beam, said.

About 200 people attended Saturday’s annual Share the Journey walk, hosted by the Northeast Suicide Prevention Initiative.

Local band Töten — West Scranton teenagers Jon Nickol, Conor Scott and Calvin and Trae Kilhullen — entertained the crowd at Lackawanna County Courthouse Square. The band held a concert in May that raised $1,200 for suicide awareness and prevention.

Recent high-profile suicides of fashion designer Kate Spade and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain have more people talking about mental health, including the need for more awareness and research.

“People are realizing it’s not a choice,” said Kathy Wallace, president of the local initiative.

Family members embraced as they looked at photos of loved ones lost to suicide, along with notes and mementos, on display.

“Dear God, thanks for this beautiful life and forgive me if I don’t love it enough,” one note read.

Kathy Judge, who volunteers at the walk yearly, played the bagpipes as the walk began. North Pocono cheerleaders chanted “raise awareness to save a life.”

Tracy Crispell of Trucksville walked in memory of her husband, Jay, who took his life on his 51st birthday. Family and friends made up the team “Jaybirds.” “It means a lot to honor him,” she said.

Contact the writer:

shofius@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9133;

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Finding help

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-TALK (8255)

Crisis Text Line: Text TALK to 741741

TUNKHANNOCK TWP. — Two groups pledged to protect waterways in the Poconos are pitted against each other on how to do it.

On one side, the environmental protection group PennFuture and its allies are defending state classifications for what state regulators find to be Monroe County’s cleanest streams. On the other, land and business owners say that state and local authorities are dumping resources into the wrong solutions while stifling economic growth with arcane regulations that lack transparency.

Several developers recently announced major projects, including the $350 million Pocono Springs shopping and entertainment village, as well as a major expansion at Kalahari Resorts Pocono, both in Tobyhanna Twp. How this fight shakes out could shape how developers build in the future, or whether they consider building at all, in a vacation region well on its way to reviving the glory days.

In August, PennFuture launched a marketing campaign called Our Pocono Waters and a website to collect signatures on a petition.

Their effort is in response to the Monroe County Clean Streams Coalition, the landowner group that includes Pocono Raceway, Kalahari and Camelback, among others, that in November appealed the recent existing use classifications of six streams.

Some group members leading the effort say they’ve tried to point regulators toward substantive pollution sources, including runoff from highways, trash dumping and erosion, for decades, but have been ignored.

PennFuture attorney Abigail Jones calls the coalition an “anti-regulation group.”

“They want to make sure that the streams up here don’t get classified as exceptional value because then they can’t do everything that they want to do willy-nilly — they have to actually be thoughtful of the streams,” she said.

Exceptional value streams have the highest level of protection when at least one year’s worth of data show they support wildlife and recreation and meet strict parameters for dissolved minerals and chemicals such as oxygen and nitrogen. High quality streams, the second highest classification, meet similar standards but to a lower degree.

Third-generation Pocono Raceway head Nick Igdalsky and David Moyer of Blakeslee, president of paving and excavation company Papillon & Moyer, bristle at Jones’ characterization. The two have become the coalition’s public advocates.

They consider themselves environmentalists at heart whose personal success hinges on keeping the environment pristine.

The streams primarily in Paradise, Pocono and Tunkhannock townships have become the battleground for the fight.

The state Department of Environmental Protection evaluated Cranberry Creek, Devils Hole Creek, Paradise Creek and its outflow, Tank Creek, and Tunkhannock Creek. Department inspectors found the waterways met the existing use criteria as exceptional value streams.

The evaluation for portions of Cranberry Creek were performed Oct. 23, 2017, according to the department. Portions of the other four were evaluated Dec. 5, 2016. The evaluations are not final; however, the department must protect them as if they were.

Swiftwater Creek was classified with a designated use of exceptional value Feb. 10.

The Clean Streams Coalition appealed the classifications last year to the Environmental Hearing Board, a quasi-judicial body within the Department of Environmental Protection.

DEP spokeswoman Colleen Connolly declined to comment beyond explaining the streams’ current status and the classification process because the matter is currently tied up in litigation.

On Aug. 13, the coalition withdrew its appeal for Cranberry and Tank creeks, after an independent lab determined both streams meet the standards for exceptional value. However, group members’ own data, collected by Normandeau Associates, an environmental consulting company, shows other streams currently classified as exceptional value struggle to meet even the standards of a warm water fishery, which is a much lower protection status.

