Elijah M. Watson

Wanted by: Wayne County detectives.

Fugitive since: 2017.

Wanted for: Possession with intent to deliver, criminal use of a communication facility and related offenses.

Description: Black man, 31 years old, 5 feet 9 inches tall, 200 pounds, black hair, brown eyes. Last seen driving a silver 2006 Chrysler 300 with New Jersey registration H19-JHF.

Contact: Wayne County detectives, 570-253-5970, ext. 2255.

Kareem Dixon

Wanted by: Scranton office, state Board of Probation and Parole.

Fugitive since: Sept. 28.

Wanted for: Possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. Sentenced to one year, six months to four years of incarceration. Paroled Feb. 27.

Description: Black man, 30 years old, 5 feet 8 inches tall, 175 pounds, black hair, brown eyes.

Contact: Agent Gary Demuth, 570-614-7244 or 800-932-4857.

Brian Kennedy

Wanted by: Scranton office, state Board of Probation and Parole.

Fugitive since: Nov. 30.

Wanted for: Fleeing and attempting to elude an officer. Sentenced to six months to two years of incarceration. Paroled April 15.

Description: White man, 52 years old, 5 feet 11 inches tall, 230 pounds, gray hair, blue eyes.

Contact: Agent Gary Demuth, 570-614-7244 or 800-932-4857.

Shantae Ross

Wanted by: Lackawanna County Adult Probation/Parole.

Fugitive since: Nov. 19.

Wanted for: Probation violations for underlying offense of delivery of a controlled substance.

Description: Black woman, 28 years old, 5 feet 2 inches tall, 250 pounds, black hair, brown eyes.

Contact: Warrant Officer Jerry Spiegel, 570-963-6876 or Spiegelj@Lackawannacounty.org.

Josh Jezorwski

Wanted by: Scranton office, state Board of Probation and Parole.

Fugitive since: Dec. 7.

Wanted for: Theft of movable property, receiving stolen property and obstruction of administration of law/government. Sentenced to three years, 20 days to eight years of incarceration. Paroled July 3.

Description: White man, 32 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall, 190 pounds, brown hair, blue eyes.

Contact: Agent Gary Demuth, 570-614-7244 or 800-932-4857.

Anson Salsman

Wanted by: State Board of Probation and Parole.

Fugitive since: Nov. 20.

Wanted for: Illegal disposal of chemical waste and driving under the influence. Sentenced to nine months to five years of incarceration. Paroled May 4, 2017.

Description: White man, 42 years old, 6 feet 3 inches tall, 360 pounds, brown hair, brown eyes.

Contact: Agent Gary Demuth, 570-614-7244 or 800-932-4857.

High notes

Former Jessup resident Frank Dubas and his wife, Mary Grace, held a holiday benefit for Outreach — Center for Community Resources in December.

Frank and Mary Grace, who live in Connecticut, invited community members to a potluck party at 518 Lackawanna Ave. and asked each guest to bring a new toy.

The location is part of Dubas’ 517 Bogart Project redevelopment plan.

The toys were donated to Outreach’s annual Toyland, which allows program participants to choose toys for their family members.

“We’re all about our community and are very grateful for this event,” said Linda Ciampi, Outreach executive director. “Several Lackawanna County children were made happier this Christmas because of the generosity of Frank and Mary Grace.”

Volunteers spread

holiday cheer

Teen volunteers from Traditional Home Health & Hospice, including Celia Condon and Elizabeth Haikes, made sure the residents of St. Mary’s Villa received handwritten holiday cards through the annual Operation Friendship program at Serving Seniors Inc.

Lola Kuehnapfel and Martin Fahy were among more than 3,100 residents of area nursing homes and personal care homes throughout Lackawanna County who received handwritten holiday cards and visits from more than 300 volunteers of all ages.

The project is coordinated through Serving Seniors Inc.’s nursing home visitation program, which is funded through the Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging.

Super students

Katie Seechock’s design will be featured on T-shirts worn by her fellow peers at both Abington Heights and North Pocono high schools.

Seechock, an Abington Heights art student, won the design contest for the 11th annual Foundation for Cancer Care’s Pink Game T-shirt. The contest was coordinated by the Abington Heights High School art department and was open to all art students. Seven T-shirt designs were submitted for a vote.

The T-shirt featuring Seechock’s artwork will be sold this month at both Abington Heights and North Pocono, on the Foundation for Cancer Care’s website and at the Pink Game on Jan. 24. The Abington Heights Lady Comets are hosting the North Pocono Lady Trojans for this year’s game. Both teams will wear the winning T-shirt design leading up to the game.

All proceeds raised from T-shirt sales, as well as from the other fundraisers, will stay local and benefit the Foundation for Cancer Care directly.

Last year, the Pink Game raised a record-breaking $35,000 for the foundation.

It all started with some Army surplus shirts.

As a busy reporter who got his start as a copy boy for the Scrantonian-Tribune in the 1960s, Northeast Pennsylvania native Mel Ziegler often donned the simple, cheap surplus shirts smartly altered by his wife, Pat, according to a May 4, 1986, Scrantonian article. After people started asking where he bought them, Banana Republic was born.

Mel Ziegler graduated from Scranton’s Central High School in 1963, although many news stories about him over the decades list him as a Carbondale native. He worked for a time at The Tribune and the Scrantonian before enrolling at Penn State. While a student there, he won several William Randolph Hearst Foundation awards for excellence in journalism. He continued his education at Columbia Journalism School.

He eventually made his way to California, where he worked at the San Francisco Chronicle. He also penned the preface to “Amen: The Diary of Rabbi Marin Siegel,” and created a national television show called “The Tipsters.”

The five-times-a-week show featured “imaginatively dramatized tips … from such worthy and savvy sorts as the legal eagle, the inside man, the working mother, the doctor, the teenager, the connoisseur, the psychologist, the veterinarian, the fashion editor and the recycologist,” an Oct. 3, 1977, Scrantonian article reported.

The Zieglers opened their first Banana Republic store in the San Francisco suburb of Mill City, California, in 1978. They traveled the world looking for interesting fabrics and clothing, starting out with “a cache of old Spanish paratrooper shirts that were used in the Francisco Franco era,” according to an undated Christian Science Monitor article about the couple.

“We thought we were really clever,” Mel Ziegler told the publication about the buy. But when the shirts arrived, they realized “the sleeves were an inch or two short.”

They improvised. Patricia Ziegler suggested the sleeves be rolled up as a fashion statement and her husband drew on his writing skills to weave a story about “Franco’s maniacal persecution of long-armed Spaniards,” the Christian Science Monitor reported. “They sold out almost immediately.”

The Zieglers sold Banana Republic to The Gap Inc. in 1983, who then opened locations all over the country. Today, there are more than 700 Banana Republic stores around the world.

After the sale, “the Zieglers stayed on and retain creative autonomy for the clothing, merchandising and catalogue,” according to a May 4, 1986, Scrantonian article. Mel Ziegler oversaw and wrote copy for the wildly popular catalogue, and Pat Ziegler continued to design clothes for Banana Republic, drawing inspiration from traditional clothing around the world.

At one time, stores also featured travel bookstores and the brand maintained a toll-free number where researchers would answer questions about travel destinations anywhere in the world. The couple traveled widely and even launched a quarterly magazine called “Trips,” which featured travel articles and was closely linked to the Banana Republic brand. The magazine was short lived. The Zieglers themselves parted ways with Gap in the late 1980s.

Soon after, the Zieglers also launched Republic of Tea, which they sold in 1994. The Zieglers have written two books about their lives, “Wild Company — The Untold Story of Banana Republic” and “The Republic of Tea: How an Idea Becomes a Business.”

While he moved away at a fairly young age, Mel Ziegler’s family resided in Scranton for decades, according to a Feb. 26, 1984, Scrantonian article. His mother, Harriet Feibus Ziegler, moved to Florida in 1981, after the death of her husband, that article reported.

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:

localhistory@timesshamrock.com

Jan. 13, 1944

Fire guts Parodi Cigar building

Parodi Cigar on North Main Avenue in Scranton was gutted by a three-alarm fire.

Scranton Fire Department officials said the fire was discovered around 10 p.m. They believe the blaze started in the rear of the first floor and spread throughout the three-story brick building.

Due to heavy smoke from the fire and the burning tobacco, firefighters had a difficult time entering the building and had to fight the fire from outside the structure. They were still on the scene the next afternoon.

The business and the Fire Department estimated the loss to be $100,000. In addition to the building, 50 tons of tobacco and 10 million cigars were lost to the flames.

The cause of the fire would be investigated jointly by the Fire Department and the National Board of Fire Underwriters.

The Fire Department was concerned that the fire might spread to the neighboring garage and stables of Woodlawn Farm Dairy. Dairy employees and volunteers helped to move the dairy’s 25 horses and fleet of wagons and trucks from the area.

Shopping list

A leg of lamb cost 31 cents per pound; lamb chops for 41 cents per pound; veal roast for 18 cents per pound; pork chops for 37 cents per pound; bacon for 35 cents per pound; a loaf of wheat bread for 11 cents; chocolate double-layer cake for 48 cents; a dozen doughnuts for 40 cents; a package of Birds Eye frozen green beans for 21 cents; and a pound of coffee for 23 cents.

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 Wall Street Journal’s influential editorial board is known for being hard on presidents. ... OK, just the even-numbered ones, in recent years. That would be Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. The bible of American finance — whose conservative editorial writers never met a corporate tax cut they didn’t like, or a Democrat they did — could be ruthless toward the 42nd and 44th presidents, even encouraging some of the loopier conspiracy theories of the Whitewater era.

