SCRANTON — Jose Mendoza beat the odds.

The lucky Scranton resident claimed the top prize — a whopping $3 million — on a scratch-off lottery ticket, the Pennsylvania Lottery announced Thursday.

The windfall came from a $30-per-ticket scratch-off game called “$3 Million Cash.”

After taxes, Mendoza netted nearly $2.2 million, lottery officials said.

This scratch-off game has a one-in-1.2 million chance of winning the top prize.

Mendoza’s winning ticket was sold in West Scranton at Lans Express North S., 1227 S. Main Ave., a convenience store that goes by the name G&G Express Marts and is fronted by Sunoco gas pumps.

The retailer also received a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

Store owner Latif Sharifi and store clerk Tara Stratz, who sold the scratch-off ticket to Mendoza, said he was not a regular customer of the shop at the corner of Smith Street near the city border with Taylor.

“He just got lucky,” said Sharifi, who has owned the store for six months. “I think it’s the biggest (scratch-off lottery ticket) winner around here. I never heard of anybody winning $3 million” on a scratch-off ticket.

Stratz said she sold the $30 scratch-off ticket from the store’s countertop glass-case display at the register on Sunday, May 12, around 11 a.m. A few days later the customer came back and told her he won $3 million on that ticket.

“I said, ‘Stop lying,’” Stratz said she told him.

He showed her a photo on his phone of the scratched-off ticket showing the number at the top of the ticket matching the number in the game field below, and under that matching number was the grand prize of $3 million.

“His winning number was 35. I’ll never forget that number,” Stratz said.

Mendoza claimed the top prize May 16, at the state lottery’s regional office in Wilkes-Barre, said lottery spokeswoman Ewa Dworakowski.

Attempts to contact Mendoza were unsuccessful.

Under law, the state lottery deducts taxes from cash prizes over $5,000. Before a payout, the lottery will withhold 24 percent in federal taxes, the rate applied to prizes paid on or after Feb. 7, 2018, and 3.07 percent in state taxes.

The $3 million prize ranked among $188.6 million in scratch-off winnings paid out during May.

Other big winnings included three top prizes worth $1 million each claimed by players from Allegheny, Lycoming and Lancaster counties.

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

Carbondale

Free lunch: Free community luncheon, June 15, noon-1 p.m., Trinity Episcopal Church, 58 River St.

Keyser Valley

Seniors meet: Keyser Valley Senior Citizens meeting, Monday, 1 p.m., community center, games and refreshments follow.

Olyphant

Pierogi sale: St. Nicholas Orthodox Church pierogi sale (deep fried or plain), June 14, 3 p.m. until sold out, church parking lot, 600 E. Lackawanna Ave., Olyphant, $8/dozen.

Regional

Dinner meeting: Scranton State General Hospital School of Nursing Alumni dinner meeting, June 20, Rossi’s Ristorante, 150 S. Main St., Archbald, cash bar 6 p.m., dinner 6:30, business meeting follows; reservations by June 13; contact any alumni member with questions.

South Scranton

Seniors meet: Young at Heart Club meeting, Tuesday, 1 p.m., St. Paul of the Cross Parish Center, Prospect Avenue.

Throop

Anniversary celebration: Throop Hose Company 1 celebrating their 125th anniversary, in conjunction with borough quasquicentennial celebration, Washington Street Park; chicken barbecue at the hose company, June 29; pork barbecue at the park, June 30, noon until sold out; $9/donation, limited tickets; advance tickets, Dave Benson, 570-383-1019 or any member.

Wayne County

Flag Day: Wayne County commissioners and veterans affairs office Flag Day event, June 14, 11 a.m., steps of the county courthouse in Honesdale; singing of the national anthem, color guard, Pledge of Allegiance and remarks from the Jeffrey Legg, director of veterans affairs, and the county commissioners.

West Scranton

Reunion meeting: West Scranton High School class of 1969 reunion meeting, Tuesday, 5:30 p.m., St. George’s Restaurant, 304 Church St., Jessup, to discuss the 50th reunion and finalize planning, food and beverages available to purchase.