“This coalition formed because we’ve, essentially, had enough,” Igdalsky said. “Our comments have fallen on deaf ears, our information, our scientific data, is not even being looked at.

“We absolutely resent any implication that we don’t care about the environment. We live here. We know this area,” he said. “We see it every day. We’re the ones that are out there the most. Listen to us. We can help you.”

Igdalsky said PennFuture and its allies want to stall new construction projects, a characterization that Jones rejects.

“I just want to make clear that our Poconos Waters campaign is absolutely not anti-development. We support thoughtful, sustainable development in the Poconos and elsewhere,” she said. “You have to protect the streams that have made the Poconos what they are.”

‘Can’t have any impact’

Stream classifications were created to protect the nation’s waterways under the federal Clean Water Act of 1972.

Streams get classified with existing and designated uses through an extensive, somewhat mind-numbing process, but the end result has dramatic implications for how people can work and build around them.

Essentially, existing use is as it sounds. It’s the water quality and use that the department finds has existed on or after Nov. 28, 1975.

Designated use is a water quality that the department determines can be achieved with the right protection.

Both use the same set of classifications. Exceptional value is the highest; high quality cold water fishery is the second highest. The Poconos has the state’s greatest concentration of exceptional value streams.

Only 2 percent of the state’s waterways have exceptional value status, Jones said, and about 80 percent of that 2 percent are in the Pocono Mountains.

High quality streams offer a strong layer of protection, but water degradation may be allowed in the name of economic or social projects with the department’s blessing.

Exceptional value means the water is pristine. Anyone proposing new or additional discharge points into such a stream would have to meet stringent, costly, requirements to protect water quality.

“As soon as it goes to an EV (exceptional value), you can’t have any impact,” said Brian Oram, a geologist and water quality consultant. “That’s a big one.”

Developers won’t build at all in fear that they may have to pay for pollution that is not their fault, he explained.

For example, if runoff pushes road salt into a stream at springtime, raising the level of total dissolved solids beyond the required limit, discharge permit holders can be on the hook.

“The people that have to deal with that are the guys who have the discharge permit,” Oram said. “That gets expensive to get that out.”

‘Make our streams better’

The Clean Streams Coalition has three major sticking points with the state’s stream protection protocol.

• The average person would have a hard time learning about what streams have protected existing use status. Unlike designated use, existing use classifications have no public comment period and can change without public notice.

• Based on their consultant’s data, the department is classifying streams as exceptional value without the data to back it up.

They see the department and other agencies spending time and resources on stream classifications while other pollution sources have gone unchecked for years

• Less than 1 percent of Monroe County’s 617 square miles are regulated through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, better known as NPDES, Moyer said. Builders need NPDES permits when disturbing an acre or more.

That tells him that poor environmental controls beyond water discharge are to blame for polluted streams.

Moyer’s been tracking water pollution and runoff for decades and says some of the biggest polluters aren’t builders, but unbridled littering, runoff from roads and poor drainage that dumps sediment and trash into the streams.

In a conference room at Pocono Raceway, he flicked through dozens of photos on a time-worn iPad showing miles of trash, degrading stream banks and a massive sediment trench leading from Route 380 in Tobyhanna Twp. toward Swiftwater Creek.

“We’re spending 99 percent of our resources and our funding on less than 1 percent of our problem,” Moyer said. “Now that we’ve learned what the quality of our streams are, and we have scientific data, we all need to realize that there is an issue and we do have a problem. All these groups need to work together to make our streams better.”

Contact the writer:

joconnell@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9131;

@jon_oc on Twitter

Borton-Lawson

Frank Joanlanne, Dallas, has assumed his role as the company’s president and CEO. Joanlanne joined the board of directors in 2009 and became president in 2012. He also leads the sister company, Precise Visual Technologies. He formerly served as senior vice president at Frontier Communications.

Classic Properties

Christopher Hurley joined the real estate firm’s Kingston office. He worked for years in retail and in real estate. Hurley joined the company after purchasing a few homes from one of Classic’s Kingston agents, Georgette Vivian, and felt Classic was a better fit for his real estate career.