That’s why it was so jarring last week to see the Rupert Murdoch-owned broadsheet publish an editorial stating, “We cannot recall a more absurd misstatement of history by an American President” — when that president is a Republican, Donald Trump. The WSJ — which maybe isn’t as pro-Trump as that diner in southern Ohio that The New York Times has reported from 6,784 times now, but which generally likes POTUS 45 as long as he’s reducing marginal tax rates or dropping napalm on the Environmental Protection Agency — ripped the current commander in chief in a piece headlined, “Trump’s Cracked Afghan History.”

Yes, it’s a little weird that an editorial board that was nonplussed (or sometimes mildly “concerned”) about Trump’s 7,000-plus other lies, firing of Jim Comey, shredding of the emoluments clause, etc., would wig out about the president’s strange thoughts on an invasion exactly 40 years ago by a country, the USSR, that technically doesn’t exist. But anti-communism both was, and is, central to the Wall Street Journal brand. Let’s hear them out on this one.

The editorial bashed Trump for asserting that Leonid Brezhnev’s USSR was justified in 1979 when it invaded Afghanistan, a move that was so vehemently opposed by the U.S. government that Jimmy Carter imposed an Olympic boycott and reinstituted draft registration for 18-year-olds. That, the Journal argued, was “ridiculous,” adding: “The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was a defining event in the Cold War, making clear to all serious people the reality of the communist Kremlin’s threat.”

Here’s the thing. Trump says crazy stuff every day of his presidency. But the Journal was absolutely right to home in on the weirdness and disturbing nature of this particular statement. For one thing, it’s surprising that the usually assertively anti-intellectual Trump has deep — albeit historically incorrect — thoughts about foreign policy in the late ’70s and ’80s, the decade he was busy trying to promote Herschel Walker and bed Marla Maples. Second, not one other person on this side of the Atlantic Ocean holds that notion advanced by the president: that the USSR invasion of Afghanistan was justified or was about anything other than world domination.

But now here’s where it gets much, much weirder — and much more disturbing. Because it turns out there is one prominent set of voices who — just in the last few months — started making the argument that the USSR was right to send those troops into Afghanistan, an action that even Russian higher-ups have conceded even before the USSR’s 1991 collapse was a horrible mistake, politically and morally.

That would be Vladimir Putin and his allies in the Russian government.

It’s doubtful that either you or Donald J. Trump read this online Washington Post opinion piece from Dec. 4 that outlines an otherwise little-reported push by Russian lawmakers allied with Putin for a resolution that would justify their country’s 1979 invasion and reverse a 1989 vote backed by then-USSR leader Mikhail Gorbachev that had condemned it. The Putinists’ goal is to pass the resolution by the 30th anniversary of the invasion, in February.

OK, maybe it’s a coincidence that a babbling Trump — who certainly gives the appearance of saying whatever pops into his mind — just happened to make the same obscure argument as Putin’s minions halfway across the globe. But on Thursday night, I and a couple of other million folks saw a remarkable report by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow that tied together some wild threads (for which she credited other journalists such as Vladimir Kara-Murza, author of that Post op-ed, and New York Magazine’s Jonathan Chait, as well as her own Steve Benen).

It turns out Trump’s bizarre, historically incorrect Afghanistan riff is part of a pattern in which either the president or his administration has mimicked obscure foreign-policy points linked directly to Putin and/or Russian intelligence ops, and to virtually no one else — certainly not anyone in the American diplomatic community.

The most bizarre such episode happened early in Trump’s presidency. When Mike Flynn — who would later plead guilty to lying to the FBI about his phone calls with Russia’s ambassador — was still Trump’s national security adviser in the first weeks of the new administration, there was this little-noticed report from the AP.

“According to one U.S. official, national security aides have sought information about Polish incursions in Belarus, an eyebrow-raising request because little evidence of such activities appears to exist,” the AP reported. “Poland is among the Eastern European nations worried about Trump’s friendlier tone on Russia.” Meanwhile, Putin’s interest in swallowing up Belarus — possibly using the fake “Polish incursions” as a pretext — has only intensified in the two years since the 45th president was sworn in.

Then there’s the strange matter of U.S. policy toward the tiny Balkan nation of Montenegro, which in 2017 became the first new member of NATO in a decade. A few weeks later, Trump caused a lot of head-scratching when he went on Fox News with Tucker Carlson and the president (echoed by Carlson) lashed out at the idea of defending his new NATO ally. “You know, Montenegro is a tiny country with very strong people. ... They are very aggressive people,” Trump said. “They may get aggressive, and congratulations, you’re in World War III.”

Actually, when it comes to Montenegro, Trump was arguably the “aggressive” one — with the viral clip of POTUS shoving aside the Montenegrin prime minister at a summit meeting two months earlier. Most viewers watched the clip for a laugh. What’s not so funny is that Russian intelligence officers had been involved in a 2016 plot to assassinate Montenegro’s leader — so determined was Putin to prevent the expansion of NATO. A goal that seems to have been shared by the current president of the United States.

These obscure Putin-flavored U.S. maneuvers have happened amid the highly publicized probe by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is tasked with finding out if the Trump campaign somehow colluded with Russia’s spies as they sought to interfere with and alter the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. Although arguably a strong case for collusion has already been revealed, we won’t know the full extent of what he’s uncovered until later this year. None of Team Trump’s arcane moves on Belarus, Montenegro or Afghanistan is conclusive proof of a vast Trump-Russia conspiracy, but ...

There’s a famous scene in “All the President’s Men” where Robert Redford as Bob Woodward says: “If you go to bed at night and there is no snow on the ground, when you wake up there is snow on the ground, you can say it snowed during the night although you didn’t see it, right?” When it comes to U.S. policy toward Russia under Trump, we are waking up to find 6-foot snow drifts outside. Beyond the bizarre echoes of Belarus, Montenegro and Afghanistan, we’ve watched the White House kowtow to Team Putin every chance it gets, from leaving Syria to dropping sanctions on Paul Manafort’s favorite Russian oligarch.

Thursday’s Maddow report was so alarming because it revealed the deep extent to which Trump — at least on Russia policy — is acting as a kind of “Manchurian Candidate” inside America’s seat of power. We don’t know the mechanics of how the Trump administration is receiving and absorbing these ideas like “Polish incursions into Belarus” or “aggressive Montenegro,” but the fact that he’s parroting the Putin line should be alarming enough. It’s one more reason why the nightmare of the Trump presidency needs to end long before Jan. 20, 2021.

Look, I don’t want to see another Cold War, nor do I believe that’s necessary. That said, even those of us who prefer peace to rampant militarism can see that Putin keeps testing the limits of European expansionism — the same kind of aggressive fantasies that brought disastrous consequences within the last century. Putin is also not as strong as he likes the world to think he is. His ambitions can be contained — but only with U.S. policies that support our democratic allies and not the Russian dictator. If we’re not careful on this one, America could wake up from a long slumber with snow up to the second-floor windows, and then congratulations, you’re in World War III.

No Kelly column

Chris Kelly is on leave. His column will resume when Chris returns.

Wyoming Seminary Lower School

GRADE 8

High honor roll: Marai Castellanos, Waverly; Marceya Hyman, Moosic; Raniya Khan, Jenkins Twp.; and Andrew Mauriello, Duryea.

Honor roll: Camilla Caporale, Dunmore; Benjamin Carron, Moosic; Charles Cox, Pittston; and J. Eric Gardner, Harding.

GRADE 7

High honor roll: Chayanka Boruah, Moosic; Kimberly Edmonds, Exeter; Eliana Parra, Wyoming; Faith Stoshak, West Wyoming;

and Tiffany Stoshak, West Wyoming.

Honor roll: David Geyfman, Scranton; Adrien Hazzouri, West Pittston; Aiden Jordan, Factoryville; Andrew Kuloszewski, Scranton; Celeste Perry, Wyoming; Calvin Platt, Clarks Summit; Olivia Sekel, Harding; and Cameron Taylor, Waverly.

GRADE 6

High honor roll: Salvatore Aita, Pittston Twp.; Abigail Lott, Olyphant; Kylie Romanchick, Tunkhannock; Phineas Ruderman, West Pittston; and Brandon Scotto DAbusco, Exeter.

Honor roll: Sophia Cordaro, Moscow; Daniel Fisher, Moscow; Michael Melby, Moosic; Moira Poepperling, Waverly; and Luciana Valvano, Scranton.

Wyoming Seminary Upper School

DEAN’S LIST HIGH HONORS

Emily Aikens, Jenkins Twp.; Samantha Barcia, Clarks Green; Nicolas Bufalino, Wyoming; Shawna Casey, Jenkins Twp.; Marshall Curtis, Forest City; Jose de los Rios, Dalton; Dominica Delayo, Moosic; Katharine Getz, Pittston; Michael Giallorenzi, Clarks Summit; Hannah Gilbert, Waverly; Jacob Gilbert, Waverly; Dimitri Gnall, Moosic; Alexis Greene, Moosic; Philip Gristina, Pittston; Paige Jackett, Henryville; Campbell Kelly, Clarks Green; Christina Kilyanek, Hughestown; Jessica Kilyanek, Hughestown; Matthew Kuloszewski, Scranton; Charles Kutz, Clarks Summit; Lily Anne Kutz, Clarks Summit; Kate O’Brien, Moosic; Ryan Perry, Tunkhannock; Samantha Quinn, West Pittston; Giovanni Ramos, Peckville; Delaney Romanchick, Tunkhannock; Jacob Ruderman, West Pittston; Alyssa Shonk, Clarks Summit; Ava Smith, West Pittston; Nikolai Stefanov, Honesdale; Bridget Tost, Scranton; and Charles Wright, Clarks Summit.