50/50 bingo: 50/50 bingo, Sunday, 1-5 p.m., St. Michael’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church, 540 N. Main Ave., refreshments available, raffle; 570-703-3530.

CLIPBOARD ITEMS may be sent to yesdesk@timessham

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

SCRANTON — Scranton High School evacuated the building for a lesson on renewable energy Thursday.

Students — who raised money and promoted the benefits of wind turbines — are big fans.

The school’s 1,800 students gathered around the new wind turbine at Memorial Stadium to learn more about the project, which will generate energy and money for future plans.

“Just to see it up here, it’s awesome,” said senior Aidan Drouse, who helped lead the efforts. “I’m so proud to actually have this happen.”

Environmental science teacher Kevin Kays and former students had hoped to install the wind turbine four years ago, but district funding fell through. Last year, students told Kays they wanted to have the blades spinning before graduation this month.

“These kids gave me energy,” Kays said. “They were so enthusiastic. They wanted to see it happen.”

The wind turbine club collected money on dress-down days, organized a 5K race, sold doughnuts and designed T-shirts with the slogan “Renewable energy @SHS... I’m a big fan.”

Forty-five feet above the main entrance at Memorial Stadium, the Skystream 3.7 turbine can generate up to 2.4 kilowatts per hour, which will go back into the grid.

While the turbine will never produce as much energy as what is used at Scranton High and Memorial Stadium, the district will save several hundred dollars a year, Kays said. That money will be set aside for a fund to use for turbine maintenance or other environmental science projects.

The school can access data from the turbine, which then can be used in classes such as physics, general science or math.

Kays estimates the cost of the project would have been between $28,000 and $30,000, but thanks to donated labor and equipment, the total cost was about $17,000 or $18,000. Union electricians and carpenters donated time. Businesses provided equipment, expertise and labor, including digging a hole 10 feet deep and 3 feet wide and the use of a crane to lift the pole. Scranton Central High School’s class of 1963 donated $4,000, with several other groups and businesses providing financial assistance.

Club members signed a construction hardhat for Kays, the “project manager.”

Jack Joyce graduated last year but came back Thursday to see the finished project.

“I’m really proud,” he said. “A lot of hard work went into this.”

Senior Kayla Walsh hopes the turbine can serve as an example for others.

“I think it’s an amazing thing to have clean energy at the school,” she said. “Our planet is dying. We need to save it.”

Contact the writer:

shofius@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9133;

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Times-Shamrock Communications hosted a handful of the area’s top influencers and business people Thursday evening as it unveiled the company’s new, interactive entertainment website, Access NEPA.

Downtown Scranton speakeasy Madame Jenny’s set the scene for the sneak peek of AccessNEPA.com, which goes public on Thursday, June 13. (Look for users’ guides that day in The Times-Tribune, The Citizens’ Voice, Standard-Speaker and Republican Herald.)

The site will be home to a comprehensive calendar featuring events from throughout Northeast Pennsylvania. The location-specific searchable calendar allows users from Pottsville to Peckville, from Hazleton to Hanover Twp., to search for things to do in their locales and throughout the region. The page will also feature blog content from across the region on topics such as food and drink, health and beauty, movies, sports, benefits and more.

“We’re saying farewell to Electric City and unlocking the possibilities and adventure of Access NEPA,” Times-Tribune Advertising Director Paul Ross explained to the assembled crowd.

Times-Shamrock Publisher and President Don Farley added, “What we’re unveiling next week is very exciting. … You name it, you’ll find it there. You’re about to see an explosion of content through Access NEPA.”

WILKES-BARRE — A man injured during a fight last week has died of his injuries, police said Thursday.

Jeremy Soto, 25, of Wilkes-Barre, was removed from life support Saturday after being hit in the head during a fight in the 500 block of N. Main St., according to police.

Officers were dispatched to the scene May 31 to a report that Soto had been struck in the face. Soto was taken to Wilkes-Barre General Hospital for treatment.

Police say the 19-year-old suspect, who was also not identified, remained on scene and agreed to give a statement at police headquarters.

