SOUTH ABINGTON TWP. — Ten years ago, Linda Treat feared for the futures of her deaf preschool students.

When the Pennsylvania Department of Education announced in 2009 it would give control of the Scranton State School for the Deaf to a private school on the other side of the state, protests, petitions and rallies erupted. Parents and alumni of the school in the city’s Green Ridge section questioned motives. Teachers worried whether the quality of education would lessen.

Treat feared the preschool children she taught eventually would be forced to attend their home school districts, in classes where the deaf students could have trouble communicating with their peers. She pictured those young children sitting alone, feeling isolated and falling behind.

In the decade since the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, or WPSD, took control of the Scranton school, Treat’s and others’ fears have disappeared.

In her preschool classroom last week at the Scranton School for Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing Children, students used scissors to cut out pictures and worked on sequencing and patterns. The students, with different levels of hearing ability, used sign language, spoken word or a combination to communicate.

“This is the real beauty of this program,” Treat said. “Without a school here, they’d be lost. In our school, the children aren’t different. Deafness is not a handicap.”

Changes made

Formal, specialized education for deaf children has existed in Lackawanna County for almost 140 years. The Scranton school can trace its beginnings to 1880, when eight deaf children met for class in a church basement downtown. Through the efforts of Jacob M. Koehler, a deaf man from the area, a coal company donated the land in Green Ridge where the school existed for more than 100 years. In 1913, the school became property of the state, and in 2009, with the state no longer wanting to operate the school, lawmakers gave it away to the WPSD in Pittsburgh.

In its first year operating the Scranton school, WPSD leased the state-owned campus on North Washington Avenue and renamed the school the Scranton School for Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing Children. The state sold the property to Marywood University for $500,000 in 2011, and after years of the property sitting vacant, a Los Angeles-based developer plans to convert the campus to apartments, a restaurant and community spaces.

The deaf school moved to the former Lourdesmont campus on Venard Road in South Abington Twp. eight years ago, with WPSD spending about $5 million to purchase and renovate the property. Home school districts pay tuition for their students to attend the nonprofit school.

Renovations included more than fresh paint and new flooring. State-of-the-art technology provides both learning and communication opportunities for students.

When the state transferred ownership 10 years ago, 32 kids were enrolled. Now, 56 students attend the preschool through eighth-grade school, which also offers a residential option. Most students live within an hour drive from campus, and two students live in the campus’ former convent during the week.

WPSD ceased high school operations at the Scranton school 10 years ago and gave the option for those students to live at the Pittsburgh campus and commute home to Northeast Pennsylvania every weekend. Parents initially resisted the change, but nine students who went through the Scranton school now attend high school at WPSD.

The Scranton school will celebrate the 10-year milestone during a gala May 3. Proceeds from the event will support the construction of a year-round outdoor learning space. School officials will celebrate a decade of earning trust and providing opportunities.

“We’ve come a long way,” said Kevin McDonough, who became director of the school in December, after working as principal of the high school and middle school of WPSD. “People are happy to see the school succeed. Everyone was anxious. … Now, everyone loves our school.”

More opportunity

Throughout the school last week, students strengthened their academic and communication skills. Preschoolers played kickball in the gym. Sixth-graders worked on math problems.

After a short snack break, kindergartners worked on sight words. Marge Snopek, a paraprofessional who worked through the transition 10 years ago, helped the children practice. Improvements made by WPSD, including access to technology, have helped students greatly, she said.

“We were all nervous, but now we’re one big happy family,” Snopek said. “Ten years flew by.”

Carlene Miller, 12, started attending the school at age 3.

“I grew up here,” she said through an interpreter. “There are a lot of nice people here and a lot of books. I love to read.”

Back in Treat’s preschool classroom, some students with cochlear implants — complex electronic devices that sit behind the ear and under the skin and can directly stimulate the auditory nerve and provide a sense of sound — worked on language skills.

Treat, who started teaching at the deaf school 30 years ago, instructed the students through both speaking aloud and using sign language.

Federal special education law requires students with special needs to be educated in the “least restrictive environment,” meaning that students with special needs should be educated with students without special needs as much as possible. However, when a child is deaf, being in a traditional public school classroom can be the “most restrictive” setting, Treat said.

“When there’s freedom of communication, there’s no restriction,” she said.

At the Scranton School for Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing Children, Treat watches her students thrive.

“My name is Michaela,” said 5-year-old Michaela Lopatofsky, carefully spelling her name. “It’s a very long name.”

Michaela, who has cochlear implants, was working on creating patterns with words starting with the letter “U.”

“What words start with the letter ‘U’?” Treat asked.

“Unicorn, umbrella ... and underpants,” Michaela said, giggling.

Contact the writer:

shofius@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9133;

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

It’s hard to say what two local boys thought when they saw the strange object poking from beneath the surface of a tributary that fed into Lake Wallenpaupack in 1955.

But they never could have guessed at what historians ultimately believed it was: an 18-foot canoe, carved by Native Americans from a single piece of chestnut sometime in the 1600s.

“The story behind the discovery of the canoe, which has excited historians from museums in Scranton, Philadelphia and New York, as well as from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., begins with Hurricane Diane,” a Scranton Times story reported Oct. 6, 1959. “The torrent of water that flooded the Pocono Mountains region took lives and property but left behind, in a strange twist of fate, the partially exposed canoe, nearly 350 years old.”

The canoe was initially sold to a “junk dealer and later to an antique dealer,” The Scranton Times reported. Then, Lucy Unger, owner of the Green Circle Art and Antique Shop in Paupack, decided it was time for the canoe to come home.

“I believed that the canoe, a part of the history of the Wallenpaupack region, should be brought back home where it belongs,” she said in the 1959 Scranton Times story. “This is the place for it.”

She made plans for a large pavilion near her shop where the canoe could be displayed and was working on a way to better preserve the canoe, which had deteriorated since being pulled from the mud.

Experts at the Smithsonian helped Unger with preservation and, by July 1960, the canoe had returned to Paupack.

“People come from miles around just to see the wooden craft,” a July 28, 1960, Scranton Times story reported.

In a strange coincidence, two other dugout canoes were discovered at Lake Winola in July of 1960. At least one was sent to the Everhart Museum in Scranton for “evaluation and storage,” though the museum’s then-curator of science, William Speare, “pointed out today it had not yet been determined if the find is an authentic (Native American) canoe,” according to the July 18, 1960, Scranton Times story.

Both the canoes discovered in 1960 were filled with large rocks and “appeared to have been submerged deliberately many years ago,” a July 29, 1960, Scranton Times story reported.

Despite cautions from Speare and other Everhart officials, the stories of the canoes, thought to be more than 200 years old, discovered in 1960 captured the imagination of locals.

Local historian Carl G. Bresser did some research and wrote a letter to The Scranton Times in August 1960 saying he was sure the two more recently discovered canoes were likely also made by Native Americans.

The one discovered after Hurricane Diane was found in a tributary to the man-made Lake Wallenpaupack, Bresser’s letter pointed out, “and there was no mystery connected with that craft, since (Native Americans) could easily row it from river to river.” He continued that he could “readily see that the portage of a craft of this nature overland from one body of water to another would create no hardship for (Native Americans), who were noted for their powers of endurance.”

He traced the history of Native Americans in Northeast Pennsylvania, theorizing that a group led by Capouse, chief of the Monsey Indian tribe, moved into the Lackawanna Valley in the mid-1700s. That migration could have resulted in the Lake Winola canoes being sunk or buried, Bresser’s letter explained.

His letter also pointed out that it’s likely that other Native American artifacts are hidden in local waterways, given the region’s rich history. That may still be the case today.

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

1. Scranton native Ryan Robeson, wearing up to 50 pounds of firefighter gear, crossed the finish line of the Scranton Half Marathon just six minutes and 11 seconds over the time he needed to set a world record. What was his time?

A. 2 hours, 20 minutes

B. 3 hours, 15 minutes, 45 seconds

C. 3 hours, 36 minutes and 11 seconds

D. 4 hours, 2 minutes, 20 seconds

2. State Rep. Bridget Malloy Kosierowski was sworn in to office to represent the 114th District in the state House. Where does she live?

A. Dalton

B. South Abington Twp.

C. Jessup

D. Waverly Twp.

3. What local diner was removed from its base to be sold?

A. Moosic Diner

B. Chick’s Diner

C. Terry’s Diner

D. Glider Diner

4. Since 1963, the opening day of deer season has been observed the first Monday following Thanksgiving. The board of the state Game Commission voted to change it to when?

A. Thanksgiving

B. Friday after Thanksgiving

C. Saturday after Thanksgiving

D. 3rd Monday in December

5. A Delaware-Lackawanna train derailed Tuesday, tipping over three cars. What was the train carrying?

A. Passengers to NYC

B. Lumber and sand

C. Coal and oil

D. Hay and corn

6. True or false? After hearing concerns from neighbors about a proposal to convert a former Geisinger medical clinic on Moosic Street in Scranton into a drug-addiction treatment facility, the zoning board approved the proposal.