DEAN’S LIST

Mystere Bartal, Pittston; Chloe Brennan, Inkerman; Samantha Casey, Jenkins Twp.; Julia Dailey, Clarks Summit; Alexus Dunn, Pittston; Hannah Frels, Dalton; Philip Gelso, Duryea; Anna Gowarty, Scranton; Ava Hazzouri, Scranton; Jacob Koretz, West Pittston; Tyler Kotowski, Scott Twp.; Rounak Lele, Pittston; Rhianna Lewis, Scranton; Payton Lepore, Wyoming; Gabriel Lott, Olyphant; Abigail McDonald, Scranton; Logan McGowan, Pittston; Andrew Morgan, Clarks Summit; Louis Parente, Tunkhannock; Harrison Peairs, Clarks Summit; Skylar Roerig, Tunkhannock; Rachel Strazdus, Harding; Stephen Vanesko, Harding; Kameron Williams, Clarks Summit; and Leanna Yatcilla, Old Forge.

NativityMiguel School

GRADE 7

First honors: Nirjhala Kadariya and Nahisha Pokhrel.

Second honors: Dhiraj Baniya, Justin Delgado, Manpreet Lahl and Sarika Mongar.

GRADE 6

First honors: Nischit Pokhrel.

Second honors: Nikauri Fernandez, Ainara Matute and Lidia Ortiz.

GRADE 5

Second honors: Angelina Inirio and Nishal Kadariya.

Scranton High School

GRADE 12

Aless Agojo, Daniel Aguilar, Erika Aguilar, Dilyara Akhemedova, Morgan Ambrosecchia, Jovita Angelyn, Selvi Anggoni, Dashyra Aquino, Jason Ardan, Sean Bagasevich, Kadin Baldoni, Kiera Baltrusaitis, Alexander Baress, Miabella Basile, Skylar Beacham, Tyler Belles, Jeffrey Bello, Jennifer Bello, Olivia Bennington, Ariana Berazate, Selina Bolella, Jacey Boria, Isabella Burcheri, Jacob Campbell, Nathan Campbell, James Canales, Jasmine Carmella, Jason Carpenter, Zoe Castillo, Fabien Charles Keith, Gabriel Charles Keith, Cameron Christy, Emily Clark, William Cobley, Celia Condon, Sarah Connor, Abigail Cosgrove, Grace Crowley, Alyssa Cummings, Sydney Decker, Ryan Dolan, Kaitlyn Dolphin, Brisa Dominguez, Aidan Drouse, Claire Dunleavy, Abigail Eckenrode, Jessica Escalante, Abigail Farrell, Jade Fitzgerald, Juan Flores, Victoria Fotia, Leanna Fuller, Abigail Gaffney, Diana Gaglione, Archi Gandhi, Christian Garay, Aimee Garcia, Andres Garcia, Byannca Gilbride, Sulnary Gomez, Hayley Grabowski, Justin Grier,Victoria Griffith, Emilie Gronski, Joseph Guido, Samara Haigler, Elizabeth Haikes, Ariana Harris, Tehya Harris, Kristin Hart, Hennelore Hartmann, Kelsey Hein, Gianna Hildebrand, Nicholas Hinson, Jake Howells, Asia Jalil, Aiden Jones, Haley Jones, Tahg Jones, Tika Kadariya, Sunita Kaldan, Brandon Karp, Dilano Kearney, Zoey Kermidas, Miracle Keys, Caroline King, Mykaela Kline, Kenneth Kretsch, Nyah Kubilus, Sara LaBar, Greyson Lavelle, Anastasia Lepka, Jose Luciano, Kaylee Lyons, Jordan Mailer, Marcos Marengo, Daniel Marmolejo, Anita Marquez, Mia Matheson, Michaela McDonald, Dania Mejia Perez, Humphrey Mende, Yaa Mensah, Joshua Mitchell, Marisol Monacelli, Genesis Monroig, Katarina Montoro, Jorge Morales, Jawaan Morgan-Kingwood, Elijhune Mundia, Shealyn Murphy, Esther Nambu, Kyle Nelson, Shania Nelson, Jeremiah Oakes, Olivia Opshinsky, Camryn Orzello, Steven Paszek, Ansh Patel, Drashti Patel, Harsh Patel, Janvee Patel, Jenis Patel, Keshiben Patel, Kunj Patel, Maulin Patel, Mit D. Patel, Neelkanthkumar Patel, Pratik Patel, Pujan Patel, Tirth Patel, Viraj Patel, Jordan Phillips, Jorge Pinet, Claudia Pitts, Isabella Piva, Juna Pokhrel, Vanessa Polkowski, Mariah Portillo, Brenda Posadas Salazar, Shamir Pradhan, Nabin Rai, Hemil Ray, Hemil Ray, Anish Robbins, Alberto Rodriguez, Richard Rodriguez, Nakia Romano, Diego Romero Lazo, Angelyvette Santana Rosado, Aviance Santiago, Thayra Santos, Molly Schaefer, Daniel Scott, Gwyneth Serowinski, Lauren Severe, Gaurav Shah, Brianna Shea, Kyla Sheerer, Nicholas Silverman, Felicia Sompel Welk, Olivia Spory, Alyvia Svetovich, Christopher Swavola, Jessica Tassey, Gelileny Taveras, Nakazi Terry, Marc Torres, Kallie Velazquez, James Vieira, Zoye Wallen, Kayla Walsh, Jonathan Wilga, Juanita Wolak, Elizabeth Yatko, Jonathan Yudhistira, Thomas Zaltauskas, Sierra Zilla and Jacob Zymblosky.

GRADE 11

Farid Abdul Quddus, Dwight Abram, Julie Allen, Chirayukumar Amin, Brenda Aroche, Samantha Arroyo, Jose Artigas Irizarry, Bryan Atariguana, Nicholas Bader, Jacob Bagasevich, Quinn Bailer, Evan Bannon, Elizabeth Barrett, Krysta Bernold, Neel Bhalja, Samuel Bond, Alexa Bonk, Corey Bridges, Louis Bui, Emily Burke, Ryan Calpin, Nino Carachilo, Steven Cardenas Delgado, Andrew Chezik, Joshua Christianson, Matthew Christianson, Anna Cipriano, Samuel Cortese, Christian Coughlin, Carlos Cruz, Jacqueline Cunha, Julia Cunha, Priyanka Dahal, Susmita Dahal, Matilda Davis, Lauren DelSantro, Sneh Desai, Ranjeeta Dhungel, Chris Diaz, Noemi Dominguez, Nicholas Drouse, Rhiana Dunay, Jacob Eiden, Carly Etchie, Fione Evans, Brandon Everetts, Ella Ferranti, John Finnerty, Juan Flores Barnes, Lauren Flynn Miller, Xander Frable, Makayla Gaus, Kaitlyn Gingerlowski, Sophia Glogowski, Hannah Goldberg, Nicole Golden, Trey Griggs, Benjamin Grosvenor, Zohal GulMohammad, Megan Guziewicz, David Haikes, Morteza Hamidi, Johan Hansen, Cassandra Harrison, Christopher Hernandez, Heather Hewitt, Jostin Hidalgo, Santeri Hirvikoski, Lauren Holzman, Camus Howie, Nicholas Hughes, Aaliyah Jalil, Natella Kapitanova, Daniel Knautz, Jade Kohut, Motayuisha Kollock, Devin Kristiano, Angel Kropiewnicki, Brooke Kubilus, Isaac Laskowski, Mackenzie Lavelle, Noah Leety, Karla Lopez, Daniela Lopez Ramirez, Kayra Lopez Santiago, George Loukopoulos, Julia Loury, Daisy Luddy, Samit Magar, Youssef Mahana, Esteban Marengo, Falen Mason, Lydia McConlogue, Maury McLaughlin, Devony Miller, Omar Modesto, Karin Morales, Judith Moyer, Colette Mulderig, Madison Mullen, Cortney Neal, Shanice Nelson, Aiden Nicholas, Chase Notz, Katerina OBoyle, Ryaha Olecki, Devang Patel, Dhruv Patel, Dhruv Patel, Jay Patel, Kush Patel, Maitree Patel, Priyal Patel, Unatti Patel, Vidhi Patel, Yashaswini Patel, Mia Pauley, Brandon Peck, Elly Peck, Kaitlyn Persuad, Tran Phong, Matthew Prothero, Maicol Quiles Gaetan, Christopher Reap, Tariq Rivera, Kamrong Roath, Alexandra Ruiz, Jamie Santiago, Jonathan Santiago, Meredith Santiago, Grace Schariest, Samantha Scripp, Elizabeth Seprish, Farida Shakhsadinova, Aylssa Shaw, Lilian Smith, Jennifer Solis, Dylan Szydlowski, Bralyn Tagliaferri, Jet Li Tang, Ebonie Thompson, Jason Thrope Adams Jr., Abigail Tirva, Juan Tolentino, Aubrianna VanFleet, Michelle Vaquero, Abril Velazquez, Larry Velie II, Trynity Ventura, Juan Vilanueva, Britney Walsh, Julia Walsh, Sarah Walsh, Mable Werner, Angela Williams, Sarah Williams, Alexis Yashinski and Jordon Yisrael.