The man told police that Soto had followed him and attacked him while he was walking into his home, according to police. The man told police Soto swung at him, so he then punched Soto in the face and knocked him out, police said.

On Saturday, police learned that Soto’s condition worsened and that he had been removed from life support, police said.

The coroner performed an autopsy Thursday and determined Soto died of blunt-force trauma. The manner of death had not been determined, according to police.

Police say officers canvassed the neighborhood seeking witnesses and are continuing to conduct interviews.

Anyone with information about the altercation is asked to call Detective Thomas Harding at 570-208-4224.

Soto attended GAR Memorial Junior and Senior High School. A former classmate, Wilkes-Barre Councilwoman Beth Gilbert, posted a memorial message on Facebook earlier this week.

“Jeremy was one of the people who were genuinely nice to me, and made my high school experience better. I’ll never forget his genuine kindness from such a young age,” Gilbert wrote. “You deserved so much better than what you were dealt, Jeremy, and I pray for justice and peace for you and for your family.”

A Gofundme.com fundraiser set up for Soto’s family on Wednesday had raised more than $1,300 as of Thursday afternoon.

Contact the writer:

jhalpin@citizensvoice.com

570-821-2058

SCRANTON — Lackawanna College President Mark Volk announced today he will retire from the position and Jill Murray, Ph.D., executive vice president and chief innovation officer, will step into the role.

Volk, a dynamic leader with a broad vision, has been a fixture at Lackawanna and in the region since taking on the role of Vice President of Planning and Operations at the college in 2004.

A retired Army colonel, Volk served as executive vice president for Lackawanna before becoming the eighth president of the college in July 2012.

Murray previously served as vice president for academic affairs after joining the administration in October of 2008. She will become the institution’s first female president.

During his inauguration in 2012, Volk, originally from Easton, promised to enhance the value of a Lackawanna College degree and make it attainable to even more students.

He’s led the college through many physical and academic expansions including the addition of bachelor’s degrees, which were awarded for the first time in May; a new culinary program and 14,400-square-foot Culinary Center at 409 Adams Ave., in downtown Scranton; and the creation of the Level Up Lackawanna program which gives participating students both a high school diploma and Lackawanna College associate degree at a lower cost, among many other initiatives.

Just Thursday, Volk was on hand to announce that Lackawanna will begin offering a two-year registered nurse program in fall 2020 to help address a regional nursing shortage.

Murray, a Scranton High School, University of Scranton and Marywood Unviersity graduate, will begin as president in 2020.

Check back for updates.

Contact the writer: kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114; @kbolusTT on Twitter.

June 7, 1979

Announcement slated

at movie premiere

The local premiere of “Rocky II” at the West Side Theatre would have some extra excitement June 15. James B. McNulty and attorney Edmund Scachitti planned to make an announcement having to do with the general election in November.

Political insiders believed they would be announcing a run for Lackawanna County commissioner.

The cost to attend the event was $10 per person. The donation included champagne, the movie and the announcement.

Curfew to be enforced for Clarks Summit kids

A June 6 Clarks Summit council meeting was a busy one.

First on the agenda was passage of a curfew ordinance for children. Kids under the age of 18 would have to be indoors between 10:30 p.m. and 5 a.m. unless accompanied by an adult. The new curfew would be enforced by borough police.

Next, council updated the fine from a 1912 ordinance that outlawed dumping of yard waste in the street. The original fine was $2; the new fine was $25 per violation.

Council also awarded contracts for road work in the borough. The contracts went to Keystone Paving with a bid of $14,141 for the work and Wyoming Sand & Stone with a bid of $14.50 a ton for the materials.

Out & About

At the clubs: “Country Honey” at the Pub Charles, “Asparagus Sunshine” at the Wine Cellar, Bob Rogers & Ed Lenihan at Collins Tap Room and disco dancing at Time Square Disco, Studio 231 and Oz.

At the movies: “Blazing Saddles” at the Center Theatre, “Grease” at the Ritz, “The Deer Hunter,” “Battlestar Galactica” and “The Promise” at the Cinema at Viewmont Mall, “Hair” at the West Side, and “The Evictors” and “Sunnyside” at Circle Drive-In.

