SCRANTON — Four people needed treatment for injuries after a three-vehicle crash in the city tonight.

The wreck happened about 8 p.m. at the intersection of Green Ridge Street and North Main Avenue. One of the vehicles sustained little damage and the driver wasn’t injured, city police Lt. Marty Crofton said.

Two other cars, a Chevrolet Malibu and a Chrysler 300, needed to be towed from the scene. Medical personnel took people traveling in those cars — two men and two women — to Geisinger Community Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries, Crofton said.

City police are investigating the crash.

— CLAYTON OVER

SCRANTON

City police are looking for the driver who hit a pedestrian Thursday and took off.

At 11:23 p.m., a dark SUV, which authorities believe may be a Volkswagen Tiguan, struck a 42-year-old woman at Davis Street and Pittston Avenue, Capt. Dennis Lukasewicz said.

The woman, whom police declined to identify, suffered minor injuries, Lukasewicz said.

The SUV sped off west down Davis Street.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the police at 570-348-4134.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

Dec. 22, 1968

Pen pals meet up

For 11 months, Marywood College student Kathy Lynn of Scranton and Lance Cpl. Joseph O’Quinn of Florida talked only through letters. On Dec. 19, the pen pals met in person when O’Quinn arrived in Scranton to visit with Lynn. O’Quinn arrived home from Vietnam on Dec. 13 and immediately contacted his pen pal.

Their letter writing started in February 1968 when O’Quinn sent a letter to Lynn. In 1967, Lynn provided her address to the Marine Corps to be a pen pal to a Marine serving in Vietnam.

Lynn hosted a party for O’Quinn at her home on Farr Street.

Holiday shopping deals at Sears

A 23-inch color television, $433; 37-key electric organ, $99; bathroom scales, $6.99; self-propelled snow thrower, $144; punch bowl set, $12.97; electric carving knife, $13.88; 12-cup stainless steel coffeemaker, $16.88; women’s fake fur hat, $3.99; large selection of women’s dresses priced between $6.99 and $16.99; two pair of men’s plaid slacks, $15; and bedspreads, $8.88.

Christmas dinner grocery list

Turkey for 45 cents per pound; smoked hams, 53 cents per pound; pork roasts, 43 cents per pound; fresh or smoked kielbasa, 79 cents per pound; two dozen pierogies, 99 cents; shrimp, $1.69 per pound; 5 pounds of cod fillets, $1.19; 2 pounds of coffee, $1.39; nut or poppy seed rolls, 99 cents; large jar of pickles, 59 cents; a dozen oranges, 39 cents; 1 pound of mixed nuts, 59 cents; 1 pound of walnuts, 59 cents; 4-pound box of chocolates, $3.49; and a half gallon of eggnog, $1.09.

BRIAN FULTON, library manager, oversees The Times-

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

Contact Brian at bfulton@timesshamrock.com or

570-348-9140.

The Scranton School Board violated its own rules when it appointed a new member Wednesday night, a director said Friday.

Director Tom Schuster, who voted against the board suspending its policies and ultimately against the appointment of Gopal Patel, has asked the district solicitor to investigate the issue and may pursue it further.

The board suspended its rules with a 5-3 vote before directors voted to appoint Patel, going against procedures on how to appoint a new board member. Board policy states directors may suspend rules with a majority vote “provided the suspension does not conflict with legal requirements.” Schuster says the board did not satisfy legal requirements to suspend its own policy.

Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Act requires a board to allow for public comment before a vote, which it did not do.

“I think what the five members have done, through the action of this week, has shown their disdain for the taxpayer by not caring about the opinions of the citizens of Scranton,” Schuster said.

Meanwhile, solicitor John Audi contends the board did not break the Sunshine Act because the auditorium at South Scranton Intermediate School was nearly empty. Board President Barbara Dixon brought up the appointment under new business, after most of the public had left the meeting. The vote was not on the agenda.

Besides a reporter from The Times-Tribune, Audi said the only other person he saw was Rosemary Boland, president of the Scranton Federation of Teachers. A few district administrators and another teacher were also present.

“It’s unfair the way it’s being portrayed,” Audi said. “I think it’s a distinction without a difference. The room, for my purposes, was empty.”

Audi said if he thought members of the public were present, he would have instructed the board to open the meeting up for public comment before the vote.

“At best, it might be viewed as a minor technical issue,” Audi said of the potential violation.

To pursue action on a Sunshine Act violation, a member of the public would need to file a complaint with the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas. Schuster said he hopes someone takes action.

“Anyone else interested in the position should have had the chance to apply,” Schuster said. “I feel like this is something that could encourage more people to get involved and come to their city’s aid.”

Contact the writer:

shofius@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9133;

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

The state announced a $471,276 grant Friday to prevent flooding of a Wyoming County waterway.

Members of the Mehoopany Creek Watershed Association learned the Mehoopany Creek/Rogers Hollow Stream Restoration Project received the Growing Greener grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Rogers Hollow is a tributary of Mehoopany Creek, which eventually flows into the Susquehana River.