A. True

B. False, the board

continued the hearing

to next month

7. An online petition with more than 3,000 signatures urges Montage Mountain Resorts to open what in the off-season?

A. Grass skiing

B. Rattlesnake gathering

C. Mountain climbing

D. Mountain biking

8. According to the state Department of Health, flu season is winding down. How many cases were reported in Lackawanna County?

A. 199

B. 1,599

C. 3,999

D. 10,455

9. Which Democratic presidential contender will stop at the Mohegan Sun Pocono to meet with members of a union gathering?

A. Pete Buttigieg

B. Cory Booker

C. Bernie Sanders

D. Joe Biden

10. Minor league baseball returned to PNC Field on Thursday night as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders hosted the Buffalo Bisons in their home opener for the 2019 season. Who won?

A. RailRiders

B. Bisons

In 2015, Anas Allouz and his family of seven left their home in war-torn Syria for a better life in America.

Apart from friends, culture and his language, he left something else behind — his barber certificate.

The 24-year-old refugee, who lives in Kingston now, is rebuilding a career that he says was already established.

He owned salons in Syria and Jordan, but that experience means nothing now.

A barber school manager told him he’d have to study for a year before testing to receive his barber license in Pennsylvania.

It would cost him $20,000, he said, and that doesn’t seem fair.

“I came without my certificate, but I have my experience. I have my hands,” he said.

Allouz’s plight shines a light on what some immigrants, refugees and even people who move here from other states face in jumpstarting careers. Sometimes they have to start from scratch.

Workforce experts say in-migration from anywhere, even other parts of this state, is the only way Northeast Pennsylvania can address its deepening labor shortage.

But even native-born Americans who work in licensed occupations must navigate interstate regulations when they relocate. Some trades offer reciprocity, mutual agreements between states that make moving between them easier. But whether workers, for example, stylists or barbers, can jump easily across state or national borders depends largely on whether regulators in both places believe the state-specific rules governing those trades match each other’s.

In the last 70 years, the number of jobs that require licensing has jumped 500 percent, according to a 2017 study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

In 1950, only 5 percent of jobs required professional licenses. Now, 25 percent do.

The study relied on data from the American Community Survey, a product of the U.S. Census Bureau. Researchers found that interstate migration was 36 percent lower among state-specific licensed occupations compared to other jobs.

Mobility was easier among workers whose jobs require national licenses.

Pennsylvania has 29 governing boards that certify and license for 255 trades, and ongoing efforts in Harrisburg would see standards loosened to make resuming a career in this state easier while still protecting consumers.

In 2017, the Gov. Tom Wolf directed the Bureau of Occupational and Professional Affairs to make a full review of the licensing process and look for any undue costs or excessive training requirements that could make getting licensed too difficult.

Last year, he proposed replacing 13 job licenses, including for barbers, with less-restrictive requirements.

Other trades the governor wants to be less restrictive include auctioneers, campground membership salespeople and cemetery brokers.

Among changes on his wish list, he asked the licensing boards with restrictions for felony drug convictions to re-evaluate whether those criminal histories precluded workers from doing their jobs well and safely.

Weighing challenges

For one immigrant whose business does not require a special license, the path to starting up mirrors that of a native citizen.

Marina Ginko, 41, and her mother, Iryna, opened Crocus Cafe on North Washington Avenue, Scranton, earlier this year. She’s Ukrainian, and moved to the U.S. when she was 19.

She naturalized 10 years ago, and she shrugs at the hoops she and her mom had to jump through to get financing and food safety certification.

For her, getting her pastries, made-from-scratch soups and fresh salads into the bellies of more Scrantonians is a far bigger challenge.

“I want to be busy here all the time,” she said emphatically. “I want to feed people … I want people to come here for healthy food.”

Reform needed

Diplomats in the U.S. and Syria aren’t likely to tackle reciprocity for barbers anytime soon.

So one economic developer who’s thought a lot about the workforce this past year says lawmakers need wholesale reform on the way this country accepts people from outside.

There’s close to 4,000 job openings just in Lackawanna County, said Bob Durkin, president of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, and a ready workforce has been his organization’s top priority.

The chamber is spearheading a number of programs to make sure schools are teaching students about what jobs they can have after graduating and giving them the skills to do them.

However, with stagnant population growth, workers must move here from other places, be that other counties, other states or other countries.

“We are not as a population in-filling our workforce needs,” said Bob Durkin, president of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. “So we absolutely have to deal with it in a strategic way that brings immigrant talent to the United States.”

A fair shake

After learning he’d have to go back to barber school, Allouz resolved to think bigger.

He spent six hours a week taking English as a second language classes at Marywood University and Luzerne County Community College. Four years later, he has a commendable command of the language.

He’s not looking for a handout, he said, just a fair shake. He’s studying business administration at LCCC. He hopes to one day get his barber license and perhaps open his own salon again.

Still, he believes he should have a chance to skip the training he’s already had and prove his skill with a pair of barber shears, he said.

“My dream is stopped for just one paper,” he said. “This paper, if I have it, I can open my own shop, I can own my own business and start my life. Just a piece of paper stopped me.”

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

1917: Through the middle of the 20th century, railroad stations were scenes of fond farewells and happy homecomings. This photo depicts a former station as a large group of draftees leaves Archbald for an Army training camp at Camp Meade in Maryland during World War I. The burgess of Archbald, George Bishop, declared a civic holiday for the morning the young men were set to leave, closing businesses, schools and bars so the whole town could turn out to wish the soldiers well.

2019: The station at Pike and Cherry streets was built in 1905, replacing an earlier station from 1873 that had been located a half mile south. The passenger station was used by the D&H Railroad in active service until the early 1950s. The Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority spearheaded a project in the 1990s to rebuild stylized versions of the passenger stations “up the line.” Today, the new station is used for community events and special railroad excursions.

— RESEARCH COURTESY OF LACKAWANNA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Mohegan Sun Pocono is partnering with Unibet Interactive Inc., a subsidiary of Kindred Group PLC to serve as its sports wagering operator.

We spoke to Maria Angell-Dupont, external communications manager for Kindred, about what bettors can expect from the service.

Who is Kindred?

Founded in 1997, Kindred is based in Sweden and serves more than 20 million customers in Europe and Australia.

Brands under the Kindred name include 32 Red, bingo.com, Bohemia Casino, Casinohuone, iGame, Kolikkopelit, Maria Casino, Roxy Palace, Storspiller, Unibet and Vlad Cazino.

“Kindred has 22 years of online gambling experience in Europe and Australia, making us one of the oldest digital operators in the space,” Angell-Dupont said. “The customer experience is built solely on the mobile experience.”

Which U.S. casinos does Kindred work with?

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Mohegan Sun Pocono.

How does the

mobile app work?

Once approval is received, bettors can download the app and register for an account to place sports bets and play casino-style games.

Will Kindred

have a presence at Mohegan Sun?

Kindred will have a physical presence at Mohegan Sun in the form of a sportsbook lounge.

Who sets the odds?

Kambi will manage the odds. Kambi launched a sportsbook with Draft-

Kings in 2018.

Will in-game and future betting be allowed?

In-game and future betting will be allowed.

“Kindred will aim to offer the full range of odds,” Angell-Dupont said. “For example, for top events in Europe, we offer over 300 betting types on a single game.”

What sports can

people bet on?

Football, basketball, baseball, ice hockey, soccer, tennis, golf and more.

April 14, 1919

DLW shop strike expanding

As the strike at the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad shops entered its sixth day, there were fears that the strike would expand and begin to affect the railroad’s mining operations.

Several railroad officials said that if the stalemate with the shop workers continued, the railroad might have to close down all of its collieries. They said the strike was interfering with maintenance required to keep the machines rolling in the mines.

Officials also were dealing with the possibility that the railroad’s 1,100 clerical staff in the Scranton office might join the walkout. The clerical staff was scheduled to meet to vote on whether to join the shop workers’ strike. Shops workers in Elmira and Syracuse, New York, had already joined the strike.

The Scranton shop workers walked off the job April 9 after the firing of a machinist by the shop’s efficiency foreman.

Time for rods and reels

Trout season was to start April 15 in Pennsylvania. Local Game Warden William Anneman reported that trout were jumping right out of the streams, and that area streams were in good condition for fishing.

Regional railroads reported that area anglers with all their gear had been heading out since April 12 to get to their favorite fishing spots.

At the theaters

Marguerite Clark starred in the play “Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch” at the Poli Theater; the film “World To Live In,” starring Alice Brady, was presented at the Strand; the musical comedy “The Girl Behind the Gun!” was presented at the Academy; and the Lid Lifters with Harry Lang performed at the Majestic Theater.

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.

Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Twp. is getting ready to offer a new amenity the casino’s President and General Manager Tony Carlucci expects will attract more customers.

Pending approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, the casino is just months away from adding sports betting that will create at least 12 more jobs, bring live tellers and kiosks to the casino as well as TV screens and monitors where people could watch games, Carlucci said.

Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board spokesman Doug Harbach said determinations are typically made one to two months after petitions are filed and Carlucci expects people will be able to bet on sports at Mohegan Sun Pocono before the football season starts.

Mount Airy Casino Resort in Monroe County filed to offer sports betting too. Both casinos will have to pay a $10 million licensing fee.

Mohegan Sun entered into an agreement with New York-based Unibet Interactive Inc., a subsidiary of Kindred Group PLC, that would serve as its sports wagering and interactive gaming operator. The casino applied to offer all types of sports betting permitted by state law.

Kindred will be largely involved with the online and on-site sports book presence at Mohegan Sun Pocono, a casino spokesman said. It will offer customers the online sportsbook and casino experience under the Unibet brand as well as a Unibet sports betting lounge at Mohegan Sun Pocono.

Through the online sportsbook, people can use a mobile or web device to place a bet. They can place wagers on all major sport events in the U.S. and the world, including baseball, basketball, football and hockey, said Aviram Alroy, vice president of interactive gaming at Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment. The casino plans to feature in-game betting as well as future bets, he said.

Millions of dollars,

new customers

Statewide, gaming operators have raked in millions of dollars in revenue from sports wagering.

In all, Pennsylvania has collected more than $81.1 million from sports betting since November 2018 and more than $2.5 million in state and local taxes. The local share assessment amounted to $141,412, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

Sports betting revenue is taxed at 36%. Thirty-four percent goes to the state’s general fund and 2% to a local share assessment to the Commonwealth Finance Agency for grants.

Luzerne County recently received $11.4 million in grants from gaming money and more gaming grants could be coming in the future as a result of sports betting.

While local share tax revenue including iGaming for casino-type games stays local, Harbach said sports wagering’s “local share” is used for grants to “any” county.

If sports betting is approved at Mohegan Sun Pocono and Mount Airy, Harbach said it’s difficult to say how much money it will bring in because it will vary from week to week unlike slot machines, where the hold is 10% to 11% for the casino consistently.

Wagers can be racked up in one week, but the payouts will not be made for some time down the road. That’s because many bets are for “futures” that won’t be determined until the end of a season, he said.

“Think betting on the Yankees today as a 12-1 to win the World Series with that wager showing up as part of the sportsbooks handle today, but the payout not being made for months,” Harbach said. “Or, again the Super Bowl where bets were made at the end of January and sportsbooks are still paying out on winning tickets to this day when a patron finally returns.”

Throughout Pennsylvania, Harbach said sports betting has generated a great deal of excitement and it has resulted in bringing in new customers.

March was the first month eight locations in Pennsylvania offered sports betting for a full or partial month.

Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course was the first in the state to take sports wagers beginning in November, months after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal ban against sports betting.

Philadelphia’s SugarHouse Casino was the second in the state to roll out sports betting in December.

The addition of sports betting has been “going unbelievably well,” said Evan Davis, vice president and general counsel of SugarHouse Casino.

SugarHouse generated nearly $10.8 million in total handle from sports wagers in January, the highest in the state, and $7.1 million in February, the second highest in the state and the highest in the Philadelphia area, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

Davis said SugarHouse Casino also saw increases in table games revenue in January and February, which may have been a result of more people coming in to bet on sports.

The casino offers a wide range of options to bet on sports ranging from football, basketball and hockey to soccer, golf and motorsports. People can bet on an individual game, a point spread or an entire season and well as a futures bet on who is going to win a game, Davis said.

In the last few months, he said the casino has continuously expanded its sports betting options. People can place their bets at a window with a ticket writer or at 18 electronic kiosks.

The casino has a 14 by 7-foot video wall and 12 high-definition television screens to add to the experience, he said.

“We’ve seen a tremendous amount of interest in sports wagering,” Davis said. “It has helped bring new people into the casino.”

In addition to Hollywood and SugarHouse, Parx Casino in Bensalem, Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, Harrah’s in Philadelphia, the South Philadelphia Turf Club, Valley Forge Casino and Valley Forge Race & Sportsbook offer sports betting.

Presque Isle Downs and Casino in Erie received approval for a sports book in February, but it has not yet opened. The target date for sports betting to start there is this summer, said casino spokeswoman Jennifer See.

The demographics of sports bettors are largely male, said Chris Grove, a gambling industry analyst at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming.

“For retail sportsbooks, you’re probably looking at an average age close to 47. For online sportsbooks, the number is closer to 32,” Grove said. “This mirrors the general trend when you’re talking about retail versus online gambling. Online gambling customers are typically much younger and aren’t visiting retail casinos for the most part.”

Revenue won’t benefit horse racing industry

Unlike slots revenue, sports betting revenue will not benefit the horse racing industry.

According to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, 11% of slots revenue goes to the horse racing industry.

Pete Peterson, president of the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Association and spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Equine Coalition, said wagers placed on a “sports game between the Dodgers and the Reds do not benefit the Pennsylvania horse racing industry.”

The horse racing industry employs about 20,000 people in Pennsylvania in jobs that include everything from jockeys, trainers and blacksmiths to veterinarians and breeders as well as businesses like feed companies and those that produce horse trailers.

Peterson hopes sports betting will attract new horse racing bettors. He would like see integration between sports betting and horse racing.

“I believe if it’s done right, it could attract new bettors who will place wagers on horse racing but it’s really about how it’s integrated,” he said.

Carlucci said he believes adding sports betting will bring in new customers and that also will benefit horse racing.

“We pride ourselves on offering the whole entertainment package and this will be another amenity for the casino,” Carlucci said.

Contact the writer:

dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com;

570-821-2115;

@CVAllabaugh on Twitter

Local theaters, actors honored

Local actors and theater companies were honored with awards during the Northeastern Pennsylvania Theatrical 22nd annual Awards Dinner Show on April 6.

More than 300 people attended the event at Hotel Anthracite in Carbondale, which honors the best of the best in community theater of Northeast Pennsylvania. Thirty-six awards mirroring the Tony Award categories were handed out to more than 150 nominees from 12 theatrical companies.

Tony Swartz served as emcee for the evening, while NEPTA executive board members present included Paige Balitski, president; Scott Colin Woolnough, vice president; Claudia Stuart, secretary; and Bob DeLuca, treasurer. Marty Courtney’s presentation acknowledged those of the member companies who passed away during the past year. Dawn Winarski accepted a lifetime achievement award in honor of her late husband, Paul Winarski.

Theaters and company members who received NEPTA Awards for their work in 2018 are:

Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre:

Bernard Mulchahy, Best Sound Design, for “American Idiot”; Jon Vojtko, Best Lighting Design for “Angels in America Part II: Perestroika”; Chloe Orfanella, Best Youth Actress (12 and under), for “Seussical Jr.”; David Parmelee, Best Supporting Actor in a Drama, and Mandy Pennington, Best Supporting Actress in a Drama, for “Angels in America Part II: Perestroika”; John Davenport, Best Lead Actor in a Comedy, for “Harvey”; Sean Harris, Best Choreographer, for “American Idiot”; Jennifer Hunter, Best Musical Director, for “American Idiot”; and David Reynolds and Mollie Dooley, Best Director of a Drama, for “Angels in America Part II: Perestroika.” The theater also won Best Youth Production and Best Family Show for “Seussical Jr.” and Best Drama for “Angels in America Part II: Perestroika.”

Music Box Players:

Michael Marone, Best Set Design, for “The Producers”; Rachel Bath, Best Teen Actress (13-18), in “Nunsense”; Mike Wawrzynek, Best Supporting Actor in a Musical, Kristina Toussaint, Best Supporting Actress in a Musical, and Jimmy Williams, Best Lead Actor in a Musical, for the “The Producers”; Amanda Reese, Best Lead Actress in a Musical, for “Hello Dolly”; and Dane Bower, Best Director of a Musical, in “The Producers.” The theater also won Best Musical for “The Producers.”

Pennsylvania Theatre of Performing Arts:

Thomas Sirkot, Best Costume Design, and Best Ancillary Ensemble for “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”

Drama in Motion Performance Works Factory Theatre:

Jude Witner, Best Youth Actor (12 and under), for “Aladdin Jr.”; and Noah Witner, Best Teen Actor (13-18), and Best Teen Production, all for “Les Miserables.”

Gaslight Theater Company:

Mike Wawrzynek, Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy, Eyanna Gruver, Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy, and David Reynolds and Brandi George, Best Director of a Comedy, for “The Taming of the Shrew”; the production also won Best Comedy. The theater also won Best One-Act for “Horseplay” and Best Original One Act for writing: “Counter, Counter” by B. Garrett Rogan.