HKQ Law

Attorney Lars H. Anderson presented “Understanding Sexual Harassment Laws for Your Workplace” May 24 at the THINK Center, Wilkes-Barre, which was hosted by the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce. He specializes in employment and labor law, commercial litigation and real estate and zoning. He has handled numerous labor arbitrations for clients and has successfully arbitrated or settled the discipline and termination of employees. Anderson has been named to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars List for the past five years. He is active in both the Lackawan­na and Luzerne County Bar Associations’ Young Lawyers Divisions, and was the Luzerne County YLD treasurer from 2012 to 2013. He has also been active in the Pennsylvania Bar Association YLD since 2010.

King’s College

Cynthia Mailloux, Ph.D., RN, CNE, professor of nursing, recently co-authored an article, “Patient Navigators as Essential Members of the Healthcare Team: A Review of the Literature,” published in “Journal of Nursing & Patient Care” with Elaine Halesey, professor of medical imaging at Misericordia University. Mailloux was recently appointed to the board of directors of the Northeast Pennsylvania Division of the American Heart Association. On a national level, she has been appointed as a site visitor for the Commission of Colleges of Nursing Education and is a Wharton Executive Leadership Fellow. At the state level, she is a member of Pennsylvania Higher Education in Nursing State Association, where she has served on the executive board.

Lewith & Freeman

Peter L. DeMarco is bringing 14 years of real estate experience to the real estate firm. A West Hazleton resident, he will be working from the Hazle Twp. office. DeMarco is an accomplished Realtor whose experience in the industry has given him the qualifications to work with buyers and sellers on both commercial and residential properties for all of their real estate needs. DeMarco will be serving residents of Luzerne County, focusing on thee areas of Drums, Hazle Twp., Sugarloaf, Hazleton and the surrounding areas.

PennWood

Financial Group LLC Agency

Garrett Sacken, a resident of Dingmans Ferry, most recently from MassMutual — Worksite and Executive Benefits, has joined the professional staff of the general agency of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. (MassMutual), as a managing sales director. He will be responsible for recruiting, educating and growing a team of qualified financial services representatives who work within the communities they serve to establish and grow a client base.

The Wright Center

Catherine Harrington DNP, CRNP, of Scranton, has joined as a psychiatric nurse practitioner. In this role, Harrington will work within a multidisciplinary team and perform psychiatric evaluations, managing medication and provide patient/family psychotherapy and education. With more than 30 years of nursing experience, Harrington recently held a faculty position at Wilkes University teaching psychiatric mental health nursing. She was awarded the Provost Part-time Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching at the University of Scranton, Top Clinical Student Award and Hartford Scholarship for Graduate Studies at Wilkes University.

SUBMIT PEOPLE ON THE MOVE items to business@timesshamrock.com or The Times-Tribune, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503.

Clarks Summit

People can now drop off unwanted prescription or over-the-counter medication at a drug take-back box at the Clarks Summit police station.

Officers installed the box, which resembles a mailbox, on Tuesday, borough Police Chief Christopher Yarns said. The box was funded through a partnership with Rite Aid, the chief said. It can be accessed 24/7 by using the elevator to reach the police station in the basement of the Borough Building, 304 S. State St.

The box is safe and secure, as it is bolted to the wall and under video surveillance, Yarns said.

People can only drop off prescription or over-the-counter medication at the box. Medication should be removed from bottles or containers and placed in a bag to be dropped in the box. Illegal drugs, needles, lotions or liquids, inhalers, aerosol cans, thermometers and hydrogen peroxide can’t be accepted at the mailbox.

— CLAYTON OVER

cover@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5363;

@ClaytonOver on Twitter

■

Dennis Martin returns to the Gathering Place for Community, Art and Education, 304 S. State St. , on Wednesday, Sept. 26, to give a presentation called “His-story and Her-story II.”

Martin’s lecture uses the letters and memoirs of early residents of the area to reveal life in the Abingtons.

Martin’s talk begins at noon. For information, visit Noontime Lectures at www.gatheringplacecs.org.

— CLAYTON OVER

cover@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5363;

@ClaytonOver on Twitter

Lackawanna County

Lackawanna County’s Area Agency on Aging and the county Office of Youth and Family Services will host a new support group — “Parents A Second Time,” or PAST — for older adults raising children of a family member.

The goal of the group, which will meet several times a month at various locations throughout the county, is to provide older adults an avenue to ask questions, solve problems, share information and generally support each other when it comes to providing child care. The Lackawanna-Susquehanna Behavioral Health Intellectual Disabilities Early Intervention Program and the Lackawanna-Susquehanna Office of Alcohol and Drug Programs will provide programming.