Association President Kyle Zeigler said the funds will be used for streambank stabilization to help with serious flooding issues and removal of some sediment to improve the aquatic habitat.

Wyoming County will administer the funds, which in turn will be used to help improve flooding issues in Forkston and Mehoopany townships, county Commissioner Tom Henry said.

The Growing Greener grant will be used to construct more than 700 feet of stacked boulder along the right bank of the stream and another 267 feet on the left side.

Heavy rain over the last several years has led to flooding of nearby homes and to areas along Route 87.

“This area of Wyoming County has seen its share of flooding events, and this project will help protect the residents from future flooding and improve water quality,” said DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell in a news release.

The funding is actually for the second phase of stream restoration, Zeigler said, that was spelled out as part of the 2007 Mehoopany Creek Watershed Plan.

This project will meet the Pennsylvania Nonpoint Source Management Plan, which focuses on reducing water quality degradation from “polluted runoff.”

The waterway is part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

One of the largest investments into Pennsylvania’s environment, Growing Greener projects have been instrumental in cleaning up abandoned mine lands, preserving farmland, and protecting and restoring watersheds throughout the commonwealth.

The Growing Greener grant program is supported by the Environmental Stewardship Fund, which receives its funding from landfill tipping fees.

Contact the writer:

bbaker@wcexaminer.com;

570-836-2123 x33

President Judge Michael Bar­rasse sentenced the following defendants recently in Lacka­wanna County Court:

Ricky Lloyd Sr., 55, 229 Harrison Ave., Apt. B, Scranton, to two to five years in state prison followed by four years of probation for possession with intent to deliver and possession of a controlled substance.

Michael Steiner, 34, 731 Aberdeen Road, Madison Twp., to six months of court supervision, including two months of house arrest, and a $750 fine for DUI tier two, second offense.

Judge Vito Geruolo sentenced:

David Fleetwood, 47, 1417 Pine St., Scranton, to 13 days time served to one year in county prison for possession of drug paraphernalia.

Kyle Sawkulich, 26, 277 Riverside Drive, Factoryville, to 122 days time served to one year in state prison followed by one year of probation for possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Judge Andrew Jarbola sentenced:

Isaac Taylor, 39, 315 New St., Scranton, to 21 to 42 years in state prison for attempted murder and simple assault.

William Torres-Approvato, 25, 308 Lynch St., Apt. 2, Olyphant, to 17 days time served in county prison and $600 in fines for scattering rubbish and harassment.

Matthew Anneman, 28, 1314 Wood St., Scranton, to three years of court supervision, including 90 days of house arrest, followed by six months of probation and $1,800 in fines for DUI tier one, first offense and DUI tier three, third offense.

Luis Velez, 21, 1441 Dickson Ave., Scranton, to one day time served in county prison for disorderly conduct.

Michelle Tyler, 38, 622 Alder St., Scranton, to one to five years in state prison for delivery of a controlled substance.

Dock Hayes, 63, 358 Theodore St., Apt. 1, Scranton, to nine days time served to one year in county prison for defiant trespass.

Jeraldo Beltrand, 46, 415 S. Webster Ave., Scranton, to three to 10 years in state prison for possession with intent to deliver.

Judge Margaret Bisignani Moyle sentenced:

Bryan Trischetta, 36, 525 Larch St., Dunmore, to five days time served in county prison for harassment.

Charles Watkins, 36, 100 Colan Court, Apt. 5, Taylor, to six months of court supervision, including one month of house arrest, and a $1,000 fine for DUI tier three, first offense.

Old Forge School Board member Julie Grimes resigned Wednesday, saying the divided board is no longer focusing on education.

“There’s constant fighting and arguing over things that have nothing to do with our students and no matter how you try to bring it back ... it just gets lost in the vendettas and the picking of sides,” she said.

The board accepted Grimes’ resignation at a meeting Wednesday. She plans to focus on helping Old Forge and area students through nonprofit science, technology, education and math initiatives, including with the local chapter of the national Girls Who Code organization.

During Grimes’ first two years on the Old Forge School Board, she said directors worked to improve district facilities and update educational programming and technology.

That’s no longer the focus as directors consistently argue over small details in meeting minutes and simple resolutions. At least one director is being investigated for allegedly harassing a district employee; a discussion on how to verify that claim took up much of the Dec. 5 meeting.

Grimes described herself as a board member with no affiliations who does not have children in the district.

“It’s my alma mater and I wanted to do right by it,” she said.

She hopes going forward that newly appointed board President Frank Scavo can make a big difference and “provide the much-needed communication between all factions.”

Grimes, who has a technology background, was elected to the board in November 2015. She is at least the fifth Old Forge school director to resign since 2015.

Scavo said the board now has 30 days to appoint a replacement for Grimes.

Those interested in the post may send a letter of interest and resume to Superintendent John Rushefski, Old Forge School District, 300 Marion St., Old Forge, PA 18518, or john.rushefski@ofsd.cc.

Public interviews will be Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m. and Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. in the high school. Directors will appoint a new member at the regular meeting Jan. 16.

A letter of interest and resume are not required before interviews. For details, visit www.ofsd.cc.