Diva Productions Company: Sam Falbo, Best Lead Actor in a Drama, and Best Original Full-Length Production for “Saint of Darkness” by Jeff Boam.

Actors Circle:

Jennifer Frey, Best Lead Actress in a Comedy, for “Auntie Mame” and Patti Purcell, Best Lead Actress in a Drama, for “Wit.”

Worthington Players: Riley Henderson, Best Teen Actress (13-18), for “Lion King Experience Jr.”

Theatrical members of NEPTA also represented included: Actors Guild of Schuylkill County, Center Stage Productions, Endless Mountains Theatre Company and Theatrical Gems. Members at large in attendance included Regina Lanzo of ION-TV Network.

Find a pet who needs a new home at the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter.

Pixie is a 3-year-old, female calico. She is very sweet and friendly.
Contact the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter at 586-3700 if your pet is lost or goes astray. Staff Photo by Ted Baird

Kenicki is a 3-year-old, male American Pit Bull mix. He is very outgoing, friendly and walks nicely on a leash.
Contact the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter at 586-3700 if your pet is lost or goes astray. Staff Photo by Ted Baird



Watch the latest Pets of the Week video here:

Today we take a weedwacker to a political Easter egg hunt.

At their Feb. 4 meeting, Lackawanna County commissioners unanimously approved a $25,000 small-business loan tucked in the tall grass of the monthly bills. It appeared on the ledger as a line item payable to Gino Majewski and Lori Pilosi. No description of the transaction was included.

A month earlier, Majewski was the lone bidder to operate a new Charl-Mont restaurant in the renovated county building. He signed a three-year lease to rent the space for $1,500 a month. Pilosi is Majewski’s aunt. She co-signed the loan to help her nephew get started in the restaurant business, a family tradition.

It’s a good story, one that illustrates the reason the county loan program exists — to attract and nurture new business.

- Local family invests in the community.

- Community invests in local family.

- Everyone has a hoagie and goes home happy.

You might think the administration would want every taxpayer to hear that story — especially in an election year. Somehow, it never came up during a Tuesday “walk-through” of Majewski’s plans for the space.

Commissioners Patrick O’Malley and Laureen Cummings preened for the cameras and gushed about Majewski and his project. They talked about vision. They talked about history. They talked about grit, guts and good government.

They talked about everything but the loan. On Thursday morning, I found the line item and started asking why the loan was buried in the bills. Commissioner Jerry Notarianni called me back. O’Malley and Cummings did not. Notarianni said that aside from his vote to pay the county’s monthly expenses, he had nothing to do with the loan. This jives with a 243-word statement the administration spent most of a business day cobbling together.

Generally, loans are approved by the county Department of Economic Development and an “independent committee comprised of community, business and banking professionals,” according to the statement. By the time a loan reaches the commissioners, it’s a done deal.

“With the exception of authorizing the current payables at a bi-monthly Board of Commissioners meeting, the Commissioners are not involved in the loan review or approval process. ... The County does not comment on individual loan applications.”

Administration officials may choose to keep quiet, but the law speaks loud and clear.

“If a public entity provides a loan, that’s clearly public information,” said Melissa Melewsky, media law counsel for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association. Working here, I reach out to Melissa more often than I call my Mom.

“It should also be approved at a public meeting, which it sounds like it was, although maybe not in the most transparent way,” she said. “If it’s for a good cause, it sounds like something they would want to trumpet — ‘Hey, here’s some new business coming to the county.’

“Why they wouldn’t do that is beyond me, but any records of the loan are clearly public. The documents will speak for themselves.”

On Thursday, I filed a Right to Know Law request for all records related to the loan. I followed up Friday with a request for a list of members of the independent committee that evaluates loan applications. The RTK requests I filed for the cost of renovations to the Charl-Mont space and the Lackawanna County Government Center at the Globe are due responses from the county early this week.

While we wait for the administration to embrace the concept of transparency, I wish Gino Majewski success in his new business. The public scrutiny that comes with public money has not been kind. Majewski has made mistakes, some that resulted in serious legal charges. Judicial records show he’s paid for them. He doesn’t owe the court of public opinion anything.

Gino and his aunt applied for a loan in good faith and got caught up in a political Easter egg hunt. I spoke with both on Thursday. Neither liked the attention, but they didn’t run and hide like the grit, guts and good government crowd hunkered down on the sixth floor. I respect that.

In spite of the negative attention they didn’t bargain for, Gino and his family remain excited for the opportunity ahead. I’m rooting for him to make the most of it, just like any investor should.

CHRIS KELLY, the Times-Tribune columnist, would be nowhere without many second chances. kellysworld@timessha­mrock.com, @cjkink on Twitter. Read his award-winning blog at timestribuneblogs.co­m/kelly.

May 14: Department of Business at Misericordia University free four-hour continuing professional education session, 1-5 p.m., Sandy and Marlene Insalaco Hall for certified public accountants; addresses internal controls for small nonprofit and volunteer organizations. Professor Fred Croop, C.P.A., Ed.D., M.B.A., a CPE Program Sponsor licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, will present the program, “Effective Internal Controls for Small Nonprofits and Volunteer Organizations,’’ which is eligible for four CPE hours; live group session features a question-and-answer session, PowerPoint presentations and related professional literature. CPAs are required to take 80 hours of CPEs every two years. Due to limited seating, participation in the CPE session will be limited to the first 100 who preregister online. To register online, go to the Nonprofits Control Project in the community area of the Misericordia University website, www.misericordia.edu/nonprofitcontrols. A link is required to complete the registration form. The free program is in Dudrick, Muth, Huntzinger and Alden Trust Rooms 216-219 in Insalaco Hall. Participants will receive a certificate of completion at the conclusion of the program.

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

Restaurant owner starts scholarship

McDonald’s of Greater Scranton Area announces a scholarship for students of Luzerne County Community College. The Mueller family, owners and operators of 15 area McDonald’s restaurants, will extend their family scholarship opportunities to their employees who attend LCCC.

Beginning in the fall semester, students pursuing their associate or bachelor’s degrees in business or hotel/restaurant management will be eligible for the annual awards. A total of $2,500 per semester will be divided evenly among all qualified students to use toward tuition or textbooks. To be eligible, employees need to be employed for six months and work 25 hours per week at one of the Muellers’ franchised restaurants. No financial need must be demonstrated.

Area bank makes donations

Fidelity Bank in Dunmore has a long history of service to the community with a commitment to build and create economic prosperity throughout Northeastern Pa. In this spirit, the Fidelity Bank D&D Charitable Foundation recently donated $25,000 to support 19 nonprofit organizations in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties. The donations will benefit a wide variety of social services and charitable causes throughout the region.

Benco announces partnership

Benco Dental announces a partnership with StellaLife, an innovative biotech company on a mission to improve people’s lives and significantly reduce, or in some cases eliminate, the need for narcotic pain medications, steroids and antibiotics.

StellaLife is an Illinois-based company that focuses on intelligent healing, by using ingredients from botanical plants and minerals in an attempt to limit toxins and ensure good health for all patients. The company has worked with leading chemists, dental specialists, physicians and pharmacists to create a line of products that aim to improve dental patients’ experience.

Design firm

acquires company

LaBella Associates announced the acquisition of John R. Hennemuth and Associates, Land Surveyors, of Scranton.

John R. Hennemuth & Associates was founded in 1956 by John R. Hennemuth, P.E., who managed the company until 1985, At that time John M. Hennemuth PLS took over and managed the company until acquisition. The Hennemuth firm has provided surveying to thousands of commercial and residential customers since its founding. Among its many projects are surveys for the development of the Steamtown National Park, the Mall at Steamtown, Lackawanna Energy Center in Jessup, Keystone Industrial Park, the Office Park at Montage and the Pavilion at Montage Mountain.

John M. Hennemuth, PLS, and Michael Duddy, SIT, were retained in the acquisition, and additional survey members were added, bringing LaBella’s Dunmore staff to more than 35 professionals.

Wayne Bank

supports program

Wayne Bank announced it will support Honesdale Communities that Care in 2019 with a donation through the Educational Improvement Organization Program.

Honesdale Communities that Care executive director, Richard Palazzo, accepted a check in the amount of $10,000.

The gift was made possible as a result of the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program offered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, acting through the Department of Community and Economic Development.

Honesdale Communities that Care is a nonprofit, after-school enrichment program that has been in operation since 1995. The program develops and implements strategies that encourage healthy behavior and productive interaction amongst youngsters and all members of the community.

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

Ann Brownell’s Travel

Laurie Burke has completed her certification as an AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist. As a specialist, she has gained in-depth knowledge of AmaWaterways, including details on their award-winning ships, upscale amenities and one-of-a-kind destinations. River cruises are the fastest growing trend in the entire travel industry. Included in the fares of most river cruises are shore excursions in every port of call, all dining on board, internet access and Wi-Fi. She has been a travel professional for more than five years, planning her clients’ vacations like she was planning her own.