GRADE 10

Fedli Ahmetbeg, Erick Alonso, Elisha Andrews, Kristian Anthony, Rogelio Aroche, Bianca Ayala, Brayan Ayala Rodriguez, Elliott Ballino, Giavanna Basile, Maggie Bede, Mason Beebe, Kiera Bennett, Victoria Bogdanski, Jianna Booth, Sadie Bracey, Michael Bromage, Ryan Burge, Eunice Calixto, Erika Callejas, Margaret Campbell, Madelyn Casey, Shughn Casey, Edgar Castro Martinez, Jacob Cawley, Melinsa Ciero, Reanna Cleveland, Olivia Clough, Carissa Coaty, Talyah Conmy, Andrew Cortazar, Alesia Cullen, Nerika Darjee, Wences DeLaCruz, Diana Delgado, Mia Dempsey, Nicholas Denig, Shubhat, Dhungel, Charlene Dixon, Tess Dolan, Bryan Dominguez, Jacob Dougherty, Mianicole Duverge, Jaelyn Evans, Evan Familetti, Mary Kate Farrell, Nicole Gaffney, Alicia Gagner, Brian Galvez, Mahek Gandhi, Abishek Ghataney, Jason Gilbride, Emily Gola, Sarah Goldberg, Jamilah Gonzalez, Kimorah Gonzalez, Zackery Gray, Alexis Hallock, Anthony Hallock, Matasya Handijaya, Alexas Hawthrone, Robert Heil, Emma Hughes, Mara Hughes, Mckenna Huyser, Khalista Johnson, Emma Jones, Samuel Jones Jr., Jacob Jordan, Hope Kamin, Olivia Keen, Lorelei Kelly, Luis Kepich, Calvin Khamvongsa, Joshua Kilvitis, Theodore Krokus, Korey Kruk, Lauren Kulick, Michael Kulick, Kristen Kuniegel, Anthony Leggin, Julia Lidle, Deyonne Lucke, Inez Martinez, Nelly Martines, Francesca Matheson, Corey Mayer, Paige McConlogue, Sara McCormack, Kierstyn McDonald, Matthew McNichols, Adriana Miguel, Camden Miller, Riley Mitchell, Allina Mohammad Nadir, Windsor Mohring, Joseph Morales Jr., Ruth Morales, Liam Moran, Rosauni Morel Almonte, Chloe Neureuter, Ryan Norton, Connor ONeill, Amelia Opshinsky, Lily Opshinsky, Julie Pabst, Marvalis Paddy, Aayushi Patel, Bhavyakumar Patel, Deep A. Patel, Deep S. Patel, Dev U. Patel, Kunj T. Patel, Vrunda Patel, Sophie Petritis, Mercedes Phillips, Jack Rafferty, Ismriti Rai, Lexa Reed, Sarah Reed, Noah Robbins, Anthony Roberto, Loreim Rodarte Mendoza, Cesar Rodriguez Garcia, Aaliyah Rosado, Izabella Rose, Ryley Ross Amorine, Rodrigo Salazar, Rylee Sandrowicz, Stevany Sangar, David Smolsky, Jacob Stankowski, Rowan Sutton, Charles Talapa III, Sharon Tulenan, Kassie Velazquez, Vedant Vyas, William Walsh, Joseph Waslin, Khya Webb, Alifia Wibowo, Lexis Woodard, Samuel Yudhistira, Kayla Zachry and Brenda Zakarias.

GRADE 9

Alexander Albrect, Paige Anderson, India Arter, Ethan Bagg, Luke Bannon, Samuel Benfante, Carlisse Murrias, Keasia Bennett, Damien Bernavage, Alexander Bond, Elijah Branch, Bryce Budney, Nicholas Cardone, Ashlyn Carey, Allyson Carpenter, Dayanara Castillo, Christopher Castro, Bella Cerra, Aliza Chalus, Arvel Chandler, Neveah Chludzinski, Emily Clark, Trent Clark, Riley Clarke, Richard Cobley, Gianna Columbo, Aliyah Coppin, Matthew Coursen, Bailey Crocker, Abbey Cwalinski, Dhan Dahal, Ashton Dainty, Anisha David, Fernando DeLaRosa Jr., Sudikshit Dhakal, Anisha Dhungel, Anju Dhungel, Andrew Dinterman, Collin Nicholas Domozych, Janelle Elejalde, Tamara Evans, Anthony Fabbri, Alexander Ferguson, Erileidi Fernandez, Alexander Franklin, Kristi Gallagher, Paul Gammaitoni, Victoria Gammaitoni, Farzad Ganim, Hailey Garafola, Brian Gilbride, Celeste Gingerlowski, Ramon Gonzalez, Tyonna Griffin, Matthew Grippi, Brooke Hafner, Katherine Cawley Harding, Fuguan Hart Johnson, Jeremiah Herb, Nancy Ho, Emily Hopkins, Hannah Jeffers, Gabrielle Josselyn, Catherine Karp, Bradley Kaufman, Emma Kelly, Lakeria Kendricks, Cahlaija Knight, Anna-Marie Lake, Jacob Laske, William Leety, Nicholas Lolli, Samuel Loukopoulos, Jasmine Loury, Neyleen Lugo, Mia Macavage, Felicity Martin, Hugo Martinez, Katrina Velie, Quiyan McClain, Matison McCloe, Thomas McIntyre, Sara McNicholas, Zachery Meixner, Lizeth Miguel, Mohammad Nadir, Lily Moleski, Mariano Monacelli, Savannah Morante, Zachary Morgan, Maurelys Munoz, Isaac Nambu, Sean Norton, Emily Orlando, Dhruvraj Parmar, Janvi R. Patel, Om Alpeshbhai Patel, Vraj Patel, Ashlyn Pena, Yisel Peralta, Laureen Pierre, Hunter Polishan, Cristian Posada, Timothy Prothero, Jessica Raharjo, Judith M. Ramos, Samantha Randazzo, Brian Reyes, Louvena Ridore, Rayan Rivera, Mekhi Robbins, William Rodriguez Jr., Mackenzie Roio, Matthew Saita, Maria Sanchez, Xzavier Santiago, Elizabeth Schraner, Dhruvi Shah, Robert Sherpinskas, Jason Shields, Ashley Shobari, Valeria Soto, Bailey Sudnick, Jessica Sunar, Sara Swavola, Brendan Thomas, Aidan Tomczyk, Troy Torres Jr., Gloria Truong, Logan Tucker, Sydney VanOrden, Miguel Vasquez, Breanna Walsh, Joseph Walsh IV, Aiden Whitman, Abigail Wilson, Phoenix Woodard, Kathryn Wozniak, Evan Woznick, Kevin Yang, Abigail Yevitz, Barachel Yisrael, Danielle Young and George Ziccardi.

South Scranton

Intermediate School

GRADE 8

Jorge Alcantar, Ignacia Ang, Kaylee A. Bachman, Erik Bacon, Kaylee Butler, Jasmin Carrillo, Aidan Casey, Cameron Chalmers, Myranda E. Chludzinski, Anais Cuba, Kate Delgado, Sandra Diaz, Isabel A. Eckenrode, Christopher Eitutis, Edith Flores, Zaniyah Galloway, Nirajan Ghalay, Cheyanne Giles, Sadid Hassan, Jake Horrocks, Sibyal Iskandarova, Anayah Jose, David Juarez, Jonathan Juarez, Kylie Kilvitis, Ameli King, Dylan Labukas, Jacob Leonori, Brayden Lockhart, Olivia Marinelli, Rosa Martinez, Ariel M. McNear, Abby L. Megotz, Mia N. Meredith, Kaitlyn E. Miller, Jeannette E. Nasko, Sierra Neely, Brandon E. Nelson, Cael J. Nicholas, Jesus E. Nunez Pazos, Hailey A. O’Hara, Jasmine Ojeda, Chase V. O’Neill, Kayla A. Pazera, Brandon Perea, Andy Perez Temozihui, Jean M. Rafferty, Shayel Rai, Kaybri E. Rogers, Alison J. Stevens, Giorgena L. Sumba, Roel Teixeira, Aida S. Tenezaca, Chloe E. Tucker, Mira L. Walsh, Daniel E. Watters, Shaskia A. Wibowo, Ciara M. Williams and Evan Zemalkowski.

GRADE 7

Anthony Acosta, Jovani Aguilar, Emran Ahmetbeg, Brayan Alcantar, Keyla Amaya, Kaena Amiles, Brittain J. Banull II, Christopher J. Beauais, Czarina S. Berazate, Ella Bracey, Keira Brogan, Connor Budney, Gabriela Callejas, Kelsey Calpin, Serenity Campos, Carli Columbo, Dylan Coppin, Jacob J. Covage, Ivana Cuellar, Hannah D’Annunzio, Kristopher P. Evarts, Isabella Fay, Hailey Fedrick, Gavin Fergson, Keenan Ford, Arthur Garcia, Ryan Georgetti, Allison Gerrity, Kaitlyn Getts, Emma Grippo, Buse Guven, Reece E. Hafner, Xander X. Hampe, Mia Hernandez, Alyssa Hulse, Nashanti Isabel-Polanco, Nariah M. Jackson, Javon James, Adrien Johns, Mauriana Johnson, Delilah P. Jones, Amiyah Justiniano, Trysten Kelly, Jonathan Kepich, Alexandra King, Ashley Kingsley, Camden Labukas, Jade Lewis, Jena Lewis, Joseph Lewis, Bethzy Lopez, Jianna Ly, Sakari Mack, Alishan D. Makhmudovich, Jaden Maldonado, Margaret Matis, Joseph Megotz, Mayah Miles, Coen Miller, Evelyn Moctezuma, Marylin Moctezuma, Yessamin Morales, Vallery Oentoyo, Anthony Perna, Bryan Pomaquiza, Brady Rutkoski, Jocelin Sanchez, Ethan Scotch, Daniel Shea, Kaiden Shields, Nikolas Stokes, Amani Thompson, Natalia Vazquez, Jocelyn Vinciguerra, Jaelyn Warren, Jase Warren, Grace Warunek, Rayhan Wibowo and Jermain Wynter.