Contact the writer:

kbolus@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Jo Anne Perri waits for a call at Geisinger Community Medical Center and hopes to save another patient from their worst habit.

One day, it might be a heroin addict. Another, it might be someone who prefers cocaine, as Perri once did. Whatever their drug, she’ll use her 17-year journey of recovery to throw someone drowning in active addiction a lifesaver.

As Scranton comes to grips with one of its deadliest weeks in the opioid epidemic, Perri and five others work for a new program that drug and alcohol officials call a crucial step at a moment when an addicted person might be willing to accept recovery.

The 49-year-old woman is a certified recovery specialist. When someone is rushed to the Scranton hospital for treatment of an overdose, she speaks with them and tries to show them another way.

“You can relate to the person, no matter what the substance,” Perri said. “We are

showing them recovery is possible. I’ve lived it and breathed it. If I can do it, you can, too.”

The recovery specialist program, known as “warm handoff,” is run by Scranton Counseling Center.

It is among a number of initiatives Lackawanna County drug and alcohol treatment officials have implemented to combat the opioid epidemic.

Between Dec. 13 and 18, 10 people died of suspected drug overdoses in the city. That equates to nearly 11½ percent of all overdose deaths in the county last year. Officials suspect that fentanyl, a drug far more potent than heroin, is to blame

Scranton Police Chief Carl Graziano said he hopes the drugs responsible for the latest spell of deaths have been burned through. As of Friday afternoon, no overdose deaths had occurred in Scranton in two days.

“Two days is good but it’s still only two days,” Graziano said.

Roughly 600 people go to GCMC’s emergency room every year for overdose treatment. In the past, the patient would be revived using naloxone, an opioid blocker that reverses the effects of the substance, and discharged.

Recovery specialists act as an intermediary in hopes of convincing people to seek treatment. Participation is voluntary.

“If people are treated in the ER and discharged, the likelihood of them reaching out for treatment is much, much smaller than if you engage them where they are at,” said Edward Heffron, chief executive officer of the counseling center.

The center employs three full-time and three part-time recovery specialists who provide coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week at GCMC. Officials hope to some day expand the service to Regional Hospital and Moses Taylor, owned by Commonwealth Health System, but that’s dependent on funding, Heffron said.

Initial funding was provided through a grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, he said. The grant will cover program costs through the end of 2019. The center will need to come up with other funding sources to continue beyond that.

The specialists do not provide treatment. They’re strictly a peer support network that provides patients with information about treatment and support services that are available.

“We take them by the hand and walk them on a path to recovery,” Perri said.

Sharing personal experience is a key part to that.

“I’ll tell them my journey toward finding my path to recovery, my experiences and what worked for me,” Perri said.

So far, it’s working, said Barbara Durkin, director of the Lackawanna-Susquehanna Office of Drug and Alcohol Programs.

Since its rollout in September, the recovery specialists have approached 100 patients. Of those, 82 were placed in substance abuse treatment, Durkin said.

Durkin said her office will also pick up the tab for treatment and medication for the uninsured and under-insured. A bed at an inpatient facility can cost $300 a night. The funding comes from federal dollars, she said.

“We can pay for any level of care,” Durkin said. “Short-term, detox, long-term plus a halfway house stay if that’s what’s needed. ... Funding and access aren’t reasons people shouldn’t connect to treatment.”

She urged anyone struggling with addiction to contact her office at 570-963-6315 during office hours or at an after hours number monitored at all times: 570-840-8475.

Contact the writers: jkohut@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9144;

@jkohutTT on Twitter;

tbesecker@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9137;

@tmbeseckerTT on Twitter

Carbondale

Garbage collection: Garbage collection will be suspended Tuesday and Jan. 1; Monday trash and recycling routes will be collected on schedule. Tuesday-Thursday garbage collection will be delayed by a day for the remainder of the week.

Moosic

Garbage collection: The borough office and department of public works will be closed Jan. 1 in observance of New Year’s Day; garbage and recyclable

collections will be on a one-day delay.

Old Forge

Information session: Old Forge School District information session rescheduled for Jan. 9, 7:30 p.m., in the high school.

Regional

Office hours: State Rep. Karen Boback, R-117, Harveys Lake, announced outreach events for January: Jan. 4, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Tunkhannock District Office, 133 W. Tioga St., Suite 4, contact, 570-836-4777; Jan. 14, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Ace Hardware-Brady and Cavany Store, 809 Hunter Highway, Eaton Twp.; Jan. 15, veterans outreach hours, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Dallas District Office, 105 Lt. Michael Cleary Drive; Jan. 16, representative from the Center for Independent Living at the Tunkhannock District Office, contact, 570-836-4777; Jan. 23, representative from the University of Scranton Small Business Development Center, 10 a.m.-noon, Tunkhannock District Office. Information: repboback.com.