Aqua Pennsylvania

President Marc Lucca has been elected to the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry’s board of directors. Lucca was one of five newly elected directors selected to serve the board at the group’s annual membership meeting.

The Pennsylvania Chamber is the largest broad-based business association in the state, with nearly 10,000 member businesses.

Lucca has served as president of Aqua Pennsylvania since 2016 and is responsible for the utility’s overall operations, including distribution, production, water treatment and quality, water resources, and maintenance and construction throughout the commonwealth.

Geisinger

Commonwealth School of Medicine

Two members of the leadership team at the school published an article in the November edition of the magazine of the National Association of Colleges and Employers. The co-authors are Michelle Schmude, Ed.D., and V. Scott Koerwer, Ed.D.

Schmude is associate dean for admissions, enrollment management and financial aid and assistant professor in the Medical Education Department. Koerwer is vice president for strategy, planning and communication and vice dean for the School of Graduate Studies, as well as professor of organizational systems and innovation.

The article, titled “Incorporating Appreciative Advising and Positive Psychology for Student Success,” examines the school’s experience in building positive psychology and appreciative advising into a course dedicated to professional development for the school’s master of biomedical sciences students. Appreciative advising is an approach to academic advising that encourages students to examine their own strengths, skills and abilities and to visualize how they translate to a professional future.

Misericordia

University

Denis Anson, M.S., O.T.R./L., director of research and development at the university’s Assistive Technology Research Institute, recently presented his research at the 2019 Assistive Technology Industry Association Conference in Orlando, Florida.

Anson presented “3D Printing Tactile Graphics: It’s Easier Than You think!’’ during a 60-minute educational breakout session. He demonstrated how to use 3D printers to create accessible signage and tactile graphics using the same simple tools used to create lithophanes.

Anson, a resident of Noxen, has been actively involved in computer and assistive technology applications for rehabilitation for more than 38 years.

Northeast

Pennsylvania Industrial

Resource Center

Janelle Farkas joined as an industrial engineer. She will work closely with clients to improve the three Ps that apply to any organization: processes, people and products. Her specialties include Six Sigma, statistical analysis, continuous improvement strategy, data strategy, design and implementation of operational metrics and Lean Enterprise.

Farkas brings nearly 10 years of continuous improvement expertise to her client engagements. Her experiences range from localized to organizationwide change efforts.

Sheree Klemow joined in marketing and special events. She will be working with the team to help spread awareness of the center’s services, educational trainings, consultations and innovative hands-on programs offered by a top-notch professional team.

Klemow brings more than 20 years of marketing, advertising, special events experience from various sectors and hopes to aid thought leaders in their service of enhancing the region’s manufacturing footprint.

Before her work in business development, she served as WVIA Public Television and Radio’s public information director.

Pennsylvania College of

Technology

Dr. Stephen Cheskiewicz, assistant professor of information technology from Harveys Lake, presented his research, “Learning Through Unlearning: What People Need to Re-learn about Using Digital Technologies,” in Barcelona, Spain, on March 11. The research and paper, co-authored with Dr. Miquel Colobran of Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, was presented at the 15th annual International Technology, Knowledge and Society conference at Museo de CosmoCaixa in Barcelona. This is Cheskiewicz’s third research project with Colobran. Previous projects were presented in Madrid and Seville, Spain, and the University of California at Berkeley.

Times-Shamrock Communications

Stephen Gacek was promoted to night shift production manager at the company’s Scott Twp. printing facility.

Gacek began his employment with Times-Shamrock in July 2008 as a mailroom employee, inserting flyers into the daily papers. An opening arose in the pressroom and Steve was transferred and entered a training program. He quickly advanced through the ranks and became a journeyman in the pressroom. His new responsibilities include overseeing all pressroom and production scheduling, work assignment, deadlines and assuring the presses are in good operating order.

Wayne Memorial Community

Health Centers

Samuel Ganz, D.O., physician of the health centers, is now officially board certified in internal medicine. The American Osteopathic Association certification was awarded by the Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists. Ganz treats patients age 16 and older at the Carbondale Family Health Center and the McAndrew Family Health Center. He joined the organization in 2018.

Ganz received his doctorate from Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York City. He completed his internal medicine residency with the Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, Scranton.

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

HARRISBURG — As the rain fell outside the Hotel Hershey, Bridget Kosierowski borrowed the doorman’s umbrella to retrieve her 9-year-old son Noah’s pants from the family car.

As she returned the umbrella, Kosierowski began chatting with the doorman, Doug Sheriff, in the lobby of the hotel just outside Harrisburg.

Sheriff, as it turns out, leads Angel 34, a foundation that raises money to help families with children suffering from cancer.

Kosierowski, 47, of Waverly Twp., knows all about Angel 34. Their conversation was a reminder of an extremely challenging nine-week period during her 30s when her son, Jacob, only 4 years old, underwent daily treatment for leukemia at the Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

At Children’s Hospital, the Angel 34 foundation took Jake to the Philadelphia Phillies baseball game in a limousine as a treat for the kids in chemotherapy, Kosierowski said.

That stay began the treatment of her son’s four-year battle with leukemia, she said. It also laid the early groundwork for what happened inside the state Capitol on April 8 — the day after she ran into Sheriff.

Jacob — now 17, 6 feet 4 inches tall and “healthy as a horse,” to quote his mother — watched as his mom took the oath of office as the 114th state House District’s new representative. He joined his father, Joseph, siblings Noah, Maggie, 16, and Anna, 14, and 60 family members and friends for Kosierowski’s swearing-in ceremony on the House floor.

Kosierowski won a special election March 12 to replace Sid Michaels Kavulich, who died in October of heart surgery complications.

“It’s just this good stuff that always seems to happen if you’re good to others, the karma stuff,” Kosierowski said of running into Sheriff just before her big day.

Kosierowski, who friends say has spent countless hours volunteering and carting her kids to activities, feels lucky.

She is the oldest of Dr. Edwin Malloy, an orthopedic surgeon, and Rosemary Quinn Malloy’s six children. No one in Edwin Malloy’s family ever ran for elected office, but the Quinns had lots of political friends.

Rosemary Malloy’s father, the late Dr. John Quinn, a well-known local dentist, counted as friends some of Lackawanna County’s most famous Democratic names — the Nealons, the Conaboys and the Caseys. Future U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, who dated Kosierowski’s aunt, Rebecca, sometimes accompanied her when she baby-sat her niece.

Kosierowski graduated from Scranton Preparatory School, where she met her husband, Joseph Kosierowski. Hanging around her father’s office and having an aunt in nursing nudged her toward nursing, which she took up at Villanova University outside Philadelphia and where her husband earned bachelor’s and law degrees.

Kosierowski signed on after graduating in 1994, at the world-famous Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She worked the surgical pre-operative and recovery floor where she “saw everything because people came from all over the world.” That included gaining a familiarity with the term GSW, short for gunshot wound, not an uncommon occurrence in West Philadelphia, the hospital’s neighborhood.

“Baptism by fire,” she said. “It was the best way to learn because it was hands-on, very innovative progressive medicine, and I got to see a whole new world.”

She and her husband, a tax lawyer then for the former Big Five accounting firm, Arthur Andersen, married in 1999. When he got a job offer at the Scranton law firm, Myers Brier & Kelly, they headed home in 2004. She took a job as a nurse at the North East Surgery Center in Dickson City and they began raising a family.

Then, doctors diagnosed Jacob, their firstborn, with leukemia, and her well-ordered world flipped.

For nine straight weeks, she stayed next to her son as Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania doctors treated him. For four years, Jacob underwent expensive outpatient treatment. Insurance only covered 80 percent of the costs for the out-of-network hospital and care.

“I had really good health insurance,” Kosierowski said. “I’m a nurse, my husband’s an attorney and it was still killing us. The cost of medical care is outrageous. ... So all of this happening to me in my life, 14, 15 years ago, my trajectory now is why I think part of me is doing what I’m doing.”

After doctors declared Jacob cancer-free, life settled down. Kosierowski kept working, volunteered regularly for St. Joseph’s Center, Scranton Prep, her children’s elementary school and raised four active kids.

“At one point, she was doing so much, I was like, ‘Bridget when are you ever going to say no?’” said Stacy McKenna-Brazil, a close friend and North East Surgery Center nurse.

Kosierowski downplays this, saying many moms do the same thing.

“I don’t want anybody to think I’m a superstar,” she said.

After almost 25 years as a nurse, Kosierowski felt like saying no more nursing. An aunt, Maggie Mariotti, suggested she attended Ready to Run, the annual one-day University of Scranton seminar aimed at encouraging more women to enter politics. Mariotti thought government needed people with her niece’s smarts, engaging, energetic personality and “personal life story.”