GRADE 6

Jayden Alvarado, Christian Ammann, Joshua Atonal, Mia Bannon, Alyssa Beauvais, Aaliyah Ben, Niema Blijden, Addison Bohn, William Boock, Jennifer Camacho, Talia Canali, Karen Cazares, Trista M. Chickeletti, Mackenzie E. Corker, Yaneli Cruz, Chyanne Dixon, Tuan Vo Doan, Nataly Dominguez, Sheila D. Espino, Nathan Evans, Kyle Evarts, Manuel Flores Jr., Rachaurie George, Avery Gilio, Jasmine Guevara, Abigail Harshbarger, Evan Hartman, Evelyn Hernandez Toto, Eugene Jankowski, Alaido Jaquez, Naliyah Jewell, Kiara Jimenez, Dylan Jones, Anna L. Kasisky, Emma Kearney, Priscilla Kristianto, Joshua Lacey, Noah LaFrance, Joshua Leonori, Kyara Lugo, Madison Mayer, Makayla McAndrew, Kenadie McDonnell, Joseph R. McIntyre, Britney Morales, Melvin Morales, Damaris Nava, lvy Neureuter, Juan J. Ojeda, Melanie Olvera, Matthew Orlando, Madelyn O’Shea, Maggie O’Shea, Adrian Pacheco, Aayushi Patel, Krishna Persaud, Sofia Pham, Hope Polishan, Mayva Portillo, Jeremy Reyes, Aeshlyn Reyes Lara, John T. Roberto, Jennifer Rodriguez, Jorge Rodriguez, Betsy Sanchez, Philrya Santos, Amelia Schraner, Sanjeela Subba, Nylana Teeple, Natalie Walsh, Fiona Weng, Jarie Whatley, Makalya Wright, Sultanaah Wyman and Amari Young.

Dunmore Middle School

GRADE 8

Distinguished honors: Anna Acculto, Jacquelyn Bitter, Savannah Bonavoglia, Cole Capooci, John Costanzi, Grace Czankner, Nathan DeSando, Natalie Durkin, Zachary Eynon, Kristine Fagioli, Ava Forgione, Cameron Gerrity, Jacob Grande, Abigail Kopacz, Chesney Langan, Cadence Lewis, Ayman Mounota, Angelo Naro, Adrianna Pacewicz, Thomas Pavlowski, Patrick Pucilowski, Morgan Quinn, Maura Sheets, Kaylee Smith, Ashley Stefanac, Cataldo Talutto, Adeline Toole, Ciera Toomey, Caroline Valunas, Madolyn Valvano and Madison Waltz.

Honors: Hannah Albano, Colleen Blockberger, Faith Bravo, Anthony Cantafio, Samantha Cortazar, Nicola Hart, Kieran Hinton, Gregory Hunt, Nicholas Mecca, Christopher Mills, Austin Murphy, Om Patel, Kaylee Pinto, Nico Ruggiero and Anthony Thompson.

GRADE 7

Distinguished honors: Julianna Argust, Elsa Avila, Collin Blasi, Mia Capooci, Domenic DeSando, Sienna Delfino, Allison Dempsey, Nicholas DonVito, Noah Dougherty, Rogan Dougherty, Catherine Gilhooley, Megan Gilhooley, Andrew Haser, Quinn Healey, Geanna Kirchner, Brynn Kochis, Savannah Lockwood, Camden McCarthy, Maura Michalczyk, Gia Petty, Nataly Portanova, Emma Renard and Anthony Tunis.

Honors: Alexander Blasi, Thomas Bowen, Grace Burrell, Brendan Hauser, Isaiah Hunt, Caden Kirby, Alexa Marone, Evan McHale, Nathan McMynne, Mia Novak, Michael Tigue, Nicholas Tullio, Joshua Wanick, Cailey Waters and Kaylie Zimmer.

FALLS TWP. — A second day of searching for the body of a woman allegedly murdered Dec. 30 and then dumped in the Susquehanna River turned up empty Saturday.

Around 4:30 p.m., Wyoming County EMA Director and Lake Winola First Assistant Fire Chief Eugene Dziak said the search for the body of Haley Lorenzen had ended for the day.

A week ago, Lorenzen was listed as missing, but Wednesday, an unidentified woman came forward to the Wyoming County district attorney’s office in Tunkhannock to say that she and Phillip Walters of Mill City had dumped Lorenzen’s body off the Susquehanna River Bridge at Falls Twp., after Walters had killed her hours earlier.

Five boats from area emergency rescue units entered a fast and high river around 10 a.m., which was bad enough, Dziak said, “but today we have also been dealing with ice.”

“It was a tough day,” Dziak said.

Asked if the command center had narrowed its search to a specific area, Dziak said he couldn’t comment on the logistics of what was discovered.

“We were up and down the river, back and forth, several times today, just looking for any clues, and we’re not there yet,” he said. “But I do know the teamwork out there was awesome.”

He said water rescue units from Tunkhannock Community Ambulance and Ledgedale Fire Company joined the search Saturday, along with others from Germania and Lake Winola that had been employed Thursday, and “their combined efforts were astonishing given the conditions.”

He said his fire company’s state-of-the-art air boat had no problem navigating ice clumps, but the ice added to the challenge for smaller boats, and temperatures in the teens meant everyone had to dress in layers.

Dziak said it wasn’t certain, but probably unlikely for rescue teams to be back out there today.

“Our command team needs to look at where we’re at and pick the best course to where we want to be.”

Walters is in Wyoming County Correctional Facility in Tunkhannock.

Contact the writer:

bbaker@wcexaminer.com;

570-836-2123 x33

Instead of handcuffs and a holding cell, drug addicts who walk into the Scranton Police Department and turn over their contraband soon might find a helping hand.

A new program called Second Chance PA, which has had success in other parts of the state, would allow police officers to funnel addicts into treatment programs instead of slapping them with misdemeanor possession charges.

The program is helmed by one of the region’s best-known faces in drug recovery — Marty Henehan of the Forever Sammi Foundation — as well as Chris Dreisbach, chief executive of Blueprints for Addiction Recovery Inc., which is based in Lancaster County.

They’re working to kick off Second Chance with the Scranton Police Department in the coming months.

The program also puts certified addiction recovery specialists on the front lines, responding with police, on overdose calls.

“Instead of waiting for the warm handoff, we take them right into the fire handoff,” Dreisbach said.

After an overdose, the hospital or the ambulance ride to get there is typically the first place an addict will meet a recovery specialist or counselor who gets to know them.

But when emergency workers use the drug naloxone to revive overdose victims on the scene, victims can decline further medical treatment and lose that push that sends them to the help they need.

“As beneficial as the warm handoff program is, and I wholeheartedly endorse it, for the addict who overdoses in his living room and gets revived by the Narcan that his scared mother has in the bathroom, he’s not going to the emergency room,” Henehan said, referring to naloxone by its commercial name.

“So he becomes invisible — so he doesn’t get the opportunity to get that intervention done at the time of the crisis,” he said.

Scranton Police Chief Carl Graziano expects officers will get behind the program.

They’re already wearied from seeing so many people, including young people, die from their addictions, he said.

Lackawanna County marked 67 confirmed overdose deaths in 2018, according to most recent figures from the county coroner’s office. But that could rise as high as 96.

Coroner Tim Rowland said his office is waiting to finalize toxicology reports for 29 additional cases.

“It’s a plague. It really is,” Graziano said. “If that doesn’t change your mindset to try to do something different to correct this epidemic — I don’t think anybody needs to tell them.”

Second Chance is not a blanket get-out-of-jail-free card, and those with outstanding warrants or accused of greater crimes will still face criminal charges.

Whether addicts have health insurance or not, recovery specialists will move cases to the Lackawanna-Susquehanna Office of Alcohol and Drug Programs for case-specific help.

“My office for both Lackawanna and Susquehanna counties can provide the funding, the actual money to connect people to treatment,” office Director Barbara Durkin said.

Treatment might include a monthlong stay at a rehab center, outpatient medically assisted treatment that includes regular doses of drugs that abate cravings, or something different.

“We really try to make a clinical determination and then also make an individualized determination,” Durkin said. “For people with an opioid use disorder, medically assisted treatment in combination with actual psychotherapy such as an inpatient stay or outpatient treatment is very beneficial.”

Second Chance is a Blueprints project, but Dreisbach is personally funding it. The businessman, who works in real estate and runs the Blueprints rehabilitation and recovery center in Elizabethtown, called it his “social experiment.”

Gov. Tom Wolf has put the addiction crisis high on his priority list, and state Rep. Marty Flynn, D-113, Scranton, said he’s keeping his eyes peeled for possible funding to help.

“I’m in full support of anyone trying to make a difference,” he said.

While there’s no substantial reimbursement structure for the hours his recovery specialists put in, Dreisbach has already seen Second Chance work with the Elizabethtown Police Department, and he thinks Scranton could be the next proving ground for what he hopes will one day become a national model.

“There’s lots of places across the country that are doing one thing or another,” he said. “We kind of brought everything together with the Second Chance program.”

Once an addict consents to the program, recovery specialists follow up with daily phone calls. They build trust with their clients and work to keep them on track.

“Everybody’s going to be on the same page between the first responders and the recovery community,” he said. “And that’s why I think Second Chance PA is going to work over top of everything else that’s been done.”