Scranton

Clam bake: Class of 1974 students of the former Scranton Central, Scranton Technical High School and Bishop Klonowsi clam bake to celebrate 45 years together, Saturday, June 29, Waldorf Park Tiki Bar, East Mountain, noon-7 p.m.. Contact: Mary Alice Finnerty Browning, 570-650-9862; Maria Hoban Emmi, 570-309-2623; Patty Hartman, 570-342-7229; Debbie DeSanto Godek, 570-689-4069; or Debbie Granahan Clark, 570-342-4507. Next planning meeting Feb. 20 at Alfredo’s in South Scranton, 6 p.m.

Medicare class: Free new to Medicare class, Jan. 22, 5:30-8 p.m., 841 Jefferson Ave., Scranton. Registration: 570-347-5616, x211.

CLIPBOARD ITEMS may be sent to yesdesk@timesshamrock.com or Clipboard, c/o YES!Desk, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503. YES!Desk, 570-348-9121.

The Diocese of Scranton has added a nun who taught school for many years in Dunmore and 10 other people to its still-evolving list of individuals accused of sexually abusing children.

The additions bring to 81 the number of names on the list of “credibly accused individuals” the diocese originally disclosed Aug. 14 to coincide with the release of a statewide investigating grand jury report exposing decades of child sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy and steps taken by the church to cover it up in six Pennsylvania dioceses, including Scranton.

Of the 11 new individuals on the list the diocese maintains on its website, six have already been named by The Times-Tribune — three Jesuit priests whose identities were disclosed Monday by the religious order’s Maryland Province and three diocesan lay employees the newspaper determined in August were omitted from the diocese’s original list.

The other five include two diocesan priests who were not on the list released in August and three previously unidentified members of religious orders not directly associated with the diocese.

According to the diocese, the priests, religious and lay people on its credibly accused list have either served or resided in the Diocese of Scranton.

“This list is updated as the diocese is made aware of substantiated allegations,” diocesan spokesman William Genello said in an emailed response to questions about the fluidity of the online list and the process for adding names.

On its website, the diocese says allegations against the individuals were corroborated “by secular legal proceedings, canon law proceedings, self-admission by the individual, and/or other evidence.”

The two diocesan priests newly added to the list are both deceased, according to the diocese. Diocesan officials provided no further information about the accusations against them, including when and where the underlying conduct happened, but said the allegations were recently received.

The priests are:

Michael G. Polcha : Polcha was born in 1908 and ordained in 1933. He served at St. Julianna, Rock Lake; St. John the Baptist, Pittston; Corpus Christi, Montdale, and Mission, Blakely; Our Lady of Fatima Institute, Elmhurst, where he was director and procurator; St. Eulalia, Elmhurst, and Holy Trinity, Swoyersville. He died in 1989.

Michael J. Pulicare : Born in 1946, Pulicare was ordained in 1971. His assignments included St. Ann, Shohola; Most Precious Blood, Hazleton; St. Anthony of Padua, Dunmore, and instructor, Bishop O’Hara High School, Dunmore; St. Matthew, East Stroudsburg; St. Joseph, Scranton; chaplain, Forest Lakes Council, Boy Scouts; St. Mary Czestochowa, Eynon; St. Mary’s Assumption, Jessup; Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Carbondale, and St. John the Evangelist, Susquehanna.

Pulicare went on leave for health reasons in 1999 and died later that year, the diocese said.

The three newly identified members of religious orders on the list are:

Joseph Fertal, S.V.D. : Fertal, who was ordained in 1959 and is a member of the Society of the Divine Word, was accused in 1995 of molesting a 16-year-old boy in the Diocese of San Bernardino, California. A 1996 civil lawsuit arising from the accusation was settled, and a criminal investigation was dropped for lack of evidence, according to online accounts.

A spokeswoman for the Society of the Divine Word said Fertal, who now lives in Chicago, was born in the Diocese of Scranton. It was unclear if he has any other connection to the diocese.

Sister Clare Pisaneschi, M.P.F. : Pisaneschi, a Religious Teachers Filippini sister who died in 2014, taught in the diocese for a number of years in the 1960s but then was stationed elsewhere, the diocese said. She returned in 1980 and taught until 1983 at Dunmore Central Catholic High School. In 1998, she returned again and taught at Dunmore Central Catholic, Bishop O’Hara and Holy Cross high schools until 2012.

Her obituary listed other teaching assignments in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Maryland. It also indicated she served as pastoral minister and director of religious education at Mount Carmel Parish, Pittston.

An Exeter native, Pisaneschi received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Marywood University and her master’s in history from Seton Hall University. She entered the Religious Teachers Filippini in 1949, received the habit a year later and made her religious profession in 1953.

No information was available about the accusations against her.

John Rebovich, O.S.J. : Rebovich, an Oblates of St. Joseph priest, served at the OSJ Seminary in Laflin from 1968 to 1972 and at St. John the Evangelist in Pittston in 1972-73 before working in the Diocese of Harrisburg, according to online records. He later became a Byzantine Catholic priest.

Beginning in 1990, he was the subject of multiple accusations involving the abuse of boys dating back to 1975, including one in the Diocese of Harrisburg. He is deceased.

In addition to adding the 11 recently identified credibly accused individuals to the list on its website, the diocese will publish their names in The Catholic Light, the diocesan newspaper, and in parish bulletins across the 11-county diocese, Genello said.