BRIAN FULTON, library manager, oversees The Times-Tribune’s expansive digital and paper archives and is an authority on local history. Contact

Brian at bfulton@timesshamroc­k.com or 570-348-9140.

An Archbald man faces a criminal charge after police say he warned his estranged daughter by text to stay away from Carbondale Area High School on Thursday, causing concerns for her and the school.

Richard Zuraski, 42, address unknown, is charged with one count of terroristic threats causing a serious public inconvenience, according to a criminal complaint filed by Patrolman Thomas Sakosky.

Zuraski and his wife of 20 years, Catherine Zuraski, are in the midst of a divorce. He has a temporary protection from abuse order barring any contact with his wife.

On Thursday, Zuraski called and text messaged his daughter, a Carbondale Area High School student, and asked her to have her mother call him.

Frustrated, she hung up on her father. Zuraski then text messaged her “not to go to school tomorrow,” police said.

Taking it as a threat to her and her school, she reported it later that morning to Michael Golay, a retired state police investigator who is the district’s director of safety and security.

As a precaution, school officers were posted at the high and elementary schools and Carbondale police increased patrols around the area.

Zuraski was taken into custody and jailed at Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail.

With Zuraski in custody, there was no disruption to the school Friday, Carbondale Area School District Superintendent Robert Mehalick said.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 17.

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

DYBERRY TWP. — A 42-year-old man died Thursday in a motorcycle crash in Wayne County, state police at Honesdale said.

What exactly happened at 7:22 p.m. on Dug Road in Dyberry Twp. was unclear Friday but the collision that killed Jason Levanowitz remains under investigation by the state police accident reconstruction unit.

Levanowitz died at the scene.

Another motorcyclist, James Lazaro, reportedly lost control of his motorcycle and was injured, but police said whether or not they collided with each other is unclear. He went to the Wayne Memorial Hospital, where his condition was not immediately available.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

SCRANTON — The debut of the new Charl-Mont restaurant at the Lackawanna County Government Center is delayed again.

The restaurant on the first floor of the government center on Wyoming Avenue will not open Monday as previously announced, county spokesman Joseph D’Arienzo said Friday.

He said equipment installation and other work is still underway at the restaurant, which was originally scheduled to open in March and then in mid-May.

There is no new date for the restaurant’s opening, D’Arienzo said.

— DAVID SINGLETON

SCRANTON — The Salvation Army of Scranton celebrated Friday’s National Doughnut Day by handing out dozens of free doughnuts donated by Entenmann’s at Courthouse Square. The Salvation Army in Chicago celebrated the first National Doughnut Day in 1938, to help those in need during the Great Depression and to commemorate the work of the “donut lassies” who served donuts to soldiers during World War I.

A Lackawanna County judge upheld Jason Dominick’s conviction for the 2013 murder of a Dunmore man, rejecting his claims that his attorney was ineffective in representing him.

Judge Terrence Nealon said evidence shows attorney Bernard Brown had a reasonable basis for each of the decisions he made in defending Dominick at his trial for the July 20, 2013 shooting death of Frank Bonacci.

Dominick, 29, of Scranton, was convicted in May 2014 of third-degree murder and conspiracy and sentenced to 40 to 80 years in prison. Prosecutors say he shot Bonacci, 24, in the back of the head as they rode in a car driven by Dominick’s co-defendant, Neil Pal. The pair then forced the vehicle over an embankment off Ridge Row in Scranton.

Pal, 28, of Scranton, was convicted at a separate trial in June 2014 of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

The state Superior Court upheld Dominick’s conviction in 2016. He continued to appeal under the state’s Post Conviction Collateral Relief Act, which allows a defendant to raise issues on appeal that were not previously reviewed.

Dominick’s new attorney, Terrence McDonald, raised 14 issues. One of the key issues was Brown’s failure to hire a blood pattern expert to review evidence — an issue McDonald said was crucial in determining whether the shot was fired from the driver’s seat, where Pal sat, or the rear seat, where Dominick sat. That was important because Dominick and Pal accused each other of being the shooter.