Aware of and interested in politics, but never immersed like her MSNBC-watching husband, something clicked for Kosierowski at Ready to Run. She returned energized and plunged into the state representative race, shocking family and friends.

After a two-month campaign, Kosierowski, a Democrat, walloped Old Forge School Director Frank Scavo, a Republican, to win the 114th seat, which pays $88,610.42 a year.

“This job is public service,” she said. “I was very comfortable, I didn’t need to do this.”

Now she works for taxpayers, who, her friends say, can expect an independent thinker who listens attentively to people’s problems.

“She won’t be bullied, “said Jennifer Hegedus, also a nurse at Northeast Surgery.

Her daughter always takes charge when facing a task, mother Rosemary Malloy said.

“I’m a very organized person so before I go to bed each night, everybody’s uniforms, lunches, everything’s made,” Kosierowski said.

Kosierowski seems especially pleased her Harrisburg Capitol office suite-mate is Movita Johnson-Harrell, D-190, the first Muslim woman representative. Both were elected the same day; Johnson-Harrell, in a Philadelphia special election.

The day of Johnson-Harrell’s March 25 swearing-in ceremony, Rep. Stephanie Borowicz, R-76, Clinton County, led the House in prayer, mentioned Jesus more than a dozen times and described him as “our only hope.” That drew a denunciation from Gov. Tom Wolf. Johnson-Harrell called the prayer “Islamophobic, xenophobic and absolutely degrading,” according to a Philadelphia Inquirer article.

Kosierowski asked if Johnson-Harrell could lead the prayer the day of her swearing-in, but Republican leaders rejected the idea and had another Democratic female Philadelphia representative do it instead, House Democratic Leader Frank Dermody, D-33, Allegheny, said.

Kosierowski may have to get used to that as one of 93 Democrats in a House with 109 Republicans.

“It’ll be frustrating I’m sure. I have the energy and the drive and, hopefully, the goals to see some things get to the finish line,” she said. “It’s really important for me to really work and be there and be accessible and do good things and be informative to people and meet people and continue to talk to people and listen to their needs. That’s what I like to do.”

Contact the writer:

bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9147;

@BorysBlogTT on Twitter

BRIDGET ANNE KOSIEROWSKI

Age: 47

Residence: Waverly Twp.

Family: Husband, Joseph

Kosierowski; children, Jake, Maggie, Anna and Noah

Education: Scranton Preparatory School, 1990; bachelor’s degree, nursing, Villanova

University, 1994

Experience: Nurse, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 1994-2004; nurse, Northeast Surgery Center, 2004 to March 29, 2019

April 15, 1955

City transit strike enters 10th day

Scranton Mayor James Hanlon requested representatives from the Scranton Transit Co. and the company’s unionized employees to come to City Hall on April 18 to figure out a resolution to the ongoing transit strike that was crippling the Lackawanna Valley.

The transit company’s employees began their strike April 5. The strike was authorized following the rejection of the Transit Co.’s final request that employees take a 3-cent hourly wage reduction. Company officials said the wage reduction was needed because of declines in ridership and revenues. Administrative staff of the company voluntary took the reduction in March.

Striking transit workers, understanding the hardship that the strike was causing, started offering rides in their personal vehicles for people in need of transportation. A total of 50 transit workers were offering the rides.

This was the seventh transit strike in Scranton since 1900. The longest strike lasted six months, from October 1901 to April 1902. The most recent transit strike took place in 1949 and lasted 39 days.

New due date didn’t affect returns

Today marked the first year that tax returns were due on April 15. The Scranton office of the Internal Revenue Service reported that it received 36,000 returns in the mail.

Francis Graham, director of the Scranton IRS district, reported no out-of-the-ordinary increase in the number of late filers with respect to the due-date change. He said additional staff was scheduled for the rush of late filers. He said the IRS office would be open until 9 p.m. for people wanting to hand deliver their returns.

Graham said that the Scranton district office received and processed close to 600,000 returns a year.

Prior to a recent change in the tax law, tax returns were due on March 15.

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.

LAKELAND JR./SR. HIGH SCHOOL

GRADE 12

High honor roll: Alyssa Albino, Alec Bryla, Justin Burkhart, Kassidy Chuff, Ethan Cortes, Alyssa Daniels, Cheyenne Dippre, Matthew Fischer, Hadley Gilbert, Bruno, Guimaraes, Tyler Hewett, Jacob Hodorovich, Gavin Joyce, Kayla Kozlowski, James Lewis, Nicholas Liuzzo, Paige McClain, Shayne Mizok, Thomas Pidgeon, Tyler Prudente, Morgan Romanowski, Lindsay Rupp, Haylee Sacknievich, Jessica Saxon, Emily Seamans, Gary Snipes, Danielle Snyder, Gianna Telesco, Katelyn Thomas, Evan Tremback, Richard Turner and Sara Wanat.

Honor roll: Ariana Acevedo, Kayleigh Becker, Bruce Bevilacqua, Gerard Borosky, Samantha Caputo, Joseph Carroll, Gabriella Comes, Jessica Cunningham, Elia Dell’Agnello, Shelby Fives, Camryn Frazier, Elizabeth Heller, Kaitlyn Houman, Abigayle Hunt, Natalie Kimble, Carissa Kishbaugh, Matthew Kishbaugh, Emily Lambert, Logan Lukasik, Mikayla Marino, Cierra McGarry, Sofia Muta, Lucas Osburn, Adam Retzbach, Joseph Rosencrans, Kaylee Sanko, Taylor Schlasta, Kakota Smith, Antonio Spataro, Ashley Stangline, Henry Trapp, Matthew Urda, Zackary Vojick and Laura Whiting.

GRADE 11

High honor roll: Amanda Bales, Tanner Begin, Nicholas Bertholf, Isabella Brown, Aubree Budzinski, Alyssa Catanzaro, Camryn Cerminaro, Izabella Chmil, Ashley Dooley, Kayla Drutherosky, Ashleigh Earyes, Kaitlyn Ezerskis, Riley Fawcett, Alison Fortuner, Holly Gibbs, Giana Good, Kayla Grzech, Olivia Hudak, Haley Hunsinger, Bryan Lantzy, Nathan Leo, Reilly Lick, Alyvia Mroczka, Jonathan Nowak, Michael Nowak, Kayle O’Donnell, Alexis Pliska, Isabella Proscia, Aidan Pullman, Gabrielle Raymer, Anna Retzbach, Tori Sanko, Mackenzie Snyder, Madelyn Taylor, Caleb Tratthen, Sarah Uher, Nathan Vigil and Greyson Yurkanin.

Honor roll: Ariel Black, Matthew Carroll, Noah Chup, Rhianna Cicio, Mckenzie Connor, Matthew Diehl, Hailey Dixon, Aniesa Dragwa, Tristen Kalt, Logan Karosus, Emily Keen, Patrick Lepre, Nathan Lowry, Connor Martin, Brandon McPhillips, Christopher Mellon, Madison Munley, Antonio Natale, Christopher Noldy, Mary Ponce, Zachary Reeves, Veronica Reid, Madison Rucker, Danielle Setta, Abigail Stalter, Juliana Tancredi, Robert Thomas, Kathryn Totsky, Dagan Woodruff and Christopher Zabrowski.

GRADE 10

High honor roll: Rachel Batista, Justin Battle, Zoe Best, Taylor Black, Quenten Bovee, Sydney Bryla, David Campbell, Collin Clauss-Walton, Sarah Demchak, Kylah Erdmann, Emily Goerlitz, Jonathan Janosky, Peter Kawash, Ian Knecht, Joseph Krisovich, Nathaniel McAllister, Timothy McGrane, David McKenney, Madison O’Donnell, Gino Ofcharsky, Grace Paull, Michael Pidgeon, Adelina Piraino, Jason Pollits, Robert Romanowski, Amanda Rzucidlo, Liberty Stefalo, Tristan Uram and Charlotte Vilgos.

Honor roll: Rachael Battle, Maegan Bednash, Branden Berry, Nicolina Broskoskie, Kylah Cavalier, Daniel Dragwa, Breanna Frazier, Emerson Grier, Cloey Grover, Brady Hebden, Selena Hoover, Grace Kelley, Kaylee Lorenzetti, Connor Nevins, Brady Noone, Lisa Schwartztrauber, Noah Shaw, Tyler Smith, Mackenzie Wagner, Jack Waller and Colby White.

GRADE 9

High honor roll: Thomas Arthur, Kayla Duffy, Levi Fron, Logan Fuga, Olivia James, Madison Kilmer, Andrew Kozlowski, Elizabeth McGrane, Nathan Micknick, Emaleigh Miller, Isabella Natale, Angelica Nowak, Karlie-Grace O’Hara, Hannah Pezanowski, Madalyn Piwowarski, Gabrielle Ponce, Mitchell Popovich, Kaitlin Pritchyk, Brianna Sears, Grace Stangline, Donato Telesco, Rhianna Turner, Thomas Vinansky, Megan Williams and Katie Zabrowski.