Contact the writer:

dsingleton@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9132

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

■ David P. Bollermann, Swiftwater, to John, Beverly and April Anne Pish, and Casey Daniel Herliky, Benton Twp.; a property at rear Route 107, Benton Twp., for $163,745.

■ Edward B. Jr. and Nicole Kowalyk, Scranton, to JMS Elite LLC, Brooklyn, N.Y.; a property at 1513 Kozy Drive, Scranton, for $195,000.

■ Marie Dinunzio, Lansdale, to Rebekah Witiak, Olyphant; a property at 709 E. Lackawanna Ave., Olyphant, for $75,000.

■ Kelly A. Gearhart, now known as Kelly Anne Roy, to Philip and Alexandre Russin; two parcels in Spring Brook Twp. for $140,000.

■ Thomas S. and Lori J. Flynn, Jefferson Twp., to Diana P. Rendon, Queens, N.Y.; a property at 621 Lake Spangenberg Road, Jefferson Twp., for $375,000.

■ Marr Rentals LLC, Bloomsburg, to Clara Weidow, Spring Brook Twp.; a property in Spring Brook Twp. for $37,500.

■ Peter Sabia, Dunmore, to Brandon M. Yusinski, Scranton; a property at 878 N. Sekol Ave., Ransom Twp., for $69,500.

■ Susan Hughes, Peckville, to Anna M. and Donna Baldi; a property at 625 Keystone Ave., Blakely, for $122,000.

■ Vera Kollontai, Alexandra Kollontai, now known as Alexandra Kinigopoulos, and Mikhail Kollontai, to Rami Abramov and Vikoriya Ushakova; a property at 109 Norton Drive, Clifton Twp., for $235,000.

■ Garvin S. Jr. and Luann A. Bixler, Glenburn Twp., to Robert J. Trently Jr., Archbald; a property at 1321 Old Trail Road, Glenburn Twp., for $293,000.

■ KT Imperial Millennium LLC, Scranton, to MVLS Investments LLC, King of Prussia; a property at 309-311 William St., Scranton, for $140,000.

■ Gloria Destefano, by and through her court appointed guardians, Denise Searfoss, Jefferson Twp., and Diane Trama, Clarks Summit, to James A. and Dana M. Chapman, Jefferson Twp.; a property at 1140 First Ave., Jefferson Twp., for $175,000.

■ Michael and Brenda Williamson to Greg Snyder, Roaring Brook Twp.; a property in Spring Brook Twp. for $300,000.

■ Qiumei Liu, Florida, to Ty E. and Drew S. Evans, Roaring Brook Twp.; a property at 516 Burke St. and Meade St., Dunmore, for $131,250.

■ Jon P. Ross and Megan Johnson, New Jersey, to Robert A. Heyen, Old Forge; a property at 517 Edith St., Old Forge, for $105,000.

■ Richard and Mary Rose Spalletta to Charles Cherundolo; a property at Route 690, Spring Brook Twp., for $100,000.

■ Robert L. Clarke, executor of the estate of Thomas W. Gerrity, Dunmore, to Adam and Victoria Donahue, Dunmore; a property at 1602 Jefferson Ave., Dunmore, for $155,100.

■ Fellowship Baptist Church, Dalton, also known as Fellowship Baptist Church of Dalton, to Frank Colombo LLC, Clarks Summit; two parcels in Dalton for $60,000.

DIVORCES SOUGHT

■ Zeleeta Arata Simon, Scranton, v. Troy Conrad Simon; married May 24, 2000, in Georgetown, Guyana; pro se.

■ Ivette Gonzalez, Olyphant, v. Jesús Acosta, Olyphant; married June 19, 1993, in Moca, Puerto Rico; pro se.

■ Dustin Peter Siniawa, Eynon, v. Kristine Marie Siniawa, Eynon; married Oct. 11, 2014, in Scranton; pro se.

■ Daniella Alvarez, Scranton, v. Freddy Brea, Wilkes-Barre; married July 1, 2016, in Wilkes-Barre; pro se.

LAWSUIT

■ Francis L. Nagle, 2562 S. Dry Branch Lane, Republic, Mo., v. Robert W. Cox, 287 Ditto Farm Drive, Falling Waters, W.Va., and Swift Transportation Services Inc., 2200 S. 75th Ave., Phoenix, Ariz., seeking an amount in excess of $50,000, plus delay damages, costs and such other relief as the court deems appropriate, on four counts, for injuries suffered in an automobile accident Oct. 10, 2017, at approximately 8:10 p.m., while the plaintiff was driving west on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Denver borough, and the defendant failed to stop and collided into the rear of the plaintiff’s vehicle; Robert W. Munley III, attorney.

ARDS

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

■ Elizabeth Calhoun Kelly, 36, P.O. Box 104, Fleetville, stopped June 5 by state police.

■ Leeann M. Searfoss, 31, 29 Wagon Road, Jefferson Twp., stopped June 24 by state police.

■ Marlana Rose Brown, 25, 107 Walnut St., Dunmore, stopped May 25 by state police.