There’s a growing contingent of grandparents, aunts, uncles and other older adults currently raising children as a result of the opioid crisis, said Area Agency on Aging Director Jason Kavulich, who described the support group as a response to a “community need.”

The group will meet at:

■ Albright Memorial Library, 500 Vine St., Scranton, on the third Wednesday of the month from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

■ Carbondale Public Library, 5 N. Main St., Carbondale, on the fourth Monday of the month from 9:30-11:30 a.m.

■ Taylor Community Library, 710 S. Main St., Taylor, on the fourth Tuesday of the month from 1-3 p.m.

Child care is available for group attendees, and refreshments will be provided. For information, call or email Rebecca Munley at the Area Agency on Aging, 570-963-6740 or munleyr@

lackawannacounty.org.

— JEFF HORVATH

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9141;

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

Scranton

Cindy Dunn, secretary of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, visited the city Thursday and toured the site targeted for a future Lackawanna County park along the Lackawanna River.

The boomerang-shaped, 7-acre tract of land off Cliff Street near the Steamtown National Historic Site is currently a contaminated former gas manufacturing site owned by UGI Penn Natural Gas. The company will soon begin the process of remediating the site, after which it will give the land to the county for a park.

“One of the best assets Scranton has, which is true of a lot of Pennsylvania, is the rivers, and as the rivers have been cleaned up ... they are now a key natural feature to bring the economy and quality of life back,” Dunn said. “To have ... this kind of park access right along the Lackawanna is a huge asset. It definitely fits DCNR’s mission.”

Remediation work will likely begin this fall and could take about four years to complete, though county officials said they’ll work with UGI to expedite the process where possible. Goals for the park include boating and fishing access, green space, a picnic area, pavilions and a connection to the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail.

“We have four great parks in Lackawanna County; they’re four jewels,” Commissioner Patrick O’Malley said. “This brings something to the table that none of the other parks do. It brings a river that goes right through it.”

— JEFF HORVATH

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9141;

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

■

The Scranton Fire Department will receive a $91,591 federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant to buy firefighter harness devices, U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright announced.

The money will go toward the purchase of 130 personal harness equipment systems that can be used to evacuate buildings. The grant program lists harness escape systems as high-priority operations and safety equipment.

The harnesses will increase safety of firefighters during interior structure fires, Deputy Fire Chief Allen Lucas said.

“This system may actually save the life of a firefighter in the line of duty,” Lucas said.

The funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will be distributed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“I am a vocal advocate for programs like the AFG, which help our first responders have the equipment and training they need to protect themselves as they keep the people and property of our communities safe,” Cartwright said.

— JIM LOCKWOOD

jlockwood@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5185;

@jlockwoodTT on Twitter

■

The Friends of the Scranton Public Library’s third of four book sales in 2018 will run Tuesday through Sunday outside Crunch Fitness at the Marketplace at Steamtown.

The hours are: Tuesday to Thursday, 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Sunday, Sept. 16, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

The final quarterly book sale of 2018 will be held Dec. 4-9.

The Friends’ group has helped raise funds for, and awareness about, the library for more than 50 years.

Along with holding quarterly book sales, the group sponsors children’s programming, refreshments for film festivals, a Friends’ garden and flagpole, and bus trips to New York, Philadelphia, Princeton and other destinations.

For information on the library system, visit lclshome.org.

— JIM LOCKWOOD

jlockwood@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5185;

@jlockwoodTT on Twitter

■

The Albright Memorial Library is embracing the popularity of bingeing on television shows with its new “binge boxes.”

The library recently announced it is offering four-week loans on full DVD collections of popular TV shows ranging from “The Munsters” to “The Office.” The loans cannot be renewed.

There are about 50 to 60 series to choose from, said reader service librarian Bill Cronauer, who was given a budget and tasked with purchasing the collections.

“People seem to love it,” he said, noting that 40 of the sets have already been checked out — 20 of them within the first two hours of the program.

Binge boxes are especially beneficial for people who don’t have access to streaming services, he said.

“They can enjoy a complete television show from beginning to end, whether it’s one year or 10 years,” Cronauer said.

The library is still adding new shows and will wait until a series is completed before making a binge box of it, he said. In the future, he would like to add shows such as “Game of Thrones” and “The Big Bang Theory” when they conclude.