Honor roll: Scott Bevilacqua, Alicia Bower, Jaron Bullick, Isabella Fallon, Grace Fawcett, Camryn Flynn, Mallori Grzywacz, Noah Hildebrand, Alexa Kopa, Evan Magnotta, Nicholas Mancuso, Cameron Moczulski, Owen Morgan, Nichols Novak, Mason Ormsby, Michael Potter, Sierra Rohan, Dominic Surace and Trey Vitzakovitch.

GRADE 8

High honor roll: Micayla Arzie, Emma Bautista, Lily Carey, Joan Clauss-Walton, Kendal Depoti, Christian Diakatos, Joshua Doyle, Nina Ghirelli, Nadia Gill, Taylor Grier, Molly Kawash, Reese Kearney, Rachel Kelly, Natalie Kohut, Zackary Kovaleski, Nicholas Leo, Max Lick, Kyle Lidy, Ryan Lidy, Anna Liuzzo, Ashlyn Maas, Madison Miller, Elizabeth Newton, Gabrielle Novak, Averi Osborn, Kaitlyn Passiment, Jordan Pietralczyk, Ava Piraino, Rosina Piraino, Evan Pochas, Tommaso Proscia, Joseph Roback, Ethan Roberts, Thomas Rohan, Jon Seamans, Ethan Shea, Kevin Snyder, Marie Takach, Madison Talerico, Kayla Walsh and Olivia Warholic.

Honor roll: Christian Black, Brooke Borgna, Jenna Bosak, Jon Clauss-Walton, Fatoumata Conde, William Cooper, Cole DeCandis, Chase Flynn, Matthew Hunsinger, Madelyn James, Zachary Janosky, Maya Knecht, Brooklyn Mancuso, Kaitlyn Nichols, Christopher Russian, Tyler Sakosky, Nichole Scochin, Dominico Spataro, Jacob Stalter and Christian VonEsse.

GRADE 7

High honor roll: Ava Albino, Samantha Black, Jasmina Buranich, Joshua Campbell, Drew Chervanka, Haley Clinebell, Cullen Davey, Abigail Davis, Ethan Depoti, Zoey Fawcett, Andrew Gelderman, Myha Kilmer, Kayla Krisiak, Natalie Micknick, Kirsten Navich, Jake Parchinski, Antonia Piraino, Julia Possanza, Grace Romanowski, Yassin Roshan, Madalyn Sheppard, Kathryn Shipshinski, Alana Solimini and Tyler Uram.

Honor roll: Alysha Boshman, Hayden Bucksbee, Jordan Case, Cole Chervanka, Madalyn Demianovich, Anthony DiBlasi, Gerard Dolinsky, Matthew Froncek, Colin Joyce, Rebecca Kelly, Alexis Koch, Morgan Lutz, Patricia McAndrew, Sarah McLain, Madeline Miller, Hayley Nolan, Dylan Patuk, Elizabeth Pittsman, Ravyn Reed, Patrick Renter, Stephanie Richter, Emmalee Shaffer, Adriana Smargiassi, Robert Tuttle, Shelby Urda, Andrew Vigil, Luigi Vitucci and Reilly Wagner.

WYOMING SEMINARY LOWER SCHOOL

GRADE 8

High honor roll: Camilla Caporale, Dunmore; Marai Castellanos, Waverly; Charles Cox, Pittston; Raniya Khan, Jenkins Twp.; and Andrew Mauriello, Duryea.

Honor roll: Benjamin Carron, Moosic; J. Eric Gardner, Harding; and Marceya Hyman, Moosic.

GRADE 7

High honor roll: Kimberly Edmonds, Exeter; Eliana Parra, Wyoming; Faith Stoshak, West Wyoming; Tiffany Stoshak, West Wyoming; and Cameron Taylor, Waverly.

Honor roll: Mariah Bentler, Roaring Brook Twp.; Chayanka Boruah, Moosic; David Geyfman, Scranton; Adrien Hazzouri, West Pittston; Aiden Jordan, Factoryville; Andrew Kuloszewski, Scranton; and Olivia Sekel, Harding.

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: Daniel Fisher, Moscow.

WYOMING SEMINARY UPPER SCHOOL

DEAN’S LIST HIGH HONORS

Emily Aikens, Jenkins Twp.; Samantha Barcia, Clarks Green; Chloe Brennan, Inkerman; 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; Ava Hazzouri, Scranton; Campbell Kelly, Clarks Green; Christina Kilyanek, Hughestown; Jessica Kilyanek, Hughestown; Tyler Kotowski, Twp.; Matthew Kuloszewski, Scranton; Charles Kutz, Clarks Summit; Lily Anne Kutz, Clarks Summit; Rounak Lele, Pittston; Gabriel Lott, Olyphant; Logan McGowan, Pittston; Harrison Peairs, Clarks Summit; 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; and Bridget Tost, Scranton.

DEAN’S LIST

Mystere Bartal, Pittston; Samantha Casey, Jenkins Twp.; Alexus Dunn, Pittston; Hannah Frels, Dalton; Philip Gelso, Duryea; Gregory Godlewski, Pittston; Anna Gowarty, Scranton; Jacob Koretz, West Pittston; Payton Lepore, Wyoming; Rhianna Lewis, Scranton; Andrew Maddock, Clarks Summit; Abigail McDonald, Scranton; Andrew Morgan, Clarks Summit; Kate O’Brien, Moosic; Louis Parente, Tunkhannock; Skylar Roerig, Tunkhannock; Michael Stanczyk, Wyoming; Charles Wright, Clarks Summit; and Leanna Yatcilla, Old Forge.

RIVERSIDE

ELEMENTARY EAST

GRADE 6

Honor roll with distinction: Richard Kostoff, Winni Linn, Emily McCullon, Sarah McCullon, Connor McNally, Austin Shramko and Sophie Wargo.

Honor roll: Joseph Dodgson, Colin Donovan, Isabella Escobar, Brady Evans, Lily Flanagan, Angel Francis, Ryan Grill, Blayne Krotz-Lewis, Rosemary Murphy, Tori Natale, Amylynn Nemergut, Emma Ponas, Sebastian Quirindongo, Braelyn Reed, Samuel Reedy, Dakota Richard, Mason Rickert, Ryan Saxe, Sulekha Sharma, Lila Shygelski, Noah Soltys, Ella Sottile, Chase Taddonio, Meghan Tigue and Ryan Wasko.

Abington Heights

Eighth grader Ben Magnotta manages all of the Abington Heights Middle School technical needs with guidance from MarKay Nocera, art teacher and tech crew moderator.

Ben joined the tech crew in fifth grade and fell in love with working behind the scenes.

In sixth grade, he grew more serious about the crew and began learning from upperclassmen while working on the school musical.

Ben also assists the PTA at Clarks Summit Elementary with their technical needs for events.

The son of Helene and Kenneth Magnotta, he is considering a career in theatrical design and looks forward to working with the tech crew in high school.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

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

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Blue Ridge

Junior Spencer Renwick’s passion for singing led him to qualify for the All State Choir as a tenor II.

Spencer, who has performed in numerous musicals, attended the state competition in Pittsburgh last week, where he went through several rigorous auditions.

He placed sixth in pre-auditions, fourth at districts and third in the regional competition.

“Qualifying for All State Choir was an exciting experience,” Spencer said.

Spencer said he looks forward to returning to the competition next year.

— DANIEL ROSLER

drosler@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100, x5365;

@droslerTT on Twitter

Carbondale Area

Kristina Gorel is the district’s scholar of the year.

She was selected by a committee of teachers, guidance counselors and administrators for her class rank, excellent SAT scores and overall contributions to the junior/senior high school.

“I’m both surprised and honored,” she said. “It’s always a great feeling to be recognized for your efforts and accomplishments that you put so much work into. It is a great achievement.”

The Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit and WUSR-FM (99.5 FM), the University of Scranton’s radio station, sponsor the program.

Kristina is currently ranked first out of 86 students in the senior class. She is a member of the National Honor Society and the Distinguished Honor Roll and has been a participating member of Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science for the past six years.

The daughter of Andy and Rachele Gorel of Simpson, she is an active member of mock trial and was voted best attorney during trial presentations. She was football cheerleading captain, president of the Future Business Leaders of America and the FBLA region’s secretary. Kristina is a member of Tomorrow’s Leaders Today, a student ambassador for state Sen. John Blake (D-22, Archbald), student council vice president and member of the soccer and track and field teams.

After graduation, Kristina plans to attend the University of Pennsylvania to major in psychology with a focus in pre-law.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

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

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Career Technology Center

While a student in the plumbing and heating program, Alec Yanisko is busy preparing for his future.

The junior from Dunmore earned his OSHA 10- and 30- hour industry certifications and has maintained a 96 average.