■ Michelle Rosler, 46, 1169 Hickory Road, Carbondale, stopped Feb. 25 by Carbondale City police.

■ James Wallace, 70, 148 S. Keyser Ave., Taylor, stopped May 8 by Scranton police.

■ Tammy Buchinski, 45, 912 E. Lackawanna Ave., Olyphant, stopped April 30 by Olyphant police.

■ Joseph Tomczyk, 49, 326 N. Main St., Old Forge, stopped May 18 by South Abington Twp. police.

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

■ Michael Terrery Jr., 21, 8 Kipling Drive, Moosic, arrested May 13 by Scranton police for simple assault, disorderly conduct engaged in fighting and harassment, subjecting others to physical contact.

■ Joshua David Zackoski, 32, 1507 Dormont Ave. 3, Pittsburgh, arrested July 15 by Scranton police for a DUI, recklessly endangering another person, driving the wrong way and careless driving.

■ Monica Anne Moore, 22, 615 N. Maine Ave., Scranton, arrested Nov. 9, 2017, by Dickson City police for theft by deception — false impression and retail theft — taking merchandise.

■ Jennifer Franco, 25, 922 Lincoln Ave., Blakely, arrested June 11 by Blakely police for use/possession of drug paraphernalia, endangering the welfare of children and intentionally possessing a controlled substance by an unregistered person.

■ Jacob Sincavage, 21, 1017 Spruce Drive, Clarks Summit, arrested June 17 by state police for a DUI and use/possession of drug paraphernalia.

■ Maximillian Covey, 18, 1329 Lafayette St., Scranton, arrested July 12 by Taylor police for possession of marijuana and use/possession of drug paraphernalia.

■ Dillon Thomas Devine, 20, 602 School St., Moosic, arrested June 2 by Moosic police for a DUI, possession of marijuana and use/possession of drug paraphernalia.

■ Donna Benjamin, 40, 65 Church St., Hallstead, arrested Aug. 24 by Scranton police for possession of an instrument of crime with intent to use it criminally, promoting prostitution — inmate in house of prostitution/business and engaging in criminal conspiracy.

■ Franklin Figliomeni, 22, 917 Pittston Ave., Scranton, arrested April 21 by state police for a DUI, possession of marijuana, an unsigned registration and driving without a license.

ONLINE:

thetimes-tribune.com/courts

Pennsylvania Congressman Lou Barletta’s voting record in his final days on Capitol Hill reflects his short-timer status.

The Hazleton Republican — who ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate instead of seeking another term in the U.S. House of Representatives — missed all but six of the 32 roll-call votes between the November election and Wednesday evening.

That makes him one of the lawmakers with the most absences, but far from the only one who hasn’t been showing up to work as the session winds down.

A tally by the D.C.-based media outlet Roll Call found 17 House members had missed at least half the votes between Nov. 13 and Dec. 13.

Barletta ranked seventh on that bipartisan list, largely composed of lawmakers who won’t be returning to their current job because of retirement or winning election to another office.

Barletta’s staff said the congressman has been working in the district while assisting his family as his young grandson battles cancer.

“Over the last few weeks, Congressman Barletta has met with constituents, held events back in his district, and worked to ensure a smooth transition between his office and that of the incoming representative, all while attending to his 20-month-old grandson who was recently diagnosed with cancer and supporting his family through this tough time,” his spokeswoman said in a statement.

Barletta hasn’t yet announced what he’ll be doing after the session ends.

While Barletta missed the first two votes Thursday, he was present for a long series of afternoon votes as Congress struggled to complete its work for the year.

The number of House absences has grown as the session days dwindled and negotiations over whether a bill keeping the government running would include money for President Donald Trump’s border wall proposal.

Some 70 members were absent from Wednesday evening’s votes, including two other Pennsylvanians who soon will be departing their posts, Democratic Rep. Bob Brady of Philadelphia and Republican Rep. Bill Shuster of Blair County. Democratic Reps. Susan Wild of Allentown and Brendan Boyle of Philadelphia were absent due to family commitments.

Q: Electric motors have been around a long time. They are simple devices with few moving parts. They have no complicated valve trains, no head gaskets to blow, no piston rings, no oil to change and no coolant to leak out.

I am an old man, tired of car maintenance and in need of a low-maintenance, reliable vehicle.

It would seem that an all-electric car is the solution to my problem, but life has many ugly surprises. Are there excessive maintenance issues with e-cars? Serious reliability problems? Am I missing anything that I need to know?

— JOHN

A: I don’t think you’re missing anything, John. You’re right. Electric motors are simple. Much simpler than internal combustion engines. And they’re pretty bulletproof. While we’re still in the relatively early stages of the electric-car revolution, hybrid electric cars have been around for decades now. And the electric motors in hybrid cars have been pretty trouble-free. We’ve seen them run for hundreds of thousands of miles without failure.

The bigger issue is battery failure. But most electric cars come with eight- or 10-year warrantees on the battery. So even that’s not a big deal. And presumably, eight to 10 years from now, replacement batteries will be even cheaper.