Brown testified at a hearing in October 2017 that he did not to seek an expert because he was concerned his findings might not support Dominick’s version of the shooting. He opted instead to attack the credibility of Lackawanna County detective’s blood pattern testimony through cross examination.

In his ruling, Nealon notes that, following the trial, he granted Dominick’s request to hire a blood pattern expert, Stuart H. James, to review the evidence. It turned out that Brown showed “impressive foresight” in not calling James at trial, Nealon said, because the expert at times contradicted Dominick’s version of what happened. James ultimately determined there was insufficient blood pattern evidence to definitively state whether Dominick or Pal shot Bonacci.

McDonald also questioned Brown’s decision not to test shattered glass that was found near the scene of the murder. McDonald argued the evidence was important because it supported Dominick’s assertions that Pal shot Bonacci, which resulted in the car’s window glass being blown out onto the ground.

In rejecting the argument, Nealon noted prosecutors argued the glass fragments were not relevant to the case because they were not found until eight months after the murder and were located in an area that is frequented by many members of the public. Given that, Nealon said, even if Brown had requested a court-appointed expert review the evidence, Nealon would not have granted the request.

“A defendant is not entitled to expert services simply because he requests it,” Nealon said. “There must first be a showing as to the content, relevancy and materiality of the proposed services.”

Contact the writer: tbesecker@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9137; @tmbeseckerTT on Twitter

Lackawanna County agreed to a $1.1 million settlement of two federal lawsuits filed by three women who alleged several former Lackawanna County prison guards sexually abused them.

The agreement, reached this week, is the fifth lawsuit related to prison sexual abuse the county settled in the last three years. All told the victims were paid $2.4 million, nearly all of which was covered by insurance.

The latest settlement resolves a federal lawsuit Scranton attorney Matthew Comerford filed in 2016 on behalf of two women, and one he filed in 2018 on behalf of another woman.

The settlement is a global deal among the three women, said Donald Frederickson, the county’s general counsel. The the county is responsible for a $50,000 deductible. The balance will be covered by insurance, he said. Frederickson said the county does not admit any wrongdoing. The county’s insurance company made the decision to settle the cases.

The 2016 case was filed by Jamie Tompkins and Tammy Fox,who died in a car crash last year, while the 2018 case was filed by Nicole Palmitessa.

The Times-Tribune ordinarily does not identify victims of sexual abuse, but Tompkins and Palmitessa gave their permission to be identified. Fox’s identity became public last year based on court filings that seek to have transcripts of her testimony in a criminal proceeding admitted at the upcoming trial of Mark A. Johnson, who is also one of the defendants in the civil suit.

Johnson, 55, 2213 Golden Ave., Scranton, is one of seven former guards charged in February 2018 with abusing inmates based on a statewide grand jury investigation. Two of the other guards named in the Fox and Tompkins suit — John Shnipes Jr., 44, of Archbald, and James J. Walsh, 52, of Roaring Brook Twp., were also charged. All are awaiting trial in Lackawanna County court.

Comerford said Tompkins and Palmitessa, who is not a victim in the criminal case, are relieved to put the civil case behind them. The settlement will be divided evenly among them and Fox’s estate, he said.

“Hopefully this settlement provides some closure to the victims and their families and sends a message that this type of conduct will not be tolerated in our community or anywhere else,” he said.

The prior settlements involved two federal lawsuits filed on behalf of two women in 2013 — one by Comerford, the other by Easton attorney Philip Lauer — that alleged former guard Joseph Black sexually assaulted them. Black pleaded guilty in 2015 to indecent exposure and two other offenses and was sentenced to 45 months to eight years in state prison. Those cases settled in 2016, one for $750,000, the other for $500,000.

The other settlement involved a April 2018 case Comerford filed on behalf of a woman who accused former guard Jeffrey T. Staff of sexual abuse. That case settled in June 2018 for $60,000.