“Because of Alec’s excellent work ethic and industry knowledge, he is a candidate for the CTC Cooperative Education Program where he hopes to begin working with Water Heater Depot this spring,” according to the school.

In his free time, Alec enjoys outdoor activities and works as a tour leader with Lost Trails ATV park.

After graduation, Alec plans to continue his education at Johnson College in the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning program.

— SARAH HOFIUS HALL

shofius@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9133;

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Delaware Valley

Tarna Batelman is a junior class member of the field hockey and lacrosse teams, student council, the Social Studies Honor Society Rho Khappa, National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta.

“Being involved keeps me busy. I like doing things that help me better myself,” she said.

Tarna also finds time to volunteer with the Day of Caring and Special Olympics, as well as serving as a peer tutor. “Volunteering makes me feel like I’m giving back to the community,” Tarna added.

— LISA ZACCAGNINO

lzaccagnino@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9130

Dunmore

Junior Mariana Leo will be carrying on the proud tradition of serving as Miss Buck for the 2019-20 school year.

She will be heading the Crimsonettes, the school’s marching unit that performs during football games, pep rallies and other functions both at school and in the community.

Mariana has been twirling since she was 4 and believes being Miss Buck will come naturally for her, as her mother and grandmother both twirled and passed on the craft as she was growing up.

Miss Buck was always a role model to her as a young girl, and she hopes to be the same for younger borough children.

“I’m very proud and honored to represent Dunmore and the whole community as Miss Buck. It means a lot to me. I hope to honor the community, and it is my hope to give back with various service projects,” Marianna said.

At school, she is a member of the French club. Mariana is planning on pursuing a career in education or nursing.

— LISA ZACCAGNINO

lzaccagnino@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9130

Forest City

Regional

Senior Summer Wade worked with the Salvation Army Food Pantry for her senior project, stocking shelves, organizing food, helping to unload trucks and filling bags of food for customers.

She enjoys helping at the pantry, working with friends and family members there.

“The best part of doing this service project was helping others,” she said.

Summer is active in soccer, softball and volleyball at school. She hopes to attend college next year and also serve in the National Guard.

— LISA ZACCAGNINO

lzaccagnino@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9130

Lakeland

Christian Swatt won the sixth-place Future Business Leader Award at the 2019 state conference.

“It was such a competitive process and I’m really proud to be in the top 10 in the state,” said Christian.

Christian had to take an online test and go through an interview process at the Hershey Lodge. Christian was chosen for the competition for his school and community involvement and open-minded, forward thinking.

He is also a member of the Lakeland Watershed Team and plays on the soccer and lacrosse teams.

Christian, a senior, plans to study civil engineering after graduation.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

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

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Mid Valley

Junior Madison Riccardo portrayed Ms. Andrew in Mid Valley’s production of “Mary Poppins.”

She has been a drama club player for three years, starring as Fantine in the 2017 production of “Les Miserables” and playing a role in “The Music Man.”

She is a member of student council, where she is on the PBIS pride committee, the cheerleading squad for football and basketball and a volunteer with the Olyphant Lions Pride Squad.

Madison takes AP biology, honors pre-calculus and trigonometry, and psychology, among other challenging courses.

She is interested in studying the performing arts after high school.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

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

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Montrose Area

For sophomore Lindsey Coy, the Future Business Leaders of America state conference in Hershey was “exciting but nerve-wracking.”

“I was surprised by the amount of independence that was required each day to organize my schedule,” the first-year FBLA member added.

Students were required to complete eight hours’ worth of FBLA activities. Lindsey competed in the Accounting I event. Although she did not place in the top 10, she was proud just to make it to states.

“My favorite part was all the different people I met and the memories that were made throughout the trip,” Lindsey said. “There were many interesting and friendly people each day to talk to.”

— STAFF REPORT

Mountain View

Senior Matt Schwarztrauber recently received awards for math and science research projects for the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science.

Matt focused on fundamental theorem practices in calculus and conducted an experiment to test whether density would affect bottle flipping.

“I had to teach myself many of the concepts and theories needed for both projects,” Matt said. “But that taught me the value of trying new things and to always be willing to ask questions.”

Matt hopes to attend Wilkes University in the fall to pursue a degree in pharmacy.

— DANIEL ROSLER

drosler@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100, x5365;

@droslerTT on Twitter

Old Forge

The Old Forge Elementary School Read-A-Thon raised $13,377 through the support of family, friends and community members. Proceeds will be used to create a sensory room at Old Forge.

Students who raised the most money were Kamryn Notari, $425; Aria Chlud-zinski, $425; Daniel Churla, $475; and Ava Barron, $475.

— SARAH HOFIUS HALL

shofius@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9133;

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Riverside

Fifth grader Jessdaly Torres volunteered to assist with the children’s free produce market.

The market, which is made possible through the Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank, takes place once a month at the elementary school.

“Some might not have enough money to buy food, and they get help from the children’s produce market,” Jessdaly said. “I like to help other people.”

— DANIEL ROSLER

drosler@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100, x5365;

@droslerTT on Twitter

Scranton

Nearly 70 fourth grade students participated in the science fair at McNichols Plaza Elementary. University of Scranton students served as judges.

Henry Salazar received the grand prize for his project on vitamin C. Three students received runner-up awards: Camila Lara, Javier Unver and Alekseja Vujasinovic.

— SARAH HOFIUS HALL

shofius@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9133;

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Susquehanna Community

Sophomore Bethany Burns recently published her own school newspaper, “Toilet Talks.”

The unique, weekly paper is posted in the school’s restrooms and highlights various school events. A typical issue also lists student achievements and teacher advice.

“I started this paper because I was hoping to spread school spirit and show my fellow classmates how many experiences our school has to offer,” Bethany said.

Bethany is also a part of the school’s mentor program, serves on student council and is a member of the volleyball, basketball and track teams.

— DANIEL ROSLER

drosler@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100, x5365; @droslerTT on Twitter

Valley View

Kara Hirjak’s last performance on the Valley View High School stage was in a supporting role during the school’s production of “Mama Mia!”

“This show meant a lot to me,” she said. “So many friendships and memories were made that will never be taken away from me. It was by far the best thing that has happened in my life.”

Kara is member of National Honor Society, history club, jazz band, chorus, marching band and Voices of the Valley.

She also plays tennis.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114; @kbolusTT on Twitter

Wallenpaupack

Emma Ey’s administrators described the second grader as the first to lend a hand to her classmates and teachers.

Emma is a friendly, smart and hardworking 8-year-old, they said.

Emma is active outside of school as well, participating in gymnastics, field hockey and softball, where she is coached by her dad.

“He is a good coach to everybody and helps us get better,” Emma said. “And I love him.”

— DANIEL ROSLER

drosler@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100, x5365; @droslerTT on Twitter

Wayne Highlands

For the last two years, seventh grader Natasha Hendrickson has competed in the Odyssey of the Mind program.

Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college, according to the website.

Natasha wrote the entire script for her team to perform at the competition on March 9, which included building vehicles with wood and cardboard, designing and creating costumes and props, and acting.

“The competition involves working fast, being creative and working together as a team,” Natasha said.

— DANIEL ROSLER

drosler@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100, x5365; @droslerTT on Twitter

Western Wayne

Seventh grader Izzy Azzato is an honor roll student who loves language arts and science.

She enjoys expanding her vocabulary and conducting experiments in her science classes.

“I especially liked doing an experiment in science, where we worked with Alka-Seltzer tablets to make them dissolve quickly in water,” Izzy said. “I like to learn new things.”

Outside of the class, she likes to practice on the track team, particularly the high jump.

— DANIEL ROSLER

drosler@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100, x5365; @droslerTT on Twitter

Archbald

Tractor supply: Tractor Supply Co. holding annual “try before you buy” event, inviting customers in the Archbald area to stop by Saturday to experience a variety of power equipment products, 9 a.m to 5 p.m., 600 Business Route 6. Contact: 570-876-3030.

Dickson City

Pasta dinner: Boy Scout Troop 322 annual pasta dinner April 27, Eagle Hose Company 1 Fire Hall, Eagle Lane, Dickson City, takeouts, 3:30-4:30 p.m.; sit-down, 5-7; $10/adults, $7/children 10 and under. Tickets at the door or by calling 570-489-5059 or 570-650-5028.

Honesdale

Job fair: The Himalayan Institute job fair, Thursday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., 952 Bethany Turnpike, Honesdale.

Jermyn

Cleanup month: Jermyn cleanup month, through May 18; Jermyn citizens are asked to clean their section of the street, curb and sidewalks. The goal is to have clean streets for summer and Memorial Day weekend.

West Scranton

Meeting canceled: Sloan Seniors meeting Tuesday is canceled due to Holy Week. Next meeting is May 7, 1:30, refreshments and games to follow.

CLIPBOARD ITEMS may be sent to yesdesk@timessham

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