Contact the writer:

joconnell@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9131;

@jon_oc on Twitter

109th offers

scholarships

The 109th Infantry Regiment Association will offer $1,000 scholarships to children and grandchildren of members and veterans of the regiment. Applications are available at http://109thinfantry.org under the documents tab. Deadline is April 15.

Meetings

VFW DISTRICT 10

VFW District 10, today, 2 p.m., Shopa-Davey Post 6082, Peckville.

NEPA COAST GUARD

NEPA Coast Guard Veterans Association, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m., Perkins Restaurant, Route 315, Pittston Twp.; Neil Morrison, 570-288-6817. The association is accepting U.S. Merchant Marine veterans as associate members.

DAV CHAPTER 1

DAV Malia Chapter 1, Jan. 21, 7 p.m., American Legion Post 908, 625 Deacon St., Scranton; Joe Sylvester, 570-961-2696.

POST 6528

Hyde Park Memorial VFW Post 6528, Jan. 27, 11 a.m.; 570-961-2696.

VICTORY POST 13

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

POST 4909

Dupont VFW Post 4909, Feb. 4, 7:30 p.m., post home, home association meeting follows.

POST 908

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

CAMP 8

Ezra S. Griffin, Camp 8, Sons of Union Veterans, Saturday, 10:30 a.m., Scranton City Hall, side ADA entrance, Mulberry Street; Grand Army of the Republic Museum.

Merli Center

Today: Keurig coffee, 8:30 a.m.; morning visits, 8:45; Eucharistic ministry visits, 9:15; Lawrence Welk video with parfaits, 2 p.m.

Monday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; Bible study visits on units, 9:30; Denny’s brunch in memory of Stan Kennedy, 9:45; Octaband with music, third floor, 10:15; bingo, 2 p.m.; senior fitness, 3; unit visits.

Tuesday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; bingo social, third floor, 10:15; volunteer ministry on units, 1:15 p.m.; choir practice, 1:45; Catholic service, chapel, 3; chess night 1 south, 7:30.

Wednesday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; arts and crafts, third floor, 10:15; Long John Silvers dine-in, 2 south, 12:15 p.m.; bingo by Citizens Savings Bank, 2 p.m.; Bible club, 2 south lounge, 4; movie night, 2 south, 7:30.

Thursday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; chapel service, 10; basketball, third floor, 10:15; birthday bash with Tom Ritter performing, cake and ice cream, 2 p.m.; senior fitness, 3; unit visits, 4.

Friday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; coffee and doughnuts by Friend of the Forgotten, 10:15; horse races by Rocco Valvano memorial, 2 p.m.; senior fitness, 3; unit visits, 4.

Saturday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; morning stretch, bingo by Order of Eastern Star, 2 p.m.

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.

OLYPHANT — The nearly 7-foot-tall Gulf War soldier seemed larger than life in Mark Zinskie’s kitchen, clutching a silver service rifle as shiny as its expressionless metallic countenance.

Known as the Freedom Fighter, the sculpture represents 440 hours of work for Zinskie, a local artist and mason. He is working with Olyphant residents and officials with the Olyphant Borough Freedom Fighter Committee to raise $60,000 to cast the statue in stainless steel and include it as part of a planned monument at the Queen City Train Station on Lackawanna Avenue. The statue will stand silent watch at the station atop a granite base laser-etched to resemble desert camouflage.

To raise money for the project, the committee is selling pavers at $100 each to be placed with the monument. So far, they have raised about $20,000, said committee coordinator Kim Onda Atkinson.

Zinskie hopes to have the statue cast and completed in about a year.

Standing in full military fatigues with a canteen slung across its back, the sculpture Zinskie created is comprised of a variety of materials, including foam, epoxy, rebar-reinforced joints, caulk, construction adhesive and even chicken bones. Zinskie painted the soldier to give it a steel-like finish to match its future stainless steel casting.

When he began sculpting, he exaggerated the height by elongating the torso and making the head larger and the feet smaller.

“It’s distorted the slightest so that if you stand underneath it, it even looks taller,” he said.

Zinskie started working on the soldier in 2011 and recently put the finishing touches on the project when he added a rifle strap made of curved layers of aluminum.

The statue is “one of a kind,” Mayor John Sedlak Jr. said. “It’ll really brighten up the town.”

Although Zinskie, 47, dedicated so much time to the project, he’s reluctant to attach his name to it, explaining that “this particular art piece is truly about the soldiers.”

As of Sept. 30, 2017, there were 819,185 veterans in Pennsylvania and nearly 20 million nationwide, according to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Of those Pennsylvania soldiers, 225,009 served in the Gulf War, according to Sept. 30, 2015, statistics from the department.

There are roughly 12,000 soldiers in Lackawanna County who served sometime from 1991 to present, said county Director of Veterans Affairs David Eisele.

Seeing the statue was emotional for Eisele, who is a veteran.

“The first time I saw it, I didn’t see a statue,” said the Marine Corps veteran who served from 2001 to 2003. “I saw my buddies that never got to come home.”

The Freedom Fighter is the first of its kind for the region, Eisele said. There are local monuments for World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam but none for the modern soldier, he said.

“It towers over you, and it’s really what the world looks up to now, that modern-day soldier for protection,” Eisele said. “It reminds you it’s something for the guys we served with and lost. Something that’s going to permanently be there to remind everybody freedom does come at a cost.”

Like Eisele, Zinskie felt there were few monuments for modern soldiers, and to accompany his unique statue, he wanted to cast it in a unique medium.

“We want to be the first landmark out there with a desert soldier cast in stainless (steel),” he said.

Zinskie decided to make the commemorative statue after learning of the death of Army Sgt. Jan Argonish on Aug. 27, 2007, in Afghanistan.

“At first I was just going to tribute soldiers. … I was thinking, what’s the soldier I’d want to sculpt,” Zinskie said. “I wasn’t necessarily thinking modern.”

The monument also memorializes his late father, Army Sgt. Harry “Skip” Zinskie Jr., a combat photographer during World War II and Korea.

Zinskie lost his dad to cancer when he was 12 years old.

“He was my best friend,” he said.

Harry Zinskie photographed the aftermath of the atomic bombs in Japan. During his tenure in the military, he also photographed the Japanese emperor, five-star Gen. Douglas MacArthur and Gen. Omar Bradley, his son recalled.

As a World War II buff who collects toy soldiers, Zinskie initially wanted to make a statue that looked like a giant green plastic soldier. After speaking with others and more deliberation, he decided to make a monument that would honor present-day soldiers.

As he worked on the statue over the years, he looked to veterans for continued inspiration. After meeting with several soldiers, “that’s when I knew it was going to be real,” he said. “That I’d get it done.”

In the end, Zinskie wants the statue to honor soldiers, and he wants soldiers to look at the monument and honor themselves, he said.

“The masses live a great life in America because of the men and women that made the sacrifices — that went to war, that fought for us, that fought for freedom,” he said.

To donate to the Freedom Fighter project, send donations to Olyphant Freedom Fighter at 113 Willow Ave., Olyphant, PA 18447.

Contact the writer:

flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5181;

@flesnefskyTT on Twitter

Bill Sickles of Dalton picks cut wood Saturday at Lackawanna State Park as part of a permit program.

Josiah Lewis lets his mini potbelly pig Madeline out Saturday in Waverly. Madeline is a house pet that is allowed out into the yard.

Two local school districts are in the preliminary stages of changing boundaries or restructuring elementary schools to give students the best possible education and streamline learning.

The Lakeland School Board heard plans to reconfigure the district’s elementary schools at a work session Tuesday. Abington Heights administrators met with parents Thursday to discuss changing the boundaries of the crowded Waverly Elementary School.

School boards will have to vote on the plans. If approved, the changes would go into effect after the 2018-19 school year.

Lakeland

reconfiguration

Lakeland’s two elementary schools — Mayfield Campus and Scott Campus — now serve kindergarten through sixth grade. Which school a student attends is determined by his or her address.

The reconfiguration would send all kindergarten to second-grade students to the Mayfield Campus, which would be called the Lakeland Primary Center, and all third- to sixth-graders to the Scott Campus, which would be renamed the Lakeland Intermediate Center. There would be no change in seventh to 12th grade — all students would attend the junior-senior high school.

Superintendent William King, who took over the position in January 2018, said the plan was discussed before and the board asked him to revisit it this year.

Under the new plan, lessons in grade levels and curriculum would be streamlined and teachers would have more opportunities to collaborate, he said. King also said the plan allows students to attend school together from kindergarten through sixth grade, which helps quell the fear of going to a new building in seventh grade and reinforces a sense of community.

No teachers would be eliminated under the plan, he said. Figuring out transportation is the district’s biggest hurdle to the reconfiguration, he said.

“We all believe that this is in the best interest of kids,” King said. “Our main goal is to improve student achievement.”

The Riverside School District followed a similar plan and redistricted its elementary schools in 2016.

“Now, every student is getting a consistent education,” said Superintendent Paul Brennan, adding the restructuring also helped balance class sizes.

Lakeland stakeholders can review a more detailed plan and leave comments and questions at lakelandsd.org.

Abington Heights boundary change

Over the past four years, the number of students at Waverly Elementary School has increased significantly, said Superintendent Michael Mahon, Ph.D.

In 2015, Waverly had 279 students. Now, 363 students attend the elementary school. Typically, the district would add another teacher and class but the building is out of space, he said.

Enrollment in the other elementary schools — Clarks Summit, South Abington and Newton Ransom — has decreased since 2015.