Contact the writer: tbesecker@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9137; @tmbeseckerTT on Twitter

SCRANTON — The city fired zoning officer Jack Sweeney on Thursday for undisclosed reasons, the city solicitor said today.

Sweeney was not aware of his termination, but added it apparently stems from an internal investigation of money possibly missing from the zoning office at City Hall. Sweeney adamantly denies stealing any money.

“I deny any wrongdoing and will vigorously fight this,” he said. “I didn’t take any money, I can assure you of that.”

Mayor Bill Courtright referred questions to city solicitor Jessica Eskra. She would only confirm that Sweeney no longer works for the city and was sent a termination notice. She declined to comment further, citing personnel confidentiality. Eskra also declined to comment on Sweeney’s remarks about a probe into missing money.

Efforts to contact Police Chief Carl Graziano and Sweeney’s supervisor, Patrick Hinton, the director of the city’s Licensing, Inspections and Permits Department that contains the zoning office, were unsuccessful.

Sweeney said he got a call about two weeks ago from police asking him to visit the police station. The subject of the meeting was money possibly missing from the zoning office, which at times receives cash payments for permits and has a cash register.

Sweeney said he told the officers he never took any money. As the questioning continued, Sweeney said he mentioned getting nervous and saying that maybe he needed an attorney. At that time, police stopped asking questions and he left, he said.

He then took a leave of absence from work, both for personal reasons and because of the situation involving the investigation, and hired an attorney.

“I met with the Scranton Police Department two weeks ago. I made it clear I did not steal a penny,” Sweeney said. “Two weeks ago, they accused me of misplacing $7,100. A day or two later, it was found. Then a week later, they said it’s $3,200 (that’s missing). Then it was $1,100.”

“I said, ‘I didn’t take anything,’” Sweeney continued. “If they’re trying to fire me — fine and dandy. I’ll fight it.”

Today, Sweeney said he had not yet received a termination notice and learned he was fired from a Times-Tribune reporter.

Sweeney said he always wrote receipts for “every penny” of cash payments received by the zoning office. The office accepts cash, money orders and certain kinds of checks, but does not accept personal checks or credit cards, he said. He described the system as “archaic” and said he had expressed concerns about the office’s acceptance of cash as a means of payment.

“The city of Scranton still does not take credit cards or debit cards. They’re blaming me,” Sweeney said. “Why the city of Scranton still takes cash is absolutely crazy. I’ve been saying this for years.”

Sweeney, 61, became zoning officer in 2014, during Courtright’s first year of his first term. The position’s annual salary under the city’s 2019 budget is $37,500.

The mayor on Friday named city Planner Don King as acting zoning officer, Eskra said.

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

SCRANTON — Two men face charges after a fight involving gunshots earlier in the week.

City police arrested Stailyn Novas, 19, Scranton, and Jorge DeJesus, 22, Pittston, today on charges stemming from a fight Wednesday near Weston Field.

At about 10:30 p.m., police responded there for the report of shots fired. Police talked to witnesses who said two men, later identified as Novas and DeJesus, got involved with a fight between two women. DeJesus kicked one of the women in the face during the fight and Novas pointed a handgun at a third woman before firing two shots, one beside her and another into the ground, police said.

Novas is charged with simple assault and recklessly endangering another person. DeJesus is charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct. Both are held in Lackawanna County Prison — Novas in lieu of $100,000 bail and DeJesus in lieu of $20,000 bail. Preliminary hearings are scheduled for June 17.

— CLAYTON OVER

JESSUP — Crews from several area fire companies are on the scene of a fire in the borough this evening.

Firefighters responded to 21 Wilson St. at about 8:55 p.m. for the fire. Flames are out but the fire seriously damaged the building. There’s not yet any word on any injuries.

Check back for updates.

— CLAYTON OVER

The same company that built wind turbines throughout Wayne County has its sights set on the Upvalley for a new wind farm, but residents are concerned.

About 30 Upvalley residents filled the Meredith Hose Company in Carbondale Twp. on Thursday for the monthly township supervisors meeting, discussing the impact wind turbines could have on their community and giving supervisors suggestions on taxation, protecting property values and homes.