“Everybody loves TV, so we’re just trying to make it easier for patrons,” he said. “They love it, and it makes us happy.”

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5181;

@flesnefskyTT on Twitter

AROUND THE TOWNS appears each Sunday, spotlighting the people and events in your neighborhoods. If you have an idea for an Around the Towns note, contact the writer for your town, or the Yes!Desk at 348-9121 or yesdesk@timesshamrock.com.

For Scranton kids at the turn of the 20th century, seeing Jim Reap’s yearly announcement in The Scranton Times was second only to Christmas morning.

Better known around town as “Your Old Friend” Jim Reap, the business owner, threw yearly theater parties starting in 1913, where he’d rent out as many as three theaters and invite local kids to come for a day of entertainment.

The event started with a parade through downtown Scranton, with thousands of kids led by the Allan Lawrence Band playing marching music. Reap served as the unofficial grand marshal, leading the kids through town as their parents lined the streets and waved. Then, there was a mad dash for a seat in a theater, where kids chowed down on refreshments before watching comedians and vaudeville troupes perform.

The newspaper announcement usually read: “Get ready kids. Our theater party will be on (such and such a date). Be at my store at 9 o’clock and form a line behind the band,” according to a This is My Town column written by Edward J. Gerrity in June 1967.

“That advertisement was the signal for a wave of joy to sweep the city — so far as youngsters are concerned,” Gerrity wrote. “You can bet they were there at 9 o’clock and some of them an hour or two earlier. Who wouldn’t get up early when he knew it was the day Jim Reap was having his party?”

After the party was over, Reap would send the youngsters home with a little advice, according to Gerrity.

“Meet your mothers and fathers in town and if you can’t find them, go straight home. And behave yourself above all things.”

About as interesting as the parties themselves was what kids left behind. Gerrity’s column details hats, neckties and even shoes carried to the lost and found in Reap’s stores so kids could claim them later.

“One day a boy from Green Ridge trudged into Jim’s store in his bare feet,” Gerrity wrote.

Reap asked where his shoes were and the boy replied that he’d left them in the theater. The boy dug through the lost and found but didn’t see them.

“Don’t cry. Go next door to Jim Mahon’s shoe store and tell him to give you a new pair and send me the bill,” Reap told him, according to Gerrity.

Reap turned his civic mindedness into political hay in 1922, when he was elected county sheriff. He held the position for four years and his biggest support may have come from those too young to vote.

“When Jim entered politics, especially when he ran for sheriff, the boys and girls were his greatest boosters,” a Sept. 30, 1948, Scranton Times article about Reap’s death read. “They asked Mom and Dad to vote for him.”

Reap’s gregarious spirit also won him countless adult fans. Among them was New York Gov. Al Smith, whom Reap met when he served as a delegate to the 1924 Democratic National Convention.

Smith liked him so much, he requested Reap serve as chauffeur when the New Yorker visited Scranton in 1931, three years after Smith’s failed presidential bid.

“The great Al Smith had telephoned several days before his visit that he wanted Jim to drive his car,” Gerrity wrote in his 1967 column. “Jim sat back straight at the wheel. He beamed to the cheering crowds to the right and the left. … It was the same glorious feeling as when he led the parade of his army of Scranton kids.”

Reap died in September 1948 after an illness. The small article that ran in The Scranton Times about his death praised the impact he had on the community.

“Many men and women of today with kids of their own and who remember the happy hours Jim provided will mourn his passing,” it read.

ERIN L. NISSLEY is an assistant metro editor at The Times-Tribune. She’s lived in the area for more than a decade.

Contact the writer:

enissley@timesshamrock.com

SCRANTON — A resident suing the city, Dunmore and two law firms involved in the 2016 sewer sale failed to name the Scranton Sewer Authority as a defendant, a judge ruled Friday.

Anthony Moses sued the municipalities and Abrahamsen, Conaboy & Abrahamsen, special counsel to the city, and Cummings Law, the borough solicitor, in 2017, claiming the SSA’s disbursement of sale proceeds done before termination of the authority violates state law.

After hearing defendants’ preliminary objections last month, visiting Senior Judge John Braxton of Philadelphia ruled Moses failed to also sue the SSA. Moses’ attorney, Patrick Howard, said he will amend the suit to include the SSA. The judge delayed ruling on other objections.

— JIM LOCKWOOD