During Thursday’s meeting, Mahon discussed changing the boundaries to move some students to Clarks Summit Elementary School. The change also would help reduce class sizes. For example, the first-grade class is at 17 students at Clarks Summit and 24 at Waverly.

“We took notes, we listened carefully,” Mahon said about the meeting. “There is a whole range of issues to consider.”

Abington Heights’ administration will have a detailed plan by the beginning of March, which would give the board and community about two months to assess it before a final plan is unveiled by the end of the April, said Mahon.

Contact the writer:

kbolus@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Without the Boys & Girls Clubs’ Young Gents Program, Raul Mendez would not have learned to play the guitar and start a band.

“It’s one of the best places for me to go,” he said. “There’s so many things to do.”

Raul’s band, A Work in Progress, was formed from the Young Gents program and now holds practices at the club.

Raul, a sophomore at Scranton High School, has been a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeastern Pennsylvania for more than 10 years and joined the Young Gents program at the center in Scranton three years ago. Sponsored by David and Ann Hawk, the program aims to address stigmas that young boys face and turn them into gentlemen, said Julianne Cucura, club development director.

The Hawks began sponsoring a similar empowerment program for young women years ago — GALLS Program, which stands for Giving All Little Ladies Smiles. David Hawk suggested creating the Young Gents program, and the club got to work.

The young men — ages 6 to 18 — in the program meet four nights a week for two hours. The club now features a room exclusively for the program.

Any Boys & Girls Clubs member who fits the criteria can attend the program, which runs year-round. Young Gents is heavily music-focused, Cucura added.

During one lesson, the young men picked a word out of the dictionary to begin writing rap songs.

The members also learn to cook, among other lessons, said Cucura.

Raul learned how to make garlic bread and s’mores at the program and also met Joe Brennan, whom he describes as one of the greatest teachers. Brennan was the club’s program coordinator.

At the end of the year, the Young Gents are treated to a dinner where the learning continues. They learn the proper order for using utensils and proper etiquette for dining out.

“It’s a lot of fun,” said Raul.

The cost to join the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeastern Pennsylvania is $15 a year. The organization offers a variety of after-school and summer programs and also has transportation available.

For details, visit www.bgcnepa.org.

Contact the writer:

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

SCRANTON

Police responded to a shooting in the city’s North End early Saturday.

When officers arrived at 1439 N. Main Ave., they noticed droplets of blood that led to neighboring Beaners Bar, said Sgt. Robert McCool.

No one inside the bar was injured. Police said a man checked into an area hospital later Saturday for a gunshot wound.

No one has been charged and police are still investigating the shooting, McCool said.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

Clarks Summit

The Gathering Place for Community, Arts & Education, 304 S. State St., will host a book signing by local author Katie Foley on Saturday, Jan. 26, from 12:30 to 2 p.m.

Foley will talk about her book “You May Never Be French.” Foley is the mother of a son who has autism. She invites the public and parents of children who live with autism.

This event is free. There will be books available for people to purchase and have signed.

— CLAYTON OVER

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

@ClaytonOver on Twitter

Glenburn Twp.

Youth ages 8 to 18 interested in learning how to sew are invited to participate in a new 4-H Glenburn Sewing Club, which meets weekly in the township.

Administered in Pennsylvania by Penn State Extension, 4-H is a community of more than 6 million young people across America learning leadership, citizenship and life skills. Penn State Extension 4-H youth development educators in all 67 counties administer local 4-H programs through informal education and outreach.

For information on the sewing club, call Hilda Lewis at 570-563-1369. For information on 4-H clubs in Lackawanna County, contact Sandi Graham at the Penn State Extension Lackawanna County office, 570-963-6842.

— JEFF HORVATH

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9141;

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

Mayfield

The William Walker and Cottage hose companies will give away 25 guns for their first annual gun bingo Saturday, Jan. 26.

The event will begin at 4 p.m. at the William Walker Hose Company, 803 Penn Ave., and a $50 donation for a ticket will allow people to play 20 regular games of bingo. Winners can then choose either cash or a gun as their prize.

Additionally, there will be five special games of bingo for $10 per game, and winners will receive select guns with no cash option.

Karen Bowerman, William Walker’s spokeswoman, said the companies have already sold 200 tickets.

The idea to hold a gun bingo came after members of the hose companies saw the success of purse bingos and wondered what else they could use as a bingo prize, she said.

Refreshments including hot dogs, burgers, nachos, soda and bottled water will also be for sale. All proceeds will be used to purchase and maintain equipment.

Tickets are available from members of either hose company, at the Mayfield Borough Building, 739 Penn Ave., and will be available at the door until sold out. To purchase tickets by phone, call 570-282-6059.

A full list of prizes is available online www.59fire.com.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

flesnefsky

@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5181;

@flesnefskyTT on Twitter

The Whitmore Hose Company will hold a cabbage roll dinner Sunday, Jan. 27.

Takeout and sit-down dinners will be available at the company building, 305 Depew Ave., from noon until sold out.

Tickets will be $10 and are available at the Mayfield Municipal Building, by calling 570-876-4391, or from any company member.

For free home delivery within a radius of 3 miles, call the company building at 570-876-3776.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

flesnefsky

@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5181;

@flesnefskyTT on Twitter

Mayfield is looking for cooperation from civic groups in town to schedule fundraisers throughout 2019.

Borough Secretary Phyllis Jaskowiec explained that the borough tries to work with civic groups to prevent fundraisers from conflicting with each other by falling on the same day. The borough wants to ensure each group’s fundraiser is as effective as possible, she said.

Any civic group or organization planning an event is asked to call Jaskowiec at 570-876-4391.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

flesnefsky

@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5181;

@flesnefskyTT on Twitter

Scranton

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, how lovely were your branches.

But those branches are probably starting to look less than lovely these days, so city residents can place their used Christmas trees at curbs for pickup by Department of Public Works employees, Councilman Tim Perry announced at council’s meeting Monday.

The DPW tree crew will be going into neighborhoods to chip Christmas trees on site through the rest of January.

Residents can also drop off their real Christmas trees at the Lackawanna County Recycling Center, 3400 Boulevard Ave., weekdays from 7 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.

There’s no charge to recycle the trees, but they must be stripped of all ornaments, lights and tinsel before drop-off. The trees will be ground up and turned into compost.

— JIM LOCKWOOD

jlockwood@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5185;

@jlockwoodTT on Twitter

The Lackawanna County Commissioners 2019 Winter Golf Clinic will run from Feb. 25 to March 22 at the gym at Goodwill Industries of NEPA’s administrative headquarters, 925 Prospect Ave.

Local golf professionals will help both adults and children between the ages of eight and 16 improve their golf game at the clinic, which costs $40 per person. The program can be especially useful for beginner-level golfers, who’ll have an opportunity to learn the game the right way from the start, said Mark Dougher, interim director of the county Parks and Recreation Department.

The four weekly sessions for adults will run Mondays through Thursdays, starting Feb. 25, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. A second session for adults will be offered on Mondays and Tuesdays from 8 to 9:30 p.m. The youth sessions will take place on four consecutive Fridays, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., beginning March 1.

For information, call 570-963-6764. Registration applications are available online at lackawannacounty.org by clicking the “parks and recreation” link under the “our administration” tab.

— JEFF HORVATH

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9141;

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

Wallenpaupack

State troopers at the Blooming Grove station recently received “First Responder Appreciation” gift bags from Wallenpaupack South Elementary fifth-grade student ambassadors.

Students designed and decorated the gift bags to express their gratitude toward the troopers and, in return, received Junior Trooper certificates as a thank-you.

The students also took a tour of the barracks, got a firsthand look inside a state police vehicle and learned about the troopers’ responsibilities.

— DANIEL ROSLER

drosler@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5365;

@droslerTT 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.

The proposed sale of a former Clarks Green gas station is no longer in the works, though the former owner of a South Abington Twp. eatery has expressed interest in buying the property and making it a takeout and delivery pizza shop.

Representatives from Titan Tree Service, a Midvalley-based business, spoke to borough council in August about purchasing the former Hawk Oil Co., 101 N. Abington Road, with the intent to continue to use the site as a garage to stage trucks or for light commercial use. However, Councilman David Rinaldi said that was the last officials heard of the proposal.

Kathy Orzel Wazowicz, who co-owns the property with her sister, Margaret Braz, confirmed the sale of the property to Titan Tree Services fell through.

Since then, another person approached council with interest in the site, Rinaldi said. Sal Armetta, owner of Armetta’s Pizzeria & Pub in New Milford and a former owner of Armetta’s Restaurant and Pizzeria in South Abington Twp., attended a council meeting with questions about buying the property and using it as a pizza place, Rinaldi said. Wazowicz said she hadn’t been notified of any additional interest in the site by borough officials.

Armetta said he is interested in the site because of his previous experience owning a restaurant in the Abingtons.

“I had a good client base and established a lot of good relationships,” Armetta said. “I think that location would be awesome.”

He’d like to construct a new building on the site and operate a take out and delivery food shop there, offering pizza, hoagies and other fare, he said. He’s exploring what it would take to get occupancy permits renewed for the site from the state Department of Transportation and zoning approval from the borough. He’s also been in contact with the state Department of Environmental Protection about work on the site, he said. The department has regulations on what can be done at the site due to ground contamination issues there.

The former gas station has sat empty since the 1990s. Over the years, borough officials said they’ve received complaints from residents about the property’s appearance. It also presents environmental challenges.

In 2002 and again in 2004, removal of underground storage tanks led to the discovery of contamination in the ground there. Years later, DEP contractors removed contaminated soil and another storage tank discovered on the property. Groundwater monitoring wells at the site also yielded signs of contamination, but officials ruled that was confined underground and not a health risk.