Florida-based NextEra Energy Resources, which constructed the Waymart Wind Energy Center in 2003, accrued nearly a dozen easements and property transactions in the Midvalley and Upvalley over the past two years. However, Carbondale Twp. officials repeatedly emphasized to residents Thursday night that they have not received any official requests.

Doing business as Waymart Wind II LLC, NextEra purchased three acres in Archbald near Routes 6 and 107, according to a property transaction recorded March 13. It also obtained easements in Archbald, Carbondale city, Fell Twp. and Jefferson Twp.

Last month, NextEra officials presented informal plans in Carbondale Twp. for a 24-turbine wind farm that spans several municipalities. Eight of the turbines would be in the township. The wind turbines, which would be west of Route 6, would run north from the township to Union Dale.

By comparison, the Waymart Wind Energy Center has 43 1.5-megawatt turbines, according to the company. Those turbines are visible along Route 6 in Wayne County close the Lackawanna County line.

Attempts to reach NextEra officials were unsuccessful Thursday.

NextEra would have transmission lines in Archbald, and it is looking into constructing a facility in the borough to link up with PPL Electric Utilities for power distribution, Archbald borough Manager Jack Giordano said. The transmission lines are considered a public utility, “so it allows them to do it more or less,” but the facility would need zoning approval, he said.

According to the easements, NextEra “intends to develop the Waymart II Wind Farm project, a wind farm in Lackawanna, Susquehanna and Wayne counties.”

During last month’s meeting in Carbondale Twp., supervisors passed an ordinance to make wind turbines a special exception in their zoning while also establishing safeguards for the community regarding noise, height, setback distances and other restrictions.

Regulations include requiring applicants to provide visual depictions of how the wind turbines would look in the township, limiting noise to 55 decibels measured at the exterior of any occupied building or non-participating landowner’s property and establishing setback requirements based on the height of the wind turbines.

Before the meeting, Board of Supervisors Chairman Paul Figliomeni explained that the township didn’t have anything about wind turbines in its zoning, nor any regulations in place.

“We can’t stop them from bringing windmills in,” he said. “We had to establish some kind of rules and regulations that we could go by and they could go by.”

The company will still need zoning hearing board approval to construct any turbines in the township, Figliomeni said.

However, a group of concerned residents who believe regulations need to be stronger have formed a grassroots group called Waymart II Community.

At Thursday’s meeting, Sharrie Woody discussed the impact wind turbines could have on endangered bat species in the area. She challenged a comment made earlier by Supervisor Frank Lapka about noise from turbines, saying, “Don’t tell me you can’t hear them — and you can hear them even more when the wind is more pronounced” and during the winter.

“I must have bad hearing,” Lapka said.

Theresa Okrak requested a property setback further than 1,400 feet, saying, “That’s 500 yards. That’s nothing.”

Bob Rossi asked that, if the plan come to fruition, supervisors establish an agreement guaranteeing property values prior to the installation of wind turbines, and that “they would be fully responsible for reimbursing the landowners for any loss that would be incurred” from a decrease in property values or any other issues that arise.

John Uram asked supervisors to consider taxing wind turbines on megawatt production rather than receiving a flat fee like other townships, and to bring the Carbondale Area School District into negotiations.

William Fife asked the supervisors to form an advisory committee comprised of residents, although the supervisors disagreed.

“Everybody wants green (energy) until it’s in their backyards,” he said after the meeting.

Contact the writer: flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5181; @flesnefskyTT on Twitter

HARRISBURG

A Wilkes-Barre native has been appointed commissioner of Pennsylvania State Police, authorities announced Thursday.

Col. Robert Evanchick was confirmed in a unanimous vote by the state Senate to serve as the 23rd state police commissioner.

“It is truly an honor to follow in the footsteps of those who came before me and serve as commissioner of the oldest, and what I believe is the finest, state police force in the country,” Evanchick said in a statement.