There are still things that can go wrong with electric cars, though. They are cars, after all. So they have electronic components, like computers, screens, safety systems and sensors that can fail. They also have mechanical parts that will wear out — like tires, shocks and wiper blades. Just because the car is electric doesn’t mean that someday you won’t need an air conditioning compressor or a door handle.

But you’ll never have to replace a hose, weld an exhaust system or fix an oil leak. And by the way, your brake pads will last much longer, because regenerative braking (which uses the moving wheels as a generator when you slow down) cuts down on your use of your brake pads. So if you’re looking for a lower-maintenance car, and you can make do with a couple of hundred miles of range before recharging, an EV is for you.

For good, basic transportation, we like the Chevy Bolt, the Nissan Leaf, the Hyundai Kona and the Kia Niro. All four should get you more than 200 miles on a charge. As an added benefit, you’ll be able to “refuel” your car in your own driveway. So you’ll never have to visit a gas station again ... unless you have a sudden urge to buy a pack of gum or use a filthy restroom.

DICKSON CITY — The owner of the former Kmart building off Business Route 6 plans to revamp the 120,000-square-foot structure into several retail operations, including a trampoline facility.

Benjamin Hadar of New York City has his first two tenants, Allure Salon Group and Planet 3 trampoline park, renovating their spaces and getting ready to open in January, he said Friday in a phone interview.

Hadar hopes to draw other businesses to the former Kmart building at 1011 Scranton/Carbondale Highway, including a gym, supermarket, brewery and medical office, to name a few types.

“I want to make it into a fun place with a lot of tenants,” Hadar said. “I want to make it into a really nice place.”

Hadar’s purchase three years ago of the 16-acre Kmart property in Dickson City was his first real estate venture in Northeast Pennsylvania, he said. After the Kmart closed last year, Hadar gained full control of the property in March and set about dividing it into several separate retail spaces.

Renderings of his vision for the building call it a marketplace and show the Planet 3 Extreme Air Park trampoline center occupying nearly 22,000 square feet of southwestern end of the building, and next to it the Allure Salon Group in 10,100-square-foot space.

“We’ve had a very strong response to people in the area because everybody knows this location for many years,” Hadar said. “It’s the main shopping drag, the main shopping corridor.”

The Dickson City location will be the second Allure Salon Group site, owner Karen Kaminski of Moscow said Friday in a phone interview. She opened her first Allure Salon Group in Wilkes-Barre Twp.’s East End Centre in June 2017.

The salon-group business model, featuring several turnkey salon suites under one roof, is new to this area but popular in other parts of the United States, said Kaminski, who also is a sales representative in the beauty industry.

The Allure Salon Group in Wilkes-Barre Twp. has 12 of 14 salon suites occupied, with a nail technician, skin salon, microblader, hair stylists and barbers, she said. Her tenants include former salon owners who wanted to cut costs and salon professionals who wanted to go on their own and work for themselves. They go into salon suites with their own following of loyal clientele, she said.

“I run mine like I’m the landlord,” Kaminski said of her salon suites. “I give them (her tenants) turnkey salons, they pay me rent and I pay their (utility) bills. It gives them the opportunity to be an independent salon owner and double, almost triple, their income.”

The Dickson City location of her second Allure Salon Group will have 17 salon suites, of which six are currently booked with a mix of hair and skin salons, she said.

“Ben’s location was perfect for me,” Kaminski said of the Dickson City site. “I don’t need visibility. I needed the parking and a bigger space. The trampoline guy next to me is even a bigger bonus,” in terms of additional traffic.

A representative of Planet 3 trampoline park declined to comment on that site Friday.

Contact the writer:

jlockwood@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5185;

@jlockwoodTT on Twitter

The sun came out by noon, but the record had already fallen.

A rainstorm Friday made 2018 Scranton’s wettest year on record, surging past 60 inches of precipitation since Jan. 1, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tom Kines said.

“Some people will say it’s climate change and maybe that’s right,” Kines said. “It seems like every front in the summer, every low pressure area this fall and winter ... every system has reached its maximum potential.”

Friday, the first day of winter, also became the warmest Dec. 21 on record here as temperatures hovered in the lower 60s, Kines said.

The previous record set in 1953 saw temperatures only as high at 57 degrees.

“This air is coming right from the Gulf of Mexico,” Kines said. “It’s pushed all the way up and will continue north.”

By 9 a.m., approximately 60.17 inches of precipitation had fallen. The previous precipitation record was an even 60 inches in 2011, when a pair of tropical storms — Irene and Lee — accounted for more than 10 percent of the annual total.

Almost half of the year-to-date precipitation — just under 30 inches — fell during the four-month period from July through October.

That was led by 10.59 inches of rain in August, which made the month the second wettest August and the fourth wettest month overall since local record-keeping began in 1901.

The area’s average annual precipitation is 38.26 inches, a mark exceeded this year at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport by the end of August.

The incessant rain has wreaked havoc on those who work outdoors. For the state Department of Transportation, which has long drawn the casual ire of drivers for lane closures and bumpy roads, the rain put a damper on work schedules.