Contact the writer:

cover@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5363;

@ClaytonOver on Twitter

SCRANTON

Police are investigating a break-in at a city pizza shop Saturday morning.

A man wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt that blocked his face burglarized Peppers Pizza & Subs at 814 Theodore St. around 4 a.m., said Sgt. Robert McCool.

When officers arrived, the front window of the business was smashed and at least $100 was stolen from the register.

The thief also removed a safe from the business, said McCool.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

1. What medical organization plans to build a hospital on Main Street in Dickson City?

A. Geisinger

B. Commonwealth

C. Coordinated

D. UPMC

2. What type of 75-year-old rail car is undergoing a major renovation, for which organizers are seeking funds to help cover the cost?

A. Caboose

B. Electric engine

C. Boxcar

D. Steam locomotive

3. Scranton’s new ethics code with “teeth” includes:

A. Limits on campaign contributions

B. Posting campaign reports on the web

C. New ethics board to oversee rules

D. All of the above

4. Lackawanna County commissioners held their first meeting in the former Globe store and elected who as chairman?

A. Laureen Cummings

B. Jerry Notarianni

C. Patrick O’Malley

D. Joe Corcoran

5. True or false? U.S. Sen. Bob Casey of Scranton is taking his salary during the partial government shutdown.

A. True, but he says he’s working to end the shutdown

B. False, he won’t accept a salary until it’s all over

6. A project to fix an old, collapsed stormwater conduit that caused gaping holes in backyards began in what section of Scranton?

A. Green Ridge

B. Dutch Hollow

C. Pine Brook

D. Little England

7. Lackawanna County commissioners voted to buy a 25-spot parking lot on Lackawanna Avenue for what purpose?

A. No plans yet

B. Pocket park

C. Parking for new county headquarters at the Globe

D. Future development

8. According to the state Department of Health, how many cases of influenza have been documented in Lackawanna County from Sept. 30 to Jan. 2?

A. 99

B. 409

C. 1,002

D. 2,090

9. What law enforcement agency said it visited Scranton City Hall and Mayor Bill Courtright’s home last week for court-authorizied activity?

A. FBI

B. State police

C. Scranton police

D. State Game Commission

10. True or false? Joseph James Thornton, accused of beating and killing his neighbor, was convicted by a jury and faces life in prison.

A. True

B. False. He was acquitted by the jury.

Answers: 1. C; 2. D; 3. D; 4. C; 5. A; 6. A; 7. C; 8. B; 9. A; 10. A

ESSA Bank & Trust

The bank announced the recent addition of executives within its consumer lending and retail branch administration teams.

William L. Vitalos, senior vice president, director of consumer lending, joins with more than 30 years of managerial and consumer lending experience. He oversees the consumer and residential mortgage lending operations at the bank, along with product development, pricing and vendor management. Vitalos has held leadership positions with BB&T and predecessor banks in consumer lending, branch administration and documentation areas. He will be located in the bank’s corporate headquarters in Stroudsburg.

James P. Ferry, vice president, retail sales manager, will oversee retail branch sales and service throughout the bank’s entire branch network. He has 20-plus years of management in retail banking. Most recently, Ferry was a retail and small-business sales and service leader at BB&T where he was responsible for a 22 branch network in Lehigh and Berks counties.

Geisinger

Collin Hair, M.D., has joined the medical staff as a pediatric ophthalmologist. He will see patients at the health system’s specialty clinic at 675 Baltimore Drive, Wilkes-Barre, and Forty Fort clinic at 190 Welles St., Suite 122.

Fellowship trained in pediatric ophthalmology, Hair specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric eye conditions for patients from infancy to age 18. He also sees adult and pediatric patients for eye movement disorders.

Greater Scranton Chamber of

Commerce

Skills in Scranton, the workforce development affiliate of the chamber, has announced the addition of Lisa Ross to its team as education outreach coordinator for the Educator in the Workplace Initiative.

Ross will assist in outreach efforts to 10 local Lackawanna County public school districts, the Career Technology Center and the local intermediate unit. She will also provide Skills in Scranton staff with assistance in coordinating cohort agendas and support the implementation of a strategic community outreach plan. Serving as a resource for local educators, Ross will promote the opportunity to participate in this industry immersion experience.

A resident of Dunmore, she recently retired after serving more than 35 years in education, where she held positions as a math specialist for third, fourth and fifth grades, as well as a learning support teacher for grades nine through 12. She also served as a representative for the Scranton Federation of Teachers.

Honesdale

National Bank

David E. Raven, president and chief executive officer at the bank, has been elected to serve a three-year term on the 11-member board of the Pa. Bankers Services Corp. The services corporation provides products and services to Pa. Bankers Association members in the areas of compliance alliance, employee benefits, select vendor program and title insurance. Raven has more than 30 years of experience as a bank executive. He is a board member and past chairman of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, board member and past campaign chair of the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties, board member of the Great Valley Technology Alliance, board member and past chairman of the Professional Development Policy Committee of the Pennsylvania Bankers Association, and board member and chair of the Retail Banking Executive Committee of the New York Bankers Association.

Misericordia

University

Members of the university’s Interprofessional Committee recently made scholarly presentations at the Interprofessional Care for the 21st Century conference at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

Professors Heather Fritz, DPT, assistant professor of physical therapy; Gina Capitano, MS, RT(R), assistant professor of medical imaging; Lori Charney, OTD, OTR/L, assistant professor and chairwoman of occupational therapy, and Rita Carey, MSN, RN, CNE, assistant professor of nursing, made a platform presentation on an interprofessional toileting activity. The presentation highlighted faculty efforts to train students across multiple disciplines in the health sciences on how to properly toilet patients.

Laurie Brogan, DPT, CEEAA, GCS, assistant professor of physical therapy, and Capitano presented the interactive workshop, “ZOOM! Broadening Perspective through a Collaborative Team Approach.” The Misericordia professors used the popular children’s book, “Zoom,” in order to have attendees work together and establish a team approach.

Interprofessional Committee members also attended the conference, including Susan McDonald, Ph.D., LSW, assistant professor and chairwoman, social work; Lynn Blazaskie, BSRT(R), clinical coordinator and instructor, medical imaging; Amanda Caleb, Ph.D., associate professor, English, and director, Medical and Health Humanities Program, and Maureen Rinehimer, PT, Ph.D., MS, MHS, assistant professor, physical therapy.

Pediatric

Associates

of Kingston

Natalie Gilboy, CRNP, has joined a full-time position in the Pittston office. Gilboy provides a full spectrum of pediatric patient-centered medical home services, including sick and well visits, physicals, referrals, screenings and education. A 10-year resident of Lackawanna County, she is an active member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.

Pennsylvania Game Commission

Pennsylvania Game Warden Mark Kropa, Greene Twp., Pike County, was recently promoted to conservation administration supervisor for the commission’s Northeast Region. Kropa was a graduate of the 27th class of game wardens from the Game Commission Ross Leffler School of Conservation in 2008. Upon graduation, he was assigned to southern Pike County as a district game warden. The Northeast Region conservation administration supervisor is responsible for the administration of the regional land acquisition program, supervision of dispatchers and coordination of agency professionals in administering a land leasing program of private landowners for public hunting purposes. He was previously employed as an emergency services dispatcher for Kingston and as a dispatcher at the commission’s Northeast Region office in Dallas.

Reading and

Northern Railroad

Susan Ludwig was appointed vice president of customer service. She will oversee customer service managers, anthracite coal, forest products and general merchandise for more than 70 customers. Ludwig started at the railroad in October 2011 as a customer service manager. She was promoted to director of customer service in 2013 and served as the primary account representative for plastics and chemicals. In June of 2016 Ludwig was promoted to AVP of customer service, in charge of the general merchandise customer service managers for all of the forest products and general merchandise accounts.

Tigue Law

The American Institute of Family Law Attorneys has recognized the exceptional performance of attorney Stephanie L. Tigue as 2018 10 Best Family Law Attorney for Client Satisfaction. The third-party attorney rating organization publishes an annual list of the top 10 family law attorneys in each state. Attorneys who are selected to the “10 best” list must pass AIOFLA’s rigorous selection process, which is based on client and/or peer nominations, thorough research, and AIOFLA’s independent evaluation. AIOFLA’s annual list was created to be used as a resource for clients during the attorney selection process. AIOFLA places the utmost emphasis on selecting lawyers who have achieved significant success in the field of family law without sacrificing the service and support they provide.

WVIA Public Media

Producer/directors in the production division, Via Studios Global in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre television market, have received two 2018 Mid-Atlantic Regional Emmy Awards.

The Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences presented the awards Oct. 13 in Philadelphia.

Chief Operations Officer Ben Payavis II won a 2018 Mid Atlantic Emmy Award in the Director Live or Live to Tape category for the production of “Christmas at Susquehanna: The 50th Anniversary Candlelight Service.”

Recorded in December 2016, the program captured the voices of students, faculty, alumni and community members joined together on the campus of Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove to celebrate 50 years of a cherished tradition. The program was produced by VIA Studios Global in partnership with Susquehanna University and distributed by American Public Television.

Producer/Director John Mikulak and Executive Producer Tom Currá were presented 2018 Mid Atlantic Emmy Awards in the Public/Current/Community Affairs category for production of a short-form documentary, “War Stories Vietnam: The Walls that Heal.”

The documentary was part of WVIA’s multiplatform content initiative spotlighting regional Vietnam veterans in conjunction with the release of the PBS Ken Burns documentary, “The Vietnam War.”

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