A native of Wilkes-Barre, Evanchick, 61, had been serving as PSP’s acting commissioner since March 2018. Evanchick began his career as a Wilkes-Barre police officer before enlisting as a state trooper in 1981. He is a former commander of the Dunmore barracks.

As commissioner, he will be in charge of more than 6,500 enlisted and civilian employees.

— JAMES HALPIN

SCRANTON — St. Joseph’s Center is hiking wages for staff who care for residents and clients with intellectual, physical and developmental disabilities.

In July, the hourly starting wage for experienced direct support professionals, or DSPs, will increase to $15. That’s almost $2 per hour more than the starting wage such staff earned in January, and $4.02 more than the starting wage in July 2015. New DSPs will earn a training rate of $14 per hour, with that rate rising to $15 after six months.

The center employs about 400 DSPs who support roughly 550 clients with disabilities. Those professionals act as caretakers and advocates, and represent nearly 70% of the nonprofit’s total workforce.

Officials touted the wage hikes — which are part of a larger initiative that includes tuition assistance, leadership development, a career ladder and other incentives for DSPs — as addressing a workforce crisis in the field. That national crisis, officials said, is partly because of low wages that often force dedicated and compassionate DSPs from the profession, resulting in vacancies and high turnover that contribute to workforce instability.

Along with reductions in vacancies and overtime, Sister Maryalice Jacquinot, I.H.M., the center’s president and CEO, said the wage hikes will help the center retain qualified DSPs.

A Moses Taylor Foundation $500,000 grant supports the wage increases.

“We know that ensuring the quality and continuity of care is truly critical to improving the health of people in our region,” Moses Taylor Foundation President and CEO LaTida Smith said. “And we are really excited about this effort, and hope that St. Joseph Center’s leadership will help to increase wages among other support-care staff throughout our community.”

Also pleased with the news was Delta Medix CEO Margo Opsasnick, who developed close bonds with the DSPs who care for her 24-year-old son, Mark Opsasnick.

The family turned to St. Joseph’s Center in 2012, after Mark Opsasnick, who has Down syndrome, suffered a severe medical issue that left him paralyzed.

“It’s never been about the money for them, but to me this is a way to solidify their work at St. Joe’s, to reward them for what they do and enable them to be able to continue their work,” Margo Opsasnick said. “The problem is, if they don’t make a decent wage, they can’t continue to do what they do, and it’s so valuable.”

The center will hold a hiring event from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 25 in its Cognetti Room, 2010 Adams Ave.

Contact the writer:

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9141;

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

SCRANTON — Lackawanna College will launch the only two-year registered nurse program in Lackawanna County to help address a regional nursing shortage.

The new associate of science degree in nursing program will begin in fall 2020, with a goal of 25 students in the initial class.

“It’s an exciting opportunity, and it’s much needed for the region,” college President Mark Volk said at Thursday’s announcement.

The program will take half the time of a traditional bachelor’s degree in nursing and will prepare students to take the National Council Licensure Examination-RN and directly enter the workforce. Graduates could then enroll in the college’s online RN-to-BSN program, a program for nurses who are practitioners but want extra training and a bachelor’s degree.

“This has been a dream for many years,” Volk said. “Now, we’re finally able to bring it to fruition.”

The college will use a $500,000 grant from the Moses Taylor Foundation to outfit a state-of-the-art simulation skills lab that students in the program will use. With the use of four mannequins, students will receive training in multiple scenarios.

“Lackawanna College students are from our community, and they stay in our community,” said LaTida Smith, president and CEO of the Moses Taylor Foundation. “The college has a proven track record of providing affordable, quality education that is accessible to local residents and addresses immediate needs in the local healthcare workforce.”

The need for RNs in Lackawanna County will increase 15.5% between 2014 and 2024, much higher than most occupations, according to the college.

Judith Williams, Ph.D., director of the nursing program, said that as a working nurse, she knows Lackawanna graduates can fill a vital role in the region.

Tuition has not been set, but could be slightly higher than other programs at the college, Volk said. Tuition for the 2019-20 school year is $7,650 per semester.

Contact the writer: shofius@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9133; @hofiushallTT on Twitter