Crews can’t work on the interstate when the roads are slick, so it puts them behind schedule on existing projects while washouts and new potholes create additional work, PennDOT spokesman James May said.

For example, PennDOT noticed last month that four or five feet of dirt used to help support a bridge on Route 502 near Moosic had washed away. That alone made the bridge unsafe and PennDOT began a new project to shore up the bridge’s stability.

“This year, with the amount of rain we’ve gotten, it’s created a lot of extra work,” May said.

Kines said he expects a few weak systems to pass through next week, potentially leaving a coating of snow on the ground for Christmas morning.

Contact the writer:

jkohut@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9144;

@jkohutTT on Twitter

CLARKS SUMMIT

A borough man pleaded guilty to federal charges relating to violating the Clean Water Act and evidence tampering.

David Klepadlo, 63, owner of David D. Klepadlo & Associates Inc., entered the plea Wednesday. Klepadlo was a state-certified wastewater treatment plant operator. While operating facilities at the Greenfield Twp. Sewer Authority and the Benton/Nicholson Sewer Authority from May 2012 through June 2014, Klepadlo knowingly failed to take daily and weekly samples to monitor pollution discharged into waterways and also created fake test results and reported those results to the state Department of Environmental Protection and the federal Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. attorneys said.

Klepadlo also admitted to trying to persuade a government witness to make up an explanation for the violations, according to prosecutors.

— CLAYTON OVER

A 21-year-old
Scranton man died Friday morning after his pickup collided with a tractor-trailer in
the 800 block of North Keyser Avenue. Lackawanna County Coroner Tim Rowland identified the victim as Casey Williams of Scranton. The crash remains under investigation, Scranton police Capt. Dennis Lukasewicz said. Part of the avenue was closed to traffic for much of the day Friday as police worked. It reopened to traffic in the evening.

ASHLEY — A borough police officer pulled a woman over and directed her to perform oral sex on him to avoid being arrested, according to charges filed late Thursday.

Mark Eric Icker, 29, of Dickson City, is facing misdemeanor counts of official oppression and using the threat of an official action. Luzerne County detectives say the Ashley officer accepted the sexual favor at a secluded park late Dec. 9.

The woman told police Icker pulled her over when she was driving on North Main Street and handcuffed her in the back of a police car as he searched her vehicle. After finding a bottle of pills, Icker warned her she could be arrested for driving under the influence because she was on prescription medications.

“What can you do to help me help you?” the complaint quotes Icker as asking.

The woman initially said she would try to be a better person and a better mother, but Icker repeated himself, police said. The woman then thought Icker was asking her to do controlled drug buys, and she responded that she doesn’t do drugs, the complaint said.

When Icker repeated the question a third time, she realized he was looking for sex, police said. She said she understood what he was asking but told Icker she didn’t want to get in any more trouble by saying it, according to the complaint. Icker told her to speak freely and the woman asked if he meant a sexual favor, to which Icker replied, “That’s up to you,” police said.

The woman told Icker they could figure it out, and he removed the handcuffs, police said. Icker promised not to arrest her if she performed a sexual favor, according to the complaint.

Icker took the woman to police headquarters and pretended to fingerprint her, then took her to a park on Conyngham Street, where he directed her to perform oral sex on him, police said.

When they were done, Icker took the woman back to her vehicle and told her to call her boyfriend, whom she had been going to pick up. Icker got on the phone and explained that she had been pulled over but she was not going to be arrested and that she was trying to get her life back in order, police said.

The complaint says the boyfriend backed up the woman’s account and that Luzerne County 911 records showed Icker stopped the victim at 11:51 p.m. Dec. 9 and returned to service at 12:38 a.m. Dec. 10.

During questioning, Icker admitted that in exchange for the sexual favor, he did not charge the woman with driving with a suspended license, speeding and driving under the influence.

Magisterial District Judge Thomas F. Malloy Sr. arraigned Icker on Thursday and released him on $25,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing was set for Jan. 9.

Icker’s status with the department was not known. Police Chief David Fedorczyk did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Contact the writer:

jhalpin@citizensvoice.com;

570-821-2058

SCRANTON

City police are looking for the driver who hit a pedestrian Thursday and took off.

At 11:23 p.m., a dark SUV, which authorities believe may be a Volkswagen Tiguan, struck a 42-year-old woman at Davis Street and Pittston Avenue, Capt. Dennis Lukasewicz said.

The woman, whom police declined to identify, suffered minor injuries, Lukasewicz said.

The SUV sped off west down Davis Street.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the police at 570-348-4134.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

SCRANTON

Four people needed treatment for injuries after a three-vehicle crash in the city Friday night.

The wreck happened about 8 p.m. at Green Ridge Street and North Main Avenue. One of the vehicles sustained little damage and the driver wasn’t injured, city police Lt. Marty Crofton said.

Two other cars, a Chevrolet Malibu and a Chrysler 300, had to be towed from the scene. Medical personnel took people traveling in those cars — two men and two women — to Geisinger Community Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, Crofton said.

City police are investigating the crash.

— CLAYTON OVER